LansdowneSt's Facegen Checklist

[LansdowneSt]

The history of baseball is filled with one-season wonders whose unexpected rise and success capture the imagination and interest of fans and sportswriters. One of those sentimental stories belongs to southpaw Ray Prim, who at the age of 38 led the National League in ERA (2.40) as a member of the pennant-winning Chicago Cubs in 1945. Prim broke into Organized Baseball in 1928, pitched briefly for the Washington Senators (1933 and 1934), spent a miserable season with the Philadelphia Phillies (1935), and logged 60 innings for the Cubs in 1943. With major-league rosters decimated by World War II, Prim was given another chance. Described as “almost invincible” by J.G. Taylor Spink, editor of The Sporting News, Prim seemingly came of nowhere to win 11 of 15 decisions and post a microscopic 1.27 ERA in 113⅓ innings over the final three months to lead the North Siders to an equally unexpected pennant. - SABR

I redid this one some time ago, but looking at it I think I used the existing pack fg and just recolored and otherwise narrowed it to better, in my opinion, align with the picture it was based on.

[LansdowneSt]

Former Devil Rays shortstop Julio Lugo, who played for seven teams in a 12-year major-league career and was a starter on Boston’s 2007 World Series championship team, has died. He would have turned 46 Tuesday. The cause of death was presumed to be a heart attack, ESPN reported, citing Lugo’s family.

Tampa Bay signed Lugo in 2003 after he was released by Houston, which drafted him in the 43rd round in 1994. The Devil Rays sent him to the Dodgers at the 2006 trade deadline. Lugo played shortstop in the Red Sox’ 2007 World Series season, the first year of a four-year, $36 million contract he signed with the team as a free agent. Brought in to replace the defensively gifted Alex Gonzalez, Lugo was signed in part to provide more offense, particularly with his speed on the basepaths, in a position that had been filled on a long-term basis with no success since the 2004 trade of Nomar Garciaparra. In his debut season with the Red Sox, Lugo hit only .237 with a .294 on-base percentage, but he did steal 33 bases. In the postseason, his bat helped the Red Sox win their second championship in four years. Lugo hit .271 (13 for 48) over Boston’s 14-game playoff campaign, including .385 (5 for 13) in the World Series.

Lugo batted .269 with 80 homers and 475 RBIs from 2000-11, playing for the Astros, Devil Rays, Red Sox, Cardinals, Orioles and Braves. - Tampa Bay Times & Boston Globe 11/15/2021

Redid the facegen.

[silvam14]

Originally Posted by LansdowneSt

Former Devil Rays shortstop Julio Lugo, who played for seven teams in a 12-year major-league career and was a starter on Boston’s 2007 World Series championship team, has died. He would have turned 46 Tuesday. The cause of death was presumed to be a heart attack, ESPN reported, citing Lugo’s family.

Tampa Bay signed Lugo in 2003 after he was released by Houston, which drafted him in the 43rd round in 1994. The Devil Rays sent him to the Dodgers at the 2006 trade deadline. Lugo played shortstop in the Red Sox’ 2007 World Series season, the first year of a four-year, $36 million contract he signed with the team as a free agent. Brought in to replace the defensively gifted Alex Gonzalez, Lugo was signed in part to provide more offense, particularly with his speed on the basepaths, in a position that had been filled on a long-term basis with no success since the 2004 trade of Nomar Garciaparra. In his debut season with the Red Sox, Lugo hit only .237 with a .294 on-base percentage, but he did steal 33 bases. In the postseason, his bat helped the Red Sox win their second championship in four years. Lugo hit .271 (13 for 48) over Boston’s 14-game playoff campaign, including .385 (5 for 13) in the World Series.

Lugo batted .269 with 80 homers and 475 RBIs from 2000-11, playing for the Astros, Devil Rays, Red Sox, Cardinals, Orioles and Braves. - Tampa Bay Times & Boston Globe 11/15/2021

Redid the facegen.

