My new Historical Random Debut (Starting in 1901 with 1984 stats output and strategy settings) - Page 6

actionjackson · 05-25-2018, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edster007

Since you just sim, how a big a chunk do you sim at time? Until I took over a team I did a week at time reviewed some box scores and transactions and then if there was a good pennant race a day at a time.

Everybody's different on this one. I'll sim from January 1st (you get some retirements on that day, so I like to check in and see who's checking out) to the day before the pre-season starts (somewhere in the first week of March). I do it a month at a time in this period, and then however many days are left over before pre-season, one day at a time until I hit the day before the pre-season. Then I go back and look at the awards and report on them in this thread, and then write up the season and the postseason from the previous season (if you catch my drift).

Once that's done, I sim a day to get to the preseason and check out the schedule for the coming season to check and see if I've got one that has different matchups than the season before, despite the fact that I use the same basic custom schedule. I've found that they will change on their own without my interference, which is cool. Then, maybe I'll check out the history index and see that things look good there.

I then sim ahead to the day before Opening Day, when I go to the Stats & AI page and plug "1984" into the Totals from year box, so that I get stats output that's something close to 1984. I don't freak out if at the end of the season it's above or below that because that's statistical variance, and it makes things interesting. Just want things reasonable, so that a .400 season is special, or a 40 HR season is special etc, etc, etc. I sim ahead to Opening Day and check out the Preseason Predictions just to make sure things look somewhat normal i.e. no 75 HR seasons, or 200 RBI seasons, or .460 batting average seasons etc.

So, now I'm at the regular season, and I sim through April, check out the team stats to make sure they're reasonably on target, see who's doing well in the individual stats, and then lather, rinse, repeat for May, and June unless the All-Star teams are being announced around the end of June. I sim up to the day before the All-Star teams are announced (always at the 79 game mark), and manually select them because I constantly find that the AI is making "interesting" selections. I'll report on my picks in here as well. Usually I sim the All-Star Game, and check the boxscore to see if anything stands out and write a little blurb on that underneath my picks.

Then I sim through to August and check out the deadline deals to see if there's any juicy ones and maybe report on those. I happened to be sorting through the transactions file at the end of the 1903 season when I saw the Garvey/Lee trade a few days into the offseason of 1903/1904.

Once I've done that I sim through to September 17th (my birthday) which is the day the upcoming draft pool comes out for the November 1st draft. I muck around with that a bit. I check to see if there are guys coming in with zero ability to play defense and replace them with their Spritze DB counterparts. I check to make sure guys are coming in with ratings (sometimes a pitcher won't have a hold rating, or the position players fielding ratings etc), and replace with Spritze guys if I don't like what I'm seeing. I also add two Spritze guys to the pool (selected with a random number generator and the master.csv file), at least one of which is a Negro Leaguer. Could be a famous Negro Leaguer. Could be a Joe Schmoe Negro Leaguer. Doesn't matter, whatever I get, I take. In my OOTP16 dynasty, I got Oscar Charleston that way, which was pretty cool. All this time while I'm simming, I'm constantly checking in on team and individual stats to see how things are going.

Then I sim slowly towards the end of the season watching out for ties for playoff spots. I use my own tiebreaker system, based on the RL MLB tie-breaking system to either determine home field for a postseason series (if the top two teams in the subleague are tied), or home field advantage for a game 163 tiebreaker. Once the postseason is all set up to my satisfaction, I'll zip through that as well.

I find myself zipping through games more and more and focusing on getting draft values done for players coming into the league to determine their draft position in the upcoming draft. If there are ties between players, I'll look at the default database draft values. If it's still tied, I'll break the tie with the Spritze draft values for the players. I also fix the draft order to my taste because I find the AI makes some interesting choices when teams are tied. I have my own tiebreakers for that as well. Sort of the opposite of what I use to determine playoff spots. I want the better teams getting the home field in the playoffs, and the worst teams winning the tiebreakers for the draft. If it's two teams from the same subleague I'll look at head to head record and choose the worse team. If it crosses over subleagues, I'll look at record over the final 81 games, and take the worse team. If it's still tied, I keep going back a game at a time until it isn't. It's more of a dispersal than a draft anyway, so I don't worry about teams tanking to get better picks. Not sure AI teams know what tanking is, so no worries.

Once the postseason's over and the offseason comes, I re-do my park factors (I use neutralized park factors [i.e. 1.000] for all facets of all parks), and re-import the weather database (I neuter the weather too). I import financial settings for the upcoming season, reset my schedule to 162, reset my all-star rosters to 28, and set up my custom playoffs again (I use the LCS when it didn't exist so I have to set it up. Every. Goddamn. Year.). Then I import whatever uniforms, logos, ballcaps and team colours need updating for the coming season. I use a folder somebody made years ago that covers 1901 through 2011. If I ever get far enough, I'm going to have to find another source for those.

Next up is my awards ballot. I crunch the numbers and enter 10 for the Babe Ruth Award (MVP), 5 for the Walter Johnson Award (CYA), 3 for the Mariano Rivera Award (Reliever of the Year), and three for the Jackie Robinson Award (ROY), as well as my picks for the Brooks Robinson Award (GG), and Ted Williams Award (SS).

The day before the draft (Hallowe'en), I take control of all the teams in the league, and prevent them from making roster moves. Day of the draft I disperse the players using my system of draft values for each player. Players go in a best on the board (according to me) manner regardless of positional needs. Day after the draft, I give control of the teams back to the AI, and allow them to make roster moves again, and run computer manager on all teams. Then I sim ahead to whatever the free agent filing day is and check that out and see who's on the market, who's a Type A, a Type B, or a no compensation guy. I like to follow along during my breaks in the offseason as it goes along, and see who gets what kind of contract. When it rolls around, I'll be voting for the HoF too, but it's still too early in the game for that. After the filing day I'll sim to January 1st, and start over again.

So, if I don't follow along with individual games much, where do I get my immersion fix? Picking all-star teams, filling out awards ballots, and HoF ballots, and assigning a value to each player coming in through the draft. If a player wants to play in my league, he's gotta go through me, and accept the team I assign him to. And of course the stats that the game produces have great immersive value to me. I enjoy checking out how favourite RL players have done on the year. For example, I'm a bit of a Cleveland Naps fan right now. Dave Stieb and Jim Clancy are heading up their rotation right now, and that brings back good memories for this Blue Jay fan. David Wells and Duane Ward are with the Washington Senators, so I keep an eye on them as well. I loved manually selecting Stieb, Clancy, and Wells (who were all deserving) to the 1903 All-Star game on the AL team

I love watching players enter the game through the draft, possibly become stars, gradually (or precipitously) decline, and then retire and if they're lucky, get considered for the HoF. I also enjoy reporting on the league's seasons and postseasons by going back to look at them on the day before the next preseason. I used to take over a team, but I found I got caught up in the minutiae, and my league would get bogged down and I might get through a season in a development cycle. Now, I can build a history as my game develops and I find it much more interesting.

Man, this turned into a thesis in a hurry didn't it? Also, I'm not OCD...Not at all.

JaBurns · 05-25-2018, 09:05 PM

Thanks for the write up, it gives me some food for thought, I sim slower and tend to check more random things. A little more structured approach may help but I do not have the draft skills yet and I am hoping to learn them or some variation over time.

Check the mods section for an updated file for team caps, unis, and logos there is one there that goes past 2011.

Have you heard anything about the OOTP 19 mods with all of pstrickert’s stadiums?

actionjackson · 05-25-2018, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaBurns

My mistake as usual......

Not really a mistake, you just overlooked the fielding thing. It happens.

actionjackson · 05-25-2018, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaBurns

Thanks for the write up, it gives me some food for thought, I sim slower and tend to check more random things. A little more structured approach may help but I do not have the draft skills yet and I am hoping to learn them or some variation over time.

Check the mods section for an updated file for team caps, unis, and logos there is one there that goes past 2011.

Have you heard anything about the OOTP 19 mods with all of pstrickert’s stadiums?

I managed to get those stadiums when they were up briefly on an internet hosting site. pstrickert took them down pretty quickly because he found it was becoming too expensive (I think...you'd have to ask him). I haven't heard anything about them being loaded up via Add-Ons Central in quite a while now.

Thanks for the tip on the updated team caps, unis and logos file. I'll look into it if I ever make it that far (highly, highly, highly doubtful, but you never know).

