If you could replay any season in MLB history...

RubeBaker · 02-09-2023, 07:53 PM

Which one would you choose? For me, it's a toss-up between 1981 and 1994. I've thought about taking the 1981 Phillies in a historical replay and seeing what would have happened had Ruly Carpenter not sold the team and Philadelphia had kept guys like Julio Franco. They actually let George Bell go to the Blue Jays in November 1980 via the Rule 5 Draft.

1981 at least had a conclusion, but it'd be fun to play the games as they were scheduled to see who would have won.

Which season would you choose or have you chosen?

Old School Sports · 02-09-2023, 08:29 PM

Both of your suggestions are great ones in my opinion.

I would personally go with 1994, since we didn’t end up with a champion that year. Plus some of the potential storylines there would be interesting to me: Could Donnie Baseball win a championship? Could Matt Williams or Ken Griffey Jr. get to 60 HR? Could an Expos title have saved baseball in Montreal?

Dave Stieb II · 02-09-2023, 09:22 PM

Great question and I'm in full agreement on both '81 and '94 - ironically probably the two best seasons in Montreal Expos history.
The '81 team came as close to the crown as the talented but under-achieving roster of that era would get. Dawson, Carter, Raines, Rogers et al looked to be in good shape until Black Monday.
And the '94 team was dominating the NL, well on its way to dethroning the Braves in the East, and looking like a good bet to square off with the Yankees in the WS. (all speculation and conjecture of course because we all know anything can happen in a short playoff series)
Nevertheless, it is an interesting question - would baseball interest in Montreal have been given a sustainable boost with a WS appearance/title?
We'll never know.

discodude5 · 02-09-2023, 09:50 PM

1998 with a true cleanup of steroid use so that McGwire,Sosa, Bonds never break the HR records. As well the confirmed pitchers are banned.

The pursuit of the AL HR record by Judge was a small reminder of how fantastic the chase of Maris's record pre steroid era was any time someone was looking like they had a chance.
I always thought Griffey Jr was going to break it.

luckymann · 02-10-2023, 02:28 AM

Will be reading suggestions eagerly and taking notes for my Anatomy of a Season project currently underway.

zappa1 · 02-10-2023, 05:07 AM

Oh boy. This is what I do most of the time. I have seven seasons going right now but I'm mostly playing 1963. I switch around from time to time with my morning coffee but that's the one I'm playing right now. Also running the Phillies.

silvam14 · 02-10-2023, 08:38 AM

I'm partial to the mid-late 80's so I would say 1986

joefromchicago · 02-10-2023, 10:07 AM

If you could replay any season in MLB history...

... you'd want to play OOTP Baseball!

David Watts · 02-10-2023, 10:18 AM

1987 would be a fun one if the AL East race is anything like the real one. The Tigers/Blue Jay battle was incredible. Doyle Alexander coming to the Tigers at the deadline and pitching like he thought he was Pete Alexander was very exciting, even if it did mean the loss of a Hall of Famer to the Braves. Then the Twins...Damn the Twins and that glove smacking fake Senor Smoke...couldn't even get his own nickname. Ugh, I digress.

jg2977 · 02-10-2023, 10:42 AM

I'd like to do the 1994 playoffs and see how many tries it would take for the AL West champion Texas Rangers (52-62) to pull off a World Series miracle, upsetting the Yankees and Expos in the process.

mytreds · 02-10-2023, 12:17 PM

2002. I want Bonds to get that ring.

progen · 02-10-2023, 12:51 PM

1964. Try and help my beloved Phillies from that epic collapse, losing ten in a row at the end of the season, blowing a six and a half game lead, with only 12 games to go.

CONN CHRIS · 02-10-2023, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Watts

1987 would be a fun one if the AL East race is anything like the real one. The Tigers/Blue Jay battle was incredible. Doyle Alexander coming to the Tigers at the deadline and pitching like he thought he was Pete Alexander was very exciting, even if it did mean the loss of a Hall of Famer to the Braves. Then the Twins...Damn the Twins and that glove smacking fake Senor Smoke...couldn't even get his own nickname. Ugh, I digress.