RIP. I remember he had the winning hit in the Mother’s Day miracle game


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[LansdowneSt]

John McGraw was perhaps the National League’s most influential figure in the Deadball Era. From 1902 to 1932 he led the New York Giants to 10 National League pennants, three World Series championships, and 21 first- or second-place finishes in 29 full seasons at their helm. His 2,763 managerial victories were second only to Connie Mack‘s 3,731 for the rest of the 20th century, but in 1927 Mack himself proclaimed, “There has been only one manager — and his name is McGraw.”

The pugnacious McGraw’s impact on the game, moreover, was even greater than his record suggests. As a player he helped develop “inside baseball,” which put a premium on strategy and guile, and later managed the way he’d played, seeking out every advantage for his Giants. Known as Mugsy (a nickname he detested) and Little Napoleon (for his dictatorial methods), McGraw administered harsh tongue-lashings to his players and frequently fought with umpires; he was ejected from 118 contests during his career, far more than any other manager until Bobby Cox surpassed him in 2007. “McGraw eats gunpowder every morning for breakfast and washes it down with warm blood,” said Giants coach Arlie Latham. - SABR

I think I made this one but I've had it so long I can't recall if it was a redo or a repurposing. I wanted something more McGraw-like. He imported in my Random Debut at age 32 so won't likely play. Big fan. Lived in the Charles Village part of Baltimore for ten years on the same block as McGraw and Wilbert Robinson's adjoining former rowhouses, just a short walk from 25th St where their old park used to be...

[LansdowneSt]

In 2005, O'Koyea Dickson was a high school sophomore competing in the Academic Athletic Association (AAA) championship game at AT&T Park. His Washington Eagles were squaring off against their rival, the Lowell Cardinals, and looking to atone for back-to-back title-game losses. In a display of sheer power and jaw-dropping athletic ability, Dickson sent a pitch over the left field wall at the Giants’ six-year old stadium, becoming the first high school player to ever hit a ball out at AT&T Park in a game. Dickson’s championship-game home run made him a celebrity in the San Francisco high school baseball circle, but that’s still a relatively small sphere. Despite hitting .581 with 24 extra base hits as a senior, Dickson didn’t draw much interest from colleges. Even after being drafted by the Dodgers, Dickson spent his minor league career being passed up, overlooked, but undeterred. He finally got a call-up the week his first child was born in September 2017. It would be the entirety of his MLB career. He played in 7 games with 9 plate appearances and one hit... and that hit came against his beloved, hometown Giants. - in part from KNBR, Kerry Crowley, September 13, 2017

He's in my Random Debut sim. Redid the facegen. Shown in a Nats uniform as he was in camp with them when the photo was taken.

[LansdowneSt]

"Uncle" Billy Alvord was an infielder for five different teams from 1885 to 1893. Let's follow him in the local papers...

"Billy Alvord, the great third baseman of the Des Moines Club, writes as follows from Sacramento, Cal: 'I have signed to play third base for the Sacramentos in 1889. Besides getting a good salary I have the score card privileges and a good position in the State Printing Office the year round at $75 a month. I have also bought three acres outside of the city, and am going to start in the poultry business in the spring. You would be surprised to know the prices of eggs and poultry here.'"

So, how'd that work out?...

February, 16, 1889 - Warrants issued in Sacramento, CA for the arrests of Joe Quest, Bill Alvord and Harry Dooms for allegedly jumping their California League contracts. Alvord turns himself in and is released, but the Sacramento Club is still seeking the other two players.

Shortly thereafter, in 1891, it was off to the Cleveland Spiders... "It is said that Billy Alvord's entry into Cleveland as third baseman for Pat Tebeau's old team was made with considerable blaring of trumpets and crashing of brass, and, singularly enough, Billy's first play was spectacular enough to warrant all the racket with which his coming was invested. A twisting foul went over the left field bleachers, and Alvord, rushing over there pell mell, stretched out his right hand far over toward the quarter spectators and caught the ball." Impressive or not, he played only 13 games for the Spiders before being purchased by the Washington Statesmen from the Cleveland Spiders for $500.

