A New York State Of Mind: Replaying the New York Highlanders/New York Yankees History, 1903-Present - Page 10

Jeff49 · 03-08-2009, 09:09 PM

Darn, I was hoping your Yankees would win their first World Series in ten years, but it was not to be, I guess. I carefully scrolled down one line at a time during the W.S. to draw out the tension.

One thing I noticed, your payroll really dropped. You might have a bigger budget to sign some big free agents, maybe? Mr. Gibson, perhaps?

(Plus, some way, some how, you've got to get DiMaggio, when he arrives in a couple years.)

gollum65 · 03-09-2009, 08:02 AM

I've had plenty of cash for free agents almost every year. My payroll was so low because my team was really young. I wish I could get Gibson, but he was just in his rookie year so he won't be hitting the free agency market for a while yet.

And I do intend to try to get both DiMaggio brothers if at all possible.

Jeff49 · 03-09-2009, 11:06 AM

Ah, I hadn't thought of Dom DiMaggio, he'd be a worthy addition, too.

I forgot Gibson wouldn't be eligible for a while. Is it six years in your league?

gollum65 · 03-09-2009, 11:25 PM

Yeah, my league is set to 6 years before they become free agents.

gollum65 · 03-10-2009, 07:55 AM

Updates to this league are going to slow down for a while. I'm in 4 online leagues, one of which I commish, and the one I commish is just starting it's offseason and I have a ton of testing to do with that league on some changes. I also have testing on other software that's going to start hot and heavy this week. I'll update this league when I have time, but don't expect much between now and April.

onnel · 03-10-2009, 07:16 PM

Your adoring fans wait impatiently!

gollum65 · 03-11-2009, 08:44 AM

Offseason Recap & 1934 Season Preview: Had a little free time this morning so figured I'd get to the start of 1934...

Hall Of Fame Inductees: RF Carson Bigbee, 1B Harry Heilmann, C Steve O'Neil, RF Jack Tobin, 1B George Sisler, P Hod Eller
Quite a few big names here, with the most notable probably being Sisler so I'll start with him. George Sisler in my league was even better then the real George Sisler. He retires as the all time hit leader with 3,724, and he's 2nd in career batting average at .348 behind Rogers Hornsby. He's also the career leader in singles and runs scored, and at the time of his retirement he holds the single season records for batting average (.402, 1920), hits (272, 1920), & singles (212, 1920). Sisler won 2 MVP awards.

Former Yankee catcher Steve O'Neill was about twice as impressive as his real world counterpart. O'Neill finished with 3,406 hits and 5 Gold Glove awards. For most of the 1920s he was one of the best catchers in the game.

Harry Heilmann played 20 seasons for 3 different teams, but was in his prime with the St. Louis Browns. Heilmann finished with 2,784 hits, the 1916 NL Rookie of the Year award, and a Gold Glove.

Carson Bigbee had 2,517 hits, a lifetime .306 average, and 377 stolen bases. He won 1 Gold Glove award.

Jack Tobin was inducted as much for his fielding as his hitting. Tobin played right field for 19 seasons for the Reds, Pirates, & White Sox. He had 2,507 hits, a lifetime .326 average, and 8 Gold Gloves.

The only pitcher to be inducted this year was former Yankee Hod Eller. He won 327 games for the White Sox, Yankees, & Senators. From 1923 to 1933 he won 20+ games 9 times. Eller won Rookie of the Year in 1917, and then won 3 Most Valuable Pitcher awards.

Yankees 1932 Award Winners: It was a clean sweep of the major awards for the Yankees. Lou Gehrig won his 2nd straight & 4th career MVP. Fred Heimach won his 1st Most Valuable Pitcher award (more on him soon), and Lonny Frey won the AL Rookie of the Year. Cool Papa Bell won his 6th straight & 7th career Gold Glove.

Draft Recap: Probably the most famous names in this draft were 2 Negro League stars. C Quincey Trouppe went to the Braves, and 3B Ray Dandridge went to the Red Sox. With the Yankees top pick we took RF Tommy Henrich in the hopes that he could bring some power to the outfield in a couple of seasons.

Notable Offseason Transactions: Other then a few young guys signing minor league deals & a couple of defensive additions, the offseason in the Bronx pretty much revolved around 1 player...

October 12, 1933: P Fred Heimach opts out of his contract
Ok, fine. I can give you a raise...

October 21, 1933: P Fred Heimach signs a 2 year extension @ $75,000 per season

March 25, 1934: P Fred Heimach released
In the middle of spring training Heimach tore his shoulder, thus ending his baseball career.

The loss of Heimach was a real blow to the Yankees. It was so late in the offseason that there weren't any decent options left on the free agent market. And nobody was willing to part with a good pitcher cheap. So we'll just have to make due with a motley crew of "decent" starting pitchers, plus Chet Brewer.

Strengths: We've got an improving lineup and a pretty good bullpen

Weaknesses: The starting rotation is a real question mark now.

Projected Record: Heimach won 26 games last year. I don't see any single pitcher or combination of pitchers on my depth chart that can match that production. The Yankees won 102 games last year. I'm going to say Heimach's loss costs us 15 wins and we finish with 87.

1934 Budget: $1.050M (#2 behind the Giants)

1934 Payroll: $678k (#8 in the league)

1934 Opening Day Roster:

Jeff49 · 03-11-2009, 10:49 AM

That is a crusher, to lose Heimach right after he becomes a star pitcher. Sounds like a few real pitchers we could probably think of.

