September News
The Rednecks accomplished quite a bit in September. They went 10-5 at home and 8-7 on the road to raise their overall record at the 1/3 mark to 30-24, posting an 18-12 mark for September compared to the 12-12 August tally. September was the month for hitters. The pitching staff struggled with a 4.41 ERA, raising the YTD mark to 4.27. But, man-oh-man, did the hitters ever explode!!

After being out-everythinged in August, the Redneck batters crushed opposing pitchers at a .335 clip and pounded 48 homers in the 30 September games, while outscoring their opponents 233-152. The team batting average now stands at .309 - some ten points higher than the nearest competition in the entire ABC. Four times, the Rednecks banged 20 or more hits. Twice they scored 20 or more runs, trouncing Portland 20-1 on 23 hits and demolishing Tennessee in an ABC record 38-6 route. Oddly enough, both explosions occurred on the road !!

David Justice took Player-of-the-Month honors with an incredible offensive surge. His line for September looks like this:

Other Redneck stickmen who posted an outstanding month were Mark Grace (.383, 21 RBI), Edgar Martinez (.355, 19 RBI), and part-timers Dave Nilsson (.381) and Roberto Kelly. In only 77 at-bats, Kelly hit .364 with 6 doubles, 8 homers, and 28 RBI with a .753 Slugging Average in the 20 games he played. The Magnificent Roberto cracked 3 Grand Slams in the month!!

On the pitching side, Curt Schilling posted a 5-1 record, a 2.52 ERA and tossed the first-ever Redneck shutout, while fanning 49 to raise his league-leading total to 109 in 105.2 innings. Schilling now stands at 9-3 with a 3.15 ERA in his 12 starts, and has gone the distance 10 times.

September's Bunts 'n Boots... After a miserable start, Chris Stynes hit .423 in September to raise his average to .293 for the season. Mighty Mite, Eric Young, cracked 5 homers in September to give him 6 for the year. Young also hit .342 for the month to raise his season BA to .321. Redneck batters have fanned 265 times and walked 199 times. Their opponents have whiffed 382 times while walking only 156. Todd Jones finally gave up a run, five in fact. He is 4-0 with 1 save in 19.1 relief innings. Mop-up man, John Burkett, posted a 1.08 ERA in 16.2 September innings. His overall mark of 2.39 in 26.1 innings is second only to Todd Jones. Troy Percival's troubles continue...he has now served up 6 gopher balls in 14.2 innings. The Redneck bullpen has posted an 8-3 record with 9 saves in the first 54 games. The Rednecks have 7 players with 30 or more RBI after 54 games. Six Rednecks have scored 33 or more runs. The opposition is 32-14 in stolen bases against Redneck catchers and pitchers.

The Rednecks continued to show steady improvement in October. They posted a 19-11 mark for the month, one game better than September's 18-12 record.  For the second consecutive month, they finished 10-5 at home; but October's road mark of 9-6 was the team's best ever.  After 84 games, the Rednecks stand at 27-15 in home games and 22-20 in away games.  They join Louisiana and Portland as the only teams in the Clemente League with winning road records.  The team batting average of .309 for October is exactly the same as the year-to-date mark.  October's team ERA of 4.31 was a slight improvement over September's 4.41, and the overall ERA now stands at 4.29 for the season.  After crashing 48 homers in September, the tater crop dropped off to 32 in October.

The Rednecks outscored their October opponents 192-143.  They swept all 6 games from the Richmond Rampage; took 4 of 6 from Cedar Rapids and Thornhill; split 3-3 with the New York Knights; and dropped 4 of 6 to the Washington Senators.  The Rednecks continue to lead the ABC in batting average (.309).  In the Clemente League standings, the Rednecks are 2nd in runs scored, 1st in hits, 1st in Doubles, 3rd in Slugging, 2nd in On-Base Percent (.379 to Portland's .380), 4th in walks received, and 1st in fewest strikeouts.  Livingston batters have fanned 118 times less than the nearest competition  (425 team K's to Portland's 543).  The Rednecks are hitting .299 vs. Lefty starters (13-14) and a whopping .313 (36-21) against Righty starters.  The pitching staff's ERA of 4.29 ranks 3rd best in the Clemente League.  Opponents are hitting .266 against Redneck hurlers.

