What year do you play and why?

AirmenSmith · 06-27-2019, 04:28 PM

So i'm just curious to why some people choose to play certain historical years. I usually play modern day but have found myself trying historical instead. My reasoning is because baseball now isn't as thrilling as it use to be. The state of Homeruns, the amount of teams, and the lack of quality pitching makes me go back in time.

So for me I usually start in 1994. I like the amount of teams in the league. Low injuries, pitchers pitched more, less on relievers, steals.

bms · 06-27-2019, 04:43 PM

Any year really, but I like 1981 or 1994 in order to let the teams play with the full (non-strike) schedule.

BirdWatcher · 06-27-2019, 05:51 PM

I pretty much only play fictional these days, but I use statistical modifiers (on a random, dice determined rotation) that range from 1972 to 1991 in terms of mirroring MLB stats.
Probably the most obvious reason for this range is that those were the years of my childhood and early adulthood.
But also because they seem to offer a nice balance of offense and defense and on offense, in particular, a nice balance of power and speed.
Plus it gives me two outlier seasons so that occasionally I'll have a season in my fictional league that will veer off quite a bit from the norm (1972 for pitching, 1987 for hitting, especially power hitting.)

Ah, and I should probably say that I started my league with the calendar year of 1965 (year I was born) and am now in 1973 (a 1987 stats season). Two ten-team leagues, no divisions, no playoffs, just a World Series between league champs. I am allowing for the possibility of expansion in the future but for now I like this smaller, simpler approach.

Buster Cherry · 06-27-2019, 08:28 PM

1946. Right after WWII and integration was about to happen. Seemed like as good of a time as any seeing as how most of my fictional teams are minor leagues.

scott1964 · 06-27-2019, 10:25 PM

Start in 1871.

Like how the teams started.

CraigBShuman · 06-27-2019, 10:30 PM

1962 Mets b/c the Mets are my favorite team. 1972 Mets b/c that was the first year I really followed them. The current met team b/c I like to think I can do better than the real life regime.

Siv · 06-28-2019, 09:26 AM

I always start at least one 1980 season as that is when I got hardcore into Statis Pro Baseball. I love to follow the league and Jose Cruz was my favorite player.

cheo25 · 06-28-2019, 09:39 AM

(delete)

cheo25 · 06-28-2019, 09:40 AM

I play the '70s and '80s. I'm currently in 1980.

That whole period is when I grew up. Trying to work my way through that into my college years, which started in 1989, but I probably won't get there until next year.

Quote:

I love to follow the league and Jose Cruz was my favorite player.

That makes two of us.

Brad K · 06-28-2019, 10:38 AM

Mid 60s to circa 1990. No DH. No interleague. Four Divisions. No wild cards

NotMuchTime · 06-28-2019, 10:49 AM

I don't play historical, but if I did, I'd start in 1960.

PocketsAintFull · 06-28-2019, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scott1964

Start in 1871.

Like how the teams started.

Now you've said that I want to do it

Dyzalot · 06-28-2019, 03:42 PM

I like to play modern starts. I'm addicted to simulating potential futures and I like how the league starts with names I know and evolves into a fictional league.

Ty Cobb · 06-28-2019, 04:00 PM

That's when I grew up. The 68 Tigers were my first WS team. The 72 team drew me in closer, and 12 years later when Jack Morris tossed the no no I lived a year of magical summer nights.

When I play...Ernie Harwell is reading me the PBP in my head...

BirdWatcher · 06-28-2019, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ty Cobb

That's when I grew up. The 68 Tigers were my first WS team. The 72 team drew me in closer, and 12 years later when Jack Morris tossed the no no I lived a year of magical summer nights.

When I play...Ernie Harwell is reading me the PBP in my head...

There are few voices that I miss more than Ernie's.
My maternal grandfather's, but other than that I would have a hard time naming any others. And my grandfather, like Ernie, had a great voice and a great love for and knowledge of baseball.
I was only 3 in 1968 though I did see Al Kaline hit a HR in his final season in my first visit to Tiger Stadium in 1974. And growing up I loved the combination of Whitaker and Trammell. (And my Fidrych fandom is rather self-evident.)

Argonaut · 06-28-2019, 05:47 PM

I'm just about to start my first historical game. Going with 1972 at the dawn of the Texas Rangers, see if I can win the World Series with them.

What do you guys do with your lineup construction in earlier eras? I can't see myself needing more than 4 on the bench (1 C, 2 IF, 1 OF), but are the extra relievers any benefit in the 70s? Or should I go with more on the bench like a 5th OF or extra pinch hitters/runners?

zappa1 · 06-29-2019, 06:57 AM

I play the expansion era. Love the 60's. My favorite baseball time. Playing three seasons right now. Focusing on 1969 at the moment. Also have '62 and '64 seasons going. It's the era where I started learning and following baseball. I'm an old timer and today's game just doesn't cut it for me. This game helps me relive the past and sometimes even change it.

