The Base Ball Life of Patrick O'Farrell

[Big Six]

Arkansas Democrat, June 5, 1937

O'FARRELL PITCHES WELL IN TRAVS DEBUT

ATLANTA--Mike O'Farrell, the Notre Dame righthander whom the Boston Red Sox recently signed to a contract, pitched eight strong innings in his professional debut, and the Arkansas Travelers scored in the top of the ninth to defeat the Atlanta Crackers, 3-2.

A larger than usual crowd turned out at Ponce de Leon Park to watch O'Farrell, the son of Hall of Fame second baseman Pat O'Farrell. The younger O'Farrell's exploits as a college gridder also undoubtedly contributed to the excitement surrounding his first appearance as a professional athlete.

O'Farrell proved himself to be the genuine article, at least on this afternoon. While the Crackers managed nine base hits against him, O'Farrell bore down in the clutch and only allowed two runs to score. He struck out three men and walked three...

[Big Six]

Office of the General Manager
Boston American League Baseball Club
Fenway Park
Boston, Massachusetts

Mr. Michael O'Farrell
224 N. Spruce St.
Little Rock, Arkansas

June 28, 1937

Dear Mike,

I am writing to you, as I often will be from now on, both as your father and as the general manager of the baseball team for which you play. In both roles, I find myself very proud of you, and very pleased with your performance in your first professional season.

Your oustanding pitching this month has made a promotion to a more challenging league a very realistic option for the Red Sox, and I wanted you to be fully aware of how much you are impressing everyone in the organization. However, after some discussions with other members of the Red Sox staff, we have decided that, for the time being at least, you will remain with the Little Rock club. The Travelers look like they will be contending for the Southern Association championship this season, and your manager there has expressed a great deal of interest in having you on his pitching staff for the reast of the year.

There is, however, a possibility that if you continue to pitch well, you might be added to the Boston roster when the limit expands to forty players on September 1. Of course, your opportunities to pitch for the Red Sox will depend on the status of the American League pennant race, as well as the team's need for pitching help. I did, however, want you to be aware of the fact that it is a possibility, and that it would be a realistic goal for you to have in mind throughout the season.

After another long discussion, it has been decided that the Red Sox, at least officially, will give its "blessings" to you if you choose to sign the contract offered to you by the Detroit franchise of the National Football League. As the Lions drafted you in the third round, it is obvious they have a considerable amount of confidence in your ability to help their team.

At the same time, it would be remiss of me, as an employee of the Red Sox as well as a loving father, were I not to remind you that you might be placing your baseball career at great risk by playing professional football. The risk of injury is great, and because you are a pitcher, the chances of such an injury endangering your career is considerable.

It is also possible that by dividing your time, energy, and attention between baseball and football, you might never reach your fullest potential in either sport. I am sure you have thought of these things, however, and you are a full-grown man who is able to make his own decisions. I raised you to be that way, after all.

I suppose I just completely crossed the line from general manager to father, but I also suppose you would expect that to happen sometimes. And, as both, I wish you the very best of luck in your next few starts, of which I will be anxiously awaiting news.

Regards and love,
Dad

P.S. I am totally at a loss as to how to close my letters to you. The professional and the personal sides of our relationship seem to conflict quite a bit in that regard!

In his first six starts for the Little Rock Travelers, Mike O'Farrell has a 3-0 record and a 3.28 ERA. He has allowed 47 hits in 46.1 innings. He has demonstrated some signs of his ability to dominate Class AA hitters, striking out 50 men while walking only 15.

[Big Six]

Like some of the rest of you, I'm very interested in seeing what kind of NFL career Mike O'Farrell might have. I own Action PC Football, an excellent, enjoyable football text sim, and a number of past seasons...including the ones in which Mike O'Farrell would play.

APCFB doesn't have the same kind of career mode that OOTP has, so I'll be creating Mike as a 1937 rookie and adding him to the league. A roll of a ten-sided die awarded Mike to the Detroit Lions, so he'll be breaking in with Dutch Clark's squad when his baseball season is complete.

[Big Six]

Like I did with his father before him, I created Mike O'Farrell as a good prospect, but not a sure-fire superstar. I checked the ratings for the pitchers in the O'Farrell universe and have used them as baselines for Mike's talent and potential.

