History as Little League

Celtic Forever · 05-10-2002, 05:23 AM

This is a writeup of my unusual game with the 1920 Brooklyn Dodgers. It's not a serious sim, but rather an outlet for me to exercise my on-field managerial skills (or, more accurately, lack thereof) in a light-hearted way. The season is a Little League-ish 20 games long, with financials off. I don't GM - I'm just the day-to-day manager. If I fail to meet the preseason expectations of the club (except in my first year, which is a freebie) I get fired and have to move on to a random (and non-first place) club. It's a lot of fun. Any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

BROOKLYN, 1920

Our pitching staff is above average, and will be sorely needed to keep the score down as our lineup is mediocre. The ace is spitballin' Burleigh Grimes (26, righty), who would grace the staff of any club in the league. He's followed in the rotation by old vet Rube Marquard (33, lefty), who's still good after a prolific career, but tailing off. Our number three man Leon Cadore (29, righty), who may best be termed as adequate.

The lineup will take the field as follows:

1B Ed Konetchy: 34, right; good speed, slick glove, .300 potential with a knack for triples; need the old man to stay healthy because there's no one in the wings here.

2B Pete Kilduff: 26, right; above average with the leather, which keeps him in lineup; bat won't hurt you, but neither is it much help ...

3B Jimmy Johnston: 30, right; can hit for average with a bit of pop; glove nothing to write home about.

SS Ivy Olson: 34, right; a black hole both in the field and the order - no upside, here.

LF Hy Myers: 30, right; this guy can really sock it, and do it for average, too; glove is above average, making him, along with Konetchy and Wheat, one of our most valuable players. Will often follow Wheat by hitting cleanup.

CF Bernie Neis: 24, switch; light-hitting unspectacular patrolman; basically holding down the fort until hotshot Bill Lamar is ready.

RF Zack Wheat: 31, lefty; our only regular lefty, unless I dip into the (shudder!) bench; eats those right-handers alive, boy, and will be counted on to drive in the runs from the #3 spot in our order.

C Ernie Krueger: 29, righty; so-so backstop, but carries a decent bat. A little power, but nowhere near that of Myers, Wheat or Konetchy.

Boston, April 1-3, 1920

The season is only 20 games long, making each game intense. We open 1920 with a three game set at Braves Field, Boston, for our only meeting with the Braves this year. The Braves rotation of Joe Oeschger, Hugh McQuillan and Jack Scott is competent, if not overwhelming. Scott is the only lefty, against whom our righty-laden lineup ought to have the advantage, so if we can pull one out against Oeschger or McQuillan we'll be all right. Of their hitters, LF Eddie Eayrs is coming off a hot spring training, and switch-hitting 1B Walter Holke and LF John Sullivan are marginally dangerous. No dangerous lefties, which will please Burleigh.

In Tuesday's Game One Joe Oeschger discovers that his mid-eighties fastballs aren't going to fool us. He gets tagged - hard - for eight runs over 6 innings, including a Zack Wheat solo shot. Dick Rudolph is then greeted with a 4-run 7th as we storm to a huge 12-1 Opening Day win. Burleigh goes the distance, scattering 6 hits.
Dodgers 12, Braves 1 - W: Grimes (1-0); L: Oeschger (0-1)

In Game Two Hugh McQuillan and Marquard each pitched one-hit ball over three, but then the floodgates opened for Hugh. We scored in each of the 4th through 8th frames en route to 15 hits and a fine 6-4 win. 1B Ed Konetchy went 3-for-5 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Young Bill Lamar collected his first career hit as well.
Dodgers 6, Braves 4 - W: Marquard (1-0); L: McQuillan (0-1)

So, facing a southpaw in Game 3, I feel we may be able to pull off a sweep here. Alas, this proves a tight one, both Shaw and Cadore hurling shutouts into the 9th. There, Hy Myers leads off with a triple, and a unnerved Jack Scott promptly walks Konetchy (intentionally) and Krueger to load 'em up. Light-hitting Pete Kilduff then raps out a 2-run single over the Brave SS Maranville, and 1 out later reserve 3B Jack Sheehan makes his first hit a 2-RBI single. Get those brooms out!
Dodgers 4, Braves 0 - W: Cadore (1-0); L: Scott (0-1)

AROUND THE LEAGUE

The Pirates lose their ace Wilbur Cooper on Opening Day (snicker, snicker) to elbow trouble. He's out effectively for the season, which is really too bad ... The Red Sox lose LF Mike Menosky for a week when he injures his ribs diving for a ball April 1st ... The Reds' Dutch Ruether makes his first start a good one, shutting out the Cubs on 2 hits April 2nd.

