What about Joe Bauman?

Maris, schmaris: What about Joe Bauman?

Everybody´s talking about Mark McGwire of the Cardinals and/or Sammy Sosa of the Cubs breaking Roger Maris of the Yankees´ 37-year-old major league homerun record of 61 in a season.

But neither of them hold a candle to Joe Bauman who hit 72 - that´s right, Seventy-Two - in 1954 while playing for second-place Roswell, N.M. Rockets in the Longhorn League.

It´s still the all-time record for professional baseball.

Now 76 and still living in Roswell where he operated a Texaco station for many years, Bauman was a 6-5, 235-pound lefthanded-hitting first baseman - a little smaller than the righthanded McGwire and playing the same position - when he sent those 72 homers out of the park.

Answering the inevitable questions of “how´d you do that?,” Bauman said the key was the same for McGwire and Sosa, who also bats righthanded, to break the record they´re shooting for: “Everything has to fall in place.

“I think it´s inevitable” that the record will fall but he figured lefthand-swinging Ken Griffey Jr. of Seattle would have the best shot at the homerun record because there are more righthanded pitchers in the majors and he plays home games in a more inviting park.

Lefties Ruth and Maris both benefited from Yankee Stadium´s short rightfield porch.

Bauman said the pitching he saw was “good to average”; the ballparks regulation with decent lighting, except for a smallish Big Spring field (“I couldn´t hit much in that park - I hated it”) and the ball probably less “jazzed” than it is now.

Roswell had 140 games scheduled that year but played only 138. Bauman - never sidelined by injury or fatigue - played in all of them (almost always night games with few doubleheaders).

His best game was four homers at home against Sweetwater. However, he remembers having few multi-homerun games.

While Maris´ benchmark was Babe Ruth´s 60 homers in 1927 - thus, his record has stood longer than Ruth´s did - Bauman was shooting for the 69 belted by Joe Hauser of the Minneapolis Millers in 1933 and matched by Bob Crues of Amarillo (where Bauman played for two seasons) in 1948.

He got to Ruth´s mark of 60 with about 20 games left and hit three on the last day of the season in a doubleheader to break and pad the all-time record.

“I probably picked up $700 or $800 (money was stuck in the fence behind home plate as the tradition of the time dictated for a homerun) that day,” Bauman recalls.

“I liked the low pitches,” he says, recalling that he was frequently walked.

He also batted an even .400 in 1954. Told that former Plainview Ponies star Frosty Kennedy, who died earlier this summer, said he (Kennedy) was the greatest player ever because he hit 60 homeruns AND batted over .400 in his career - feats accomplished individually by Ruth and Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams - Bauman chuckled, “Frosty was pretty confident.”

But he didn´t comment on whether, by Kennedy´s yardstick, he would be the best player of all time, especially since he did both in the same season.

Bauman says he has no idea what his longest homerun was but believes the balls are livelier now because “even middle-sized guys get fooled on pitches and hit them out of the park with one hand.”

Bauman, whose exploits are recorded on a plaque in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. (which he has never visited), played for Capitol Hill High School in his hometown of Oklahoma City, then signed with independent Little Rock.

Although his contract was eventually purchased by the National League´s Boston Braves, he never played a day in the majors, ending an off-and-on 15-year career when he refused to have surgery on his ankle after the 1956 season.

“There were just 16 major league teams then (and about 400 minor league teams after the war, so too much talent) and you could make as much or more money in a decent job in the business world,” he said.

Bauman also says he lost four prime years to military service in World War II.

He agrees players are more physically developed now due to better training and nutrition methods. “The evolution of mankind kind of takes care of some of that,” he surmised. “When I was playing, the clubs wrote you letters forbidding you to swim because they didn´t want you to get muscle bound.”

Bauman figures his record probably will never be broken - at least at the minor league level: “If somebody was hitting a lot of homeruns, they wouldn´t leave them down in the minors long.”

Even if it does fall, he can be proud of having held it for more than 40 years and he´ll be in some mighty fine company.

(Danny Andrews is editor of The Herald.)

MLB IS NOT A TRUE INDICATOR

MLB IS NOT A TRUE INDICATOR OF A PLAYERS GREATNESS.

Many players of Organized Baseball never played a single game in the MLB but were better than most who did. Why? For most of the last century major league clubs were concentratred primarily in the Northeast and Middle West. Having no desire to leave the sunshine and home surrondings of California and the Southern States to play in the East. Expansion of the Majors to those areas did not come until 1957 in California and 1962 in Texas. Even today, much of the US is without a MLB team, say nothing of Canada, the Caribbean, and Mexico. When MLB did come west, where do you think the players that filled those rosters came from, the Minor Leagues.

This photo of the 11 players who have hit 60 homers or more in a single season hangs in the Babe Ruth wing of the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. It was there before McGuire join the 60 Homers Club.

Frosty Kennedy in 1949 (team photo) with the Riverside Dons.

Frome left to right: Frosty Kennedy, Danny Kennedy, Forrest Kennedy (me), Billy Kennedy and my mother Janice Kennedy (now Janice Briley)

In the early 1980's Frosty hosted a local T.V. show on the minitures field. He travel to many trade shows and was considerd an expert in his field.

In 1982 the first game of the first pro women's basketball league was formed. Frosty was a minority owner and it's first commissioner. It had four teams its first year and starred the top collage players at the time. It only lasted two years, it did not have the financial backing that later came with the WNBA.

FINIAL LONG BALL STANDINGS FOR 2009

A. Pujols just held on to win the 2009 HOME RUN title. No one made the 50 homers club, let alone the 60 Homers Club. The preseason favorit R. Howard was going the strongest in the last 30 days to finish 3rd with 45 homers.

With 35 each M. Jones and J. Gaston finished on top of the minors.