Gehrig's going to be looking for some big money after the 1934 season is over, I bet.

Good for you, you picked up Tommy Henrich. He'll be a good one for quite a few years, assuming he doesn't pull a Heimach. Hmmm, their names are very similar ...........

Tommy Henrich lived in the same nice and isolated residential community in northern Arizona as my wife's parents back in the 80s, Prescott Country Club, and one day my father-in-law met Tommy, through a mutual friend, and they enjoyed an afternoon together with the mutual friend. Wish Id been there!

Ankit · 03-11-2009, 05:04 PM

Wow! The Heimach injury is going to be a tough one to get over. You have had a rough stretch with injuries to your stars keeping them out for extended periods. I would suggest you hire a strength and conditioning coach, get all your stars shiatsu massaging chairs/recliners, and some voodoo dolls to ward off the evil spirits. It also could be because of the frequent trades with the Red Sox whose "ex" players are draining the positive chi energy from the club house. ;-)

gollum65 · 03-12-2009, 09:44 AM

I dispatched a team of black cats to Fenway Park to hopefully scare off these injury bugs.

And so I thought losing Heimach was going to be a big blow. As it turned out, the Yankees didn't even bat an eye, and went out and dominated the American League....

gollum65 · 03-12-2009, 10:24 AM

1934 Season Recap: Needless to say, this Yankee team wildly exceeded my expectations....

Final 1934 Standings:

1934 New York Yankees Leaders & Rankings:

1934 Year In Review: They say pitching wins championships. Let's hope their right. It certainly won the American League pennant this year. The Yankees sprinted out to a healthy lead by early May, and had a double digit lead by the trading deadline. They were really never challenged.

The stars of the team, besides Gehrig of course, were Pat Malone, Carl Fischer, and the collection of Yankee relievers. As you can see from the rankings, the Yanks had the best pitching in the league, and 3 Yankee pitchers won 18 or more games.

Now let's see if we can finally get our 6th World Series...

1934 New York Yankees All Stars: 7 Yankees went to the All Star game. They were Lou Gehrig, Dick Porter, Bill DeLancey, Ben Chapman, Rip Sewell, Carl Fischer, & Chet Brewer.

1934 New York Yankees Transactions:

April 19, 1934: Signed 1B Lou Gehrig to a 5 year extension @ $250,000 per season
Duh. No way I was letting him get away.

May 31, 1934: Signed P Chet Brewer to a 3 year extension @ $50,000 per season (year 3 is a mutual option)
I wanted to wait to see if Brewer would put up good numbers, and he did. So he got a raise.

July 14, 1934: Signed 2B Dave Bancroft to a 1 year extension @ $10,000
This is the only player I've been this loyal to, and he's returned that loyalty. He took a 75% pay reduction to stay in New York. He'll be 44 years old next season, so it wouldn't shock me if he decided to retire after the playoffs.

World Series Matchup: It's the 14th World Series for the Yankees, and we're looking for our 6th title. For Pittsburgh it's their 13th appearance in the Fall Classic, and they've won 4 championships.

Game 1 @ New York: Chet Brewer pitched a complete game, giving up 4 runs on 5 hits and the Yankees won 5-4. New York leads 1 game to none.

Game 2 @ New York: The Pirates bounced back to win game 2 by a 6-2 score. The series is tied one game apiece heading to Pittsburgh.

Game 3 @ Pittsburgh: The Bombers outslugged Pittsburgh 11-9 to win game 3. New York leads 2 games to 1.

Game 4 @ Pittsburgh: Chet Brewer's complete game wasn't good enough. The Pirates won 2-1 to even the series at 2 games each.

Game 5 @ Pittsburgh: The Pirates got an RBI single from Tony Lazzeri in the bottom of the 13th to beat New York 2-1. The Pirates now lead 3 games to 2.

Game 6 @ New York: The Yankees pounded Pittsburgh 9-3 to tie the series and force a 7th and deciding game.

Game 7 @ New York: With the game tied at 4 in the bottom of the 9th, Lonny Frey's 2 out double drove in Bill Akers and the Yankees won 5-4. New York wins their 6th World Series!

Finally! Sheesh!

World Series Tally:
Real Yankees: 26
My Yankees: 6

Jeff49 · 03-12-2009, 11:36 AM

Finally is right! Congratulations.

The Pirates got an RBI single from Tony Lazzeri in the bottom of the 13th to beat New York 2-1.

Tony Lazzeri on the Pirates!?! What's wrong with this picture !?!

Maybe you can pick him up cheap some day, just to be able to say Tony Lazzeri was a Yankee.

gollum65 · 03-12-2009, 12:51 PM

Yeah, I know. He should be in pinstripes. But when he came out in the draft, I wasn't able to get my hands on him. I figured I'd wait for him to become a free agent like I did Gehrig.

gollum65 · 03-17-2009, 10:51 AM

Offseason Recap & 1935 Season Preview: Finally found some time to post an update...