Celtic Forever · 05-10-2002, 10:58 AM

Cincinnati, April 4-5, 1920

No rest for the weary as we bolt straight from Boston into Cincinnati for a two game set with the Reds. Cincy is tied with us atop the NL, having swept Chicago midweek, so this is a bit of early season excitement for all. Their pitching destroyed the Cubs - Dutch Ruether and Ray Fisher each hurled shutouts, while ace Dolf Luque gave up one in their Opening Day 5-1 win. RF Edd Roush is their real star at the plate (one of the NL's best, in fact), while 1B Jake Daubert, 3B Heinie Groh and LF Pat Duncan are dangerous. Half their lineup is lefty, which is a problem.

In Game 1, Burleigh is tired and has to be pulled in the third, after the Reds have tagged him for four runs. An Ivy Olson error gave Edd Roush and CF Greasy Neale the chance to crack RBI singles in a 3-run first. Zack Wheat had a great game, collecting 3 RBI, including a 2-run homer (his 2nd) in the 8th to pull us to within 4-3. That, sadly, is how it ended however.
Reds 4, Dodgers 3 - W: Luque (2-0); L: Grimes (1-1)

Game 2 was a classic. The teams exchanged broadsides in the first, Zack Wheat snapping off a 2-RBI single for us and Edd Roush demolishing a Marquard offering for a 2-run HR in reply. A pair of 4th frame boners - CF Bernie Neis dropping a routine fly and Rube Marquard wild pitching in a run - put Cincinnati up 4-2, until Wheat and Kruger responded with an RBI triple and single respectively in the 6th. Thus tied going into the 9th, Hy Myers proved the hero by singling in Kilduff from second to give us a dramatic third win in four tries.
Dodgers 5, Reds 4 - W: Marquard (2-0); L: Ruether (1-1)

AROUND THE LEAGUE

A few more go down in the line of fire on Friday - the Browns' Carl Weilman (0-2, 5.19) for 5 days with a bum shoulder, the Yankees' Jack Quinn (1-1, 4.86) for a week with a sore back and Phillies' George Smith (0-1, 1.86) for 3 weeks with a ruptured bicep. Ouch! ... The Senators are off to a 5-0 start over in the AL, leading the Yankees by a game. Ruth has yet to homer.

Celtic Forever · 05-10-2002, 11:02 AM

Brooklyn, April 6-7, 1920

It's our home opener at Ebbetts field and man, we couldn't have asked for a better opponent. The Cubs are sucking wind at 0-5 and we don't aim to resuscitate them. They're coming off a 2-game sweep at the hands of the Braves. Lefty Tyler (0-1, 0.00) matches up against Leon Cadore in Game 1, while we face legendary Pete Alexander in the finale. No one is hitting on this club except for CF Max Flack (.313), though you gotta figure SS Charlie Hollocher (.211, 2 RBI) is going to start soon.

Game One is a tough one, as Leon starts off shaky and we fall behind on a Max Flack RBI single. We counter in the bottom of the third with a home run from - of all people - CF Bernie Neis. Headed into the 7th, we break away from Chicago with a bit of small ball. Neis and Konetchy single off Lefty Tyler, Myers bunts 'em over, and Zack Wheat drives 'em in for his 10 & 11th RBI of the year. That stat, incidentally, leads MLB, one ahead of the White Sox' Eddie Collins (10 RBI).
Dodgers 5, Cubs 3 - W: Cadore (2-0); L: Tyler (0-2)

Game Two is simply nothing but a sterling effort from Cubbie Pete Alexander. He surrenders just 2 hits and one run (off SS Ivy Olson's sac fly), meaning Charlie's Hollocher's RBI double and Dode Paskert's groundout RBI are enough to beat us. First win for the Cubbies - congrats. Grrr....
Cubs 2, Dodgers 1 - W: Alexander (1-2, 2.27); L: Grimes (1-2, 2.21)

AROUND THE LEAGUE

The Yankees' Bob Shawkey wins AL Player of the Month on April 8th. Bob is 3-0, 1.54 for the 2nd-placed Yanks. The NL award goes to the Reds' Dolf Luque (3-0, 0.74).

Celtic Forever · 05-10-2002, 12:09 PM

Brooklyn, April 9-10, 1920

A rare day off in this grinder of a season precedes our two game set with the Phillies. Philly checks in at 3-4, fresh off getting their butts swept in Pittsburgh. Being tied for second with Giants currently, one game adrift of the red-hot Reds, we really need 2 here to keep the pace. Lee Meadows makes his seasonal debut today against our own Mr. Perfect, Rube Marquard, while Bill Hubbell (1-1, 1.37) will square off against Leon Cadore (2-0, 1.13) in Game Two. Offensively, the Phillies are getting good production out of CF Casey Stengel (.391, 0, 5), while LF Cy Williams (.286, 0, 3) and RF Irish Meusel (.270, 0, 2) are good talents playing a bit beneath themselves. Williams in particular lights up right-handed pitching, so expect Cadore to have his work cut out for him, there.

