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05-20-2013, 02:26 AM | #61 |
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1942: Crowley's .400 Season
By 1942, it was clear that Sam Crowley wasn't content with player of the decade during the 1930's. He was setting his sights on player of the century.
After winning batting titles in 1940 and 41 (.345 and .384 respectively), and homeruns (38 and 40), Crowley set out to accomplish something even he had never done before. Bat .400. The '42 season began on an ominous note when Crowley was sidelined with a sprained elbow just three days into the season. He missed another two weeks with a herniated disc. Despite all of that, he hit a blistering .476 during the month of September. He collected his 2,000th career basehit (at the age of 29, mind you), finishing the season with a .409 batting average. It was the second highest batting average in SBL history, trailing only Jim Lintz's .424 from 1881. Pair that with his 44 homeruns and 124 RBI, and Crowley cinched up yet another Triple Crown. Suddenly, Crowley wasn't just looking like the greatest player of his generation. He was looking like the greatest of all-time.
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05-20-2013, 02:52 AM | #62 |
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Ted Kinsella, Baseball's 1st Commissioner, Calls it Quits
On October 15th, 1942, just two days after the Maxis City Heroes secured their 20th championship with a 7-0 Game 6 win over Northgate in the Sim Series, the first Commissioner in SimNation Baseball League history announced his retirement.
Ted Kinsella, after 21 years on the job, decided he had worked enough in baseball, and wanted to enjoy baseball. Coincidentally, he also wanted to spend more time with his family. His son, Max (born in 1901 in Maxis City), was coaching Ted's grandson (Buck) and his high school baseball team back in Irontown, and that's where Theodore Kinsella would retire. He had left an idelible mark on baseball. He had desegregated the game. Started the All-Star Game. Created the Hall of Fame in Dullsville. 12 new ballparks had been built. Age 71, Ted finally went to the bullpen after taking on a job he envisioned as a temporary gig. His work here was done.
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05-20-2013, 04:24 AM | #63 |
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Thanks for everything, Ted - "the kid done good"!
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05-20-2013, 04:44 PM | #64 |
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Cal joins 3,000 hit club
On August 13, 1947, Sim City catcher Cal Thomas became the 2nd member of the exclusive 3,000 hit club. One of the game's most durable players, Thomas had just one injury-shortened season: 1937, his final season with the Westwood Stars. He went on to win the Colonial League MVP on four occasions with the Capitols.
Though Thomas was just the second to reach the 3,000 milestone, another batter from Northgate was nipping at his heels...
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05-20-2013, 05:26 PM | #65 |
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Crowley joins Thomas, Lintz in 3000 club
Cal Thomas was soon joined by Sam "The Man" Crowley in that distinguished group, when Crowley laced his 3,000th career hit for the Northgate Knights on July 27, 1948. Crowley had arguably his worst season as a pro since his rookie season, battling a host of injuries and appearing in just 113 games. He still managed to hit .302, his record 15th straight season with a .300+ average.
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05-20-2013, 05:55 PM | #66 |
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Buck Kinsella makes pitching debut
As the 1940's were winding down, the career of my grampy, Buck Kinsella, was just getting started. The grandson of former Commissioner Ted Kinsella, Buck absolutely had baseball in his blood. He sent this letter to his father, Maxx, in 1949:
April 13, 1949 Dear Father, I finally did it. Today, all the hard work finally paid off. I pitched in my first big league game. I came out of the bullpen against Northgate and I pitched a few innings. Against my better judgment, I decided to go right after Sam Crowley and somehow got him to ground out to first. I still walked three batters but did alright. Please send my regards to Grampa Ted and wish him happy birthday next week. 78 years old. Can you believe it? Take care, and say hi to everyone back in Irontown. Respectfully, Buck
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05-20-2013, 05:55 PM | #67 |
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I wanted to get back to trying a dynasty, but the trick is finding a way to write it, style ect. Have been looking over a few and really like the structure of how you are providing the readers with information on the league...
it is giving me some ideas of what to do with mine. thanks |
05-20-2013, 07:17 PM | #68 | |
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Quote:
I got the decade recap idea from Gehrig38, which I found to be a great way to sum up ten years worth of information and data without getting bogged down by the year-by-year content. I hope this helps you with your dynasty. I look forward to reading it.
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05-20-2013, 07:45 PM | #69 |
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Postcard from Granite Falls
Grampy picked up his first SimNation win during the summer of '49. He sent this postcard to his father that same night from Granite Falls.