HR GP RBI AVG

47.....160...135...327.......Albert Pujols..........St. Louis Cardinals

46.....162...141...299.......Prince Fielder........Milwaukee Brewers

45.....160...141...279.......Ryan Howard........Philadelphia Phillies

44.....155...102...260......Mark Reynolds.....Arizona Diamondbacks

40.....160....99....277.......Adrian Gonzalez...San Diego Padres

35......108...103...297......Mitch Jones....Albuquerque Isotopes AAA PCL(40.8 PHR)**

35......139...100...278......Jonathan Gaston...Lancaster Jett-Hawks A California.(39.5 PHR)**

**PHR BASED ON A 162 GAME SEASON.

HOME RUN LEADER BOARD AS OF SEPT, 30 2009

HR......GL.......TM........PLAYER
47........4.........STL.......A. PUJOLS
44........4.........MIL......P. FEILDER
44........4.........ARI.......M. REYNOLDS
43........4.........PHI.......R. HOWARD
40........3.........NYY.....A. GONZALEZ

HOME RUN LEADER BOARD AS OF SEPT, 24, 2009

HERE ARE THE TOP FOUR LONG BALL HITTERS WITH THIER RBI AND AVG. RANKINGS.


HR..........RBI.............AVG.............PLAYER
47(1)......129(3).........330(5).........A. PUJOLS
43(2).....100(15).......266(105).....M. RYNOLDS
42(4).....131(1)..........297(47)........P. FIELDER
42(4).....130(2).........272(95)........R. HOWARD

MOST TEAMS HAVE ABOUT 11 GAMES LEFT TO PLAY

PHR STANDINGS AS OF SEPT. 20, 2009

A. PUJOLS LEADS ALL PLAYERS WITH 47 HOMERS AND A PHR OF 50.8
HIS HOME RUN OUT PUT AS STALLED AND NOW WILL BE ONE OF 5 OR
6 PLAYERS TO HIT 40 THIS YEAR. HE HAS 12 GAMES LEFT TO HIT 3 HOMERS
TO MAKE THE 50 HOMERS CLUB.

M. REYNOLDS HAS 12 GAMES LEFT. HE HAS 42 HOMERS AND A PHR OF 45.5

R. HOWARD WAS THE PRE SEASON FAVORITE. HIS LAST 60 DAYS HAVE
BEEN THE HOTTEST OF ALL PLAYERS. HE HAS 14 GAMES LEFT TO PLAY.
41 HOMERS AND A PHR OF 44.9

P. FIELDER HAS 13 GAMES LEFT. 40 HOMERS AND A PHR OF 43.5

PHR STANDINGS AS OF SEPT. 11, 2009

TOP FIVE LISTED:

PHR.....HR.....GP.....GL.....PGA.....PLAYER/TEAM

53.7......47......140.....20.....336......A. PUJOLS/STL(N)
47.0......41......135.....20.....304......M. REYNOLDS/ARI(N)
45.6......39......135.....22.....229.......C. PENA/TB(A)
44.3......38......138.....23.....275.......R. HOWARD/PHI(N)
43.5......38......140.....22.....271.......P. FIELDER/MIL(N)

WITH ABOUT TWO DOZEN GAMES LEFT TO PLAY IN THE MAJORS THERE ARE 19 PLAYERS IN ORGANIZED BASE BALL WHO HAVE HIT 31 OR MORE HOMERS AS OF MONDAY 09/07/09.

44- A. PUJOLS (N)
41- M. REYNOLDS (N)
39- C. PENA (A)
38- R. HOWARD (N)

37- P. FIELDER (N)
36- A. GONZALEZ (N)
35- J. GASTON (CALIF. A ADV.)
35- M. JONES (PACIFIC COAST AAA)

35- A. DUNN (N)
33- TEIXEIRA (A)
32- R. RIVERA (MEXICAN AAA)
32- C. JOHNSON (CAROLINA A. ADV.)

31- C. PEGUERO (CALIF. A ADV.)
31- J. BAY (A)
31- R. BRANYAN (A)
31- N. CRUZ (A)

31- D. LEE (N)
31- A. HILL (A)
31- J. WERTH (N)

CHECK THE MARCH 2009 ARCHIVES TO SEE THE 09 PRESEASON ODDS

PHR STANDINGS AS OF AUG. 27, 2009

THESE ARE THE TOP FOUR LONG BALL HITTERS FROM THE MINORS







Shelley Duncan - Scranton - Wilkes Berre Yankees of the International AAA League.
HR: 27 / GP: 112 / GL: 30 / PGA: .241 / PHR: 34.2























Cody Johnson- Myrtle Beach Pelicans of the Carolina A League


HR: 30 / GP: 118 / GL: 24 / PGA: .254 / PHR: 36.1

Mitch Jones- Albuquerque Isotopes of the Pacific Coast League
HR: 31 / GP: 98 / GL: 44 / PGA: .316 / PHR: 44.9

Ruben Rivera- Piratas de Campeche of the Mexican AAA league
HR: 32 / GP: 107 / GL: 39 / PGA: .300/ PHR: 43.6

Minor leagues play a 144 game season.

TOP FIVE PHR LEADERS

PHR.....HR....GP...GL...PGA....PLAYER

48.6......38.....121...34....314.....M. REYNOLDS

48.5......40.....127...33....260.....A. PUJOLS

47.4......37......124..36.....298.....C. PENA

45.1......35......124..36.....282.....R. HOWARD

44.6......35......127..35.....276.....P. FIELDER

Don't look now, but R. Howard ( the pre season fav.)

is now tied for fourth and is less than 4 homers

behind in the PHR department. Sorry fans, but

no 50 home run hitter this year.

