Tuesday, March 8, 2016

1991 Season Update - April 30, 1991

After seven months of replaying the 1991 season with the APBA baseball game, I've finally finished the games scheduled that year for the month of April. At this rate, I should finish the replay in about four years — the slowest I've ever completed one.

However, I have a good excuse for the slower pace. I began this replay on Aug. 16. A week later, I called a woman for the first time who I now call my Illinois girl and I have fallen hard for her. I've written about all that here before; frequent readers know the story.

All that to say it's hard replaying games when you're traveling. I've made the 554-mile trip to north of Chicago and then back to Arkansas eight times since Sept. 25 to visit my Illinois girl, and I'm headed there again at the end of the week. For years, I never used all my allotted days at the newspaper where I work. Now I covet them and use them strategically so to visit her whenever I can.

Such is long-distance love.

Still, I've been able to average rolling about 1.3 games a day since I began the season. And it's been good so far. Each of the actual divisional winners of 1991 are in first place as I enter games for May 1. Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Minnesota and Toronto each lead their respective divisions.

There have been some surprises. Minnesota, my favorite team because I grew up in the state, is a fun team to play games with. Kent Hrbek leads the American League with 8 home runs so far.

On the inverse, Montreal continues to be horrible. They've won one game out of the 20 they've played during April. They trail the Pirates by 14 games already.

Here are the standings as of April 30, 1991.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
East          W     L  GB
Toronto    14    7     -
Detroit       9   10    4
Milwaukee 9   10   4
Boston        8   10  4.5
Cleveland   6   11   6
New York   6   11   6
Baltimore   5   12   7

West          W    L   GB
Minnesota  15    5    -
Kansas City 14   5  .5
Seattle         14   7   1.5
Texas           9     7   4
Chicago       9     8   4.5
California    7     13  8
Oakland       6    14   9

NATIONAL LEAGUE
East            W   L   GB
Pittsburgh    15   5    -
St. Louis      14  7   1.5
Chicago       11 10  4.5
Phil'phia      11 10  4.5
New York   10  10   5
Montreal       1  19  14

West           W      L   GB
Atlanta         13    5     -
Los Angeles 12   8     2
San Diego     11  10    3.5
Cincinnati      9   10    4.5
Houston         7    13   7
S. Francisco   6    14   8

The Twins are dominating with Hrbek's 8 home runs. Jack Morris is 5-0 as a starter for Minnesota and Scott Erickson is 4-0. Jeff Montgomery leads the league with eight saves for the Kansas City Royals

In the National League, New York Mets' third baseman Howard Johnson's nine homers are tops and Matt Williams has eight home runs for the Giants. The Cardinals' Bob Tewksbury is 5-0 and has paced the surprising St. Louis team.

So, the first month is over. May games are up next and it will take a long while to finish the month, I'm sure. Those trips to visit my Illinois girl take time, but it's well worth it. And the APBA game, like it always has, will wait for me to come back.