Hall Of Fame Inductees: 3B Rogers Hornsby
Well, without Babe Ruth being Babe Ruth, Rajah is easily the best player in the league's history to date. He retires as the career leader in VORP (1387), Total Bases (5632), & RBI (1760). He's top 3 in 8 other career offensive categories and at the time of his retirement he holds single season records for slugging % (.727 in 1925) & OPS (1.206, 1925). Hornsby retires with the 1915 NL Rookie of the Year, 4 Gold Gloves, and 10 MVPs. In comparison, nobody else currently has more then 5 MVPs. From 1918 to 1928 he won every MVP award except 1. Career stats:

Games: 2723
At Bats: 9922
Runs: 1854
Hits: 3510
Doubles: 573
Triples: 245
Home Runs: 353
RBI: 1760
Total Bases: 5632
Walks: 1207
Strikeouts: 687
Steals: 399
Caught Stealing: 389
Batting Average: .354
On Base %: .424
Slugging %: .568
OPS: .991

Yankees 1934 Award Winners: Lou Gehrig won his 3rd straight & 5th career AL MVP. Pat Malone won his 1st AL Most Valuable Pitcher award. Cool Papa Bell won his 7th straight & 8th career Gold Glove.

Draft Recap: There were some very good players in this draft, but only 2 Hall of Famers, and I was quite surprised when one of them fell to 16th in the 1st round. Selected first overall by the Cardinals was Joe DiMaggio (

). Falling to the Yankees at 16th was real world Cardinal great Enos Slaughter. Of course I tried to trade Slaughter to St. Louis for DiMaggio, but they wouldn't bite. Neither would I. We'll just have to see what happens...

Notable Offseason Transactions: Turned over a lot of personnel this season. I felt a lot of the arbitration awards that were due were too rich for the quality of the player.

November 1, 1934: Released P Roy Sherid, P George Blaeholder, OF Sammy Byrd, SS Eddie Marhsall, OF Bill Norman, RF Dick Porter, 2B Dib Williams, & 3B Bill Akers
Porter, Williams, & Akers were all starters, but I didn't like the arbitration awards they had coming.

November 4, 1934: 1B Buck Jordan files for free agency
Buck wasn't happy being Gehrig's backup, so it wasn't a surprise that he was itching to get out of New York. Probably good enough to start for a young team.

November 9, 1934: Traded RF Ed Bolland to the Giants for P Jumbo Elliott
Elliott is a veteran starting pitcher who could also come out of the pen.

November 14, 1934: Signed free agents 2B Carl Lind, RF Denver Grigsby, & 3B John Chapman to 2 year contracts
All were meant to be depth moves.

November 29, 1934: Signed free agent RF Chuck Klein to a 4 year contract @ $200,000 per season (year 4 is a team option)
Finally got that power bat to protect Gehrig in the lineup (not that he needed much protection). Klein hit 40+ homers the last 2 years. He and Gehrig could challenge 50 homers.

December 18, 1934: Signed free agent 3B Joe Stripp to a 2 year contract @ $8,000 per season (year 2 is a team option)
Stripp will get a shot to be the every day 3rd baseman. He's a better hitter and fielder then Akers was.

December 22, 1934: Signed free agent 1B Joe Hauser to a 2 year contract @ $8,630 per season (year 2 is a team option)
In the '20s Joe Hauser was the best power hitter in the National League. Now at 36 years old he'll serve as Gehrig's backup.

Strengths: With Gehrig & Klein we should be one of the best hitting teams in the league.

Weaknesses: Looks like some younger pitchers will be getting a shot. I can't imagine this team could duplicate what they did last year.

Projected Record: So it seems like whenever I predict low, we win a lot and vice versa. So I'm going to say our pitching isn't great and that will limit us to 88 wins.

1935 Budget: $1.216M (#1 in the league)

1935 Payroll: $808,911 (#5 in the league)

Opening Day Roster:

gollum65 · 03-18-2009, 12:15 PM

1935 Season Recap:

Final 1935 Standings:

1935 New York Yankees Leaders & Rankings:

1935 Year In Review: The St. Louis Browns paced the American League for most of the season. The Yankees never lost touch with the top of the standings, and thanks to strong months of July & August, the Yankees were able to catch the Browns and hold them off at the end, as well as the White Sox.

Lou Gehrig won the AL Home Run Title. Chuck Klein led the league in RBI and was 3rd in batting average. Cool Papa Bell led the league in stolen bases...again... And Chet Brewer finished 1 win behind Satchel Paige for the AL lead in wins. Rookie 2nd baseman Roy Hughes put up a very good year, batting .323 with 3 homers and 88 RBI, and he was selected to the 1935 All Star Game.

1935 New York Yankees All Stars: 9 Yankees went to the All Star Game this year. They were Chet Brewer, Rip Sewell, Lou Gehrig, Chuck Klein, Bill DeLancey, Cool Papa Bell, Joe Stripp (JOE STRIPP??!!), Lonny Frey, & Roy Hughes. I was surprised to see Stripp in the AS game, but then I checked his stats. For the season Joe Stripp batted .299 with 5 homers and 71 RBI. At the time of his selection he was batting over .310.

1935 New York Yankees Transactions:

May 23, 1935: Signed 2B Dave Bancroft to a 1 year extension @ $5,000
I'm really surprised every season that Bancroft comes back. He'll be 45 next April. He only got into 37 games this year, so retirement should be on his mind. But he still batted .304 and only committed 3 errors, so I'll let him hang around if he wants to come back.

July 29, 1935: Traded 1B Joe Hauser to the New York Giants for SS Ed Miller
I didn't realize when I signed Hauser that he expected to start. Obviously that wasn't going to happen, so he wasn't happy. Miller is a decent young shortstop who will probably be a bench player in a year or 2. He's only 18 years old.