MLB PLAYS A 162 GAME SEASON

PHR STANDINGS AS OF AUG. 23, 2000

ONLY PLAYERS WITH 33 OR MORE HOMERS LISTED

PHR....HR....GP....GL....PGA.....PLAYER............TEAM LG
51.6.....40.....124....36....323.....PUJOLS...............STL.....N
49.3.....38.....121....37.....306.....M. RYENOLDS..ARI......N
45.0.....34.....121....39.....281.....C. PENA...............TB........A
43.4.....33.....123....39.....268.....P. FIELDER.........ML......N
43.2.....33.....123....38.....268.....A. DUNN..............WSH...N
42.2.....33.....125....36.....262.....A. GONZALEZ....SD.......N

TOP 10 HOME RUN LEADERS with PHR'S

WE HAVE A TWO MAN RACE FOR THE LONG BALL TITLE BETWEEN PUJOLS AND REYNOLDS. THESE WILL BE THE ONLY TWO WHO MAY HIT 50. THESE ARE THE LOWEST H.R. TOTALS IN YEARS. RANDOM TESTING MUST BE WORKING.

ONLY PLAYERS WITH 30 OR MORE HOME RUNS LISTED

HR........PHR........GL........PLAYER..................LEAUGE
39.........52.8.........42.........A. PUJOLS.............N
38.........52.4..........38........M. REYNOLDS......N
32.........43.5.........43.........A. GONZALES.......N
32.........42.8.........36.........RUBEN RIVERA...MEX (AAA)
31.........42.4.........42.........A. DUNN.................N
31.........42.0.........42.........P. FIELDER...........N
31.........42.3.........42.........C. PENA..................N
30.........41.3.........43.........R. HOWARD..........N
30.........41.2.........43.........M. TEIXEIRA........A
30.........36.5.........24.........JONATHAN GASTON..CALIF (A)

PHR LEADERS AS OF AUG. 9, 2009

ONLY PLAYERS WITH 30 OR MORE HOMERS LISTED

PHR...HR....PGA....GP...GL...PLAYER..........LEAUGE
52.8....36.....330.....109...51....M. REYNOLDS....NATIONAL
48.2....36.....324.....111....50...A. PUJOLS...........NATIONAL
43.5....30.....270.....111....50...A. DUNN..............NATIONAL
42.4....32.....299.....107....35...R. RIVERA...........MEXICAN
37.7....30.....265.....114....29....J. GASTON..........CALIF.

REYNOLDS AND DUNN HAVE MADE A REAL RACE FOR THE 2009 HOME RUN TITLE. THE PACE AS NOW SLOWED TO THE POINT THAT NO ONE WILL HIT 50 LONG BALLS THIS YEAR.

PHR STANDINGS AS OF AUG. 4, 2009

IT LOOKS LIKE THE QUEST FOR 60 HOMERS IS OVER. PUJOLS WOULD HAVE TO HIT A HOMER MORE THAN ONE EVERY OTHER GAME THAT'S LEFT TO PLAY. HE IS ON PACE TO BE THE ONLY PLAYER TO HIT 50 HOMERS. THERE ARE THREE MINOR LG. PLAYERS IN THE TOP 10 PHR'S WITH R. RIVERA TIED WITH M. REYNOLDS AT 32 HOMERS. MLB PLAYS A 162 GAME SEASON. MILB PLAYS A 144 GAME SEASON.

ONLY PLAYERS WITH 28 OR MORE HOMERS LISTED:

PHR...HR...PGA...GP...GL...PLAYER...............LEAUGE

53.5...36....336.....107...52...A. PUJOLS............NATIONAL

48.0...32....308.....104..53...M. REYNOLDS.....NATIONAL

42.8...32....299.....107...36...R. RIVERA............MEXICAN

42.4...28....267.....105...54...J. MORNEAU.......AMERICAN

41.7....28....264....106...52...A. DUNN................NATIONAL

41.6....28....262....107...52...A. GONZALEZ......NATIONAL

40.5....29....287....101...40...J. GASTON...........CALIF.

38.0....28....269....104...37...S. SOTO................MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF JULY .26, 2009

ONLY PLAYERS WITH 26 OR MORE HOME RUNS LISTED

PHR....HR...GP...GL.....PGA...PLAYER...........LEAUGE

55.3....34....97.....62......343...A. PUJOLS.......NATIONAL

47.8....26....74.....62.......351..... IBANEZ..........NATIONAL

42.6....26....98.....63......265....J. MORNEAO..AMERICAN

45.2....26....97.....62......268....M. REYNOLDS.NATIONAL

39.9....29...104....39.....279.....R. RIVERA........MEXICAN

39.1....28...101....40.....277......S. SOTO.............MEXICAN

37.4....27...101....39......267.....J. GASTON........CALIF.

PHR STANDINGS AS OF JULY 21, 2009

ONLY PLAYERS WITH 25 OR MORE HOMERS LISTED

PHR.....HR......GP......GL......PGA......PLAYER............LEAUGE

57.6....34.....95.....66....358....A. PUJOLS....... ..NATIONAL
49.3....25....69......67....362....R. IBANEZ...........NATIONAL
46.2....25....92......67....272.....M. REYNOLDS ..NATIONAL
42.8....25....94......67....266.....A. GONZALEZ ..NATIONAL
40.4....28...99.......44....283.....R. RIVERA.........MEXICAN AAA
39.4....27...96......44.....281......J. GASTON........CALIF. A
38.2....26...96......45.....271......S. SOTO..............MEXICAN AAA

BACK ON TRACK TO HIT 60 HOMERS. 7/17/09

ALPERT PUJOLS now has 34 homers in 91 games with 70 games to go. His per game Avg. is .374 and his PHR is 60.1. HE IS BACK ON TRACK TO HIT 60 HOMERS.

SAUL SOTO and RUBEN RIVERA of the Mexican League each have 26 homers to lead the rest of the field.

