Time Warp Baseball

[jdw]

Thanks for the kind words, rogmax. I must resist the temptation to post after not posting much for a while...




John

[jdw]

mauboy wrote:

> With Ervin on the team, the Phillies
> moved from more than 10 games
> under .500 to .500 at the end of the
> season. That's the power Ervin has
> on a team.

Ervin going from the Yanks to the Phills is almost too depressing to think about. The hot Wunderkind in 1927 fresh off of being drafted forcing his way into the lineup over the second half of the season and hit .324/.385/.423/.807 as the Yanks took the flag after three straight disappointing seasons. He was one of those scrappy wide eyed kids of the 1931 Yanks who didn't know they weren't suppose to be this great, this quickly. Swervin, Ping, Moonlight, Art Booth, Luke Riley with guys like Jimmy Ditty in the wings. He was the heart and soul of those 1933-36 Yanks that won four straight titles that supplanted the Phills at The Team in TWB. His comeback seasons in 1939 and 1940 after the injuries of 1938 keyed the team back to the top of the mountain.

There's just something that feels really wrong about Ervin ending his career anywhere other than in Yankee Stadium.

He did come to play after the trade to Philly, though:

.347/.461/.516/.977 - Aug
.321/.431/.393/.824 - Sep

60 hits and 36 BB tossed in, setting the table to score 35 runs.

He still has a chance at 3000 hits if he can stay healthy and perhaps have two more strong season while the War is going on before hanging on somewhere.

He's one of my favorite TWB players ever, mauboy. Despite being a Yankee. But watching him grow up as that team grew up just won me over.


John

[scprideandms]

Nice to see Juniors name in print again...Tequila appears to be one of those average guys who just keeps pluggin along, have to see if we have a Whiskey reversal and Tequila Jr in a yr or 2 becomes a superstar.

[jdw]

scprideandms wrote:

> Nice to see Juniors name in print again...




> Tequila appears to be one of those
> average guys who just keeps pluggin
> along, have to see if we have a Whiskey
> reversal

Teq is really solid. His career was hurt like Ping's by that four year stretch of the Red Sox farting around with him from 1936-39. Other than 1938, he played quite well in those years but the Sox wouldn't leave him alone in the line-up. Looks like it screwed up his development.

His range at 3B looks horrid - a 3, though he does have a 10 arm. You scratch your head how he got stuck with that level range.


> and Tequila Jr in a yr or 2 becomes a superstar.

Good luck.


John

[mauboy]

Originally Posted by jdw

mauboy wrote:

> With Ervin on the team, the Phillies
> moved from more than 10 games
> under .500 to .500 at the end of the
> season. That's the power Ervin has
> on a team.

Ervin going from the Yanks to the Phills is almost too depressing to think about. The hot Wunderkind in 1927 fresh off of being drafted forcing his way into the lineup over the second half of the season and hit .324/.385/.423/.807 as the Yanks took the flag after three straight disappointing seasons. He was one of those scrappy wide eyed kids of the 1931 Yanks who didn't know they weren't suppose to be this great, this quickly. Swervin, Ping, Moonlight, Art Booth, Luke Riley with guys like Jimmy Ditty in the wings. He was the heart and soul of those 1933-36 Yanks that won four straight titles that supplanted the Phills at The Team in TWB. His comeback seasons in 1939 and 1940 after the injuries of 1938 keyed the team back to the top of the mountain.

There's just something that feels really wrong about Ervin ending his career anywhere other than in Yankee Stadium.

He did come to play after the trade to Philly, though:

.347/.461/.516/.977 - Aug
.321/.431/.393/.824 - Sep

60 hits and 36 BB tossed in, setting the table to score 35 runs.

He still has a chance at 3000 hits if he can stay healthy and perhaps have two more strong season while the War is going on before hanging on somewhere.

He's one of my favorite TWB players ever, mauboy. Despite being a Yankee. But watching him grow up as that team grew up just won me over.


John

Hehe.. nice! I do also wish he could have finished as a Yankee, despite being a Yankee!

Waddya do!?

[Matt from TN]

Originally Posted by jdw

His range at 3B looks horrid - a 3, though he does have a 10 arm. You scratch your head how he got stuck with that level range.

Why? Arm has nothing to do with range. Besides, ootp6 tends to give 3b's and even SS's top notch IF arm ratings, since it's a trademark of players who have to play on the left side of the IF. Likewise, 1B's tend to always have low IF arm ratings.

