Baseball in the Kingdom of New Hibernia

jotro · 07-28-2012, 01:35 AM

National Flag of the Kingdom of New Hibernia. Designed in 1870 and adopted in 1873, it was designed to symbolically unite the nation's three main ethnicities under a common banner; green for the Irish majority, a St. Andrew's cross for the Scots, and a fleur-de-lis for the small yet significant French community.

In 1873, the British colonies of Newfoundland and Labrador won their independence from Britain after a three year revolution. A year of deliberation and referendum followed, after which the two colonies united to form the Kingdom of New Hibernia. Situated on the north-easternmost edge of the North American continent, New Hibernia holds the unique distinction of being the only independent kingdom in the Western Hemisphere.

Baseball was introduced during the Second World War. The Germans sought to gain a North Atlantic base from which their U-Boat fleet could disrupt allied shipping lanes. In early 1942, an Expeditionary Force of American and British troops was hastily assembled to occupy the neutral Kingdom before a German invasion could take place. The Americans would often play baseball in front of increasing numbers of New Hibernians who would gather to watch this foreign sport. The occupation ceased by 1946, but the Kingdom had become baseball mad. Gaelic sports and association football had long been the Kingdom’s main pastimes, but by 1950, almost every town had its own amateur baseball team and most schools were operating a baseball program.

The first New Hibernian baseball player to garner foreign interest was Finn Garrity, a young pitcher from Carbonear. Garrity attended Yale University from 1951-55 on a full athletic scholarship. His impressive college career earned him a tryout with the Brooklyn Dodgers, with whom he signed a minor league contract upon his graduation from Yale. Garrity joined Brooklyn’s Montreal affiliate for the 1956 season and was the International League’s best pitcher for the first half of 1957 until an automobile accident put a premature end to his playing career. He returned home to Carbonear that year where he began teaching and coaching high school baseball.

In 1961, a group of businessmen from St. John’s asked for Garrity’s help in building a new semi-professional league from the existing amateur teams. Though his playing days were over, he was still seen as the popular face of New Hibernian baseball. Offered the role of League Commissioner, Garrity insisted on being made manager of his hometown Carbonear Caribou instead. By the spring of 1965, Garrity's Caribou and the 15 other teams of the New Hibernian Baseball League were set to begin play for their 150-game inaugural season.

Finn Garrity, the 31 year old manager of the Carbonear Caribou

1965 New Hibernian Baseball League

Code:

Cormac League
Northern Division				Southern Division
Lewisporte Lumberjacks				Labrador City Miners		
Gander Aces					Clarenville Knights
Cornerbrook Royals				Carbonear Caribou
Botwood Sailors					Bonavista Privateers

Fergus League
Northern Division				Southern Division
New Highlands Highlanders			Wabana Steelers				
Gambo Dolphins					St. John’s Whalers	
Dunville Railmen				Marystown Oilers
Bishop’s Falls Crusaders			Grand Bank Anglers

To be continued...

84Hammy · 07-28-2012, 08:27 AM

Great back story!

jotro · 07-28-2012, 03:29 PM

The NHBL consists of two subleagues. The Cormac League (CL) is named in honor of Cormac, the first King of New Hibernia. The Fergus league (FL) is named for King Fergus, the current monarch and great-grandson of Cormac. Both leagues are split into a Northern and Southern division. The teams who finish the regular season with the best record in their division will face off in a best-of-five League Championship playoff round, after which the two league champions will meet in a best-of-seven playoff for the King’s Cup.

Top performers from each league are presented with awards at the conclusion of the postseason. They are:

The Royal Pitching Award for the top pitching performance;
The Royal Batting Award for the top offensive performance;
The Royal Glove Award for the top defensive performance.

Additionally, the most impressive newcomer to the league is awarded the title of Rookie of the Year.