The draft thing is just reflective of my frustration with results with the Use pre-defined draft value for AI box checked or unchecked. This is not a condemnation of the game. More of a recognition of just how damn hard it is to get this right. I don't know if I have it right yet. Time will tell.

actionjackson · 05-25-2018, 09:37 PM

AL Jackie Robinson Award:

1. Ben Chapman, LF/CF/RF, 20, PHA
2. Dave Stieb, RHSP/LF, 20, CLE
3. Edgar Martinez, 3B, 24, WS1

NL Jackie Robinson Award:

1. Chase d'Arnaud, 2B/3B/SS/LF, 27, CHC
2. Paul Derringer, RHSP, 23, STL
3. Ted Jennings, 2B/3B/SS, 19, BSN
4. Ed Hodge, LHRP, 26, NY1

Regarding Ted Jennings' inclusion, I'm of two minds. On the one hand, he shouldn't have been included, as he has 1 year, and 85 days of service time, and the cutoff for rookie status is 45 days (I don't use expanded rosters in September) of service time. On the other hand, he's a PCL player from the Spritze DB, so it's kind of cool to see him doing well.

actionjackson · 05-25-2018, 10:11 PM

AL Walter Johnson Award:

1. Toad Ramsey, LHSP, 25, SLA
2. Hooks Dauss, RHSP, 32, WS1
3. Scott T Baker, RHSP, 28, NYY
4. David Wells, LHSP, 36, WS1
5. Eppa Rixey, LHSP, 29, DET
6. Bronson Arroyo, RHSP, 35, SLA
7. Jim Clancy, RHSP, 27, CLE
8. Alex Fernandez, RHSP, 26, DET
9. Dave Stieb, RHSP/LF, 20, CLE

NL Walter Johnson Award:

1. Jacob deGrom, RHSP, 31, CHC
2. George Derby, RHSP, 26, PHI
3. Nolan Ryan, RHSP, 24, CIN
4. Jaime Garcia, LHSP, 26, BRO
5. Madison Bumgarner, LHSP, 24, BRO
6. Rudy May, LHSP, 30, PIT

actionjackson · 05-25-2018, 11:01 PM

AL Babe Ruth Award:

1. Al Kaline, CF/RF, 20, CLE
2. Steve Garvey, 1B/3B, 26, PHA
3. Jim Bottomley, 1B, 25, BOS
4. Vern Stephens, 3B/SS, 22, BOS
5. Lefty O'Doul, LF, 31, DET
6. Trevor Story, SS, 26, DET
7. Ed Delahanty, 1B/LF/CF/RF, 22, PHA
8. Ron Kittle, 1B/LF, 29, CLE
9. Toad Ramsey, LHSP, 25, SLA
10. Chuck Hinton, 1B/LF/CF/RF, 31, SLA
11. Cupid Childs, 2B, 22, SLA
12. Jerry Denny, 3B, 27, DET
13. Whitey Kurowski, 3B, 27, PHA
14. Rick Monday, CF/RF, 27, SLA
15. Marquis Grissom, CF, 26, BOS
16. Hooks Dauss, RHSP, 32, WS1
17. Robinson Chirinos, C, 31, SLA
18. Minnie Minoso, LF, 25, NYY
19. David Wells, LHSP, 36, WS1
20. Scott T Baker, RHSP, 28, NYY
21. Craig Biggio, C/2B/CF, 26, DET

NL Babe Ruth Award:

1. Mike Donlin, LF/CF/RF, 29, BRO
2. Jacob deGrom, RHSP, 31, CHC
3. Alex Rodriguez, 3B/SS, 27, CHC
4. George Derby, RHSP, 26, PHI
5. Nolan Ryan, RHSP, 24, CIN
6. Bill Madlock, 2B/3B, 24, PHI
7. Jaime Garcia, LHSP, 26, BRO
8. Mike Hargrove, 1B/LF, 26, CIN
9. Honus Wagner, SS/RF, 28, NY1
10. Madison Bumgarner, LHSP, 24, BRO
11. Brett Phillips, CF/RF, 25, CIN
12. Ian Happ, 2B/LF/CF/RF, 24, NY1
13. Rudy May, LHSP, 30, PIT
14. Bill McGee, RHSP, 29, CIN

Edster007 · 05-26-2018, 07:38 AM

Thanks for the great write up. In another computer game along with the OOTP app version of this game. I played out every inning of every game and lived and died by the result as if it was real. I had a amazing feeling when I was managing the 78 Yankees and was down to Cleveland 9-0 in the 8th and won 11-9 in 13 innings and was sick for days when I replayed the 84 Cubs and held a 2-0 lead vs the Tigers in game seven going to the bottom of the 9th. A one out walk to Trammel followed by back-to-back HR's by Gibson and Parrish I was miserable

Now that I have had this game for a couple of months I find there is so much more you can do I manage games less and sim more. I make sure my lineup is set to my liking, I like to rest players based on my schedule not on "every third game", then just quick play. The difficult part of the RDL with me managing a team is to resist the temptation of having to have certain players because I liked them growing up.

I can see myself becoming and all out sim player as time goes by and given all the computer games in various sports I never thought I'd say that.

actionjackson · 05-26-2018, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edster007

Thanks for the great write up. In another computer game along with the OOTP app version of this game. I played out every inning of every game and lived and died by the result as if it was real. I had a amazing feeling when I was managing the 78 Yankees and was down to Cleveland 9-0 in the 8th and won 11-9 in 13 innings and was sick for days when I replayed the 84 Cubs and held a 2-0 lead vs the Tigers in game seven going to the bottom of the 9th. A one out walk to Trammel followed by back-to-back HR's by Gibson and Parrish I was miserable

Now that I have had this game for a couple of months I find there is so much more you can do I manage games less and sim more. I make sure my lineup is set to my liking, I like to rest players based on my schedule not on "every third game", then just quick play. The difficult part of the RDL with me managing a team is to resist the temptation of having to have certain players because I liked them growing up.

I can see myself becoming and all out sim player as time goes by and given all the computer games in various sports I never thought I'd say that.

Yeah, when I was managing games I would set the lineup myself before each game, making sure people got their proper rest. A bit tedious, but better than having your catcher playing SS and leading off, although Russell Martin has been known to play SS IRL.

Even when I was managing a team, I was never able to play out every inning of every game. I had to set the lineup and then sim it. I guess I'm not that much of a control freak after all. Hah!

I can't honestly remember how well I did when I was managing, because it seems like it was so long ago. I don't think I was particularly good. I avoided free agents like the plague, unless they weren't attached to a comp pick, but of course that leaves slim pickings don't it? I was a bit of a wheeler-dealer and tried to make hay in the draft, but that's about all I remember.

That 1984 Tiger team was an absolute bear wasn't it? Defensive wizardry up the middle (with Parrish-Whitaker-Trammell-Lemon...they probably rivaled the Big Red Machine's Bench-Morgan-Concepcion-Geronimo), solid pitching, a near perfect closer, with a solid bullpen behind him. Steady innings eating starters. Oof!!!

actionjackson · 05-26-2018, 05:21 PM

1903 Season/Postseason Recap:

I) Regular Season:

I decided to bring the injury setting up to Normal (OOTP Classic) for the 1903 season, as I had 862 players in the database for 16 teams, which is around 54 players per team. I may have pulled the trigger about a year early on that one, as some teams (Athletics and Giants) got absolutely destroyed with injuries to their respective pitching staffs. The Athletics managed to go 71-91 despite a mind boggling 1,036 runs allowed (6.40 runs per game). Scoring an MLB high 858 runs (5.30 runs per game) helped out on that front. They had some crazy games, as thirteen different pitchers made starts, and 28 pitchers made at least one appearance on the season (including 9 different position players who appeared in 14 games in total). Ugh. The Giants somehow managed to go 82-80, despite a run differential of -59. Hopefully with 922 players (82 draftees, 22 retirements plus the 862 that were in there in 1903) now in the database things will simmer down a bit, and we can get back to baseball rather than bazookaball. That being said, league-wide, the runs per team game was 4.40, which is marginally above the 4.26 that happened IRL in 1984.

The teams were relatively bunched up, as the best team in MLB was the Superbas (95-67, .586), and the worst team was the White Sox (61-101, .377). The next worst team to the White Sox was the Pirates (70-92, .432), so the balance was pretty good despite the best efforts of the Athletics to throw it completely off-kilter. The four playoff teams were the Superbas (record above), the Browns (92-70, .568), the Naps (90-72, .556), and the Reds (88-74, .543). There were no real super teams in 1903, as the Superbas had the best run differential at +147 (747 RS, 600 RA). So Action, how did the really important games go? I'm glad you asked. Let's have a look, shall we?...

ALCS:

Game 1: St. Louis 5, Cleveland 2, W: Toad Ramsey (1-0), L: Dave Stieb (0-1), SV: Bob Wickman (1), HR: SLA: Robinson Chirinos (1)

Despite my childhood fave Dave Stieb being on the mound for Cleveland, the pitching matchup was a bit of a mismatch really. Ramsey is an absolutely beastly pitcher with two of the first three Walter Johnson Awards under his belt, and he showed it going 7 innings, allowing 5 hits and 2 runs, with 10 K and 1 BB to his credit. The scoring was all over after the 3rd inning, and the Browns cruised to the 5-2 victory. Chirinos' solo shot gave the Browns some insurance after Cleveland tried to fight their way back into it with two runs in the third, but in the end Ramsey was too much.

