Cha Cha Charged
Homer Hat Trick, 20-Game Hitting Streak
BOSTON (June 16) -- Boston's Orlando Cepeda stole the show as the 1972 UL season entered the summer months.  The 34-year-old Puerto Rican first baseman hit a home run hat trick, cobbled a 20-game hitting streak, and won back-to-back Player of the Week awards.  Cha Cha was 0-4 against Washington May 22, then hit safely in the next 20 games, including a torrid patch between June 3-13 when he had a .583 average and 7 home runs in 9 games.

The hat trick came on June 4 in Manhattan.  Cepeda homered off Jim Nash in the 2nd and 3rd innings, chasing him, as the Feds built a 6-1 lead, then added a third dinger in the 9th off Jerry Arrigo to punctuate an 11-3 rout.

Cepeda is putting up career numbers this season, from his .362 average--nearly 80 points above his career average and trailing only Joe Torre--to his 29 HR and 75 RBI two weeks shy of the All-Star Break, on pace to break his 1964 records for power numbers.  He leads the league in both categories and is roughly in the same position Joe Torre was a year ago, when the chatter began about the possibility of the first UL Triple Crown.  Cha Cha is in his 15th season in the league, and has played every game of his career with the Gothams/Federals since he was the 2nd overall pick in the 1958 draft (after Albie Pearson).

Boston is 8-5 in June, still six games behind East-leading Washington, and has shown a disturbing propensity for letdowns after routs.  After the 11-3 win in Manhattan, the Feds lost to Brooklyn 6-1.  Then after Bert Blyleven anchored a two-hit 5-0 shutout, they lost the next day.  The starting pitching has been a liability.  Only Marcelino Lopez has a winning record, and Jim Rooker has struggled to a 4-7 record and 5.94 ERA and was suspended after beaning Joe Torre on June 14, sparking a bench-clearing brawl.

Robinson Returns
$17 Million Man 1-for-16 in First 4 Games
BROOKLYN (June 16) -- Frank Robinson went 1-for-16 in his first four games since returning rupturing a medial collateral ligament on the next-to-last day of the season last year.  Robinson, 36, was signed to a two-year $34 million contract despite the long injury, on the merits of his MVP-esque 1971 season (.328-48-116), but he has not inspired confidence in his first few games.  Bas GM Glen Reed had hoped to pawn the superstar slugger off on a contending team, much like the cheaper Felix Mantilla, but it is hard to imagine any team chomping at the bit to take on a $25 million payroll hit for what could be a broken player.  Of course, if Frank's power swing comes back, expect two or three contenders to come a-courtin'.  Stay tuned...