1974

Hackbart Division				Gorney Division
Bergen	102	60	...	Gettysburg	83	77	...
Hyde Park	95	64	5.5	Fortney	82	80	2
So. Starrucca	72	90	30	Ashburn	77	84	6.5
Long Island	71	91	31	Bradenton	75	87	9

Shiloh Division				Brown Division
Norwood	99	63	...	Norfolk	93	69	...
Mimosa	81	77	16	Birch Inn	87	73	5
Florida	80	78	17	Houston	81	80	11.5
Endwell	47	115	52	Mexicali	62	99	30.5

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Stu McCorkindale - We started the first season with fifteen managers for the 16 teams and filled the open franchise when veteran TCBA TODAY skipper Al Keefer signed on at the league’s annual meeting in February. But the full house feeling quickly left us as another manager resigned leaving us with a new orphan to be stewarded by the league. The season ended in June with us still short a manager, when I noticed the name of an old APBA friend, Joe Elinich, surface in one of Phil Medon’s columns. Joe liked what he saw of the organization and quickly signed on to begin the 1973 season at the helm of his Pittsburgh Alleghenies.

1974 Division winners were Jesse Elicker’s Gettysburg team who beat Stu McCorkindale’s Bergen Barflies in the semi-finals, while Dan Warren’s Norfolk Pilots were outlasting Jim Lafargue’s Norwood Naturals. The Pilots went on to sweep the Lightning in the finals to be crowned (in retrospect) the TCBA’s first ever of 22 champions. We award bonus money to the teams that sport league leaders in selected statistical categories and this season Carew - .363; Stargell - 50 HRs; Darrell Evans - 122 RBIs; Seaver - 275 Ks; and Blyleven - with 29 wins and a 1.52 ERA earning extra cash for their teams.

Stu McCorkindale - It has been a LONG journey but we finally have a new all-time TCBA home run record. Hank Aaron hit a home run off Fortney’s Chuck Scheib. That was home run number 785 and counting for the long time Bergen slugger!!! And the TCBA has a new name at the top of its all-time home run leader board. According to the Barflies, Aaron has indicated he will retire at the end of the season following a last trip around the league where the Hammer will thank TCBA teams and fans everywhere.

Thanks to all for making the past twenty plus seasons possible and a special nod to the GM in the sky who let me hang around long enough to reap what I had sown with the Birmingham Basher.

Dan Warren - Led by Bert Blyleven’s 29 wins, 1.52 ERA and an amazing 14 shutouts, the Norfolk Pilots won the David Brown Division with a 93-69 record. After a somewhat slow start, the turning point was the acquisition of first baseman Norm Cash from Long Island. Installed as the cleanup hitter against right-handed pitching, Cash powered 15 home runs in 73 games with Norfolk. Six Pilots had 10 or more homers, as there was no batting standout; Steve Garvey’s .306 topped the Norfolk hitters.

In the opening playoff series, Norfolk downed the Norwood Naturals 4 games to 2. Series MVP was pitcher Alan Foster, who turned in two complete game shutouts on the road, his first after Norwood had taken the opener 3-2 in 14 innings for reliever Bob Bolin. In a pitchers’ series, Al Fitzmorris and a team of 3 including starter & winner Bert Blyleven also had Norfolk shutouts. Reggie Cleveland won the other Norwood game 5-2.

Meanwhile, Jesse Elicker’s Gettysburg Lightning had upset the favored Bergen Barflies to advance to the League Championship. The opener saw a great pitching duel between Gettysburg’s Seaver and Norfolk’s Blyleven, with Norfolk winning 1-0 on Norm Cash’s 4^th inning home run. The Pilots jumped on lefty Tommy John for a 7-0 lead in game 2, then held on for an 8-4 win for Alan Foster. Back at home, the Lightning opened up a 3-0 lead in game 3, only to fall behind on Ed Goodson’s 3-run pinch-homer off Vida Blue as Norfolk went on to a 7-6 win. A late Gettysburg rally was shut down by Jim Brewer. Game 4 saw a Seaver-Blyleven rematch, and was almost a replay of game 1. Bill Buckner’s run in the 1^st gave Norfolk a 1-0 lead; in the 9^th, Eddie Brinkman smashed a solo HR to make it 2-0 and the Lightning went down in order in the 9^th to complete the 4-game Pilot sweep for the 1974 TCBA Yesterday title.

At Home with TCBA Yesterday's 1974 Champ

Dan Warren - Norfolk Pilots

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