Kiko Calero (Hold) and Bob Wickman (Save) finished up with two clean, if somewhat bumpy innings, particularly the top of the ninth. Calero gave up a leadoff single and a walk to Tony Perez and Dan Gladden respectively, which brought Wickman in from the 'pen. Bob promptly gave up a single to Mark T McLemore, and suddenly the bases were loaded with no outs and the go ahead run at the plate. But Wickman steadied himself and retired Scott Brosius with a shallow fly ball to left, Dick Cole on a 1 to 2 fielder's choice, and Max Carey on a groundball to second. Piece of cake.

Game 2: St. Louis 5, Cleveland 0, W: Bronson Arroyo (1-0), L: Jim Clancy (0-1), HR: SLA: Clete Boyer (1)

Stop beating up on childhood faves you bastards!

This one was pretty much over from the start as 21-game winner Bronson Arroyo cruised to a 5-hit shutout with 2 BB and 4 K. It basically came down to a 2nd inning St. Louis rally when with one out Chirinos doubled, Chuck Hinton tripled, and Clete Boyer hit a 2-run bomb to stake Arroyo to a 3-0 lead. After that it was just Arroyo baffling the Naps' hitters with his mediocre stuff, but surgical precision. Two games in the Naps were going to have to find a way to bust out. Two runs on twelve hits combined just wasn't going to cut it. Fortunately they were headed home.

Game 3: Cleveland 13, St. Louis 9, W: Tom Gordon (1-0), L: Kiko Calero (0-1), HR: SLA: Robinson Chirinos (2), Sam Crawford 2(2), CLE: Sy Sutcliffe (1)

The Browns actually went up 7-1 after 2 and a half innings in this one, and it looked like a sweep was on the way, but that's why they play the games. Cue the Naps' epic comeback. They scored 4 in the bottom of the third to trim the lead to 7-5, and one more in the fourth to make it a one-run game. St. Louis tried to put the squeeze on Cleveland with an 8th inning insurance run.

Then all hell broke loose in the bottom of the 8th, as the Naps went on a rampage against poor Kiko Calero. It went single, walk, RBI double, Calero error which plated two, intentional walk, fielder's choice, double steal, intentional walk, sac fly, walk, 2-run single, (finally the Browns' manager brought in Bill Landrum), RBI single, and mercifully, finally a fly out to left. When the dust settled, 12 men had come to the plate, with 4 hits, an error, 4 walks (2 intentional), and seven runs (all charged to Calero with just three of them earned [on his error]) had been scored. Just another day at the ole ballyard I guess. St. Louis managed one in the ninth, but that was all she wrote for this one. Cleveland was back in the series, and another win would really make things interesting.

Game 4: St. Louis 5, Cleveland 3 (10), W: Bob Wickman (1-0), L: Blake Treinen (0-1), HR: SLA: Robinson Chirinos (3), CLE: Sy Sutcliffe (2)

This one was a bit more...normal. Cleveland broke out on top in the second with a single by Max Carey to score McLemore. A sac fly by Ryon Healy in the third and a fielder's choice by Chuck Hinton in the fourth gave St. Louis the lead. That was erased on a two-run HR by Sy Sutcliffe in the bottom of the fifth, but a two-out solo shot from (who else?) Robinson Chirinos tied the game at 3 in the sixth. Then the pitching shut things down until extra innings, when Sam Crawford nailed a two-run double off Ron Blazier in the tenth. A back and forth affair to be sure, but not quite as wild as Game 3 had been.

Game 5: Cleveland 3, St. Louis 1, W: Dave Stieb (1-1), L: Toad Ramsey (1-1), SV: Ron Blazier (1), HR: CLE: Max Carey (1)

Take that you toad!!! Dave Stieb FTW!!!

Ramsey was brilliant, chucking the 8-inning complete game, allowing 3 runs on eight hits, striking out 11 and walking none. That's 1 BB and 21 K for the series if you're scoring at home. Stieb was just better. He went 8.1 IP (throwing a jaw dropping 153 pitches), allowing one run on six hits with 7 K and 3 BB. Ron Blazier retired the final two consecutively in the ninth, underscoring it with a strikeout of Clete Boyer to end the game. Max Carey's solo shot off Ramsey gave the Naps some breathing in the eighth. Heading back to St. Louis the Naps had a tough chore in front of them. Not impossible, just tough.

Game 6: St. Louis 7, Cleveland 3, W: Bronson Arroyo (2-0), L: Jim Clancy (0-2), HR: SLA: Rick Monday (1), Robinson Chirinos (4), Sam Crawford (3), Bobby Mitchell (1)

Bronson Arroyo tossed another complete game at the Naps, and this one was not close. He allowed 5 hits, 0 walks, struck out 4, and nary a homerun, while his teammates ambushed starter Jim Clancy and starter turned reliever Dennis Leonard. A 2 out, 2-run shot by Bobby Mitchell got things going and the Browns bookended it with back to back to back solo jacks from Crawford, Monday, and Chirinos in the seventh to go up 7-1. From there Arroyo cruised to the 7-3 victory, and 14,812 fans erupted with joy at Sportsman's Park III.

MVP of the series: Robinson Chirinos .391/.400/.957 with 4 HR and 6 RBI in just six games and 23 total AB.

actionjackson · 05-26-2018, 07:53 PM

1903 Season/Postseason Recap:

NLCS:

Game 1: Cincinnati 5, Brooklyn 2, W: Lance McCullers Sr (1-0), L: Ed Keas (0-1), HR: CIN: Brett Phillips (1)

Leadoff hitter and CF Brett Phillips had a huge game for the Reds, going 4 for 5, with 3 R, a HR, and 2 RBI. He was in the middle of everything, scoring a run in the 1st on a single by RF Joe Collins. He hit a go ahead solo shot in the 7th. When that wasn't enough, he hit a go ahead RBI single to score C Heinie Peitz in the top of the ninth, and came around to score on Mike Hargrove's RBI double, which had been preceded by Jimmie Reese's RBI single to score RF Chuck Workman. Lance McCullers Sr ended up vulturing the win from deserved winner Denny Driscoll.

Driscoll went 7 stong, allowing one run on five hits, but McCullers hit Bobby W Brown with the first pitch he threw in the eighth. Donlin singled Brown to second, at which point Willie Harris took over as a pinch runner. Two outs later a walk to CF Kiddo Davis loaded the bases for C Juan Centeno who singled home Harris, but Donlin was cut down trying to score to end the inning in a tie. With the Reds' rally in the top of the ninth McCullers was given a second chance, and he made good on it, retiring the Superbas 1-2-3 with a strikeout of Casey Blake for the second out.

Game 2: Brooklyn 8, Cincinnati 6, W: Terry Cornutt (1-0), L: Lance McCullers Sr, HR: CIN: Joe Gantenbein (1), BRO: Whitey Herzog (1), Dick Sisler (1)

Back and forth and back and forth. Brooklyn took a 2-0 lead in the first. Cincinnati answered with three in the second. Brooklyn tied it at 3 in the third. Cincinnati went up 6-3 in the fourth. From there the Superbas chipped away at the deficit, and got it to 6-5 heading to the ninth. A groundout and a strikeout started the ninth for McCullers who had had a 1-2-3 8th inning with two strikeouts. Mike Donlin singled and Dick Sisler walked, setting the table for Whitey Herzog, who hit a first pitch line drive HR to right-centre for the walkoff. Heading back to Cincinnati, the series was all tied up thanks to Herzog's late inning heroics.

Game 3: Cincinnati 4, Brooklyn 3, W: Nolan Ryan (1-0), L: Madison Bumgarner (0-1), SV: Jack Banta (1), HR: BRO: Casey Blake (1)

The Reds blitzed Bumgarner in this one to the tune of 9 hits and 4 earned runs allowed in 3.1 IP to go up 4-2 after 4. From there the Brooklyn bullpen held firm as Chad Kimsey, Morrie Martin, and Abe Bowman combined to shutout the Reds on three hits over the final 4.2 IP. Nolan Ryan was too strong though. He wobbled a bit in the ninth allowing a pinch hit 2-out solo HR to Casey Blake, and a full count walk to 2B Jamey Carroll. He did throw 150 pitches after all! Jack Banta came out of the 'pen to fan 3B Bobby W Brown and preserve the one run victory.

Game 4: Cincinnati 5, Brooklyn 2, W: Al Orth (1-0), L: Hyun-Jin Ryu (0-1), SV: Lance McCullers Sr (1), HR: None

Just as they had in Game 3, the Superbas took an early lead, and just as they had in Game 3, the Reds stormed back to win. A two-run double from Mike Hargrove followed by an RBI single from Joe Collins gave the Reds a 3-1 lead after 3. They would extend that lead to 5-1 in the sixth on a two-run double by SS Buddy Kerr. Al Orth was strong over 7.2 innings, allowing 2 runs on five hits, and striking out five, allowing just one walk. McCullers retired Sisler and Herzog, struck out Davis, and got Centeno to fly out ending the game, and giving his manager a night off from massive Rolaids ingestion.

