Mark “The Bird” Fidrych Replay Challenge

[84Hammy]

Okay, I researched the boards here and found that a few people have started this kind of dynasty before, but not have brought it to a conclusion. That will be my challenge, I suppose. I was 8 in 1976; I wouldn't be sitting here typing in a thread about baseball if it weren't for the Bird.

For this replay I will be acting as manager of the Tigers starting in 1976 and lasting throughout the length of Fidrych’s career. The point of this replay is to find out what could have been if The Bird had not been so injury prone (one theory is that he was overworked in that first year). I have imported the league and the players will be imported to the teams they debut with. I have trading set at low frequency and hard difficulty. This is somewhere between the strict replay and alternate reality. I will use the standard settings for strategy and stats. Recalculate is off. As a manager I will have only 4 major transactions during the season and 3 during the offseason. I will only play out the games that Fidrych piches, so this one should move along pretty quickly.

Fidrych will make his debut on April 20th, the same as in real life. Now I know he didn’t start in that first appearance, but if you remember how bad the Tigers rotation was in that time, he should have!

I will try to report any major league transactions, hopefully only a few trades.

Jan 01/76- March 08/76: Major transactions:

• KC sends 1B John Mayberry and some cash to Minnesota for 2B Bob Randall.
• LAN sends SP Charlie Hough to Boston for LF Rick Miller.
• PHI sends C Bob Boone to Baltimore for MR Doyle Alexander (hmmm I wonder if he’ll become a Tiger in 9 years?)

[84Hammy]

Spring Training

Fidrych will get a opportunity to strut his stuff as part of a 5 man spring rotation. Other that than move, I let the AI organize the lineups and depth charts.

Before I ran Spring Training, I realized that there are 4 lefties in my bullpen. I will use one of my major transactions to get another rightie in the pen. I shop a couple of players around, but only get position players offered in return. I’ll have to see how things go in spring training.

Major Transaction #1
For some reason my scout rates Phil Mankowski as 4.5 stars. This a guy who hit 262 in 700+ lifetime AB. In 32 spring training AB he’s hitting .219. When I shop him around nobody wants him. When I initiate a trade, I can get Joe Sambito for him. Sambito is only 23 and a 4 star reliever. But he throws left! I spent a good hour trying to get a right handed bullpen guy. In the end curiosity got to me and I traded fan favorite SP Dave Lemancyzk for MR Dennis “El Presidente” Martinez. I am curious to see if he will become the great pitcher he was in real life based on the settings I have (recalculate off). I think I will use Martinez out of the pen for the first year and then see what happens. The fan reaction to the loss of Lemancyzk dropped interest to 49 from 53.

With a week before the season starts, Leflore goes out for 3 weeks with a strained oblique. Not the way to start a season!

Opening Day: Fidrych is rated Baseball America’s number one prospect. In 4 spring starts he went 2-1 with a 5.87 ERA. That is deceiving though, considering he gave up 7 runs in 3 1/3 in his first start. He only gave up 3 runs total in his next 3 starts.

To get my roster down to 25, I had to send 4 guys down: SP Fidrych, C May, 2B Scrivener, and LF Lane. The AAA team is call the Paradise Red Warriors. Love it!

I will have to keep a close watch on when Fidrych pitches in the minors to be sure he is available to make his debut.

Spring Training Major Transactions

• CHW sends C J. Essian to SD for RP RP Folkers
• STL sends RF R. Fairly and LF C. Chant to ATL receiving RP R. Torrealba.


BTW, I have been working on this for a while and have almost finished the first month of the season. Also, I have tested this so that Fidrych retains his ratings through the next year and the players who are to become the foundation of that generation Tigers teams, Trammell, Whitaker, Morris, et all, import with appropriate ratings.

[PhillieFever]

Awesome,I can't wait for this one to get rolling.Mark was the classic tragic figure,he had everything heading into 77',but a fluke spring training injury for all intents and purposes ended it instantly.

[84Hammy]

1976 Regular Season

The reporting of this dynasty will be made up of a number of different aspects, starting with a fiction diary for Fidrych (in italics) and manager notes, which are basically from me.

