MLB Replay....A new History

[wwines]

OK...Rupert's eyes are freaking me out a little

[George_Bell]

1984-85 Offseason News and Notes

This is what I would call a loaded draft class. Maybe loaded is the wrong word. It's top heavy though. The first 6 guys all have skillsets that are worthy of being the top pick on any given year. Barry Bonds, who i do not like, is the top pick and has off the board ratings. Roberto Alomar at nine!!! Wow. He's a Padre again.

Seven players were nominated for induction into the Hall of Fame next year. I decided to accept 4 of those players, with 2 gaining access this year, and 2 more next season. This could create a bit of a waiting list going forward, but I kind of like a max of two a year. Anyway Harmon Killebrew and Sandy Koufax are first ballot, 100%, kind of easy decisions. I do find it ironic, that Killebrew is in, right beside a man wearing the Twins jersey!

Its always a big deal when a reigning MVP is traded.


Leon Durham, a two time MVP is now a Dodger, as the Cubs seem happy to stockpile relievers. Ya, I don’t get that at all. Durham is coming off a monster season, and the price is that low. Well, I guess to be fair, Tim Belcher will probably be a starting pitcher, but he looks overrated for a 14^th overall prospect. Steal for the Dodgers.

I took a look at the all-time hit leaders during the offseason. Nobody, and i mean no active players are even close to making a dent on this list. The active leader in career hits is Al Oliver, a 38 year old CF, whose suiting up for his 8^th team this season. Oliver has recorded 2657 hits. Here are the members of the 300 hit club.

Here are the offseason trades.

Here are the free agent signings

Blue Jays do not resign John Matlack, who was superb. They instead spend the money on Mike Vail, who I think is great. I don’t think they needed more offense though. Matlack fit perfectly in Toronto. I don’t know how much of a mistake this was, but I would have spent that Vail money on Matlack.

[HerbertMcHoover]

Great draft class toward the top, until around 19. Not sure who the hell the Yanks picked, but I hope he is as good as his pick number says.

[George_Bell]

Originally Posted by HerbertMcHoover

Great draft class toward the top, until around 19. Not sure who the hell the Yanks picked, but I hope he is as good as his pick number says.

Looking at the talent in this draft class, i'd say Perez was a bit of a reach

[rjl518]

the mets get Joe Magrane with THIS draft class...really??

[JoJo7]

Thanks for the Career Hits Leaders, very cool to look at the leaderboards.

Also, love that it says Bonds likes to hang out with teammates after games. Yeah, he does!

[ThatOneJerk]

Since you just showed us the career hits leaders and he's not on it, I'm curious how Pete Rose is doing. Has he retired by this point in your dynasty, or is he still kicking around?

[George_Bell]

1985 MLB Preview

Top Player

Top Pitcher

Top Prospect

[George_Bell]

Originally Posted by ThatOneJerk

Since you just showed us the career hits leaders and he's not on it, I'm curious how Pete Rose is doing. Has he retired by this point in your dynasty, or is he still kicking around?

Pet retired years ago, and was never really a great player. Looks like he was always useful, but didn't ever come close to what he was in real life. Here is his player card.

[skyballer455]

Yeah! My Tigers got Randy Johnson! It's comeback time!

Also, I wonder how one of the most legendary Tigers players of the 80s, Kirk Gibson, is doing in this universe.

[HerbertMcHoover]

Knepper is having an under-the-radar career. Might be a HOFer when it's said and done.

[George_Bell]

Originally Posted by skyballer455

Yeah! My Tigers got Randy Johnson! It's comeback time!

Also, I wonder how one of the most legendary Tigers players of the 80s, Kirk Gibson, is doing in this universe.

Well, Kirk Gibson has not been able to have any of the success he enjoyed in real life. He was a top 10 pick, who was traded early. He's still got some time, but his career is not on the right track. Here's a look at his player card

[George_Bell]

1985 Regular Season

First, here are top 10 prospects heading into the 1985 season.

So I just noticed Bill Singer is again healthy, and not on the Reds!! I really though he would retire after a season ending injury combined with a horrible half season, but Bill Singer has signed with the Milwaukee Brewers, in order to teach David Palmer how to pitch. Well, a month into the season, Palmer probably could show Singer something. Singer has been horrible. 1-2, with a 7.11 era so far. I’m thinking OOTP needs a bit of work on it’s retirement logic. We have seen countless great players hold on for years without playing at all. At least Singer is in the rotation, but it is Milwaukee, where pitching doesn’t matter!

