P L A G U E !!!!!

metsgeek · 03-04-2006, 12:36 PM

BASEBALL TO RESUME PLAY AFTER NINE YEAR ABSENCE
Haemorrhagic Flu no longer affects adult population; Children still at risk

October 11, 1900

It has been nearly nine years since the first cases of the Haemorrhagic Flu appeared in Indonesia. By the end of 1891, the disease had spread to all corners of the globe, spreading death to every continent and widespread chaos not seen since the days of The Black Plague in the 14th century. By 1894, the worldwide death toll had reached approximately 240 million, or nearly 1/6 of the planet's population.

Africa was the hardest hit continent, with an estimated 1 death in 3. In the United States, the mortality rate was much lower, a "paltry" 1 in 20, yet many survivors remain weakened for the remainder of their lives, unable to exert more than a minimal physical effort. As is common knowledge, secondary symptoms of the disease include extreme fatigue and chronic swelling of all joints.

Doctors treat victims of the Haemorrhagic Flu in the final stages of the disease.

When the widespread breadth of the pandemic became apparent in early 1892, President Benjamin Harrison ordered the suspension of all "non-essential activities."

Baseball and all other organized sports were first on the list. Months later, President Harrison and 43 members of Congress were dead from the flu.

Although a cure has yet to be discovered, the disease appears to have stabilized. The only new victims in the past eight months have been newborns. 1 in 8 of all live births are infected within hours, expiring within the first week. No new adult cases have been reported however.

President Bryan calls for the return of baseball during a speech in Springfield, Massachusetts.

With this in mind, President William Jennings Bryan, on the campaign trail for his reelection, called for the reorganization of a new baseball league to "bring back the memories of this country before this painful period. Let us heal in the stadiums and on the fields of America's game."

Two months later, a group of 16 owners have come together to bring back our nation's pastime. The new American Baseball Association will consist of two leagues, each with 8 teams. In a surprising decision, they have all agreed to allow individuals from all races to participate. A dispersal draft will occur in January of next year and a 154 game season will officially begin in April. Each league champion will meet in a "World Series" to determine the overall victor.

Let us hope that, as President Bryan says, this marks the beginning of the recovery of our nation and the world.

Eckstein 4 Prez · 03-04-2006, 01:04 PM

Very clever start.

The Professor · 03-04-2006, 01:07 PM

President Bryan!? I guess we're off the gold standard.

Great start!

metsgeek · 03-04-2006, 03:20 PM

"What the heck is the premise of this dynasty?" you ask?

To put it simply, I am going to somewhat randomly cull each year's draft pool by ~20%. Many of the most famous names in the game will never play, having either died from "The Bloodies" (as Haemorrhagic Flu is commonly called) or just pursuing another lot in life.

Some negro leaguers will be included in the draft pools, and I will also have a signup for fictional players, similar to my previous dynasties 20th Century Baseball Chronicle and Doubleday Federation. As before, there will be one fictional player allowed per season. I'll post a link to the signup thread in a subsequent post.

There will be some other differences as well.

Injuries will always be set on Very High
Player Development will be set to +200%. Aging will be set to +10%. This is a much rougher world than the real one.
There will never be free agency, nor will there be expansion.
Trades will not exist and Finances will be turned off. You play with the cards you draw.
League Totals will approximate actual history. There will be a deadball era and power will start to pickup around 1920. However, I want everything else to be on an even playing field, so the league era setting will always be set to The Golden Years 1946-1960
To simulate scouting, I will hit Random Draft Order before each draft.
Every year I will also post worldwide events to keep everyone abreast of what's happening in this alternate history, though it won't be as detailed as my dynasty The Game Divided (which was lost forever in the Great Crash of '05 )
My choices for political leaders in this alternate universe will not match reality....and they'll probably get weirder as the years go by. Don't pick nits if I get something wrong
I'm going to use the original Lahman database with lower import settings to get some players who only had a cup of coffee.
Fictional player creation will be a bit more difficult than in my previous create-a-player dynasties. Since much of the talent will be thinned out, I don't want created players to be immediate HOFers.