1965 New Hibernian Baseball League

Code:

Cormac League
Northern Division				Southern Division
Lewisporte Lumberjacks				Labrador City Miners		
Gander Aces					Clarenville Knights
Cornerbrook Royals				Carbonear Caribou
Botwood Sailors					Bonavista Privateers

Fergus League
Northern Division				Southern Division
New Highlands Highlanders			Wabana Steelers				
Gambo Dolphins					St. John’s Whalers	
Dunville Railmen				Marystown Oilers
Bishop’s Falls Crusaders			Grand Bank Anglers

The NHBL maintains two developmental leagues – NH Reserve League for top prospects and the NH Youth League for players not yet ready to compete at the higher levels. All developmental teams share the nickname and uniforms of the parent club, and play their home games at the big club’s facilities. Often, team owners will treat their fans to single admission double or triple headers, where the minor teams will play before the major league game.

DreamTeams · 07-28-2012, 07:06 PM

Enjoy reading about your fictional league. Well rounded and love the various team names. Keep it up as I plan to follow along.

Honorable_Pawn · 07-28-2012, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 84Hammy

Great back story!

Definitely.

jotro · 07-29-2012, 10:54 AM

thanks, guys!

From the newswire, 1/1/1965:

Quote:

Newly appointed Carbonear Caribou GM Finn Garritty put in an all-nighter yesterday, saying that he's got a lot of work to do and needs to get settled quickly.

"I've done my homework. I've scouted this outfit. I want to be here," he said in a radio interview. "These jobs aren't easy to get. You've got to hit the ground running."

Tomorrow at the Inaugural Draft it will be the first chance for the new skipper to show off his skills.

jotro · 07-30-2012, 11:02 PM

In case anyone was interested, I've posted a little background info on the country here. I'm working on a full history, but this is what I'll post for now. Baseball stuff coming soon!

jotro · 08-07-2012, 09:17 AM

The 1964 amateur draft for the 1965 season has been delayed while our uniform manufacturer makes last minute revisions and additions.

jotro · 08-08-2012, 09:24 PM

1965 INAUGURAL AMATEUR DRAFT – January 1, 1965

St. John’s, AV: Well, the waiting is finally over, and the results are in! The first amateur draft in the history of the New Hibernian Baseball League has taken place, and with that, the dreams of 400 lucky men have been realized. With the first ever pick in league history, the Clarenville Knights have drafted a 25 year old pitcher from Bay Roberts named Edwin Beckett. Edwin left his job as a policeman upon being drafted, so it looks like the police team is in need of a new ace! The complete list of first round draftees is as follows:

Code:

2.	Gambo Dolphins – 3B John Troy
3.	Marystown Oilers – 3B Cliff Farris
4.	St. John’s Whalers – SP Jerry Bookout
5.	Bonavista Privateers – 3B Knox Kitterick
6.	Cornerbrook Royals – 2B Jim Daniels
7.	Gander Aces – CF Steven Broomhead
8.	Grand Bank Anglers – RF Jared Russel
9.	Carbonear Caribou – RF Connor McDonald
10.	Botwood Sailors – LF Thomas Kilochan
11.	Bishop’s Falls Crusaders – LF Arran Dyer 
12.	Dunville Railmen – SP Jim Dunagan
13.	Wabana Steelers – C Victor Ford
14.	Lewisporte Lumberjacks – 3B Fred Somers
15.	New Highlands Highlanders – SP Brian Gilliland
16.	Labrador City Miners – CF Sam Cowley

One of the first players drafted in the league's history, John Troy is a cousin of King Cormac - both descend from Fergus Troy, hero of the War of Independence and the nation's first King.

jotro · 08-08-2012, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamTeams

Enjoy reading about your fictional league. Well rounded and love the various team names. Keep it up as I plan to follow along.