[jdw]

Matt

> Why?

I thought it odd that such a high draft pick would have such horrid range, and even worse range at his secondary position (SS). It's like he had no "fall back position" if his defense was so sucky that the Sox didn't think he could float the bat.


> Arm has nothing to do with range.

I know. I offered up the arm as a qualifier - his range is horrid, but he does have a 3B arm:

"His range at 3B looks horrid - a 3, though he does have a 10 arm."

That's just in the event that someone came in and said, "Hey... he is a perfectly fine 3B - look at that canon!" I tried to be clear that he has a canon, but that range is just really, really, really bad.


John

[haggis007]

Originally Posted by mauboy

Hehe.. nice! I do also wish he could have finished as a Yankee, despite being a Yankee!

Waddya do!?

If he is around after 46, we'll see what we can do.

Add this to the list of old management's "interesting" roster decisions over the last few years.

[fhomess]

Originally Posted by jdw

That's just in the event that someone came in and said, "Hey... he is a perfectly fine 3B - look at that canon!"

That's what they said about Pachelbel!

[haggis007]

Originally Posted by fhomess

That's what they said about Pachelbel!

Nothing screams "we need an update, Matt!" more than a joke about classical music. Ugh.

[Matt from TN]

Originally Posted by haggis007

Nothing screams "we need an update, Matt!" more than a joke about classical music. Ugh.

lmao!

Well, especially in this crazy WWII era, it takes a lot of time to get the next season ready, but...

1944 is ready! I hope to at least get one basic post up tonight & the official previews & webpage update tomorrow morning. The simming will have to wait until Monday though.

[Matt from TN]

1944 Offseason News

There were four managerial changes this offseason, and there were rumors of a 5th nearly happening. The Braves, who were sold to new owners this offseason, appear to be very disappointed with player manager George Ward, and he could be on his way out soon. In one of the more surprising moves, the Cubs fired manager Harry Cohan after a miserable 1943 season. Cohan was quickly snatched up by the Yankees, who fired Jesse Passwater after just one season at the helm. Taking over in Chicago will be former Braves manager Clyde Exall. The White Sox let go Wesley "Two-Toed" Hubbell after 10 years as skipper. Taking over there will be former big league catcher Horace Tibbs. The final managerial change came in Detroit where former pitcher Arden Killbreath takes a stab at bringing the Tigers to respectability.

In November, Commissioner Landis ruled that Phillies owner William D. Cox would be permanently ineligible to hold office or be employed in baseball for having bet on his own team. The Carpenter family of Delaware bought the Philadelphia club, and Bob Carpenter, age 28, was named president. The Phils, in an effort to change their image, conducted a contest for a new name and decided to now call the team the Blue Jays. The winning entry, which was submitted by a Mrs. Elizabeth Crooks, was chosen over a number of names ranging from Daisies to Stinkers. Mr. Carpenter said he hoped to have the farm system identified by the same blue color, with the Wilmington club called the Blue Rocks and possibly the New Bradford team called the Blue Wings. Ms. Crooks won a $100 war bond and a season ticket to the Blue Jays.

Another large group of major leaguers headed off to war this offseason. Cleveland lost pitcher George Bowers, who has won 104 games over the past 5 seasons and 235 games over his career. The Yankees continued to be hit hard as 37-year-old pitcher Art Booth and 1942 BOY Ping Hung were both drafted. Booth leaves with 284 career victories. The Braves lost one of their most exciting young stars in 27-year-old pitcher Scottie Allen, who posted an exceptional 1.98 ERA last season. Other veterans like Browns first baseman "Bootleg" Bill Simard and Pirates infielder Elmer Menard joined the war effort, and many more young ballplayers joined them in the service of their country.

View all players lost to the war in this link. You can also see what players returned from the service by viewing each team's transaction page.

In The News

Oct 1, 1943 - Allies enter Naples, Italy.

Oct 13, 1943 - Italy declares war on Germany; Second American air raid on Schweinfurt.

Nov 6, 1943 - Russians recapture Kiev in the Ukraine.

Nov 18, 1943 - Large British air raid on Berlin.

Nov 28, 1943 - Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin meet at Teheran.

Jan 6, 1944 - Soviet troops advance into Poland.

Jan 22, 1944 - Allies land at Anzio.

Jan 27, 1944 - Leningrad relieved after a 900-day siege.

