This is probably more for the "live" thread, but...
Matt wrote:
> Well, I don't mirror stuff like Cochrane's beanball incident
> only because I'd have to injure someone... I wanted to
> replicate Doc's injury because it was historically significant...
> And I was lucky enough to have a good OF have a career
> ending injury that year, so I simply wove my story around it...
We probably could have one of the Decendants volunteer one of their Ancestors to be Ray Chapman or Roberto Clemente or Lou Gehrig or have one die in WWII or Korea. Mets has a host of ancestors...
Seriously, Lou retired early into 1939 after a big fall off in production in 1938 and an even worse start to 1939. He died in 1941.
I don't know who would be a good candidate to be TWB's Lou. Sal Rossi had a really off year last year. He *could* bounce back. Not quite as good as Lou, but a very good player and at 35 years old you could have the "he could have done more if not hit with that terrible tragedy". Troy Kinnear is older, but really fell off... I don't recall if he's someone's Ancestor. Tyrell Chestnut was a great, great, great Red Sox player and had the worst season last year since his rookie campaign. He's 39 so it's not quite the Lou deal of being mid-30s, but it would be a true All-Time Great dying with the rush to put him in the HOF in 1941. Don't recall if he's an Ancestor either.
For Clemente in 1972, you will want someone who's just about done but still very good and something of a "hero".
Probably good to give the Decendants the first crack at volunteering since it does make for good "history". If not, then go for someone. If Chestnut *isn't* an Ancestor, invoke the Commissioner's Power to write it in. Lord knows poor Patrick Seifried is still suffering to this day under the Commish's decision to have him go Federal League. And like Pat has become great history, especially in the HOF discussions, so would a true legend like Chestnut going down to tragedy... or Sal or Kinnear.
On Chapman, maybe eyeball something for the 50s. You are going to want someone in the prime of their career (no older than 30) with so much promise ahead. Again, maybe a Decendant will volunteer. It is something that would make the player stand out historically from the few hundred Ancestors we're going to have by the time the 90s roll around.
John