Modern Rules in a Post Civil War U.S. - trying again

szathkey · 07-25-2009, 05:45 PM

March 1, 1871

Cincinnati Pork Magnate among Founders of Major League Base Ball

With the help of Chicagoan William Hulbert, Dean Newsom (who was also a major driving force behind the construction of the Union Railroad stockyards) co-founded a league for professional base ballers. This "Major League" is the first attempt at organizing what, until now, has been a mostly recreational sport.

Teams have been announced for Brooklyn, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore, Cleveland, St. Louis, and of course Cincinnati.

Concerns have been raised about whether or not this new business enterprise will become profitable for these extremely brave owners. Only time will tell. For now Newsom, like the other owners, is concerning himself with the upcoming draft of available base ballers.

szathkey · 07-25-2009, 09:34 PM

Some notes on how the game is being played...no recalc, no yearly total modifiers, I am importing financials, trade frequency is average and difficulty is high, everything else is default. There are no minor leagues (yet) so there aren't 40 man rosters or September callups. There will be free agents (once everyone goes through arbitration in a few years) and I am playing with historical players. If there are any other questions let me know...

szathkey · 08-08-2009, 01:56 PM

The inaugural draft is over and the season is ready to start after a month of spring training. As reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer, here are the initial rankings/projected order of finish in each league.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Philadelpia Athletics - drafted 3rd in inaugural draft
PLUS - The Athletics have a solid pitching staff lead by SP Jim Devlin and CP Bill Parks. Outfielders Fred Treacey and Gat Stires anchor the lineup, while 2B Sandy Nava and C William Barrett should provide plenty of ABs off the bench.
MINUS - With a lot of players that could start for other teams stuck on the bench, it will be tough to keep everyone happy if the team chemistry goes south.

Opening Day Lineup
C Wally Goldsmith
CF Art Allison
LF Fred Treacey
RF Gat Stires
2B Harry Deane
SS Tom Oran
1B Fred Crane
3B Charlie Hodes

Opening Day Rotation
RHP Jim A Devlin
RHP Cherokee Fisher
LHP John McMullin

St. Louis Brown Stockings - drafted 7th in inaugural draft
PLUS - The team is long on offense, probably the best offense in the majors on paper. LF Steve King, SS Jim O'Rourke, and 1B Wes Fisler provide a lot of pop at some key positions, and RF Lip Pike will be a candidate for the Silver Slugger award for years to come.
MINUS - If the rotation doesn't hold up, the whole season could go up in smoke. The pitchers are young and inexperienced, but have a lot of potential, while the lineup is filled with veterans that

Opening Day Lineup
2B John Hatfield
1B Wes Fisler
RF Lip Pike
LF Steve King
C James Snyder
SS Jim O'Rourke
3B Robert Ferguson
CF Thorny Hawkes

Opening Day Rotation
RHP Jim Britt
RHP P O'Rourke
RHP Joe McDermott

Baltimore Canaries - drafted 4th in inaugural draft
PLUS - C Cal McVey, CF George Hall, and 3B Cap Anson will be Silver Slugger candidates for years to come. CL Bill Stearns will provide shut down innings galore if the rotation can get the ball to him.
MINUS - The rotation is young and its members would not hold down a roster spot on many of the other teams in the league. The Canaries could be in big trouble with this group.

Opening Day Lineup
C Cal McVey
SS Mike McGeary
3B Cap Anson
CF George Hall
RF Dick Higham
LF Al Thake
2B Eddie Booth
1B Sam King

Opening Day Rotation
LHP Ed Cushman
RHP Dory Dean
RHP Morrie Critchley

Cleveland Forest Citys - drafted 6th in inaugural draft
PLUS - Al Spalding and Rynie Wolters form the best pitching tandem in the American League and will compete for the Bronze Canon award if they receive any run support. 1B Paul Hines and SS Davy Force provide a bright spot in an otherwise dismal lineup.
MINUS - The ability to produce runs will be an immense problem for this lineup all year. They'll have to produce defensively to stay in the race.