Feb 15-18 - Allies bomb the monastery at Monte Cassino.

Feb 16, 1944 - Germans counter-attack against the Anzio beachhead.

March 4, 1944 - Soviet troops begin an offensive on the Belorussian front; First major daylight bombing raid on Berlin by the Allies.

March 15, 1944 - Second Allied attempt to capture Monte Cassino begins.

March 18, 1944 - British drop 3000 tons of bombs during an air raid on Hamburg, Germany.

Hall of Fame

The sole player elected by the BBWAA in 1943 is:

Scott Fenner, SP
Cap: Phillies
Vote: 85.7%
Teams: Philadelphia N.L. 1921-1937, Detroit A.L. 1937-1938
Plaque: Fenner achored the famous Phillies' "Phantastic Phour" on their way to five World Series victories in six appearances. He was the 1922 ROY and went on the lead the NL in ERA three times and wins 4 times. He was traded to Detroit on July 27th, 1937 and won his 300th career game as a Tiger the following month. He retired with a 307-198 record (7th Most Wins All-Time), 3.50 ERA, 1361 walks, 1699 K's, 353 complete games and 49 shutouts (12th All-Time).

Jed Burke, 2B
Cap: White Sox
Vote: 78.6%
Teams: Brooklyn N.L. 1905-1906, New York N.L. 1906-1908, Chicago A.L. 1906, 1908-1921
Plaque: Burke was the top second baseman of his day in the American League. He was traded twice early in his career, but he settled in nicely with the White Sox, and there he left his mark. He won two BOY's, 3 batting titles, one Gold Glove and a World Series championship in 1920. He also had two hitting streaks of 20 or more games. He retired with a .345 average (4th Best All-Time), 2950 hits (3rd Most All-Time), 265 doubles, 258 triples (19th Most All-Time), 1055 RBI (7th Most All-Time), 1228 runs (5th Most All-Time), 921 walks (6th Most All-Time) and 138 stolen bases.

*Note that all rankings (i.e. 2nd All-Time) were at the time of the players retirement. What happened after they retired does not reflect on their plaque.

Ceremony: The 61-year-old Burke was first to accept his award on this day, and he received a loud applause from the crowd gathered in Cooperstown. Burke said that HOF'er and former teammate Andrew Murphy was the greatest pitcher of all-time, and he applauded the BBWAA for finally inducting another Sox teammate, Flaky Arsenault, three years ago. Burke's induction makes the White Sox the most represented team in the HOF with 3 members. He also was the first former White Sox who discussed the 1919 Black Sox scandal, saying that if the eight former Chicago players were indeed guilty, they deserved all the punishment they got.

Fenner joins former teammate John Falise as the second Phillie to be inducted. With the amazing success his team had in the 20's and 30's, he surely will not be the last Phillie inducted.

[Matt from TN]

Key Retirees:

Note: Many of these retiring players are actually still serving in WWII. Since OOTP retired them, they will not return to the TWB after the war is over. Each player will have his own reason for not returning. Perhaps he will just be too old, or he could make a career out of the military, or he could suffer an injury like a broken leg in the service. Any explanation is acceptable, and if any of you, especially the descendant of any of the ancestors, wants to explain just why one of these players chose not to return, feel free.



Luke Riley, SP
Boston Red Sox 1929
New York Yankees 1929-1942



A key part of the recent Yankees dynasty, winning 5 World Series. He was the 1935 POY when he won an incredible 30 games. He retired with a 272-138 record (24th Most Wins All-Time), which is an incredible 66% winning percentage, 3.34 ERA, 967 BB, 1611 K, 350 CG, 39 SHO (24th All-Time) and 1.24 WHIP. He left for WWII after the 1942 season.


Terry Schukraft, SP
Philadelphia Phillies 1922-1938, 1941-1942
St. Louis Browns 1938-1940
Philadelphia A's 1940-1941
Boston Braves 1941, 1942-1943



The last of the Phantastic Phour to retire, Schukraft had an impressive career. He won four World Series with the Phillies, was traded to the Browns in 1938 where he won his 300th game and returned to the Phillies in 1941 where he passed Ahrend Nagel with his 328th win. He retired with a 332-255 record (8th Most Wins All-Time), 3.73 ERA, 1764 BB, 2056 K (14th All-Time), 428 CG (12th All-Time), 39 SHO (24th All-Time) and 1.27 WHIP.