Redid the facegen to give him his mustache back.

[LansdowneSt]

In simple terms, Barry Zito’s baseball story follows an arc much like a curveball — snapping out of his left hand and rising quickly to his profession’s highest achievement, then breaking and tumbling into what he himself has described as “a letdown.” Zito spent only a year in the minor leagues and won the American League’s Cy Young Award in just his second full season in the majors. By age 24 he had already won 47 games and was the linchpin of a rotation of young superstars. Despite this early success, the promise of those first few seasons began to elude him. Four years later he was a free agent, and though he signed what was then baseball’s largest-ever contract for pitcher, each season was a struggle. When the contract expired, he was out of baseball and on a quest to find himself.

But there’s much more to Zito’s story, from being born into a family of music professionals to being recognized for his abiding commitment to community and giving. During his playing days he was known for his personality nearly as much as his pitching. He prepared for starts in ways that set him apart from other players. He did yoga poses in the outfield before games. He meditated, played guitar, surfed, dyed his hair. One winter he played a toy soldier in the Oakland Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker. Though his baseball career did not live up to even his own expectations, in its waning days he married and found God. Now, post-career, Zito talks openly about his focus on more personal achievements, like acceptance and redemption, family, and music. - SABR

Redid the facegen.

[LansdowneSt]

Karl Adams pitched 30 games with the Chicago Cubs between 1914 and 1915, going 1-9, 5.01. As an Indianapolis Indians pitcher in 1914, Adams had a fine season, compiling a record of 13-8. His Wikipedia entry (as of 2020) states that, after baseball, he was a golf pro and a member of a plumbers and pipefitters union. Additionally, he was a World War I veteran. - bRef Bullpen wiki

Redid the facegen.

[LansdowneSt]

Infielder Joe Hoover spent ten seasons in professional baseball from 1937 to 1946. Seven of the seasons were in the minors and the remaining three, 1943-45, with the Detroit Tigers. Joe was pretty much the Tigers' everyday shortstop in 1943 and 1944 but wound up splitting the duties with Skeeter Webb for the team's World Series run in 1945. Hoover hit at a .243 average in 338 games on 301 base hits in 1,238 at-bats plus fielding the shortstop position at a .937 percentage and had one hit in three at-bats for his contribution to the Tigers' World Championship. After baseball, Hoover owned and operated a delicatessen in Los Angeles, CA. - bRef Bullpen wiki

I have no idea why the game thinks he has CF skills as he never played there. The fg was misnamed with a -joe suffix so this corrects that with his given name -rob as the suffix to match his facegen ID in the game so it shows up and while I was at it, I tweaked the facegen some.

[LansdowneSt]

Southpaw Ernie Koob attracted national attention in mid-1915 by jumping from college to the big leagues with the St. Louis Browns. Less than two years later, the highly-touted curveballer tossed the first no-hitter by a Brownie in Sportsman’s Park, in 1917. But he never achieved the stardom many expected, compiling a 23-31 slate in parts of four seasons in the Gateway City. - SABR

Redid the facegen.

[LansdowneSt]

Tom Lovett pitched six seasons in the major leagues. His most impressive year was 1890, when he went 30-11 and led the league in winning percentage. His 1890 Brooklyn Bridegrooms won the 1890 National League pennant. - bRef Bullpen wiki

"When Tom Lovett demanded $3500 and refused to sign a contract for $2800 offered by the Brooklyn Club, he did not display much judgment. The club tried to compromise with him, offering him $3200, but he turned a deaf ear. After laying off a whole year, Lovett came back for $2400, and lasted about one month. I cannot see where Lovett gained by his stubbornness . . ." - Sporting Life, August 8, 1896, quoting Dave Foutz

Redid the facegen.