Our big guns come to life in Game 1. Zack Wheat collects his league-leading 12th and 13th RBI to counter Ralph Miller and Gene Paulette RBI singles in the 4th to send us to the climax knotted at 2 apiece. In the bottom of the 8th, Hy Meyers dumps a 2-out single into left center and Ed Konetchy doubles him home for what would prove the winning run. Rube Marquard closes out the 9th for his 3rd straight victory, striking out 7.
Dodgers 3, Phillies 2 - W: Marquard (3-0, 2.00); L: Meadows (0-1, 3.38)

A slight change of plans for Game Two. With the normal starters tired, Philly turns to Red Causey (0-1, 45.00!) to start this afternoon, while we give Jeff Pfeffer the nod. On April 5th, ol' Red surrendered 5 earned runs in one inning of work to the Cardinals. Today ... ugh. Causey carries a no-hit bid into the 9th against us, leading 2-0 on the back of a RBI single and double by 3B Russ Wrightstone (who, incidentally, was 4-for-4, the git). C Ernie Krueger finally breaks up this nonsense with a single to left, and we even plate one when LF Cy Williams throws the ball into orbit, scoring Krueger from second. Ivy Olson then meekly flied to center to give Causey a new lease on life.
Phillies 2, Dodgers 1 - W: Causey (1-1, 4.50); L: Pfeffer (0-1, 1.64)

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Babe Ruth opens his account with a titanic 538-foot blast in a 7-2 defeat in Washington ... Detroit (4-5) loses starter Howard Ehmke (0-1, 5.73) for the season with a ruptured tricep on April 10th ... Boston (5-4) loses pitcher Elmer Myers (1-0, 1.42) to a strained elbow the same day.

Celtic Forever · 05-10-2002, 01:12 PM

Brooklyn, April 11, 1920

Despite the disappointing loss to Philly, we stay tied atop the heap with the Reds at 6-3. Cincy and New York (who along with St. Louis are one pace to the rear at 5-4) have each lost 2 straight, giving us a reprieve from that awful Causey business. Today we face the Giants in a one-off battle at Ebbetts field. This is the start of our most difficult stretch of the season, wherein our opponents are the Giants (today), Cardinals (2 in St Looie), the Giants again (2 at the Polo Grounds) and one more in Cincinnati. It seems certain that this is where our title challenge will be won or lost.

Today the G-Men are coming at us with 31 year-old righty Fred Toney, who's 1-1 with a 1.59 ERA thus far. Burleigh Grimes will take the hill for us, looking to even his record to 2-2 on the year. Fred's a tough groundball pitcher, and is coming in refreshed. He's backed by a real murderer's row. 3B Frankie Frisch, SS Dave Bancroft, CF Ross Youngs and C Elmer Smith are all hitting well above .300, and that's not a fluke. Alarmingly, 2B Laughing Larry Doyle and RF George Burns have yet to find their stride. Here's hoping they never do. John McGraw's boys are a championship-caliber club, no doubt about it.

The game turned out to be an epic 14 inning affair. Toney's knuckleballs bamboozled us nearly all game, and matters looked grim when we headed ino the bottom of the 9th down 1-0. Thankfully Ernie Krueger gave us a stay of execution with a sac fly, scoring Hy Myers from third, and into extra frames we went. 1B George Kelly looked to have us finished when he cracked an RBI single in the 12th off a tiring Burleigh Grimes, but in the bottom half we got an unlikely reply from SS Ivy Olson. On we go. In the 13th we had brought on Sherry Smith to take the hill, and in the 14th the Giants started getting to him. C Elmer Smith smacked in the go-ahead run, and Ivy "Keep 'Em Alive" Olson's error gave Ross Youngs and George Burns the chance to plate two more. Our final out was a hot grounder to SS Dave Bancroft, which was fitting, because his diving snares had twice robbed us of base hits that would have won the game earlier in the day.
Giants 5, Dodgers 2 (14) - W: Perritt (1-0, 0.00); L: Smith (0-1, 6.00)

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Yankee Babe Ruth hits for the cycle against Chicago, pulling New York within a game of AL-leading Washington ... Ruth is hitting .412 on the year.

Celtic Forever · 05-11-2002, 02:33 AM

St. Louis, April 17-18, 1920

Everyone gets a nice mid-season break before the drives for the pennant begin in earnest. We begin our drive against St. Louis in a two game set. The Cards are 5-5, one game back, and are coming off a 14-1 demolition at the hands of the Cubs. Jesse Haines (2-1, 1.55) will try to keep Rube Marquard from getting off to a 4-0 start in Game One, with Ferdie Schupp (1-1, 2.57) slated to go against Leon Cadore in the finale. 3B Milt Stock (.313) and 2B Rogers Hornsby (.316, no HRs) are the primary offensive threats for St. Louis, while talented LF Charlie Jamieson, just picked up in a trade with Cleveland for MR George Lyons, will make his debut.