I think that's it.

metsgeek · 03-04-2006, 03:48 PM

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE TEAMS

Boston Beaneaters
Brooklyn Perfectos
Chicago Colts
Cincinnati Scarlets
Cleveland Spiders
New York Highlanders
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates

FEDERAL LEAGUE TEAMS

Boston Pilgrims
Buffalo Barons
Detroit Wolverines
Louisville Colonels
New York Knights
Milwaukee Brewers
St. Louis Maroons
Washington Monumentals

goroyals · 03-04-2006, 05:00 PM

Go Colonels.

Looks interesting so far. I love alternate history, so I think I'll sign up a player or two and

.

DamnYankees · 03-04-2006, 08:30 PM

Great idea, Pete. I'll be following!

metsgeek · 03-04-2006, 09:58 PM

IN MEMORIAM - 1901

NAP LAJOIE
HONUS WAGNER
JACK CRONIN
ED DELAHANTY
MIKE GRADY
RUBE WADDELL
NIG CUPPY
JOE KELLEY
DUMMY DEEGAN
BOB WICKER
POP SCHRIVER
MIKE KAHOE
OSSEE SCHRECKENGOST
DEACON MCGUIRE
BUCK FREEMAN
HARRY DAVIS
FRANK CHANCE
TIM JORDAN
BURT HART
BILL RICHARDSON
JAKE BECKLEY
SAM MERTES
DICK PADDEN
CUPID CHILDS
KID GLEASON
DAVE BRAIN
GERMANY SCHAEFER
JIM MILLER
CHARLIE KRAUSE
JOE QUINN
BERT QUINN
LAVE CROSS
FRED HARTMAN
BILL COUGHLIN
CHARLIE BUELOW
HARRY WOLVERTON
HARRY GLEASON
PETE O'BRIEN
OTTO KRUEGER
FRED RAYMER
JIMMY COLLINS
BOBBY LOWE
JOHN HINTON
BOB MCKINNEY
LARRY HOFFMAN
GENE DEMONTREVILLE
BILL DAHLEN
BONES ELY
BILL KIESTER
JUD SMITH
GEORGE MAGOON
BOBBY WALLACE
BILLY HAMILTON
SAM DUNGAN
JIMMY SHECKARD
JIMMY BARRETT
GEORGE BROWNE
CHARLIE LUSKEY
ELMER SMITH
HUGH DUFFY
DANNY GREEN
STEVE BRODIE
FIELDER JONES
GEORGE HOGRIEVER
GINGER BEAUMONT
SAM CRAWFORD
HERM MCFARLAND
CHARLIE HICKMAN
SLATS JORDAN
MATTY MCINTYRE
AMOS RUSIE
BILL DONOVAN
MAL EASON
NED GARVIN
NIXEY CALLAHAN
HARRY HOWELL
EDDIE PLANK
RED DONAHUE
BILL DUGGLEBY
BILL CRISTALL
LEN SWORMSTEDT
DOC WHITE
STAN YERKES
ZAZA HARVEY
CLARK GRIFFITH
HAPPY TOWNSEND
DOC PARKER
BILL PHILIPS
ED DOHENY
JOE MCGINNITY
PETE DOWLING
NOODLES HAHN
BILL HART
KID NICHOLS
CHICK FRASER
FRANK FOREMAN
BILL HOFFER

The above players were deleted from the inital draft pool. Future draft pools will have a similar proportion deleted.

DamnYankees · 03-04-2006, 10:47 PM

Is this really totally random, Pete? You killed off the two best hitters in baseball, maybe the best pitcher in baseball, and a ton of other talent.

metsgeek · 03-04-2006, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DamnYankees

Is this really totally random, Pete? You killed off the two best hitters in baseball, maybe the best pitcher in baseball, and a ton of other talent.

I sorted by stars in each position and deleted every 5th player. I'll be doing that with each draft class. So, it's not pulling names out of a hat, but I'm not choosing who goes.