Thanks, I am a fan of your metro league, as well. I'm actually inspired/humbled by your creativity.

jotro · 08-08-2012, 10:46 PM

February 15, 1965

St. John's: With the 1965 spring training season set to start, there is no better time to review some pre-season projections. Pundits suggest that the playoff races will be close, as all teams were subject to an untapped talent pool of unlimited potential. With that said, certain predictions can be made:

Cormac League
Playoffs:
Lewisporte Lumberjacks (77-73) vs. Bonavista Privateers (81-69)

Royal Batting Award

Nathan Naysmith, Clarenville Knights
150 G – 584 AB – 31 HR – 107 RBI - .352 AVG - .433 OBP - .584 SLG

Royal Pitching Award

Carl ‘Hawk” Farr, Labrador City Miners
30 G – 13 W – 9 L – 1.83 ERA – 209.1 IP – 156 H – 22 BB – 221 K

Fergus League
Playoffs:
New Highlands Highlanders (83-67) vs. Grand Bank Anglers (77-75)

Royal Batting Award

Jerry Fay, Gambo Dolphins
150 G – 587 AB – 36 HR – 115 RBI - .339 AVG - .400 OBP - .586 SLG

Royal Pitching Award

Auliffe Cresswell, Wabana Steelers
30 G – 18 W – 6 L – 2.38 ERA – 213.0 IP – 179 H – 24 BB – 185 K

King’s Cup
Grand Bank defeats Bonavista in 6 games.

jotro · 08-14-2012, 09:08 AM

I've simmed through the first week of the 1965 season, but I am considering a sim that will take me up to 1975 or even to 2012. I'd like to have some history and some hall of famers to compare contemporary players to. Any thoughts?

Muskies · 08-14-2012, 09:28 AM

Having started and stopped many times. My experience is to do what will keep your interest. If you want the history and the hall of famers than sim far enough ahead to get enough history. You could sim 10 years at a time and when you are satisfied then pick it up from there.

I look forward to following.

jotro · 08-20-2012, 01:06 PM

Just in case anyone was interested, I've simmed from the 1965 season through the 1972 season all in one shot. I had the league evolution options turned on. I will allow league commissioner Colm Shanahan to explain what happened:

Quote:

St. John's, New Hibernia
9/28/1972

The New Hibernian Baseball League is my baby. I mean, I have children, but this league has become my heart and soul. When I first approached a few of my business colleagues in 1961 with the idea of starting a professional baseball league, nobody thought it could succeed. When I stated that the players would represent the best talent the Kingdom had to offer, they laughed. Everyone said we'd need to import American stars in order to garner any interest. But after several meetings, and several more promises and guarantees, I managed to secure some initial investments and managed to acquire royal backing from King Cormac's personal estate. When we brought national hero Finn Garrity on board, everything just started to fall into place.

Over the next 3 years, we worked tirelessly to get the league running. We'd need to hire lawyers, file permits, incorporate, obtain insurance, build ballparks that could seat crowds upwards of 30,000 people, and most importantly, scout, sign, and pay players. We had a target date of St. Patrick's Day 1965 for the new league's kickoff. Although we hit some major bumps along the way, we were able to meet this deadline with stunning success.

Midway through our first season, I came down with a serious illness. This illness would require me to take a leave of absence from league affairs at the conclusion of the inaugural season in order to receive treatment. Although I am now fully recovered, it took 6 long years to for me to regain the strength I'd need to return to the game that I love.

While I was ill, the league was left to the Board of Directors. Collectively, they would serve as 'acting commissioner by commitee'. Little to my knowledge, they planned to make full use of this new power. The league by-laws allowed for expansion, provided the prospective market fit the required size and had the financial backing to carry a team through any initial duldrums. In 1968, the Board awarded two expansion franchises -the Grand Falls-Windsor Firestorm, and St. John's Joyriders - the capital's second team. The braintrust also began to allow foreign players into the fold, which violates the original concept of the league, not to mention the 'anti-mercenary' league policy we'd established back in 1961.

The board initially hesitated to cede my directorship back to me when I was able to resume my duties this past August. Everyone was making money, and they had plans in the works to expand the league into Canada and the US State of Maine. The Crown is majority partner in the league, and so I sought an audience with King Cormac, the one person who could reacquire my job for me. I pleaded my case about the direction of my precious league, and thankfully, His Grace sided with me, and now I am back in the driver's seat. Unfortunately, most of the board had to be let go.

