Last Place Update

Welcome to this week's Last Place Update. The 35-68 Houston Astros are making their move the repeat as Kings of the Cellar champions. The last team to do that was the Washington Nationals in 2008 and 2009. And where are the Nationals today? They're 61-40, tied with the Cincinnati Reds for the best record in MLB.

   The Astros are 3.5 games ahead of the 37-63 Colorado Rockies and seven games ahead of the AL worst 41-60 Kansas City Royals. The Astros are 1-9 in their last ten games and 3-25 since June 28. The Rockies are 2-8 in their last ten games and 4-11 since July 13. The Royals are 2-8 in their last ten games and 6-21 since June 30.

   The former neck and neck contenders, the 43-60 San Diego Padres and the 42-58 Chicago Cubs, are off the radar for now. Good job Cubs and Padres!

   This weeks honorable mention goes to the New York Yankees. They're 3-7 in their last ten games after poor showings against the Oakland A's and Boston Red Sox.

   The 1962 New York Mets were 26-77 and the 2003 Detroit Tigers were 28-75 after 103 games. Houston is still a safe distance from these records.

   Will Houston put more distance from the pack? Will one of the contenders stumble or fumble into last? Will the Astros collapse further and threaten the modern records of futility?

  Stay tuned. Have a great day!!!

Last Place Update

Welcome to this week's Last Place Update. Man, take a week off for the All-Star break and everything changes. What was a neck and neck race between the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres turned into a takeover of last place by the defending Kings of the Cellar champion, the 34-56 Houston Astros. The Cubs (36-52) and Padres (36-55) are now three and 1.5 games behind respectively. The 35-54 Colorado Rockies trail the Astros by a game and a half. The AL worst Minnesota Twins are 37-52.

   This weeks honorable mention goes to the New York Mets. The 46-43 Mets are 3-7 in their last ten games and currently in a four game losing streak.

  What is going on with the Cubs? They're 7-3 in their last ten games and 12-4 since June 25. The  Padres are 5-5 in their last ten games and 10-8 over the same period of time. Now the Astros, on the other hand, are 4-14 since June 25.

  The 1962 Mets and 2003 Detroit Tigers were 24-66 after 90 games. None of the competitors appear to be a threat to either of these records for now.

  Will Houston now dominate the cellar and repeat as Kings of the Cellar? Will the Cubs be the Cubs and stumble into last place? Will the Padres or Twins surprise everybody?

   Stay tuned. Have a great day!!!

Today in 1984 - Philadelphia Phillies vs Houston Astros

Today in 1984, the Houston Astros hosted the Philadelphia Phillies in the Houston Astrodome. Charles Hudson of the Phillies would face Bob Knepper of the Astros.

    Philadelphia got things started in the top of the second inning when John Wockenfuss hit a RBI double to score Glenn Wilson. Mike Schmidt added to the lead in the top of the fourth when he hit a solo homerun to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead.

    Houston tied the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. Mark Bailey hit a two run shot and scored Terry Puhl. Then the defenses took over.

    The game remained tied into the ninth inning. In the top of the ninth, Knepper kept the Phillies off the bases and had two strikeouts. In the bottom of the ninth, Phillies reliever Larry Andersen got Larry Spilman out, but Puhl hit a single. Al Holland relieved Andersen and got into trouble with Phil Garner, who hit a single, putting Puhl in scoring position. Holland redeemed himself against Enos Cabell, who hit into a double play. The game would go into extra innings.

    Houston had opportunities to win the game in the 12th and 13th innings, but Philadelphia held them into the 16th inning. In the top of the 16th, Wilson got a single, but Von Hayes hit into a double play. Ivan de Jesus grounded out, ending the top half of the inning. In the bottom of the 16th, with one out, Jose Cruz hit a single off reliever Don Carman and made it to scoring position on a wild pitch. As a result, Carman intentionally walked Jerry Mumphrey. Carman then faced Alan Ashby. Would Ashby hit into a double play, blowing yet another scoring opportunity for the Astros? Not this time. Ashby hit a single and Cruz scored from second for the win. The Houston Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2.

    Astros reliever Frank De Pino went to 3-5 with the win. Carman fell to 0-1. Knepper struck out nine batters, while Hudson struck out six. Houston improved to 43-48, fourth in the NL West and ten games behind the San Diego Padres. Philadelphia fell to 48-40, 3.5 games behind the New York Mets and third in the NL East. The Phillies ended the season at 81-81, fourth in the NL East. The Astros finished at 80-82, second in the NL West.


Trivia

• There was one Hall of Famer playing in this game: Mike Schmidt of the Phillies.