Opening Day Lineup
2B John Galvin
CF Jim Holdsworth
SS Davy Force
1B Paul Hines
3B Charles Smith
C Mart King
LF Bill Lennon
RF Andrew Thompson

Opening Day Rotation
RHP Al Spalding
RHP Rynie Wolters
LHP Al Bauers

Preseason Award Favorites
Silver Slugger Award - RF Lip Pike - St. Louis
Bronze Canon Award - SP Al Spalding - Cleveland
Reliever of the Year Award - CL Bill Parks - Philadelphia
Rookie of the Year Award - SP Al Spalding - Cleveland

szathkey · 08-08-2009, 04:04 PM

The Enquirer just released its predictions for the National League and its own hometown team. If all goes as predicted this should be an extremely tight pennant race between the top 2 teams.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Brooklyn Atlantics - drafted 1st in inaugural draft
PLUS - The #1 pick in the draft, 2B Ross Barnes, will be an offensive force for years to come and a perennial Silver Slugger candidate. The pitching staff is second to none, is extremely deep, and will keep most games within reach.
MINUS - The supporting cast is good, but not great. Additionally, the team has already been hit by the injury bug, losing hard hitting RF Al Reach and 3B Ed Duffy for the season, and starting CF Count Sesenderfer for the first month and a half.

Opening Day Lineup
C Frank Selman
3B Candy Selman
2B Ross Barnes
SS Pony Sager
RF Seem Studley
1B Denny Mack
CF Henry Kohler
LF Elmer White

Opening Day Rotation
RHP George Zettlein
RHP Dick McBride
RHP Mike Golden

Chicago White Stockings - drafted 2nd in inaugural draft
PLUS - The White Stockings have put together an offensive juggernaut that will be extremely hard to stop. 3B Levi Meyerle and 2B Jimmy Wood should be the best of the best in this lineup and will provide the on field leadership necessary to put them over the top. In addition, the single greatest pitcher in the league, James Creighton, signed a lucrative 5 year contract with the White Stockings after being drafted.
MINUS - SP Asa Brainard is already out for the first month and there isn't much in the way of pitching after that. These sluggers also aren't that defensively inclined, so the'll be under even more pressure when up to bat.

Opening Day Lineup
C Deacon White
CF Dave Eggler
3B Levi Meyerle
2B Jimmy Wood
RF Tommy Beals
LF Josh Bunce
1B Clipper Flynn
SS Ham Allen

Opening Day Rotation
RHP James Creighton
LHP John Greason
RHP Tricky Nichols

Boston Red Stockings - drafted 5th in inaugural draft
PLUS - 3B Ezra Sutton and SS George Wright should hold down the left side of the infield for years to come. With Andy Leonard patrolling left field and SP Candy Cummings providing plenty of quality innings the Red Stockings could put together a solid season.
MINUS - There isn't a lot of depth to the pitching staff, which, in the pitching rich National League, will be an issue. There are also a few minor injuries to start the season, which may prove a bad omen.

Opening Day Lineup
3B Ezra Sutton
C Thomas Foley
1B Tim Murnane
LF Andy Leonard
2B Albert Martin
SS Favel Wordsworth
RF Nate Berkenstock
CF Charlie Hautz

Opening Day Rotation
RHP Candy Cummings
RHP Ed Green
RHP Sam Kimber

Cincinnati Reds - drafted 8th in inaugural draft
PLUS - The Reds have a lot of pitching, a lot of young pitching that is. Some of these guys are bound to live up to their potential. The defense is very strong and should help these young arms improve as the season progresses. Outfielders Tom York and Jim Foran should provide some steady, but not great hitting
MINUS - This team has a lot of upside, but is filled with light hitting, slick fielding guys. The chemistry should be enough to keep them out of the cellar, but that's about it.

