Time Warp Baseball

[jdw]

Carlton wrote:

> I STILL say...you HAVE to give your Dad a nickname

No, it's cool that he doesn't have a nickname. Seems to fit with the workhorse nature of Frank - just give him the ball.

Murphy doesn't have a nickname, though he wasn't an ancestor I believe. It's kinda cool that two of the all-time greats don't have nicknames.


John

[rogmax11]

I knew what you meant, Carlton, but Dad was just "Smitty" to close friends, and I truly couldnt think of anything really cool that would have been fitting. And John, you're actually pretty right on: although he had a playful side, and a great laugh for the good joke, Dad was indeed the kind of guy who just gutted it out and did his job.

[Matt from TN]

Since this league has gotten so large and full of history, I have decided to implement date of death (DOD). I want to report the deaths of older ballplayers, and I can do that freely with fictional players. However, I am uncomfortable just killing off your family members, so I would appreciate any info you could give on their DOD. A date would suffice, but any extra info you would like me to know about their death (i.e. heart attack, etc) would be helpful, so I can accurately report this info after they retire... Don't worry, if their real DOD interferes with their career, I'll postpone it until they are retired.

Please post all DOD's in the ancestor sign-up thread linked here, not in the main TWB thread.

Any ancestor who does not have a DOD posted will eventually fall under my creative license to do what I feel is necessary. For the most part, ancestors who get no DOD will live to be old men and probably will pass peacefully in their sleep.

However, if you want them to go out with a bang (as long as it's believable), go ahead and make something up.

If you've previously posted this info elsewhere, no need to repost it.

[Matt from TN]

1940 Offseason News

Only one managerial change took place, and it was indeed an interesting one. The Athletics announced that long-time first baseman Salvatore Rossi would take over managing duties for the team, becoming the first player-manager in nearly two decades.

In February, the First National Bank of Chicago tried to force a sale of the White Sox by the heirs of the late Louis Comiskey. A local judge denied the effort, saying that Mrs. Grace Comiskey could keep the club for their 14-year-old son, Charles II, until he is 35.

In March, an inter-league all-star game was played in Florida for the benefit of Finland, which had been attacked by the Soviet Union. Over $20,000 was raised, but the Finlanders gave up their battle within a few days of the benefit.

Here are the players elected to the Hall of Fame in 1940:

Whitey Kohse, SS
Cap: Giants
Vote: 85.7%
Teams: New York N.L. 1914-1931, Brooklyn N.L. 1932
Plaque: Kohse was the top offensive shortstop of his day. Six times in his career, he hit double-digit homeruns, which was unheard of for a shortstop. By the time he retired, he had a .324 batting average, 131 homeruns (18th All-Time), 660 doubles (2nd All-Time), 1346 RBI (7th All-Time), 1523 runs scored (8th All-Time), 1643 walks (Most All-Time) and 164 steals. He won 4 Gold Gloves and played in 3 World Series with the Giants, winning one. He led the NL in OPS 5 times, in doubles 4 times and in walks 6 times.

Tom Turley, C
Cap: Senators
Vote: 78.6%
Teams: Detroit A.L. 1907-1909, St. Louis A.L. 1909-1911, Washington A.L. 1911-1930
Plaque: Turley's retirement capped off the great "Golden Age of Catchers," when he and other great backstops were a major offensive force in the league. At the time of his retirement, 3 of the 9 members of the exclusive 3000 hit club were catchers. Turley retired with a .293 average, 3098 hits (7th All-Time), 395 doubles (23rd All-Time), 131 homeruns (10th All-Time), 1502 RBI (3rd All-Time), 1653 runs scored (3rd All-Time), 1454 walks (2nd All-Time) and 420 stolen bases (18th All-Time). He also won 2 World Series with the Senators.

Campbell Ditty, CF
Cap: Giants
Vote: 78.6%
Teams: New York N.L. 1906-1929
Plaque: Ditty was the premier power hitter of his day. He was part of a powerful Giants lineup that carried their team to 3 pennants and 3 second place finishes within one 6-year span. Ditty won one World Series and was twice named the NL BOY (1916, 1922). He won 4 Gold Gloves and led the NL in home runs 5 times. At one point in his career, he held the record for most home runs in a season and in a career. He was the first player in major league history to top 200 home runs in a career. Upon retirement, he had amassed a .309 average, 3131 hits (5th All-Time), 665 doubles (Most All-Time), 206 home runs (2nd All-Time), 1628 RBI (Most All-Time), 1313 runs (18th All-Time) and 665 walks.