My first action would be to deal with the expansion issue. Any plans for American or Canadian expansion were to cease, although I would allow the Joyriders and Firestorm to remain active, but they would have to change their names. The Firestorm are now the Orangemen, a nod to the large Ulster Scots population in the GF/W region. The Joyriders were rechristened the Arsenal, in honor of the old fort which once guarded the city on the very grounds the ballfield was constructed on. The fort's one remaining defensive wall makes up part of the right field bleachers of the ballpark.

I then reverted league policy back to its original form, meaning all foreign players would now find their contracts void. Although they should never have been allowed to play in our league, their acheivements will be honored in our league's history books as long as we exist.

jotro · 08-20-2012, 01:57 PM

The NHBL now has a system of feeder leagues in place for high school and college level talent. We intended to have this in place for the 1965 season, but due to unforseen circumstances, the initial season was pushed back to 1966.

Formerly, the nation's 16 high schools played in two independent leagues; one for private schools and the other for public schools. As of 1966, all now compete in the integrated New Hibernian High School Sports Association (NHHSSA). Organization is as follows (1972 final standings):

NHHSSA Home

King League, Eastern Division
Harbour Breton HS Pirates
St. Patrick's Shamrocks
Pasadena HS Stars
Musgrave Harbour HS Captains
King League, Western Division
Stephenville Crossing HS Stallions
Our Lady of Grace Clippers
Humber Arm South HS Red Hawks
Bishop Eagan Moose

Country League, Eastern Division
Catalina HS Bulls
Burgeo HS Lions
Sullivan Academy Cadets
St. Andrew's Eagles
Country League, Western Division
St. Michael's Prep Knights (1972 Champs!)
New Highlands HS Scots
Adelphi Academy Blazers
Bishop Troy Trojans

jotro · 08-20-2012, 03:10 PM

*saved for college setup*

New Hibernia's Collegiate league is made up of teams from the Kingdom's 8 universities. Two subleagues of 4 teams each face off over a long season that spans from May-October. There has never been interleague play at the college level; teams from one league would only face a team from the other in the Championship Series. This will change for the 1973 season, as the Collegiate Athletics Council was swayed by arguments from players and coaches who had grown tired of facing the same 3 opponents all season, every year.

NH Collegiate League 1
Catalina College Conquistadors http://www.nhbbl.com/game/lgreports/...s/team_87.html
King's College Royals http://www.nhbbl.com/game/lgreports/...s/team_89.html
Wabana Tech Engineers http://www.nhbbl.com/game/lgreports/...s/team_88.html
Pasadena University Pilots http://www.nhbbl.com/game/lgreports/...s/team_90.html

NH Collegiate League 2
St. Patrick's University Bishops http://www.nhbbl.com/game/lgreports/...s/team_92.html
Gambo University Bulldogs http://www.nhbbl.com/game/lgreports/...s/team_98.html
Musgrave Harbour University Tigers http://www.nhbbl.com/game/lgreports/...s/team_94.html
Queen's College http://www.nhbbl.com/game/lgreports/...s/team_91.html

jotro · 08-21-2012, 12:39 PM

A note on Finn Garrity -

Things haven't worked out as well as Finn would have liked, so far. He turned down the position of League Commissioner to skipper the Carbonear Caribou. There he butted heads with ownership over scouting, bullpen roles, and everything inbetween. Garrity was fired after the 1966 campaign, going 131-169 (.437) overall.

Distraught and fearing his career in baseball was over (again), Garrity returned to the classroom at Bishop Troy HS in 1967, where he once again taught and helped coach the Trojans baseball team. One day, he received a phone call from an old friend, Dick McGlone. McGlone had been Garrity's baseball coach in high school, and, thanks to his recent success in the oil business, was now the owner of the Gambo Dolphins,

After exchanging pleasantries, McGlone got to the point of the call. He began to tell Finn of the Dolphins' pitching woes and that they intended to replace their current pitching coach during the offseason. He asked the former manager for recommendations, to which Garrity could only think of one -himself.

jotro · 08-23-2012, 04:05 PM

Garrity spent the seasons of 1968 - 1973 as the pitching coach for the Gambo Dolphins. During his six seasons with the team, the Dolphins finished in first place 3 times ('70, '72, '73), and made it to the King's Cup Championship once in 1970, losing to the Botwood Sailors.