Singer

It’s only 41 games, but Reggie Jackson has bounced back. He’s hitting .314. with 8 home runs. I’m a Reggie fan, and I really want him to be great as long as possible. He’s now 24 long bombs away from 700, so its possible the milestone occurs this season. Regardless, he’s back after a dreadful 1984!!

Reggie Jackson

I forgot all about John Elway, so here is a John Elway update. Now 25, Elway has bounced back and forth between the San Francisco Giants and the Phoenix Giants. He’s played in 261 big league games, putting up a .218 average, with 10 home runs and 48 RBI’s. He got the skills to be a utility player, but not a whole lot more. This is what will continue to happne. He’s a classic AAAA player. Probably should have chosen to play football.

John Elway

300 home runs for Bob Horner by the age of 27. That’s a lot. I don’t remember the others who have accomplished this, but I suspect the list is short. He’s averaged 43 homers a year. Things go right, 700 is in reach. BTW, 700 is my big comparrison now, as i think Killebrew's 810 is just absurd!!

Horner

Here are the trades from the 1st half of the season

Here are the post all-star game trades as teams gear up for the pennant races.

September begins with the Blue Jays trying to win a 3^rd straight AL east, up half a game on Boston. Oakland has a 4 game lead on both Texas and Seattle. The Dodgers are trying to hold off the Padres, who trail by 2 games, and the Expos, who have the 2^nd best record in all of baseball, trail the Pirates by 16 games!!! Yes. Pittsburgh is 16 games better then EVERYONE so far!!

The 1956 Brooklyn Dodgers won 113 games, which is the NL record. They only played 154, ofcourse. A winning percentage of .734. With five games left, the Pittsburgh Pirates just won their 114^th game of the season!! Remember, that in 1982, this Pirates team finished dead last in all of baseball. They have a winning percentage of .726, and a outside shot of matching the 1950 Chicago White Sox, and the 1964 Detroit Tigers, who each won 118 games, the MLB record.

The Dodgers end up pulling away from San Diego. Toronto does the same to Boston, and Oakland, the least successful franchise in baseball history comes through, winning on the last day of the season, to edge the Texas Rangers in the AL west.



Pittsburgh wins 4 of their last 5, tying the mark of 118 wins. What a incredible season and turnaround. They set a NL record for wins, tie the MLB record for wins, but trail in both leagues for winning percentage. Here is a look at their very quick turnaround.

Bill Singer announces he is indeed retiring. His final season is horrible. A 5-19 record, with a 6.69 ERA. His career lasted a few years too long, but he will go down as one of the greats.

Reggie Jackson finished the season with 30 home runs. His career total is now 698. He is now 2^nd all-time, but still 112 behind Harmon Killebrew. Kind of makes you appreciate how amazing Killebrew was.

John Elway does not play in the major during 1985. He does hit .376 in Memphis though, the AA affiliate for the Giants. He's going backwards.

[George_Bell]

[George_Bell]

The Toronto Blue Jays finally with the ALCS(barely), on their third straight try and are rewarded with a dominant Pirates team. On paper, it looks like a miss match. The Jays are missing Cal Ripken Jr and Mike Vail. Their absence is a major hole, that, so far, has not hurt the Jays. The bottom of Toronto’s order is bad. Those 3 are completely outclassed by the Pirates rotation. Andres Galarraga and Candy Maldonado are going to have to be heroes. Brett Saberhagen must win his starts. That still might not be enough.

The Pirates are also missing two keys pieces. Rance Mulliniks, and Luis Leal won’t play. Leal actually has missed the whole season, and that had no effect on the pitching staff at all. The complete 4 man Pittsburgh rotation can all make a good argument to be Rube Waddell award winners this season.

There really isn’t much separation between 1 and 4. Don Mattingly is the odds on favourite to win the NL MVP, most of these guys have the experience from winning the World Series a year ago. As much as I hope Toronto can pull it out, they are overwhelming underdogs…

[rjl518]

lets go Jays...cmon George...make sure your favorite team wins it all this year

[wwines]

Wow...the Expos win 93 and finish 25 games out.

