Fred, haven't you been to this?
 Geoff Brookes's powerhouse Expos put on a show of dominance to win the 1980 PFL championship. The Yankees were never in this series, despite their strong showing in the first round of the playoffs, as the 'Spos chewed up their left-handed pitching staff to take a decisive five-game series. Manager Brookes (seen above) stated he was delighted that the PFL's only Canadian team played so well down the stretch.
"It was fun," Brookes stated. "And now, I'm off to Cuba to scout future talent." Congrats Geoff! Enjoy your trip.  Congratulations to Brewers' Manager Carl Alexis. He is the 1980 Manager of the Year! After fighting off an early challenge from the Mets and a late surge from the Tigers, Carl steered his team into the PFL playoffs with one of the best records in league history, becoming only the third team in nineteen seasons to notch one-hundred wins. Carl must have a thing for the first year of a decade, as he was also named PFL Manager of the Year in 1970 with the Washington Senators. Five managers received either first or second-place MOTY votes. The voting results are below, with first place votes shown in parentheses. Carl Alexis, Brewers (6) 15 Geoff Brookes, Expos (3) 12 Jeff "Yountfan" Kloster, Royals (1) 3 John Recupero, Tigers (1) 3 Paul Wootten, Yankees (1) 3  Talk about timely! Bill's agency just happened to have a show in the City of Brotherly Love this weekend and look at who he brought in! Thanks for sending the picture, Bill. I hope the PFL crossed your mind at least once when you were hobnobbing with Mr's. Bowa, Rose, and Schmidt!
 Okay, I'll admit it. I wrote the Indians off after they were beaten decisively in the first two games at home, by a margin of 16-3. It was, I assumed, the Expos' season.
Boy was I wrong. Three one-run games in Montreal set the stage for what might be the most epic World Series in the eighteen-season history of the PFL. The series moved back to Cleveland, where we'd already seen the Indians be manhandled. Not this time, though. A 10-1 rout of the Expos in Game Six set up an epic showdown that lived up to its billing. The Indians scored first, but the game became knotted in the fourth before the Tribe took a fifth inning lead and never looked back. As you can see from the photo above, Mark Kummerer appears happy and relieved at the way things turned out. Mark, Geoff, CONGRATULATIONS on a great season. Is it just me, or does Mr.Kite bear a resemblance to current Cleveland manager Terry Francona? Am I seeing things? Okay gang, on to the eighties! Voting was closer than any season to date, but in the end Scott Philipp's East Division finish led his cohorts to name him as 1979 Manager of the Year. The Red Sox held on to win a very competitive division, thanks to a solid offense and enough pitching to keep things close. Scott, congratulations! Here's the voting. First place votes count as two, second place votes as one. First place votes are shown in parentheses. Scott Philipp, Red Sox (6) 13
John Recupero, Tigers (4) 11 Mark Kummerer, Indians (2) 5 Geoff Brookes, Expos 5 Randy Partin, Pirates 1 Paul Wootten, Yankees 1 Can anyone dethrone Jeff Kloster and his boys in blue? Not this year, as the Tigers gave it their all only to be tossed aside in Game 7, leaving the Royals with their fourth consecutive World Championship. Prior to Game 7, Yountfan searched high and low for the final words of encouragement he would need to wrap up that fourth championship. It was during a walk in a nearby forest that a large dog approached and whispered, "Dennis Leonard will take you there." Emboldened by the canine's words, Kloster approached Game 7 brimming with confidence. On hand for the series celebration, President Donald Trump declared that Wednesday, September 12 will be "Yountfan Day in America." Congrats Jeff! Be sure to check out the captions for the two photos. Boy, the fun never stops for those Kansas City Royals. Consecutive World Championships, a hundred-win season, and now. Jeff Kloster is the PFL Manager of the Year for 1978. Most deserved, I think everyone will agree. Voting is below. Two points were awarded for first place, one for second. First place votes are in parentheses. Eleven votes were cast. Congratulations Jeff! Jeff Yountfan Kloster (9) 19
John Recupero (1) 8 Paul Wootten (1) 5 Carl Alexis 1  It's been awhile since Miss Daisy and Miss Helen brought the bookmobile to town, so let's stop by and see what was on the New York Times Bestseller list during this week in 1977. Let's start with fiction! All aboard! And now, we'll head to the back of the bookmobile to check out the non-fiction bestsellers. If you're too short to reach the top shelf, don't worry. Miss Helen has a step stool. |
