Profiles of SO49...

The Professor · 07-19-2003, 09:09 PM

...to continue a thread begun in Dynasty:

http://www.400softwarestudios.com/bo...threadid=40096

PITTSBURGH PIRATES

Western Pennsylvania: a special place in the baseball world.

Who, more than the good folks in and around the Steel City, are as loyal to their team? Determination, toughness and raw grit are qualities prized by the blue-collar fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Determination, toughness and grit are qualities perpetually linked to Pirates loyalty.

Loyalty means remaining faithful through tribulation. Trying times are, indeed, all too familiar to fans of the Pirates.

"Get up..."

When was the last time the Buccos hoisted the pennant?

1927.

When did they last revel in the glory of a World Championship?

Two years prior, in 1925.

The 1930s and '40s was an era of near misses and slow decline. Growing ever more distant the halcyon days of The Flying Dutchman, dimming the days of Max Carey and the Waners.

Since 1948 the story of the Pirates has been written mostly as tragedy. Only once have they posted a .500 record (1951). Losing records have piled up like stockpiled steel girters for two managerial regimes, that of Billy Meyer and the once-and-current manager, Pie Traynor.

Five second division finishes have translated into draft day busts or mediocrity bespeaking great disappointment.

Wally Hood, #10 overall in 1949 has been both a great, and sometimes merely a good, reliever. That he is often the very best of the Pirates pitchers speaks to the trials this team has endured...

Vernon Law, #6 overall in 1950 was thrown into the starting rotation almost immediately and, shell-shocked, has never recovered. Washed up at 25, he owns a 3-4 career record and 8+ ERA.

Sam Jones, #3 overall in 1951, Jones is one of, if not the most prolific strikeout artists in the National League. Unfortunately, Jones has piled up losses nearly as quickly as K's. He owns a 39-85 career record and has twice lost more than 20 games in a season.

Harvey Kuenn, #5 overall in 1952, the fluid shortstop has been a fan favorite from his first day patrolling the hard clay of the 'Alabaster Plaster' in Forbes Field. Combining great defense with a .300 hitters stroke, he remains the cornerstone of the Pirates lineup in 1955.

Al Kaline, #2 in 1953, Kaline was penciled in immediately by manager Pie Traynor. Overmatched repeatedly against Major League pitching, Kaline was sent out to the farm, but remains a tantalizing talent, the brightest star on Pittsburgh's sometimes murky horizon.

Karl Spooner, #3 in 1954, the smoke-tossing Spooner was - like so many Pittsburgh youths - a starter from Day 1. He endured a rough rookie campaign but, with experience, has emerged as a top-flight star in 1955, among the league leaders in ERA, wins and strikeouts.

"...get up, Aunt Minnie! Open the window..."

While the team's high profile draft selections haven't always paid immediate dividends, no team gets more from late round and scrap heap additions than the Bucs.

His name is Ebba St. Claire, a throw in player in a trade with the then New York Giants in 1951, St. Claire has used the wide expanse of Forbes Field to become one of the best hitters from the catcher's position in the National League.

Playing 90 feet away from St. Claire is the brightest young third sacker in either league. A steady glove who occasionally orchestrates defensive wizardry in the stadium annointed the 'House of Thrills', he is a maestro with a bat, hitting .300 with an ease not seen since a young Theodore S. Williams wowed fans more than a decade ago. All this from a 5th round draft selection, but fans will be saying Hal Bevan's name for seasons to come.

Underrated, punchless some say, but classic throwbacks to a time before the longball became commonplace these young Buccaneers play the game as it was meant to be played. Bevan, Kuenn, St.Claire, Westlake and - someday - Kaline means great hitting. Tradition handed down from Wagner and Carey. The defense is airtight, a study in the art of leather. Pride. The pitching is young, powerful, but rough hewn. Blue-collar.

The dawn of a successful new era begins just over the horizon like a springtime sun cresting the Alleghanies...

"...here she comes!"

If Albert Rowsewell knew it, maybe the greatest of Buccos fans would change his immortal call.

Here they come!