World Series Matchup: The Yankees are making their 15th World Series appearance in franchise history, and are seeking their 7th championship. The Cubs are in their 3rd World Series in team history, and they're looking for their 2nd title.

Game 1 @ New York: The Cubbies brought their hitting shoes, beating up on Chet Brewer & 2 Yankee relievers to win game 1 by a 13-2 score. Chicago leads 1 game to none.

Game 2 @ New York: Chicago beat up on 3 more Yankee pitchers and won game 2 by an 11-2 score. Cubs lead the series 2 games to none.

Game 3 @ Chicago: Gehrig's solo homer in the top of the 11th was the difference as the Yankees outslugged Chicago 9-8. The Cubs lead the series 2 games to 1.

Game 4 @ Chicago: 3 more Yankee pitchers. 11 more runs surrendered. Cubs win 11-4 and lead the series 3 games to 1.

Game 5 @ Chicago: The Cubs outlasted the Yankees 5-4 to win game 5 and the series. Chicago wins their 2nd World Series!

World Series Tally:
Real Yankees: 26
My Yankees: 6

gollum65 · 03-20-2009, 09:19 AM

Offseason Recap & 1936 Season Preview: One big name out, one big name in....

Hall Of Fame Inductees: OF Edd Roush, OF Benny Kauf, 2B Dave Bancroft
I'll start with Bancroft since he was a Yankee his whole career. After the draft in the fall I decided to release Bancroft as I had picked up a young 2nd baseman in the draft. It wasn't surprising that he then retired on January 1st. Bancroft played 21 seasons for the Yankees. He got 2,482 hits, 292 doubles, 90 triples, 77 homers, 970 RBI, and a .280 lifetime average. He wouldn't be a HoF worthy player had it not been for the 7 Gold Gloves, and you could make the argument that he's still not good enough. But I want him in, so he's in. If you remember correctly, I felt he should have won at least 2 or 3 more Gold Gloves when he was in his prime.

Benny Kauf played 23 seasons for the Pirates, Red Sox, Cardinals, & Tigers. He had 2,935 hits and a career .336 batting average. He was a 2 time MVP and won a Gold Glove. Spending most of his career in Pittsburgh, Kauf was one of the best hitters in the National League for 15 years.

Edd Roush played 22 seasons for 8 different teams. He had 2,944 hits and a .304 career hitter. Roush won Rookie of the Year in 1914 and 2 Gold Gloves.

Yankees 1935 Award Winners: Lou Gehrig won his 4th straight and 6th career MVP award. Chet Brewer won his 2nd career Most Valuable Pitcher award. Bill DeLancey won his 2nd career Gold Glove. Lonny Frey won his 1st career Gold Glove.
The big "award" for Gehrig though was that he became the first player in MLB history to hit 400 home runs (forgot to mention that last time). At just 32 years old he's already hit 424 homers.

Draft Recap: Some HUGE names in this draft, plus a couple of Negro League home run hitters. Selected 1st overall by the Philadelphia Athletics was Ted Williams. Negro League slugger Willard Brown went 2nd to the Dodgers. Bob Feller was picked 4th by the Red Sox. And the Dodgers also got Negro League slugger Luke Easter in the 2nd round. At the end of the 2nd round the Yankees got 2B Stu Martin, which was the catalyst in the decision to release Dave Bancroft.

Notable Offseason Transactions:

October 8, 1935: Cool Papa Bell opted out of his contract
I tried to offer Bell a new deal by doubling his salary. He wanted almost as much as Gehrig, which I was not willing to pay. So Cool Papa Bell has moved on to Cleveland.

November 26, 1935: Signed free agents 3B Les Bell & CF Joe Watwood
Bell is a backup. Watwood will serve as the starting center fielder for now.

January 5, 1936: Traded RF Enos Slaughter, P Charlie Perkins, & P Leroy Herrmann to the St. Louis Cardinals for P Johnny Vander Meer
It was appropriate that Slaughter play for the Cards, and I needed a young starting pitcher.

Strengths: We have one of the best power hitting lineups in baseball. I think our pitching is improving.

Weaknesses: Loosing Cool Papa Bell obviously leaves a void in center field.

Projected Record: The Yanks won 93 last year. I think the Vander Meer acquisition offsets the Bell loss. So I'm going to say 90 wins this year and another American League pennant.

1936 Budget: $1,294,215 (#1 in the league)

1936 Payroll: $831,861 (#6 in the league)

1936 Opening Day Roster:

gollum65 · 03-21-2009, 07:44 PM

Just to satisfy my curiosity, would any of my loyal readers have inducted Bancroft into the Hall? Thanks very much for reading and responding.

CatKnight · 03-22-2009, 02:48 AM

Bancroft's borderline.

His 2,482 hits don't impress me, but his .280 BA isn't bad. I'm inclined to give him the nod due to his gold gloves, which suggest dominance at the position, and his longevity: 21 years for one team means he must have been a fan favorite in New York for a long time.

lawrence97 · 03-22-2009, 06:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gollum65

Just to satisfy my curiosity, would any of my loyal readers have inducted Bancroft into the Hall? Thanks very much for reading and responding.

Its a very tough call, on the offensive side, his numbers aren't there(but the ba is very respectable). However his longevity and defence do present a strong argument, and i don't blame you for putting him in the hof, but i honestly don't know if i would have done. It all depends what the league ba average was for his time in the majors. If he's well clear of the curve he's in, if not, i wouldn't personally have put him in.