Game One is a classic duel between Haines and Marquard. Jesse Haines mixes his changeup and fastball to perfection, racking up 8 strikeouts over 12 innings of work! Fortunately, it wasn't enough. Rube Marquard carried a 1-0 into the bottom of the 8th - courtesy of a Pete Kilduff RBI single in the 2nd- when the Cards struck back, Milt Stock singling in CF Jack Smith from second. The tense deadlock held until the 12th, where I got to use my small ball tactics. Neis smoked a (rare) single, and Haines intentionally walked the cold bat of Zack Wheat. Hy Myers followed orders to bunt 'em over, which he did nicely, leaving it to Mr. Clutch, Ed Konetchy, to drive 'em home. Crack! went the Texas Leaguer, dove-tailing away from a hustling Charlie Jamieson in left. 3-1 Dodgers. Perfect.
Dodgers 3, Cardinals 1 (12) - W: Marquard (4-0, 1.64); L: Haines (2-2, 1.76)

Game Two marks our biggest offensive output since Opening Day. Thirteen Dodger hits plus five disastrous Cardinal errors equals a real hiding. Leon Cadore not only throws a 2-hitter, but collects 3 RBI as well. Ed Konetchy continues hitting in the clutch, going 3-for-5 with 3 RBI. As a side note, we hold Rogers Hornsby hitless in this key series.
Dodgers 10, Cardinals 1 - W: Cadore (3-0, 1.08); L: Schupp (1-2, 4.45)

AROUND THE LEAGUE

The White Sox lose Lefty Williams for the year with elbow trouble 4/17, then Red Faber 4/18 with a ruptured bicep, effectively ending their pennant hopes ... Boston's 20 year-old Waite Hoyt (2-1) threw a 2-hit shutout against the Browns 4/18 ... the Red Sox have won 5 straight to claw within 1 game of the Senators (9-3) ... the Cubs have won 6 straight to draw within 2 of the NL-leading Dodgers (8-4).

Celtic Forever · 05-11-2002, 02:34 AM

Brooklyn, April 20-21, 1920

It's an important three days as we square off against our principal challengers. Today we welcome John McGraw's Giants to Ebbetts Field for the first of two. Having just lost a tough 14 inning affair to these bozos last April 11th, it's time for a little revenge. New York has slipped up a bit recently, coming off having dropped two to the Cubs, and now stand at 6-6. Art Nehf (2-1, 3.00) will face Burleigh Grimes (1-2, 1.97) in Game One, followed by Jesse Barnes (2-2, 4.06) against 4-0 Rube Marquard in Game Two. SS Dave Bancroft, CF Ross Youngs and C Elmer Smith are all swinging hot bats for the Giants.

Game One is over quickly. 1B Ed Konetchy goes 3-for-5 with 3 RBI, a double and a triple. CF Bernie Neis is 4-for-5 with 2 RBI, a double and a triple. 2B Pete Kilduff is 2-for-2 with 3 RBI. You get the picture. All in all 12 Dodger runs cross the plate, giving Burleigh the run support he's been grumbling about all season, and evening his record at 2 apiece.
Dodgers 12, Giants 2 - W: Grimes (2-2, 1.54); L: Nehf (2-2, 4.76)

Game Two was the return of the Zack Wheat Show. Zack, a bit cold lately by his standards, gave us a 1-0 lead in the first when his single to right-center drove in Bernie Neis. The game was tight until action was halted in the 5th for a 63 minute rain delay. Giant Jesse Barnes tried to keep going on resumption of hostilities, but really shouldn't. A walk and 4 consecutive hits - including Wheat's 2-run double - put the stamp on this one, friends. We wisely pulled Marquard after the delay (costing him his 5th win), but Jeff Pfeffer did nicely in relief, picking up the win. Nice bit of revenge - burying the Giants like that - and we're really peaking at the just the right time. Is the pennant within reach?
Dodgers 5, Giants 2 - W: Pfeffer (1-1, 1.42); L: Barnes (2-3, 4.08)

AROUND THE LEAGUE

The Pirates' 2-0 defeat of the Reds means we're up 2 with 6 games to play ... Boston and Washington split their two game showdown - Washington maintains a 1 game advantage over Boston, Cleveland and resurgent New York ... Babe Ruth hit a 498-foot HR 4/21 in their 6-2 win against the White Sox ... the AL Player of the Week is Indian Jim Bagby, who went 2-0, 2.50 (year: 4-0, 1.93) ... NL PoW is Pirate Elmer Ponder (2-0, 2.00), who won that big game against Cincy 4/21. Elmer is 3-2, 2.74 this year.

