The Base Ball Life of Patrick O'Farrell

[Big Six]

Sporting News June 29, 1914


ALL-STAR GAME TODAY
Base Ball’s Best Gather in Philadelphia

Here are the starting lineups for the All-Star Game, to be played today at Philadelphia’s Shibe Park.

Each player’s batting average, home runs, and runs batted in are listed beside his name, along with other outstanding statistical marks.

For pitchers, won-loss record and earned run average are given, and other noteworthy statistics may also appear.


NATIONAL LEAGUE
Buck Herzog, New York, 2b .326-1-52, 33 sb
Doc Miller, Chicago, lf .358-2-42
Tillie Shafer, New York, 3b .340-2-39; 75 runs scored, 70 bb, 65 sb
Art Wilson, New York, 1b .304-1-56
Ginger Beaumont, Boston, cf .411-0-49; 2498 career hits
Tommy McMillan, Chicago, ss .356-0-43; 30 sb
Mike Mitchell, Cincinnati, rf .325-3-37
Fred Jacklitsch, Philadelphia, c .290-3-41
Roy Hitt, Cincinnati, p 14-2, 1.93; 156 K in 161.1 innings


AMERICAN LEAGUE
Ty Cobb, Detroit, rf .402-0-49; 49 sb
Bill Hinchman, Cleveland, lf .324-4-35;
Tris Speaker, Boston, cf .407-5-60; .580 SLG, 23 2b, 9 3b, 33 sb
Pat O’Farrell, Boston, 2b .363-3-61; 55 BB, 36 sb
Ed Konetchy, Boston, 1b .369-2-63
Bob Peterson, Boston, c .330-2-41; 44 BB
George Moriarty, New York, 3b .317-2-29; 9 3b, 37 sb
Eddie Collins, Philadelphia, ss .317-0 25
Joe Wood, Boston, p 11-6, 3.03; 157 K in 169.1 innings

[Big Six]

Ponchartrain Hotel
Detroit, Michigan

Mr. Frank Owens
220 Park Avenue
South Bend, Indiana

July 30, 1914

Dear Frank,

I was pleasantly surprised to receive your letter three days ago, just as we were preparing for our Western trip, and I have only now found the time to answer you. Sitting down and writing to you will provide me with a few minutes’ relaxation in the middle of this important series with the Tigers. As it stands right now, we hold a one-game lead over the Detroit club, with Philadelphia five games behind. As well as we have played, we can’t seem to shake the Tigers. Why, with their percentage, the Athletics would lead the National League right now, and they’re looking up at two clubs in our league!

I don’t mean to underestimate the Cincinnati club, however. Goodness knows, they have provided us with more than enough competition in the World’s Series. Speaking of the Reds, you mentioned that you wanted to hear all about the All-Star game, and I faced my nemesis, Roy Hitt, again that day. I had no more success with him than I usually do, hitting my usual easy ground ball to the shortstop I’d particularly hoped to succeed, since Joe Wood had such poor luck in the top of that inning.

Eddie Collins was the victim of one of the poorest calls I have ever seen an umpire make, when he ruled a baserunner safe after it seemed like Eddie had him by half a step. The scorer rubbed salt into the wound by charging Eddie with an error because he had bobbled the ball before he threw. There were two outs in the inning, so the proper call would have ended matters right there. Instead, the Nationals had a new lease on life, and ended up scoring four times. One of those runs can be blamed on me, as I somehow managed to kick an easy grounder rather than catch it, and couldn’t make a throw to first at all.

My luck at the plate was no better after Hitt left the game. Otto Hess, from the Braves, is a fine gentleman; he lives two blocks from us. He is also a fine twirler, and he struck me out when I came up next, in the fourth inning. The next time I batted came in the seventh inning. Rube Marquard from the Giants was pitching now, and the National League had scored another run. This one came off another of my teammates, Chuck Rose. Chuck was actually the third Red Sox pitcher of the day, as Matty had come in for Wood in the fourth inning

Speaker led off the inning with a single, and on the first pitch to me, he stole second. Their catcher, Jacklitsch, threw the ball away, and Tris moved over to third. I will be the first one to tell you that with none out and a runner on third, I simply have to drive in the run. Marquard knows that too, and worked carefully to me. He got the better of me that time, as I hit an easy popup to the third baseman and went back to the dugout shaking my head. I tip my hat to Marquard, though, as he went on to retire the side and strand Speaker there on third.