DamnYankees · 03-04-2006, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by metsgeek

I sorted by stars in each position and deleted every 5th player. I'll be doing that with each draft class. So, it's not pulling names out of a hat, but I'm not choosing who goes.

But that means your always going to be removing the best player at every position. Not a single star is going to survive. Was that your intention?

metsgeek · 03-04-2006, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DamnYankees

But that means your always going to be removing the best player at every position. Not a single star is going to survive. Was that your intention?

No, I don't start with the 1st player in each position. I rotate through the top 5. Actually some of the guys on the list were a LOT lower by stars than I expected. There's still a lot of good talent out there that was not killed off.

Besides, I'm God in this world.

Cubsgnrlmngr · 03-05-2006, 09:35 AM

This looks pretty cool. I'm glad I created my player

metsgeek · 03-05-2006, 09:12 PM

THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED INTO THE GREAT BEYOND
1891-1900

These are just a few of the famous names from our reality who have expired before their time. Some would be missed. Others would not. A very few will leave the world a better place with their passing. How will their absence affect history?

PRESIDENT BENJAMIN HARRISON
POPE LEO XIII
TOM MIX
HELEN KELLER
PABLO PICASSO
KEMAL ATATURK
GENERAL SMEDLEY BUTLER
EDGAR CAYCE
HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
BESS TRUMAN
SISAVANG VONG, KING OF LAOS
ADOLF HITLER
HENRY FORD
LILLIAN GISH
HUEY LONG
BOOKER T. WASHINGTON
HARRY HOUDINI
H.P. LOVECRAFT
MARY PICKFORD
MAN MOUNTAIN DEAN
ZEPPO MARX
PRINCE EDWARD OF ENGLAND (KING EDWARD VII in our reality)

DamnYankees · 03-05-2006, 09:13 PM

I guess WWII is out the window?

metsgeek · 03-05-2006, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DamnYankees

I guess WWII is out the window?

Our version will not exist, but don't expect an era of peace. Students of history will agree that Hitler just filled a void which had many candidates to fill it. I've thought of a number of ways to go with it.

metsgeek · 03-05-2006, 09:35 PM

1901 Prospect Watch: ROY HOBBS

Called The Natural for his easy swing and obvious athleticism, this 24 year old New York native should be drafted in the top half of the 1st round. He is expected to start immediately and he has yet to reach his full potential. Though many teams are eying pitching with their 1st pick, Hobbs will be hard to pass up if he is available when a team's pick is at hand. Needless to say, he is expected to be a star.

Talents (Con/Gap/HR/Eye/Avoid): 81/60/30/70/60
Current Ratings: 65/48/24/56/48

metsgeek · 03-05-2006, 09:37 PM

1901 INITIAL DRAFT - ROUND 1

Cincinnati pick: P Christy Mathewson
Pittsburgh pick: P Jesse Tannehill
Brooklyn pick: 3B John Mcgraw
New York (F) pick: CF Roy Hobbs
Boston (C) pick: P Tom Hughes
Philadelphia pick: P Cy Young
St. Louis pick: P Sam Leever
Milwaukee pick: P Deacon Phillippe
Cleveland pick: P Roger Denzer
Chicago pick: P Jack Taylor
Boston (F) pick: RF Elmer Flick
Louisville pick: P Jay Hughes
Buffalo pick: LF Jesse Burkett
New York (C) pick: P Roy Patterson
Detroit pick: P Bill Dineen
Washington pick: P Jack Chesbro

goroyals · 03-05-2006, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by metsgeek

Our version will not exist, but don't expect an era of peace. Students of history will agree that Hitler just filled a void which had many candidates to fill it. I've thought of a number of ways to go with it.

Thats interesting. I guess it just depends on how WWI (if there is a WWI) goes then. You didn't kill off Stalin or any other commies, so perhaps the reds will dominate Europe. I'll be watching to see what happens with both the league and the world now...