Opening Day Lineup
C John Bass
LF Charlie Pabor
1B John O'Rourke
CF Fred Cone
RF Charley Jones
SS Dickie Flowers
3B Jack Chapman
2B Jack Burdock

Opening Day Rotation
RHP Bobby Mathews
RHP Cy Bentley
RHP Hugh Campbell

Preseason Award Favorites
Silver Slugger Award - 2B Ross Barnes - Brooklyn
Bronze Canon Award - SP James Creighton - Chicago
Reliever of the Year Award - CL Martin Malone - Brooklyn
Rookie of the Year Award - 2B Ross Barnes - Brooklyn

szathkey · 08-08-2009, 04:39 PM

2B Ross Barnes - Brooklyn Atlantics
SP Al Spalding - Cleveland Forest Citys
SP Jim Britt - St. Louis Brown Stockings
3B Cap Anson - Baltimore Canaries
2B Jimmy Wood - Chicago White Stockings
C Mart King - Cleveland Forest Citys
C Cal McVey - Baltimore Canaries
C William Barrett - Philadelphia Athletics
3B Ezra Sutton - Boston Red Stockings
CL Bill Stearns - Baltimore Canaries

szathkey · 08-10-2009, 08:25 PM

American League Standings


Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Philadelphia Athletics	16	12	.571	-	16-12	0	10-5	6-7	3-1	2-4	125	L2	7-3
Cleveland Forest Citys	14	14	.500	2.0	14-14	0	8-6	6-8	2-2	5-2		W2	5-5
Baltimore Canaries	13	15	.464	3.0	13-15	0	7-7	6-8	1-2	4-4		L1	4-6
St. Louis Brown Stockings	13	15	.464	3.0	13-15	0	9-4	4-11	0-1	4-5		W1	4-6

LF Fred Treacey of the Philadelphia Athletics honored: Wins the MLBB AL Batter of the Month Award. The young left fielder posted a .434 batting average with 4 home runs, 20 RBIs and scored 22 runs.

SP Al Spalding of the Cleveland Forest Citys honored: Wins the MLBB AL Pitcher of the Month Award. The rookie posted a 5-4 mark and a 2.48 ERA. In 10 starts he tossed 80 innings, permitted 86 hits and fanned 60 batters. He also holds the distinction of throwing the leagues first shutout.

National League Standings


Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Boston Red Stockings	17	11	.607	-	17-11	0	11-4	6-7	1-0	4-1	124	W1	8-2
Brooklyn Atlantics	14	14	.500	3.0	15-13	-1	7-7	7-7	2-1	2-6		L1	3-7
Chicago White Stockings	13	15	.464	4.0	14-14	-1	6-7	7-8	1-2	4-4		W1	5-5
Cincinnati Reds	12	16	.429	5.0	11-17	1	5-9	7-7	1-2	4-3		L1	4-6

2B Ross Barnes of the Brooklyn Atlantics honored: Wins the MLBB NL Batter of the Month Award. The 20 year old second baseman hit .396 with 19 RBIs and 28 runs scored.

SP James Creighton of the Chicago White Stockings honored: Wins the MLBB NL Pitcher of the Month Award. Creighton racked up a 8-1 record in 10 starts, posting a 2.78 ERA over 90.2 innings and striking out 78.

szathkey · 08-16-2009, 12:40 PM

What a month it has been.

As one of my first acts as GM, I fired Troy Pierce as my Scouting Director. He is the one responsible for the clearly ridiculous assesments of some of the guys weighing down my team. You get what you pay for I guess. I ended up hiring the best guy on the market, Jayson Cooper through 1873. He should prove much more talented than the worthless Pierce.

As far as our record goes, well ok, a batting line of .282/.329/.386 doesn't sound SO bad does it? Well to be honest, it stinks. The Reds are officially, as of the first month, the worst hitting team in the majors...in all categories...in all leagues. We rank dead last in everything but walks, home runs (thanks to C John Bass and RF Charley Jones we rank first with 10), and stolen bases. As far as our pitching is concerned, its more of the same. We are last in everything but home runs allowed and walks. We have scored the least amount of runs in all of baseball and allowed the most...not the stuff winning seasons are made of.