From Mark Fidrych’s personal papers:

April 1st, 1976: Baseball sure is a funny sport. If you aren’t the right size or shape, you gotta fight for yourself. If you aren’t a tough guy, chewing tobacco and guzzling beer, you gotta prove yourself. If your uncle or cousin ain’t somebody in the “system” you gotta wait in line. So I’m waiting in line, with a 7 UP, trying not to be 10 lbs. under weight. Hey, I know I only gave up 3 runs in 12 innings. They know it too...Paradise Nevada is just a stop on the road. Just a stop.

April 8th, 1976: I went the distance in a 6-2 win today for good old Paradise. Tiger opening day is tomorrow. It’s good to be the #1 prospect in baseball. I got a the briefest blurb in the Vegas paper. I hope they include a photo next time!

Detroit Tigers 1976 Regular Season

Here is the roster:

Starting Rotation: Rhule, Coleman, Bare, Roberts
Bullpen: Crawford, Glynn, Grilli, Laxton, Martinez
Closer: Hiller
Starting Lineup:
1. Leflore CF (when he returns)
2. Mankowski 3B
3. Oglivie LF
4. Staub RF
5. Thompson 1B
6. Horton DH
7. Freehan C
8. Wagner SS
9. Sutherland 2B

Bench: Kimm C, Wockenfuss C, Stanley 1B/RF, Vereyzer SS, Rodriguz 3B, Johnson rf


04/10: Game 1 @ CLE: W 4-2: Vern Rhule goes 8 1/3 and Mark Wagner hits one out. I’d be surprised if he hits another out. (Record: 1-0)

04/11: Game 2 @ CLE: L 7-2: Coleman didn’t have it today. Neither did reliever Ed Glynn, a guy we’re going to have to count on. (Record: 1-1)

April 13th , 1976: Got my picture in the paper today, after a 5-0 no-hitter. I couldn’t believe it myself. One walk away from perfection. I like perfection. Still, the phone in the hotel ain’t ringing.

04/13: Game 3 VS. MIL: W 7-6: Mankowski went 3 for 5 and Staub drove in 3, including the walk off game winner. Glynn pitched a scoreless 9th for the win. Ray Bare was pretty bad, giving up 6 runs and 11 hits in 8 IP. (Record 2-1)

04/16: Game 4 @ CAL: L 6-5 (11): Aurillio Rodriegez went 4-5 and score 2 and drove in 2, but a base hit off of Hiller in the 9th tied it, and then the Angels won it in the 11th. Martinez took the loss, giving up a homer to Bobby Bonds. (Record 2-2, 3rd, 1 GB)

April 16th, 1976: I only went 8 innings in Paradise today. I struck out 9, so that is probably why. We won 2-1. I’m 3-0, 26 IP, 11 H, 13 K. I think I’ll grow my hair out.

[Picky]

The Bird.

Oh man, I was born in 1976 and raised in the Northwest and came about my Tigers fandom thanks to Tram and Whit but the Bird was a mythic... scratch that, is a mythic figure. Such a great personality and vibe from that man.

What could have been if he was in his 8th season in 1984 or his 11th in 1987. Would he have lasted and helped the Tigers be more dominant in the 80s?

Either way, Fidrych is just one of the many incredible players in the history of the Tigers. I think I'm going to enjoy this recap.

[84Hammy]

Yeah, Picky, that is kind of my thinking in this that the Tigers would have been a more dominant team and would have done so a lot earlier.

04/17: Game 5 @ CAL: W4-2: Coleman got back on track in this one. Jason Thompson hit his first homer of the year. (Record: 3-2)

04/18: Game 6 @ CAL: W 7-5: Dave Roberts got the win, but he gave up 5 runs and 14 hits in 8 IP. Mickey Stanley hit a 3 run homer off of Frank Tanana for the win. (Record: 4-2)

04/19 Game 7 @ OAK: L 9-2: Ray Bare got bombed again. He gave up 8 runs (only 5 earned) and 10 hits in 2 2.3 IP. His ERA in 2 starts in 9.28. Something must be done! Perhaps we could try out that lanky kid from Mass.? Hmmm... (Record: 4-3)

April 19th, 1976: Well the phone finally rang. I knew it would. Poor Ray Bare. He’s going to find out what a sweat box Paradise really is. He’ll be crying to be sent to Hell (Mich.)! But I’m going to have some fun. I got the next start for the Tigers tomorrow in Oakland. Not too many big bombers on that team. Bunch of singles hitters. I just gotta stay in control. Bruce Kimm will be my catcher. I worked with him last year in the minors. He’s a good guy.