Matt from TN · 03-05-2006, 11:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by metsgeek

PABLO PICASSO
HANS CHRISTAIN ANDERSEN
HENRY FORD
BOOKER T. WASHINGTON
HARRY HOUDINI
H.P. LOVECRAFT

Too bad

This looks great Pete, great enought that I may tackle the math to sign someone up

These snips of history will set this thread apart & will be why I stay tuned. I can't wait.

Had Ford invented the auto by 1901?

03-04-2006, 12:36 PM	#1
metsgeek Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Norwood, MA Posts: 5,450	P L A G U E !!!!! BASEBALL TO RESUME PLAY AFTER NINE YEAR ABSENCE Haemorrhagic Flu no longer affects adult population; Children still at risk October 11, 1900 It has been nearly nine years since the first cases of the Haemorrhagic Flu appeared in Indonesia. By the end of 1891, the disease had spread to all corners of the globe, spreading death to every continent and widespread chaos not seen since the days of The Black Plague in the 14th century. By 1894, the worldwide death toll had reached approximately 240 million, or nearly 1/6 of the planet's population. Africa was the hardest hit continent, with an estimated 1 death in 3. In the United States, the mortality rate was much lower, a "paltry" 1 in 20, yet many survivors remain weakened for the remainder of their lives, unable to exert more than a minimal physical effort. As is common knowledge, secondary symptoms of the disease include extreme fatigue and chronic swelling of all joints. Doctors treat victims of the Haemorrhagic Flu in the final stages of the disease. When the widespread breadth of the pandemic became apparent in early 1892, President Benjamin Harrison ordered the suspension of all "non-essential activities." Baseball and all other organized sports were first on the list. Months later, President Harrison and 43 members of Congress were dead from the flu. Although a cure has yet to be discovered, the disease appears to have stabilized. The only new victims in the past eight months have been newborns. 1 in 8 of all live births are infected within hours, expiring within the first week. No new adult cases have been reported however. President Bryan calls for the return of baseball during a speech in Springfield, Massachusetts. With this in mind, President William Jennings Bryan, on the campaign trail for his reelection, called for the reorganization of a new baseball league to "bring back the memories of this country before this painful period. Let us heal in the stadiums and on the fields of America's game." Two months later, a group of 16 owners have come together to bring back our nation's pastime. The new American Baseball Association will consist of two leagues, each with 8 teams. In a surprising decision, they have all agreed to allow individuals from all races to participate. A dispersal draft will occur in January of next year and a 154 game season will officially begin in April. Each league champion will meet in a "World Series" to determine the overall victor. Let us hope that, as President Bryan says, this marks the beginning of the recovery of our nation and the world. __________________ Commissioner - PBRL - Just finished 2009 109 seasons and still running strong!!! Last edited by metsgeek; 10-19-2006 at 09:09 PM.

03-04-2006, 01:04 PM	#2
Eckstein 4 Prez Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: The OC Posts: 6,348	Very clever start. __________________ Looking for an insomnia cure? Check out my dynasty thread, The Dawn of American Professional Base Ball, 1871.

03-04-2006, 01:07 PM	#3
The Professor Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: East of East Posts: 3,020	President Bryan!? I guess we're off the gold standard. Great start! __________________ History isn't really about the past - settling old scores. It's about defining the present and who we are."

