|
A Crown for Jimmy Mac! |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
A positive
approach brings a positive result
Al Keefer |
A
recent comment by Jim McEneaney piqued the interest
of the TCBA Almanac crew. Jim
proudly reported that the Gold Player-manager, Jimmy Mac, was closing in on a
near-.300 season. Sitting at .297, Mac had accomplished this in no fewer than
245 plate appearances. Mac
headed north to Hyde Park for the final series of the Gold 39 season, hopeful
that he could return home wearing a player-manager batting crown of sorts. In
Game One of the final series, Jimmy Mac went 2-for-3, including a single and
his 64th career home run, his 3rd of the season, upping
his average to .298. In Game Two, Jimmy Mac once again collected two hits in
five trips to the plate. This time it was a single and his 10th
double, leaving Mac with exactly a .300 average. There
may have been some talk about benching Jimmy for the final two games, thus
insuring a .300 average; however, with Lavagetto
and Goslin both out with injuries after a collision
in right field, Jimmy Mac was forced into service. The
Islanders did not win Game Three. In fact, they managed only six singles off
Hyde Park’s Slick Coffman in a 10-0 loss. One of those hits, however, was a
single by Jimmy Mac, whose 1-for-3 left him still with a .300 average. When
the Game Four lineups were announced, there was Jimmy Mac’s name, filling the
shortstop home and batting 7th. His grounder to short in the 2nd
inning left him teetering on the edge of .300. Leading off the 5th,
Jimmy Mac popped out to short right. His average dropped below .300. Would
there be another opportunity for Mac? With
the Islanders up 3-1, Jimmy Mac drilled a pea past a diving Red Braun at 3rd
base. By the time the ball was corralled and returned to the infields, Jimmy
Mac had arrived at 3rd base in a cloud of dust for his 3rd
triple of the season. That hit lifted Mac back up to exactly .300 again. But
with the Islander offense percolating in the late innings, there was concern
that Mac would bat yet again. Sure
enough, in the top of the 9th, with the Islanders still leading
3-1, Jimmy Mac led off the inning once again. A walk or HBP would save him, a
hit would crown him, but anything less would ruin his .300 chase. Facing
Dykes Potter, Mac wasted no time on suspense, lining a single over short and
securing for player-manager Jimmy Mac a most remarkable season, a .303
batting average. We wondered how this compared with all
Player-managers, in the current Gold season as well as historically. Current
Ranking – TCBA Gold 1939
The
above chart shows the performances for all player-managers in the current
Gold 39 season. It’s been a tough year for The Natural, as well as for Suds
Kane and Doc Lyon. For the rest, however, it’s been a very good year. (A
24-year old singer by the name of Frank Sinatra cut his first record with
Harry James, "From the Bottom of My Heart" (backed with
"Melancholy Mood") on the Brunswick label in July of this year.
Recorded at 78 rpm, neither song hit the charts. However, Frank, a big
baseball fan, will eventually make it big, including a song entitled “A Very
Good Year,” inspired by the exploits of Jimmy Mac in 1939.) All-Time
Ranking
As
the chart above clearly indicates, a plus-.300 mark for Jimmy Mac in 1939 is
the best average ever compiled by a player-manager, by far. What is
particularly notable is that Jimmy Mac will lead his player-manager brethren
for the third time, including those consecutive “crowns” in 1926-1927.
Certainly, Jimmy Mac’s batting prowess this season has been arguably the
greatest ever in TCBA play for a player-manager. Career
Ranking (not including the current season)
And
a special note of recognition to Mexicali’s long-time skipper,Al Keefer. Source:
TCBA Encyclopedia at www.tcba.info |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