The young pitchers on the squad haven't been helped by the fact that our opening day double play combination, 2B Jack Burdock (out for 4 more months) and SS Dickie Flowers (out for 2 more weeks), haven't really played together because of injuries and 1B John O'Rourke has been extremely cold at the bat, posting a line of .248/.314/.330. I can't believe this guy is getting paid $600 a year! We clearly paid him based on his leadership, not his potential performance.

However, SP Frank Fleet has posted a respectable line and is tied for third in the NL with 6 wins, and C John Bass is raking with an OPS of .927, good for 7th in the NL...so its not all gloom and doom. We are only 5 games back and will have some opportunities to turn things around.

IN OTHER NEWS
Philadelphia SP Jim Devlin was injured and will be out for the month of May.
The St. Louis lineup has been ravaged by injuries. SP Jim Britt, 2B Jim Hatfield, and RF Lip Pike are all out for the next few months.
SP Al Spalding threw the leagues first shutout on April 13th against the Baltimore Canaries.

07-25-2009, 09:34 PM	#2
szathkey Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 201	Some notes on how the game is being played...no recalc, no yearly total modifiers, I am importing financials, trade frequency is average and difficulty is high, everything else is default. There are no minor leagues (yet) so there aren't 40 man rosters or September callups. There will be free agents (once everyone goes through arbitration in a few years) and I am playing with historical players. If there are any other questions let me know... Last edited by szathkey; 07-25-2009 at 10:05 PM. Reason: mistake in sim

08-08-2009, 01:56 PM	#3
szathkey Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 201	AL Predictions The inaugural draft is over and the season is ready to start after a month of spring training. As reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer, here are the initial rankings/projected order of finish in each league. AMERICAN LEAGUE Philadelpia Athletics - drafted 3rd in inaugural draft PLUS - The Athletics have a solid pitching staff lead by SP Jim Devlin and CP Bill Parks. Outfielders Fred Treacey and Gat Stires anchor the lineup, while 2B Sandy Nava and C William Barrett should provide plenty of ABs off the bench. MINUS - With a lot of players that could start for other teams stuck on the bench, it will be tough to keep everyone happy if the team chemistry goes south. Opening Day Lineup C Wally Goldsmith CF Art Allison LF Fred Treacey RF Gat Stires 2B Harry Deane SS Tom Oran 1B Fred Crane 3B Charlie Hodes Opening Day Rotation RHP Jim A Devlin RHP Cherokee Fisher LHP John McMullin St. Louis Brown Stockings - drafted 7th in inaugural draft PLUS - The team is long on offense, probably the best offense in the majors on paper. LF Steve King, SS Jim O'Rourke, and 1B Wes Fisler provide a lot of pop at some key positions, and RF Lip Pike will be a candidate for the Silver Slugger award for years to come. MINUS - If the rotation doesn't hold up, the whole season could go up in smoke. The pitchers are young and inexperienced, but have a lot of potential, while the lineup is filled with veterans that Opening Day Lineup 2B John Hatfield 1B Wes Fisler RF Lip Pike LF Steve King C James Snyder SS Jim O'Rourke 3B Robert Ferguson CF Thorny Hawkes Opening Day Rotation RHP Jim Britt RHP P O'Rourke RHP Joe McDermott Baltimore Canaries - drafted 4th in inaugural draft PLUS - C Cal McVey, CF George Hall, and 3B Cap Anson will be Silver Slugger candidates for years to come. CL Bill Stearns will provide shut down innings galore if the rotation can get the ball to him. MINUS - The rotation is young and its members would not hold down a roster spot on many of the other teams in the league. The Canaries could be in big trouble with this group. Opening Day Lineup C Cal McVey SS Mike McGeary 3B Cap Anson CF George Hall RF Dick Higham LF Al Thake 2B Eddie Booth 1B Sam King Opening Day Rotation LHP Ed Cushman RHP Dory Dean RHP Morrie Critchley Cleveland Forest Citys - drafted 6th in inaugural draft PLUS - Al Spalding and Rynie Wolters form the best pitching tandem in the American League and will compete for the Bronze Canon award if they receive any run support. 1B Paul Hines and SS Davy Force provide a bright spot in an otherwise dismal lineup. MINUS - The ability to produce runs will be an immense problem for this lineup all year. They'll have to produce defensively to stay in the race. Opening Day Lineup 2B John Galvin CF Jim Holdsworth SS Davy Force 1B Paul Hines 3B Charles Smith C Mart King LF Bill Lennon RF Andrew Thompson Opening Day Rotation RHP Al Spalding RHP Rynie Wolters LHP Al Bauers *Preseason Award Favorites* Silver Slugger Award - RF Lip Pike - St. Louis Bronze Canon Award - SP Al Spalding - Cleveland Reliever of the Year Award - CL Bill Parks - Philadelphia Rookie of the Year Award - SP Al Spalding - Cleveland Last edited by szathkey; 08-08-2009 at 02:35 PM.