"Fancy Flip" DeLeon, 3B
Brooklyn Dodgers 1926-1942



Flip was a big part of the Dodgers offense that led the team to 4 NL pennants from 1934-40 as well as another pennant in 1926. He won the ROY and World Series in 1926 and won another WS in 1939. He won two batting titles separated by a decade (1930 and 1940). He left for WWII after the 1942 season and retired with a .309 average, 2756 hits, 407 doubles, 105 homeruns, 1138 RBI, 1249 runs and 186 steals.


Punchy Cote, SP
Boston Braves 1926-1927
Philadelphia A's 1927-1934
Chicago Cubs 1934-1942



Cote was part of two incredible teams, winning 2 AL pennants with the A's and 3 consecutive NL pennants with the Cubs. After being unable to win a WS with the A's, he lost his first two WS with the Cubs before finally winning one in 1938. He formed some impressive pitching duos, with Ahrend Nagel in Philadelphia and with David Wickersham in Chicago. After leaving for WWII after the 1942 season, he retired with a 316-177 record (12th Most Wins All-Time), 3.09 ERA, 1400 BB, 2168 K (10th All-Time), 346 CG, 49 SHO (14th All-Time) and 1.13 WHIP. He was the 1927 ROY and won two POY's with the Cubs.


Dave "Red Fox" Arkless, CF
Chicago Cubs 1926-1942



The Red Fox won 6 Gold Gloves and one World Series with the Cubs. In 1929, he had a Cubs-record 36-game hitting streak that was just one game shy of the NL record set in 1923. He left for WWII after the 1942 season and retired with a .297 average, 2439 hits, 401 doubles, 285 homeruns (9th All-Time), 1292 RBI, 1418 runs, 1036 walks and 140 steals.


Other Notable Retirees:

Stuffy Zinn, SP
White Sox 1926-42

283-201, 3.35 ERA, 1011 BB, 1440 K, 374 CG, 35 SHO, 1.26 WHIP
A 5-time 20-game winner for the White Sox, leading them to two AL pennants. He left for WWII after the 1942 season.


Babe Hardin, SP
White Sox 1926-42
Red Sox 1942

286-218, 3.60 ERA, 1658 BB, 1753 K, 353 CG, 33 SHO, 1.35 WHIP
Won 20+ games 5 times and 19 games 3 times. He left for WWII after the 1942 season and was unable to enjoy Boston's AL pennant in 1943. He did win one AL pennant with Chicago.


Jeff Bundy, 1B
Dodgers 1927-43
Cubs 1943

.299, 2255 Hits, 352 Doubles, 239 HR, 1273 RBI, 1199 R
He won 2 Gold Gloves and one World Series with the Dodgers. He set a still-standing NL record with 95 rookie RBI in 1930. He retired 17th All-Time with 239 HR.


Claude Swin, SP
Senators 1929, 1934-42

141-130, 3.87 ERA, 644 BB, 730 K, 204 CG, 16 SHO, 1.38 WHIP
Won 2 World Series with the Senators. Left for WWII after the 1942 season.


Honorable Mentions:

SP David Cubit, Browns (WWII)
SS Clarence Davis, Yankees (WWII)
SP Hale Scheepers, Yankees (WWII)


Retiring Ancestors:


Ricardo "Tiny" Bowden, SS
Boston Red Sox 1927-1942



He was the 1928 ROY, led the AL in runs 3 times and won 2 batting titles. He retired with a .318 average, 2510 hits, 541 doubles (10th All-Time), 68 homeruns, 888 RBI, 1352 runs, and 657 steals (9th All-Time). He left for WWII after the 1942 season.


Adolf Greisbach, SS
Philadelphia A's 1925
Detroit Tigers 1925-1942



He won one Gold Glove and one World Series and retired with a .346 average (7th All-Time), 2847 hits, 384 doubles, 898 RBI, 1311 RBI, 1026 BB and 221 steals. He left for WWII after the 1942 season.


Salvatore "The Sicilian Saucer" Rossi, 1B
Philadelphia A's 1921-1943



He won 4 Gold Gloves and retired as the all-time hits leader among first basemen. He won 4 AL pennants and served 4 years as player manager. He retired with a .300 average, 3320 hits (8th All Time), 469 doubles (24th All-Time), 197 homeruns, 1757 RBI (3rd All-Time), 1684 runs (6th All-Time) and 1694 BB (1st All-Time).