David Justice won Player of the Month honors for the second consecutive month, narrowly edging out Mark Grace.  Grace outhit Justice .383 to .360, but Big Dave led the team with 6 HR, 29 RBI, 26 BB, .651 SLG, .509 OBP while playing in only 27 of the 30 games.   Justice's overall mark of .377 ranks him second only to the Gamblers' Larry Walker in the batting race.  Four Rednecks: Justice (.377, 2nd); Mark Grace (.361, 5th); Edgar Martinez (.344, 8th); and Eric Young (.337, 10th) are in the Top Ten after 84 games.   Justice leads the League in OBP (.482), and is second to Larry Walker in BA, SLG, and RBI.  Not one Redneck is among the top twenty in strikeouts, but five Rednecks are among the top twenty in Bases on Balls.

Curt Schilling tossed 2 shutouts in October, and was one of three Redneck starters to post 3 victories.  John Frascatore picked up 4 of the team's 6 saves during the month.  Schilling's 4.08 ERA for October was well above his season mark of   3.41.  He still ranks among the top hurlers in the Clemente League with a 12-4 win-loss record and 12 complete games.

The only "Downer" for the month of October was that, as good as the Rednecks played, the Louisiana Gamblers actually gained one game in the standings.  Livingston was 13 games behind the division leaders at the end of September --- at October's end, they trail the Gamblers by 14 games.  "There ain't no Justice but Dave Justice !!"

October Bunts 'n Boots...Chris Stynes continued his climb to respectability.  He hit .469 in his 32 October AB, to raise his overall average to .342.  Joltin' Joe Oliver popped 5 dingers, 4 doubles, slugged .760, and batted .380 --- raising his season's average to .246. Part-timer Rich Amaral hit .470 and has his overall average up to .370.  Jeff Blauser hit only .214 in October, but still managed 14 RBI.  Eric Young hit 3 more homers and led the team with 26 runs scored.  The Rednecks only stole 6 bases in the month.

Troy Percival seems to be settling down.  His 1.29 October ERA led the team; and he only tossed one gopher ball in his 14 innings of work.  Setup man Scott Sullivan had a rough month --- 6.87 ERA, 1 Loss, and 2 blown saves.  Boomer Wells must be reading his future press clippings.  He had 5 quality starts in his 6 outings, posted a 3-1 record, 2.13 ERA and threw a shutout in October.

The Rednecks matured as a team in November.  Most of the team stars had sub par production, but the Rednecks still managed an 18-12 record.  For the third consecutive month, they posted a 10-5 home mark; the 8-7 road record was the third consecutive winning road month.  Overall, the team stands at 67-47 (37-20 at home; 30-27 on the road).  The mark of 17-9 in one-run games includes 6 victories in the bottom of the 9th.  Statistically, November was a rough month.  The team BA tumbled from .309 to .302, as the Necks batted only .281 for the month.  The pitching staff's 4.77 November ERA was bad enough by itself, but it included 4 shutouts.   Without those whitewashes, it was stratospheric!

The Rednecks were outscored 155-153 and out-homered 43-30 by their November opponents.  Only a margin of 106 walks to 76 and some timely hitting enabled the Necks to keep the scoring margin that close.  Livingston downed the NY Mutuals 5-1; lost 4 of 6 to New Orleans; split 3-3 with the Valley Campaign and the Durham Bullmoose; and took 5 of 6 from the Baton Rouge Blues (including a rare road sweep).   The team rankings in the Clemente League took a big hit.  The Rednecks have dropped to second in Team BA (.302).  They only lead the league in doubles (262) and fewest times struck-out (579).  They continue to struggle against Lefty starters, posting a 16-19 win-loss record although batting a league-leading .290.

Mark Grace dethroned David Justice as the Team MVP for the month.   Mark hit a solid .388 and led the team in runs scored and RBI (20).  He has also climbed to third place in the Clemente League batting race with his .367 mark.   Justice slipped from .377 to .361 overall, and now is fourth in the league.   Edgar Martinez' .333 mark ranks him 8th in the league and Eric Young stands at 16th with a .317 average.  Curt Schilling continues to be among the league pitching leaders.  Schilling leads the lead in IP (198.1) and complete games (15); trails Roger Clemens in strikeouts (210-209); fourth in wins (15-7); seventh in ERA (3.13); and is tied for the lead with 4 shutouts.

In the standings, the Rednecks managed to game one game on the World-Leading Louisiana Gamblers.  At November's end, the Rednecks trail Louisiana by 13 games.  They stretched their lead over third-place New Orleans to 11 games.