July 23, 1949 Greetings from Granite Falls! We just shut out the Timberjacks and I got the win. My first scoreless outting: 2.2 innings, 3 hits, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts. Things are looking up! On a bus right now to Santo Cielo... looks like they're going to win a fifth straight championship, but we're going to be pretty good in the next few years. Hope you can make it out to a game sometime this season! -Buck
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05-20-2013, 08:22 PM | #70 |
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Buck's final postcard from the '49 season
One final postcard and letter from Grampa Buck to his father, Maxx, after his first big league season in 1949. Buck Kinsella's Appaloosa Arrows had just wrapped up a 74-88 season. The Pioneer League champion Fort Dodge Federals would go on to beat the Maxis City Heroes in the '49 Sim Series, ending an unprecented run of four straight SBL titles by the Santo Cielo Seals, who finished one game behind the Feds for second place.
October 3, 1949 I may get back to Irontown by the time this postcard reaches you, but I wanted to drop you one last line before I come home. We have won six straight games to end the season, with four shutouts. Unfortunately, I didn't throw a single pitch in any of those games... haven't since late July. A 1-1 record with a 4.24 ERA in 17 innings isn't anything to write home about, but here I am writing home about it. I hope I can win over the coaching staff next year and get some more innings. Mom tells me you're up a minor league job with the Black Sox. They've never been to the playoffs and could use your help. I hope you get the job, father. See you soon! -Buck
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05-21-2013, 01:19 AM | #71 |
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Recapping the 1940's: All About Crowley
The 1940's were known for two things: Sam "The Man" Crowley and... Sam "The Man" Crowley.
He hit 353 homeruns during the decade. He collected his 300th, 400th, and 500th career homeruns. He notched his 2000th and 3000th career basehits. He won the Triple Crown twice. He was an All-Star outfielder in every season of the decade, and the Pioneer League MVP in the first seven years of the '40s (1940, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46). There is no overstating his accomplishments during the 1940's. He was every bit as good as he was the decade before. While Crowley spent the decade torturing Pioneer League pitching, Jeff "Spitfire" Garrett had the good fortune of getting traded by Granite Falls to Maxis City in the Colonial League in 1941. He would go on to win 182 wins against 93 losses in the 1940's, posting a 2.87 ERA with 2457 strikeouts. He won three Sim Series titles with the Heroes, earning 3 Stormy Boyd awards along the way. He also went to 6 All-Star games and tossed a no-hitter somewhere in between. Garrett had led a resurgent Maxis City club that was ready to lay claim to "Team of the Decade," until the Santo Cielo Seals won an unprecedented four consecutive championshipsfrom 1945 to 1948. The Heroes had gone to 6 Sim Series during the decade, but it's a moot point when you see a team win a championship four straight years. Dullsville inducted three more members into the Hall of Fame during the '40s, starting with Dan "City" Stark in 1943. Stark was elected posthumously thanks to some serious lobbying from former pitching greats Bob Arthurs and Evan Burke. Pitcher Warren King made history by becoming the first black player to gain induction in 1946, and he was followed by first baseman Fergie Pasmore the following year. The '40s were about triumph, but they were also about tragedy. Al Huntington, a teammate of Crowley's in Northgate, holds the distinction of ending his 8-year MVP run in 1947 by winning the Triple Crown that season. Tragically, Huntington died in a boating accident two years later during the All-Star break. He left this world at the peak of his career, with a .331 average, 18 homeruns, and 86 RBI through the season's first 80 games. Northgate, and his best friend, Crowley, were never the same after that. The 1940's were a wild ride, from "The Man" to the Seals. But with that chapter closed, the SimNation Baseball League would be ready for a big change in the 1950's...
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05-21-2013, 01:27 AM | #72 |
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1940's Hall of Famers
Meet the Hall of Famers of the 1940's:
Dan "City" Stark -- Would've been 90 years old during his induction ceremony in Dullsville. A 3-time pitcher of the year during the 1870's and 80's, winning 267 games and striking out 2516 batters in his 15-year career. Warren King -- A 3-time Stormy Boyd winner, the first-ever black player to make the Hall of Fame. Won 221 games for Appaloosa from 1922 to 1934, before spending the final seven years of his career in Seaside where he won just 10 games. Fergie Pasmore -- Won the MVP award 4 times with the Maxis City Heroes, going to the All-Star Game 11 times, and winning the Tiberium Glove at first base 7 times.
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05-21-2013, 03:04 AM | #73 |
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Crowley's 600th Homerun
Though Sam Crowley was in the twilight of his career in 1950, it didn't stop him from breaking some more records and reaching some more milestones on the way out.
One week after overtaking Sim City catcher Cal Thomas for the all-time hits record, Crowley roped his 600th career homerun into the rightfield bleachers at Rocklyn's Irving Bowman Stadium. His power all but sapped from his prime, the 37 year old could still turn on a fastball, and proved there's still a little gas left in the tank.
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05-21-2013, 03:32 AM | #74 |
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Buck Kinsella's first big league start
Grampa Buck made his first big league start in 1950 with the Arrows. Always one to keep the family back home in Irontown in the loop, he sent his father this letter and postcard, dated April 25th, 1950.