HOME RUN LEADERS AS OF JULY, 14 2009

ALL STAR GAME IS TODAY, SO AS WE TAKE A BREAK FROM AMERICAS PAST TIME WE WILL LIST THE HOME RUN LEADERS (22 OR MORE) FROM ALL LEAGUES. A. PUJOLS HAS A BIG 8 HOMER LEAD BUT IS ONLY ON TRACK TO HIT 56 HOMERS THIS YEAR. NO OTHER PLAYER WILL EVEN HIT 50. I AM NOT LOOKING TO SEE ANY NEW 60 HOMER CLUB MEMBERS THIS YEAR. ENJOY THE ALL STAR GAME.

HR.....PHR......PLAYER...................LEAGUES............................TEAM

32......56.8.......A. PUJOLS..............NATIONAL.........................STL

25......39.1.......R. RIVERA..............MEXICAN AAA...................CAM

24......43.0.......A. GONZALEZ.......NATIONAL.........................SD
24......43.0.......C. PENA..................AMERICAN.........................TB
24......42.3.......M. REYNOLDS......NATIONAL.........................ARI
24......37.7........J. CRUZ..................MEXICAN AAA..................CHI

23......41.5........A. DUNN................NATIONAL..........................WSH
23......36.3.......S. SOTO..................MEXICAN AAA..................MVA

22......49.9.......M. JONES...............PACIFIC COAST AAA......ALB
22......47.3........S. RODRIQUEZ.....PACIFIC COAST AAA.....SLC
22......46.0........R. IBANEZ............NATIONAL........................PHI
22.......41.5.......R. BRANYAN........AMERICAN........................SEA
22.......41.3.......N. CRUZ.................AMERICAN........................TEX
22.......40.1.......R. HOWARD..........NATIONAL........................PHI
22.......39.5.......P. FIELDER...........NATIONAL........................MIL
22......38.2........C. JOHNSON..........CAROLINA A....................MB
22......34.7........C. SIEVERS............MEXICAN.AAA..................TIG

NOTE: MLB PLAYS 162 GAME SEASON
MILB PLAYS 144 GAME SEASON

PHR STANDINGS AS OF JULY 9, 2009

ONLY PLAYERS WITH 24 OR MORE HOMERS LISTED:

PHR......GP......GL......HR......PGA......PLAYER..................LEAUGE

58.4......86........76.......31.......360........A. PUJOLS............NATIONAL

46.3......84........78.......24.......286........A. GONZALEZ......NATIONAL

46.0......83........79.......24.......290.......M. REYNOLDS......NATIONAL

40.5......89........55......25........281........R. RIVERA.............MEXICAN

ALBERT PUJOLS LEADS AS OF July 3, 2009

PUJOLS HAS 31 HOMERS IN 81 GAMES WITH 81 TO GO. HIS PHR IS 62 AND LEADS ALL OTHER PLAYERS BY 6 HOMERS

ALBERT PUJOLS LEADS AS OF July 1, 2009

May be time for a random drug test for Albert. First player to reach 30 homers this year.

Pujols has 30 homers in 79 games for a PGA of .380. With 83 game left to play his PHR is 61.5.

He leads the rest of the field by 6 homers.

ALBERT PUJOLS LEADS AS OF JUNE 28, 2009

A. Pujols has hit an amazing 14 Home Runs in his last 29 games to lead all long ball hitters by 4.

He has hit 28 HR'S in 76 games, his per game Avg. is .368. He has 86 games to play and his projected home run total is 59.6. If Pujols has over 30 homers by the ALL STAR game he will have chance at becoming the 15Th player to join the 60 homers club.

TOP FOUR MLB HR HITTERS

Carlos Pena - Tampa Bay Rays #23 1B Born: 05/17/1978

Raul Ibanez - Philladelphia Phillies #29 LF Born: 06/02/1972
Adrian Gonzalez - #23 1B San Diego Padres Born: 05/08/1982

Albert Pujols - #5 1B St. Louis Cardinals

PHR STANDINGS AS OF JUNE 24, 2009

ONLY PLAYERS WITH 22 OR MORE HOME RUNS LISTED

PHR.....HR.....GP.....GL.....PGA.....PLAYER..........LEAUGE
58.5....26.....72.....90.....361.....A. PUJOLS.......NATIONAL
54.6....22.....62.....92.....355.....R. IBANEZ.......NATIONAL
55.4....24.....70.....92.....343.....A. GONZALEZ.....NATIONAL
49.5....22.....72.....90.....305.....C. PENA.........AMERICAN
45.1....24.....75.....66.....320.....R. RIVERA.......MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF JUNE 20, 2009

Players will need 30 homers by July 12 (All star break) to have even a slim chance of hitting 60 homers this year. Most players hit fewer home runs after the All Star game.

ONLY PLAYERS WITH 22 OR MORE HOME RUNS LISTED

PHR.....HR.....GP.....GL.....PGA.....PLAYER..........LEAUGE
57.3....24.....68.....94.....353.....A. PUJOLS.......NATIONAL
55.7....22.....62.....95.....355.....R. IBANEZ.......NATIONAL
55.6....23.....67.....95.....343.....A. GONZALEZ.....NATIONAL
51.7....22.....69.....93.....319.....C. PENA.........AMERICAN
46.7....24.....73.....69.....329.....R. RIVERA.......MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF JUNE 15, 2009

The leaders have staled and now we have nine players within two or less between them. Last years title holder (Ryan Howard) has been on a long ball hitting spree and now has 19 homers. Nobody is now on track to 60 homers this year, but 8 players are on track to hit 50 or more.

ONLY PLAYERS WITH 20 OR MORE HOMERS LISTED.

PHR.....HR.....GP.....GL.....PGA.....PLAYER..........LEAUGE
57.5....22.....62.....100....355.....A. GONZALEZ.....NATIONAL
57.5....22.....62.....100....355.....R. IBANEZ.......NATIONAL
56.6....22.....63......99....350.....A. PUJOLS.......NATIONAL

54.6....21.....55......88....382.....S. RODRIGUEZ....PACIFIC COAST
53.9....20.....59.....100....339.....M. TEIXEIRA.....NATIONAL
52.5....21.....55......84....375.....M. JONES........PACIFIC COAST

50.6....20.....64......98....312.....C. PENA.........AMERICAN
50.4....20.....54......81....370.....S. DUNCAN.......INTERNATIONAL
43.8....21.....68......74....309.....R. RIVERA.......MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF JUNE 8, 2009

The National league has taken over the top spots with 4 of the top nine PHR'S. Only
A. Gonzalez is on track to hit 60 or more homers this year.


