Tim Rounds Up the LBS VIII Title!

Darren Schulz sends us a recap of LBS VIII tourney that occurred earlier this month -Tom

Linda B. Schulz Memorial APBA Baseball Tournament VIII – Slippery Rock PA – October 1, 2022

Finally, after APBA Hall of Famer Randy Coryer opened with some heartfelt words in memory of our mother and LBS loyalist Mark McDonel shared music legend Meatloaf’s rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner” from Pittsburgh’s 1994 All-Star Game, the dice were rattling once again at the Rock. Even though Hurricane Ian unfortunately impacted our community friends in Florida and South Carolina during the week before, 36 managers (including your tournament directors) found their way back to the tabletops in the local township building. This number included six Hall of Famers and three former LBS champions. Alec Otto, the 2021 (LBS VII – APBA GO) champion and Steve Skoff, the 2019 (LBS V) champion, were presented with their championship plaques.  

During round robin action, there were six divisions of 6 managers, so each team was to play a total of 10 games. Some of the more memorable moments included Eric Zawadski’s amazing 10-0 record in the Mineo Division, Pastor Rich Zawadski’s (Greater Michigan Tourney Director) 8 straight wins after an 0-2 start, and the huge single game runs scored for John Cochrane (18) and Mark McDonel (17) in separate divisional games.

The Elite Eight

Here is a list of the six divisional winners and the two wild card entries.  

The quarterfinals highlighted the first upset as Andy Rumple and the 99 Diamondbacks nipped young Eric Zawadzki’s undefeated and top-seeded 2019 Dodgers at 5-4. Tim Rounds and the 30 Cubs slipped by two-time LBS champion Steve Skoff by the same 5-4 score. Pastor Rich and the 32 Athletics won their 9th straight with a 3-1 victory over Randy Kromer’s 30 Senators. Finally, the LBS defending champion, Alec Otto, and the 28 Athletics stormed out to a first inning 5-0 advantage, but Richard Golden’s beloved 82 Orioles stormed back with five of their own before Alec got the winning run across the plate for a 6-5 triumph.

In the semifinal matchups, Tim Rounds had his 30 Cubbies swinging in a 7-2 win over the once-again, upset-minded 1999 Dbacks and Andy Rumple. Meanwhile, in the battle of the old Connie Mack teams, it was an Al Simmons walk off blast that secured a chance for Mr. Otto’s 28 squad to defend his title over Pastor Rich and the 32 team.  

As many in attendance had already said their goodbyes for another year, those who remained got to watch a great matchup between Tim Rounds, the 1930 Cubs, and the manager’s situational index cards versus Alec Otto, the 1928 Athletics, and his phenomenal dice tower made of Lego bricks. Here is how it played out…

Game 1: 30 Cubs (Pat Malone Byz) at 28 Athletics (Lefty Grove Axz)

Starting on the road, the Cubs showed no fear in facing Athletics’ ace Lefty Grove as they scored three runs in the first two frames. After Woody English reached first on a base on balls in the top half of the first, Cliff Heathcote launched a two-run tripper to give the visitors the early lead. With two outs and Les Bell (double) standing on 2nd base, the 9 hitter (DH), Riggs Stephenson (.545 series ave.), knocked in another run in the third for a 3-0 lead. The Cubs tacked on another one in the fifth as Heathcote came through again with a two out RBI double to plate Gabby Hartnett. This was more than starter Pat Malone needed as he went the distance with a 4-1 victory. His only blemish was a two out RBI double to Jimmie Foxx in the bottom half of the 8th.

Game 2: 28 Athletics (Rube Walberg Bxz) at 30 Cubs (Charley Root Byz)

Although both starting pitchers went the distance in this one, the hits were flowing as the teams combined to knock out 24 base hits. Once again, the visitors took the early lead and never looked back. After a Mickey Cochrane leadoff single, Max Bishop (.385) plated him with a two out bloop single. Bishop struck again in the top of the 3rd when his one out double knocked home Al Simmons (.308) for a 2-0 advantage. The Cubs finally pushed one across the plate in the bottom half of the 6th with a leadoff double from Woody English followed by a solid RBI single from Harnett (.333). Otto’s club immediately responded in the 7th when Bing Miller led off with a solo bomb. Ty Cobb (.444) subsequently doubled and scored two batters later on a Jimmie Dykes single to push the A’s lead to 4-1. The Cubs continued to fight in the bottom half of the 8th with a one out bomb from English and an RBI single from Charlie Grimm. With the score 4-3, the colorful dice tower proved fruitful as the Athletics poured out four more runs keyed by a sac fly from Mickey Cochrane, RBI double from Foxx, and a two-run blast from Simmons. With all the momentum, Rube Walberg pushed the series back to Philadelphia allowing for no Cubbie drama in the 9th in the 8-3 triumph.

Game 3: 30 Cubs (Bud Teachout Cz) at 28 Athletics (Eddie Rommel Bz)

In the now 8-year history of the LBS Memorial Tourney, Philadelphia was looking to celebrate their third crown. Someone forgot to tell that to Bud Teachout because he was simply masterful in the finale by going the distance in the 5-0 complete game, series clinching shutout. He scattered 5 hits with no walks and three strikeouts. As for the Cubs offense, Stephenson stroked a RBI double in the top of the third to score Kiki Cuyler, and that was all that Teachout needed. However, series MVP Heathcote (.417, 2 HR, 5 RBI) extended the lead to 3-0 in the 6th with another two-run dinger. Two innings later Roger Hornsby (.300) doubled home Hartnett, and leadoff hitter Hack Wilson ended his disappointing overall effort on a high note with a two out big fly off Rommel for the final run of the series. The 1930 Chicago Cubs took the series with a team batting average of .276 and ERA of 3.00 in a battle between two immensely powerful offensive lineups.

Congratulations are in order for Tim Rounds in capturing his first LBS championship! The 1930 Chicago Cubs are retired from future tournaments, and Tim’s name and team will be etched into the championship plaque. Tim will be presented his own personal plaque at the 2023 tournament, and he did receive a $50.00 gift certificate to the APBA game company. Kudos, Tim!

Even though he finished one game short of earning back-to-back LBS titles, Alec Otto cemented his status as a tremendous APBA manager in both the traditional and online versions of the game. He took home a brand-new copy of the APBA Soccer game as his chosen award. Outstanding performance, Alec! 

After not being at the venue since 2019, it was a very emotional scene for Ken and me; we are truly grateful for the continued support. Of course, we must thank Mark McDonel for providing the yearly baseball videos and donuts, Jackie Schulz for her help in food preparation, and Melissa Schulz for running our first charity raffle. Special thanks goes to all who donated to the raffle to contribute to its success and for assisting us in cleaning up the venue at its conclusion.

Most importantly, along with the memorable games and friendly conversations, a raffle of APBA and/or MLB only items was held to help raise money for the American Diabetes Association in memory of Linda. Naturally, the community always delivers as a total of $600 dollars will be sent to the association. Thank you, LBS family!

LBS IX UPDATE: The ninth annual LBS MEMORIAL APBA BASEBALL TOURNAMENT will take place on October 28, 2023 at the Slippery Rock Township Building and will include teams from 1901-2022 (no 2020) with a winning percentage under .500. Teams must be single APBA-issued teams that fit the theme. If interested, contact Ken Schulz at or Darren Schulz at with your contact information and team selection.

Thanks for the excellent update, Darren! Congratulations to Tim Rounds and the rest of the Elite Eight!