[LansdowneSt]

Though known today as “Nixey” Callahan, the slim, 5-feet-10, 180-pound, right-handed jack of all trades (Leftfielder, Pitcher and Third Baseman) rarely used that moniker during his big league days. Nixey was a childhood nickname that Jimmy largely left behind when his baseball skills took him from his native Fitchburg, Massachusetts to the pinnacle of the sport — although the local papers continued to use “Nixey” throughout his life. At 14, he entered the local clothing mills. Though a certificate in his scrapbook indicates that Jimmy qualified for high school, it is unclear if he ever attended a secondary institution. For 75 cents a day, he toiled as a “bobbin boy.” It was dusty, dangerous work that might have ruined the lad had he not proved more valuable to his employer on the baseball diamond.

After a brief stint with the Phillies, he became a staple for the Chicago Orphans before jumping to the White Sox with the creation of the American League in 1901. Callahan recalled, "I figured that if anybody had been specially appointed to look after my interests his name was Callahan. I figured that if Callahan didn’t look after my interests there was something wrong with his noodle. So, I told him to get busy. I was getting X dollars with the Cubs. Comiskey offered me X plus Y dollars. I compared the two salaries and found that one would buy more collars and shirts than the other. While never noted as a mathematician in my school studies my mind was able to grasp that salient fact. So, I decided to change my Sox, putting on the more or less white ones that Comiskey furnished, and was duly branded as a rebel, traitor and undesirable citizen by the National League after the accepted manner of baseball tradition.”

In 1906 he began his career as semipro magnate, the sandlot king of Chicago He bought the Logan Squares semipro team and their stadium at the corner of Diversey and Milwaukee in the Logan Square section of Chicago. The club very quickly established itself as one of the finest if not the premier semipro baseball team in the country. By 1911, however, he returned to the White Sox for a final three-year run in the majors. Following his baseball career, Callahan became one of Chicago’s most successful contractors, building the entire waterworks for the Great Lakes Naval Station. - SABR

Redid the facegen for Nixey.

[LansdowneSt]

George Lewis "Lew" McCarty played nine seasons in the National League. Primarily a catcher, he never appeared in more than 90 games in a season. His best year with the bat was 1916, when he hit .339 in 80 games split between two teams. Since Hal Chase led the National League with a .339 batting average that year, Lew was right there and would have tied for the leadership if he had appeared in more games.

After playing nine games for the Brooklyn Superbas in 1913, he stuck in the majors. He became the regular catcher for the Brooklyn Robins in 1914, in the first year when Wilbert Robinson, himself a famous catcher, became Brooklyn's manager, beginning a long string of years in the position. In 1916, Lew hit well but was traded on August 25 for Fred Merkle. The Robins were in first place at the time and went on to win the 1916 pennant. Manager Robinson could afford to trade Lew because he had Chief Meyers behind the plate. Lew went on to hit .397 during the remainder of the season with the New York Giants. McCarty stayed with the Giants from 1917 to 1919 and part of 1920 and finished his career as a backup for the Cardinals in a handful of games.

Redid the facegen. As I recall, the "before" facegen has the incorrect -lew as a suffix so wasn't even appearing in my game.

[LansdowneSt]

Darlin' don't you go and cut your hair
Do you think it's gonna make him change?
"I'm just a boy with a new haircut"
And that's a pretty nice haircut...

- Pavement, lyrics to "Cut Your Hair" from the Matador Records album "Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain" released in 1994

The members of the 2017 Mets’ starting rotation have a few things in common. They’re all pretty good when they’re healthy, they’re usually not healthy, and most of them have flowing hair. Well, not any more. The first thing Jacob deGrom did after the end of the 2017 season was chop his signature locks off. What was particularly shocking about the change in style was that it came less than two years after deGrom vowed to never cut his hair again following reports that the long hair distracted hitters. It turns out that deGrom has research that suggests shorter hair will give him a performance boost. Via the New York Daily News: "I did some research and I found that shorter hair actually will speed up my delivery and add two more miles to my fastball," said deGrom. Opposing hitters will have to hope deGrom's research is flawed because if deGrom's fastball -- which averaged 95.53 mph in 2017 according to Statcast -- ticks up 2 mph, that could certainly prove difficult to deal with. - Sports Illustrated & mlb.com reporting from four years ago