ONLY PLAYERS WITH 18 OR MORE HOMERS LISTED.

PHR.....HR.....GP.....GL.....PGA.....PLAYER...........LEAGUE
64.0....22.....57.....105....386.....A. GONZALEZ......NATIONAL
56.0....19.....55.....107....345.....R. IBANEZ........NATIONAL
54.0....18.....53.....106....340.....M. TEIXEIRA......NATIONAL

53.4....19.....48......87....395.....S. DUNCAN........INTERNATIONAL
52.9....21.....54......89....389.....S. RODRIQUEZ.....PACIFIC COAST
51.8....19.....51......88....373.....M. JONES.........PACIFIC COAST

51.2....18.....57.....105....316.....A. PUJOLS........NATIONAL
47.1....18.....55......89....327.....C. JOHNSON.......CAROLINA
46.5....20.....62......82....323.....R. RIVERA........MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF JUNE 4, 2009

ONLY PLAYERS WITH 18 HOMERS OR MORE LISTED

PHR.....HR.....GP.....GL.....PGA.....PLAYER..........LEAUGE
68.5....22.....52.....110....423.....A. GONZALEZ.....NATIONAL
61.7....19.....50.....112....380.....R. IBAMEZ.......NATIONAL
57.2....18.....42......93....429.....S. DUNCAN.......INTERNATIONAL
51.5....18.....50......93....360.....S. RODRIQUEZ....PACIFIC COAST
46.4....19.....59......85....322.....R. RIVERA.......MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF MAY 31, 2009

Adrian Gonzalez- first player to hit 20 homers this year and on track to 64.

only players with 17 or more homers are listed.

PHR.....HR.....GP.....GL.....PGA.....PLAYER..........LEAUGE
64.8....20.....50.....112....400.....A. GONZALEZ.....NATIONAL
60.8....18.....40......95....450.....S. DUNCAN.......ITERNATIONAL
57.4....17.....48.....114....354.....R. IBAMEZ.......NATIONAL
57.3....17.....41......97....415.....J. FOX..........PACIFIC COAST
53.0....17.....52.....110....327.....C. PENA.........AMERICAN
52.9....18.....49......95....367.....S. RODRIQUEZ....PACIFIC COAST
49.3....17.....49......93....347.....C. JOHNSON......CAROLINA
43.7....17.....56......88....303.....R. RIVERA.......MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF MAY 29, 2009

ONLY PLAYERS WITH 17 OR MORE HOMERS

PHR.....GP.....GL.....HR.....PLAYER..........LG

61.5....48.....116....18.....A. GONZALEZ.....NATIONAL
59.1....40......99....17.....J. FOX..........PACIFIC COAST
59.1....46.....117....17.....R. IBANEZ.......NATIONAL
52.2....46......96....17.....S. RODRIQUEZ....PACIFIC COAST
44.0....54......86....17.....R. RIVERA.......MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF MAY 25, 2009

ONLY PLAYERS WITH 15 OR MORE HOMERS LISTED

PHR.....HR.....GP.....GL.....PGA.....PLAYER..........LEAGUE

64.4....17.....43.....120....395.....R. IBANEZ.......NATIONAL
62.0....17.....45.....119....377.....A. GONZALEZ.....NATIONAL
60.4....17.....40.....102....425.....J. FOX..........PACIFIC COAST
59.1....15.....34.....100....441.....S. DUNCAN.......INTERNATIONAL
54.1....15.....46.....120....326.....C. PENA.........AMERICAN
54.1....16.....42.....100....380.....S. RODRIQUEZ....PACIFIC COAST
52.8....16.....43......99....372.....C. JOHNSON......CAROLINA
45.5....15.....34......96....313.....J. CRUZ.........MEXICAN

A 60 HOMERS CLUB DATE IN HISTORY

ON MAY 25TH 1935
George Herman Ruth (The Bambino and The Sultan Of Swat)
ALSO KNOWN AS BABE RUTH HIT HIS LAST HOME RUN, #714. RUTH WAS THE FIRST
PLAYER TO HIT 60 HOMERS IN ONE SEASON IN 1927 WITH THE NYY.

PHR STANDINGS AS OF MAY 22, 2009

ON TRACK TO HIT 60 HOMERS IN 2009
Raul Ibanez
Jake Fox
A. Gonzalez

Only players with 14 or more homers listed.

PHR.....GP.....HR.....GL.....PGA.....PLAYER..........LEAGUE
65.2....37.....17.....105....459.....J. FOX..........PACIFIC COAST
65.2....40.....16.....123....351.....R. IHANEZ.......NATIONAL
62.5....42.....16.....122....381.....A. GONZALEZ.....NATIONAL

58.0....43.....15.....123....349.....C. PENA.........AMERICAN
56.3....41.....14.....124....341.....A. PUJOLS.......NATIONAL
55.4....41.....16.....101....390.....C. JOHNSON......CAROLINA

54.6....39.....15.....103....385.....S. RODRIGUEZ....PACIFIC COAST
47.0....46.....15......98....326.....J. CRUZ.........MEXICAN
46.3....42.....14......97....333.....S. SOTO.........MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF MAY 19, 2009

Only players with 13 or more homers listed.

