OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - The National Pastime: The United States Baseball Federation rises

KCRoyals15 · 12-04-2024, 12:03 AM

1942

With the dust settled on the Great Realignment, a radically different USBF unfolded in 1942. Four additional big-league teams were on the schedule, the four Eastern circuits were now playing 160 games (up from 156), the playoff field had doubled in size, and with two conferences now in place, each conference decided to issue their own awards, rather than one set for the entire Eastern Baseball Federation.

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you missed it, I began this league several years ago on OOTP 20, so this reorganization was multiple real-life years ago. After I split the EBF into two conferences, a later development ended up splitting off the Southern Conference into an entirely separate league and deleting the now-unneeded conference out the game. This resulted in over a decade of history for the Southern Conference being mostly lost.

I've been able to cobble standings together and figure out award winners through a lot of exhaustive work (i.e. trial and error), but had to throw it in an Excel spreadsheet, hence why it looks different than the game screenshots.

The Norfolk Admirals continued their march through the Eastern League with their sixth-straight pennant. Meanwhile, Kansas City took the Western League for the second year in a row, with new big-league squad New Orleans taking a notable second-place finish. However, the playoffs took the next two best teams, regardless of league, so the EL sent three teams (also Jersey City and Baltimore) and the Pelicans stayed home.

The EL also ended up with four of the six new big-league clubs and while Birmingham and Atlanta held their own, Jacksonville and Miami were decidedly the two worst teams in the Southern Conference.

In the Northern Conference, Manhattan held off their crosstown rivals, the New York Gothams, by one game to win the New England League. However, the Gothams also earned a ticket to the postseason. The NEL was also the home of the only new major league squad in the whole NC, the Albany Adirondacks, who lost 102 games.

Lastly, the Indianapolis Hoosiers took the Midwest Association, beating out Detroit by three games, who claimed the last playoff spot in the North by two games over both Columbus and the Philadelphia A's.

The New York teams started off strong as Manhattan swept Detroit and New York outdueled Indy in seven games. Baltimore beat Norfolk and Kansas City dispatched Jersey City in a pair of five-game series. In the semis, a Big Apple showdown saw Manhattan topple New York in seven games, while Kansas City beat Baltimore in six. The Blues and Yankees then battled for the EBF title, with Kansas City emerging victorious in a seven-game epic.

Out west, the Pacific Coast League saw two dominant teams (Seattle and Los Angeles), one other winning team (Mission), and a sub-.500 San Francisco earning the final playoff berth. Shockingly though, Mission wiped out Los Angeles and San Francisco stunned Seattle—both in shocking four-game sweeps. San Francisco then defeated their crosstown rivals in seven games, giving the 99-101 Seals the PCL crown.

That set up a National Championship of battle-hardened Kansas City and an improbable contender in San Francisco. The Seals' luck ran out, though, as the Kansas City Blues defeat the San Francisco Seals, 4-2 to give the Blues their record sixth National Championship, though this was their first one since the inclusion of the PCL.

For a second year in a row, an MVP award went to Brooklyn outfielder Jeff Healy, who took the Northern Conference trophy after leading the NC with 127 runs, stroking 208 hits, bating .335, and adding 31 doubles, 15 triples, 18 homers, and 103 RBI.

Eight years after his first Pitcher of the Year and a year after earning his 300th win, New York's Jim Alvarez was still going strong at 37, going 23-10 with a 2.15 ERA over 301 innings, leading the NC in wins.

Over in the South, Denver's Billy Ray was a surprising MVP pick, though he had a fine year, batting .307 with 195 hits, 43 doubles, 19 triples, 12 homers, and 84 RBI.

Right-hander Van Pankey was never anything special over 6 1/2 seasons in Cleveland (86-88, 4.43 ERA) before being dealt to Kansas City midway through 1940. With the Blues, though, Pankey put it together, culminating in a 20-5 season with a 2.17 ERA, earning a Pitcher of the Year that seemed extremely improbable just a couple years prior.

After being released by Kansas City, 40-year-old hurler John Little signed with New Orleans and rewarded the Pelicans with a 16-10 season, including his 300th career win on August 28.

Three days later, New York legend DJ Schreck, amidst a season in which he led the NC with a 2.00 ERA, turned in his 300th victory. Thirteen days after that, longtime Indianapolis ace Rich Malone earned his 300th win amidst his 11th and final 20-win season.