We finally put some runs on the board in the eighth inning, and we might have had a couple more if I had hit in the clutch. I came up with Sam Crawford, who had hit a nifty pinch double just a moment ago, standing at second. Ed Karger had just relieved Bruce Van Dyke, and he fooled me badly with a change of pace. I hit the ball right back to the mound, so softly Karger wouldn’t have needed his glove to field it. That was it for our rally, and for my All-Star game as well. I never like to lose, even in an exhibition like this which doesn’t count in the standings. There is also an element of league pride present in the All-Star game, as the boys from each league rib each other good-naturedly about the outcome. We could, at least, claim that our League’s representative won the last World Series.

It does seem like only yesterday that we were all sitting around the parlor at that boarding house on Leigh Street, back in Richmond. Eighteen and nineteen years of age seems young now, does it not? Now we’re both fathers, and I’ll soon be catching up to you. Sarah is expecting our second child in September.

Of course, I told Bill that you had written to me, and he asked me to give you his best wishes. We will try to get you some tickets for our next series up in Chicago, and you will have to visit us at the hotel. We do have a passable quartet on the Red Sox, but I’m sure Joe Wood won’t mind a bit if you stand in on tenor for a song or two.

Your pal,
Pat

*********

Frank Owens broke in with Pat and Bill Carrigan at Richmond in 1906. An outfielder, he never made it past AA, and retired from base ball after batting .206 in 1910.

[Big Six]

Boston Post, August 4, 1914


SPEAKER AND O’FARRELL TOP THE LIST
Red Sox Sluggers Set Pace for Pennant Leaders

BOSTON—For several years now, Tris Speaker and Pat O’Farrell have provided punch in the middle of the Red Sox batting order. Speaker usually hits third, with O’Farrell cleaning up.

Now, they find themselves in unusual positions: Speaker atop the list, with O’Farrell second. This is not a batting order, however; it is the listing of the top batsmen, by percentage, in the American League. Their efforts have helped lift the defending World Series champions to the first place in the standings, two games ahead of Detroit.

Speaker completed yesterday’s play with a gaudy mark of .393 after ripping four base hits off the White Sox’ Red Faber, sparking the Bostons’ 5-2 victory. O’Farrell, with his two safeties, raised his mark to .376.

Speaker scored three of the Sox’ runs, giving him an even 100 for the season, in only 106 games. Tris is well on his way to setting a new American League record in this category.

Both Tris and Pat drove in a run, raising Speaker’s total to 76 and O’Farrell’s to 82, third most in the league. And both swiped a base, giving Speaker 50 and O’Farrell 47. The teammates rank third and fourth in these categories.

The men are also good friends, as they came up to the Red Sox together several years ago. Their backgrounds could not be much different, as O’Farrell is a New England Irishman and Speaker a Texas cowboy. “I admit we had a little difficulty understanding each other at first,” Speaker says with a grin.

Now the difficulty has shifted to American League pitchers who must figure out ways to retire both of them, much to the delight of Boston rooters.

*****************

League note: The St. Louis Browns, looking for anything that can pull them out of the depths of last place, signed pitcher Eddie Plank to a contract this week. Plank, 38, who had been out of base ball since an elbow injury ended his season in 1912, pitched the Browns to a 3-1 victory over the New York Yankees. He allowed seven hits and seven walks, but bore down when he needed to. “My arm feels fine,” Plank said after the game.

Plank has won 209 games in his career, despite pitching for some lousy Philadelphia teams over much of that time. He has not landed in an improved situation with the Browns, who have won only 24 times against 78 defeats.

[Big Six]

Sporting Life, September 21, 1914


SOX SURRENDER FIRST PLACE
Detroit Wins, While Sox Lose Again

Once again, the Boston Red Sox find themselves in the midst of a fierce pennant fight as the first leaves of autumn begin to descend.