As a 22-year-old with four years of college experience, Mike begins his professional career with a decent amount of skill. Here are his current ratings and his potential in each of the three "core" areas for pitchers:

          CUR  POT
Stuff      23   35
Control    73   80
Movement   45   86

Mike is currently rated at three blue stars.

He has an Endurance rating of 87, and throws his best fastball in the upper 80s. He keeps the ball down, inducing ground balls at a 54% rate, and fields his position well (81 range).

With a dad who's one of the greatest hitters of all time, I thought Mike might have a clue at bat, too. I gave him a 28 for Contact, and a 24 for Avoid Ks. He probably won't ever hit a homer, with a 3 rating for Power.


Mike, therefore, looks like he'll eventually grow into a solid major league starter, but I haven't tried to create the greatest pitcher of all time, either.

However, I designed Pat in the same fashion, and look what happened to him...

[Big Six]

Minneapolis Tribune, July 22, 1937

The Minneapolis Millers' chances for battling back into the American Association pennant race took a turn for the better today, as the Boston Red Sox announced they were promoting righthanded pitcher Mike O'Farrell to the Millers, effective immediately.

O'Farrell has so far made the Red Sox' decision to offer him a lucrative contract look like a very good investment. The graduate of the University of Notre Dame has pitched in ten ballgames for the Little Rock Travelers of the Southern Association, winning seven and losing only once. In 81 innings of work, O'Farrell has allowed only 73 hits and has walked but 22 men, while dispensing of 79 batters via the strikeout. His earned run average of 2.67 would place fifth in the Southern loop if he had pitched enough innings to qualify.

The twenty-two year old O'Farrell is a superb athlete who was selected by the Detroit Lions in the third round of the National Football League draft after earning three varsity letters in football at Notre Dame.

O'Farrell expects to report to training camp with the Lions at the conclusion of his baseball season, but first he will be reporting to Minneapolis. His arrival will bolster a pitching staff that has lately received good work from only the veteran pair of Fritz Oestermueller and Larry Boerner.

[Big Six]

1114 S. 79th Street
Omaha, Nebraska

Mr. Mike O'Farrell
287 10th Avenue, S.E.
Minneapolis, Minnesota

August 18, 1937

Dear Mike,

I wanted to take a break from my packing, so I thought I'd write to you quickly and tell you what a swell time I had on my visit to Minneapolis last weekend. The only thing that would have made it better would have been seeing you win that game you pitched against Louisville. All I know is that I'm glad I don't have to hit against fellows like you professionals!

I hope you'll be able to make that trip to Iowa City you were talking about this fall. I know the Lions will keep you pretty busy, and it's a shame we aren't playing Michigan in Ann Arbor this year.

One more thing: thanks very much for giving me your sister's address. I don't know how Mary Kate will react to getting a letter from a fellow she's never met, but I suppose there's only one way to find out.

I'll cut this short now, because I know you have better things to do than read my letter. If you have a chance, drop me a line back. I'll be back at school in two weeks, but I believe you have my address there, too.

Good luck with the rest of your season, and I'll keep my fingers crossed that you get a promotion up to Boston on the first of September.

Your pal,
Nile

[Big Six]

Boston Globe, September 1, 1937

SOX EXPAND ROSTER TODAY
Several Top Prospects Will Make Big League Debuts

BOSTON--September first is a meaningful day for hundreds of baseball players who ply their trade in the minor leagues. On that date each year, major league teams are allowed to expand their rosters from 25 to 40 players, giving many farmhands the opportunity to try their luck at the big league level.

The Boston Red Sox today announced the names of fifteen players who will be added to the major league roster for the season's final month, a month that finds their club in the midst of a race for the American League pennant. Several of these players will be making their first appearance in the major leagues, and several will be counted upon to provide the Sox with a boost as they battle the Detroit Tigers for first place.

Japanese prospect Fumio Fujimura will probably see nearly regular duty at third base. Fujimura, 21, hit an even .300 at Minneapolis this year, with 15 home runs and 73 RBI. He is also a slick fielder with a powerful throwing arm.

John Kroner, a 28-year-old veteran of several minor league campaigns who hit .338 in limited duty for the Sox in 1936, might also see action in a Sox infield that manager Bill Carrigan has had to reconstruct after the season-ending injury to Martin Dihigo. Kroner can play second or third, and also hit over .300 with the Minneapolis club.