The EBF also sent two men to the Hall of Fame, as two positional players got the call in one class for the first time:

2B Anthony Lute (1924-36), 78.3%
OF Mike Nisim (1925-36), 78.0%

In the PCL, Mission shortstop Alex Miller had been a very good player for several years, but was at his best in '42. Slashing 229 hits and scoring 106 runs, Miller led the PCL with 46 doubles and 119 RBI, adding 12 triples, 20 homers, and 34 stolen bases. Stunningly, Miller seemed to lose it all the very next year. His production plummeted before being dealt mid-season to Albany, where he hit just .245 with minimal power over 6 1/2 seasons in the Empire State.

1941's Triple Crown was a nearly impossible act to follow for Los Angeles righty Jimmy Gourley, but he followed it well, going 28-12 with a 2.20 ERA over 348.1 innings, leading the PCL with nine shutouts. That was more than enough to earn his third straight Pitcher of the Year.

Late in the season, San Francisco's Bryan Kunkel became the second PCL batter to reach 3,500 career hits. He wasn't slowing down much at 36, leading the PCL with 232 hits.

The PCL followed the EBF's lead in inducting a pair of bats as a pair of Los Angeles legends got the call, headlined by the PCL's first big-league superstar:

OF Jared Krieger (1925-38), 97.2%
OF Russ Myers (1921-38), 78.6%

Minor League Champions
Southeastern League: Charlotte Hornets, 95-60, defeats Jackson
Colonial League: Lowell Blue Sox, 82-58, defeats Worcester
Texas League: San Antonio Missions, 96-44, defeats Austin
River Valley League: Peoria Distillers, 95-45, defeats Evansville (4th straight)
Rocky Mountain League: Pueblo Miners, 63-64, defeats Cheyenne
Coastal League: Charleston Cannons, 99-57, defeats Macon
Northern League: La Crosse Loggers, 76-50, defeats Lincoln
Great Lakes League: Akron Rubbermen, 96-44, defeats Grand Rapids
Southwest League: Fresno Suns, 98-56, defeats San Jose
Southern Association: Tulsa Oilers, 89-51, defeats Joplin
Northwest League: Victoria Trappers, 97-43, defeats Tacoma (4th straight)

While the San Francisco Seals stunned the baseball world by winning the PCL as a sub-.500 team, they missed the distinction of the first sub-.500 league champion by a few weeks, as the Rocky Mountain League's Pueblo Miners (63-64) won the RML crown earlier in the fall.