With the expiration of his contract at the close of 1973, Garrity felt that his managerial stock had risen a bit since his early days with the weak Carbonear squads of '65/'66. McGlone had tried to extend Finn's contract once during the season, and then again at the outset of the playoffs - Garrity politely declined both times, stating a desire to get back behind the bench in a decision making role. His stubbornness would lead to an inactive 1974 spent staring at the phone.

In a puzzling move, Cornerbrook manager Bruno Gilder's contract was not renewed following a 1974 campaign that saw the Royals take home their second King's Cup in 4 years. Bench coach Les Lapointe was promoted to fill his shoes, having never been in this position before.

As the news of the vacant position caught steam amongst NH baseball circles, Garrity saw an opportunity. He called longtime friend Dooley McQuhenzie, who happened to be the GM of the Royals, and asked about the position. Two weeks later, Garrity was shaking hands with McQuhenzie for the cameras at the press conference they called to announce Garrity's new 5 year contract.

The contract was a good one, $85,000 a year to assist Lapointe, who would make a paltry $19,000 per year to manage the team for the next 4 seasons. Many in the press wondered if this would be the cause of tension on the bench, or if there might be a power struggle to follow. Others assumed that this was a sign that Lapointe was on a short leash, and would be replaced by Garrity at the first signs of failure. But, if the team keeps winning, will it matter?

Coach Report for Finn Garritty

07-28-2012, 01:35 AM	#1
jotro Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 179 Blog Entries: 2	Baseball in the Kingdom of New Hibernia National Flag of the Kingdom of New Hibernia. Designed in 1870 and adopted in 1873, it was designed to symbolically unite the nation's three main ethnicities under a common banner; green for the Irish majority, a St. Andrew's cross for the Scots, and a fleur-de-lis for the small yet significant French community. In 1873, the British colonies of Newfoundland and Labrador won their independence from Britain after a three year revolution. A year of deliberation and referendum followed, after which the two colonies united to form the Kingdom of New Hibernia. Situated on the north-easternmost edge of the North American continent, New Hibernia holds the unique distinction of being the only independent kingdom in the Western Hemisphere. Baseball was introduced during the Second World War. The Germans sought to gain a North Atlantic base from which their U-Boat fleet could disrupt allied shipping lanes. In early 1942, an Expeditionary Force of American and British troops was hastily assembled to occupy the neutral Kingdom before a German invasion could take place. The Americans would often play baseball in front of increasing numbers of New Hibernians who would gather to watch this foreign sport. The occupation ceased by 1946, but the Kingdom had become baseball mad. Gaelic sports and association football had long been the Kingdom’s main pastimes, but by 1950, almost every town had its own amateur baseball team and most schools were operating a baseball program. The first New Hibernian baseball player to garner foreign interest was Finn Garrity, a young pitcher from Carbonear. Garrity attended Yale University from 1951-55 on a full athletic scholarship. His impressive college career earned him a tryout with the Brooklyn Dodgers, with whom he signed a minor league contract upon his graduation from Yale. Garrity joined Brooklyn’s Montreal affiliate for the 1956 season and was the International League’s best pitcher for the first half of 1957 until an automobile accident put a premature end to his playing career. He returned home to Carbonear that year where he began teaching and coaching high school baseball. In 1961, a group of businessmen from St. John’s asked for Garrity’s help in building a new semi-professional league from the existing amateur teams. Though his playing days were over, he was still seen as the popular face of New Hibernian baseball. Offered the role of League Commissioner, Garrity insisted on being made manager of his hometown Carbonear Caribou instead. By the spring of 1965, Garrity's Caribou and the 15 other teams of the New Hibernian Baseball League were set to begin play for their 150-game inaugural season. Finn Garrity, the 31 year old manager of the Carbonear Caribou 1965 New Hibernian Baseball League Code: Cormac League Northern Division Southern Division Lewisporte Lumberjacks Labrador City Miners Gander Aces Clarenville Knights Cornerbrook Royals Carbonear Caribou Botwood Sailors Bonavista Privateers Fergus League Northern Division Southern Division New Highlands Highlanders Wabana Steelers Gambo Dolphins St. John’s Whalers Dunville Railmen Marystown Oilers Bishop’s Falls Crusaders Grand Bank Anglers To be continued... Last edited by jotro; 08-08-2012 at 10:58 PM.