Eugene Church · 06-29-2019, 11:43 AM

I grew up in the 50s... and really got into baseball... I knew the starting lineups and pitching rotations for all 16 teams (thank goodness, there was no free agency, so the rosters didn't change much year-to-year).

I also was an expert on the Southern Association...knew all the lineups and pitching rotations... lived in New Orleans and Mobile... followed the Pelicans and Bears in the newspaper and also attended games at Pelican Stadium and Hartwell Field... for three years was a clubhouse boy and ball boy down the right field line in Mobile (wow, lucky me... got paid a dollar a game)... got to know future MLB players Gary Bell, Bill Dailey, Dick Brown, Don Demeter and Gordy Coleman pretty well.

One night I got to be the visiting team batboy... didn't know it then, but I got to talk with future Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew prior to each at bat... really was a quiet nice guy... Gary Bell was on the mound... he and Bill Dailey are my all-time favorite Mobile Bears... Bell fanned 18 batters that night... he got Killebrew the first three times on strikes... as he was getting ready to face Bell a fourth time, Killebrew asked, "Danny, what do you think I'm going to do this time"... I just shrugged my shoulders, not knowing what to say... Killebrew said, "I'm gonna get three quick swings and call it a night."... Bell struck him out a fourth time... the Cleveland Indians called Bell up the next day and he began a solid 12-year career in the Majors.

Gary Bell made the AL All-Star team four times... posted a 121-117 record in his career with a 3.68 ERA... played 1958 to 1969.

Sadly, I just saw my good buddy has now passed away at the age of 82... I hadn't heard until I looked up his record in the Baseball-Reference.

Also followed the Pacific Coast League, American Association, International League and Texas League, but not in detail... could only follow them in The Sporting News... and I was aware of the other minor leagues in Class A, B, C and D.

This was a very special period in my life... that's why I also play 1950s style baseball.

eldur00 · 06-29-2019, 12:40 PM

I play a fictional pro/rel universe with 4 layers set in 1980. I also play a historical with the Expos that started in 1991 since it's the first year I started to watch baseball. I play out every game, so it's going slow, but my Expos are now in 1992. I also play manager only to add to the challenge.

gemini615 · 06-29-2019, 07:12 PM

I usually create fictional universes starting in 1920 and play them till around 1970. I use 1920 because there wasn't much use for a bullpen and I liked that. I also like spanning at least 50 years because I enjoy looking at the league record books and trying to discover hall of famers. I tend to sim a lot obviously lol

06-27-2019, 04:28 PM	#1
AirmenSmith Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Kalispell, MT Posts: 2,094	What year do you play and why? So i'm just curious to why some people choose to play certain historical years. I usually play modern day but have found myself trying historical instead. My reasoning is because baseball now isn't as thrilling as it use to be. The state of Homeruns, the amount of teams, and the lack of quality pitching makes me go back in time. So for me I usually start in 1994. I like the amount of teams in the league. Low injuries, pitchers pitched more, less on relievers, steals. __________________ Come join me on my Twitch Channel for gaming at its excellence Twitch Link

06-27-2019, 10:25 PM	#5
scott1964 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Denver Posts: 5,622	Start in 1871. Like how the teams started. __________________ This just feels more like waiting in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles. PETA.....People Eating Tasty Animals.

06-28-2019, 09:26 AM	#7
Siv Major Leagues Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Minnesota Posts: 365	1980 I always start at least one 1980 season as that is when I got hardcore into Statis Pro Baseball. I love to follow the league and Jose Cruz was my favorite player.

06-28-2019, 09:39 AM	#8
cheo25 All Star Starter Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Louisiana Posts: 1,269	(delete) Last edited by cheo25; 06-28-2019 at 02:54 PM. Reason: duplicate post

06-28-2019, 04:00 PM	#14
Ty Cobb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Grayling, MI Posts: 4,571	60s, 70s, & 80s mostly That's when I grew up. The 68 Tigers were my first WS team. The 72 team drew me in closer, and 12 years later when Jack Morris tossed the no no I lived a year of magical summer nights. When I play...Ernie Harwell is reading me the PBP in my head... __________________ "You could not live with your own failure. Where did that bring you? Back to me." Thanos

06-27-2019, 04:43 PM	#2
bms Bat Boy Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 7	Any year really, but I like 1981 or 1994 in order to let the teams play with the full (non-strike) schedule.

06-27-2019, 05:51 PM	#3
BirdWatcher Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 4,263	I pretty much only play fictional these days, but I use statistical modifiers (on a random, dice determined rotation) that range from 1972 to 1991 in terms of mirroring MLB stats. Probably the most obvious reason for this range is that those were the years of my childhood and early adulthood. But also because they seem to offer a nice balance of offense and defense and on offense, in particular, a nice balance of power and speed. Plus it gives me two outlier seasons so that occasionally I'll have a season in my fictional league that will veer off quite a bit from the norm (1972 for pitching, 1987 for hitting, especially power hitting.) Ah, and I should probably say that I started my league with the calendar year of 1965 (year I was born) and am now in 1973 (a 1987 stats season). Two ten-team leagues, no divisions, no playoffs, just a World Series between league champs. I am allowing for the possibility of expansion in the future but for now I like this smaller, simpler approach.

