Tommy Gordon’s ’76 Reds are perfect at Chicagoland tourney!

On Saturday, July 23, 2022, forty-eight APBA fans gathered at the Hyatt Rosemont Hotel in Rosemont, Illinois near the O’Hare airport with the express purpose of playing in the 2022 Chicagoland Summer APBA Baseball Tournament.  Organized by the indomitable Rob Spatz, the tourney was literally a year in the making.

With a theme of “The Closer’s Era”, only teams from the years 1946-1990 could be chosen for the tourney.  The 48 teams were evenly divided into six divisions. 

When all was said and done, Tommy Gordon who managed the 1976 Cincinnati Reds, came out the tourney winner.  Tommy was the first perfect Chicagoland champion in history going 11-0 against his opponents. 

It came down to Clark Eichman and the San Francisco Giants of 1963.  Tommy and the ’76 Reds won it all by the score of 8-1! 

Rob Spatz’s recap of the tourney playoffs

“When the smoke cleared, one team did stand head and shoulders above the rest.  Tommy Gordon and his 1976 Cincinnati Reds earned the number one seed, and one of four first round bye’s as he swept through round robin play going 8-0.  His +24 run differential was the biggest of all the teams, showing truly how tight the competition was.  He, Jeff Niemi’s 1988 New York Mets,  Justin Schubert’s 1957 Milwaukee Braves, and John Roels’ 1948 Cleveland Indians earning the first round bye’s.

The first round of the playoffs tell the tale of how the tournament went.  #5 seed Scott Fennessy (who lost a five inning play in game for a first round bye) and his 1989 Oakland A’s edged out Eric Berg and his 1980 Houston Astros 2-1.  #6 Seed Clark Eichman, who at 5-3 won the Granny Hammer, showed everyone how tough that division was, with his 1963 San Francisco Giants defeating tournament rookie Alex Auerbach’s 1989 Chicago Cubs 5-3.  #7 seed, and another newcomer, Tom Lee’s 1974 Los Angeles Dodgers squeaked by Kurt Bergland’s 1974 Pirates 4-3.  The final opening round game saw #9 seed Dave Rueck and his 1990 Oakland A’s do something that no returning Chicagoland champ can claim, in not only making the playoffs, but moving on in a 2-1 update over #8 seed David Wetherbee’s 1964 New York Yankees.

Semifinals saw Clark Eichman in the first big win of the playoffs, moving to the finals with a 8-1 win over the Indians.  Tommy goes 10- with a 9-2 victory over the Dodgers, and wins it all with a 8-1 solid win.  All in all, a great day of APBA for all!”

I will add that Tommy Gordon’s 8-0 record leading up to the playoffs is even more impressive by his opposition.  His division certainly didn’t include any pushovers with teams like the 1982 Dodgers, 1977 Yankees and the 1955 Dodgers. 

Let’s talk about Rob Spatz. 

Rob pours his heart and soul into this tournament.   That’s him above determining the playoff bracket. Believe it or not, he actually was able to play some games, too. Because of his commitment and hard work, we got to sit back, roll dice, and have fun. 

Anyone who has experienced a Chicagoland tourney, knows Rob is a true treasure to this APBA community.   

Thank you, Mr. Spatz! 

All my photos are posted in the 2022 Chicagoland Summer APBA Baseball Tournament gallery in the People Playing APBA folder.

Speaking of Rob, he has already announced the plans for the 2023 Chicagoland Tournament! 

The 2023 Chicagoland APBA Summer Baseball Tournament

Here are the details…

Date: Saturday, July 22, 2023

Place: Hyatt Rosemont (6350 N River Rd, Rosemont, IL 60018)

Theme: ”Have you Heard About the Lonesome Loser?”

Details: Any carded APBA team from 1989 – 2022 (1994 and 2020 excluded) that finished no higher than 4th in their division.  4 man rotation with home team declaring if the DH will be in use or not.

Thank you, Rob!  Congratulations Tommy!