And when all is said and done, the losing will be a thing of the past and the loyal fans of western Pennsylvania will say as one:

"We had 'em allll the way..."

darkhorse · 07-19-2003, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by The Professor
Wally Hood, #10 overall in 1949 has been both a great, and sometimes merely a good, reliever. That he is often the very best of the Pirates pitchers speaks to the trials this team has endured...

Dayam! These splendid writeups keep getting better.

Hood will never see the light of day in the PWBL. An MLB career consisting of 2 1/3 IP left him well short of the cutoff for PWBL rookies.

The Professor · 07-22-2003, 01:02 AM

MINNESOTA GIANTS

The once New York Giants.

The club of John McGraw.

Mel Ott, Bill Terry, Carl Hubbell. The list of great names bedecking their All-Time roster mirrors a rich and storied history.

As 'Gashouse Gotham' - behind manager Frank Frisch and a corps of sensational sluggers - they captured the imagination of a city...

...and then they broke its heart.

They pioneered the modern era's first franchise relocation with their 1954 exodus to the Twin Cities of Minnesota, where they have been embraced - and in being embraced have become something of a phenomenon.

Go Giants! Go!

...graces storefront signs throughout the Minneapolis and St. Paul area. Ubiquitous, it is the rallying cry of a region that has long been starved for Major League Baseball.

While shades of black and orange have been draped over towns throughout the northland, the voices of the everyman - Russ Hodges - and the lyricist (scholar, poet...) - Ernie Harwell - carry over WCCO radio, regaling a vast territory with the escapades and triumphs of Minnesota's team, those wild Giants from Nicollet Park.

Entering their first sustained pennant race since the 'Gotham' era, 1951, the Grimleys - a team moniker tabbed in honor of team President Jim Grimley - have changed the face of their squad considerably since moving to Minneapolis.

It begins behind the plate where ex-Yankees star Yogi Berra does the catching. Berra, 6 times an AL All-Star, joined the NL squad in 1955 and with his Nicollet-made lefthanded batting stroke, looks to have many more fine seasons in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

First base is manned by one of the Giants former arch-enemies, ex-Brooklyn Dodger Gil Hodges. Hodges is a potent slugger and a reliable RBI man, though he'll never confuse anyone for a batting titleist. His acquisition eases the loss of sophomore star Paul Smith, a classic hitter who was to have been the Giants infield anchor for years to come. Time will tell if Smith can recover from the broken ankle that has cost him the 1955 season.

The second base side of the Giants keystone is manned by Davey Williams. Davey, a career .292 hitter, cut his teeth in Rogers Hornsby's 'Slap-and-Dash' Comiskey infield but has blossomed as a high-average table setter for the Giants since 1953.

His keystone partner is, perhaps, the most beloved of the former New York Giants, Danny O'Connell. O'Connell took the National League by storm with his 1950 rookie campaign (.312-20-100) but has generally failed to recreate it. Still, the man once hyped as the prototype of a new kind of shortstop remains a favorite in his new home, the New York kid (he was born in New Jersey) who has made good in Minnesota.

Third base is manned by Don Lenhardt, a one-time Washington Senator who was the team's biggest attraction in its first Minnesota season, slamming 25 HR and hitting .290, both career bests. What a difference a year makes as Lenhardt has gone from heart of the order to being its weak link...

The outfield features only one familiar face from the Polo Grounds days, that being right-fielder Don Mueller. Mueller is a whiz with a bat and he almost never strikes out. Only average defensively, powerless and too impatient to walk much, his singular ability to make contact is highly valued.

Centerfield belongs to 'The Golden Boy', Jackie Jensen, a reclamation project of sorts from the Cincinnati Reds after the 1953 season. Jensen once figured largely in the Reds plans, a highly touted prospect who shined for that team in its 1952 pennant race. A disastrous season followed in 1953 and he was dealt away to Minnesota where he's recovered a large measure of his pride. He is extraordinarily similar to Mueller, though with the patience - and speed - to be a superb leadoff batter.