Hi Pops, You told me to keep at it, and coach Kendrick has finally given me my shot. But I guess with two of our starting pitchers out of action, he had no other choice. I made my first start today, and for a while things were going great here in Seaside. I got spotted a 4-0 lead in the first, and I was pretty much cruising right along until the 8th inning. I had given up just a couple of runs up to that point, but then the wheels kind of came off. I wound up giving up four more runs, and didn't make it out of the inning. You always tell me to look at the bright side, so I should be thankful my guys bailed me out with a run in the 9th to tie it up. We wound up losing in 17 innings, 8-6. Overall, things are going great. They have me as the #3 starter for the moment. That is, until Emilio Jefferson and Beau Smith come off the disabled list. Then, who knows? Maybe back to the bullpen. It's just great to finally be a part of the action. We're 17-8 so far, just a game back of Santo Cielo and Rocklyn for first place in the PL. I hope you and mom are doing well in Irontown. Summer will be here before you know it, and I'm sure you're anxious to begin your new coaching job in the Rookie League. Where the heck is Ramblewood anyways? I've got to say, I pitched pretty much everywhere in A and AA ball and I don't even remember hearing about Ramblewood. I'm sure you'll do great. Looks like the Black Sox finally have things turned around in Irontown! 20-5 to start the season! Where did that come from? I enclosed another postcard for mom. I thought you'd get a kick out of it. That's the U.S.S. Keystone, named after our home state. It's docked here in Seaside. They have a huge naval station here. Okay, I have to run. Oh, and give Gramps a hug for me. Tell him to come on out to the ballpark if we end up going to Irontown for the Sim Series. Hey, it could happen!
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05-21-2013, 03:51 AM | #75 |
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This just gets betterer and betterer!!! And I'm loving the postcards, they really add a touch of style.
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05-21-2013, 04:18 AM | #76 |
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Buck Kinsella's first complete game
My grandfather's rise through the ranks continued on June 1st, 1950 when he pitched his first SBL complete game. He went all 9 innings in a 4-1 win at Westwood against the Stars. He sent a short letter and postcard back home.
Hi Dad, I figured I would send you one last letter to Irontown before you head off to Ramblewood to coach the Black Pirates this summer. You'll have already read about it in the paper by the time this gets to you, but I wanted to tell you I just pitched my first complete game! I hate to say it, but you were right. I need to throw my changeup more often. I pretty much relied on a heavy dose of my fastball and change the entire ballgame against Westwood, and the Stars never really figured it out. I scattered 9 hits over 9 innings, with only one big mistake. I hung a curveball (yeah, I know...) on Nathan Wright in the 4th inning and he put it over the wall in right. I should've known better. The guy is a former All-Star... heck, we saw him play back in Irontown in a few years back. I'm hanging on to the fourth spot in the rotation now that Beau Smith is back from the disabled list. Emilio Jefferson is still out another month and a half, so it looks like I'll get regular starts for the timebeing. The weather here in Westwood is incredible. We saw a movie being filmed right down the road from our hotel. Pretty cool stuff. Hey, send me your address in Ramblewood so I know where to mail these letters! -Buck
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05-21-2013, 04:38 AM | #77 |
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Buck Kinsella's first shutout
Surprisingly, no letter or postcard from Buck Kinsella after throwing his first big league shutout. It took an act of Congress (hey, it's good to be the President), but I managed to procure this newspaper clipping from the Appaloosa Times:
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05-21-2013, 04:43 AM | #78 |
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Buck Kinsella: SBL All-Star!
Another letter from Grampa Buck, one that nobody could've seen coming. A 4th round of pick out of high school with a signing bonus of $2,120 had made the All-Star team in his first full big league season. Way to go, Gramps!
July 10, 1950 Dad, I hope this letter finds you well. I wish I could be there to root for your team, but I'm sure you'll understand. I have great news. I just found out that I've been picked to represent Appaloosa in the All-Star Game! Can you believe it? Imagine, me playing alongside Sam Crowley and Jack Spears! I don't know if I'll even get to pitch, but I can't wait to suit up and wear that All-Star jersey! No need for a postcard since I'm writing from my apartment in Appaloosa, but I'm sending you a news clipping from the paper with the All-Star rosters. This season's not going as well as we hoped for the Arrows, but it's been beyond my wildest dreams individually. How are things in Ramblewood? -Buck
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05-21-2013, 12:53 PM | #79 |
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Just read through this story and I got sucked in. Even though these are all fictional I felt admiration for Sam Crowley and sadness at the war. Very well written. I prefer to play fictional myself and its seeing these stories develop by themselves interests me so much.
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05-21-2013, 01:51 PM | #80 |
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Hendu Style - I am also really enjoying this dynasty also. Following closely!
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