08-08-2009, 04:04 PM	#4
szathkey Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 201	NL Predictions The Enquirer just released its predictions for the National League and its own hometown team. If all goes as predicted this should be an extremely tight pennant race between the top 2 teams. NATIONAL LEAGUE Brooklyn Atlantics - drafted 1st in inaugural draft PLUS - The #1 pick in the draft, 2B Ross Barnes, will be an offensive force for years to come and a perennial Silver Slugger candidate. The pitching staff is second to none, is extremely deep, and will keep most games within reach. MINUS - The supporting cast is good, but not great. Additionally, the team has already been hit by the injury bug, losing hard hitting RF Al Reach and 3B Ed Duffy for the season, and starting CF Count Sesenderfer for the first month and a half. Opening Day Lineup C Frank Selman 3B Candy Selman 2B Ross Barnes SS Pony Sager RF Seem Studley 1B Denny Mack CF Henry Kohler LF Elmer White Opening Day Rotation RHP George Zettlein RHP Dick McBride RHP Mike Golden Chicago White Stockings - drafted 2nd in inaugural draft PLUS - The White Stockings have put together an offensive juggernaut that will be extremely hard to stop. 3B Levi Meyerle and 2B Jimmy Wood should be the best of the best in this lineup and will provide the on field leadership necessary to put them over the top. In addition, the single greatest pitcher in the league, James Creighton, signed a lucrative 5 year contract with the White Stockings after being drafted. MINUS - SP Asa Brainard is already out for the first month and there isn't much in the way of pitching after that. These sluggers also aren't that defensively inclined, so the'll be under even more pressure when up to bat. Opening Day Lineup C Deacon White CF Dave Eggler 3B Levi Meyerle 2B Jimmy Wood RF Tommy Beals LF Josh Bunce 1B Clipper Flynn SS Ham Allen Opening Day Rotation RHP James Creighton LHP John Greason RHP Tricky Nichols Boston Red Stockings - drafted 5th in inaugural draft PLUS - 3B Ezra Sutton and SS George Wright should hold down the left side of the infield for years to come. With Andy Leonard patrolling left field and SP Candy Cummings providing plenty of quality innings the Red Stockings could put together a solid season. MINUS - There isn't a lot of depth to the pitching staff, which, in the pitching rich National League, will be an issue. There are also a few minor injuries to start the season, which may prove a bad omen. Opening Day Lineup 3B Ezra Sutton C Thomas Foley 1B Tim Murnane LF Andy Leonard 2B Albert Martin SS Favel Wordsworth RF Nate Berkenstock CF Charlie Hautz Opening Day Rotation RHP Candy Cummings RHP Ed Green RHP Sam Kimber Cincinnati Reds - drafted 8th in inaugural draft PLUS - The Reds have a lot of pitching, a lot of young pitching that is. Some of these guys are bound to live up to their potential. The defense is very strong and should help these young arms improve as the season progresses. Outfielders Tom York and Jim Foran should provide some steady, but not great hitting MINUS - This team has a lot of upside, but is filled with light hitting, slick fielding guys. The chemistry should be enough to keep them out of the cellar, but that's about it. Opening Day Lineup C John Bass LF Charlie Pabor 1B John O'Rourke CF Fred Cone RF Charley Jones SS Dickie Flowers 3B Jack Chapman 2B Jack Burdock Opening Day Rotation RHP Bobby Mathews RHP Cy Bentley RHP Hugh Campbell Preseason Award Favorites Silver Slugger Award - 2B Ross Barnes - Brooklyn Bronze Canon Award - SP James Creighton - Chicago Reliever of the Year Award - CL Martin Malone - Brooklyn Rookie of the Year Award - 2B Ross Barnes - Brooklyn