[ 05-11-2002, 08:40 AM: Message edited by: Celtic Forever ]

05-10-2002, 05:23 AM	#1
Celtic Forever All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 529	History as Little League This is a writeup of my unusual game with the 1920 Brooklyn Dodgers. It's not a serious sim, but rather an outlet for me to exercise my on-field managerial skills (or, more accurately, lack thereof) in a light-hearted way. The season is a Little League-ish 20 games long, with financials off. I don't GM - I'm just the day-to-day manager. If I fail to meet the preseason expectations of the club (except in my first year, which is a freebie) I get fired and have to move on to a random (and non-first place) club. It's a lot of fun. Any questions, don't hesitate to ask. BROOKLYN, 1920 Our pitching staff is above average, and will be sorely needed to keep the score down as our lineup is mediocre. The ace is spitballin' Burleigh Grimes (26, righty), who would grace the staff of any club in the league. He's followed in the rotation by old vet Rube Marquard (33, lefty), who's still good after a prolific career, but tailing off. Our number three man Leon Cadore (29, righty), who may best be termed as adequate. The lineup will take the field as follows: 1B Ed Konetchy: 34, right; good speed, slick glove, .300 potential with a knack for triples; need the old man to stay healthy because there's no one in the wings here. 2B Pete Kilduff: 26, right; above average with the leather, which keeps him in lineup; bat won't hurt you, but neither is it much help ... 3B Jimmy Johnston: 30, right; can hit for average with a bit of pop; glove nothing to write home about. SS Ivy Olson: 34, right; a black hole both in the field and the order - no upside, here. LF Hy Myers: 30, right; this guy can really sock it, and do it for average, too; glove is above average, making him, along with Konetchy and Wheat, one of our most valuable players. Will often follow Wheat by hitting cleanup. CF Bernie Neis: 24, switch; light-hitting unspectacular patrolman; basically holding down the fort until hotshot Bill Lamar is ready. RF Zack Wheat: 31, lefty; our only regular lefty, unless I dip into the (shudder!) bench; eats those right-handers alive, boy, and will be counted on to drive in the runs from the #3 spot in our order. C Ernie Krueger: 29, righty; so-so backstop, but carries a decent bat. A little power, but nowhere near that of Myers, Wheat or Konetchy. Boston, April 1-3, 1920 The season is only 20 games long, making each game intense. We open 1920 with a three game set at Braves Field, Boston, for our only meeting with the Braves this year. The Braves rotation of Joe Oeschger, Hugh McQuillan and Jack Scott is competent, if not overwhelming. Scott is the only lefty, against whom our righty-laden lineup ought to have the advantage, so if we can pull one out against Oeschger or McQuillan we'll be all right. Of their hitters, LF Eddie Eayrs is coming off a hot spring training, and switch-hitting 1B Walter Holke and LF John Sullivan are marginally dangerous. No dangerous lefties, which will please Burleigh. In Tuesday's Game One Joe Oeschger discovers that his mid-eighties fastballs aren't going to fool us. He gets tagged - hard - for eight runs over 6 innings, including a Zack Wheat solo shot. Dick Rudolph is then greeted with a 4-run 7th as we storm to a huge 12-1 Opening Day win. Burleigh goes the distance, scattering 6 hits. Dodgers 12, Braves 1 - W: Grimes (1-0); L: Oeschger (0-1) In Game Two Hugh McQuillan and Marquard each pitched one-hit ball over three, but then the floodgates opened for Hugh. We scored in each of the 4th through 8th frames en route to 15 hits and a fine 6-4 win. 1B Ed Konetchy went 3-for-5 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Young Bill Lamar collected his first career hit as well. Dodgers 6, Braves 4 - W: Marquard (1-0); L: McQuillan (0-1) So, facing a southpaw in Game 3, I feel we may be able to pull off a sweep here. Alas, this proves a tight one, both Shaw and Cadore hurling shutouts into the 9th. There, Hy Myers leads off with a triple, and a unnerved Jack Scott promptly walks Konetchy (intentionally) and Krueger to load 'em up. Light-hitting Pete Kilduff then raps out a 2-run single over the Brave SS Maranville, and 1 out later reserve 3B Jack Sheehan makes his first hit a 2-RBI single. Get those brooms out! Dodgers 4, Braves 0 - W: Cadore (1-0); L: Scott (0-1) AROUND THE LEAGUE The Pirates lose their ace Wilbur Cooper on Opening Day (snicker, snicker) to elbow trouble. He's out effectively for the season, which is really too bad ... The Red Sox lose LF Mike Menosky for a week when he injures his ribs diving for a ball April 1st ... The Reds' Dutch Ruether makes his first start a good one, shutting out the Cubs on 2 hits April 2nd.