Finally, another new face stands in left-field. Once upon a time Ralph Kiner was one of the two most feared sluggers in all of the National League - and perhaps of all baseball. Slamming 46 HR in 1948, he followed with 40 in 1949 for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Then, early in 1950 his season was cut short by a serious injury. Unable to find either his power stroke or his average, he was dealt to Chicago's South Side to juice up the White Sox attack in 1953. Two middling seasons followed with Kiner handcuffed by the deep alleys of Comiskey Park.

Now, back in the National League, the 32-year-old Kiner is reestablishing himself as a bona fide slugging ace. His return to form must be one of the brightest stories of 1955 thus far.

It figures, of course, that with so much thunder packed into their lineup, the Giants would be hampered by a weak pitching staff. Still, the 1955 hill corps has been better than expected. The biggest shock has been the brilliance of ex-Yankee Vic Raschi, a throw in from the Berra trade, who has posted a 9-1 mark to date. Former Red Sox pitcher Bill Wight (5-3), youngster Don Bessent (9-8) and aspiring staff ace Jackie Collum (9-8) round out the team's starting rotation.

The bullpen is built around fireman Frank Quinn (18 saves to date), but also features Virgil Trucks in his second tour of duty with the Giants, rounding out his fine career, and Ralph Branca among others.

Reckless and aggressive on the bases while pummeling NL pitching with their great power, the Giants have exploded from the second divison in 1954 to a mere game out of first place just past the 1955 All Star break. Unable to pack all their fans into cozy, decrepit, Nicollet Park the Giants hope that their new digs - the Minneapolis Metropolitan Baseball Stadium - will be completed in time to host a playoff game, should these warriors in black and orange capture a flag in only their second year in Minnesota.

Heartbreak kids no more, these Giants are, without a doubt, a Minnesota kind of baseball team.

JDScorch · 07-22-2003, 01:14 AM

Nathan, you endlessly out do yourself with these articles! I enjoyed reading about my team as much as playing them. My only regret is that few can be as lucky as myself as to have had you as my first commish in an online league. As is evidenced by my 8 different leagues, I am now hooked forever. Always top notch! Jim

Frank7350 · 07-22-2003, 05:30 PM

Nate....what a job! An absolutely wonderful read!

07-22-2003, 01:14 AM	#4
JDScorch Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Minnesota Posts: 234	Nathan, you endlessly out do yourself with these articles! I enjoyed reading about my team as much as playing them. My only regret is that few can be as lucky as myself as to have had you as my first commish in an online league. As is evidenced by my 8 different leagues, I am now hooked forever. Always top notch! Jim __________________ SO49 Minnesota Giants 1955, 1959, 1969 Champs MCBL Chicago White Sox 1954 amd 1956 Champs MLBC Philadelphia Phillies 1959, 1960 and 1974 Champs