08-08-2009, 04:39 PM	#5
szathkey Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 201	Baseball America Top 10 Prospects 2B Ross Barnes - Brooklyn Atlantics SP Al Spalding - Cleveland Forest Citys SP Jim Britt - St. Louis Brown Stockings 3B Cap Anson - Baltimore Canaries 2B Jimmy Wood - Chicago White Stockings C Mart King - Cleveland Forest Citys C Cal McVey - Baltimore Canaries C William Barrett - Philadelphia Athletics 3B Ezra Sutton - Boston Red Stockings CL Bill Stearns - Baltimore Canaries

08-16-2009, 12:40 PM	#7
szathkey Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 201	From the Desk of Dean Newsom What a month it has been. As one of my first acts as GM, I fired Troy Pierce as my Scouting Director. He is the one responsible for the clearly ridiculous assesments of some of the guys weighing down my team. You get what you pay for I guess. I ended up hiring the best guy on the market, Jayson Cooper through 1873. He should prove much more talented than the worthless Pierce. As far as our record goes, well ok, a batting line of .282/.329/.386 doesn't sound SO bad does it? Well to be honest, it stinks. The Reds are officially, as of the first month, the worst hitting team in the majors...in all categories...in all leagues. We rank dead last in everything but walks, home runs (thanks to C John Bass and RF Charley Jones we rank first with 10), and stolen bases. As far as our pitching is concerned, its more of the same. We are last in everything but home runs allowed and walks. We have scored the least amount of runs in all of baseball and allowed the most...not the stuff winning seasons are made of. The young pitchers on the squad haven't been helped by the fact that our opening day double play combination, 2B Jack Burdock (out for 4 more months) and SS Dickie Flowers (out for 2 more weeks), haven't really played together because of injuries and 1B John O'Rourke has been extremely cold at the bat, posting a line of .248/.314/.330. I can't believe this guy is getting paid $600 a year! We clearly paid him based on his leadership, not his potential performance. However, SP Frank Fleet has posted a respectable line and is tied for third in the NL with 6 wins, and C John Bass is raking with an OPS of .927, good for 7th in the NL...so its not all gloom and doom. We are only 5 games back and will have some opportunities to turn things around. IN OTHER NEWS Philadelphia SP Jim Devlin was injured and will be out for the month of May. The St. Louis lineup has been ravaged by injuries. SP Jim Britt, 2B Jim Hatfield, and RF Lip Pike are all out for the next few months. SP Al Spalding threw the leagues first shutout on April 13th against the Baltimore Canaries.

07-25-2009, 05:45 PM	#1
szathkey Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 201	Modern Rules in a Post Civil War U.S. - trying again March 1, 1871 Cincinnati Pork Magnate among Founders of Major League Base Ball With the help of Chicagoan William Hulbert, Dean Newsom (who was also a major driving force behind the construction of the Union Railroad stockyards) co-founded a league for professional base ballers. This "Major League" is the first attempt at organizing what, until now, has been a mostly recreational sport. Teams have been announced for Brooklyn, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore, Cleveland, St. Louis, and of course Cincinnati. Concerns have been raised about whether or not this new business enterprise will become profitable for these extremely brave owners. Only time will tell. For now Newsom, like the other owners, is concerning himself with the upcoming draft of available base ballers.