Wolter "Boeken" Tjeenk-Willink, LF
Washington Senators 1928-42



He won 2 World Series with the Senators and retired with a .340 average (11th All-Time), 1732 hits, 332 doubles, 834 RBI, 740 runs and 435 walks. He left for WWII after the 1942 season.


Otto "Kaiser" Kahle, SP
Cleveland Indians 1924-1930
Boston Braves 1930-1941
St. Louis Cardinals 1941-1943



The Kaiser won one World Series with the Braves in 1931. He retired with a 363-236 record (3rd Most Wins All-Time), 3.43 ERA, 1388 walks, 2392 K's (5th All-Time), 397 CG (20th All-Time), 45 SHO (20th All-Time) and 1.18 WHIP.

[Matt from TN]

I just wanted to point out that this thread has surpassed 100 pages, 2,000 posts and 25,000 views! Thanks for the support everyone and on to 1944!

[Carlton]

What a sad year...Dark Horse dies and Great granpa retires...sniff

[SirOrion]

Originally Posted by Matt from TN

I just wanted to point out that this thread has surpassed 100 pages, 2,000 posts and 25,000 views! Thanks for the support everyone and on to 1944!

You say 1944, but the link on the first page of this thread has it as 1939. Did you switch links or something? I checked your signature but didn't find it there.

Oh well.

[Matt from TN]

Originally Posted by SirOrion

You say 1944, but the link on the first page of this thread has it as 1939. Did you switch links or something? I checked your signature but didn't find it there.

The link on the first page has been corrected... Yes we switched to our own new website, linked here. Now that the thread is 100 pages long, I dread going back thru and editing links... Not sure if I even should or not.

[metsgeek]

Originally Posted by Matt from TN

Otto "Kaiser" Kahle, SP
Cleveland Indians 1924-1930
Boston Braves 1930-1941
St. Louis Cardinals 1941-1943



The Kaiser won one World Series with the Braves in 1931. He retired with a 363-236 record (3rd Most Wins All-Time), 3.43 ERA, 1388 walks, 2392 K's (5th All-Time), 397 CG (20th All-Time), 45 SHO (20th All-Time) and 1.18 WHIP.

Shucks, I had hoped Uncle Otto would make a run at 400. He certainly still had the talent.

[Matt from TN]

Ancestors Added in 1944:

Charley "The Headhunter" Nagel, SP, Boston Braves



Nagel comes from a great baseball bloodline as the son of Hall of Famer Professor Nagel. Charley is a strong, young pitcher who gets a lot of strikeouts and allows few hits. He is disciplined enough to keep walks and homeruns to a minimum too. He throws a nasty fastball combined with a sharp slider. As his nickname suggests, he has drawn the ire of more than one batter after knocking them off the plate with that fastball of his. He begins the season as Single A, but could be on the fast track to the majors.


Bob "Chin Music" Stevens, SP, Philadelphia A's



Bob is a durable young pitcher who does a good job of keeping runners off base. He has a lot of raw talent, and it will be interesting to see if he can turn it into a great major league career. He is an intimidating pitcher who loves to throw inside. He begins the season at Single A, and he is the top young pitcher in the A's system.


Alton Kee, C, New York Yankees



New York has been in desperate need of a great catcher for many years now, but they may have finally found their man in Alton Kee. He is an exceptional hitter with a great eye. He should develop into a very good major leaguer, but he begins this season at Single A.


Bourbon Allen Jr., SP, Chicago White Sox



Moonshine, as he is called, is obviously the son of all-time wins leader Bourbon Allen, and the grandson of the great Whiskey Allen. He has been known to allow hitters their share of base hits, but he makes up for it by limiting their damage to singles. He is stingy with walks, and that gives scouts a lot of hope for his future. He begins the season at Single A.


Cognac "Hick" Allen, 2B, New York, Giants



Hick was one of the lowest drafted ancestors ever, falling to the middle of the 2nd round. He has great speed, which makes up for his average hitting abilities. He does draw a lot of walks, and his ability to get on base is the key to his future. He begins the season at Single A.

[Cooleyvol]

Originally Posted by Matt from TN

Ancestors Added in 1944:

Alton Kee, C, New York Yankees



New York has been in desperate need of a great catcher for many years now, but they may have finally found their man in Alton Kee. He is an exceptional hitter with a great eye. He should develop into a very good major leaguer, but he begins this season at Single A.

My late grandfather (Papa) makes his debut!!