06-27-2019, 08:28 PM	#4
Buster Cherry Minors (Triple A) Join Date: May 2019 Location: Southwest Virginia Posts: 297	1946. Right after WWII and integration was about to happen. Seemed like as good of a time as any seeing as how most of my fictional teams are minor leagues.

06-27-2019, 10:30 PM	#6
CraigBShuman Minors (Double A) Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 124	1962 Mets b/c the Mets are my favorite team. 1972 Mets b/c that was the first year I really followed them. The current met team b/c I like to think I can do better than the real life regime.

06-28-2019, 10:38 AM	#10
Brad K Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2016 Location: St Petersburg Florida USA Posts: 6,658 Infractions: 0/2 (3)	Mid 60s to circa 1990. No DH. No interleague. Four Divisions. No wild cards

06-28-2019, 10:49 AM	#11
NotMuchTime Minors (Double A) Join Date: Mar 2016 Posts: 150	I don't play historical, but if I did, I'd start in 1960.

06-28-2019, 03:42 PM	#13
Dyzalot All Star Starter Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 1,735	I like to play modern starts. I'm addicted to simulating potential futures and I like how the league starts with names I know and evolves into a fictional league.

06-28-2019, 05:47 PM	#16
Argonaut All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2019 Posts: 1,085	I'm just about to start my first historical game. Going with 1972 at the dawn of the Texas Rangers, see if I can win the World Series with them. What do you guys do with your lineup construction in earlier eras? I can't see myself needing more than 4 on the bench (1 C, 2 IF, 1 OF), but are the extra relievers any benefit in the 70s? Or should I go with more on the bench like a 5th OF or extra pinch hitters/runners? __________________ Texas Rangers Dynasty (Est. 1972) Hartford Whalers Dynasty: Brass Bonanza

06-29-2019, 06:57 AM	#17
zappa1 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 2,115	I play the expansion era. Love the 60's. My favorite baseball time. Playing three seasons right now. Focusing on 1969 at the moment. Also have '62 and '64 seasons going. It's the era where I started learning and following baseball. I'm an old timer and today's game just doesn't cut it for me. This game helps me relive the past and sometimes even change it.

06-29-2019, 11:43 AM	#18
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,874	I grew up in the 50s... and really got into baseball... I knew the starting lineups and pitching rotations for all 16 teams (thank goodness, there was no free agency, so the rosters didn't change much year-to-year). I also was an expert on the Southern Association...knew all the lineups and pitching rotations... lived in New Orleans and Mobile... followed the Pelicans and Bears in the newspaper and also attended games at Pelican Stadium and Hartwell Field... for three years was a clubhouse boy and ball boy down the right field line in Mobile (wow, lucky me... got paid a dollar a game)... got to know future MLB players Gary Bell, Bill Dailey, Dick Brown, Don Demeter and Gordy Coleman pretty well. One night I got to be the visiting team batboy... didn't know it then, but I got to talk with future Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew prior to each at bat... really was a quiet nice guy... Gary Bell was on the mound... he and Bill Dailey are my all-time favorite Mobile Bears... Bell fanned 18 batters that night... he got Killebrew the first three times on strikes... as he was getting ready to face Bell a fourth time, Killebrew asked, "Danny, what do you think I'm going to do this time"... I just shrugged my shoulders, not knowing what to say... Killebrew said, "I'm gonna get three quick swings and call it a night."... Bell struck him out a fourth time... the Cleveland Indians called Bell up the next day and he began a solid 12-year career in the Majors. Gary Bell made the AL All-Star team four times... posted a 121-117 record in his career with a 3.68 ERA... played 1958 to 1969. Sadly, I just saw my good buddy has now passed away at the age of 82... I hadn't heard until I looked up his record in the Baseball-Reference. Also followed the Pacific Coast League, American Association, International League and Texas League, but not in detail... could only follow them in The Sporting News... and I was aware of the other minor leagues in Class A, B, C and D. This was a very special period in my life... that's why I also play 1950s style baseball. Last edited by Eugene Church; 06-29-2019 at 12:20 PM.

06-29-2019, 12:40 PM	#19
eldur00 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 506	I play a fictional pro/rel universe with 4 layers set in 1980. I also play a historical with the Expos that started in 1991 since it's the first year I started to watch baseball. I play out every game, so it's going slow, but my Expos are now in 1992. I also play manager only to add to the challenge.

06-29-2019, 07:12 PM	#20
gemini615 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2017 Posts: 671	I usually create fictional universes starting in 1920 and play them till around 1970. I use 1920 because there wasn't much use for a bullpen and I liked that. I also like spanning at least 50 years because I enjoy looking at the league record books and trying to discover hall of famers. I tend to sim a lot obviously lol __________________ Hiram College Terriers Blog "The Dog Park"