April 20th, 1976: First big league game, first big league loss. I told ya, those A’s will nitpick with their singles. I gave up 9 hits in 7 innings. One of the 4 runs I gave up was unearned. Bruce Kimm made a bad throw on a steal attempt by Garner. Man that Garner is one tough customer. I was mad at myself for giving up the hit. The ball just wouldn’t do what I wanted it to tonight. I’ll have to ask it more nicely next time.

04/20: Game 8 @ OAK: L 4-3. Fidrych was pretty mediocre in his first career start. Oglivie hit his 3rd homer to lead off the game. We had 10 hits, but could only muster 3 runs. (Record: 4-4, 3rd, 1.5 GB)

[captaincarl]

I was only 16 when The Bird flew into Detroit back in '76. I'm a Red Sox fan but one of my brothers is a Tigers fan. Hopefully the local (to me that is, he lived in Massachusetts and I'm from Rhode Island) kid won't suffer the injuries that ended up shortening his career.

I got a chance to watch him pitch live but it was during his last comeback attempt while he pitched for the Pawtucket Red Sox.

One question, though. Why have the recalcs off?

[Moriarty9]

I really like the concept.

Such a character, and such a great person. I live in Massachusetts and know many people who have personal stories about their interactions with the Bird in the years since his pro ball days and leading up to his tragic, untimely death.

[84Hammy]

Originally Posted by captaincarl

I was only 16 when The Bird flew into Detroit back in '76. I'm a Red Sox fan but one of my brothers is a Tigers fan. Hopefully the local (to me that is, he lived in Massachusetts and I'm from Rhode Island) kid won't suffer the injuries that ended up shortening his career.

I got a chance to watch him pitch live but it was during his last comeback attempt while he pitched for the Pawtucket Red Sox.

One question, though. Why have the recalcs off?

I saw him live in '76, but my memory of the game itself are not clear at all. I know we sat on the third base side, but deep in the corner. I remember thinking that you saw more on tv!

As for recalcs being off, well when you recalculate ratings based on real stats every 3 years, they always kill The Bird because of his comeback attempts. My only worry is that when I import the other players, they won't import as they should. Dennis Martinez is an example, I suppose; he imported as a reliever. To be honest, I don't remember how I set players to import, but in my test league, things seemed to be okay.

[84Hammy]

Originally Posted by Moriarty9

I really like the concept.

Such a character, and such a great person. I live in Massachusetts and know many people who have personal stories about their interactions with the Bird in the years since his pro ball days and leading up to his tragic, untimely death.

Man, I would love to talk with those people! He just always seemed to be himself, genuine. I don't think I've ever heard a bad story about him...

[84Hammy]

04/21: Game 9 @ OAK: L 6-1: This has turned into a terrible start to the season. Rhule got knocked around a bit. The offense needs LeFlore back. He should be ready in the next couple of days. (Record: 4-5)

04/23: Game 10 Vs. TEX: L 6-0: Coleman struggled again. Leflore is back, but he went 0-3. In fact, we only managed 5 hits. (Record 4-6)

04/24: Game 11 Vs. TEX: L 5-4: Even a 2 homer night by Benji couldn’t win this one. Roberts went out in the 2nd and will be gone for 2 months, so I called Bare back up. I might give Martinez a few starts if Bare struggles. Also, my 2B Sutherland was injured for 3-4 weeks, so I called Scrivner up from AA. A 5 game losing streak. Lets hope Fidrych can end it. (Record: 4-7)

April 25th, 1976: Game tonight against the Rangers. Toby Harrah scares me. I think it’s his name; Toby. Fear all guys named Toby. Facing the leftie, Umbarger. His name makes me hungry. I’m going to see what I can make that ball do.