03-04-2006, 03:20 PM	#4
metsgeek Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Norwood, MA Posts: 5,450	"What the heck is the premise of this dynasty?" you ask? To put it simply, I am going to somewhat randomly cull each year's draft pool by ~20%. Many of the most famous names in the game will never play, having either died from "The Bloodies" (as Haemorrhagic Flu is commonly called) or just pursuing another lot in life. Some negro leaguers will be included in the draft pools, and I will also have a signup for fictional players, similar to my previous dynasties 20th Century Baseball Chronicle and Doubleday Federation. As before, there will be one fictional player allowed per season. I'll post a link to the signup thread in a subsequent post. There will be some other differences as well. Injuries will always be set on Very High Player Development will be set to +200%. Aging will be set to +10%. This is a much rougher world than the real one. There will never be free agency, nor will there be expansion. Trades will not exist and Finances will be turned off. You play with the cards you draw. League Totals will approximate actual history. There will be a deadball era and power will start to pickup around 1920. However, I want everything else to be on an even playing field, so the league era setting will always be set to The Golden Years 1946-1960 To simulate scouting, I will hit Random Draft Order before each draft. Every year I will also post worldwide events to keep everyone abreast of what's happening in this alternate history, though it won't be as detailed as my dynasty The Game Divided (which was lost forever in the Great Crash of '05 ) My choices for political leaders in this alternate universe will not match reality....and they'll probably get weirder as the years go by. Don't pick nits if I get something wrong I'm going to use the original Lahman database with lower import settings to get some players who only had a cup of coffee. Fictional player creation will be a bit more difficult than in my previous create-a-player dynasties. Since much of the talent will be thinned out, I don't want created players to be immediate HOFers. I think that's it. Last edited by metsgeek; 03-04-2006 at 03:22 PM.

03-04-2006, 03:48 PM	#5
metsgeek Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Norwood, MA Posts: 5,450	CONTINENTAL LEAGUE TEAMS Boston Beaneaters Brooklyn Perfectos Chicago Colts Cincinnati Scarlets Cleveland Spiders New York Highlanders Philadelphia Phillies Pittsburgh Pirates FEDERAL LEAGUE TEAMS Boston Pilgrims Buffalo Barons Detroit Wolverines Louisville Colonels New York Knights Milwaukee Brewers St. Louis Maroons Washington Monumentals __________________ Commissioner - PBRL - Just finished 2009 109 seasons and still running strong!!! Last edited by metsgeek; 03-04-2006 at 06:58 PM.

03-04-2006, 05:00 PM	#6
goroyals All Star Reserve Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Kentucky Posts: 930	Go Colonels. Looks interesting so far. I love alternate history, so I think I'll sign up a player or two and .

03-04-2006, 08:30 PM	#7
DamnYankees All Star Starter Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 1,644	Great idea, Pete. I'll be following!

03-04-2006, 09:58 PM	#8
metsgeek Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Norwood, MA Posts: 5,450	IN MEMORIAM - 1901 NAP LAJOIE HONUS WAGNER JACK CRONIN ED DELAHANTY MIKE GRADY RUBE WADDELL NIG CUPPY JOE KELLEY DUMMY DEEGAN BOB WICKER POP SCHRIVER MIKE KAHOE OSSEE SCHRECKENGOST DEACON MCGUIRE BUCK FREEMAN HARRY DAVIS FRANK CHANCE TIM JORDAN BURT HART BILL RICHARDSON JAKE BECKLEY SAM MERTES DICK PADDEN CUPID CHILDS KID GLEASON DAVE BRAIN GERMANY SCHAEFER JIM MILLER CHARLIE KRAUSE JOE QUINN BERT QUINN LAVE CROSS FRED HARTMAN BILL COUGHLIN CHARLIE BUELOW HARRY WOLVERTON HARRY GLEASON PETE O'BRIEN OTTO KRUEGER FRED RAYMER JIMMY COLLINS BOBBY LOWE JOHN HINTON BOB MCKINNEY LARRY HOFFMAN GENE DEMONTREVILLE BILL DAHLEN BONES ELY BILL KIESTER JUD SMITH GEORGE MAGOON BOBBY WALLACE BILLY HAMILTON SAM DUNGAN JIMMY SHECKARD JIMMY BARRETT GEORGE BROWNE CHARLIE LUSKEY ELMER SMITH HUGH DUFFY DANNY GREEN STEVE BRODIE FIELDER JONES GEORGE HOGRIEVER GINGER BEAUMONT SAM CRAWFORD HERM MCFARLAND CHARLIE HICKMAN SLATS JORDAN MATTY MCINTYRE AMOS RUSIE BILL DONOVAN MAL EASON NED GARVIN NIXEY CALLAHAN HARRY HOWELL EDDIE PLANK RED DONAHUE BILL DUGGLEBY BILL CRISTALL LEN SWORMSTEDT DOC WHITE STAN YERKES ZAZA HARVEY CLARK GRIFFITH HAPPY TOWNSEND DOC PARKER BILL PHILIPS ED DOHENY JOE MCGINNITY PETE DOWLING NOODLES HAHN BILL HART KID NICHOLS CHICK FRASER FRANK FOREMAN BILL HOFFER The above players were deleted from the inital draft pool. Future draft pools will have a similar proportion deleted. __________________ Commissioner - PBRL - Just finished 2009 109 seasons and still running strong!!!