Among the host of hurlers the Sox will add to their staff, two names stick out. Archie McKain broke camp with the big club back in April and saw limited duty until Danny MacFayden recovered from an elbow injury. Splitting time between Little Rock and Minneapolis, McKain, 26, compiled a 3.58 ERA in 44 innings of work.

The Red Sox' prized pitching prospect, Mike O'Farrell, will receive his first opportunity to match his stuff against big league hitters. O'Farrell, the Notre Dame All-American who signed with the Red Sox in June, was promoted from Little Rock to Minneapolis in late July and posted a 5-3 record for the Millers. O'Farrell was hit fairly hard by American Association batters, but struck out nearly three times as many men (30) as he walked (11).

Both O'Farrell and McKain are expected to work from the Red Sox bullpen, and Carrigan will not hesitate to give either one of them the ball...

[Big Six]

227 Elm Street
Stockbridge, Massachusetts

Mr. Michael O'Farrell
c/o Boston Red Sox American League Baseball Club
Fenway Park
Boston, Massachusetts

September 1, 1937

Dear Mike,

I hope this letter finds its way to your hands quickly. I confess that I found it exciting to address it to you as a member of the Boston Red Sox; that is why I did not send it to you at home. I hear you will be living with your Mom, Dad, and siblings until the baseball season ends. Then, I suppose you will be off to Detroit.

You may or may not be aware of the fact that years ago, when your Dad first told me he was interested in a career as a professional athlete, I did almost everything in my power to prevent him from pursuing that course. Thirty years ago, the public perception of a man who made his living as a ball player was much different than it is today, and I confess that I believed your Dad would be wasting his mind if he became a ballplayer. I made him promise me he would continue his studies at Amherst, at least until he had demonstrated that he indeed could earn an honest living in baseball.

I am not ashamed to say that I was wrong thirty years ago. I know I don't have to tell you what a fine man your father is, and I hope you know how proud I am of his accomplishments. He is truly one of the most beloved men in all New England, if not the entire country, and he has achieved that acclaim while exhibiting the highest standards of sportsmanship and gentlemanly behavior.

When I discovered you had inherited your father's considerable athletic ability, I wondered if you, too, would try your hand at a similar career. I was not the least bit surprised by your choice; I wasn't even surprised when you chose to continue playing both baseball and football at Notre Dame and as a professional.

In five years' time, you appear to have matured from a budding troublemaker to a fine young man who is mature and responsible enough to make his way in the world. I am honored that you will carry the O'Farrell name with you as you begin your career as a major league baseball player, a career that might already have begun as I write this letter. I trust that you will only do what will bring further honor to our family.

I realize that since you will be used as a relief pitcher, neither you, your father, or Mr. Carrigan can say with any certainty when you might pitch. Grandma and I plan to take the train to Boston for a weekend's worth of games; perhaps we will get to see you pitch at least once. I am looking forward to that experience very much, and until them please know that I am "rooting for you."

Good luck, best wishes, and much love,
Grandpa O'Farrell

[Big Six]

Boston Globe, September 6, 1937

The 1937 American League race isn't over, but it is fairly safe to say that right now, it appears that the Detroit Tigers have sunk their claws firmly in the pennant.

Yesterday at Fenway Park, the Tigers won their second straight game from the Red Sox, routing Carl Hubbell on the way to a 9-2 victory...

Mike O'Farrell made his anxiously-awaited major league debut in the eighth inning. With two out, O'Farrell relieved Fritz Oestermueller, who had just yielded an RBI double to Lyn Lary. Mike retired the next Tiger, rookie infielder Ollie Bejma, on a short fly to Mel Almada in center.

O'Farrell worked his way into, and out of, trouble in the ninth. Catcher Jimmie Wilson led off with a single to right, and veteran left fielder Heinie Manush followed with a soft base hit that fell in front of a hard-charging Moose Solters in left. Wilson lumbered into second, barely beating a throw by Solters that would have forced him out.

Bearing down, O'Farrell retired pinch-hitter Harry Davis on a grounder to second, Manush and Solters each moving up a base. Billy Werber then made a sparkling play at third base, spearing a hard ground ball off the bat of Cool Papa Bell, quickly holding the runners, and firing the ball to Gehrig at first in time to nip the fleet Bell by half a step. O'Farrell grinned, nodded his acknowledgement to Werber, and coaxed a fly ball out of Gee Walker which was gloved by Cramer to end the inning.

