Notes from the quarter pole

The league is a bit more than 25 percent done, really. Six teams have played 13 games, four have played 12. Thirteen games is about 29 percent of the season, 12 is about 27 percent.

Anyway ... time to set down a few thoughts about this league so far.

* Time to take a break from the games and update the stats. The bookkeeping is a real chore, and probably the biggest reason I'm contemplating buying a PC laptop and getting the computer version of Strat.

* If/when I do that and try this league again, the Franklins will NOT have Paul Waner on the roster. I rostered Waner to have a second first baseman, but Lou Gehrig doesn't have an injury on his card (duh), and I'm not going to pinch-hit for Gehrig, so the only reason for Gehrig to leave a game is for a pinch-runner. Meanwhile, the backup CF to Joe DiMaggio (who DOES get hurt) is Mel Ott, and the backup LF to Babe Ruth is DiMaggio. Kiki Cuyler or Max Carey would be a lot more helpful, even if neither was the hitter that Waner was.

* Another team for which flexibility is proving an issue is the Ikes. The Ikes should have protected Jackie Robinson in Round 2 rather than Enos Slaughter.

* Only three teams are above .500 at this point. It's too soon to say for sure that the Obamas and Homestead are the class of the divisions, but that's the way it looks right now.

Crawfords

Home park: Greenlee Field

Catchers

Frank Duncan (c)

Louis Santop (c/rf/1b)

Infielders

John Beckwith (3b/ss/1b/c)

Ray Dandridge (3b/2b/ss)

Sammy T. Hughes (2b)

Home Run Johnson (ss/2b)

Dick Lundy (ss/2b)

Frank Warfield (2b/3b/ss/cf)

Outfielders

Oscar Charleston (cf/1b)

Fats Jenkins (lf/cf)

Alejandro Oms (cf/lf/rf)

Wild Bill Wright (rf/cf/lf)

Pitchers

Chet Brewer

Roosevelt Davis

Leon Day

Big Bill Foster

Verdell Mathis

Bullet Joe Rogan (p/cf/2b/lf/rf)

Sam Streeter

Ted Trent

Projected standard lineup

1) Oms, lf

2) Lundy, ss

3) Charleston, cf

4) Beckwith, 1b

5) Wright, rf

6) Santop, c

7) Dandridge, 3b

8) Hughes, 2b

Comments: Beckwith the worst defender of the regulars, and he's better than a few 1b in this league ... the rest of the infield (and the outfield) is all 1s. ... Charleston, Beckwith and Wright a formidable middle of the order ... Rogan a realistic OF option ... Johnson may take some time from Hughes ... Oms not really a leadoff hitter ... Five quality starters (Rogan, Foster, Day, Trent, Brewer) but no real obvious bullpen ace.

Hilldale

Home park: Hilldale Park

Catcher

Larry Brown (c)

Quincy Trouppe (c/lf/rf/2b)

Infield

Newt Allen (ss/2b)

Sam Bankhead (ss/lf/cf/2b)

Tank Carr (1b/cf/3b/rf)

Judy Johnson (3b/ss)

Buck Leonard (1b)

Willie Wells (ss)

Outfield

Jelly Gardner (rf/cf)

Spot Poles (cf/rf/lf)

Turkey Stearnes (cf/rf/lf)

Cristobal Torriente (cf/rf/lf)

Pitchers

Bill Byrd

Andy Cooper

Dizzy Dismukes

Eggie Hensley

Willie Powell

Dick Redding

Smokey Joe Williams

Nip Winters

Projected standard lineup

1) Wells, ss

2) Johnson, 3b

3) Leonard 1b

4) Stearnes cf

5) Torriente rf

6) Trouppe c

7) Poles lf

8) Allen 2b

Comments: A real-life manager would probably put Poles leadoff, Wells second and drop Johnson into the bottom half, and that might be what happens ... Very LH in the middle ... No weak point on defense ... Williams and Redding head a deep starting staff ... May put those two on four-man rotation, run Byrd, Dismukes and and Winters around them ... Cooper the clear relief ace ...