04/25 Game 12 Vs. TEX: L 7-0: Not sure if this Fidrych kid is ready. He looked pretty bad tonight giving up 7 runs in 7 IP. He’s so goofy, though, it’s compelling to watch. In the minors they called him “The Bird”. I asked him if he was going to get a hair cut, and he told me he was growing it out. What does that even mean. (Record 4-8)

April 26th, 1976: Boy do I ever hate that Toby Harrah. I’m gonna plunk him next time we meet on the field. He’s probably a good guy though, so I’ll throw him a curve. He hit two two-run homers off me before coach finally yanked me, put me out of my misery. If I am still in the rotation next week, I’ll be way sharper.

04/26: Ben Oglivie is named AL player of the week. He went 11 for 25 with 4 HR and 6 RBI

[captaincarl]

El Presidente pitched in 4 games, starting 2, in 1976 and the next year pitched in 42 games, starting 13. That's why he came in as a reliever and not a starter.

[84Hammy]

Originally Posted by captaincarl

El Presidente pitched in 4 games, starting 2, in 1976 and the next year pitched in 42 games, starting 13. That's why he came in as a reliever and not a starter.

How would I make sure he became a starter? Put him in the minors and in the Paradise rotation? Or should I start him in subsequent spring training season?


04/27 Game 13 Vs. OAK: L 8-3: Rhule collapsed in the 9th, unable to get an out. The A’s went on to score 6 in that inning. (Record 4-9)

04/28: Game 14 Vs. OAK: L 11-2: Coleman gets rocked–9 runs in 6 1/3 IP. The offense is stale too, scoring only 10 runs in the last 7 games. (Record 4-10)

04/30: Game 15: @ CHA: W 4-2: A nice game by Ray Bare, though he did get pretty lucky, scattering 11 hits over 8 innings. Leflore went 2-3 and is hitting .300 since his return. (Record 5-10)

April Major Transactions Around the League:

• SF traded OF Derrel Thomas to the Cubs for 3B Manny Trillo. Two young players, I wonder who will have the better career?
• The Indians trade 1B Boog Powell to the Cubs for RF Ollie Brown. Thomas made Brown expendable, I suppose.

AL Rookie of the Month: SS Mark Wagner, DET: Wagner hit .333 in April going 15 for 45, hitting 2 HR and driving in 5.

05/01 Game 16 @ CHA: W 13-3 Another start for the rookie, Fidrych. The Bird. Well tonight he went 8 innings and only gave up the 3 runs and 6 hits. The offense woke up too, with SS Wagner leading the way going 4-5 and driving in 4. Benji hit his 7th HR. (Record 6-10)

May 1st, 1976: My first Major League win. While it wasn’t my best effort ever, it sure was better than my first 3 starts! And hey, I lowered my ERA to 5.32. That’s terrible. I know I can do better. I hope I always have an offense like tonight! I could win 20 games if that were the case!

[84Hammy]

05/02: Game 17 @ CHA: W 5-1: A complete game for Rhule. He’s 2-2 with a 3.60 ERA. Jason Thompson hit one out. (Record: 7-10)

05/02: Game 18 A CHA: L3-2: In the second game we couldn’t generate the offense to help Coleman get the win. (Record: 7-11)

05/04: Game 19 Vs. MIN: W 8-5: I moved Wagner to the 2 spot; he was still hitting well over .300 (.387 after two more hits today). Thompson hit another HR and drove in 4. Another fine outing by Bare, he’s 2-1 now. (Record: 8-11)

May 5th, 1976: Starting today against Minnesota. Another scrappy team. You can’t help but be scrappy with guys named Butch, Rod, and Lyman on your team! I like starting at home, though that short porch, as the call it, in right field can scare a guy. I’ll have to tell the ball not to go there!

05/05 Game 20 Vs. MIN: L 7-2: Fidrych was fighting through the first couple innings, but settled in nicely. The problem was the Twins had already scored 5 times. (Record 8-12)

May 5th, 1976: You ever feel like something just isn’t right? I can’t get my head around this problem. I go out there, I know I can beat these guys, but I don’t. Guys named Butch, Rod, and Lyman hit me all day long, and I only last 6 innings. I got a good rise from the crowd, though when I really did talk to the ball after John Mayberry took a fastball and hammered it off the upper deck facing. How embarrassing!