Game 5: Cincinnati 3, Brooklyn 0, W: Denny Driscoll (1-0), L: Jaime Garcia (0-1), HR: CIN: Sam Mele

You would've thought that all the momentum had swung to the Superbas after that thrilling Game 2 win, but they limped through Cincinnati, dropping all three games and scoring a paltry five runs. They were completely shut down by the Reds' pitching staff, with just 16 hits over the final three games and 20 K against 7 BB. Utter domination.

Game 5 was scoreless for the first six innings until Sam Mele's solo HR broke the deadlock in the seventh. Buddy Kerr added an insurance run later in the inning with a ringing double, and Mele's eighth inning run scoring single iced the game and the series. Driscoll shut down the Superbas on five hits, with a walk and three strikeouts. 11,962 joyous fans soaked it all in at the Palace of the Fans.

Series MVP: Brett Phillips .545/.565/.682 with 1 HR and 6 RBI out of the leadoff spot. That's what I call a catalyst, or an ignitor if you will.

actionjackson · 05-26-2018, 11:02 PM

1903 Season/Postseason Recap:

World Series:

Game 1: St. Louis 8, Cincinnati 0, W: Phil Knell (1-0), L: Nolan Ryan (1-1), HR: SLA: Rick Monday (2), Chris Speier (1), Bobby Mitchell (2)

Game 1 was an old fashioned butt kicking. The Browns ganged up on Nolan Ryan to the tune of 7 runs on 7 hits in 3.2 IP. Ryan also managed to walk 7, and allow 3 HR. An absolutely terrible day for the flamethrower. With two in the first, three in the second, and two more in the third, this game was all over but the crying after just three innings. Phil Knell was brilliant, going the distance, allowing five hits, walking three and striking out nine. There was no individual that stood out for St. Louis as the offense was well spread out in this clobbering.

Game 2: Cincinnati 5, St. Louis 2, W: Bill McGee (1-0), L: Toad Ramsey (1-2), SV: Lance McCullers Sr (2), HR: CIN: Brett Phillips (2), Joe Collins (1), Sam Mele (2), SLA: Robinson Chirinos (5)

Cincy put the game to bed early with 4 runs in the second inning. From there, they rode 7 strong innings from Bill McGee, and a six out save from Lance McCullers Sr. A solo HR from Sam Mele and a 3-run HR by Brett Phillips in the second inning made quick work of the Browns. Joe Collins all but finished it off with a solo shot in the sixth. The Reds accomplished two things in this game. One, they got the split on the road that they were looking for, and two, they got to Toad Ramsey for 3 HR and all 5 runs (even though three of them were unearned). Ramsey still managed to strike out 10, walking just two, but he wasn't quite himself, and he (and his team) paid for it.

Game 3: St. Louis 6, Cincinnati 2, W: Bronson Arroyo (3-0), L: Denny Driscoll (1-1), HR: SLA: Chuck Hinton (1)

Crafty righty (Are righties allowed to be crafty? I thought that was only lefties

) Bronson Arroyo pitched his third consecutive complete game victory of the postseason. Absolute money. How I'm not sure, but he just keeps doing it. Cincy actually took a 2-0 lead in this one in the first inning as Joe Gantenbein tripled home Brett Phillips, and scored on an RBI groundout by Mike Hargove. After that they were mesmerized into sleep mode by Arroyo, who limited them to six hits, walking three and striking out four. Cupid Childs doubled home Arroyo in the third. Chuck Hinton hit a solo blast to tie it in the fourth, and (to add insult to injury) Arroyo singled home Clete Boyer later in the same inning. An RBI single by Chirinos and a two run triple by Hinton in the seventh sealed the deal, and gave the Browns a 2-1 series lead.

Game 4: St. Louis 14, Cincinnati 5, W: Charley Hall (1-0), L: Al Orth (1-1), HR: SLA: Robinson Chirinos (6), Sam Crawford (4), CIN: Brett Phillips (3)

In a nutshell, Cincinnati sucked and the Browns took out the trash. Crawford was 2 for 6, with 5 RBI, a run scored and a HR. Chirinos was 3 for 5, with 2 runs, 5 RBI, and his sixth HR of the postseason. He was now hitting .405 with 6 HR and 14 RBI for the postseason, while Crawford was at .302 with 4 HR and 16 RBI. Geez. Talk about stepping up when it matters. Holy cow! Brett Phillips was 3 for 4 with a walk, a run, a HR, and an RBI. He needs some support from his teammates if they're going to get it done. At least send it back to St. Louis boys.

Game 5: Cincinnati 4, St. Louis 0, W: Nolan Ryan (2-1), L: Phil Knell (1-1), HR: CIN: Brett Phillips (4)

Nolan Ryan absolutely redeemed himself in Game 5. Will it be too late? He pitched 8.2 IP of shutout ball allowing 3 hits, 3 walks and striking out 11. He continued to show off his rubber arm, throwing 146 pitches. In other news...Who is this Brett Phillips dude? Aside from having the weirdest laugh in RL MLB, who is he? A two run second inning rally gave the Reds all they would need, as Walter Barbare doubled home Heinie Peitz, and Nolan Ryan (Wha?) doubled home Barbare. Phillips did his thing in the seventh with 2 out and nobody on, and Heinie Peitz hit an eighth inning sac fly scoring Joe Collins, to cap the scoring. Well, the Reds got it back to St. Louis. Now let's see what they can do with that momentum.

Game 6: St. Louis 4, Cincinnati 3 (10), W: Bob Wickman (2-0), L: Jack Banta (0-1), HR: SLA: Rick Monday (3), Chuck Hinton (2)

Whoo boy! For a series that hadn't had much drama up until now, this game delivered in spades on the drama front. It was Toad Ramsey vs Bill McGee. The Browns got out to the early 1-0 lead when Cupid Childs led off the first with a double and scored on consecutive groundouts. The Reds didn't waste any time, tying up the game in the second on singles by Sam Mele, Heinie Peitz, and Chuck Workman. In the third they went ahead on a triple by Joe Gantenbein, and a single by Mike Hargrove, who scored on a wild pitch followed by two groundouts. The Browns were unfazed though. They could taste it. Superman, er I mean Robinson Chirinos doubled to lead off the fourth and scored two outs later on a double by Bobby Mitchell.

Then came the real drama. McCullers Sr came on in the bottom of the eighth. With one out, on the ninth pitch of the at bat, he surrendered a game-tying HR to Chuck Hinton, crushing Reds fans everywhere. But the worst was yet to come for the Reds. Jack Banta relieved McCullers Sr in the ninth and shut down the Reds after McCullers Sr had issued a free pass to start the inning to Chris Speier. Banta stayed on for the tenth, and on the third pitch of Rick Monday's lead off at bat, BOOM!!! The game was over. The series was over...on a series winning walkoff. Doesn't get much better than that, unless it's game 7. Monday had given all of Cincinnati a case of the Mondays...on a Thursday...Ouch!

Series MVP (despite Monday's heroics): Robinson Chirinos .400/.444/.840 with 2 HR and 8 RBI. Holy Geez!!!

warneke · 05-27-2018, 01:33 PM

Thanks for your explanations of how you sim the league. I have never tried running a league where I'm not also in charge of a team. Have to have a piece of the pie, I guess. Plus it gets me close to one team over the years...

I have only one suggestion for you, that I also do, and that is to actually WATCH the ASG each year (not just quick sim it); that way you can get more of an on field look or feel of who the best players (or at least, all stars) are, as time progresses.

Last, if you have player development on and historical recalc off, then it would call it a historical fantasy RDL rather than a historical RDL. Yeah, I know, the whole random debut thing is fantastical, but to me the dividing line between a historical league and a historical fantasy league is whether recalc is on.

actionjackson · 05-27-2018, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by warneke

Thanks for your explanations of how you sim the league. I have never tried running a league where I'm not also in charge of a team. Have to have a piece of the pie, I guess. Plus it gets me close to one team over the years...

I have only one suggestion for you, that I also do, and that is to actually WATCH the ASG each year (not just quick sim it); that way you can get more of an on field look or feel of who the best players (or at least, all stars) are, as time progresses.

Last, if you have player development on and historical recalc off, then it would call it a historical fantasy RDL rather than a historical RDL. Yeah, I know, the whole random debut thing is fantastical, but to me the dividing line between a historical league and a historical fantasy league is whether recalc is on.

Believe me, I understand the fun of taking over a team, but I get just as much fun manipulating the draft to my taste rather than the AI's, picking the all-star teams, voting on the awards, and voting on the hall of fame. Most importantly (to me anyway) I can build a history much faster, which allows me to vote for things like the HoF. That can take 20 sim years to get to. I'd probably get through two seasons in a development cycle if I were to manage a team.