O'Farrell, the highly touted Notre Dame product who will report to the Detroit Lions of the National Football League when his baseball season ends, threw 21 pitches in his debut, twelve for strikes...

[lewis31lewis52]

Mike looked good in his ML debut. Hope he becomes a starter next year.

Can't wait until the football season starts!

[Big Six]

Hotel Ponchartain
Detroit, Michigan

Mr. Joe Kuharich '38
St. Joseph's Hall
University of Notre Dame
South Bend, Indiana

September 24, 1937

Dear Joe,

I'm very sorry I missed your phone call the other night. It would have been great to talk to you and find out how all my old buddies at Notre Dame are doing.

I'm sure Coach Layden is preparing you for your first game as thoroughly as ever. Part of me wishes I were there with you, but I'll be back on the football field soon enough. I doubt I'll ever experience anything on the gridiron that is quite as exciting as a Saturday afternoon in South Bend, however.

I don't know if you had a chance to check the newspaper yet, but I got my first start as a major league pitcher yesterday. I was becoming very anxious to get back on the field, as I had not pitched in almost three weeks. I was a little surprised about that, because I think I'd pitched pretty well in my first appearance. We were still fighting the Tigers for the pennant, however, and most of our starters were pitching complete games. We hadn't really needed the bullpen often, and when we did, Bill Carrigan gave the ball to the more experienced pitchers.

The Tigers beat us two days ago to clinch the pennant, and in the clubhouse after the game, Carrigan told me I was going to start the next game. That meant that in my first two appearances in a big league game, I was going to face the best team in the American League. Nothing like breaking in against the best, is there?

I didn't sleep much that night, while I tried to remember what I knew about the Detroit hitters--besides the fact that they all seem to knock the cover off the ball. I had a long talk with my Dad on the phone the next morning, which settled my nerves somewhat. He reminded me that if the Red Sox didn't think I had major league talent, they wouldn't have promoted me to the major leagues.

There was a decent crowd at Briggs Stadium, and I kept trying to remind myself that the plate was still exactly 60'6" from the rubber there, just like it was in South Bend, Little Rock, and Minneapolis. I had to make myself forget that I was facing hitters like Charlie Gehringer, Hank Greenberg, Wilile Wells, and Cool Papa Bell. The Tigers were pitching Schoolboy Rowe against us. He'd already won 23 games, so I had my work cut out for me if we were going to win.

I retired the first two men I faced, but then Wells hit one of my fastballs so far to right field that Phil Todt and I just turned around and watched.
Lou Gehrig saw me muttering to myself in the dugout after the inning ended, and he smiled at me. "You know, if a big league player hits a home run off you, it must mean you're in the big leagues." That made me feel some better.

So did the doubles Fumio Fujimura and Frank Frisch hit the next inning that tied up the score. Frank is retiring at the end of the season, and one day I'm going to be very proud to say I was once his teammate with the Red Sox.

The Tigers scored twice in the third, when Greenberg nearly knocked the wall down with a double. By then a few of the Tigers were starting to rag me pretty well. Heinie Manush was the loudest, and after a while he was the only one I could hear.

I know I'm not supposed to pay attention to what the guys say, but one comment he made got my goat. He yelled out "I suppose anyone can pitch for the Red Sox if his old man's the general manager." His teammates laughed, and I remember reaching up and tugging at my cap to hide a little bit of embarrassment. You can't hear that kind of talk on a football field, you know?

Well, the next time Manush came up, I put my first pitch right under his chin. It was a pretty decent fastball, and it knocked him on his can. He got up, dusted himself off, and smiled at me. Then he grounded out to the shortstop.

I figured I knew what would happen when I came to bat next, and I was right. Rowe gave me the same business I'd given Manush, so we were now even. I didn't get a hit that time up, but I hit a single in my next at-bat. Frisch signaled to the home plate umpire, and they saved the ball for me. It's sitting in my suitcase right now, in fact.

I was still in the game when the eighth inning rolled around. We were behind 6-3, and things weren't looking good. Gehrig went around the dugout, slapping guys on the back and saying, "Let's get some runs for this kid. Let's win the game for him." Lou had already done his part. He drove in a run in the third inning, and he started THREE double plays! You might go a week without seeing a 3-6-3 double play, and today Lou was in on three of them.