PHR.....GP.....HR.....GL.....PGA.....PLAYER..........LEAGUE
69.0....35.....17.....107....486.....J. FOX..........PACIFIC COAST
63.8....39.....15.....125....385.....A. GONZALEZ.....NATIONAL
57.3....37.....13.....126....351.....R. IHANEZ.......NATIONAL

56.4....38.....13.....127....342.....A. PUJOLS.......NATIONAL
54.0....40.....13.....126....325.....C. PENA.........AMERICAN
53.7....37.....14.....105....378.....S. RODRIGUEZ....PACIFIC COAST

48.6....38.....13.....104....342.....J. DUNIGAN......CALIFORNIA
48.6....38.....13.....104....342.....C. JOHNSON......CAROLINA
47.3....39.....13.....103....333.....R. HUGHES.......SOUTHERN

45.8....44.....14.....100....318.....J. CRUZ.........MEXICAN
41.9....45.....13......99....288.....S. SOTO.........MEXICAN
41.9....45.....13......99....288.....C. RIVERA.......MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF MAY 15, 2009

JAKE FOX IS RED HOT. ON TRACK TO HIT 70 PLUS HOMERS IN THE AAA PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE.


ONLY PLAYERS WITH 13 OR MORE HOMERS LISTED.

PHR.....HR.....GP.....GL.....PGA.....PLAYER..........LEAUEG

73.3....16.....31.....111....516.....J. FOX.........PACIFIC COAST

68.4....15.....36.....128....417.....A. GONZALEZ....NATIONAL

59.6....13.....36.....129....361.....A. PUJOLS......NATIONAL

59.2....13.....36.....128....361.....C. PENA........AMERICAN

55.1....13.....34.....110....382.....J. DUNIGAN.....CALIFORNIA

49.1....14.....41.....103....341.....J. CRUZ........MEXICAN

43.2....13.....42.....102....310.....S. SOTO........MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF MAY 13, 2009

only players with 12 or more homers listed.

PHR.....HR.....GP.....GL.....PGA.....PLAYER..........LEAUEG

68.8....14.....29.....113....483.....J. FOX.........PACIFIC COAST

64.6....13.....33.....131....394.....A. PUJOLS......NATIONAL

62.6....13.....24.....130....382.....C. PENA........AMERICAN

54.6....12.....32.....112....375.....J. DUNIGAN.....CALIFORNIA

52.4....12.....33.....111....364.....C. JOHNSON.....CAROLINA

48.0....13.....39.....105....333.....J. CRUZ........MEXICAN

44.3....12.....39.....105....308.....W. ORTANEZ.....MEXICAN

43.2....12.....40.....104....300.....S. SOTO........MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF MAY 10, 2009

Carlos Pena- Tampa Bay Rays leads all players with 13 homers.


Twenty Players now have 10 or more homers.

Listed by PHR's

PHR....HR....PGA.....GP.....GL.....PLAYER.............LEAUGE
66.6...13....406.....32.....132....C. PENA............AMERICAN
65.5...12....462.....26.....116....J. FOX.............PACIFIC COAST
63.5...12....387.....31.....133....A. PUJOLS..........NATIONAL
59.4...11....366.....30.....132....A. DUNN............NATIONAL

57.9...11....355.....31.....132....E. LONGONIA........AMERICAN
57.6...12....400.....30.....114....J. DUNIGAN.........CALIFORNIA
57.1...10....357.....28.....132....C. UTTLEY..........NATIONAL
54.7...10....385.....26.....116....M. JONES...........PACIFIC COAST

54.0...10....333.....30.....132....A. SORIANO.........NATIONAL
52.2...10....370.....27.....114....G. HALMAN..........SOUTHERN
51.3...10....313.....32.....132....J. BRUCE...........NATIONAL
51.3...10....313.....32.....132....A. GONZALEZ........NATIONAL

48.0...10....333.....30.....114....M. SPENCER.........CALIFORNIA
48.0...10....333.....30.....114....R. HUGHES..........SOUTHERN
46.7...12....324.....37.....107....W. OTANEZ..........MEXICAN
46.7...12....324.....37.....107....J. CRUZ............MEXICAN

45.5...12....316.....38.....106....S. SOTO............MEXICAN
41.6...11....289.....38.....106....R. RIVERA..........MEXICAN
41.6...11....289.....38.....106....C. RIVERA..........MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF MAY .4, 2009

W. OTANEZ - MEXICAN LEAGUE

S. DUNCAN - INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE


ONLY PLAYERS WITH 10 OR MORE HOMERS LISTED.

PHR.......GP....HR....PGA...PLAYER..........LEAGUE
78.5......22....12....545...J. FOX.........PACIFIC COAST
68.5......26....11....423...C. PENA........AMERICA
65.5......22....10....455...S. DUNCAN......INTERNATIONAL
50.8......31....11....355...W. OTANEZ......MEXICAN
49.2......32....11....344...S. SOTO........MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF APRIL .29, 2009

ONLY PLAYERS WITH 9 OR MORE HOMERS LISTED.

PHR.......GP....HR....PGA...PLAYER..........LEAGUE
90.9......19....12....631...J. FOX.........PACIFIC COAST
69.5......21.....9....429...C. PENA........AMERICA
69.5......21.....9....429...A. GONZALES....NATIONAL
52.8......30....11....366...W. OTANEZ......MEXICAN
46.4......31....10....322...S. SOTO........MEXICAN
44.7......29.....9....310...C. PRESICHI....MEXICAN
43.2......29.....9....300...J. CRUZ........MEXICAN
41.8......31.....9....290...R. RIVERA......MEXICAN
41.8......31.....9....290...C. RIVERA......MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF APRIL .27, 2009

Jacob Quirin Fox: J. Fox is the first player to hit 11 homers this season. He has been hitting the long for the Iowa Cubs of the Pacific Coast League. Jake was born on 07/20/1982 in Beach Grove, IN. He went to Michigan State. He stands 6 feet tall at 210 lbs. Throws and bats right handed.


ONLY PLAYERS WITH 9 OR MORE HOMERS LISTED.