12-04-2024, 12:03 AM	#50
KCRoyals15 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Oct 2020 Location: A lot of them Posts: 123	South by Southeastern Teams 1942 With the dust settled on the Great Realignment, a radically different USBF unfolded in 1942. Four additional big-league teams were on the schedule, the four Eastern circuits were now playing 160 games (up from 156), the playoff field had doubled in size, and with two conferences now in place, each conference decided to issue their own awards, rather than one set for the entire Eastern Baseball Federation. EDITOR'S NOTE: If you missed it, I began this league several years ago on OOTP 20, so this reorganization was multiple real-life years ago. After I split the EBF into two conferences, a later development ended up splitting off the Southern Conference into an entirely separate league and deleting the now-unneeded conference out the game. This resulted in over a decade of history for the Southern Conference being mostly lost. I've been able to cobble standings together and figure out award winners through a lot of exhaustive work (i.e. trial and error), but had to throw it in an Excel spreadsheet, hence why it looks different than the game screenshots. The Norfolk Admirals continued their march through the Eastern League with their sixth-straight pennant. Meanwhile, Kansas City took the Western League for the second year in a row, with new big-league squad New Orleans taking a notable second-place finish. However, the playoffs took the next two best teams, regardless of league, so the EL sent three teams (also Jersey City and Baltimore) and the Pelicans stayed home. The EL also ended up with four of the six new big-league clubs and while Birmingham and Atlanta held their own, Jacksonville and Miami were decidedly the two worst teams in the Southern Conference. In the Northern Conference, Manhattan held off their crosstown rivals, the New York Gothams, by one game to win the New England League. However, the Gothams also earned a ticket to the postseason. The NEL was also the home of the only new major league squad in the whole NC, the Albany Adirondacks, who lost 102 games. Lastly, the Indianapolis Hoosiers took the Midwest Association, beating out Detroit by three games, who claimed the last playoff spot in the North by two games over both Columbus and the Philadelphia A's. The New York teams started off strong as Manhattan swept Detroit and New York outdueled Indy in seven games. Baltimore beat Norfolk and Kansas City dispatched Jersey City in a pair of five-game series. In the semis, a Big Apple showdown saw Manhattan topple New York in seven games, while Kansas City beat Baltimore in six. The Blues and Yankees then battled for the EBF title, with Kansas City emerging victorious in a seven-game epic. Out west, the Pacific Coast League saw two dominant teams (Seattle and Los Angeles), one other winning team (Mission), and a sub-.500 San Francisco earning the final playoff berth. Shockingly though, Mission wiped out Los Angeles and San Francisco stunned Seattle—both in shocking four-game sweeps. San Francisco then defeated their crosstown rivals in seven games, giving the 99-101 Seals the PCL crown. That set up a National Championship of battle-hardened Kansas City and an improbable contender in San Francisco. The Seals' luck ran out, though, as the *Kansas City Blues defeat the San Francisco Seals, 4-2* to give the Blues their record sixth National Championship, though this was their first one since the inclusion of the PCL. For a second year in a row, an MVP award went to Brooklyn outfielder Jeff Healy, who took the Northern Conference trophy after leading the NC with 127 runs, stroking 208 hits, bating .335, and adding 31 doubles, 15 triples, 18 homers, and 103 RBI. Eight years after his first Pitcher of the Year and a year after earning his 300th win, New York's Jim Alvarez was still going strong at 37, going 23-10 with a 2.15 ERA over 301 innings, leading the NC in wins. Over in the South, Denver's Billy Ray was a surprising MVP pick, though he had a fine year, batting .307 with 195 hits, 43 doubles, 19 triples, 12 homers, and 84 RBI. Right-hander Van Pankey was never anything special over 6 1/2 seasons in Cleveland (86-88, 4.43 ERA) before being dealt to Kansas City midway through 1940. With the Blues, though, Pankey put it together, culminating in a 20-5 season with a 2.17 ERA, earning a Pitcher of the Year that seemed extremely improbable just a couple years prior. After being released by Kansas City, 40-year-old hurler John Little signed with New Orleans and rewarded the Pelicans with a 16-10 season, including his 300th career win on August 28. Three days later, New York legend DJ Schreck, amidst a season in which he led the NC with a 2.00 ERA, turned in his 300th victory. Thirteen days after that, longtime Indianapolis ace Rich Malone earned his 300th win amidst his 11th and final 20-win season. The EBF also sent two men to the Hall of Fame, as two positional players got the call in one class for the first time: 2B Anthony Lute (1924-36), 78.3% OF Mike Nisim (1925-36), 78.0% In the PCL, Mission shortstop Alex Miller had been a very good player for several years, but was at his best in '42. Slashing 229 hits and scoring 106 runs, Miller led the PCL with 46 doubles and 119 RBI, adding 12 triples, 20 homers, and 34 stolen bases. Stunningly, Miller seemed to lose it all the very next year. His production plummeted before being dealt mid-season to Albany, where he hit just .245 with minimal power over 6 1/2 seasons in the Empire State. 1941's Triple Crown was a nearly impossible act to follow for Los Angeles righty Jimmy Gourley, but he followed it well, going 28-12 with a 2.20 ERA over 348.1 innings, leading the PCL with nine shutouts. That was more than enough to earn his third straight Pitcher of the Year. Late in the season, San Francisco's Bryan Kunkel became the second PCL batter to reach 3,500 career hits. He wasn't slowing down much at 36, leading the PCL with 232 hits. The PCL followed the EBF's lead in inducting a pair of bats as a pair of Los Angeles legends got the call, headlined by the PCL's first big-league superstar: OF Jared Krieger (1925-38), 97.2% OF Russ Myers (1921-38), 78.6% Minor League Champions Southeastern League: Charlotte Hornets, 95-60, defeats Jackson Colonial League: Lowell Blue Sox, 82-58, defeats Worcester Texas League: San Antonio Missions, 96-44, defeats Austin River Valley League: Peoria Distillers, 95-45, defeats Evansville (4th straight) Rocky Mountain League: Pueblo Miners, 63-64, defeats Cheyenne Coastal League: Charleston Cannons, 99-57, defeats Macon Northern League: La Crosse Loggers, 76-50, defeats Lincoln Great Lakes League: Akron Rubbermen, 96-44, defeats Grand Rapids Southwest League: Fresno Suns, 98-56, defeats San Jose Southern Association: Tulsa Oilers, 89-51, defeats Joplin Northwest League: Victoria Trappers, 97-43, defeats Tacoma (4th straight) While the San Francisco Seals stunned the baseball world by winning the PCL as a sub-.500 team, they missed the distinction of the first sub-.500 league champion by a few weeks, as the Rocky Mountain League's Pueblo Miners (63-64) won the RML crown earlier in the fall. Last edited by KCRoyals15; 12-11-2024 at 12:52 AM.