Chicago Summer Fantasty Tournament

Chicago was fantastic.  I can't express what a gracious host Doug Schuyler continues to be for the APBA community.  I am very happy that I managed a fantastic photo of this future APBA Hall-of-Famer. Below is a shot of Doug and his famous throwing motion-note the dice in the air!

Who won?  We all did-it was an APBA tournament!  Well, technically Bob Eller and his powerful 2015 Cubs won.  I had the privilege of playing Bob and his Cubs in Division play.  We had an awesome set of three games, with a walk-off win by the Cubs and my go-ahead run being gunned down by a throw from center field to home.  Not just a roll of the dice with this guy, many wise managerial moves to get to victory. But you still need a dose of the old "Me hit ball hard" to win.

Here is a shot of the Championship game between Bob and Craig's 1979 Brew Crew. 

How did my 2006 Twins do?  Not so great, but I still believe in them: 2-7.  

MVP: Joe Mauer
He hit a studly .424 for the tournament.
Over 9 games he collected:
9 Runs scored
6 Walks
3 Home Runs
3 Doubles
Stole 2 Bases
and knocked in 12!

Runner-up:
Rod Carew
He hit .432 for the Tourney
Over 9 games:
10 runs scored
2 Home Runs
3 Doubles
2 Stolen Bases

Carew DH'ed so I can't give him the MVP when Mauer worked every inning behind the dish as an 8. 

Special Mention:
Bautista was a great pinch hitter!
Tom Kelly gave him the nod three times and he hit 2 doubles in 3 plate appearances.  All late in games.  I used Tyner (F) as a pinch runner for him and Tyner scored twice.  A deadly combination. 


Two problems that lead to 7 losses:  Outside of Carew and Mauer, the team hit under .250 and I gave up a ton of 8th inning runs in two games. 

In division play I faced Doug's 2015 Royals, a squad I managed in the TCABT in Minneapolis, the 2009 Yankees, and the 2015 Cubs. My team was the oldest team in my division dating all the way back to 2006. 

Here are some shots of the action that I did not post via Facebook while in Chicago. 

I look forward to seeing all these people again and the next tournament in Chicago.