I figured going into this league that the NeL all-star team from 1924 would win. I really did not anticipate how dominant the Elites would be.
And I certainly did not anticipate how the bottom half of the Elite lineup would produce. Judy Johnson, who generally hit seventh, led the league in RBIs; Ben Taylor, who generally hit sixth, tied for second. Biz Mackey, who generally hit fifth, also was in the top 10 -- and all this despite the fact that neither Taylor nor Mackey fully qualified for the batting title.
That's some serious lineup depth.
The pitcher of the year is pretty easy: Dazzy Vance led the league in wins and strikeouts, was fourth in ERA and tied for second in innings pitched.
Player of the year is tougher. Judy Johnson led the league in RBIs and batting average, but he had relatively little power. Mackey was among the leaders in all three triple crown categories and was the best defensive catcher in the league.
Calling it a tie would be a cop-out, so I'll give it to Mackey. I might have a different opinion on another day.
As for operating the league ... the five-team format worked with doubleheaders and fewer days off, although there were a few games in Washington was strapped for pitchers.
The biggest problems were with the operator. I screwed up the standings for a good part of the season, and Home Run Johnson should not have been on the Elites roster at all. I don't think that latter error greatly affected things; indeed, had I had Frank Warfield rostered all season, the Elites would have played Tubby Scales and Dick Lundy more, and that might have been better for them.
I'll certainly do five-team leagues again. I probably won't do another NeL all-star team vs. contemporary major league teams. It just wasn't very competitive.
But that very non-competitiveness leads to my next Strat adventure, which I will detail in my next post.
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