November Bunts 'n Boots...The Rednecks opened the running game in November.  With the offense slumping, Manager Wool pinch-ran liberally and turned Eric Young and the pinch runners loose.  Young stole 7 and Cameron 6, of the 19 total for the month.  Through November, the Rednecks have stolen 41 and been caught 15 times.  Pinch runners scored 15 runs for the month.  Five Redneck pitchers had ERA's over 10.00 in November.   Four different starters tossed complete game shutouts.  Curt Schilling suffered from a lack of run support --- he posted a 3-3 record with an ERA of 2.38 and 64 K's in 53 innings.  Mark Gardner went 3-1 with a 2.57 ERA for his best month of the season.  Mike Grace will start the first December home game.  After that, he will work from the bullpen for his remaining innings.  Todd Jones and John Frascatore are a combined 12-2 with 16 saves.

December was a hell of a ride! Led by Player of the Month, Curt Schilling, the Rednecks steamrolled to a 20-4 record --- best ever in the team's brief history. As impressive as the 11-1 home record was, the road record of 9-3 was even more so. After December play, the Rednecks boast an 87-51 overall mark; 48-21 at home and 39-30 away from the Redneck Roost. December saw the men from Livingston post a 4-1 margin in 1-run games, boosting the season 1-run record to 21-10. Most significantly, the Rednecks not only garnered their first-ever victory over the hated Louisiana Gamblers, they took 4 of 6 meetings with the rivals from across the Amite River.

The Necks broke out from the November team slump with a vengeance. After recording a .281 November batting average, Redneck stickmen peppered opposition pitching at a .316 clip, while the pitching staff shut down enemy batters with 2 shutouts and a 2.70 ERA. The year-to-date team batting average of .304 now stands alone as the only ABC team average over .300. They have four hitters in the Clemente League Top Ten. In December, the Rednecks outscored the opposition by an incredible 160-85 runs. They even managed to out-homer opposing teams by a 25-21 margin. Livingston swept the Riverfront Rage 6-0, whipped Youngstown and Eastern Ohio 5-1, and outpaced Louisiana 4-2. The December surge shaved 3 games off the Gambler division lead. The Rednecks now trail Lousiana by 10 games, even though they are tied with Durham for the second best ABC overall record at 87-51.

December Bunts 'n Boots...For the first time this season, a pitcher was awarded Player of the Month honors. Curt Schilling became the first-ever 20-game winner (20-7). Schilling's log for the month included a 5-0 record, 2.37 ERA, 5 quality starts, and 2 victories over Louisiana. Curt fanned 41 batters in 46 innings while walking only 8. Schilling continues to lead the Clemente League in complete games (16), innings pitched (244.1), and shutouts (5). He trails Pedro Martinez by seven in strikeouts (257-250); is fourth in ERA (2.98); and third in wins (20).

Roberto Kelly got a chance to play regularly in December. He appeared in 19 of the 24 games and posted marks of .455 BA, .782 SLA, .500 OBP, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 4 homers, 16 RBI and 13 runs scored. Jason Giambi, Kelly, and Mark Grace tied for the club lead in RBI with 16 each. Eric Young led in runs scored (20) and steals (7). David Justice had his worst month --- .284 with 14 RBI. The bench had an outstanding month, led by Rich Amaral (.471), Craig Shipley (.429), and Russ Johnson (.357). Besides Schilling's 5 wins, six other Redneck pitchers won 2 each. John Frascatore picked up 6 of the team's 9 saves. He and two other relievers (Todd Jones and Troy Percival) had ERA's under 1.00. For the season, Jones and Frascatore are a combined 15-2, 23 saves, and an ERA under 2.00.

David Justice's 107 RBI leads the team. Mark Grace is second in RBI (95) and Runs (101). Edgar Martinez leads in Runs (105). Rookie Russ Johnson got his first major league RBI ... now every Redneck has at least one. The Rednecks (led by Mark Grudzielanek's 45) have six players with over 30 doubles and nine players with over 20. Martinez and Blauser continue to battle for the HBP lead. Edgar leads Jeff 16-15.

After December’s 20-4 record, what could the Rednecks do for an encore? How about "fall flat on their collective faces" for a start. The Rednecks had their worst-ever home month, going 6-6. They managed an 8-4 road mark to bring the January overall record to 14-10 and limped to the finish line an amazing 13 games behind the division champion Louisiana Gamblers. True enough a first-season record of 101-61 was a fair accomplishment (see related story in the Redneck WrapUp), but the fans in the Amite River Basin were nonetheless disappointed in the team’s play down the stretch.

The Necks slumped to a .300 batting average in January, and the team ERA was a 4.94, mostly due to a collapse of the bullpen. After outscoring the opposition by an incredible 160-85 runs in December, the Rednecks posted a 155-128 margin in January. They managed to out-homer opposing teams by a 37-35 edge. Livingston swept the New York Knights 6-0, split 3-3 with New Orleans and Baton Rouge, and fell to Louisiana 1-5 -- suffering their only their second home 0-3 performance of the season – both at the hands of the Gamblers. The 3 games they shaved off the Gambler division lead in December, the Rednecks lost again in January.