05-10-2002, 10:58 AM	#2
Celtic Forever All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 529	Cincinnati, April 4-5, 1920 No rest for the weary as we bolt straight from Boston into Cincinnati for a two game set with the Reds. Cincy is tied with us atop the NL, having swept Chicago midweek, so this is a bit of early season excitement for all. Their pitching destroyed the Cubs - Dutch Ruether and Ray Fisher each hurled shutouts, while ace Dolf Luque gave up one in their Opening Day 5-1 win. RF Edd Roush is their real star at the plate (one of the NL's best, in fact), while 1B Jake Daubert, 3B Heinie Groh and LF Pat Duncan are dangerous. Half their lineup is lefty, which is a problem. In Game 1, Burleigh is tired and has to be pulled in the third, after the Reds have tagged him for four runs. An Ivy Olson error gave Edd Roush and CF Greasy Neale the chance to crack RBI singles in a 3-run first. Zack Wheat had a great game, collecting 3 RBI, including a 2-run homer (his 2nd) in the 8th to pull us to within 4-3. That, sadly, is how it ended however. Reds 4, Dodgers 3 - W: Luque (2-0); L: Grimes (1-1) Game 2 was a classic. The teams exchanged broadsides in the first, Zack Wheat snapping off a 2-RBI single for us and Edd Roush demolishing a Marquard offering for a 2-run HR in reply. A pair of 4th frame boners - CF Bernie Neis dropping a routine fly and Rube Marquard wild pitching in a run - put Cincinnati up 4-2, until Wheat and Kruger responded with an RBI triple and single respectively in the 6th. Thus tied going into the 9th, Hy Myers proved the hero by singling in Kilduff from second to give us a dramatic third win in four tries. Dodgers 5, Reds 4 - W: Marquard (2-0); L: Ruether (1-1) AROUND THE LEAGUE A few more go down in the line of fire on Friday - the Browns' Carl Weilman (0-2, 5.19) for 5 days with a bum shoulder, the Yankees' Jack Quinn (1-1, 4.86) for a week with a sore back and Phillies' George Smith (0-1, 1.86) for 3 weeks with a ruptured bicep. Ouch! ... The Senators are off to a 5-0 start over in the AL, leading the Yankees by a game. Ruth has yet to homer.

05-10-2002, 11:02 AM	#3
Celtic Forever All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 529	Brooklyn, April 6-7, 1920 It's our home opener at Ebbetts field and man, we couldn't have asked for a better opponent. The Cubs are sucking wind at 0-5 and we don't aim to resuscitate them. They're coming off a 2-game sweep at the hands of the Braves. Lefty Tyler (0-1, 0.00) matches up against Leon Cadore in Game 1, while we face legendary Pete Alexander in the finale. No one is hitting on this club except for CF Max Flack (.313), though you gotta figure SS Charlie Hollocher (.211, 2 RBI) is going to start soon. Game One is a tough one, as Leon starts off shaky and we fall behind on a Max Flack RBI single. We counter in the bottom of the third with a home run from - of all people - CF Bernie Neis. Headed into the 7th, we break away from Chicago with a bit of small ball. Neis and Konetchy single off Lefty Tyler, Myers bunts 'em over, and Zack Wheat drives 'em in for his 10 & 11th RBI of the year. That stat, incidentally, leads MLB, one ahead of the White Sox' Eddie Collins (10 RBI). Dodgers 5, Cubs 3 - W: Cadore (2-0); L: Tyler (0-2) Game Two is simply nothing but a sterling effort from Cubbie Pete Alexander. He surrenders just 2 hits and one run (off SS Ivy Olson's sac fly), meaning Charlie's Hollocher's RBI double and Dode Paskert's groundout RBI are enough to beat us. First win for the Cubbies - congrats. Grrr.... Cubs 2, Dodgers 1 - W: Alexander (1-2, 2.27); L: Grimes (1-2, 2.21) AROUND THE LEAGUE The Yankees' Bob Shawkey wins AL Player of the Month on April 8th. Bob is 3-0, 1.54 for the 2nd-placed Yanks. The NL award goes to the Reds' Dolf Luque (3-0, 0.74).