I'd like to remind everyone that after he cut his hair at the end of 2017, he went on to win back-to-back NL Cy Youngs. Just sayin'

Redid the facegen because I thought the CU Facepack one was the far left one but it turns out that's the one that ships with the game and it had rewritten over the one I had. The CUF one is the middle one and is better than the default but since I'd already redone it, here it is...

[LansdowneSt]

Marc Newfield was a highly touted draft pick with the unfortunate luck of coming up as an outfielder in a Seattle Mariners organization that had just discovered Ken Griffey Jr. was going to be the real deal for them. However, there would have been two other spots available for him to play in that outfield, but he was never able to produce much hitting at the big-league level, hitting only .249 in 355 career games. He first came up as a 20-year-old in mid-season in 1993, when he hit .227 in 22 games. The next year, 1994, during a brief stint in the big leagues, he hit into an unassisted triple play on July 8th against the Boston Red Sox.

Newfield had his best major league season in 1996. He started the season hitting .251 in 84 games as a corner outfielder for the San Diego Padres, then on July 31st, he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers with Ps Bryce Florie and Ron Villone for slugger Greg Vaughn. He had an excellent two months to finish the season with the Brewers, hitting .307 with 7 homers and 31 RBI. For the year, he was .278 with 12 homers and 57 RBI in 133 games. The Brewers thought that Newfield was about to fulfill his promise, but he slumped badly in 1997, ending up back in the minors after hitting only .229 in 50 games. He then spent all of 1998 as a back-up outfielder for the Brewers in their first season as a National League team, but hit only .237 with 3 homers in 93 games and did not return to the big leagues after that.

Redid the facegen. Of the limited face selections, that Bowman card with him very young gave the best results. I decided it was better than the yellow/green one and called it done.

[LansdowneSt]

Heinie Groh was undoubtedly the National League’s best third baseman of the Deadball Era. Historian Greg Gajus suggests that Groh would have won at least one Most Valuable Player award (for the 1919 season) and perhaps two others (1916 and 1918), and that eight of his 12 full seasons were of All-Star quality. Furthermore, contemporaries considered him the NL’s best-fielding third baseman, so he likely would have added at least a half-dozen Gold Gloves to his trophy case.

While his defense was important, Groh’s feats at the plate made him a star. Positioning himself at the extreme front of the batter’s box with both feet facing the pitcher, he choked up on his peculiar bottle bat and slapped at the ball. Taking advantage of his size (5’6″, 160 lbs.) to create a small strike zone and draw a lot of walks, Groh also became adept at bunting and executing the hit and run. He led the NL in walks in 1916, in hits in 1917, and in runs scored in 1918. Groh also led the league in doubles twice, and had a batting average of .298 or better each year from 1917-21. - SABR

Redid the facegen as I thought it too smoothed out and a bit heavy & rectangular.

[LansdowneSt]

Of all the "Millers" that have played for the Red Sox, there’s no question that for longevity purposes and overall production, the best known of the bunch was a fleet-footed left-handed batting outfielder by the name of Rick Miller, whose 12 seasons with the Red Sox were interrupted by a three-year stretch with the California Angels. Miller began his career as a 1971 September call-up. By 1973 Yastrzemski had shifted to first base. The outfield was intended to be Harper in left field, Smith in center, and Dwight Evans in right. Miller played almost a full season, filling in for Smith after an injury and for Evans, who was in a slump. After the 1973 season Miller married teammate Carlton Fisk’s sister Janet Marie, whom he had met while the two players were teammates in Pawtucket in 1970. At the end of the 1974 season the BoSox Club, the Red Sox’ booster group, named Miller its “Man of the Year,” citing his visits to hospitalized children in the Boston area. Miller said his parents’ experience losing a son to leukemia was an underlying factor in his willingness to join in the Red Sox charity work with the Jimmy Fund, among others. “It’s something you do as a player,” he said. “They would ask us to go to Children’s Hospital to meet with some kids and I’d say sure. It was easy for me. Thinking about my brother, we didn’t really talk about it, but that death really changed my parents.”