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by 84Hammy

How would I make sure he became a starter? Put him in the minors and in the Paradise rotation? Or should I start him in subsequent spring training season?

Earl Weaver did this a lot with young pitchers. He used them as relievers for their first couple years with the Orioles before he gave them spots in the rotation.

Check Dennis' Endurance rating. If it's high, he'll probably evolve into a starter. If it's not, and you want to make sure he is a starter in your world, you might want to think about playing Great Baseball Deity. If you're in Commissioner mode, you can edit his Endurance so it's higher, and you can manually change his role. Just like that, you have yourself a starting pitcher.

I've done that before, when I know a player changed positions during his career. Dale Murphy, for example, imports as a rookie catcher/first baseman, just as he did in real life. I'll usually edit Murph to make sure he knows how to play the outfield well and see if his manager will move him.

Your dynasty has been a lot of fun to read. I was 13 when the Bird debuted, and I saw him pitch at Tiger Stadium twice in the summer of '76 when I was visiting cousins in the Detroit area. He signed autographs for us before another game we attended, and he couldn't have been a nicer guy.

[84Hammy]

Thanks Big Six. I like hearing this kind of story...it's helping me round out his character. Re: Martinez, I'm going to send him down once we are more or less out of contention, and let him start at AAA. Then maybe a September callup for a few starts and see where that takes him...Otherwise, I'll have to play G.O.D.

[84Hammy]

05/06: Game 21 Vs. MIN: W 5-3: Another good outing for Rhule. He gets his 3rd win. Hiller gets his 5th save, and Thompson and Oglivie hit homers. (Record 9-12)

05/07 Game 22 Vs. CHA: L 6-1: Coleman drops to 1-5 after this game. Staub and LeFlore each have 2 hits to no avail. (Record: 9-13)

05/08 Game 23 Vs. CHA: L 4-0: A 3run 4th sinks Bare in an otherwise good start. We could only muster 5 hits tonight. We need a win from Fidrych tomorrow. (Record 9-14)

May 8th, 1976: Well I loaded the bases with nobody out in the 2nd after already giving up a run on 3 hits. But I said to myself, “Self, you gotta snap out of it boy. This is the White Sox we’re talking about.” So a couple of pop flies and a strikeout later and I was out of it. Walking off the mound I pointed to the ball and said a quick thank you. So what did I do in the 3rd inning. The same thing pretty much. This time they scored a run on a sac fly. They scored two more in the 4th, but this time there were a couple of errors committed behind me. That’s okay, the Sox kept me against the ropes the entire game. We had an offensive outburst for the 5th inning, scoring 5 times to take hte lead, but by the 8th I was pretty beat and coach took me out. We held the lead and won the game. It wasn’t pretty, but it worked for my 2nd win.

05/09 Game 24 Vs. CHA: W 6-4: Well The Bird came through, though he was in trouble the entire game. Opponents are hitting .327 against him. That has to improve if he is going to make it in this league. We had a few timely hits, some timely walks, and another homer by Bengie. (Record 10-14)

Fidrych Stats: 2-3, 5.40 ERA, 5 GS, 35 IP, 48 H, 21 ER, 4 BB, 15 K.

[84Hammy]

05/11 Game 25 @ NYY: : L 10-9: Rhule gave up 4 runs in the 4th, then couldn’t get an out in the 5th, giving up 5 more runs. He jacked his ERA up to 4.86. Oglivie hit another HR (9) and drove in 3. Wagner had 3 hits and is now hitting .337. (Record 10-15)

05/12 Game 26 @ NYY: L 3-1: A decent outing for Coleman for a change, but the offense couldn’t help him out. (Record: 10-16)

05/13 Game 27 @ NYY: L 11-0: Bare gave up 12 his in 3 innings, allowing 8 runs. Martinez came in and was pitching well until he tore his rotator cuff and will be out for 6 months. (Record: 10-17–not a fun time being swept by the Yankees.)