Allen Albertini, SP
Cap: Dodgers
Vote: 78.6%
Teams: Brooklyn N.L. 1906-1920
Plaque: Unfortunately, Albertini's brilliant career was cut short by an arm injury. Up until that time, he had been the most dominant player in Brooklyn history. He finished his career with a 265-147 record (8th Most Wins All-Time), 2.32 ERA (5th Best All-Time), 1724 K's (17th Most All-Time), 306 complete games and 59 shutouts (6th Most All-Time). He also won the 1912 NL POTY Award.

*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.

[Matt from TN]

Decade of the 1930's

Team-AL	                Win	Loss	  %  Pennants WS Titles
New York (A)            914      626	0.594	6	4
Chicago (A)             809      731	0.525	2	0
Washington              802      738	0.521	1	1
Philadelphia (A)        776      764	0.504	1	0
Cleveland               736      804	0.478	0	0
St. Louis (A)           736      804	0.478	0	0
Detroit                 698      842	0.453	0	0
Boston (A)              689      851	0.447	0	0

Team-NL	                Win	Loss	  %  Pennants WS Titles
Brooklyn                847	 693	0.550	3	1
Boston (N)              839	 701	0.545	1	1
Chicago (N)             835	 705	0.542	3	1
Philadelphia (N)        797	 744	0.517	3	2
Cincinnati              740	 800	0.481	0	0
New York (N)            738	 802	0.479	0	0
Pittsburgh              713	 827	0.463	0	0
St. Louis (N)           652      888	0.423	0	0

Who knew the Braves had the 3rd best record in baseball during the decade? And they made it to just one WS. Brooklyn had a better record in the Cubs, partly because they were winning 90+ games each time the Cubs won the pennant. A few ugly seasons really dropped the Phillies down the list.

The Yankees really dominated the AL. But who's surprised?

The Cardinals finished with the worst record in the decade.

[Matt from TN]

Key Retirees:


Dale "The Wizard" Reneau, SS
Philadelphia Phillies 1920-39



Reneau was a major part of the Phillies dynasty that dominated the NL in the late 20's and early 30's. He won 3 Gold Gloves as well as 5 World Series. He finished his career with a .317 average, 2784 hits, 340 doubles, 1057 RBI, 1467 runs scored (23rd All-Time), 919 walks and 557 steals (11th All-Time).

Howard "Cookie" Parrish, 1B
Chicago Cubs 1924-39



Parrish had an amazing career that featured a .312 average, 2082 hits, 481 doubles (16th All-Time), 228 homeruns (12th All-Time), 1171 RBI and 1010 runs scored. He also won two BOY Awards and one World Series. Tragically, after suffering a bad leg injury in 1937, he never returned to dominance. Two years later he would announce his retirement at age 36 due to an unknown disease that was robbing him of his strength. He was the first player in history to have his number retired.


Other Notable Retirees:

Jeff Angove, CL
Dodgers 1924-37
Phillies 1937-38
Pirates 1938-39
Cardinals 1939

33-40, 118 Sv, 3.85 ERA
Angove was the first relief pitcher to gain recognition. He did it by setting a still-standing record with 25 saves for the 1930 Dodgers. He retired 3rd all-time with 118 saves.

[Matt from TN]

Retiring Ancestors:


Whiskey Allen, Jr., SP
Boston Braves 1919-33
Boston Red Sox 1933-37
Pittsburgh Pirates 1937-38
Philadelphia Phillies 1938-39



Junior flashed a lot of promise as an amateur, and he had a few outstanding seasons, but for the most part, he was an underachiever. His talent was great enough that teams kept him on the mound even in tough times. He amassed a 251-311 record, retiring with the most losses in history, but not a terrible winning percentage (.446). His 4.55 career ERA is not good, but it was not lousy, especially in the live ball era. He won 3 Gold Gloves and 1 World Series. He even threw the most bizarre no-hitter in history.