X-Giants

Home Park: Rickwood Field

Catchers

Biz Mackey (c/ss/2b/3b)

Bruce Petway (c/1b/lf/rf)

Double Duty Radcliffe (c/sp/rp)

Infielders

Bingo DeMoss(2b)

Pop Lloyd (ss/2b/1b)

Bill Monroe (3b/2b/ss)

Ben Taylor (1b)

Candy Jim Taylor (3b/2b)

Outfielders

Bernando Baro (cf/rf/lf/1b)

Cool Papa Bell (cf/lf/rf)

Rap Dixon (rf/lf/cf)

Pete Hill (cf/lf/rf/1b)

Pitchers

Martin Dihigo (sp/rp/ss/1b/cf/2b/3b/rf/lf)

John Donaldson (sp/rp/cf)

Rube Foster (sp/rp)

Slim Jones (sp/rp)

Webster McDonald (sp/rp)

Jose Mendez (sp/rp 3b/ss/rf/2b)

Hilton Smith (sp/rp)

Tom Williams (sp/rp)

Likely standard lineup

1) Bell, lf

2) Hill, cf

3) Lloyd, ss

4) Dixon, rf

5) B. Taylor, 1b

6) Monroe, 3b

7) Mackey, c

8) DeMoss, 2b

Comments: Dihigo will play considerably, probably at second, and hit in the cleanup slot. ... This team was born to run ... other than the pitchers, the catchers and Ben Taylor, everybody's an A stealer or better, and even Mackey and Petway are Bs ... The lineup above is all 1 defense. ... Dihigo will drag it down with his 2e11 at 2b ... Four pitcher/position players; I listed Radcliffe as c, Dihigo, Donaldson and Mendez as p; only Dihigo and Radcliffe have a chance to start games in the field ... No pitcher can start every fourth game ... Five man rotation: R. Foster, Dihigo, Jones, Mendez, Donaldson ... Smith will be the relief ace ...

Homestead

Home park: Stars Park

Catchers

Josh Gibson (c/lf/1b/rf)

T.J. Young (c)

Infielders

Rev Cannady (2b/ss/1b/3b)

Dobie Moore (ss)

Tubby Scales (2b/ss/3b)

Mule Suttles (1b/lf)

Jud Wilson (1b/3b/lf/2b)

Outfielders

Willard Brown (cf/lf/ss)

Heavy Johnson (lf/rf/c/cf)

Jimmie Lyons (lf/cf/rf)

Hurley McNair (lf/rf/cf)

Chino Smith (rf/2b)

Pitchers:

William Bell

Dave Brown

Ray Brown

Max Manning

Leroy Matlock

Satchel Paige

Harry Salmon

Frank Wickware

Projected standard lineup

1) Scales, 2b

2) Smith, rf

3) Gibson, c

4) Wilson, 3b

5) Suttles, 1b

6) Johnson, lf

7) Brown, cf

8) Moore, ss

Comments: Big bats, small gloves. The lowest OPS in the regular lineup is .901, Dobie Moore, and he hit .346. ... Six of the eight have SLG of .600 or better ... But Scales, Wilson, Suttles and Johnson are dismal defensively ... Paige anchors the staff, of course, with the Browns and Manning close behind ... Matlock looks impressive ... Will try to avoid starting Bell at home. He may wind up as the bullpen ace.

The Obamas

Home park: New Comiskey

First round:

1) Kid Nichols (sp/rp)

2) Walter Johnson (sp/rp)

3) Mickey Cochrane (c)

4) Mickey Mantle (cf/lf)

5) Mike Schmidt (3b/1b)

Second round:

6) Billy Hamilton (cf/lf/rf)

7) Ed Walsh (sp/rp)

8) Jimmy Foxx (1b/3b/c)

9) Jackie Robinson (2b/lf/1b/3b)

10) Frank Robinson (rf/lf/1b)

Third round:

11) Joe Kelley (lf/cf/1b/3b)

12) Eddie Plank (sp/rp)

13) Charlie Gehringer (2b)

14) Lou Boudreau (ss)

15) Nolan Ryan (sp)

Fourth round:

16) Ernie Lombardi (c)

17) Lefty Gomez (sp/rp)

19) Tony Lazzeri (2b/3b/ss)

20) Vic Willis (sp/rp)

21) Jack Chesbro (sp/rp)

Projected standard lineup

1) Hamilton, lf

2) Gehringer, 2b

3) Foxx, 1b

4) Mantle, cf

5) F. Robinson, rf

6) Schmidt, 3b

7) Cochrane/Lombardi c

8) Boudreau, ss

Comments: Four 500-HR guys. ... Hamilton may lose PT to Kelley, a much better defensive OF ... J. Robinson a better defender than coded. I think he and Hornsby should swap defensive ratings. ... Four man rotation (Johnson, Nichols, Plank, Ryan) of 300-game winners, with Walsh in the bullpen ... Will play in major hitters park ... No NeLs made the squad. The fourth round picks were all better, or at least no worse, than the NeL leftovers.