Once again, the opponent is the scrappy Tigers of Detroit.

Once again, the lead changes hands late in September, as the team which has trailed most of the way catches fire and reels off a winning streak, while the leader falters.

This time, however, the roles are reversed, as the Tigers have won six straight games, giving them 102 victories on the season, against 48 defeats. One of these teams will become the first in base ball history to exceed the century mark in victories without capturing the flag.

On Thursday and Friday, the Tigers won a pair of contests against the Sox to bring the race to a tie. On Thursday, a costly error by Chet Chadbourne negated a fine pitching performance by Tex Pruiett and gave the Bengals a 5-3 victory. Chadbourne misjudged a Ty Cobb line drive, allowing the tying and winning runs to score.

Friday’s game looked to be a classic, matching two of the league’s premiere pitchers. Ed Summers, winner of twenty-five contests this season, faced Christy Mathewson, victorious twenty-three times himself. The game itself, however, was sloppy. The Tigers made four errors, and the Bostons capitalized on them for three runs. Matty, however, surrendered five runs of his own—only two earned, as the Sox made three errors behind him—and Hughie Jennings’ men won again by the same 5-3 score.

Then, the Tigers traveled west to feast on the lowly Browns, while the Sox tangled with the Cleveland Naps. Yesterday, the Naps received a surprise gift from Tiny Leverenz, the losingest pitcher in the major leagues. He outpitched Sox All-Star Chuck Rose as the Naps won, 4-3. Meanwhile, the Tigers defeated the Browns, 4-2, to take the league’s top spot away from the Sox, who have held it every day since early June.

The Cincinnati Reds, again champions of the National League, are awaiting the outcome of the other league’s fight. “I don’t care which team we play,” Reds star third sacker Eddie Tiemeyer commented. “The fact that Boston beat us for the Series last year doesn’t make me feel any extra revenge against them. All I want to do is bring the championship back to Cincinnati, where it belongs.”

[Carlton]

Oh I have no problem with you trading for Matty, I mean he is 36 and in my test leagues, that is around the time the Giants always traded him away. One time they traded him for Oval Overall straight up when he was 30.

i just had a feeling during his twillight that you would be the Reds and get Mathewson, just for the sake of saying I had my favorite player on the Red Sox...I'd do the same with Cobb when he was 36. Burchell straight up seems like a fair deal since Matty will probably take some hits in ratings soon.

[Henry]

What happened to Patrick ???

[Crapshoot]

This is one of the most amazing threads I have ever read - I can't believe I missed this for a year. Amazing, Amazing stuff Big Six- your students are lucky to have a teacher like you. I wish writing and prose like this could get published- I for one would love to buy an alternate history book of baseball, of the player that never was. On a side note, I find myself as interested in Sarah and the rest of the family, and your willingness to make it honest when neccessary- not just roses.

[Level]

Just happened upon this thread and wanted to say great job from a fellow fan of the gloried past of the greatest sport in the world, baseball. I look forward to further installments from the life and times of Patrick O'Farrell.
Best,
Levi

[Big Six]

Henry, Aadik, and Level,

Thanks for your interest in Pat's story, and for the compliments! I'm having a lot of fun putting his career into the context of the rest of his life, too. The "research" I do to make things seem as realistic as I can has often been as enjoyable as playing the game.

What happened to Patrick is that for a few weeks, real life has intervened. One of my students was killed in an accident the day I last posted here, and things have been very stressful at school, to say the least.

I've just completed the 1914 season...and I'll be updating the story ASAP! Thanks for following along!

[Level]

sorry to hear that big six. im sure your fans can all wait

[Big Six]

The Sporting News, September 26, 1914



THE AMERICAN LEAGUE PENNANT RACE: A CLASSIC
Detroit and Boston End Regular Season Deadlocked
Playoff Tomorrow in Detroit Matches Veteran and Rookie Mound Stars

One of the marvels of the sport of base ball is the fact that after six months and a hundred and a half games, two teams can prove themselves to be so evenly matched that it is impossible to separate them. In such a case, the excitement generated by the pennant fight not only captivates the fans of the teams involved, but sweeps up in its wake all who have an interest in the sport.