The guys scored five runs in the inning and knocked Rowe out of the box. So, while I didn't pitch nearly as well as I wanted to, the guys made a winner out of me in my first major league start. I'll finish the season with an undefeated record as a big league pitcher!

After the game Manush was asked about the at-bat when I knocked him down, and he was pretty swell about it. He told the reporters, "O'Farrell just showed us he has some guts; that's all."

In a week I'll be right back here in Detroit, starting my football season with the Lions. I'm sure I'll have plenty more to tell you then. For now, make sure to wish the guys good luck for me, and tell them that I'll get down to South Bend sometime.

Your pal,
Mike

[Big Six]

Here are the lines for Mike O'Farrell's first two appearances as a major league pitcher:

Date Opp.  Result    IP  H  R ER BB  K Dec         
9/5  DET   L 2-9    1.1  2  0  0  0  0           
9/23 @DET  W 8-6  * 9   12  6  6  3  1  W

With the 1937 season at an end, let's look at how Mike did in his first professional season. His stats at Little Rock, Minneapolis, and Boston follow:

Team             G GS  W  L SV  ERA   IP   HA  R ER HR  BB   K  CG SHO WHIP BABIP 
Little Rock (A) 10 10  5  1  0 2.67  81.0  73 24 24  7  22   79  4  2  1.17 .313 
Minneapolis (AA) 8  8  5  3  0 4.70  59.1  69 33 31  5  11   30  2  1  1.35 .327 
Combined A/AA   18 18 10  4  0 3.53 140.1 142 57 55 12  33  109  6  3  1.25 
Boston (AL)      2  1  1  0  0 5.23  10.1  14  6  6  1   3    1  1  0  1.65 .333

(I've used the league designations as they were used in 1937. In OOTP terms, Mike pitched at the Class AA and Class AAA levels)

Not surprisingly, Mike found the going tougher as he moved up to higher levels of competition. All in all, however, he looked pretty good.

I've never been exactly sure how the game engine awards blue stars to prospects, but it really liked what Mike showed it in his first two months as a professional pitcher. When Mike signed, he was given three stars. He's now picked up two more, and is a glowing five-star prospect!

His ratings have taken a nice little bounce, too; you'll read more about that, and about how he compares to other hot pitching prospects, in a scouting report I'll post here very soon.

[Big Six]

Several notable athletes of the 1930s played both baseball and football at the professional level. Among them were three Pro Football Hall of Famers: Red Badgro, Ace Parker, and Sammy Baugh.

Badgro, an outfielder, played for the St. Louis Browns in 1929 and 1930. Parker saw action in the outfield for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1937 and 1938. While Baugh, a shortstop, never made the majors, he did play for Columbus and Rochester in the American Association.

Mike O'Farrell is also a two-sport star, and I'll be covering his NFL career in this dynasty, too. Action PC Football is an excellent football text simulation by Dave Koch Sports. Dave has produced nearly every NFL season for APCF, and it was very easy to create Mike and add him to the 1937 Detroit Lions roster.

Because APCF doesn't feature an OOTP-style career mode, I developed a realistic stat line for Mike. I made him a fairly decent NFL player, a quarterback who can pass and run.

NFL players of Mike's era played both offense and defense, and Mike will be no exception. Like he did at Notre Dame, Mike will play free safety.

At the end of each season, I'll evaluate his performance to see what kind of stats to give him the next year. If he plays well, he'll be rewarded with a better stat line for next season; if he underperforms, I'll bump him down.

[Big Six]

September 26, 1937

The Red Sox didn't win the pennant, so Mike's baseball season has ended. He'll be reporting to the Detroit Lions in time to play in the team's third game, an October 3 matchup against the Green Bay Packers.