07-28-2012, 03:29 PM	#3
jotro Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 179 Blog Entries: 2	The NHBL consists of two subleagues. The Cormac League (CL) is named in honor of Cormac, the first King of New Hibernia. The Fergus league (FL) is named for King Fergus, the current monarch and great-grandson of Cormac. Both leagues are split into a Northern and Southern division. The teams who finish the regular season with the best record in their division will face off in a best-of-five League Championship playoff round, after which the two league champions will meet in a best-of-seven playoff for the King’s Cup. Top performers from each league are presented with awards at the conclusion of the postseason. They are: The Royal Pitching Award for the top pitching performance; The Royal Batting Award for the top offensive performance; The Royal Glove Award for the top defensive performance. Additionally, the most impressive newcomer to the league is awarded the title of Rookie of the Year. 1965 New Hibernian Baseball League Code: Cormac League Northern Division Southern Division Lewisporte Lumberjacks Labrador City Miners Gander Aces Clarenville Knights Cornerbrook Royals Carbonear Caribou Botwood Sailors Bonavista Privateers Fergus League Northern Division Southern Division New Highlands Highlanders Wabana Steelers Gambo Dolphins St. John’s Whalers Dunville Railmen Marystown Oilers Bishop’s Falls Crusaders Grand Bank Anglers The NHBL maintains two developmental leagues – NH Reserve League for top prospects and the NH Youth League for players not yet ready to compete at the higher levels. All developmental teams share the nickname and uniforms of the parent club, and play their home games at the big club’s facilities. Often, team owners will treat their fans to single admission double or triple headers, where the minor teams will play before the major league game. Last edited by jotro; 07-28-2012 at 03:40 PM.

07-28-2012, 07:06 PM	#4
DreamTeams Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 2,521	Enjoy reading about your fictional league. Well rounded and love the various team names. Keep it up as I plan to follow along. __________________

08-08-2012, 09:24 PM	#9
jotro Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 179 Blog Entries: 2	1965 INAUGURAL AMATEUR DRAFT – January 1, 1965 St. John’s, AV: Well, the waiting is finally over, and the results are in! The first amateur draft in the history of the New Hibernian Baseball League has taken place, and with that, the dreams of 400 lucky men have been realized. With the first ever pick in league history, the Clarenville Knights have drafted a 25 year old pitcher from Bay Roberts named Edwin Beckett. Edwin left his job as a policeman upon being drafted, so it looks like the police team is in need of a new ace! The complete list of first round draftees is as follows: Code: 2. Gambo Dolphins – 3B John Troy 3. Marystown Oilers – 3B Cliff Farris 4. St. John’s Whalers – SP Jerry Bookout 5. Bonavista Privateers – 3B Knox Kitterick 6. Cornerbrook Royals – 2B Jim Daniels 7. Gander Aces – CF Steven Broomhead 8. Grand Bank Anglers – RF Jared Russel 9. Carbonear Caribou – RF Connor McDonald 10. Botwood Sailors – LF Thomas Kilochan 11. Bishop’s Falls Crusaders – LF Arran Dyer 12. Dunville Railmen – SP Jim Dunagan 13. Wabana Steelers – C Victor Ford 14. Lewisporte Lumberjacks – 3B Fred Somers 15. New Highlands Highlanders – SP Brian Gilliland 16. Labrador City Miners – CF Sam Cowley One of the first players drafted in the league's history, John Troy is a cousin of King Cormac - both descend from Fergus Troy, hero of the War of Independence and the nation's first King. Last edited by jotro; 08-21-2012 at 12:58 PM.