[George_Bell]

Originally Posted by rjl518

lets go Jays...cmon George...make sure your favorite team wins it all this year

haha, I'm to busy leading the AL in RBI's over in Baltimore!!

[George_Bell]

Roger Clemens strains his back two batters into game 1. Panic ensues. He has to leave the game. The Jays score single runs in the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th innings, to take a 3-1 lead. Brett Saberhagen gets a RBI on a sac fly in his first MLB at bat. Saberhagen holds the Pirates to 2 runs over eight innings. They Jays add a insurance run in the ninth, and Don Aase, one of baseball’s top closers, finishes it up. Jays take the opener 4-2.

Sid Fernandez starts for the Pirates, in the first real pressure game of the season. The teams put up zeroes for the first 4 innings. Pittsburgh breaks through in the fifth. Jeff Kunkel gets a clutch, 2 out double which scores 2. With the way Fernandez is pitching, those 2 runs might as well be a million. Fernandez continues to dominate through the sixth, seventh, and eighth. With a 3-0 lead, the Pirates elect to let Fernandez finish what he started, and he has no problems. 9 innings, 2 hits, 13 k’s. Fernandez pitches a masterpiece. 3-0 Pittsburgh to tie the series.

Andres Galarraga and Mitch Webster get the Jays started right, knocking in 2 runs in the first 2 innings. The Pirates tie it in the third, but Candy Maldonado immediately restores the lead with a 2 run homer, the Jays first home run of the series. For the 2^nd time, Oddibe McDowell keys a mini rally, and the Pirates tie the game at 4. A Jays error puts 2 men on for Don Mattingly, who makes them pay with a double, and the Pirates lead 6-4 after 6 and a half innings. Again, the Jays respond instantly. Andres Galarraga hits a two run homer to tie the game. Back and forth we go, and it continues. Don Mattingly comes to bat in the eighth, and knocks in the go ahead run. The Jays respond AGAIN! Danny Tartabull with a 2 run double, putting the Jays up in the bottom of the eighth. Maldanado knocks in an insurance run, and Don Aase puts an end to a craziness. Toronto wins game three 9-7.

The Pirates are lifted by the return of Roger Clemens, who claims his back issue wont be an issue the rest of the series. Mickey Tettleton hits the Pirates first homer of the series. Two innings later, Tettleton hits the Pirates second home run of the series. The Pirates lead 4-0 after 5. Roger Clemens shut the door, allowing one run, while striking out nine. Pittsburgh ties the series with a 5-1 win.

Oddibe McDowell leads off the game with home run. The Jays Danny Tartabull ties it with his own solo shot. Toronto would go ahead by two when Mitch Webster knocked home 2 in the third. The Jays lead does not last long. Oddibe McDowell comes to the plate in the fifth, with 2 runners on, and sends his second souvenir long ball into the stands. The Pirates lead by one, a lead they would not relinquish. Pittsburgh ends up winning 8-5.

Game 6 is over almost before it started. 3 walks, 4 hits, and 5 runs for the Blue Jays in the first inning. Pittsburgh cannot recover. It’s 8-0 before the Pirates get a run. Toronto wins 9-2, and we will have a game 7!

GAME 7


The Pirates chose not to start Roger Clemens, instead, going with Pascual Perez, who was 20-7 on the season. Not a bad choice. He isn't Roger Clemens though. He is fully rested. The Jays turn to their ace Brett Saberhagen, winner of 3 games this postseason.

Both pitchers make it look easy. The teams combine for 3 hits in the first 4 innings, and we remain scoreless until Toby Harrah leads of the fifth with a home run. 1-0 Blue Jays.

In the bottom of the 5^th, Pascual Perez tries to bunt Ernie Riles over to second. He is completely unsuccessful, as the Jays throw both Riles and Perez out. That usually kills an inning, but Oddibe McDowell singles, and scores after a throwing error on a Dion James single. We are tied at 1 after five.

Mitch Webster doubles to lead off the sixth, steals third and scores on Dwight Lowry’s sac fly. The scores stays that way until Don Aase comes in to close the game in the bottom of the ninth. Mickey Tettleton strikes out. Rich Gedman grounds out, and Spike Owen lines out. Huge upset!! The Blue Jays are the 1985 World Series CHAMPS!!!

[George_Bell]