Over the course of the past week, such a phenomenon has reminded us why we follow the sport. The Boston Red Sox, defending champions of the world and perennial American League power, have been battling the Detroit Tigers, their strongest competitor these past seasons, down to the wire. Both teams have won well over one hundred games, marking them as among the finest squads ever to take the field.

The Tigers began play on the 22nd a game ahead of the Bostonians. Both clubs broke out their bats and clubbed second division squads. The Sox roughed up the Washington Senators 11-3 while the Tigers pounded the St. Louis Browns, 12-3.

The next day brought both bitter and sweet to the rooters of Boston. In the fifth inning of the team's game against St. Louis, with the Sox clinging to a narrow 4-3 lead, Christy Mathewson felt something odd in his pitching wing and asked Manager Jimmy Collins to remove him from the game.

Young Ben Hunt took Matty's place on the hill and bravely held the Browns at bay. In the top of the ninth inning, Pat O'Farrell put matters out of reach by smashing a Carl Weilman delivery to the base of the centerfield wall. By the time Pat stopped running, he had touched home plate, as had Ray Jansen and Tris Speaker ahead of him.

The three-run homer gave O'Farrell five runs batted in for the day, adding to his total of 117. The Sox left their clubhouse in search of information concerning the progress of the Tigers' match in Washington, which was being covered in special street editions of the Boston daily newspapers.

More than one hat met its demise when it was learned that the Nats had scored in the bottom of the fifteenth stanza to defeat Jennings' Tigers, 7-6, giving the Sox a share of the top spot once again.

The next day brought further drama to the tale, as the Red Sox team physician revealed that Mathewson's injury was not serious, and that if the team reached the Series, Matty might be able to return. "Matty wouldn't likely have worked again until the Series anyway," Boston manager Collins explained. "We have enough strong men that we wouldn't have to ask Matty to work on such short rest even if he were perfectly sound."

One of those men took the mound in Philadelphia in the person of Joseph Wood. He of the smoking fastball faced Harry Krause, whose two dozen victories perfectly matched the Boston star. Krause got the better of Smoky Joe on this day, defeating him 4-2, despite an American League record 16 strikeouts for Wood. The bushel of K's gave Wood a total of 390 for the season, far exceeding the previous league record.

The Bostons needed help from the New York Highlanders to keep their grasp on the lead, and the New Yorkers obliged by narrowly edging the Tigers, 3-2. This meant that the season would enter its final day with the pennant in the balance.

The Tigers appeared to hold the upper hand, as they would take on the Cleveland Naps. Once again, Walter Leverenz, whose surprising victory over the Red Sox four days earlier had given the Tigers the lead, would play a key role in the drama. This time Leverenz was more true to his established form. Tiny gave 11 Tigers free passes to first via the base on balls, and his fielders made four miscues behind him. Tigers hurler Ed Barry pitched poorly as well, but his mates scored twice in the ninth inning to give Barry a 10-9 victory and assure them, at worst, a tie for first place.

The Red Sox, playing in Chicago, learned of the Tigers' victory between innings of their match with the White Sox. Chuck Rose, who had been defeated by Leverenz in the aforementioned clash of the 21st, bore down and applied the whitewash to the White Hose the rest of the way. A two-out, two-run single by Chet Chadbourne in the top of the eighth inning then gave the Red Sox a 4-2 victory.

For the first time in its history, then, the American League will require a play-off game to settle its champion. The Tigers won the toss of a coin; the Red Sox will board a train this morning for Detroit, where the deciding contest will take place tomorrow.

Manager Collins has named Tex Pruiett to start the game for Boston. "No pitcher in the game has more poise in pressure situations than Pruiett," Collins said of the Texan, who takes a 22-11 won-lost mark into the game.

Hughie Jennings will also send a twenty-game winner to the hill, tapping rookie phenom Harry Moran for the assignment. "Sure, Harry is young, but he has demonstrated all season long that he is capable of handling fast competition," Jennings commented. The 25-year-old will be in the biggest game of his life, while Pruiett has pitched in do-or-die situations before, having won the seventh game of the World Series for the Sox back in '09.