Ankit · 03-22-2009, 03:44 PM

What was Bancroft's VORP? His Gold Gloves do make a good case for him. I would probably elect him in...

03-11-2009, 05:04 PM	#189
Ankit All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Singapore Posts: 603	Wow! The Heimach injury is going to be a tough one to get over. You have had a rough stretch with injuries to your stars keeping them out for extended periods. I would suggest you hire a strength and conditioning coach, get all your stars shiatsu massaging chairs/recliners, and some voodoo dolls to ward off the evil spirits. It also could be because of the frequent trades with the Red Sox whose "ex" players are draining the positive chi energy from the club house. ;-) __________________

03-17-2009, 10:51 AM	#194
gollum65 All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 925	Offseason Recap & 1935 Season Preview: Finally found some time to post an update... Hall Of Fame Inductees: 3B Rogers Hornsby Well, without Babe Ruth being Babe Ruth, Rajah is easily the best player in the league's history to date. He retires as the career leader in VORP (1387), Total Bases (5632), & RBI (1760). He's top 3 in 8 other career offensive categories and at the time of his retirement he holds single season records for slugging % (.727 in 1925) & OPS (1.206, 1925). Hornsby retires with the 1915 NL Rookie of the Year, 4 Gold Gloves, and 10 MVPs. In comparison, nobody else currently has more then 5 MVPs. From 1918 to 1928 he won every MVP award except 1. Career stats: Games: 2723 At Bats: 9922 Runs: 1854 Hits: 3510 Doubles: 573 Triples: 245 Home Runs: 353 RBI: 1760 Total Bases: 5632 Walks: 1207 Strikeouts: 687 Steals: 399 Caught Stealing: 389 Batting Average: .354 On Base %: .424 Slugging %: .568 OPS: .991 Yankees 1934 Award Winners: Lou Gehrig won his 3rd straight & 5th career AL MVP. Pat Malone won his 1st AL Most Valuable Pitcher award. Cool Papa Bell won his 7th straight & 8th career Gold Glove. Draft Recap: There were some very good players in this draft, but only 2 Hall of Famers, and I was quite surprised when one of them fell to 16th in the 1st round. Selected first overall by the Cardinals was Joe DiMaggio (). Falling to the Yankees at 16th was real world Cardinal great Enos Slaughter. Of course I tried to trade Slaughter to St. Louis for DiMaggio, but they wouldn't bite. Neither would I. We'll just have to see what happens... Notable Offseason Transactions: Turned over a lot of personnel this season. I felt a lot of the arbitration awards that were due were too rich for the quality of the player. *November 1, 1934:* Released P Roy Sherid, P George Blaeholder, OF Sammy Byrd, SS Eddie Marhsall, OF Bill Norman, RF Dick Porter, 2B Dib Williams, & 3B Bill Akers Porter, Williams, & Akers were all starters, but I didn't like the arbitration awards they had coming. November 4, 1934: 1B Buck Jordan files for free agency Buck wasn't happy being Gehrig's backup, so it wasn't a surprise that he was itching to get out of New York. Probably good enough to start for a young team. November 9, 1934: Traded RF Ed Bolland to the Giants for P Jumbo Elliott Elliott is a veteran starting pitcher who could also come out of the pen. November 14, 1934: Signed free agents 2B Carl Lind, RF Denver Grigsby, & 3B John Chapman to 2 year contracts All were meant to be depth moves. November 29, 1934: Signed free agent RF Chuck Klein to a 4 year contract @ $200,000 per season (year 4 is a team option) Finally got that power bat to protect Gehrig in the lineup (not that he needed much protection). Klein hit 40+ homers the last 2 years. He and Gehrig could challenge 50 homers. December 18, 1934: Signed free agent 3B Joe Stripp to a 2 year contract @ $8,000 per season (year 2 is a team option) Stripp will get a shot to be the every day 3rd baseman. He's a better hitter and fielder then Akers was. December 22, 1934: Signed free agent 1B Joe Hauser to a 2 year contract @ $8,630 per season (year 2 is a team option) In the '20s Joe Hauser was the best power hitter in the National League. Now at 36 years old he'll serve as Gehrig's backup. Strengths: With Gehrig & Klein we should be one of the best hitting teams in the league. Weaknesses: Looks like some younger pitchers will be getting a shot. I can't imagine this team could duplicate what they did last year. Projected Record: So it seems like whenever I predict low, we win a lot and vice versa. So I'm going to say our pitching isn't great and that will limit us to 88 wins. 1935 Budget: $1.216M (#1 in the league) 1935 Payroll: $808,911 (#5 in the league) Opening Day Roster: Last edited by gollum65; 03-17-2009 at 10:53 AM.

03-22-2009, 03:44 PM	#200
Ankit All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Singapore Posts: 603	What was Bancroft's VORP? His Gold Gloves do make a good case for him. I would probably elect him in... __________________

03-08-2009, 09:09 PM	#181
Jeff49 Minors (Single A) Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Mesa, Arizona Posts: 86	Darn, I was hoping your Yankees would win their first World Series in ten years, but it was not to be, I guess. I carefully scrolled down one line at a time during the W.S. to draw out the tension. One thing I noticed, your payroll really dropped. You might have a bigger budget to sign some big free agents, maybe? Mr. Gibson, perhaps? (Plus, some way, some how, you've got to get DiMaggio, when he arrives in a couple years.)