07-19-2003, 09:09 PM	#1
The Professor Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: East of East Posts: 3,020	Profiles of SO49... ...to continue a thread begun in Dynasty: http://www.400softwarestudios.com/bo...threadid=40096 PITTSBURGH PIRATES Western Pennsylvania: a special place in the baseball world. Who, more than the good folks in and around the Steel City, are as loyal to their team? Determination, toughness and raw grit are qualities prized by the blue-collar fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Determination, toughness and grit are qualities perpetually linked to Pirates loyalty. Loyalty means remaining faithful through tribulation. Trying times are, indeed, all too familiar to fans of the Pirates. "Get up..." When was the last time the Buccos hoisted the pennant? 1927. When did they last revel in the glory of a World Championship? Two years prior, in 1925. The 1930s and '40s was an era of near misses and slow decline. Growing ever more distant the halcyon days of The Flying Dutchman, dimming the days of Max Carey and the Waners. Since 1948 the story of the Pirates has been written mostly as tragedy. Only once have they posted a .500 record (1951). Losing records have piled up like stockpiled steel girters for two managerial regimes, that of Billy Meyer and the once-and-current manager, Pie Traynor. Five second division finishes have translated into draft day busts or mediocrity bespeaking great disappointment. Wally Hood, #10 overall in 1949 has been both a great, and sometimes merely a good, reliever. That he is often the very best of the Pirates pitchers speaks to the trials this team has endured... Vernon Law, #6 overall in 1950 was thrown into the starting rotation almost immediately and, shell-shocked, has never recovered. Washed up at 25, he owns a 3-4 career record and 8+ ERA. Sam Jones, #3 overall in 1951, Jones is one of, if not the most prolific strikeout artists in the National League. Unfortunately, Jones has piled up losses nearly as quickly as K's. He owns a 39-85 career record and has twice lost more than 20 games in a season. Harvey Kuenn, #5 overall in 1952, the fluid shortstop has been a fan favorite from his first day patrolling the hard clay of the 'Alabaster Plaster' in Forbes Field. Combining great defense with a .300 hitters stroke, he remains the cornerstone of the Pirates lineup in 1955. Al Kaline, #2 in 1953, Kaline was penciled in immediately by manager Pie Traynor. Overmatched repeatedly against Major League pitching, Kaline was sent out to the farm, but remains a tantalizing talent, the brightest star on Pittsburgh's sometimes murky horizon. Karl Spooner, #3 in 1954, the smoke-tossing Spooner was - like so many Pittsburgh youths - a starter from Day 1. He endured a rough rookie campaign but, with experience, has emerged as a top-flight star in 1955, among the league leaders in ERA, wins and strikeouts. "...get up, Aunt Minnie! Open the window..." While the team's high profile draft selections haven't always paid immediate dividends, no team gets more from late round and scrap heap additions than the Bucs. His name is Ebba St. Claire, a throw in player in a trade with the then New York Giants in 1951, St. Claire has used the wide expanse of Forbes Field to become one of the best hitters from the catcher's position in the National League. Playing 90 feet away from St. Claire is the brightest young third sacker in either league. A steady glove who occasionally orchestrates defensive wizardry in the stadium annointed the 'House of Thrills', he is a maestro with a bat, hitting .300 with an ease not seen since a young Theodore S. Williams wowed fans more than a decade ago. All this from a 5th round draft selection, but fans will be saying Hal Bevan's name for seasons to come. Underrated, punchless some say, but classic throwbacks to a time before the longball became commonplace these young Buccaneers play the game as it was meant to be played. Bevan, Kuenn, St.Claire, Westlake and - someday - Kaline means great hitting. Tradition handed down from Wagner and Carey. The defense is airtight, a study in the art of leather. Pride. The pitching is young, powerful, but rough hewn. Blue-collar. The dawn of a successful new era begins just over the horizon like a springtime sun cresting the Alleghanies... "...here she comes!" If Albert Rowsewell knew it, maybe the greatest of Buccos fans would change his immortal call. Here they come! And when all is said and done, the losing will be a thing of the past and the loyal fans of western Pennsylvania will say as one: "We had 'em allll the way..." __________________ History isn't really about the past - settling old scores. It's about defining the present and who we are." Last edited by The Professor; 07-19-2003 at 09:13 PM.