All the eyes of the base ball world will be focused on Detroit tomorrow, as the most dramatic race in the annals of the American League will finally be decided.

[Big Six]

Standings of the Clubs
September 27, 1914

AMERICAN LEAGUE    W   L   Pct    GB
Boston (A)       104  50  .675   - 
Detroit          104  50  .675   -
Philadelphia (A)  89  65  .578  15.5  
Cleveland         73  81  .474  31.5  
New York (A)      73  81  .474  31.5  
Washington        72  82  .468  32.5  
Chicago (A)       63  91  .409  41.5  
St. Louis (A)     38 116 .247   66.5 

NATIONAL LEAGUE    W   L   Pct    GB
Cincinnati        94  60  .610    -  
New York (N)      88  66  .571   6.0   
Chicago (N)       82  72  .532  12.0   
Pittsburgh        78  76  .506  16.0   
Philadelphia (N)  76  78  .494  18.0   
Boston (N)        75  79  .487  19.0   
St. Louis (N)     72  82  .468  22.0   
Brooklyn          51 103  .331  43.0

[Big Six]

Here's how Pat's 1914 statistics break down:

                 AB  H   2B 3B  HR   RBI  R  BB  K  AVG  OBP SLG    OPS 
vs. LHP          179  64  11  5  4   41  51  42 22 .358 .473 .542 1.015 
vs. RHP          370 142  18  5  5   77  70  64 55 .384 .470 .500  .970 
Close/Late        56  23   2  1  0    5  12  14  7 .411 .521 .482 1.003 
Scoring Position 183  85  13  4  2  107   0  53 24 .464 .568 .612 1.180 
 
              G  AB   H 2B 3B  HR RBI  R BB  K  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS 
Home         73 265 110 18  4   2  56 64 51 36 .415 .506 .536 1.042 
Road         77 284  96 11  6   7  62 57 55 41 .338 .439 .493  .932 

March/April  26  95  34  5  2   2  18 20 17 27 .358 .447 .516  .963 
May          26 103  41  6  0   1  21 25 16 12 .398 .475 .485  .960 
June         23  79  27  4  3   0  22 13 22 12 .342 .476 .468  .944 
July         26  95  38  7  2   1  20 24 16 10 .400 .478 .547 1.025 
August       27  94  34  3  2   1  18 15 24 11 .362 .492 .468  .960 
Sept/Oct     22  83  32  4  1   4  19 24 11  5 .386 .457 .602 1.060

Pat was an absolute terror with runners in scoring position (107 RBI in 183 AB!!!). He also performed well in the heat of the pennant race, playing a key role in the Red Sox' attempt to seize the flag from the Tigers.

At Fenway, Pat became an on-base machine...literally on base half the time, slugging over .600. Perhaps it's Sarah's cooking.

[Big Six]

Boston Globe, September 27, 1914

THE RED SOX CLAIM THE PENNANT
Pruiett Is Masterful as Sox Win Easily, 7-1
Will Defend Championship Against Cincinnati

DETROIT--After all the excitement that has been generated lately by the American League pennant race, perhaps the Gods of Base Ball saw fit to allow the rooters to catch their breath before the World Series begins.

Yesterday's playoff between the world champion Sox and the Tigers lacked the drama of many of the games that have had rooters in Boston and Detroit perched on the edges of their seats. The Tigers scored a run in the bottom of the first inning, but that was all Tex Pruiett would allow on this day.

The Texan demonstrated his proclivity for winning games that have to be won once again, as he held Hughie Jennings' "Big Four"--the quartet of Cobb, Crawford, Erwin and Bush that have bedeviled hapless American League twirlers all season long--to a pair of hits, both harmless singles by Donie Bush.

Cobb did drive in the Bengals' lone run with a fly out to center field, after leadoff man Davy Jones singled, stole second, and moved to third on an infield out. Otherwise, Pruiett tamed the big cats all afternoon long. Those three hits were all Jennings' boys could muster against the veteran twirler, whose drops and curves kept the Tigers hitting easy ground balls which the Boston infielders gobbled up.