The Kennedys

Home Park: Olympic Stadium (Montreal)

First round:

1) Johnny Bench (c/1b/rf/lf/3b)

2) Robin Yount (cf/ss/lf)

3) Joe Morgan (2b)

4) Hank Aaron (rf/1b/cf)

5) Tom Seaver (sp)

Lost to Obamas: Mike Schmidt (3b/1b)

Second round:

6) George Brett (3b/1b)

7) Sandy Koufax (sp/rp)

8) Bob Gibson (sp)

9) Carlton Fisk (c)

10) Pete Rose (rf/2b/3b/1b/lf/cf)

Lost to Obamas: Frank Robinson (rf/lf 1b)

Third round:

11) Steve Carlton (sp)

12) Carl Yastremski (lf/1b/cf)

13) Reggie Jackson (rf)

14) Juan Marichal (sp)

15) Rollie Fingers (rp)

Lost to Obamas: Nolan Ryan, sp

Fourth round:

16) Don Drysdale (sp/rp)

17) Phil Niekro (sp/rp)

18) Willie McCovey (1b/lf)

19) Harmon Killebrew (1b/3b/lf)

20) Luis Aparicio (ss)

Provisionally lost to Obamas: None

Projected standard lineup

1) Morgan, 2b

2) Yount, ss

3) Brett, 3b

4) Aaron, cf

5) McCovey/Killebrew, 1b

6) Jackson, rf

7) Yastremski, lf

8) Bench, c

Comments: Defense at 1b soft, but otherwise good despite playing Aaron out of position ... Aaron a 2 (-1) e5 in CF ... Plenty of power ... Projected rotation of Seaver, Gibson, Carlton, Marichal leaves no room for Koufax, who shouldn't go in four-man rotation anyway. Hard to leave Koufax out of rotation. ... Fingers to close. Duh ... Two 300-game winners in rotation, a third in the bullpen (Niekro),a fourth drafted by the Obamas and two more (Gaylord Perry and Don Sutton) out of the league.

The Ikes

Home park: Wrigley Field

First round:

1) Willie Mays (cf)

2) Stan Musial (1b/lf/rf/cf)

3) Warren Spahn (sp/rp)

4) Yogi Berra (c)

5) Ernie Banks (ss/1b/3b)

Lost to Obamas: Mickey Mantle (cf/lf)

Second round:

6) Ted Williams (lf/rf)

7) Eddie Mathews (3b)

8) Enos Slaughter (rf/lf)

9) Roy Campanella (c)

10) Whitey Ford (sp/rp)

Lost to Obamas: Jackie Robinson (2b/3b/lf/1b)

Third round:

11) Duke Snider (cf/rf)

12) Al Kaline (rf/cf)

13) Red Schoendinst (2b/ss)

14) Bobby Doerr (2b)

15) Robin Roberts (sp/rp)

Lost to Obamas: Lou Boudreau, ss

Fourth round:

16) Early Wynn (sp/rp)

17) Bob Lemon (sp/p)

18) Jim Bunning (sp/rp)

19) Hal Newhouser (sp/rp)

20) Hoyt Wilhelm (rp/sp)

Provisionally lost to Obamas: None

Likely standard lineup:

1) Mays, cf

2) Williams, lf

3) Musial, 1b

4) Banks, ss

5) Mathews, 3b

6) Berra/Campanella, c

7) Snider/Kaline, rf

8) Schoendienst/Doerr, 2b

Comments: Very LH lineup. ... Slow. ... Williams may be the single worst defensive regular on the HoF teams. ... All other OFs are 1s at all positions, except Kaline's 2 in CF ... Not a lot of position flexibility. ... Likely four-man rotation of Spahn, Roberts, Wynn and Ford, with Wilhelm as relief ace.

The Franklins

Home park: Old Yankee Stadium

First round:

1) Babe Ruth (rf/lf)

2) Gabby Hartnett (c)

3) Lefty Grove (sp/rp)

4) Joe DiMaggio (cf/lf)

5) Rogers Hornsby (2b)

Lost to Obamas: Mickey Cochrane (c)

Second round:

6) Bill Dickey (c)

7) Lou Gehrig (1b)

8) Carl Hubbell (sp/rp)

9) Bob Feller (sp/rp)

10) Mel Ott (rf/3b/cf)

Lost to Obamas: Jimmy Foxx (1b/3b/c)

Third round:

11) Frankie Frisch (2b/3b/ss)

12) Joe Cronin (ss)

13) Arky Vaughn (ss)

14) Dazzy Vance (sp/rp)

15) Dizzy Dean (sp/rp)

Lost to Obamas: Charlie Gehringer (2b)

Fourth round:

16) Stan Covaleski (sp/rp)

17) Herb Pennock (sp/rp)

18) Pie Traynor (3b)

19) Waite Hoyt (sp/rp)

20) Paul Waner (rf/1b)

Provisionally lost to Obamas: Ernie Lombardi (c), Lefty Gomez (sp/rp), Tony Lazzeri (2b/3b/ss)

Likely standard lineup:

1) Ott, rf

2) DiMaggio, cf

3) Ruth, lf

4) Hornsby, 2b

5) Gehrig, 1b

6) Hartnett/Dickey, c

7) Cronin/Vaughn, ss

8) Frisch/Traynor, 3b

Comments: No real leadoff hitter here ... A real-life manager would probably go with Frisch, but his OPB is about 70 points lower than Ott's. ... Likely to pick a hitter's park ... Platoons very likely in bottom half of lineup ... Hornsby gets too much credit defensively (2 e17) ... Might be weakest defensive team from HoF pool. ...Power rotation of Grove, Hubbell, Feller, Vance ... Dean should be relief ace ... Covaleski could easily have been placed in the dead ball pool — and if he had been, would have been picked for that team ...