PHR.......GP....HR....PGA...PLAYER..........LEAGUE
88.0......18....11....611...J. FOX.........PACIFIC COAST
74.7......19.....9....473...C. PENA........AMERICA
55.7......28....10....357...W. OTANEZ......MEXICAN
49.7......29....10....345...S. SOTO........MEXICAN
47.6......27.....9....333...C. PRESICHI....MEXICAN
46.3......28.....9....321...J. CRUZ........MEXICAN
44.9......29.....9....310...R. RIVERA......MEXICAN
44.9......29.....9....310...C. RIVERA......MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF APRIL .24, 2009

ONLY PLAYERS WITH 8 OR MORE HOMERS LISTED

PHR.....GP.....HR.....PGA.....PLAYER...............LEAUGE
76.1....17......8.....470.....C. PENA..............AMERICA
53.3....27.....10.....411.....W. OTANEZ............MEXICAN
52.5....21......8.....381.....A. CAZANA............MEXICAN
48.0....27......9.....333.....S. SOTO..............MEXICAN
47.9....27......9.....333.....C. RIVERA............MEXICAN
44.0....26......8.....308.....I. FRANCO............MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF APRIL .22, 2009

I. FRANCO
W. OTANEZ


ONLY PLAYERS WITH 8 OR MORE HOMERS LISTED.

PHR......GP.....PGA......HR.......PLAYER.................LEAUGE
51.8.....25.....360......9........W. OTANEZ..............MEXICAN
47.6.....24.....333......8........I. FRANCO..............MEXICAN
46.0.....25.....320......8........C. RIVERA..............MEXICAN
46.0.....25.....320......8........A. CAZANA..............MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF APRIL. 19, 2009

ONLY PLAYERS WITH 7 OR MORE HOMERS ARE LISTED. PLAYERS LISTED BY PHR.

PHR.....GP.....PGA.....HR.....LEAUGE...........PLAYER
97.4....12.....583.....7......AMERICAN.........C. QUENTIN
91.6....11.....636.....7......PACIFIC COAST....J. FOX
57.2....17.....411.....7......MEXICAN..........J. ORTIZ
54.8....21.....380.....8......MEXICAN..........C. RIVERA
52.4....22.....364.....8......MEXICAN..........I. FRANCO
45.8....22.....318.....7......MEXICAN..........C. PRESICHI
43.8....23.....304.....7......MEXICAN..........W. OTANEZ
43.8....23.....304.....7......MEXICAN..........R. RIVERA

Only C. Quentin of the CWS has hit 7 homers from MLB. MLB playes 162 games. J. Fox is on track to hit 91 homers this year, he plays in the AAA PCL. Minor leagues play 144 games in a season. While the early numbers are impressive, I don't think anyone will hit 60 homers this year.

HOME RUN LEADER BOARD AS OF APRIL, 12 2009

FIVE OR MORE HOMERS

HR.....LEAUGE......PLAYER
7.......ML..........J. ORTIZ
6.......ML..........I. FRANCO
6.......ML..........R. RIVERA
5.......ML..........J. AMADOR
5.......ML..........A. VALENCIA
5.......ML..........J. ZULETA
5.......AL..........E. LONGORIZ
5.......ML..........W. OTANEZ
5.......ML..........R. SAUCEDO
5.......ML..........M. MCDOGAL

HR STANDINGS AS OF APRIL 11, 2009

PLAYERS WITH 4 OR MORE HOMERS

HR.....LEAUGE.....PLAYER
7.......ML........JOSE ORTIZ
6.......ML........IKER FRANCO
5.......ML........JAPHET AMADOR
5.......ML........RUBEN RIVERA
5.......ML........ABRHAM VALENCIA
5.......ML........JULIO ZULETA
5.......ML........WILLS OTANEZ
5.......ML........ROBERT SAUCEDO
5.......ML........MARSHALL MCDOUGAL
4.......AL........EVAN LONGORIA

Long Ball leaders as of 04/10/09

player....................... HR.... League

Jose Ortiz....................6......ML
Iker Franco...................6......ML
Japher Amador.................5......ML
Ruben Rivera..................5......ML
Abraham Valencia..............5......ML
Julio Zuletz..................5......ML
Evan Longoria.................4......AL

2009 home run race for the title- MLB opening day

The Mexican League has started and the rest of MiLB will start soon. Opening day in MLB has two players tied for first, and 29 others tied for 3rd.

HR......PGA......GP......PHR......PLAYER
5........2.2.....11......292.6....J. ORTIZ of the Mexican League
2........2.0......1......322.0....T. CLARK of the ARI. D-BACKS
2........2.0......1......322.0....F. LOPEZ of the ARI. D-BACKS
1........1.0......1......161.0....29 other players hit HR opening day.

In the Mexican League 4 players are tied with 4 homers and eleven are tied with 3.

KEY: HR-HOME RUN PGA-PER GAME AVG. GP-GAMES PLAYED PHR-PROJECTED HOME RUNS

Jose Ortiz leads all organized baseball players with 5 homers. He plays for the Saraperos de Saltillo of the AAA-A Mexican League.
Stats: AVG. .395/ HR. 5/ RBI. 9/ SB. 1/ BORN 06-13-1977/ HEIGHT 5' 9"/WEIGHT 177/
BATS R/ THROWS R

Birthplace: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

NOTE: A DUNN HAS 1 HR. R HOWARD AND A DUNN ARE THE FAVORITES TO WIN THE LONG BALL TITLE THIS YEAR, AS PER MY ODDS LISTED LAST WEEK

Odds to win the 2009 Home Run title

2009 future odds to win the HOME RUN title and to hit 60 homers.

player.......................title............hit 60 or more

Ryan Howard...................6-1................18-1

David Ortiz...................8-1................26-1

Carlos Delgado................12-1...............40-1

Nelson Cruz...................25-1...............60-1

Adam Dunn....................6-1.................18-1

Chris Utley...................15-1...............50-1

Dallas McPherson..............20-1...............75-1

Any other A.L. player.........5-1................15-1

Any other N.L. player.........5-1................13-1

Any other Minor Leagueer......150-1..............300-1

Minor League's play 144 game season/ MLB play 162 game season.

