Koufax can’t help the Dodgers in ’66 pickup series against Cubs

Went over to my buddy, Brando’s house last night to give the 1966 APBA set a tryout.  Call it spring training before I start my replay.  We spent a good half hour just going through the teams and looking over the players.  However, once he got to the LA Dodgers, Bum-lover Brando stopped there and started making a lineup.  “I’ll go with these guys”.  Of course, I knew that before I even came over.  Brando’s a die hard old-school Dodger fan.

I took the Cubs and we decided on a best of five series.  Game One saw Jenkins (BX) vs. Koufax (A&CXY).  The Cubs scored four off Sandy and he was history after seven but Jenkins pitched a complete game win giving up just one run.

Game 2 was Holtzman (CX) and Drysdale (CYZ).  Dodger lover he may be, but Brando let me know he thinks Drysdale is overrated.  Well, Drysdale got the win in the tough 4-3 LA win.  Lou Johnson helped with a two-run homer. 

In Game 3, I thought I’d give the old veteran Robin Roberts (DZ) a shot against Gomer Osteen (B).  It was the right call as Roberts pitched a shutout.  The Cubs offense came alive with seven runs.  Dolpho Phillips and Ernie Banks both hit dingers. 

Game 4 saw Dick Ellsworth (DZ) and Don Sutton (BXZ).  It was another tight game with the Cubs taking the game (and the series) 4-3.  Byron Browne and Randy Hundley both hit one out.  

Brando was a bit miffed that Koufax was missing a Z.  He allowed 77 walks in 323 innings in 1966.  I know APBA doesn’t calculate the Z on innings but rather on batters faced but it’s still hard to believe he doesn’t get control.  I tend to agree with him. 

Thanks to Brando for rolling the bones.  Thanks also for giving me a new hand-crafted dice cup.  In the past, Brando has made dice cups for himself out of wood and was nice enough to give me one.  This time however, he gave me a ceramic dice shaker.  Very nice! 

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Not only is it a good shaker but it’s heavy enough to conk someone on the head should I need a weapon. 

Below is the one he gave me a while ago made out of wood. 

dice shaker

Brando is indeed a man of many talents!

Thomas Nelshoppen

I am an IT consultant by day and an APBA media mogul by night. My passions are baseball (specifically Illini baseball), photography and of course, APBA. I have been fortunate to be part of the basic game Illowa APBA League since 1980 as well as a frequent participant of the Chicagoland APBA Tournament. I am slogging through a 1966 NL replay and hope to finish before I die.

3 Comments:

  1. 1966 is the year I graduated from High School. “66.” Get it? I wish I could “roll it” more than once every three games. Only one guy in ILLOWA rolls worse dice than I do.

    Anyway, we played the original 1966 card set, back in the day. Koufax was “XYZ” and Drysdale was a “B.” I’m sure of it.

  2. My recollection is similar to Don’s. Koufax had the X and Drysdale was a B. I lost these and a lot of other cards in a flood about 10 years ago.
    Your buddy could easily modify the cards any way he wants to.

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