The Houston Saga

LetsGoMocs · 06-22-2019, 12:04 AM

On October 10, 1960, Houston, Texas was awarded a Major League Baseball franchise.

At the time, Houston was one of the largest cities in America without a MLB team, and the efforts to bring a New York team back to the National League aided the effort in Houston, as the National League added the Mets and Colt .45s to expand to 10 teams, bringing Major League Baseball to 20.

This thread will cover my reign as General Manager of the Houston Colt .45s (and beyond, rumor has it they change names in a few years).

My character's name is Roy Hofheinz. In real life, Hofheinz was one of the original owners of the Colt .45s. He was also a mayor of Houston, a judge in Houston, and a beloved figure in the city.

I began my sim at the beginning of the 1961 season. Things went a little differently, as the Giants won the World Series and Roger Maris did NOT hit 61 homers. Breathe easy, Babe.

Following the '61 season, the Houston ownership group announced that it's very own Roy Hofheinz would be the General Manager. He would be in charge of drafting the team during the upcoming expansion draft and filling the team's minor league system with talent.

Like in real life, amateurs will be imported into the free agent pool. The draft did not exist until 1965, and it will not exist until then in this game as well.

The next post will have the results of the expansion draft.

LetsGoMocs · 06-22-2019, 12:15 AM

The Houston Colt .45s won a coin flip awarding them the first overall pick in the 1962 expansion draft. With the first overall pick, General Manager Roy Hofheinz selected...

Chicago White Sox 2B Nellie Fox

Fox is a legendary baseball figure, having appeared in 11 All-Star Games, winning 3 Gold Gloves, and winning the 1959 AL MVP Award. The soon-to-be 34 year-old hit .274 with a homer and 72 RBI's with the Chicago White Sox during the 1961 campaign.

DRAFT RESULTS

Round 1: Nellie Fox - 2B
Round 2: Bill Virdon - OF
Round 3: Pedro Ramos - SP
Round 4: Mudcat Grant - SP
Round 5: Roy McMillan - SS
Round 6: Gene Green - C
Round 7: Danny Kravitz - C
Round 8: Don Lee - SP
Round 9: Ron Taylor - P
Round 10: Dallas Green - SP
Round 11: Jack Meyer - RP
Round 12: Paul Toth - RP
Round 13: Ken Hunt - RF
Round 14: Bubba Phillips - 3B
Round 15: Dale Long - 1B
Round 16: Jay Porter - 1B
Round 17: Joe Hicks - OF
Round 18: Al Spangler - LF
Round 19: Jim Golden - RP
Round 20: Al Cicotte - RP
Round 21: Tracy Stallard - RP
Round 22: Art Ceccarelli - RP
Round 23: Jim Duffalo - RP
Round 24: Jim Pendleton - SS
Round 25: Pumpsie Green - INF
Round 26: Dick Brown - C
Round 27: Joe Koppe - INF
Round 28: David Mann - UTIL
Round 29: Len Tucker - OF
Round 30: Steve Dalkowski - P
Round 31: Bob Heffner - P
Round 32: Jay Ritchie - P
Round 33: Bob Smith - P
Round 34: Manny Montejo - RP
Round 35: Roman Mejias - OF

LetsGoMocs · 06-22-2019, 12:37 AM

HOUSTON CHRONICLE

Sunday, November 19, 1961, Houston, Texas

COLTS SIGN TRIO OF AMATEURS

The Houston Colt .45s have signed their first amateur free agents, inking second baseman Jim Wynn, catcher John Bateman, and pitcher Jim McGlothlin to minor league contracts. Wynn is the most exciting of the three youngsters, and the excitement was matched with a signing bonus of $50,000.

"These three young men will be the cornerstones of this franchise for a long time," Part Owner and General Manager Roy Hofheinz said.

Wynn, 19, is from Cincinnati, OH, and played one year of collegiate baseball at Central State University. Despite only being 5'10" tall and 160 lbs, Wynn is known for his strength and power.

The 21-year-old Bateman was born in Texas but grew up in Oklahoma. Where he played amateur baseball is unclear, but what is clear is that major league scouts are impressed with his work ethic and love for the game, traits that will help him fulfill his potential.

McGlothlin, 18, is known for his firm fastball. If he can learn to control his blazing fastball, he projects as a possible front of the rotation arm.

All three of the amateurs will begin their careers at a minor league affiliate of the Colt .45s.

LetsGoMocs · 06-22-2019, 01:25 AM

SEASON PREVIEW

With an expansion team, spring training can always determine a lot. Here is the inaugural Houston Colt .45s 25-man roster.