05/14 Game 28 Vs. CLE: W 10-5: It’s good to see our offense back. The Bird, however, was still shaky. It’s like he needs one good outing to get him over the hump. (Record 11-17)

May 14th, 1976: Another terrible start for me, this time against Cleveland. They knocked me around for 12 hits and 5 runs in 8 innings. I’m frustrated more than anything, but I’ve seen the way the team is playing, and giving up 5 runs is dangerous for your win-loss record. Fortunately for me we got killed yesterday by the Yankees and the boys were mad. They scored 8 in the 6th to ensure that I would get my 3rd big league win. If I want to get a 4th, I’ve got to make my pitches count.

[84Hammy]

05/15 Game 29 Vs. CLE: W 8-6: Rhule pitched okay,. Grilli got grilled, and Mackormac is still perfect, getting the win. Wagner continues to hit the cover off the ball, going 2-4 and driving in 4. He’s now hitting .343 with 20 RBI to lead the team. Mickey Stanley was the hero, though, hitting a 3 run pinch hit homer in the bottom of the 9th. (Record 12-17)

05/16 Game 30 Vs. CLE: W 10-2: Bengie lead this attack, hitting homers. Coleman lasted only 4 innings, but pitched well enough. He hasn’t lasted long all season. It might be time to try out another starter. (Record 13-17)

05/17 Game 31 Vs. BOS: L 9-8 (12): A heartbreaker of a slugfest. We knocked 18 hits and only scored 8. Boston had 10 hits by comparison. Kimm hit a pinch hit HR in the 9th to tie it, but that was undone by Hiller’s first bad outing, in fact, his first earned run allowed. (Record: 13-18)

May 18th, 1976: In front of a national audience tonight, and I knew I just had to come through, and I did! Complete game win, 6hits, 2 runs against a pretty tough Boston team (my old favorites). It felt good to beat them. I’m 4-3 three now, though the ERA is still pretty ugly at 4.85. I tipped my hat to the crowd after the game. One of the ABC Sports guys did a quick interview, asking me why I do all that crazy stuff on the mound, like when I yelled at the ball after Dwight Evans hit an absolute bomb. I looked right at the report, deadpan, and just sad, “What crazy stuff?” Hilarious. Then I told him I had to wash my hair.

05/18 Game 32 Vs. BOS: W 4-2: This was a nervous one until The Bird took control in the 6th, not giving up a hit the last 4 innings. Funny thing is, he wasn’t as sharp as he’s been in the other worse starts. He had only walked 5 batters in 42 innings, but tonight he walks 4; go figure. Leflore and Oglivie both hit homers; that’s Bengie’s 12th of the season. What, is he going to break Maris’ record or something? (Record 14-18)

[84Hammy]

05/19 Game 33 Vs. BOS: L 13-1: 3 errors and Rhule being unable to get out of the 2nd inning made this one painful. (Record 14-19)

05/21 Game 34 @ BAL: L 4-3: I gave Crawford the start in this one and he went 6 1/3 giving up just 2 runs. Hiller blew this one in the 9th, giving up 2 runs on 2 hits and 2 walks. It’s his 2nd blown save and 2nd loss of the season. (Record 14-20)

05/22 Game 35 @ BAL: W 3-1: A great start by Bare; he works 8 innings and only gives up the 1 run. Hiller came in for his 7th save. Oglivie hit his 13th HR. Go Bengie, go! (Record: 15-20)

05/23 Game 36 @ BAL: L 7-1: Everybody is pulling for The Bird, but he just hasn’t been consistent. In his 7 1/3 innings today he gave up 11 hits and 7 runs. His ERA has ballooned back to 5.31, which is better that Bare and Coleman, I suppose. I would just like to see him work a little quicker out there and bear down. Meanwhile, Flangan 2-hit us. (Record: 15-21)

May 23rd, 1976: I really don’t feel much like thinking about this tonight. Opponents are hitting .313 against me. That’s what is killing me. It’s like I was a different pitcher in Paradise. You know something is wrong when DeCinces goes 4 for 4 against you. He just raised his average to .215 for gosh sakes. It’s not like he’s Joe frickin’ Dimaggio! I’ll be in Paradise with one more start like that...