05-10-2002, 12:09 PM	#4
Celtic Forever All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 529	Brooklyn, April 9-10, 1920 A rare day off in this grinder of a season precedes our two game set with the Phillies. Philly checks in at 3-4, fresh off getting their butts swept in Pittsburgh. Being tied for second with Giants currently, one game adrift of the red-hot Reds, we really need 2 here to keep the pace. Lee Meadows makes his seasonal debut today against our own Mr. Perfect, Rube Marquard, while Bill Hubbell (1-1, 1.37) will square off against Leon Cadore (2-0, 1.13) in Game Two. Offensively, the Phillies are getting good production out of CF Casey Stengel (.391, 0, 5), while LF Cy Williams (.286, 0, 3) and RF Irish Meusel (.270, 0, 2) are good talents playing a bit beneath themselves. Williams in particular lights up right-handed pitching, so expect Cadore to have his work cut out for him, there. Our big guns come to life in Game 1. Zack Wheat collects his league-leading 12th and 13th RBI to counter Ralph Miller and Gene Paulette RBI singles in the 4th to send us to the climax knotted at 2 apiece. In the bottom of the 8th, Hy Meyers dumps a 2-out single into left center and Ed Konetchy doubles him home for what would prove the winning run. Rube Marquard closes out the 9th for his 3rd straight victory, striking out 7. Dodgers 3, Phillies 2 - W: Marquard (3-0, 2.00); L: Meadows (0-1, 3.38) A slight change of plans for Game Two. With the normal starters tired, Philly turns to Red Causey (0-1, 45.00!) to start this afternoon, while we give Jeff Pfeffer the nod. On April 5th, ol' Red surrendered 5 earned runs in one inning of work to the Cardinals. Today ... ugh. Causey carries a no-hit bid into the 9th against us, leading 2-0 on the back of a RBI single and double by 3B Russ Wrightstone (who, incidentally, was 4-for-4, the git). C Ernie Krueger finally breaks up this nonsense with a single to left, and we even plate one when LF Cy Williams throws the ball into orbit, scoring Krueger from second. Ivy Olson then meekly flied to center to give Causey a new lease on life. Phillies 2, Dodgers 1 - W: Causey (1-1, 4.50); L: Pfeffer (0-1, 1.64) AROUND THE LEAGUE Babe Ruth opens his account with a titanic 538-foot blast in a 7-2 defeat in Washington ... Detroit (4-5) loses starter Howard Ehmke (0-1, 5.73) for the season with a ruptured tricep on April 10th ... Boston (5-4) loses pitcher Elmer Myers (1-0, 1.42) to a strained elbow the same day.

05-10-2002, 01:12 PM	#5
Celtic Forever All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 529	Brooklyn, April 11, 1920 Despite the disappointing loss to Philly, we stay tied atop the heap with the Reds at 6-3. Cincy and New York (who along with St. Louis are one pace to the rear at 5-4) have each lost 2 straight, giving us a reprieve from that awful Causey business. Today we face the Giants in a one-off battle at Ebbetts field. This is the start of our most difficult stretch of the season, wherein our opponents are the Giants (today), Cardinals (2 in St Looie), the Giants again (2 at the Polo Grounds) and one more in Cincinnati. It seems certain that this is where our title challenge will be won or lost. Today the G-Men are coming at us with 31 year-old righty Fred Toney, who's 1-1 with a 1.59 ERA thus far. Burleigh Grimes will take the hill for us, looking to even his record to 2-2 on the year. Fred's a tough groundball pitcher, and is coming in refreshed. He's backed by a real murderer's row. 3B Frankie Frisch, SS Dave Bancroft, CF Ross Youngs and C Elmer Smith are all hitting well above .300, and that's not a fluke. Alarmingly, 2B Laughing Larry Doyle and RF George Burns have yet to find their stride. Here's hoping they never do. John McGraw's boys are a championship-caliber club, no doubt about it. The game turned out to be an epic 14 inning affair. Toney's knuckleballs bamboozled us nearly all game, and matters looked grim when we headed ino the bottom of the 9th down 1-0. Thankfully Ernie Krueger gave us a stay of execution with a sac fly, scoring Hy Myers from third, and into extra frames we went. 1B George Kelly looked to have us finished when he cracked an RBI single in the 12th off a tiring Burleigh Grimes, but in the bottom half we got an unlikely reply from SS Ivy Olson. On we go. In the 13th we had brought on Sherry Smith to take the hill, and in the 14th the Giants started getting to him. C Elmer Smith smacked in the go-ahead run, and Ivy "Keep 'Em Alive" Olson's error gave Ross Youngs and George Burns the chance to plate two more. Our final out was a hot grounder to SS Dave Bancroft, which was fitting, because his diving snares had twice robbed us of base hits that would have won the game earlier in the day. Giants 5, Dodgers 2 (14) - W: Perritt (1-0, 0.00); L: Smith (0-1, 6.00) AROUND THE LEAGUE Yankee Babe Ruth hits for the cycle against Chicago, pulling New York within a game of AL-leading Washington ... Ruth is hitting .412 on the year.