I tried watching the games in my test sim, and eventually became pretty bored with it actually. It's just not for me I guess. TBH it kind of lulls me to sleep. The other things that I do in the game definitely don't do that. They keep my brain active, and I enjoy them. I guess there's only so much time you can spend on the game and these are the things I choose to spend it on. Diving into the stats allows me to keep tabs on the best players in the game, as well as sorting out who deserves all-star nods, awards, HoF selection.

I play with both player development (on default settings) and recalc (5-year double weighted, Real Stats, Remaining Years of Career for Potential Ratings, Entire Career for both fielding ratings and pitching stamina) on. This allows studs to be studs (and duds to be duds) until their RL stats run out, and then it's anyone's guess what's going to happen. Players do fall off a cliff all the time IRL. I want the stars to be stars of course, but I also want to see what happens when the player development system takes over. I've even seen Kershaw crash and burn once his numbers ran out. Before that he won back-to-back-to-back Walter Johnson awards, and then something happened. Who knows what, but you can make up your own story for that. To contrast with that, I had some cat named Leo Kavanagh go from dud to stud. I would maintain that that happens IRL more than we might think (Donaldson, Bautista, Encarnacion etc etc etc). Maybe Kavanagh figured stuff out for himself after his age 19 season, and put it all together. For me playing with recalc and development on is the best of both worlds.

Edster007 · 05-27-2018, 04:33 PM

I see Garvey had a good season if he finished #2 for the Babe Ruth award, how did Lee do in his new home?

warneke · 05-27-2018, 04:43 PM

See, the way I do almost all my replays, a kat like Leo Kavanagh (11 life time at bats) would have never made it past my own draft policing. I laboriously go through the draft class each year and delete coffee cup players. The only time I don't is the rare time I am trying a league that mixes real life teams and fictional teams.

Edit: And Kavanagh and other cup of coffee guys are why I wish that the Adjust/Weaken function worked for more than just the first season of replays.

italyprof · 05-27-2018, 05:19 PM

I liked the little Dave Steib victory dance !

actionjackson · 05-27-2018, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edster007

I see Garvey had a good season if he finished #2 for the Babe Ruth award, how did Lee do in his new home?

That was the 1903 awards, which was the season that finished just before the trade was made. I'm currently in 1904. Lee has definitely begun his decline phase. He's currently 3-10 with a 3.82 ERA. He's still got it when it comes to controlling the strike zone (84 K, with just 13 BB), but he's getting bitten by the longball a bit (17 HR in 115.1 IP). His ratings still look good, so he might be fine, or this might be the beginning of the end. Garvey hasn't been any great shakes either. The only reason he's going to the 1904 All-Star Game is that I like to have at least two players that can play at each position to guard against injuries in the days leading up to the midsummer classic.

He was the best #2 of a bad lot really (behind Jim Bottomley who's been on quite a roll so far). Garvey's numbers (.290/.331/.455/.786 36 Runs, 10 HR, 41 RBI, 118 OPS+, 123 wRC+, 1.6 WAR) would be fine at other positions, but they're a little below what you want out of a first baseman. However, he's certainly outperforming Lee and belongs as an All-Star given the dearth of 1B options in the AL.

There was another doozy of a trade later in the offseason involving the Athletics and the Reds, but it didn't make much sense to me given the Athletics need for pitching. The Athletics swapped 3B Whitey Kurowski (#13 in AL MVP voting) to the Reds for 1B/LF Mike Hargrove (#8 in NL MVP voting).

actionjackson · 05-27-2018, 05:51 PM

Before I go any further, ATTN: JaBurns: The 1904 schedule once again was different from the 1903 schedule despite the fact that all schedules are derived from the same custom schedule that I cooked up many moons ago. Therefore, things are as they should be, which is cool. I don't know how it shuffles it, but it does.

actionjackson · 05-27-2018, 06:40 PM

1904 All-Stars:

AL:

Hooks Dauss (WS1), SP
Alex Fernandez (SLA), SP
Rube Foster (WS1), SP (Injured)
Terry Larkin (PHA), SP
Jon Lester (CWS), SP
Fritz Ostermueller (BOS), SP
Toad Ramsey (SLA), SP
Eppa Rixey (DET), SP
David Wells (WS1), SP
Lefty Mills (SLA), RP
Oscar Harstad (SLA), CL
Liam Hendriks (DET), CL
Akinori Otsuka (BOS), CL
Craig Biggio (DET), C
Robinson Chirinos (SLA), C
Jim Bottomley (BOS), 1B
Steve Garvey (NYY), 1B
Cupid Childs (SLA), 2B
Mark T McLemore (CLE), 2B
Dustin Pedroia (NYY), 2B
Yandy Diaz (CWS), 3B
Edgar Martinez (WS1), 3B
Chris Speier (SLA), SS
Joe Tinker (WS1), SS
Beals Becker (CWS), LF (Injured)
Minnie Minoso (NYY), LF
Rocco Baldelli (CWS), CF
Max Carey (CLE), CF
Rick Monday (SLA), CF
Al Kaline (CLE), RF

NL:

Tom Brewer (STL), SP
Madison Bumgarner (BRO), SP
Eddie Cicotte (BRO), SP
Paul Derringer (STL), SP (Injured)
Wes Ferrell (STL), SP
Mark Gubicza (BSN), SP
Bill McGee (CIN), SP
Tomo Ohka (CIN), SP
Nolan Ryan (CIN), SP
Luis Arroyo (NY1), RP
Tom Davey (BSN), CL
Sean Doolittle (PIT), CL
Kenley Jansen (STL), CL
Eric Wilkins (CHC), CL (Injured)
Juan Centeno (BRO), C
Chief Zimmer (NY1), C
Joe Collins (CIN), 1B
Don Hurst (BSN), 1B
Jamey Carroll (BRO), 2B
George Wright (NY1), 2B (Injured)
Whitey Kurowski (CIN), 3B
Bill Madlock (PHI), 3B
Alex Rodriguez (CHC), SS
Jean Segura (PHI), SS
Honus Wagner (NY1), SS
Jesse Winker (STL), LF
Mike Donlin (BRO), LF
Roy White (CHC), LF
Ian Happ (NY1), CF
Brett Phillips (CIN), CF (Injured)
Dale Murphy (PHI), RF
John Vander Wal (CHC), RF

The pitchers put the bats on ice in the 1904 All-Star Game as the American League snuck past the National League 2-0. Al Kaline hit a two out solo shot in the top of the 4th off Tomo Ohka to start the scoring. Rick Monday reached 2nd on an error by 3B Whitey Kurowski, moved to third on a groundout by Yandy Diaz, and scored on a Craig Biggio sac fly in the seventh. That. Was. It. Each team left just three runners on base, and the NL turned two double plays. Nine pitchers threw for each team before a crowd of 15,000 at Robison Field in St. Louis.

05-25-2018, 09:37 PM	#105
actionjackson Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 6,123	AL Jackie Robinson Award: 1. Ben Chapman, LF/CF/RF, 20, PHA 2. Dave Stieb, RHSP/LF, 20, CLE 3. Edgar Martinez, 3B, 24, WS1 NL Jackie Robinson Award: 1. Chase d'Arnaud, 2B/3B/SS/LF, 27, CHC 2. Paul Derringer, RHSP, 23, STL 3. Ted Jennings, 2B/3B/SS, 19, BSN 4. Ed Hodge, LHRP, 26, NY1 Regarding Ted Jennings' inclusion, I'm of two minds. On the one hand, he shouldn't have been included, as he has 1 year, and 85 days of service time, and the cutoff for rookie status is 45 days (I don't use expanded rosters in September) of service time. On the other hand, he's a PCL player from the Spritze DB, so it's kind of cool to see him doing well. Last edited by actionjackson; 05-26-2018 at 01:08 AM.