07-22-2003, 01:02 AM	#3
The Professor Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: East of East Posts: 3,020	The Minnesota Giants MINNESOTA GIANTS The once New York Giants. The club of John McGraw. Mel Ott, Bill Terry, Carl Hubbell. The list of great names bedecking their All-Time roster mirrors a rich and storied history. As 'Gashouse Gotham' - behind manager Frank Frisch and a corps of sensational sluggers - they captured the imagination of a city... ...and then they broke its heart. They pioneered the modern era's first franchise relocation with their 1954 exodus to the Twin Cities of Minnesota, where they have been embraced - and in being embraced have become something of a phenomenon. Go Giants! Go! ...graces storefront signs throughout the Minneapolis and St. Paul area. Ubiquitous, it is the rallying cry of a region that has long been starved for Major League Baseball. While shades of black and orange have been draped over towns throughout the northland, the voices of the everyman - Russ Hodges - and the lyricist (scholar, poet...) - Ernie Harwell - carry over WCCO radio, regaling a vast territory with the escapades and triumphs of Minnesota's team, those wild Giants from Nicollet Park. Entering their first sustained pennant race since the 'Gotham' era, 1951, the Grimleys - a team moniker tabbed in honor of team President Jim Grimley - have changed the face of their squad considerably since moving to Minneapolis. It begins behind the plate where ex-Yankees star Yogi Berra does the catching. Berra, 6 times an AL All-Star, joined the NL squad in 1955 and with his Nicollet-made lefthanded batting stroke, looks to have many more fine seasons in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. First base is manned by one of the Giants former arch-enemies, ex-Brooklyn Dodger Gil Hodges. Hodges is a potent slugger and a reliable RBI man, though he'll never confuse anyone for a batting titleist. His acquisition eases the loss of sophomore star Paul Smith, a classic hitter who was to have been the Giants infield anchor for years to come. Time will tell if Smith can recover from the broken ankle that has cost him the 1955 season. The second base side of the Giants keystone is manned by Davey Williams. Davey, a career .292 hitter, cut his teeth in Rogers Hornsby's 'Slap-and-Dash' Comiskey infield but has blossomed as a high-average table setter for the Giants since 1953. His keystone partner is, perhaps, the most beloved of the former New York Giants, Danny O'Connell. O'Connell took the National League by storm with his 1950 rookie campaign (.312-20-100) but has generally failed to recreate it. Still, the man once hyped as the prototype of a new kind of shortstop remains a favorite in his new home, the New York kid (he was born in New Jersey) who has made good in Minnesota. Third base is manned by Don Lenhardt, a one-time Washington Senator who was the team's biggest attraction in its first Minnesota season, slamming 25 HR and hitting .290, both career bests. What a difference a year makes as Lenhardt has gone from heart of the order to being its weak link... The outfield features only one familiar face from the Polo Grounds days, that being right-fielder Don Mueller. Mueller is a whiz with a bat and he almost never strikes out. Only average defensively, powerless and too impatient to walk much, his singular ability to make contact is highly valued. Centerfield belongs to 'The Golden Boy', Jackie Jensen, a reclamation project of sorts from the Cincinnati Reds after the 1953 season. Jensen once figured largely in the Reds plans, a highly touted prospect who shined for that team in its 1952 pennant race. A disastrous season followed in 1953 and he was dealt away to Minnesota where he's recovered a large measure of his pride. He is extraordinarily similar to Mueller, though with the patience - and speed - to be a superb leadoff batter. Finally, another new face stands in left-field. Once upon a time Ralph Kiner was one of the two most feared sluggers in all of the National League - and perhaps of all baseball. Slamming 46 HR in 1948, he followed with 40 in 1949 for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Then, early in 1950 his season was cut short by a serious injury. Unable to find either his power stroke or his average, he was dealt to Chicago's South Side to juice up the White Sox attack in 1953. Two middling seasons followed with Kiner handcuffed by the deep alleys of Comiskey Park. Now, back in the National League, the 32-year-old Kiner is reestablishing himself as a bona fide slugging ace. His return to form must be one of the brightest stories of 1955 thus far. It figures, of course, that with so much thunder packed into their lineup, the Giants would be hampered by a weak pitching staff. Still, the 1955 hill corps has been better than expected. The biggest shock has been the brilliance of ex-Yankee Vic Raschi, a throw in from the Berra trade, who has posted a 9-1 mark to date. Former Red Sox pitcher Bill Wight (5-3), youngster Don Bessent (9-8) and aspiring staff ace Jackie Collum (9-8) round out the team's starting rotation. The bullpen is built around fireman Frank Quinn (18 saves to date), but also features Virgil Trucks in his second tour of duty with the Giants, rounding out his fine career, and Ralph Branca among others. Reckless and aggressive on the bases while pummeling NL pitching with their great power, the Giants have exploded from the second divison in 1954 to a mere game out of first place just past the 1955 All Star break. Unable to pack all their fans into cozy, decrepit, Nicollet Park the Giants hope that their new digs - the Minneapolis Metropolitan Baseball Stadium - will be completed in time to host a playoff game, should these warriors in black and orange capture a flag in only their second year in Minnesota. Heartbreak kids no more, these Giants are, without a doubt, a Minnesota kind of baseball team. __________________ History isn't really about the past - settling old scores. It's about defining the present and who we are."

07-22-2003, 05:30 PM	#5
Frank7350 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Jersey Posts: 132	Amazin' Nate....what a job! An absolutely wonderful read!