My recollection is that Doyle looked like a shipwreck survivor that had washed up on shore and been stuffed into a uniform.

kq76 · 02-10-2023, 01:22 PM

1985. I love that the World Series was an all-Missouri affair between KC and StL. However, Toronto had 99 regular season wins to KC's 91 and Toronto was up 3 games to 1 in the ALCS (as was StL in the WS) only for KC to come back in both that series and the WS. I also wasn't quite into baseball yet and I wish I had been as baseball just seemed so much better in the 80s with all the base-stealing and not so much focus on power.

jg2977 · 02-10-2023, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Watts

1987 would be a fun one if the AL East race is anything like the real one. The Tigers/Blue Jay battle was incredible. Doyle Alexander coming to the Tigers at the deadline and pitching like he thought he was Pete Alexander was very exciting, even if it did mean the loss of a Hall of Famer to the Braves. Then the Twins...Damn the Twins and that glove smacking fake Senor Smoke...couldn't even get his own nickname. Ugh, I digress.

1987 ALCS should have been Tigers vs. Blue Jays. Twins didn't belong with that .525 winning percentage. The Yankees finished 4th in the East with .549, 4 games ahead of the Twins. Keep in mind that they had a balanced schedule back then. Twins only got in because of geography.

thehef · 02-10-2023, 01:54 PM

I like what-ifs... What if the '75 Dodgers hadn't been decimated by injuries? Could they have given the Big Red Machine a run for their money?

And, along those lines, as a kid in 1975 it was the first year I got into baseball. Really got into it, listening to as many Dodger games as I could, with the season culminating with watching my first World Series - with my cousin who was a BIG Cincinnati fan. So I naturally pulled for the Red Sox. So while I've never strayed from the Dodgers, that Red Sox team is an all-time fave. (Another what-if is... What if the free agency, trades, etc., hadn't broken up that Red Sox team over the next few years? Freddy, Pudge, Rooster, El Tiante, Coop, Spaceman, Beniquez, Wise...)

Also, 50's, 60's - and to a lesser extent - 70's postseason pitching rotations fascinate me, so seeing if some of those matchups can be recreated is fun. Doesn't have to be the exact same matchup. For example, a 1960's World Series between Cards & Twins, Giants & Orioles, Dodgers & Tigers... all would have authentic-for-the-era flavor, even though they never happened...

Oh yeah...

Quote:

Originally Posted by kq76

1985. I love that the World Series was an all-Missouri affair between KC and StL.

... that year... My Dodgers should've beaten the Cards in the NLCS... See if I can keep LA in contention until Madlock arrives, then see if I can keep Tom Neidenfuer from throwing volleyballs to Cards hitters...

Clovidequano Dovatha · 02-10-2023, 02:23 PM

We were robbed, at least in part, I think, in 1985 against the Royals, and in 1987, the Twins had too much of an unfair advantage over us with their Metrodome. Don't get me started, though, on 2004 and/or 2013, although I will admit the Boston Red Sox were very good, at least, in both of those years, in truth. Obviously, I'm a Cards fan, but I still have unpleasant thoughts about all four of those Series that we were in against the Royals, Twins, and Red Sox. I have nothing personal, mind you, against those other teams. But I still think we were robbed in at least two, if not all, of the mentioned Series, at least in part, if not entirely, folks.

I've actually spent most of my life to date living in Minnesota, but I've still never really liked non-retractable domed stadiums for baseball and football all that much, if even a little bit at all, in truth. Those two sports should basically only be played either in open-air or in retractable domed stadiums whenever possible, in my view, and never in non-retractable domed ones, if it can possibly be avoided at all, at that. CD out.

jg2977 · 02-10-2023, 03:00 PM

Is it possible in OOTP23 to play out the 1994 playoffs with the exact standings when the strike began, on August 12th?

If I'm correct, the playoff seedings would have been:

American League
Cleveland Indians (WC) vs. New York Yankees (1)
Texas Rangers (3) vs. Chicago White Sox (2)

National League
Atlanta Braves (WC) vs. (2) Cincinnati Reds
Los Angeles Dodgers (3) vs. Montreal Expos (1)

Wild cards couldn't play their own division winner back in those days.

Bluenoser · 02-10-2023, 03:10 PM

67 - I really wanted to see Yaz get a ring to go with that Triple Crown. Came up 1 game short. Heck, I just wanted to see Yaz get a ring.

Bob Gibson, why couldn't you just have 1 off day during the series?