Although he missed 3 of the 24 games, David Justice captured the January Player of the Month honors. It was the fourth time this season that Justice was served. Recovering from his December slump, Justice posted a .375 batting mark and led the team in runs (22), RBI (31) and HR (12); and tied for the lead in hits (30). His surge boosted his season totals to .352 BA, .643 SA, .447 OBA, 40 HR, 138 RBI, and 108 Runs Scored. He also posted a team-high 94 walks, while striking out on 86 times.

January Bunts 'n Boots...Roberto Kelly and Chris Stynes each posted a .400 average for January.   The two "almost regulars" combined for one heck of a season.  Kelly hit .337 with 18 homers and 84 RBI in 389 ABs; Stynes batted .350 with 6 homers and 34 RBI in 214 ABs.  They also scored a combined 106 runs and stole 14 bases.  Added together, they made quite a CF.  Mark Grudzielanek had a miserable month.  Not only did he bat a meager .174 and score only 10 runs, his fielding woes continued and he finished the season with 34 errors at shortstop.  Rookie Russ Johnson (LSU) hit his first major league homer in January.  Troy Percival continued his "one good month, one bad month" cycle.  After posting a 0.00 ERA in December, Percival was rocked for 5 home runs in 11 2/3 IP in January.  John Frascatore tallied 5 saves and a 0.60 ERA in January.  The rest of the vaunted bullpen stunk:  Percival (11.57), Sullivan (13.50), Wohlers (4.70), Todd Jones (4.67) and Burkett (16.20).   The pen blew 8 save opportunities, resulting in 7 of the 10 losses for the month.

All in all, the inaugural season of the Livingston Rednecks was a critical success. Manager Wool inherited a Portland Pooh Bears franchise that had languished below .500 for years and turned them into winners.  The Rednecks posted an impressive 101-61 record; batted .304; and had a staff ERA of 4.23 with a 24-game winner (Curt Schilling).  The only problem was that they finished 13 games behind the Forbes Division Champion Lousiana Gamblers. Mark Grace (.356) and David Justice (.352) finished fourth and fifth in the batting race.  Edgar Martinez (.338) and Eric Young (.321) finished seventh and ninth respectively.  Their names popped up among the league leaders in most of the Clemente League's offensive categories.   Schilling's 24-8 record and 3.04 ERA was only one win shy of the league lead; and his five shutouts and 17 complete games led the ABC. 

Probably the most impressive feat of the season, however, was the 38-6 thrashing of the Tennessee Volunteers at their home park.  In Redneck Land, it is simply referred to as ...

The Game    Top of Page

On the night of September 20, the Rednecks set all-time ABC marks in several categories. League historians are still poring over boxscores to see just how many records were smashed. Reports from Tennessee are sketchy at best (Alex White said that he fortunately doesn't remember too many details). Here's what the boxscore revealed...

TEAM        1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9        R  H E DATE/TIME

Rednecks   16 3 8 0 0 0 4 6 1       38 38 0 09-20-98

Volunteer   3 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0        6  9 4 7:47pm

The pitching line for Tennessee tells most of the story:

-Pitchers-         IP  R ER  H 2B 3B HR SO BB WP HB BK

ASTACIO L         0.1  9  9  8  1  0   4  0  1  0  0  0

LUDWICK           8.2 29 21 30  2  0   7  6  9  0  0  0

Totals            9.0 38 30 38  3  0  11  6 10  0  0  0

Alex said he thinks the Rednecks smashed 7 homers in the 16-run first. Pedro Astacio and Eric Ludwick aren't talking ... they're both still in therapy. Mark Grace led the parade with a 7 for 9 performance. He scored a game-high 6 runs and drove in 7; but Roberto Kelly homered twice, accumulated 13 total bases, and knocked in 8 runs on the night! Kelly, Edgar Martinez, and Justice scored 5 runs each; and, along with Jason Giambi, each whacked 2 home runs. Grace, Flaherty and Eric Young chipped in one dinger each, as the Rednecks pounded 11 out of the yard.

Livingston tallied an incredible 74 total bases on hits and also received 10 bases on balls. The Vols committed 4 errors as well, so the Rednecks put an amazing 52 baserunners on in the 9-inning game.

David Wells was the beneficiary of this offensive support ... and he needed it. Wells couldn't go the distance, allowing 6 runs on 9 hits and 3 walks. Troy Percival had to get the last out, striking out a batter to end the slaughter.

The complete boxscore is available for viewing.  Click here.

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