05-11-2002, 02:33 AM	#6
Celtic Forever All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 529	St. Louis, April 17-18, 1920 Everyone gets a nice mid-season break before the drives for the pennant begin in earnest. We begin our drive against St. Louis in a two game set. The Cards are 5-5, one game back, and are coming off a 14-1 demolition at the hands of the Cubs. Jesse Haines (2-1, 1.55) will try to keep Rube Marquard from getting off to a 4-0 start in Game One, with Ferdie Schupp (1-1, 2.57) slated to go against Leon Cadore in the finale. 3B Milt Stock (.313) and 2B Rogers Hornsby (.316, no HRs) are the primary offensive threats for St. Louis, while talented LF Charlie Jamieson, just picked up in a trade with Cleveland for MR George Lyons, will make his debut. Game One is a classic duel between Haines and Marquard. Jesse Haines mixes his changeup and fastball to perfection, racking up 8 strikeouts over 12 innings of work! Fortunately, it wasn't enough. Rube Marquard carried a 1-0 into the bottom of the 8th - courtesy of a Pete Kilduff RBI single in the 2nd- when the Cards struck back, Milt Stock singling in CF Jack Smith from second. The tense deadlock held until the 12th, where I got to use my small ball tactics. Neis smoked a (rare) single, and Haines intentionally walked the cold bat of Zack Wheat. Hy Myers followed orders to bunt 'em over, which he did nicely, leaving it to Mr. Clutch, Ed Konetchy, to drive 'em home. Crack! went the Texas Leaguer, dove-tailing away from a hustling Charlie Jamieson in left. 3-1 Dodgers. Perfect. Dodgers 3, Cardinals 1 (12) - W: Marquard (4-0, 1.64); L: Haines (2-2, 1.76) Game Two marks our biggest offensive output since Opening Day. Thirteen Dodger hits plus five disastrous Cardinal errors equals a real hiding. Leon Cadore not only throws a 2-hitter, but collects 3 RBI as well. Ed Konetchy continues hitting in the clutch, going 3-for-5 with 3 RBI. As a side note, we hold Rogers Hornsby hitless in this key series. Dodgers 10, Cardinals 1 - W: Cadore (3-0, 1.08); L: Schupp (1-2, 4.45) AROUND THE LEAGUE The White Sox lose Lefty Williams for the year with elbow trouble 4/17, then Red Faber 4/18 with a ruptured bicep, effectively ending their pennant hopes ... Boston's 20 year-old Waite Hoyt (2-1) threw a 2-hit shutout against the Browns 4/18 ... the Red Sox have won 5 straight to claw within 1 game of the Senators (9-3) ... the Cubs have won 6 straight to draw within 2 of the NL-leading Dodgers (8-4).

05-11-2002, 02:34 AM	#7
Celtic Forever All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 529	Brooklyn, April 20-21, 1920 It's an important three days as we square off against our principal challengers. Today we welcome John McGraw's Giants to Ebbetts Field for the first of two. Having just lost a tough 14 inning affair to these bozos last April 11th, it's time for a little revenge. New York has slipped up a bit recently, coming off having dropped two to the Cubs, and now stand at 6-6. Art Nehf (2-1, 3.00) will face Burleigh Grimes (1-2, 1.97) in Game One, followed by Jesse Barnes (2-2, 4.06) against 4-0 Rube Marquard in Game Two. SS Dave Bancroft, CF Ross Youngs and C Elmer Smith are all swinging hot bats for the Giants. Game One is over quickly. 1B Ed Konetchy goes 3-for-5 with 3 RBI, a double and a triple. CF Bernie Neis is 4-for-5 with 2 RBI, a double and a triple. 2B Pete Kilduff is 2-for-2 with 3 RBI. You get the picture. All in all 12 Dodger runs cross the plate, giving Burleigh the run support he's been grumbling about all season, and evening his record at 2 apiece. Dodgers 12, Giants 2 - W: Grimes (2-2, 1.54); L: Nehf (2-2, 4.76) Game Two was the return of the Zack Wheat Show. Zack, a bit cold lately by his standards, gave us a 1-0 lead in the first when his single to right-center drove in Bernie Neis. The game was tight until action was halted in the 5th for a 63 minute rain delay. Giant Jesse Barnes tried to keep going on resumption of hostilities, but really shouldn't. A walk and 4 consecutive hits - including Wheat's 2-run double - put the stamp on this one, friends. We wisely pulled Marquard after the delay (costing him his 5th win), but Jeff Pfeffer did nicely in relief, picking up the win. Nice bit of revenge - burying the Giants like that - and we're really peaking at the just the right time. Is the pennant within reach? Dodgers 5, Giants 2 - W: Pfeffer (1-1, 1.42); L: Barnes (2-3, 4.08) AROUND THE LEAGUE The Pirates' 2-0 defeat of the Reds means we're up 2 with 6 games to play ... Boston and Washington split their two game showdown - Washington maintains a 1 game advantage over Boston, Cleveland and resurgent New York ... Babe Ruth hit a 498-foot HR 4/21 in their 6-2 win against the White Sox ... the AL Player of the Week is Indian Jim Bagby, who went 2-0, 2.50 (year: 4-0, 1.93) ... NL PoW is Pirate Elmer Ponder (2-0, 2.00), who won that big game against Cincy 4/21. Elmer is 3-2, 2.74 this year. [ 05-11-2002, 08:40 AM: Message edited by: Celtic Forever ]