Catcher: Gene Green, Danny Kravitz
First Base: Dale Long, Jay Porter
Second Base: Nellie Fox, Joe Koppe
Third Base: Pumpsie Green, Bubba Phillips
Shortstop: Roy McMillan, Jim Pendleton
Left Field: Al Spangler, Roman Mejias
Center Field: Bill Virdon, Joe Hicks
Right Field: Ken Hunt

Rotation: Pedro Ramos, Mudcat Grant, Bob Smith, Dallas Green, Don Lee

Bullpen: Al Cicotte, Jim Duffalo, Jack Meyer, Tracy Stallard, Art Ceccarelli

Top Prospects: Jimmy Wynn, Denny McLain, Jim McGlothlin, John Bateman, Glenn Beckert

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our expansion-mates, the New York Mets, break camp like this

Catcher: Russ Nixon
First Base: Norm Larker, Gordy Coleman
Second Base: Ken Aspromonte, Frank Bolling
Third Base: Dick Schofield, Willie Jones
Shortstop: Jose Pagan
Left Field: Walt Moryn, Hector Lopez, Bob Nieman
Center Field: Carlos Bernier, Lawrence Rancourt
Right Field: Don Demeter, Gene Stephens

Rotation: Ernie Broglio, Cal McLish, Hank Aguirre, Frank Lary, Dick Donovan

Bullpen: Roy Face, Jim Brosnan, Bud Daley, Bill Henry, Johnny Podres

Top Prospects: Joe Foy, Dave DeBusschere, Lou Piniella, Jim Britton, Frank Fernandez

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OPENING DAY 1962 IS NEXT!

LetsGoMocs · 06-22-2019, 01:57 AM

If you were one of the few that read the original recap of Opening Day...well...my game crashed. Instead of just accepting it and going to bed and replaying the next day, I hastily tried to sim and win again. Long story short, I messed up and I did NOT win opening day this time (we got pummeled 10-4).

So, I'm not going to take the time to write a recap, but the Colt .45s are 0-1, not 1-0.

I don't have a set time frame for how often updates will come (every week in game, every series, etc) but I'll update as needed.

06-22-2019, 12:04 AM	#1
LetsGoMocs Minors (Single A) Join Date: Jun 2019 Posts: 79	The Houston Saga On October 10, 1960, Houston, Texas was awarded a Major League Baseball franchise. At the time, Houston was one of the largest cities in America without a MLB team, and the efforts to bring a New York team back to the National League aided the effort in Houston, as the National League added the Mets and Colt .45s to expand to 10 teams, bringing Major League Baseball to 20. This thread will cover my reign as General Manager of the Houston Colt .45s (and beyond, rumor has it they change names in a few years). My character's name is Roy Hofheinz. In real life, Hofheinz was one of the original owners of the Colt .45s. He was also a mayor of Houston, a judge in Houston, and a beloved figure in the city. I began my sim at the beginning of the 1961 season. Things went a little differently, as the Giants won the World Series and Roger Maris did NOT hit 61 homers. Breathe easy, Babe. Following the '61 season, the Houston ownership group announced that it's very own Roy Hofheinz would be the General Manager. He would be in charge of drafting the team during the upcoming expansion draft and filling the team's minor league system with talent. Like in real life, amateurs will be imported into the free agent pool. The draft did not exist until 1965, and it will not exist until then in this game as well. The next post will have the results of the expansion draft.

06-22-2019, 01:57 AM	#5
LetsGoMocs Minors (Single A) Join Date: Jun 2019 Posts: 79	If you were one of the few that read the original recap of Opening Day...well...my game crashed. Instead of just accepting it and going to bed and replaying the next day, I hastily tried to sim and win again. Long story short, I messed up and I did NOT win opening day this time (we got pummeled 10-4). So, I'm not going to take the time to write a recap, but the Colt .45s are 0-1, not 1-0. I don't have a set time frame for how often updates will come (every week in game, every series, etc) but I'll update as needed. Last edited by LetsGoMocs; 06-22-2019 at 04:33 PM.