Rookie Harry Moran failed to hold the lead to which his teammates staked him for long. Beginning in the third frame, the Sox scored at least one run in five consecutive innings, finally chasing Moran from the box. Every man in the Boston lineup except Pruiett and, surprisingly, hard-hitting Pat O'Farrell ripped at least one safety off Moran or his successors, Kid Speer and Bill Chambers.

Manager Jimmy Collins grinned from ear to ear as he looked over the clubhouse, where his players were celebrating their victory boisterously. "I can't say enough about the Detroit club. They are certainly a spirited bunch, and have fought us hard all season long. It is truly a shame that both of us can't have a crack at the Reds."

Jennings, clearly disappointed at the outcome of the contest, was gentlemanly in defeat. "There's a reason why the Red Sox win so many pennants. Collins has a bunch of players who know how to win, who do not fold up when the pressure is applied to them. We gave them everything we had."

The victorious Red Sox will take a special train to Cincinnati today, where they will open the World Series on the 29th. Roy Hitt is scheduled to pitch for the National League champions, while Smoky Joe Wood will be on the mound for the Red Sox.

[Big Six]

Sinton Hotel
Fourth Street
Cincinnati, Ohio

Mrs. Sarah O'Farrell
84 Westland Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts

September 29, 1914


My dear Sarah,

There is no place in the world lonelier than a Cincinnati hotel after losing a World Series game, with you back at home in Boston. While I understand that in your present condition, traveling is not pleasant, allow me to tell you how much I do miss you and Elizabeth.

I won't make this a long letter; I want to get as much sleep as possible tonight so I can give the very best effort possible tomorrow afternoon. I did, however, want to tell you a few things about the game that might not appear in the newspapers.

The Reds hit Joe Wood hard in the first two innings, and by the time he collected himself, the Reds had scored five runs. Joe only allowed them two hits the rest of the way, but we weren't able to do much with Roy Hitt.

I suppose I should be more excited than I am about hitting a home run in the World Series, especially off a pitcher who has had the hoodoo over me the way Hitt has. The fact that my hit only made the score 5-1 takes much of the thrill away, however. I did hit the ball sharply, on a line into the right field corner, and it cleared the fence before I hardly had time to get out of the batter's box. Roy only struck me out once this time; that change of pace of his gets me every time, and Roy knows it. I told Jimmy Collins after the game that we really ought to see what it would take to get Roy away from the Reds, if for no other reason than the fact that I would no longer have to face him in the World Series. Heaven knows he would help us win quite a few pennants!

The final score, as I'm sure you know by now, was 5-2. Both sides played very well in the field, and no errors were made. And, although Joe was a little wild and walked five men, he did strike out 11 more, so his "stuff" looked to be in fine shape.

Tomorrow, Chuck Rose will pitch for us, and it looks like it will be Jean Dubuc for the Reds.

There is one more thing I can tell you now. Matty slipped away during the third inning of the playoff game in Detroit and took a train to Youngstown, Ohio. There is a man there known as Bonesetter Reese, who has gained some notoriety among base ball men for his talents in helping injured players return to health. He performs some sort of manipulation, and in many cases, the player experiences almost immediate relief.

Matty arrived in Cincinnati this morning in time to join us at the ball park, and he told me that old Bonesetter has done the trick again. His arm is feeling much better, and it would not be surprising if he can pitch in the Series if it goes long enough. Apparently, Bonesetter told Matty not to work too soon, as he could undo the good work that has been accomplished. You probably won't hear a word of this in the papers, and you shouldn't share this with anyone outside the family, either.

I will close now, my dearest. I hope this letter finds you in perfect comfort, and already possessing the knowledge that your husband's club has, at least, evened the Series! Kiss Elizabeth for me.

With all my love, I remain,

Yours,
Pat

[John P. Yuda]

I absolutely love the Red Sox-Reds rivalry that's developed through time, here; especially the O'Farrell-Hitt rivalry.

[Big Six]

I've had a lot of fun with that, too, John. I find myself rooting for the Reds to win the National League pennant so another chapter in the story of their rivalry might possibly play out.