Here are the NFL standings as Mike prepares to join his teammates:

NFL Standings
September 26, 1937


 East              W  L  T   Pct   Pts   Ave   Opp   Ave  Diff    Home    Division Conference
Brooklyn           3  0  0 1.000    43  14.3    10   3.3  11.0   2  0  0   2  0  0   3  0  0
Philadelphia       2  2  0  .500    42  10.5    43  10.8  -0.3   1  2  0   1  1  0   2  2  0
New York           1  1  0  .500     7   3.5    20  10.0  -6.5   0  0  0   1  1  0   1  1  0
Pittsburgh         1  2  0  .333    20   6.7    19   6.3   0.3   1  1  0   1  2  0   1  2  0
Washington         0  1  1  .500     3   3.0     7   7.0  -4.0   0  1  1   0  1  0   0  1  1

 West              W  L  T   Pct   Pts   Ave   Opp   Ave  Diff    Home    Division Conference
Green Bay          1  0  1 1.500     7   7.0     0   0.0   7.0   1  0  1   1  0  1   1  0  1
Cleveland          2  1  0  .667    33  11.0    32  10.7   0.3   1  0  0   1  0  0   2  1  0
Chicago B          0  1  0  .000     0   0.0     7   7.0  -7.0   0  0  0   0  1  0   0  1  0
Detroit            0  1  1  .500     7   7.0    17  17.0 -10.0   0  0  1   0  1  1   0  1  1
Chicago C          0  1  3 1.500    17  17.0    24  24.0  -7.0   0  0  0   0  0  2   0  1  3

The Lions lost their season opener to the Cleveland Rams on September 10 by a 10-0 score. Fullback Ace Gutowsky gained 50 yards on 16 carries for the Lions, with halfback Ernie Caddel adding 33 more on nine totes. Detroit couldn't generate any offense through the air, however, as Gutowsky and halfback Bill Shepherd each threw three passes without completing any.

Nine days later, the Lions played the Chicago Cardinals to a hard-fought 7-7 tie. Caddel was the offensive star for the Lions, gaining 59 yards on 13carries, including a 13-yard touchdown run. He also hauled in a pass from Gutowsky for a 22-yard pickup. Gutowsky rushed 14 times for 45 yards.

The Lions are hoping that O'Farrell will give their moribund offense a boost. The team's aerial attack is in particularly bad shape, as the team's passers are a combined 1-10 in their first two games.

[Big Six]

Detroit News, October 4, 1937

LIONS' SECOND HALF COMEBACK FALLS JUST SHORT
Green Bay Defeats Detroit, 16-14

GREEN BAY--Detroit Lions coach Dutch Clark could have been forgiven for feeling as blue as his jersey at halftime of yesterday's game against the Packers.

The Lions, who have not exactly been proficient at putting points on the scoreboard, trailed the Packers, 10-0. Clark and his teammates had managed to net exactly one yard rushing, and on a cold, rainy day, the chances of advancing the ball via the pass looked less than promising.

When the Packers scored again within three minutes of the second half kickoff, the Lions' outlook seemed gloomier than the weather. Give Clark and his charges credit for not giving up at that point, and for making a fourth-quarter run at the Packers that came up just short.

Rookie quarterback Mike O'Farrell who, having completed his responsibilities as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, joined the Lions this week, had for three quarters played like a man who hadn't seen a football field in a long time.

O'Farrell was intercepted twice in the first half by Joe Laws, one of which led to the Packers' first touchdown, a 22-yard touchdown pass from Arnie Herber to halfback Paul Miller. Over the course of the last fifteen minutes of the game, O'Farrell showed signs of the talent and moxie that the Lions sought when they made him their third choice in last spring's draft.

On the Lions' first possession of the fourth quarter, O'Farrell clicked on four consecutive pass attempts for a total of 64 yards. The final toss in the series found end Butch Morse in the Packers end zone for an 18-yard score, the first TD pass of O'Farrell's career.

After the Lions defense stopped the Packers and got the ball back to their offense, O'Farrell threw three more completions in a row, including a nice toss to Ed Klewicki that the receiver turned into a 30-yard gain to the Packers' three. On first and goal, O'Farrell was stopped for no gain. Lloyd Cardwell lost a yard on second down, and O'Farrell then threw incomplete.

With the clock showing a minute and 31 seconds and the Lions nine points behind, a field goal would do no real good. With the Packers' fans roaring, the Lions went for the touchdown on fourth down.

O'Farrell dropped back to pass, but his receivers were tightly covered. So, the Notre Dame product tucked the ball under his arm and sprinted around the corner into the end zone.

It wasn't enough for a victory, but the renewed vigor the Lions showed in the late stages of the game encouraged coach Clark.