With the emergence of Lynn and Rice in center and left, and with Dwight Evans solidifying his job in right field, Miller’s starts dwindled. After the 1977 season Miller signed with the California Angels, becoming the first player to leave the Red Sox as a free agent. After the 1980 season, in which he batted .274, Miller was dealt back to the Red Sox in a trade that also sent third baseman Carney Lansford and pitcher Mark Clear to Boston for shortstop Rick Burleson and third baseman Butch Hobson. “It was good for me,” Miller said of the trade. “I was happy to go back. Boston is a great place to play baseball. California was a little more laid back, and not as exciting.”

Looking back at a career that brought him a reputation as a solid left-handed batter and an exceptional defensive outfielder, Miller said he knew exactly how he’d like to be remembered. “I’d like to be known as somebody who gave everything, all the time, and was a complete player who did every phase of the game well,” he said. “I came in as a defensive specialist and left as an offensive specialist.” - SABR

Redid the facegen. The old one was a little wonky despite a nice dark mustache. Redid it based on the one with the red batting helmet. Lost a touch of left mustache side but having been a Sox fan during those years, I certainly recognize that as Rick Miller, so decided it was good enough as a redo.

[LansdowneSt]

Jerry Harrington's professional baseball career spanned six seasons, including four seasons in the majors from 1890-93. Harrington played the majority of his games in the majors at catcher; however, he did play first base and third base on occasion. In 189 major league games between the Cincinnati Reds and the Louisville Colonels, Harrington batted .227 with 60 runs, 151 hits, 19 doubles, six triples, three home runs, 73 runs batted in (RBIs), and eight stolen bases.

After his professional baseball career was over, Harrington resided in Keokuk, Iowa. There, Harrington became the assistant chief of police. In 1913, Harrington was struck in the head with a beer bottle by Tom Merrit, described in Lee Allen's book The Cincinnati Reds as a "thug." Harrington died on August 16, 1913 at the age of 45 and was buried at Oakland Cemetery in Keokuk, Iowa. - Wikipedia

Redid the facegen.

[luckymann]

Originally Posted by LansdowneSt

Heinie Groh was undoubtedly the National League’s best third baseman of the Deadball Era. Historian Greg Gajus suggests that Groh would have won at least one Most Valuable Player award (for the 1919 season) and perhaps two others (1916 and 1918), and that eight of his 12 full seasons were of All-Star quality. Furthermore, contemporaries considered him the NL’s best-fielding third baseman, so he likely would have added at least a half-dozen Gold Gloves to his trophy case.

While his defense was important, Groh’s feats at the plate made him a star. Positioning himself at the extreme front of the batter’s box with both feet facing the pitcher, he choked up on his peculiar bottle bat and slapped at the ball. Taking advantage of his size (5’6″, 160 lbs.) to create a small strike zone and draw a lot of walks, Groh also became adept at bunting and executing the hit and run. He led the NL in walks in 1916, in hits in 1917, and in runs scored in 1918. Groh also led the league in doubles twice, and had a batting average of .298 or better each year from 1917-21. - SABR

Redid the facegen as I thought it too smoothed out and a bit heavy & rectangular.

Ooooh - HG is my starting 2B for the Bucs and this is just in time for the 1917 WS against the Browns, will add straight away and hope it helps us get the prize.

Thanks bud

G

[percolaten]

Thanks so much, I hope you have a great Thanksgiving. When you have the time, any chance you could work on:

Jay Bell w/glasses

and maybe manager-era
Charlie Manuel
Jim Leyland

Thanx!