03-09-2009, 08:02 AM	#182
gollum65 All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 925	I've had plenty of cash for free agents almost every year. My payroll was so low because my team was really young. I wish I could get Gibson, but he was just in his rookie year so he won't be hitting the free agency market for a while yet. And I do intend to try to get both DiMaggio brothers if at all possible.

03-09-2009, 11:06 AM	#183
Jeff49 Minors (Single A) Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Mesa, Arizona Posts: 86	Ah, I hadn't thought of Dom DiMaggio, he'd be a worthy addition, too. I forgot Gibson wouldn't be eligible for a while. Is it six years in your league?

03-09-2009, 11:25 PM	#184
gollum65 All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 925	Yeah, my league is set to 6 years before they become free agents.

03-10-2009, 07:55 AM	#185
gollum65 All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 925	Updates to this league are going to slow down for a while. I'm in 4 online leagues, one of which I commish, and the one I commish is just starting it's offseason and I have a ton of testing to do with that league on some changes. I also have testing on other software that's going to start hot and heavy this week. I'll update this league when I have time, but don't expect much between now and April.

03-10-2009, 07:16 PM	#186
onnel Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 212	Your adoring fans wait impatiently!

03-11-2009, 08:44 AM	#187
gollum65 All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 925	Offseason Recap & 1934 Season Preview: Had a little free time this morning so figured I'd get to the start of 1934... Hall Of Fame Inductees: RF Carson Bigbee, 1B Harry Heilmann, C Steve O'Neil, RF Jack Tobin, 1B George Sisler, P Hod Eller Quite a few big names here, with the most notable probably being Sisler so I'll start with him. George Sisler in my league was even better then the real George Sisler. He retires as the all time hit leader with 3,724, and he's 2nd in career batting average at .348 behind Rogers Hornsby. He's also the career leader in singles and runs scored, and at the time of his retirement he holds the single season records for batting average (.402, 1920), hits (272, 1920), & singles (212, 1920). Sisler won 2 MVP awards. Former Yankee catcher Steve O'Neill was about twice as impressive as his real world counterpart. O'Neill finished with 3,406 hits and 5 Gold Glove awards. For most of the 1920s he was one of the best catchers in the game. Harry Heilmann played 20 seasons for 3 different teams, but was in his prime with the St. Louis Browns. Heilmann finished with 2,784 hits, the 1916 NL Rookie of the Year award, and a Gold Glove. Carson Bigbee had 2,517 hits, a lifetime .306 average, and 377 stolen bases. He won 1 Gold Glove award. Jack Tobin was inducted as much for his fielding as his hitting. Tobin played right field for 19 seasons for the Reds, Pirates, & White Sox. He had 2,507 hits, a lifetime .326 average, and 8 Gold Gloves. The only pitcher to be inducted this year was former Yankee Hod Eller. He won 327 games for the White Sox, Yankees, & Senators. From 1923 to 1933 he won 20+ games 9 times. Eller won Rookie of the Year in 1917, and then won 3 Most Valuable Pitcher awards. Yankees 1932 Award Winners: It was a clean sweep of the major awards for the Yankees. Lou Gehrig won his 2nd straight & 4th career MVP. Fred Heimach won his 1st Most Valuable Pitcher award (more on him soon), and Lonny Frey won the AL Rookie of the Year. Cool Papa Bell won his 6th straight & 7th career Gold Glove. Draft Recap: Probably the most famous names in this draft were 2 Negro League stars. C Quincey Trouppe went to the Braves, and 3B Ray Dandridge went to the Red Sox. With the Yankees top pick we took RF Tommy Henrich in the hopes that he could bring some power to the outfield in a couple of seasons. Notable Offseason Transactions: Other then a few young guys signing minor league deals & a couple of defensive additions, the offseason in the Bronx pretty much revolved around 1 player... October 12, 1933: P Fred Heimach opts out of his contract Ok, fine. I can give you a raise... October 21, 1933: P Fred Heimach signs a 2 year extension @ $75,000 per season March 25, 1934: P Fred Heimach released In the middle of spring training Heimach tore his shoulder, thus ending his baseball career. The loss of Heimach was a real blow to the Yankees. It was so late in the offseason that there weren't any decent options left on the free agent market. And nobody was willing to part with a good pitcher cheap. So we'll just have to make due with a motley crew of "decent" starting pitchers, plus Chet Brewer. Strengths: We've got an improving lineup and a pretty good bullpen Weaknesses: The starting rotation is a real question mark now. Projected Record: Heimach won 26 games last year. I don't see any single pitcher or combination of pitchers on my depth chart that can match that production. The Yankees won 102 games last year. I'm going to say Heimach's loss costs us 15 wins and we finish with 87. 1934 Budget: $1.050M (#2 behind the Giants) 1934 Payroll: $678k (#8 in the league) 1934 Opening Day Roster:

03-11-2009, 10:49 AM	#188
Jeff49 Minors (Single A) Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Mesa, Arizona Posts: 86	That is a crusher, to lose Heimach right after he becomes a star pitcher. Sounds like a few real pitchers we could probably think of. Gehrig's going to be looking for some big money after the 1934 season is over, I bet. Good for you, you picked up Tommy Henrich. He'll be a good one for quite a few years, assuming he doesn't pull a Heimach. Hmmm, their names are very similar ........... Tommy Henrich lived in the same nice and isolated residential community in northern Arizona as my wife's parents back in the 80s, Prescott Country Club, and one day my father-in-law met Tommy, through a mutual friend, and they enjoyed an afternoon together with the mutual friend. Wish Id been there!

