GREAT MOMENTS IN STRAT

 

     

He Had a Hammer

      I was replaying a season involving the 1997 Tigers, back when they had big Bob Hamelin. I can’t recall the opponent or the exact score (misplaced the box score in a recent move, drat) but I know that in one game Hamelin hit a game-tying home run in the 9th inning, followed by a walk-off shot in the 10th. The very next night, I brought in Hamelin as a pinch-hitter in the 9th with the Tigers trailing and he hit another game-tying home run. The game then went into the 16th inning, where Hamelin ended it on a walk-off shot. Back-to-back nights in which one player hit a game-tying and game-winning home runs. Pretty sure that’s never happened in real life.

Tim Lemke, Odenton, MD

 

 

Two Classics from the All-Time Franchise Tourney

Game 9        Seahawks   vs    Steelers        8/2/2009

                        1st       2d    3d    4th              Final

Seahawks        7          13        0    7                27

Steelers            0          0          3    17              20

Seahawks Stun Steelers for Biggest First Round Upset

      The Seahawks played opportunistic ball in the first half and built up a 20-0 halftime lead. They scored on their first drive of seven plays for 87 yards, then cashed in on two turnovers. Ricky Watters scored twice on short runs.

      In the third quarter the Steel Curtain began to be drawn, and Pittsburgh pulled to within 20-17 with seven minutes left in the game when Hall of Famer Rod Woodson broke away for an 80 yard punt return to set up a 4 yard pass to Jerome Bettis and Mel Blount’s interception preceded Bettis’ 12-yard TD run.

      Stomachs were churning on the Seahawk sideline, but kick returner Steve

Broussard decided to become the player of the game by returning the Steeler kickoff 90 yards to their 4 yard line. The Seahawks feigned some trickery by bringing in Jim Zorn, who faked a run and passed to Steve Largent for the TD to take the lead back to 10 at 27-17.

      The Steelers rallied for a field goal, but didn’t recover the ensuing onside kick. The Seahawks became the lowest seed (14th) to advance. They’ll play the

 

Game 10        Eagles   vs    Cowboys        8/23/2009

                        1st       2d        3d        4th   OT    OT2    Final
Eagles              7          3          7          17        0        0        34

Cowboys         7          17        10        0          0        3        37

Cowboys Clip Eagles in Epic Strat-O-Matic Game

 
      It was a tale of three games. First, Roger Staubach and the Cowboys wiped up the field with the Eagles for three quarters. Staubach went 17 for 20 for 205 yards in the first half alone. It was 24-10 Cowboys at the half. The Eagles’ Timmy Brown returned the opening second half kick-off 85 yards for a touchdown, but then Roger and the Cowboys continued their scoring ways through the third quarter with a 28 yard TD scamper by Emmit Smith and a 26 yard field goal by Rafael Septien. The third quarter ended with the Cowboys on top of a seemingly insurmountable lead of 34-17.

      The tale of the second game was the Eagles’ furious 4^th-quarter comeback. It began with a field goal, a fumble on Dallas’ next play and a 31-yard run by Philly’s Steve Van Buren, cutting the lead to 34-27. Next, a Dallas punt and the Eagles drove 81 yards in 18
plays, that included three, count ‘em three, 4^th-down conversions, including the 4^th-down TD run by Van Buren. After the PAT, it was tied 34-34.

      The tale of the third game, was the exhaustion of the coaches, players and even the dice ran out of steam. The fifth quarter offered only five punts. Into the sixth quarter, the Eagles needed only two yards to put Sam Baker into 75 percent field-goal territory. After two incomplete flat passes and a stuff by the Cowboys for no gain on an off tackle by Van Buren, the Eagles went on 4^th-and-10 and did not convert this time.

      When Philly reserve LB William Thomas intercepted a Staubach flat pass and returned it to the end zone, it looked like the Eagles had a truly sudden-death
touchdown.  But a penalty call that cost the Eagles the game. Finally Staubach regained his form of the first three quarters, hit Michael Irvin and Jay Novacek for key
completions,  throw in another personal foul 15 yard penalty on the Eagles, and the Cowboys were set up for the game ending 32 yard field goal by Rafel Septien.

      One of the greatest games in Strat-O-Matic history was over.

Two Guys from Baltimore

 

Don’t Tell Johnny U.

      Just got done playing a game in my custom league, the 1984 Dolphins at the 1968 Colts. I always play as the home team. The normal starter for the Colts, Earl Morrall, was deemed overused by the computer so I had to play Johnny Unitas, even though he came into the game with a passer rating of 29.4 in limited duty through the first 11 games of the season. No offense (no pun intended), but he was horrible.   His stats for the game were 11 for 37 for 122 yards, 1 lost fumble, a passer rating of 1.2, and 9 (NINE!) interceptions.   Ten total turnovers for Johnny U.   I hope Johnny doesn’t read this.    

                   

                           Mark D. Harrington, Everett, WA

 

Pitching Ace Drysdale Could Hit, Too

      On my 1962 season two wild things that never had happen to me. The Pirates had a 4-0 lead going into the bottom of the 4th. The Dodgers exploded for 10 runs on seven hits. Two players had two hits each in the same inning: Tim Harkness the first baseman and, of all things, the pitcher – Don Drysdale. Also Junior Gilliam finished the game at 5-for-5 with 4 doubles and 3 RBI, while Drysdale was 4-for-5 with 3 RBI. The game ended 16-4 with the Dodgers slamming 19 hits (total of 27 for both teams). I had never had a pitcher have such an offensive day!

 

Orlando Leon, Live Oak, FL