A free agent signing to shock the world
 

Just finished my first OOTP19 season last night. Brooklyn came from a 3 games to 1 deficit to defeat Boston in the 1947 World Series. I'm using free agency instead of the reserve clause. Had a signing that shocked the world. Joe DiMaggio signed to play with the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox have Joe batting 3rd and Ted Williams 4th. Throw Bobby Doerr, Rudy York and Billy Goodman into that mix and you have a pretty scary lineup.

If Joe stays in Boston and doesn't return to New York, does Mickey Mantle injure his knee........?

This sounds like fun for Red Sox fans.

I actually had one version where DiMaggio signed with the Red Sox and then, the following year, Williams signed with the Yankees.

If the Yankees have a healthy Mantle and Berra, they should be all right.

The Yankees are struggling to start the 48 campaign. They got swept by the Red Sox who have started the season 8-0. The Yankees are in dead last early, but I doubt they remain there. They also lost Tommy Heinrich

The other thing that made the DiMaggio to Boston thing so interesting is the Yankees led 1947 from April thru August, at times by 5 or more games. Then in September the Sox got hot and caught and passed the Yankees to win the AL title. .

You would be happy to know Stan the Man took home the Triple Crown in 1947. He hit .397 with 40+ bombs. He hit above .400 for most of the season, but dipped to .397 by season end. Meanwhile, Ted Williams hit .401 and also won a Triple Crown.

Musial and Williams both had outstanding years in my 1947 sim from OOTP18 as well. That was probably the peak year for Musial although he had many good ones to follow.

Actually it makes sense. Ted Williams hit in a right handed hitters' park and Dimaggio in one that had death valley for righties, paradise for left-handers. Who knows what they would have accomplished had they been traded for each other?

1948 featured a rematch between Boston and Brooklyn in the World Series. This time the Red Sox came out on top. Pesky, DiMaggio, Williams, Doerr and Goodman gave the Sox one heck of a potent lineup.

At the All Star break in 1949. Boston and Detroit are neck and neck. Detroit is doing it with pitching Newhouser and Trout are closing in on a combined 30 wins and may do so before August arrives. Boston is once again crushing the ball. They have a team average above .300. Dom DiMaggio, Pesky, Williams, Joe DiMaggio and Billy Goodman are all hitting above .300. Williams and Joe D are hitting in the neighborhood of .360.

The National League race is pretty much over. Brooklyn is playing +.700 ball. They are currently 15 1/2 games ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies. Virgil Trucks is 13-2 and Ralph Branca is 9-0 for the Dodgers. Jackie Robinson is having an MVP type season at the plate. Gil Hodges is just starting to come into his own and Duke Snider is having a nice season as well. Peewee Reese is leading off and giving teams fits. He's even shown a little power this season, hitting 9 bombs so far.

How are the stats in your league? Mine look fine at the ML level maybe a little too pitching friendly. My AAA looks too hot guys hitting around .420 but I am going to let it ride for awhile, any ideas on what I could check for in settings?:ohmy:

Go easy with The World, mate.
Joe was known for one thing in Europe at the time. Married to Marylin.
Babe Ruth was a candy-bar.

The shot that was heard around the world by Bobby Thomson. My dad never heard anything about that, nor did very few on this side of the pond.

I came to study in US in early 70's and wasn't aware of the World Series, even if I was a big sport-fan. However I got hooked and so happy being able to once more watch baseball from the 90's onward on TV and internet.

The world today thank God is very different.

Currently playing out September 1950. Boston and Cleveland are separated by a game in the AL, while the Philadelphia Phillies are 6 games up on Brooklyn in the NL. Roughly 17 games remaining to play.

Of course, the other story is the race for suckitude otherwise known as the race for Mays or Mantle. Barring a hot streak it looks the Chicago White Sox will get the first pick. The Sox are a strange case in my league. They simply refuse to stock their roster. The average reserve roster size in the league is in the neighborhood of 23/24 with a couple teams in the high 30's. The Sox for some reason have 12 players on their reserve roster. There are 30+ free agents available, so they do have options, they just don't seem to care.

So it looks like the Sox will get their pick of Mantle or Mays. As of today the second pick would go to the team on the other side of Chicago, the Cubs. But, St. Louis is only a 1/2 game ahead of the Cubs, so I'm not counting them out. The Philadelphia Athletics could make a push for the second pick as well.

I will make a side bet that Mantle and Mays will not go 1-2. The AI always mixes in a ridiculous pick based on need, sheer stupidity, or a compulsion to have every overrated relief pitcher in the game.

Ah the Ryan Leaf effect or is it the Darko Milicic effect:o

Sometimes OOTP makes me feel so darn dumb. So, I'm playing out 1950 and this cat Luke Easter is leading the AL in home runs with 42. I'm loving this, but, I have to admit to googling Easter this morning, as I shamefully knew nothing about him. Read his Wiki page and wow, what an interesting life this guy led, right down to his tragic death at the hands of two armed robbers. Can't believe I never heard of this guy. Love the part about his home runs being called Easter Eggs. Man I'm clueless.

He hit 30+ homers several times in the Negro Leagues during his prime. The guy could rake.

He played for Buffalo in the International League in 1957-58. He had an OPS near 1.000 with 78 home runs over the two seasons - at age 42!

That’s what I love about this game. All the interesting things you learn about a player who catches your attention in the game. It’s a big reason why historical is my favorite way to play OOTP.

I do it all the time, when I don’t recognize a name first stop is baseball reference after checking the player profile to make sure he is not a fictional. If fictional banishment is immediate, if real and anything looks interesting at baseball reference off we go to Goggle. Then it is usually to Wikipedia reading and possibly losing minutes to hours checking links, no wonder it takes me so long to complete a season.:headbang:

Just wrapped up the 1950 regular season. Boston takes the AL, Philadelphia the NL. Was dull final weekend as both races were over, so I went to Cincinnati to watch the Pirates/Reds series. Saw Ewell Blackwell win his 27th game(27-7, 2.49), but the real reason for the visit was to see if Ralph Kiner could tie or beat Ruth's record of 60 home runs. Kiner entered the final weekend with 57. Ralph hit his 58th Friday night and his 59th Saturday. It all came down to Sunday, but it just wasn't in the cards.

This sim started in 1947. Kiner has hit 40,53,46 and 59. Pretty damn impressive.

In other news, the Cubs lost their last 3 games to nail down the 2nd pick in the upcoming amateur draft. Looks like instead of New York, Mays and Mantle will be plying their trade in the state of Illinois. Or will Orcin be right saying the AI will find a way to not select the pair one and two?

Will let you know, but now off to the World Series.

Wow!

The Phillies just let the 1950 World Series slip right through their hands. Up 3 games to 2, the Phillies were up 8-2 going into the bottom of the 8th of game 6. 6 more outs and the crown is theirs. 3 outs later, the Phillies are down 13-8. Yup, the Red Sox scored 11 to come all the way back. The game would end 13-9.

Game 7 was another slugfest with the Red Sox winning 12-9. The score was closer than the game, however as Boston was in control from the start.

Now off to the draft

Well the draft is complete.

The Chicago White Sox took 19 year old Mickey Mantle. The Chicago Cubs took 19 year old Willie Mays.

The Cardinals took 20 year old Bob Friend with pick number 3.

Well ok then! :)

I like Bob Friend, but Willie Mays on the Cubs is hard to swallow. That could have gone better. ;)