2009 HOME RUN TITLE CONTENDERS

These are the top contenders for the 2009 home run title for organized base ball.

player...............HR/08'....career HR......PHR/09

N. Cruz*.............37..........37...........51

R. Howard............48.........177...........50

D. McPherson*........42..........42...........48

D. Ortiz.............42.........345...........43

R. Bram..............37..........71...........43

A. Pujols............37.........319...........42

C. Carter*...........39..........39...........41

A. Dunn..............32.........276...........40

*Minor's All are on the reserve list. Minors play a 144 game season.
The PHR'S are based on career games played divided by career homers times games in a season (MLB: 162 MILB: 144).

I don't see any player hitting 60 homers this year. Stay tune for the future book odds.

Forrest E. "Frosty" Kennedy
Birth: Mar. 21, 1926
Death: Jun. 5, 1998

Minor League Baseball Player. On September 6, 1956, while a 30-year-old first baseman for the Plainview (Texas) Ponies of the Class B Southwestern League, he blasted his 60th home run of the season against the San Angelo Colts. He was the last of three minor leagers to hit 60 in 1956.
* * * * * * * *
´Frosty´ Kennedy hits a homer for hype
By Danny Andrews
Herald Editor

Anyone who lived in Plainview in the mid-1950s probably knows the name “Frosty” Kennedy, even if they never saw him play a game for the Plainview Ponies.

That was the minor league team that moved here in 1953 when the Lamesa franchise folded in the old West Texas-New Mexico League.

Twenty-seven-year-old outfielder Forrest Kennedy, who hit .403 for Lamesa, came along in the package and was an instant hit - no pun intended.

Many folks enjoyed summer evenings at Jaycee Park, watching the local team which finally folded after the 1961 season, briefly having an association with the Kansas City Athletics.

“He was a real character,” longtime Plainviewan Luther Bain recalled with a hearty laugh, echoing the remembrance of many others about Kennedy who died June 5 in Covina, Calif. at the age of 72.

Frosty sported massive arms and showed them off by wearing cutoff sleeves as did another more famous slugger of the day - Cincinnati first baseman Ted Kluszewski.

He always had a big chaw of tobacco, which liberally stained his uniform, and former Plainviewan Tom Locke recalls Frosty removing his chaw, wadding it up and rolling it toward the opponents´ dugout when he´d hit one out of Jaycee Park.

Discretion being the better part of valor - and arrogance - he probably didn´t do that on the road.

Those hometown homers earned him a wad of money stuck in the wire mesh screen by appreciative fans - he said he collected $269 for a game-winning shot against Clovis in the 13th inning of a playoff game.

Walt McAlexander, a 1962 PHS grad who served as the Ponies´ bat boy one season, says he used to listen to veteran KVOP sports announcer Tut Tawwater do the games - “live” here and by “re-creation” from the Western Union wire for road games. Walt recalls Frosty rumbling toward the mound after striking out his last time up on a night where he already had three or four hits.

Rather than fighting, Frosty wanted to congratulate the pitcher on finally getting him out.

Walt, who was a sports writer for the Lubbock paper for 14 years, then worked in sports information at Texas Tech, was excited about seeing Frosty´s name and picture at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. for being one of the 11 men to ever hit 60 or more homeruns in a season.

Of course, the first to do it was Babe Ruth, the legendary “Sultan of Swat,” in 1927, the year after Frosty was born.

Tut Tawwater alleges the league´s pitching in 1953 and again in 1956 when Frosty hit 60 round-trippers in the restructured Southwestern League, “was pathetic. . . about like high school.”

Former Herald Sports Editor Bob Carroll said Frosty took advantage of “invitingly close” fences at Jaycee Park (358 feet to center compared with about 400 now) for a number of “cheap” homeruns.

When I mentioned that to Frosty in a feature story I did back in 1985, he snorted, “Hell, I didn´t hit no cheap ones.”

He claimed he could have hit 120 homeruns in a well-lighted major league stadium.

Frosty recalled that he hit his Babe-matching 60th homer in San Angelo on the last evening of a 144-game season. Trying to help him, the San Angelo catcher was telling him what pitches were coming, but Frosty says he went 1-for-8 in a doubleheader the night before and it really didn´t help him.

His history-making homer in the third inning hugged the leftfield foul line and the umpire called it fair on a close decision.

In 1953 Frosty hit .410 with a 40-game hitting streak, 224 hits and 169 RBIs. Three years later (he played in Amarillo in 1954 and Yuma, Ariz. in 1955), he batted .327 with 184 RBIs (the major league record is 190) and scored 151 runs.

Playing for 12 different teams, Kennedy averaged .342 during a 10-year minor league career that began in 1948, hit 228 homers with 1,083 runs batted in and 1,572 hits.

Although he signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, he never made it to the majors in an era when there were more than 400 minor league teams in America - soon to greatly dwindle with the popularity of television.

Frosty also said something else pretty brash in that 1985 interview: “I´m the greatest player ever. Babe Ruth hit 60 homers but never batted .400. Ted Williams and a lot of other guys hit .400 but never hit 60 homers. I did both.”

Considering that Joe Bauman hit an all-time record 72 homeruns and batted over .400 for Roswell in 1954, Frosty might have been just a bit, shall we say, off base about being “the greatest.”

But give him a homer for hype - and no cheap shot either.

(Danny Andrews is editor of The Herald.)

ryan howard

Howard, 2008 home run title winner, is in arbitration. He is asking for $18m. He hit 48 homers last year, well short of making it into the 60 homers club. He will be one of the ones to watch this year.