05-26-2018, 05:21 PM	#110
actionjackson Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 6,123	1903 Season/Postseason Recap: I) Regular Season: I decided to bring the injury setting up to Normal (OOTP Classic) for the 1903 season, as I had 862 players in the database for 16 teams, which is around 54 players per team. I may have pulled the trigger about a year early on that one, as some teams (Athletics and Giants) got absolutely destroyed with injuries to their respective pitching staffs. The Athletics managed to go 71-91 despite a mind boggling 1,036 runs allowed (6.40 runs per game). Scoring an MLB high 858 runs (5.30 runs per game) helped out on that front. They had some crazy games, as thirteen different pitchers made starts, and 28 pitchers made at least one appearance on the season (including 9 different position players who appeared in 14 games in total). Ugh. The Giants somehow managed to go 82-80, despite a run differential of -59. Hopefully with 922 players (82 draftees, 22 retirements plus the 862 that were in there in 1903) now in the database things will simmer down a bit, and we can get back to baseball rather than bazookaball. That being said, league-wide, the runs per team game was 4.40, which is marginally above the 4.26 that happened IRL in 1984. The teams were relatively bunched up, as the best team in MLB was the Superbas (95-67, .586), and the worst team was the White Sox (61-101, .377). The next worst team to the White Sox was the Pirates (70-92, .432), so the balance was pretty good despite the best efforts of the Athletics to throw it completely off-kilter. The four playoff teams were the Superbas (record above), the Browns (92-70, .568), the Naps (90-72, .556), and the Reds (88-74, .543). There were no real super teams in 1903, as the Superbas had the best run differential at +147 (747 RS, 600 RA). So Action, how did the really important games go? I'm glad you asked. Let's have a look, shall we?... ALCS: Game 1: St. Louis 5, Cleveland 2, W: Toad Ramsey (1-0), L: Dave Stieb (0-1), SV: Bob Wickman (1), HR: SLA: Robinson Chirinos (1) Despite my childhood fave Dave Stieb being on the mound for Cleveland, the pitching matchup was a bit of a mismatch really. Ramsey is an absolutely beastly pitcher with two of the first three Walter Johnson Awards under his belt, and he showed it going 7 innings, allowing 5 hits and 2 runs, with 10 K and 1 BB to his credit. The scoring was all over after the 3rd inning, and the Browns cruised to the 5-2 victory. Chirinos' solo shot gave the Browns some insurance after Cleveland tried to fight their way back into it with two runs in the third, but in the end Ramsey was too much. Kiko Calero (Hold) and Bob Wickman (Save) finished up with two clean, if somewhat bumpy innings, particularly the top of the ninth. Calero gave up a leadoff single and a walk to Tony Perez and Dan Gladden respectively, which brought Wickman in from the 'pen. Bob promptly gave up a single to Mark T McLemore, and suddenly the bases were loaded with no outs and the go ahead run at the plate. But Wickman steadied himself and retired Scott Brosius with a shallow fly ball to left, Dick Cole on a 1 to 2 fielder's choice, and Max Carey on a groundball to second. Piece of cake. Game 2: St. Louis 5, Cleveland 0, W: Bronson Arroyo (1-0), L: Jim Clancy (0-1), HR: SLA: Clete Boyer (1) Stop beating up on childhood faves you bastards! This one was pretty much over from the start as 21-game winner Bronson Arroyo cruised to a 5-hit shutout with 2 BB and 4 K. It basically came down to a 2nd inning St. Louis rally when with one out Chirinos doubled, Chuck Hinton tripled, and Clete Boyer hit a 2-run bomb to stake Arroyo to a 3-0 lead. After that it was just Arroyo baffling the Naps' hitters with his mediocre stuff, but surgical precision. Two games in the Naps were going to have to find a way to bust out. Two runs on twelve hits combined just wasn't going to cut it. Fortunately they were headed home. Game 3: Cleveland 13, St. Louis 9, W: Tom Gordon (1-0), L: Kiko Calero (0-1), HR: SLA: Robinson Chirinos (2), Sam Crawford 2(2), CLE: Sy Sutcliffe (1) The Browns actually went up 7-1 after 2 and a half innings in this one, and it looked like a sweep was on the way, but that's why they play the games. Cue the Naps' epic comeback. They scored 4 in the bottom of the third to trim the lead to 7-5, and one more in the fourth to make it a one-run game. St. Louis tried to put the squeeze on Cleveland with an 8th inning insurance run. Then all hell broke loose in the bottom of the 8th, as the Naps went on a rampage against poor Kiko Calero. It went single, walk, RBI double, Calero error which plated two, intentional walk, fielder's choice, double steal, intentional walk, sac fly, walk, 2-run single, (finally the Browns' manager brought in Bill Landrum), RBI single, and mercifully, finally a fly out to left. When the dust settled, 12 men had come to the plate, with 4 hits, an error, 4 walks (2 intentional), and seven runs (all charged to Calero with just three of them earned [on his error]) had been scored. Just another day at the ole ballyard I guess. St. Louis managed one in the ninth, but that was all she wrote for this one. Cleveland was back in the series, and another win would really make things interesting. Game 4: St. Louis 5, Cleveland 3 (10), W: Bob Wickman (1-0), L: Blake Treinen (0-1), HR: SLA: Robinson Chirinos (3), CLE: Sy Sutcliffe (2) This one was a bit more...normal. Cleveland broke out on top in the second with a single by Max Carey to score McLemore. A sac fly by Ryon Healy in the third and a fielder's choice by Chuck Hinton in the fourth gave St. Louis the lead. That was erased on a two-run HR by Sy Sutcliffe in the bottom of the fifth, but a two-out solo shot from (who else?) Robinson Chirinos tied the game at 3 in the sixth. Then the pitching shut things down until extra innings, when Sam Crawford nailed a two-run double off Ron Blazier in the tenth. A back and forth affair to be sure, but not quite as wild as Game 3 had been. Game 5: Cleveland 3, St. Louis 1, W: Dave Stieb (1-1), L: Toad Ramsey (1-1), SV: Ron Blazier (1), HR: CLE: Max Carey (1) Take that you toad!!! Dave Stieb FTW!!! Ramsey was brilliant, chucking the 8-inning complete game, allowing 3 runs on eight hits, striking out 11 and walking none. That's 1 BB and 21 K for the series if you're scoring at home. Stieb was just better. He went 8.1 IP (throwing a jaw dropping 153 pitches), allowing one run on six hits with 7 K and 3 BB. Ron Blazier retired the final two consecutively in the ninth, underscoring it with a strikeout of Clete Boyer to end the game. Max Carey's solo shot off Ramsey gave the Naps some breathing in the eighth. Heading back to St. Louis the Naps had a tough chore in front of them. Not impossible, just tough. Game 6: St. Louis 7, Cleveland 3, W: Bronson Arroyo (2-0), L: Jim Clancy (0-2), HR: SLA: Rick Monday (1), Robinson Chirinos (4), Sam Crawford (3), Bobby Mitchell (1) Bronson Arroyo tossed another complete game at the Naps, and this one was not close. He allowed 5 hits, 0 walks, struck out 4, and nary a homerun, while his teammates ambushed starter Jim Clancy and starter turned reliever Dennis Leonard. A 2 out, 2-run shot by Bobby Mitchell got things going and the Browns bookended it with back to back to back solo jacks from Crawford, Monday, and Chirinos in the seventh to go up 7-1. From there Arroyo cruised to the 7-3 victory, and 14,812 fans erupted with joy at Sportsman's Park III. MVP of the series: Robinson Chirinos .391/.400/.957 with 4 HR and 6 RBI in just six games and 23 total AB. Last edited by actionjackson; 05-26-2018 at 11:13 PM.

05-26-2018, 07:53 PM	#111
actionjackson Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 6,123	1903 Season/Postseason Recap: NLCS: Game 1: Cincinnati 5, Brooklyn 2, W: Lance McCullers Sr (1-0), L: Ed Keas (0-1), HR: CIN: Brett Phillips (1) Leadoff hitter and CF Brett Phillips had a huge game for the Reds, going 4 for 5, with 3 R, a HR, and 2 RBI. He was in the middle of everything, scoring a run in the 1st on a single by RF Joe Collins. He hit a go ahead solo shot in the 7th. When that wasn't enough, he hit a go ahead RBI single to score C Heinie Peitz in the top of the ninth, and came around to score on Mike Hargrove's RBI double, which had been preceded by Jimmie Reese's RBI single to score RF Chuck Workman. Lance McCullers Sr ended up vulturing the win from deserved winner Denny Driscoll. Driscoll went 7 stong, allowing one run on five hits, but McCullers hit Bobby W Brown with the first pitch he threw in the eighth. Donlin singled Brown to second, at which point Willie Harris took over as a pinch runner. Two outs later a walk to CF Kiddo Davis loaded the bases for C Juan Centeno who singled home Harris, but Donlin was cut down trying to score to end the inning in a tie. With the Reds' rally in the top of the ninth McCullers was given a second chance, and he made good on it, retiring the Superbas 1-2-3 with a strikeout of Casey Blake for the second out. Game 2: Brooklyn 8, Cincinnati 6, W: Terry Cornutt (1-0), L: Lance McCullers Sr, HR: CIN: Joe Gantenbein (1), BRO: Whitey Herzog (1), Dick Sisler (1) Back and forth and back and forth. Brooklyn took a 2-0 lead in the first. Cincinnati answered with three in the second. Brooklyn tied it at 3 in the third. Cincinnati went up 6-3 in the fourth. From there the Superbas chipped away at the deficit, and got it to 6-5 heading to the ninth. A groundout and a strikeout started the ninth for McCullers who had had a 1-2-3 8th inning with two strikeouts. Mike Donlin singled and Dick Sisler walked, setting the table for Whitey Herzog, who hit a first pitch line drive HR to right-centre for the walkoff. Heading back to Cincinnati, the series was all tied up thanks to Herzog's late inning heroics. Game 3: Cincinnati 4, Brooklyn 3, W: Nolan Ryan (1-0), L: Madison Bumgarner (0-1), SV: Jack Banta (1), HR: BRO: Casey Blake (1) The Reds blitzed Bumgarner in this one to the tune of 9 hits and 4 earned runs allowed in 3.1 IP to go up 4-2 after 4. From there the Brooklyn bullpen held firm as Chad Kimsey, Morrie Martin, and Abe Bowman combined to shutout the Reds on three hits over the final 4.2 IP. Nolan Ryan was too strong though. He wobbled a bit in the ninth allowing a pinch hit 2-out solo HR to Casey Blake, and a full count walk to 2B Jamey Carroll. He did throw 150 pitches after all! Jack Banta came out of the 'pen to fan 3B Bobby W Brown and preserve the one run victory. Game 4: Cincinnati 5, Brooklyn 2, W: Al Orth (1-0), L: Hyun-Jin Ryu (0-1), SV: Lance McCullers Sr (1), HR: None Just as they had in Game 3, the Superbas took an early lead, and just as they had in Game 3, the Reds stormed back to win. A two-run double from Mike Hargrove followed by an RBI single from Joe Collins gave the Reds a 3-1 lead after 3. They would extend that lead to 5-1 in the sixth on a two-run double by SS Buddy Kerr. Al Orth was strong over 7.2 innings, allowing 2 runs on five hits, and striking out five, allowing just one walk. McCullers retired Sisler and Herzog, struck out Davis, and got Centeno to fly out ending the game, and giving his manager a night off from massive Rolaids ingestion. Game 5: Cincinnati 3, Brooklyn 0, W: Denny Driscoll (1-0), L: Jaime Garcia (0-1), HR: CIN: Sam Mele You would've thought that all the momentum had swung to the Superbas after that thrilling Game 2 win, but they limped through Cincinnati, dropping all three games and scoring a paltry five runs. They were completely shut down by the Reds' pitching staff, with just 16 hits over the final three games and 20 K against 7 BB. Utter domination. Game 5 was scoreless for the first six innings until Sam Mele's solo HR broke the deadlock in the seventh. Buddy Kerr added an insurance run later in the inning with a ringing double, and Mele's eighth inning run scoring single iced the game and the series. Driscoll shut down the Superbas on five hits, with a walk and three strikeouts. 11,962 joyous fans soaked it all in at the Palace of the Fans. Series MVP: Brett Phillips .545/.565/.682 with 1 HR and 6 RBI out of the leadoff spot. That's what I call a catalyst, or an ignitor if you will. Last edited by actionjackson; 05-26-2018 at 11:19 PM.