06-22-2019, 12:15 AM	#2
LetsGoMocs Minors (Single A) Join Date: Jun 2019 Posts: 79	The Houston Colt .45s won a coin flip awarding them the first overall pick in the 1962 expansion draft. With the first overall pick, General Manager Roy Hofheinz selected... *Chicago White Sox 2B Nellie Fox* Fox is a legendary baseball figure, having appeared in 11 All-Star Games, winning 3 Gold Gloves, and winning the 1959 AL MVP Award. The soon-to-be 34 year-old hit .274 with a homer and 72 RBI's with the Chicago White Sox during the 1961 campaign. DRAFT RESULTS Round 1: Nellie Fox - 2B Round 2: Bill Virdon - OF Round 3: Pedro Ramos - SP Round 4: Mudcat Grant - SP Round 5: Roy McMillan - SS Round 6: Gene Green - C Round 7: Danny Kravitz - C Round 8: Don Lee - SP Round 9: Ron Taylor - P Round 10: Dallas Green - SP Round 11: Jack Meyer - RP Round 12: Paul Toth - RP Round 13: Ken Hunt - RF Round 14: Bubba Phillips - 3B Round 15: Dale Long - 1B Round 16: Jay Porter - 1B Round 17: Joe Hicks - OF Round 18: Al Spangler - LF Round 19: Jim Golden - RP Round 20: Al Cicotte - RP Round 21: Tracy Stallard - RP Round 22: Art Ceccarelli - RP Round 23: Jim Duffalo - RP Round 24: Jim Pendleton - SS Round 25: Pumpsie Green - INF Round 26: Dick Brown - C Round 27: Joe Koppe - INF Round 28: David Mann - UTIL Round 29: Len Tucker - OF Round 30: Steve Dalkowski - P Round 31: Bob Heffner - P Round 32: Jay Ritchie - P Round 33: Bob Smith - P Round 34: Manny Montejo - RP Round 35: Roman Mejias - OF

06-22-2019, 12:37 AM	#3
LetsGoMocs Minors (Single A) Join Date: Jun 2019 Posts: 79	HOUSTON CHRONICLE Sunday, November 19, 1961, Houston, Texas COLTS SIGN TRIO OF AMATEURS The Houston Colt .45s have signed their first amateur free agents, inking second baseman Jim Wynn, catcher John Bateman, and pitcher Jim McGlothlin to minor league contracts. Wynn is the most exciting of the three youngsters, and the excitement was matched with a signing bonus of $50,000. "These three young men will be the cornerstones of this franchise for a long time," Part Owner and General Manager Roy Hofheinz said. Wynn, 19, is from Cincinnati, OH, and played one year of collegiate baseball at Central State University. Despite only being 5'10" tall and 160 lbs, Wynn is known for his strength and power. The 21-year-old Bateman was born in Texas but grew up in Oklahoma. Where he played amateur baseball is unclear, but what is clear is that major league scouts are impressed with his work ethic and love for the game, traits that will help him fulfill his potential. McGlothlin, 18, is known for his firm fastball. If he can learn to control his blazing fastball, he projects as a possible front of the rotation arm. All three of the amateurs will begin their careers at a minor league affiliate of the Colt .45s.

06-22-2019, 01:25 AM	#4
LetsGoMocs Minors (Single A) Join Date: Jun 2019 Posts: 79	SEASON PREVIEW With an expansion team, spring training can always determine a lot. Here is the inaugural Houston Colt .45s 25-man roster. Catcher: Gene Green, Danny Kravitz First Base: Dale Long, Jay Porter Second Base: Nellie Fox, Joe Koppe Third Base: Pumpsie Green, Bubba Phillips Shortstop: Roy McMillan, Jim Pendleton Left Field: Al Spangler, Roman Mejias Center Field: Bill Virdon, Joe Hicks Right Field: Ken Hunt Rotation: Pedro Ramos, Mudcat Grant, Bob Smith, Dallas Green, Don Lee Bullpen: Al Cicotte, Jim Duffalo, Jack Meyer, Tracy Stallard, Art Ceccarelli Top Prospects: Jimmy Wynn, Denny McLain, Jim McGlothlin, John Bateman, Glenn Beckert ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our expansion-mates, the New York Mets, break camp like this Catcher: Russ Nixon First Base: Norm Larker, Gordy Coleman Second Base: Ken Aspromonte, Frank Bolling Third Base: Dick Schofield, Willie Jones Shortstop: Jose Pagan Left Field: Walt Moryn, Hector Lopez, Bob Nieman Center Field: Carlos Bernier, Lawrence Rancourt Right Field: Don Demeter, Gene Stephens Rotation: Ernie Broglio, Cal McLish, Hank Aguirre, Frank Lary, Dick Donovan Bullpen: Roy Face, Jim Brosnan, Bud Daley, Bill Henry, Johnny Podres Top Prospects: Joe Foy, Dave DeBusschere, Lou Piniella, Jim Britton, Frank Fernandez ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OPENING DAY 1962 IS NEXT!