Donald "Duckie" Andrew, 2B
Cincinnati Reds 1917-24
Cleveland Indians 1924-39



Duckie's career got off to a good start, but after 412 AB in 1919, he got buried on the Reds bench for 4 years. A trade to Cleveland revitalized him. In his 2nd full season with the Indians, he hit .323. In 1934 at age 35, he started a streak of 5 straight seasons hitting .296 or better. He retired with a .276 average, 2203 hits, 374 doubles, 1472 runs scored (22nd All-Time), 1185 walks (19th All-Time) and 701 steals (5th All-Time).

[Carlton]

Originally Posted by Matt from TN

1940 Offseason News

Only one managerial change took place, and it was indeed an interesting one. The Athletics announced that long-time first baseman Salvatore Rossi would take over managing duties for the team, becoming the first player-manager in nearly two decades.

Wow thanks Matt!

Although with the way the A's are...it might be a one year deal at best ...Man they stink!

[Matt from TN]

Ancestors Added in 1940:

Laszlo "The Commander" Szabo-Nagy, 1B, Philadelphia A's



Laszlo is a top-notch hitter, who easily becomes the best prospect in a thin Athletics system. Strangely enough, Philly's top hitting prospect before Laszlo was signed was another first baseman, Lee Richardson. However, Richardson has nothing on Laszlo, who is a large and powerful young kid with the potential to lead the league in homeruns someday. He is also a good hitter who gets on base via walks or base hits, and has plenty of power to the gaps as well. Sal Rossi, now the team's player-manager, has manned first base for many years in Philly. His days on the field are nearly done, so it looks like the timing could be perfect for Szabo-Nagy. He will begin the season in Single-A, but could actually make the majors this season due to the team's lack of depth.


Rollin' Roland Fish, RF, Detroit Tigers



Fish has already drawn a lot of interest with his amazing fielding abilities. He can play all 3 outfield positions, and play them exceptionally well. He does not have blazing speed, but his quick reactions allow him to track down balls with ease, almost as if he knows where the ball is going as soon as it leaves the bat. Fielding, however, is not his only ability. He is a solid hitter with good power. He should certainly be a great player someday soon. He begins the season at AAA, but he could be in the majors any day. His fielding will make certain of that. The Tigers are an aging team, and although they have several solid outfielders, none of them match up to Fish's potential.

[Ankhiel]

i'"m scared to ask.... which team will i take control of again?

[Matt from TN]

Originally Posted by Ankhiel

i'"m scared to ask.... which team will i take control of again?

The mighty Brooklyn Dodgers

[scprideandms]

FINALLY no more agonzing over Jr's Performance (I don't recall what was the bizzare no hitter?

[scprideandms]

Man, Bourbon didn't retire he'll be turning 40 at the end of the season

[scprideandms]

But is slowing down, lowest wins since rookie, highest ERA since 25 lowest K since 24 lowest IP since rookie

[scprideandms]

and only 19 wins away from 400!!!! C'mon Bourbon ya cans do it!!!

[Matt from TN]

Originally Posted by Matt from TN

April 1938

Whiskey Allen, Jr., SP, Pirates - Junior is back in the starting rotation, where he went 2-2 with a 3.09 ERA. In one of the most bizarre games in history, Junior threw a no-hitter, but allowed 2 runs off 10 walks!

Bizarre, indeed.

[scprideandms]

Bourbon also got his 2000th K this year (missed it) and 500 CG's

[jdw]

scprideandms wrote:

> and only 19 wins away from 400!!!! C'mon Bourbon ya
> cans do it!!!

I think that Torn Bicep Muscle last season is going to keep him from doing it. He missed 10 starts, keeping him from 20 last year. He was red hot at the time (see my post on the game where he, Smith and Oscar had start turns). He had a really tough time coming back in July (2-2 5.85) and Aug (2-4 6.94). He closed strong (4-2 2.94), winning his last three games and tossing career shutout #51 on the last day of the season.

Going to be tough to get #400 this season unless he's back in top form.


John

[scprideandms]

KNowing his luck he'll get to 399 then either CEI or retire

[jdw]

scprideandms wrote:

> KNowing his luck he'll get to 399 then either
> CEI or retire

I bet the if he ends up with 398 or 399 that Matt will keep "rolling over" the season until he gets one where Bourb' doesn't retire. :P


John