05-26-2018, 11:02 PM	#112
actionjackson Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 6,123	1903 Season/Postseason Recap: World Series: Game 1: St. Louis 8, Cincinnati 0, W: Phil Knell (1-0), L: Nolan Ryan (1-1), HR: SLA: Rick Monday (2), Chris Speier (1), Bobby Mitchell (2) Game 1 was an old fashioned butt kicking. The Browns ganged up on Nolan Ryan to the tune of 7 runs on 7 hits in 3.2 IP. Ryan also managed to walk 7, and allow 3 HR. An absolutely terrible day for the flamethrower. With two in the first, three in the second, and two more in the third, this game was all over but the crying after just three innings. Phil Knell was brilliant, going the distance, allowing five hits, walking three and striking out nine. There was no individual that stood out for St. Louis as the offense was well spread out in this clobbering. Game 2: Cincinnati 5, St. Louis 2, W: Bill McGee (1-0), L: Toad Ramsey (1-2), SV: Lance McCullers Sr (2), HR: CIN: Brett Phillips (2), Joe Collins (1), Sam Mele (2), SLA: Robinson Chirinos (5) Cincy put the game to bed early with 4 runs in the second inning. From there, they rode 7 strong innings from Bill McGee, and a six out save from Lance McCullers Sr. A solo HR from Sam Mele and a 3-run HR by Brett Phillips in the second inning made quick work of the Browns. Joe Collins all but finished it off with a solo shot in the sixth. The Reds accomplished two things in this game. One, they got the split on the road that they were looking for, and two, they got to Toad Ramsey for 3 HR and all 5 runs (even though three of them were unearned). Ramsey still managed to strike out 10, walking just two, but he wasn't quite himself, and he (and his team) paid for it. Game 3: St. Louis 6, Cincinnati 2, W: Bronson Arroyo (3-0), L: Denny Driscoll (1-1), HR: SLA: Chuck Hinton (1) Crafty righty (Are righties allowed to be crafty? I thought that was only lefties ) Bronson Arroyo pitched his third consecutive complete game victory of the postseason. Absolute money. How I'm not sure, but he just keeps doing it. Cincy actually took a 2-0 lead in this one in the first inning as Joe Gantenbein tripled home Brett Phillips, and scored on an RBI groundout by Mike Hargove. After that they were mesmerized into sleep mode by Arroyo, who limited them to six hits, walking three and striking out four. Cupid Childs doubled home Arroyo in the third. Chuck Hinton hit a solo blast to tie it in the fourth, and (to add insult to injury) Arroyo singled home Clete Boyer later in the same inning. An RBI single by Chirinos and a two run triple by Hinton in the seventh sealed the deal, and gave the Browns a 2-1 series lead. Game 4: St. Louis 14, Cincinnati 5, W: Charley Hall (1-0), L: Al Orth (1-1), HR: SLA: Robinson Chirinos (6), Sam Crawford (4), CIN: Brett Phillips (3) In a nutshell, Cincinnati sucked and the Browns took out the trash. Crawford was 2 for 6, with 5 RBI, a run scored and a HR. Chirinos was 3 for 5, with 2 runs, 5 RBI, and his sixth HR of the postseason. He was now hitting .405 with 6 HR and 14 RBI for the postseason, while Crawford was at .302 with 4 HR and 16 RBI. Geez. Talk about stepping up when it matters. Holy cow! Brett Phillips was 3 for 4 with a walk, a run, a HR, and an RBI. He needs some support from his teammates if they're going to get it done. At least send it back to St. Louis boys. Game 5: Cincinnati 4, St. Louis 0, W: Nolan Ryan (2-1), L: Phil Knell (1-1), HR: CIN: Brett Phillips (4) Nolan Ryan absolutely redeemed himself in Game 5. Will it be too late? He pitched 8.2 IP of shutout ball allowing 3 hits, 3 walks and striking out 11. He continued to show off his rubber arm, throwing 146 pitches. In other news...Who is this Brett Phillips dude? Aside from having the weirdest laugh in RL MLB, who is he? A two run second inning rally gave the Reds all they would need, as Walter Barbare doubled home Heinie Peitz, and Nolan Ryan (Wha?) doubled home Barbare. Phillips did his thing in the seventh with 2 out and nobody on, and Heinie Peitz hit an eighth inning sac fly scoring Joe Collins, to cap the scoring. Well, the Reds got it back to St. Louis. Now let's see what they can do with that momentum. Game 6: St. Louis 4, Cincinnati 3 (10), W: Bob Wickman (2-0), L: Jack Banta (0-1), HR: SLA: Rick Monday (3), Chuck Hinton (2) Whoo boy! For a series that hadn't had much drama up until now, this game delivered in spades on the drama front. It was Toad Ramsey vs Bill McGee. The Browns got out to the early 1-0 lead when Cupid Childs led off the first with a double and scored on consecutive groundouts. The Reds didn't waste any time, tying up the game in the second on singles by Sam Mele, Heinie Peitz, and Chuck Workman. In the third they went ahead on a triple by Joe Gantenbein, and a single by Mike Hargrove, who scored on a wild pitch followed by two groundouts. The Browns were unfazed though. They could taste it. Superman, er I mean Robinson Chirinos doubled to lead off the fourth and scored two outs later on a double by Bobby Mitchell. Then came the real drama. McCullers Sr came on in the bottom of the eighth. With one out, on the ninth pitch of the at bat, he surrendered a game-tying HR to Chuck Hinton, crushing Reds fans everywhere. But the worst was yet to come for the Reds. Jack Banta relieved McCullers Sr in the ninth and shut down the Reds after McCullers Sr had issued a free pass to start the inning to Chris Speier. Banta stayed on for the tenth, and on the third pitch of Rick Monday's lead off at bat, BOOM!!! The game was over. The series was over...on a series winning walkoff. Doesn't get much better than that, unless it's game 7. Monday had given all of Cincinnati a case of the Mondays...on a Thursday...Ouch! Series MVP (despite Monday's heroics): Robinson Chirinos .400/.444/.840 with 2 HR and 8 RBI. Holy Geez!!! Last edited by actionjackson; 05-26-2018 at 11:25 PM.

05-27-2018, 01:33 PM	#113
warneke Minors (Single A) Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 91	Thanks for your explanations of how you sim the league. I have never tried running a league where I'm not also in charge of a team. Have to have a piece of the pie, I guess. Plus it gets me close to one team over the years... I have only one suggestion for you, that I also do, and that is to actually WATCH the ASG each year (not just quick sim it); that way you can get more of an on field look or feel of who the best players (or at least, all stars) are, as time progresses. Last, if you have player development on and historical recalc off, then it would call it a historical fantasy RDL rather than a historical RDL. Yeah, I know, the whole random debut thing is fantastical, but to me the dividing line between a historical league and a historical fantasy league is whether recalc is on. Last edited by warneke; 05-27-2018 at 01:35 PM.