The Teddys

Home Park: PNC Park

First round:

1) Ty Cobb (cf/rf)

2) Honus Wagner (ss/3b/1b/rf)

3) Nap Lajoie (2b/1b)

4) Tris Speaker (cf)

5) Roger Bresnahan (c/cf)

Taken by Obamas: Walter Johnson (sp/rp)

Second round:

6) Christy Mathewson (sp/rp)

7) Pete Alexander (sp/rp)

8) Three-Finger Brown (sp/rp)

9) Eddie Collins (2b)

10) Ray Schalk (c)

Taken by Obamas: Ed Walsh (sp/rp)

Third round:

11) Home Run Baker (3b)

12) Sam Crawford (rf/lf/cf)

13) Chief Bender (sp/rp)

14) Rube Waddell (sp/rp)

15) Bobby Wallace (ss/3b)

Taken by Obamas: Eddie Plank (sp/rp)

Fourth round:

16) Addie Joss (sp/rp)

17) Eppa Rixey (sp/rp)

18) Joe McGinnity (sp/rp)

19) George Sisler (1b)

20) Joe Jackson (lf/rf)

Provisionally lost to Obamas: Vic Wills (sp/rp), Jack Chesbro (sp/rp)

Likely standard lineup:

1) Cobb, rf

2) Collins, 2b

3) Wagner, ss

4) Speaker, cf

5) Lajoie, 1b

6) Crawford, lf

7) Baker, 3b

8) Bresnahan, c

Comments: Bresnahan/Schalk is clearly the weakest catching combo of the HoF pool, maybe in the entire league. ... Bender figures to be bullpen ace; pretty clear four-man rotation of Matty, Alex, Brown and Waddell. ... Lost more than 1200 wins to Obamas, and the staff is still really good ... Lajoie is coded as a pretty good defensive 1b, and I'd rather have him or Collins in the lineup than Sisler. ... Jackson deserves a post unto himself.

The Garfields

I have completed the HoF draft to my satisfaction. I'll start posting rosters in chronological order, starting with the Garfields.

Home Park: Royals Stadium

First round freezers:

1) King Kelly (rf/c/3b/ss/2b)

2) Buck Ewing (c/rf/1b/3b)

3) Ed Delahanty (lf/cf/1b/2b)

4) Cy Young (sp/rp)

5) Sam Thompson (rf)

Taken by Obamas: Kid Nichols (p)

Second round:

6) Hughie Jennings (ss/1b/1b)

7) George Davis (ss/3b)

8) John Ward (ss/2b)

9) Jimmy Collins (3b)

10) Hugh Duffy (lf/cf/rf)

Taken by Obamas: Billy Hamilton (of)

Third round:

11) Roger Connor (1b)

12) Old Hoss Radborne (sp/rp)

13) Mickey Welch (sp)

14) Amos Rusie (sp/rp)

15) Cap Anson (1b)

Taken by Obamas: Joe Kelley (of)

Fourth round:

16) John Clarkson (sp/rp)

17) Tim Keefe (sp)

18) Pud Galvin (sp)

19) Al Spalding (sp/rp)

20) Jesse Burkett (lf/rf)

Likely standard lineup

1) Jennings, ss

2) Davis, 3b

3) Connor, 1b

4) Delahanty, lf

5) Thompson, rf

6) Ewing, c

7) Duffy, cf

8) Ward, 2b

Comments: Perhaps should have frozen Nichols over Thompson, but wanted to keep what power was available ... Welch, Keefe and Galvin are not coded for relief; Spalding, Rusie, Clarkson and Radbourne will carry the bullpen load. ... Five 300-game winners (Young, Keefe, Welch, Galvin and Clarkson) for the rotation ... No LH pitchers. ... I suspect Kelly will find his way into the lineup with some frequency ... This actually looks like a good defensive team. That lineup is 1s and 2s throughout. Duffy is a 1 at all three OF positions... It's kind of amusing to put Cap Anson in a division with four all-black teams. Not that Anson was unique in his racial views; I would guess that pretty much everybody on this team would have agreed with him. ... Some noted boozers here.