You didn't, that's why you deserved and won MVP.

Bluenoser · 02-10-2023, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kq76

1985. I love that the World Series was an all-Missouri affair between KC and StL. However, Toronto had 99 regular season wins to KC's 91 and Toronto was up 3 games to 1 in the ALCS (as was StL in the WS) only for KC to come back in both that series and the WS. I also wasn't quite into baseball yet and I wish I had been as baseball just seemed so much better in the 80s with all the base-stealing and not so much focus on power.

This was definitely an excellent series. Who can forget Don Denkinger for the missed call in game 6.

02-09-2023, 07:53 PM	#1
RubeBaker All Star Reserve Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: USA Posts: 640	If you could replay any season in MLB history... Which one would you choose? For me, it's a toss-up between 1981 and 1994. I've thought about taking the 1981 Phillies in a historical replay and seeing what would have happened had Ruly Carpenter not sold the team and Philadelphia had kept guys like Julio Franco. They actually let George Bell go to the Blue Jays in November 1980 via the Rule 5 Draft. 1981 at least had a conclusion, but it'd be fun to play the games as they were scheduled to see who would have won. Which season would you choose or have you chosen?

02-10-2023, 02:28 AM	#5
luckymann Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 10,809	Will be reading suggestions eagerly and taking notes for my Anatomy of a Season project currently underway. __________________ HISTORICAL DO-OVERS PIRATES A'S RED SOX CUSTOM SAVES ECLIPSE LEAGUE MOON SHOT LEAGUE EVERYMAN LEAGUE AROUND THE HORN LEAGUE MY MODS MY NEL PROJECT

02-10-2023, 08:38 AM	#7
silvam14 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Dedham, MA Posts: 9,746	I'm partial to the mid-late 80's so I would say 1986 __________________ Senior "Nancy Boy" of the OOTP Boards _______________________________________________

02-10-2023, 10:07 AM	#8
joefromchicago Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 3,630	If you could replay any season in MLB history... ... you'd want to play OOTP Baseball! __________________ American-Ethnic (and Canadian) Namesets Historical Minor League Schedules 1870s City/Team Nickname Randomizers "It's Usually Sunny in Philadelphia" weather mod

02-10-2023, 12:17 PM	#11
mytreds All Star Reserve Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 858	2002. I want Bonds to get that ring. __________________ “Baseball isn’t statistics; it’s Joe DiMaggio rounding second.” “Once, centuries ago, it was the beloved national pastime of the Americas, Wesley. Abandoned by a society that prized fast food and faster games. Lost to impatience.” “ The term ‘WAR’ should be replaced by ‘WAG’. WAR isn’t an actual measurement; it’s just a wild-ass guess” -Bill James RIP National League 1876-2022 I make custom ballparks.

02-09-2023, 08:29 PM	#2
Old School Sports Bat Boy Join Date: Apr 2022 Posts: 4	Both of your suggestions are great ones in my opinion. I would personally go with 1994, since we didn’t end up with a champion that year. Plus some of the potential storylines there would be interesting to me: Could Donnie Baseball win a championship? Could Matt Williams or Ken Griffey Jr. get to 60 HR? Could an Expos title have saved baseball in Montreal?

02-09-2023, 09:22 PM	#3
Dave Stieb II All Star Reserve Join Date: Mar 2020 Posts: 664	Great question and I'm in full agreement on both '81 and '94 - ironically probably the two best seasons in Montreal Expos history. The '81 team came as close to the crown as the talented but under-achieving roster of that era would get. Dawson, Carter, Raines, Rogers et al looked to be in good shape until Black Monday. And the '94 team was dominating the NL, well on its way to dethroning the Braves in the East, and looking like a good bet to square off with the Yankees in the WS. (all speculation and conjecture of course because we all know anything can happen in a short playoff series) Nevertheless, it is an interesting question - would baseball interest in Montreal have been given a sustainable boost with a WS appearance/title? We'll never know.

02-09-2023, 09:50 PM	#4
discodude5 Major Leagues Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Saskatchewan Posts: 363	1998 with a true cleanup of steroid use so that McGwire,Sosa, Bonds never break the HR records. As well the confirmed pitchers are banned. The pursuit of the AL HR record by Judge was a small reminder of how fantastic the chase of Maris's record pre steroid era was any time someone was looking like they had a chance. I always thought Griffey Jr was going to break it.