"Mike O'Farrell lit a fire under the team in the fourth quarter," Clark said. "He can do a lot of things well on a football field, and we're looking forward to seeing more of him over the rest of the season."

O'Farrell's hot streak allowed him to finish the game with ten completions in 19 attempts, good for a total of 164 yards. The Lions had gained exactly 22 yards passing in their first two contests. The Packers' ace quarterback Herber was even more accurate, connecting on 15 of 23 throws, although his were good for seventeen yards fewer than O'Farrell's.

The Lions' failure to move the ball on the ground remains a concern, however. The Detroiters gained 17 yards on 27 carries, with Ernie Caddel's six yards the team's high total. "We have to work on that," Clark said, stating the obvious.

The Lions' next opponent, the Pittsburgh Pirates, don't defend the run as stoutly as the Packers, so the beleaguered Lions backs might find the going easier next Sunday. The addition of a passing game can't hurt, either.

City Stadium    Temp:44 Wind:0-10 Rain    MVP:Laws

1937 Detroit (0-2-1)                  0   0   0  14        14
1937 Green Bay (2-0-1)                0  10   6   0        16

2 GB  TD Herber 22 pass to Miller (Engebretse) (2-31-1:01) 13:42            0-7
2 GB  FG Engebretsen 28 (10-35-5:03) 5:15                                   0-10
3 GB  TD Laws 12 run (no good) (2-32-1:14) 12:20                            0-16
4 DET TD O'Farrell 18 pass to Morse (Monahan) (6-60-4:05) 8:35              7-16
4 DET TD O'Farrell 3 run (Monahan) (10-59-3:30) 1:24                       14-16

                   DET         GB
First Downs         10         10
Rushes           27-17      23-95
Passes       19-10-164  23-17-147
Sacked             0-0        1-8
Fumble               3          1
Penalties         5-35       4-40
Turnovers            2          1
Time             27:24      32:36
Third Down        2-10       4-11
Fourth Down        1-2        0-1
Net Offense        181        234

Injuries:Hutson(GB-0)


1937 Detroit 

Rushing    Att  Yds  Ave 10  FD Lg TD  Receiving   Rec Dp  Yds  Ave 25 FD Lg TD
Caddel       5    6  1.2  0   0  5  0  Klewicki      4  0   74 18.5  1  3 30  0
Shepherd     3    5  1.7  0   0  2  0  Caddel        2  1   22 11.0  0  2 15  0
Cardwell     4    4  1.0  0   0  2  0  Morse         2  0   32 16.0  0  2 18  1
Huffman      1    3  3.0  0   0  3  0  Huffman       1  0   17 17.0  0  1 17  0
Gutowsky     3    2  0.7  0   0  2  0  Clark         1  0   19 19.0  0  1 19  0
O'Farrell    6    2  0.3  0   1  4  1               10  1  164 16.4  1  9 30  1
Clark        4   -1 -0.2  0   0  1  0
Klewicki     1   -4 -4.0  0   0  0  0
            27   17  0.6  0   1  5  1


Passing     Att Cmp    C%  Yds  Ave  Lg  Bd 25  In    I%   Sk  TD   TD%  Rate
O'Farrell    19  10  52.6  164 16.4  30   2  1   2  10.5    0   1   5.3  59.9
             19  10  52.6  164 16.4  30   2  1   2  10.5    0   1   5.3  59.9

Kicking      XPA XPM   XP%  FGA FGM   FG%    40+   50+   Lg   Pts
Monahan        2   2 100.0    0   0   0.0    0.0   0.0    0     2

Punting        No Yards  Lg TB BK 20   Ret  Yds    Net   Gross
Christense      5   163  39  0  0  0     5   41   24.4    32.6

Kick Returns  No Yards  Ave   Lg TD      Punt Returns No FC Yards  Ave  Lg TD
Clark          4   116  29.0  54  0      Clark         2  1    11  5.5   6  0
               4   116  29.0  54  0                    2  1    11  5.5   6  0

Fumbles                                                                        
Clark     1   Shepherd   1   O'Farrel   1   Clark      1                  

Sacks        Hurries      Stuffs       Deflections  Forced Fmb   Fumble Rec
Morse     1  Gutowsky  1  Johnson,  2  O'Farrel  2  Payne     1  Clark     1
                          Fena      1                            Caddel    1
                          Shepherd  1                            Christen  1