03-12-2009, 09:44 AM	#190
gollum65 All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 925	I dispatched a team of black cats to Fenway Park to hopefully scare off these injury bugs. And so I thought losing Heimach was going to be a big blow. As it turned out, the Yankees didn't even bat an eye, and went out and dominated the American League....

03-12-2009, 10:24 AM	#191
gollum65 All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 925	1934 Season Recap: Needless to say, this Yankee team wildly exceeded my expectations.... Final 1934 Standings: 1934 New York Yankees Leaders & Rankings: 1934 Year In Review: They say pitching wins championships. Let's hope their right. It certainly won the American League pennant this year. The Yankees sprinted out to a healthy lead by early May, and had a double digit lead by the trading deadline. They were really never challenged. The stars of the team, besides Gehrig of course, were Pat Malone, Carl Fischer, and the collection of Yankee relievers. As you can see from the rankings, the Yanks had the best pitching in the league, and 3 Yankee pitchers won 18 or more games. Now let's see if we can finally get our 6th World Series... 1934 New York Yankees All Stars: 7 Yankees went to the All Star game. They were Lou Gehrig, Dick Porter, Bill DeLancey, Ben Chapman, Rip Sewell, Carl Fischer, & Chet Brewer. 1934 New York Yankees Transactions: April 19, 1934: Signed 1B Lou Gehrig to a 5 year extension @ $250,000 per season Duh. No way I was letting him get away. May 31, 1934: Signed P Chet Brewer to a 3 year extension @ $50,000 per season (year 3 is a mutual option) I wanted to wait to see if Brewer would put up good numbers, and he did. So he got a raise. July 14, 1934: Signed 2B Dave Bancroft to a 1 year extension @ $10,000 This is the only player I've been this loyal to, and he's returned that loyalty. He took a 75% pay reduction to stay in New York. He'll be 44 years old next season, so it wouldn't shock me if he decided to retire after the playoffs. World Series Matchup: It's the 14th World Series for the Yankees, and we're looking for our 6th title. For Pittsburgh it's their 13th appearance in the Fall Classic, and they've won 4 championships. Game 1 @ New York: Chet Brewer pitched a complete game, giving up 4 runs on 5 hits and the Yankees won 5-4. New York leads 1 game to none. Game 2 @ New York: The Pirates bounced back to win game 2 by a 6-2 score. The series is tied one game apiece heading to Pittsburgh. Game 3 @ Pittsburgh: The Bombers outslugged Pittsburgh 11-9 to win game 3. New York leads 2 games to 1. Game 4 @ Pittsburgh: Chet Brewer's complete game wasn't good enough. The Pirates won 2-1 to even the series at 2 games each. Game 5 @ Pittsburgh: The Pirates got an RBI single from Tony Lazzeri in the bottom of the 13th to beat New York 2-1. The Pirates now lead 3 games to 2. Game 6 @ New York: The Yankees pounded Pittsburgh 9-3 to tie the series and force a 7th and deciding game. Game 7 @ New York: With the game tied at 4 in the bottom of the 9th, Lonny Frey's 2 out double drove in Bill Akers and the Yankees won 5-4. New York wins their 6th World Series! Finally! Sheesh! World Series Tally: Real Yankees: 26 My Yankees: 6

03-12-2009, 11:36 AM	#192
Jeff49 Minors (Single A) Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Mesa, Arizona Posts: 86	Finally is right! Congratulations. The Pirates got an RBI single from Tony Lazzeri in the bottom of the 13th to beat New York 2-1. Tony Lazzeri on the Pirates!?! What's wrong with this picture !?! Maybe you can pick him up cheap some day, just to be able to say Tony Lazzeri was a Yankee.

03-12-2009, 12:51 PM	#193
gollum65 All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 925	Yeah, I know. He should be in pinstripes. But when he came out in the draft, I wasn't able to get my hands on him. I figured I'd wait for him to become a free agent like I did Gehrig.