• This was Paul Owens' second and final season coaching the Phillies. He was previously an interim coach of the Phillies in 1972.

• This was Bob Lillis' third season with the Astros. He managed the team from 1982-85.

• Lillis played for the Astros from 1962-67. The Astros were called the Colt .45's from its first season in 1962 until 1964.

• Phillies second baseman Juan Samuel was an interim manager for the Baltimore Orioles in 2010.

• Phillies outfielder John Russelll managed the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2008-10.

• Astros third baseman Phil Garner went on to manage the Milwaukee Brewers (1992-99), Detroit Tigers (2000-02), and the Astros (2004-07). He led the Astros to the World Series in 2005, losing to the Chicago White Sox 4-0.

Game stats can be found at Baseball Reference on the box score page Philadelphia Phillies vs Houston Astros - July 15, 1984.

Today in 1982 - Atlanta, Georgia Contest

Today in 1982, six Northeastern corps went head to head against the host corps in the southern heat of Atlanta, Georgia at Georgia Tech University. Here are the results:

1. Crossmen 73.35
2. Bridgemen 72.05
3. 27th Lancers 70.30
4. Spirit of Atlanta 68.35
5. North Star 54.60
6. Defenders 51.05
7. Avant Garde 40.80

Trivia

• The top four corps in this contest made DCI Finals that season.
• The placement of the top four corps on this day was not the order at DCI Finals. The final placement was 27th Lancers (6th - 88.65), Crossmen (7th - 88.05), Bridgemen (8th - 86.15), and Spirit of Atlanta (12th - 81.65).
• Of the corps competing, only the Crossmen and Spirit of Atlanta are still active.
• The last time the Crossmen made DCI Finals was 2004.They consistently made DCI Finals from 1977-2004, with a few misses in between, including controversial exclusions in 1979 and 1983. Their best placement ever at DCI Finals was 6th (1992 and 1997).
• Spirit of Atlanta made DCI Finals last year for the first time since 2007. Their best placement ever at DCI Finals was 4th in 1980.
• Outside of the still active Crossmen and Spirit of Atlanta, none of the remaining corps made it out of the 1980's;
• This was the last season for North Star and the Defenders.
• Avant Garde was next to go in 1985. The 27th Lancers folded after the 1986 season and the Bridgemen folded in 1988.
• The three corps who didn't make DCI Finals in 1982 had respectable placements: North Star (16th - 74.60), Defenders (20th - 72.05), and Avant Garde (27th - 65.15). 
• Although they were in 27th place at DCI Prelims, Avant Garde beat former DCI Finalists Anaheim Kingsmen (28th - 64.15), Guardsmen (32nd - 57.75), and the Blue Stars (37th - 53.10). They beat future DCI Finalists Bluecoats (33rd - 56.25), and Glassmen (34th - 55.50). The were edged for 26th place by future DCI finalist Boston Crusaders by .15.
• The last place corps in Open Class at the DCI Championships in 1982 were the Connecticut Classics. They scored a 29.75 and came in 48th place. This does not include Class A and All-Girl corps.

Former Crossmen rookie snare Mike Scott has a blog about the Crossmen's 1982 season. His blog entry for today's contest is here:  Crossmen 1982 - Atlanta, Georgia. Scott's entry has percussion scores and a picture from the contest.

To view the corps repertoires and see more scores from the 1982 season, go to Corpsreps. If you want to learn more about the drum and bugle corps activity, go to Drum Corps International and Drum Corps Associates.

Last Place Update

Welcome to this week's Last Place Update. The 29-49 Chicago Cubs lead by a slim margin over the 30-50 San Diego Padres for Kings of the Cellar. The 30-48 Colorado Rockies are nipping at their heels only trailing both teams by a game. The AL worst Seattle Mariners passed the Minnesota Twins and are at 34-47.

   This week's honorable mention goes to the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are 2-8 in their last ten games and 7-15 since June 8.

   The defending champion Houston Astros are making a move. They're 32-47, only 2.5 games behind the Cubs.

   Since the last update, the Cubs and Padres have been doing some winning. The Cubs are 5-1 and the Padres are 4-3 since the last update. The 1962 New York Mets were 21-57 after 78 games. Chicago is seven games off that pace. A more modern team of futility, the 2003 Detroit Tigers, were 18-60 after 78 games. At this pace, those records of futility may be safe for another year, but that's why they play the games.

   Will one of the leaders make a move and threaten one of these records? Will Houston have a late season collapse and overtake both San Diego and Chicago for last place?

  Stay tuned and have a great day!!!