05-25-2018, 09:05 PM	#102
JaBurns All Star Starter Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Kelowna, British Columbia Posts: 1,266	Thanks for the write up, it gives me some food for thought, I sim slower and tend to check more random things. A little more structured approach may help but I do not have the draft skills yet and I am hoping to learn them or some variation over time. Check the mods section for an updated file for team caps, unis, and logos there is one there that goes past 2011. Have you heard anything about the OOTP 19 mods with all of pstrickert’s stadiums?

05-25-2018, 10:11 PM	#106
actionjackson Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 6,123	AL Walter Johnson Award: 1. Toad Ramsey, LHSP, 25, SLA 2. Hooks Dauss, RHSP, 32, WS1 3. Scott T Baker, RHSP, 28, NYY 4. David Wells, LHSP, 36, WS1 5. Eppa Rixey, LHSP, 29, DET 6. Bronson Arroyo, RHSP, 35, SLA 7. Jim Clancy, RHSP, 27, CLE 8. Alex Fernandez, RHSP, 26, DET 9. Dave Stieb, RHSP/LF, 20, CLE NL Walter Johnson Award: 1. Jacob deGrom, RHSP, 31, CHC 2. George Derby, RHSP, 26, PHI 3. Nolan Ryan, RHSP, 24, CIN 4. Jaime Garcia, LHSP, 26, BRO 5. Madison Bumgarner, LHSP, 24, BRO 6. Rudy May, LHSP, 30, PIT

05-25-2018, 11:01 PM	#107
actionjackson Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 6,123	AL Babe Ruth Award: 1. Al Kaline, CF/RF, 20, CLE 2. Steve Garvey, 1B/3B, 26, PHA 3. Jim Bottomley, 1B, 25, BOS 4. Vern Stephens, 3B/SS, 22, BOS 5. Lefty O'Doul, LF, 31, DET 6. Trevor Story, SS, 26, DET 7. Ed Delahanty, 1B/LF/CF/RF, 22, PHA 8. Ron Kittle, 1B/LF, 29, CLE 9. Toad Ramsey, LHSP, 25, SLA 10. Chuck Hinton, 1B/LF/CF/RF, 31, SLA 11. Cupid Childs, 2B, 22, SLA 12. Jerry Denny, 3B, 27, DET 13. Whitey Kurowski, 3B, 27, PHA 14. Rick Monday, CF/RF, 27, SLA 15. Marquis Grissom, CF, 26, BOS 16. Hooks Dauss, RHSP, 32, WS1 17. Robinson Chirinos, C, 31, SLA 18. Minnie Minoso, LF, 25, NYY 19. David Wells, LHSP, 36, WS1 20. Scott T Baker, RHSP, 28, NYY 21. Craig Biggio, C/2B/CF, 26, DET NL Babe Ruth Award: 1. Mike Donlin, LF/CF/RF, 29, BRO 2. Jacob deGrom, RHSP, 31, CHC 3. Alex Rodriguez, 3B/SS, 27, CHC 4. George Derby, RHSP, 26, PHI 5. Nolan Ryan, RHSP, 24, CIN 6. Bill Madlock, 2B/3B, 24, PHI 7. Jaime Garcia, LHSP, 26, BRO 8. Mike Hargrove, 1B/LF, 26, CIN 9. Honus Wagner, SS/RF, 28, NY1 10. Madison Bumgarner, LHSP, 24, BRO 11. Brett Phillips, CF/RF, 25, CIN 12. Ian Happ, 2B/LF/CF/RF, 24, NY1 13. Rudy May, LHSP, 30, PIT 14. Bill McGee, RHSP, 29, CIN

05-26-2018, 07:38 AM	#108
Edster007 All Star Starter Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: New York, NY Posts: 1,670	Thanks for the great write up. In another computer game along with the OOTP app version of this game. I played out every inning of every game and lived and died by the result as if it was real. I had a amazing feeling when I was managing the 78 Yankees and was down to Cleveland 9-0 in the 8th and won 11-9 in 13 innings and was sick for days when I replayed the 84 Cubs and held a 2-0 lead vs the Tigers in game seven going to the bottom of the 9th. A one out walk to Trammel followed by back-to-back HR's by Gibson and Parrish I was miserable Now that I have had this game for a couple of months I find there is so much more you can do I manage games less and sim more. I make sure my lineup is set to my liking, I like to rest players based on my schedule not on "every third game", then just quick play. The difficult part of the RDL with me managing a team is to resist the temptation of having to have certain players because I liked them growing up. I can see myself becoming and all out sim player as time goes by and given all the computer games in various sports I never thought I'd say that.

05-27-2018, 04:33 PM	#115
Edster007 All Star Starter Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: New York, NY Posts: 1,670	I see Garvey had a good season if he finished #2 for the Babe Ruth award, how did Lee do in his new home?

05-27-2018, 04:43 PM	#116
warneke Minors (Single A) Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 91	See, the way I do almost all my replays, a kat like Leo Kavanagh (11 life time at bats) would have never made it past my own draft policing. I laboriously go through the draft class each year and delete coffee cup players. The only time I don't is the rare time I am trying a league that mixes real life teams and fictional teams. Edit: And Kavanagh and other cup of coffee guys are why I wish that the Adjust/Weaken function worked for more than just the first season of replays. Last edited by warneke; 05-27-2018 at 04:52 PM.

05-27-2018, 05:19 PM	#117
italyprof All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 983	I liked the little Dave Steib victory dance !

05-27-2018, 05:51 PM	#119
actionjackson Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 6,123	Before I go any further, ATTN: JaBurns: The 1904 schedule once again was different from the 1903 schedule despite the fact that all schedules are derived from the same custom schedule that I cooked up many moons ago. Therefore, things are as they should be, which is cool. I don't know how it shuffles it, but it does.

05-27-2018, 06:40 PM	#120
actionjackson Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 6,123	1904 All-Stars: AL: Hooks Dauss (WS1), SP Alex Fernandez (SLA), SP Rube Foster (WS1), SP (Injured) Terry Larkin (PHA), SP Jon Lester (CWS), SP Fritz Ostermueller (BOS), SP Toad Ramsey (SLA), SP Eppa Rixey (DET), SP David Wells (WS1), SP Lefty Mills (SLA), RP Oscar Harstad (SLA), CL Liam Hendriks (DET), CL Akinori Otsuka (BOS), CL Craig Biggio (DET), C Robinson Chirinos (SLA), C Jim Bottomley (BOS), 1B Steve Garvey (NYY), 1B Cupid Childs (SLA), 2B Mark T McLemore (CLE), 2B Dustin Pedroia (NYY), 2B Yandy Diaz (CWS), 3B Edgar Martinez (WS1), 3B Chris Speier (SLA), SS Joe Tinker (WS1), SS Beals Becker (CWS), LF (Injured) Minnie Minoso (NYY), LF Rocco Baldelli (CWS), CF Max Carey (CLE), CF Rick Monday (SLA), CF Al Kaline (CLE), RF NL: Tom Brewer (STL), SP Madison Bumgarner (BRO), SP Eddie Cicotte (BRO), SP Paul Derringer (STL), SP (Injured) Wes Ferrell (STL), SP Mark Gubicza (BSN), SP Bill McGee (CIN), SP Tomo Ohka (CIN), SP Nolan Ryan (CIN), SP Luis Arroyo (NY1), RP Tom Davey (BSN), CL Sean Doolittle (PIT), CL Kenley Jansen (STL), CL Eric Wilkins (CHC), CL (Injured) Juan Centeno (BRO), C Chief Zimmer (NY1), C Joe Collins (CIN), 1B Don Hurst (BSN), 1B Jamey Carroll (BRO), 2B George Wright (NY1), 2B (Injured) Whitey Kurowski (CIN), 3B Bill Madlock (PHI), 3B Alex Rodriguez (CHC), SS Jean Segura (PHI), SS Honus Wagner (NY1), SS Jesse Winker (STL), LF Mike Donlin (BRO), LF Roy White (CHC), LF Ian Happ (NY1), CF Brett Phillips (CIN), CF (Injured) Dale Murphy (PHI), RF John Vander Wal (CHC), RF The pitchers put the bats on ice in the 1904 All-Star Game as the American League snuck past the National League 2-0. Al Kaline hit a two out solo shot in the top of the 4th off Tomo Ohka to start the scoring. Rick Monday reached 2nd on an error by 3B Whitey Kurowski, moved to third on a groundout by Yandy Diaz, and scored on a Craig Biggio sac fly in the seventh. That. Was. It. Each team left just three runners on base, and the NL turned two double plays. Nine pitchers threw for each team before a crowd of 15,000 at Robison Field in St. Louis.