03-18-2009, 12:15 PM	#195
gollum65 All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 925	1935 Season Recap: Final 1935 Standings: 1935 New York Yankees Leaders & Rankings: 1935 Year In Review: The St. Louis Browns paced the American League for most of the season. The Yankees never lost touch with the top of the standings, and thanks to strong months of July & August, the Yankees were able to catch the Browns and hold them off at the end, as well as the White Sox. Lou Gehrig won the AL Home Run Title. Chuck Klein led the league in RBI and was 3rd in batting average. Cool Papa Bell led the league in stolen bases...again... And Chet Brewer finished 1 win behind Satchel Paige for the AL lead in wins. Rookie 2nd baseman Roy Hughes put up a very good year, batting .323 with 3 homers and 88 RBI, and he was selected to the 1935 All Star Game. 1935 New York Yankees All Stars: 9 Yankees went to the All Star Game this year. They were Chet Brewer, Rip Sewell, Lou Gehrig, Chuck Klein, Bill DeLancey, Cool Papa Bell, Joe Stripp (JOE STRIPP??!!), Lonny Frey, & Roy Hughes. I was surprised to see Stripp in the AS game, but then I checked his stats. For the season Joe Stripp batted .299 with 5 homers and 71 RBI. At the time of his selection he was batting over .310. 1935 New York Yankees Transactions: May 23, 1935: Signed 2B Dave Bancroft to a 1 year extension @ $5,000 I'm really surprised every season that Bancroft comes back. He'll be 45 next April. He only got into 37 games this year, so retirement should be on his mind. But he still batted .304 and only committed 3 errors, so I'll let him hang around if he wants to come back. July 29, 1935: Traded 1B Joe Hauser to the New York Giants for SS Ed Miller I didn't realize when I signed Hauser that he expected to start. Obviously that wasn't going to happen, so he wasn't happy. Miller is a decent young shortstop who will probably be a bench player in a year or 2. He's only 18 years old. World Series Matchup: The Yankees are making their 15th World Series appearance in franchise history, and are seeking their 7th championship. The Cubs are in their 3rd World Series in team history, and they're looking for their 2nd title. Game 1 @ New York: The Cubbies brought their hitting shoes, beating up on Chet Brewer & 2 Yankee relievers to win game 1 by a 13-2 score. Chicago leads 1 game to none. Game 2 @ New York: Chicago beat up on 3 more Yankee pitchers and won game 2 by an 11-2 score. Cubs lead the series 2 games to none. Game 3 @ Chicago: Gehrig's solo homer in the top of the 11th was the difference as the Yankees outslugged Chicago 9-8. The Cubs lead the series 2 games to 1. Game 4 @ Chicago: 3 more Yankee pitchers. 11 more runs surrendered. Cubs win 11-4 and lead the series 3 games to 1. Game 5 @ Chicago: The Cubs outlasted the Yankees 5-4 to win game 5 and the series. Chicago wins their 2nd World Series! World Series Tally: Real Yankees: 26 My Yankees: 6

03-20-2009, 09:19 AM	#196
gollum65 All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 925	Offseason Recap & 1936 Season Preview: One big name out, one big name in.... Hall Of Fame Inductees: OF Edd Roush, OF Benny Kauf, 2B Dave Bancroft I'll start with Bancroft since he was a Yankee his whole career. After the draft in the fall I decided to release Bancroft as I had picked up a young 2nd baseman in the draft. It wasn't surprising that he then retired on January 1st. Bancroft played 21 seasons for the Yankees. He got 2,482 hits, 292 doubles, 90 triples, 77 homers, 970 RBI, and a .280 lifetime average. He wouldn't be a HoF worthy player had it not been for the 7 Gold Gloves, and you could make the argument that he's still not good enough. But I want him in, so he's in. If you remember correctly, I felt he should have won at least 2 or 3 more Gold Gloves when he was in his prime. Benny Kauf played 23 seasons for the Pirates, Red Sox, Cardinals, & Tigers. He had 2,935 hits and a career .336 batting average. He was a 2 time MVP and won a Gold Glove. Spending most of his career in Pittsburgh, Kauf was one of the best hitters in the National League for 15 years. Edd Roush played 22 seasons for 8 different teams. He had 2,944 hits and a .304 career hitter. Roush won Rookie of the Year in 1914 and 2 Gold Gloves. Yankees 1935 Award Winners: Lou Gehrig won his 4th straight and 6th career MVP award. Chet Brewer won his 2nd career Most Valuable Pitcher award. Bill DeLancey won his 2nd career Gold Glove. Lonny Frey won his 1st career Gold Glove. The big "award" for Gehrig though was that he became the first player in MLB history to hit 400 home runs (forgot to mention that last time). At just 32 years old he's already hit 424 homers. Draft Recap: Some HUGE names in this draft, plus a couple of Negro League home run hitters. Selected 1st overall by the Philadelphia Athletics was Ted Williams. Negro League slugger Willard Brown went 2nd to the Dodgers. Bob Feller was picked 4th by the Red Sox. And the Dodgers also got Negro League slugger Luke Easter in the 2nd round. At the end of the 2nd round the Yankees got 2B Stu Martin, which was the catalyst in the decision to release Dave Bancroft. Notable Offseason Transactions: October 8, 1935: Cool Papa Bell opted out of his contract I tried to offer Bell a new deal by doubling his salary. He wanted almost as much as Gehrig, which I was not willing to pay. So Cool Papa Bell has moved on to Cleveland. November 26, 1935: Signed free agents 3B Les Bell & CF Joe Watwood Bell is a backup. Watwood will serve as the starting center fielder for now. January 5, 1936: Traded RF Enos Slaughter, P Charlie Perkins, & P Leroy Herrmann to the St. Louis Cardinals for P Johnny Vander Meer It was appropriate that Slaughter play for the Cards, and I needed a young starting pitcher. Strengths: We have one of the best power hitting lineups in baseball. I think our pitching is improving. Weaknesses: Loosing Cool Papa Bell obviously leaves a void in center field. Projected Record: The Yanks won 93 last year. I think the Vander Meer acquisition offsets the Bell loss. So I'm going to say 90 wins this year and another American League pennant. 1936 Budget: $1,294,215 (#1 in the league) 1936 Payroll: $831,861 (#6 in the league) 1936 Opening Day Roster:

03-21-2009, 07:44 PM	#197
gollum65 All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 925	Just to satisfy my curiosity, would any of my loyal readers have inducted Bancroft into the Hall? Thanks very much for reading and responding.

03-22-2009, 02:48 AM	#198
CatKnight All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 1,199	Bancroft's borderline. His 2,482 hits don't impress me, but his .280 BA isn't bad. I'm inclined to give him the nod due to his gold gloves, which suggest dominance at the position, and his longevity: 21 years for one team means he must have been a fan favorite in New York for a long time.