03-04-2006, 10:47 PM	#9
DamnYankees All Star Starter Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 1,644	Is this really totally random, Pete? You killed off the two best hitters in baseball, maybe the best pitcher in baseball, and a ton of other talent.

03-05-2006, 09:35 AM	#13
Cubsgnrlmngr Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 249	This looks pretty cool. I'm glad I created my player __________________ Chicago Cubs NGBL If you don't know who Kirby Puckett was or of his face escapes you're memory at the moment. Check this short video out about one of the most clutch baseball players in the history of the MLB. R.I.P. Kirby Puckett

03-05-2006, 09:12 PM	#14
metsgeek Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Norwood, MA Posts: 5,450	THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED INTO THE GREAT BEYOND 1891-1900 These are just a few of the famous names from our reality who have expired before their time. Some would be missed. Others would not. A very few will leave the world a better place with their passing. How will their absence affect history? PRESIDENT BENJAMIN HARRISON POPE LEO XIII TOM MIX HELEN KELLER PABLO PICASSO KEMAL ATATURK GENERAL SMEDLEY BUTLER EDGAR CAYCE HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN BESS TRUMAN SISAVANG VONG, KING OF LAOS ADOLF HITLER HENRY FORD LILLIAN GISH HUEY LONG BOOKER T. WASHINGTON HARRY HOUDINI H.P. LOVECRAFT MARY PICKFORD MAN MOUNTAIN DEAN ZEPPO MARX PRINCE EDWARD OF ENGLAND (KING EDWARD VII in our reality) __________________ Commissioner - PBRL - Just finished 2009 109 seasons and still running strong!!! Last edited by metsgeek; 03-09-2006 at 08:11 PM.

03-05-2006, 09:13 PM	#15
DamnYankees All Star Starter Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 1,644	I guess WWII is out the window?

03-05-2006, 09:35 PM	#17
metsgeek Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Norwood, MA Posts: 5,450	1901 Prospect Watch: ROY HOBBS Called The Natural for his easy swing and obvious athleticism, this 24 year old New York native should be drafted in the top half of the 1st round. He is expected to start immediately and he has yet to reach his full potential. Though many teams are eying pitching with their 1st pick, Hobbs will be hard to pass up if he is available when a team's pick is at hand. Needless to say, he is expected to be a star. Talents (Con/Gap/HR/Eye/Avoid): 81/60/30/70/60 Current Ratings: 65/48/24/56/48 __________________ Commissioner - PBRL - Just finished 2009 109 seasons and still running strong!!!

03-05-2006, 09:37 PM	#18
metsgeek Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Norwood, MA Posts: 5,450	1901 INITIAL DRAFT - ROUND 1 Cincinnati pick: P Christy Mathewson Pittsburgh pick: P Jesse Tannehill Brooklyn pick: 3B John Mcgraw New York (F) pick: CF Roy Hobbs Boston (C) pick: P Tom Hughes Philadelphia pick: P Cy Young St. Louis pick: P Sam Leever Milwaukee pick: P Deacon Phillippe Cleveland pick: P Roger Denzer Chicago pick: P Jack Taylor Boston (F) pick: RF Elmer Flick Louisville pick: P Jay Hughes Buffalo pick: LF Jesse Burkett New York (C) pick: P Roy Patterson Detroit pick: P Bill Dineen Washington pick: P Jack Chesbro __________________ Commissioner - PBRL - Just finished 2009 109 seasons and still running strong!!!