08-08-2012, 10:46 PM	#11
jotro Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 179 Blog Entries: 2	February 15, 1965 St. John's: With the 1965 spring training season set to start, there is no better time to review some pre-season projections. Pundits suggest that the playoff races will be close, as all teams were subject to an untapped talent pool of unlimited potential. With that said, certain predictions can be made: Cormac League Playoffs: Lewisporte Lumberjacks (77-73) vs. Bonavista Privateers (81-69) Royal Batting Award Nathan Naysmith, Clarenville Knights 150 G – 584 AB – 31 HR – 107 RBI - .352 AVG - .433 OBP - .584 SLG Royal Pitching Award Carl ‘Hawk” Farr, Labrador City Miners 30 G – 13 W – 9 L – 1.83 ERA – 209.1 IP – 156 H – 22 BB – 221 K Fergus League Playoffs: New Highlands Highlanders (83-67) vs. Grand Bank Anglers (77-75) Royal Batting Award Jerry Fay, Gambo Dolphins 150 G – 587 AB – 36 HR – 115 RBI - .339 AVG - .400 OBP - .586 SLG Royal Pitching Award Auliffe Cresswell, Wabana Steelers 30 G – 18 W – 6 L – 2.38 ERA – 213.0 IP – 179 H – 24 BB – 185 K King’s Cup Grand Bank defeats Bonavista in 6 games. Last edited by jotro; 08-08-2012 at 10:48 PM.

07-28-2012, 08:27 AM	#2
84Hammy All Star Reserve Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Stinky Windsor Posts: 916	Great back story!

07-30-2012, 11:02 PM	#7
jotro Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 179 Blog Entries: 2	In case anyone was interested, I've posted a little background info on the country here. I'm working on a full history, but this is what I'll post for now. Baseball stuff coming soon!

08-07-2012, 09:17 AM	#8
jotro Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 179 Blog Entries: 2	The 1964 amateur draft for the 1965 season has been delayed while our uniform manufacturer makes last minute revisions and additions.

08-14-2012, 09:08 AM	#12
jotro Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 179 Blog Entries: 2	I've simmed through the first week of the 1965 season, but I am considering a sim that will take me up to 1975 or even to 2012. I'd like to have some history and some hall of famers to compare contemporary players to. Any thoughts?

08-14-2012, 09:28 AM	#13
Muskies Major Leagues Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 478	Having started and stopped many times. My experience is to do what will keep your interest. If you want the history and the hall of famers than sim far enough ahead to get enough history. You could sim 10 years at a time and when you are satisfied then pick it up from there. I look forward to following.

08-20-2012, 01:57 PM	#15
jotro Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 179 Blog Entries: 2	The NHBL now has a system of feeder leagues in place for high school and college level talent. We intended to have this in place for the 1965 season, but due to unforseen circumstances, the initial season was pushed back to 1966. Formerly, the nation's 16 high schools played in two independent leagues; one for private schools and the other for public schools. As of 1966, all now compete in the integrated New Hibernian High School Sports Association (NHHSSA). Organization is as follows (1972 final standings): NHHSSA Home King League, Eastern Division Harbour Breton HS Pirates St. Patrick's Shamrocks Pasadena HS Stars Musgrave Harbour HS Captains King League, Western Division Stephenville Crossing HS Stallions Our Lady of Grace Clippers Humber Arm South HS Red Hawks Bishop Eagan Moose Country League, Eastern Division Catalina HS Bulls Burgeo HS Lions Sullivan Academy Cadets St. Andrew's Eagles Country League, Western Division St. Michael's Prep Knights (1972 Champs!) New Highlands HS Scots Adelphi Academy Blazers Bishop Troy Trojans