02-10-2023, 05:07 AM	#6
zappa1 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,876	Oh boy. This is what I do most of the time. I have seven seasons going right now but I'm mostly playing 1963. I switch around from time to time with my morning coffee but that's the one I'm playing right now. Also running the Phillies.

02-10-2023, 10:18 AM	#9
David Watts Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Looking for a place called Leehofooks Posts: 8,882	1987 would be a fun one if the AL East race is anything like the real one. The Tigers/Blue Jay battle was incredible. Doyle Alexander coming to the Tigers at the deadline and pitching like he thought he was Pete Alexander was very exciting, even if it did mean the loss of a Hall of Famer to the Braves. Then the Twins...Damn the Twins and that glove smacking fake Senor Smoke...couldn't even get his own nickname. Ugh, I digress.

02-10-2023, 10:42 AM	#10
jg2977 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 21,023	I'd like to do the 1994 playoffs and see how many tries it would take for the AL West champion Texas Rangers (52-62) to pull off a World Series miracle, upsetting the Yankees and Expos in the process.

02-10-2023, 12:51 PM	#12
progen All Star Starter Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 1,526 Infractions: 0/1 (1)	1964. Try and help my beloved Phillies from that epic collapse, losing ten in a row at the end of the season, blowing a six and a half game lead, with only 12 games to go.

02-10-2023, 01:22 PM	#14
kq76 Global Moderator Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 10,706	1985. I love that the World Series was an all-Missouri affair between KC and StL. However, Toronto had 99 regular season wins to KC's 91 and Toronto was up 3 games to 1 in the ALCS (as was StL in the WS) only for KC to come back in both that series and the WS. I also wasn't quite into baseball yet and I wish I had been as baseball just seemed so much better in the 80s with all the base-stealing and not so much focus on power. __________________ My OOTP Wishlist Your Recommended Team Nicknames, By City (A Crowdsourced Project)

02-10-2023, 02:23 PM	#17
Clovidequano Dovatha Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Somewhere in the United States of America on God's Earth Posts: 6,896	We were robbed, at least in part, I think, in 1985 against the Royals, and in 1987, the Twins had too much of an unfair advantage over us with their Metrodome. Don't get me started, though, on 2004 and/or 2013, although I will admit the Boston Red Sox were very good, at least, in both of those years, in truth. Obviously, I'm a Cards fan, but I still have unpleasant thoughts about all four of those Series that we were in against the Royals, Twins, and Red Sox. I have nothing personal, mind you, against those other teams. But I still think we were robbed in at least two, if not all, of the mentioned Series, at least in part, if not entirely, folks. I've actually spent most of my life to date living in Minnesota, but I've still never really liked non-retractable domed stadiums for baseball and football all that much, if even a little bit at all, in truth. Those two sports should basically only be played either in open-air or in retractable domed stadiums whenever possible, in my view, and never in non-retractable domed ones, if it can possibly be avoided at all, at that. CD out. __________________ Some Favorite Bible Verses: Proverbs 16:7 KJV Romans 12:18 KJV Philippians 2:1-11 KJV DeviantArt: https://www.deviantart.com/clovidequano-dovatha GBA: https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=316515 EC's IPA: https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=158631 Updates to my various threads may be delayed or sporadic, and requests may still be some time away, while I continue working on LUtD. CD out.

02-10-2023, 03:00 PM	#18
jg2977 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 21,023	Is it possible in OOTP23 to play out the 1994 playoffs with the exact standings when the strike began, on August 12th? If I'm correct, the playoff seedings would have been: American League Cleveland Indians (WC) vs. New York Yankees (1) Texas Rangers (3) vs. Chicago White Sox (2) National League Atlanta Braves (WC) vs. (2) Cincinnati Reds Los Angeles Dodgers (3) vs. Montreal Expos (1) Wild cards couldn't play their own division winner back in those days.

02-10-2023, 03:10 PM	#19
Bluenoser Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: In The Moment Posts: 13,689	67 - I really wanted to see Yaz get a ring to go with that Triple Crown. Came up 1 game short. Heck, I just wanted to see Yaz get a ring. Bob Gibson, why couldn't you just have 1 off day during the series? You didn't, that's why you deserved and won MVP.