Tackles                                                                        
Gutowsky   7  Shepherd    4  Emerson     3  O'Farrel    2  Stacy       1  Reckmack    1
Clark      6  Christen    4  Klewicki    2  Johnson,    2  Reynolds    1
Fena       6  Morse       3  Payne       2  Stokes      1  Huffman     1

Ints      No Yds  Ave  Lg TD
Huffman    1  16 16.0  16  0
           1  16 16.0  16  0


1937 Green Bay 

Rushing    Att  Yds  Ave 10  FD Lg TD  Receiving   Rec Dp  Yds  Ave 25 FD Lg TD
Hinkle       7   40  5.7  1   2 25  0  Miller        7  1   82 11.7  0  3 22  1
Laws         5   33  6.6  2   2 12  1  Hutson        5  0   43  8.6  0  3 15  0
Miller       7   22  3.1  0   0  6  0  Laws          3  0   17  5.7  0  0  7  0
Hutson       2    2  1.0  0   0  5  0  Hinkle        2  0    5  2.5  0  0  5  0
Herber       2   -2 -1.0  0   0  0  0               17  2  147  8.6  0  6 22  1
            23   95  4.1  3   4 25  1


Passing     Att Cmp    C%  Yds  Ave  Lg  Bd 25  In    I%   Sk  TD   TD%  Rate
Herber       23  17  73.9  147  8.6  22   1  0   1   4.3    1   1   4.3  86.7
             23  17  73.9  147  8.6  22   1  0   1   4.3    1   1   4.3  86.7

Kicking      XPA XPM   XP%  FGA FGM   FG%    40+   50+   Lg   Pts
Engebretse     2   1  50.0    2   1  50.0    0.0   0.0   28     4

Punting        No Yards  Lg TB BK 20   Ret  Yds    Net   Gross
Herber          4   154  47  0  0  1     2   11   35.8    38.5

Kick Returns  No Yards  Ave   Lg TD      Punt Returns No FC Yards  Ave  Lg TD
Banet          1    13  13.0  13  0      Banet         5  0    41  8.2  12  0
Peterson       1    13  13.0  13  0                    5  0    41  8.2  12  0
Svendsen,G     1     0   0.0   0  0
               2    26  13.0  13  0

Fumbles                                                                        
Banet     1                                                               

Sacks        Hurries      Stuffs       Deflections  Forced Fmb   Fumble Rec
             Gantenbe  1  Gantenbe  2  Miller    1  Banet     1  Becker    1
             Smith,Er  1  Goldenbe  2  Engebret  1  Laws      1
                          Hutson    1               Goldenbe  1
                          Becker    1
                          Smith,Er  1
                          Sturgeon  1
                          Engebret  1
                          Gordon    1

Tackles                                                                        
Goldenbe   9  Gordon      4  Sturgeon    2  Schneidm    1  Johnston    1  Svendsen    1
Gantenbe   6  Smith,Er    3  Engebret    2  Hutson      1  Bruder      1  Scherer     1
Hinkle     4  Peterson    3  Becker      2  Banet       1  Laws        1  

Ints      No Yds  Ave  Lg TD
Laws       2   6  3.0   5  0
           2   6  3.0   5  0

[sflcat]

Great stuff as usual! Quit baseball, Mike!!!

[Big Six]

I was surprised to see that it had been two months since I updated this story! I wanted to let Pat's (and now Mike's) fans know that I haven't let the story end.

I play several other sports management games--Bowl Bound, Total College Basketball, Total Pro Basketball, Eastside Hockey Manager--and I tend to play each game more often when its sport is in season. That keeps me from getting sick of a game, or the dynasties I write about for them.

With the winter meetings coming up and free agency signings in the news, I'm thinking more about baseball, and I'll be writing more here soon. I hope those of you who are O'Farrell fans will be back to follow the story again.

[Tyke]

Thank goodness for this piece of news, Big Six - I was starting to get worried!

[William4192]

We want more!! We want more!! We want more!!

[DTF955]

Great to see you back. Did you get my PMs of 10/31 withthe historical stuff you can include so you don't have to worry about history and can concentrate on baseball? I might not have time to make any posts on them, but I did want to work out a good timeline for what you want. I sent a slight change in it reflecting what I think would be more likely for the president for the late 1980s-early 1990s.