08-20-2012, 03:10 PM	#16
jotro Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 179 Blog Entries: 2	saved for college setup New Hibernia's Collegiate league is made up of teams from the Kingdom's 8 universities. Two subleagues of 4 teams each face off over a long season that spans from May-October. There has never been interleague play at the college level; teams from one league would only face a team from the other in the Championship Series. This will change for the 1973 season, as the Collegiate Athletics Council was swayed by arguments from players and coaches who had grown tired of facing the same 3 opponents all season, every year. NH Collegiate League 1 Catalina College Conquistadors http://www.nhbbl.com/game/lgreports/...s/team_87.html King's College Royals http://www.nhbbl.com/game/lgreports/...s/team_89.html Wabana Tech Engineers http://www.nhbbl.com/game/lgreports/...s/team_88.html Pasadena University Pilots http://www.nhbbl.com/game/lgreports/...s/team_90.html NH Collegiate League 2 St. Patrick's University Bishops http://www.nhbbl.com/game/lgreports/...s/team_92.html Gambo University Bulldogs http://www.nhbbl.com/game/lgreports/...s/team_98.html Musgrave Harbour University Tigers http://www.nhbbl.com/game/lgreports/...s/team_94.html Queen's College http://www.nhbbl.com/game/lgreports/...s/team_91.html Last edited by jotro; 08-20-2012 at 04:56 PM.

08-21-2012, 12:39 PM	#17
jotro Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 179 Blog Entries: 2	A note on Finn Garrity - Things haven't worked out as well as Finn would have liked, so far. He turned down the position of League Commissioner to skipper the Carbonear Caribou. There he butted heads with ownership over scouting, bullpen roles, and everything inbetween. Garrity was fired after the 1966 campaign, going 131-169 (.437) overall. Distraught and fearing his career in baseball was over (again), Garrity returned to the classroom at Bishop Troy HS in 1967, where he once again taught and helped coach the Trojans baseball team. One day, he received a phone call from an old friend, Dick McGlone. McGlone had been Garrity's baseball coach in high school, and, thanks to his recent success in the oil business, was now the owner of the Gambo Dolphins, After exchanging pleasantries, McGlone got to the point of the call. He began to tell Finn of the Dolphins' pitching woes and that they intended to replace their current pitching coach during the offseason. He asked the former manager for recommendations, to which Garrity could only think of one -himself.

08-23-2012, 04:05 PM	#18
jotro Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 179 Blog Entries: 2	Garrity spent the seasons of 1968 - 1973 as the pitching coach for the Gambo Dolphins. During his six seasons with the team, the Dolphins finished in first place 3 times ('70, '72, '73), and made it to the King's Cup Championship once in 1970, losing to the Botwood Sailors. With the expiration of his contract at the close of 1973, Garrity felt that his managerial stock had risen a bit since his early days with the weak Carbonear squads of '65/'66. McGlone had tried to extend Finn's contract once during the season, and then again at the outset of the playoffs - Garrity politely declined both times, stating a desire to get back behind the bench in a decision making role. His stubbornness would lead to an inactive 1974 spent staring at the phone. In a puzzling move, Cornerbrook manager Bruno Gilder's contract was not renewed following a 1974 campaign that saw the Royals take home their second King's Cup in 4 years. Bench coach Les Lapointe was promoted to fill his shoes, having never been in this position before. As the news of the vacant position caught steam amongst NH baseball circles, Garrity saw an opportunity. He called longtime friend Dooley McQuhenzie, who happened to be the GM of the Royals, and asked about the position. Two weeks later, Garrity was shaking hands with McQuhenzie for the cameras at the press conference they called to announce Garrity's new 5 year contract. The contract was a good one, $85,000 a year to assist Lapointe, who would make a paltry $19,000 per year to manage the team for the next 4 seasons. Many in the press wondered if this would be the cause of tension on the bench, or if there might be a power struggle to follow. Others assumed that this was a sign that Lapointe was on a short leash, and would be replaced by Garrity at the first signs of failure. But, if the team keeps winning, will it matter? Coach Report for Finn Garritty Last edited by jotro; 08-23-2012 at 04:18 PM.