One of the things that have made the Reds so interesting is the fact that the keys to their long run of success have included some "surprise stars." (I've included some links to the real-life stats for these guys, so you can see what their actual careers were like.)

I had never heard of the "real" Roy Hitt, and one look at his stats will tell you why. In my universe, however, he's become one of the finest pitchers in all of baseball.

Del Mason is another example of a pitcher who seemingly rose from out of nowhere and is building a Hall of Fame career. Both Hitt and Mason should be near their peaks now--Mason is 30 in 1914, and Hitt is 28--and should have several productive years ahead of them.

The best example of a "surprise star" among the position players is third basemanEddie Tiemeyer. Most of the other Reds standouts, like
Rebel Oakes, are players who had more or less successful major league careers.

The Red Sox have a few of these surprises, too. Chuck Rose was just plain lousy as a "real" major leaguer, but in my universe, he's a 20-game-winner. The "real" Tex Pruiett would never have been given the opportunity to pitch a crucial game; his lifetime record was 4-18. In my universe, these two guys were nearly as effective as Joe Wood and Christy Mathewson.

I could have sworn I set the game preferences to make all players with very little "real" playing time "bad." Looking back, I must not have done this.

Is there a way I can change it now, or are the surprise superstars a permanent part of my universe? I might not want to change it anyway; the Roy Hitts and Chuck Roses are kind of fun, but I'd at least like to be able to consider it.

[John P. Yuda]

I don't have an answer to your question, though I do enjoy seeing the "surprise" superstars.

Would it be too cliched to suggest, that, after their playing days are over, Hitt and O'Farrell wind up managing rival teams?

Of course, I don't want to corner you into feeling like you've got to write this for 40+ seasons more of game-time.

[Big Six]

You don't have to be worried about that, John...I'm having so much fun with this that I don't want it to end quickly, either! There are enough examples out there of men who were rivals both as players and managers that it doesn't seem like a cliche at all. Lots of dead ball era stars tried their hand at managing, too.

I have a few alternative story lines in mind for Pat after he retires, actually. Which one(s) I end up choosing will partially depend on what happens over the course of the rest of his career.

[Big Six]

Here are the line scores for the 1914 World Series:

Game One:  September 29, 1914, at Cincinnati

Boston (A) 0 0 0  1 0 0  0 1 0   2 10 0 
Cincinnati 3 2 0  0 0 0  0 0 X   5  7 0 

WP:  Roy Hitt   LP:  Joe Wood

--------------
Game Two:  September 30, 1914, at Cincinnati

Boston (A) 2 0 0  0 0 2  0 0 0   4 9 1 
Cincinnati 0 0 0  0 0 0  0 1 2   3 9 1 

WP:  Chuck Rose   LP:  Jean Dubuc

--------------
Game Three:  October 2, 1914, at Boston

Cincinnati 0 3 0  0 0 0  0 0 0   3 9 1 
Boston (A) 0 0 0  0 0 0  1 0 0   1 6 1 

WP:  Del Mason   LP:  Tex Pruiett

--------------
Game Four:  October 3, 1914, at Boston

Cincinnati 0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0   0 5 0 
Boston (A) 0 0 0  0 1 0  0 0 X   1 9 1 

WP:  Joe Wood   LP:  Roy Hitt

--------------
Game Five:  October 4, 1914, at Boston

Cincinnati 1 0 0  0 0 5  0 0 0   6 11 4 
Boston (A) 0 1 1  0 3 2  0 0 X   7  8 0 

WP:  Christy Mathewson   LP:  Tom Cantwell

--------------
Game Six:  October 6, 1914, at Cincinnati

Boston (A) 1 0 4  1 0 0  0 0 0  1   7 15 2 
Cincinnati 0 0 3  0 0 0  0 0 3  0   6 12 1 

WP:  Chuck Rose   LP:  Del Mason


Boston wins the Series, 4 games to 2.

Baseball Magazine's story on the Series, which focuses particularly on one of its stars, will follow. With Matty's return and a ten-inning thriller for a deciding game, the Series was one for the ages.