NAPBBP expanding to 24 teams soon

[Cool Papa Bell]

The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players will be expanding 4 teams to 24 in 2 seasons (about 3 months). We don't have any current openings, but could let anyone know if one came open sooner.

Very active league with constant updating of the league reports (about 2 to 3 sims a week), lots of trade acitivity and a dedicated group of owners. The project started as a research project for a screenplay I wrote and for a novel I am writing, both historical what-ifs, so it will be around...well, forever probably, as far as league longevity. We are currently in the 1866 season, our 9th, on version XI and skipped XII, but are contemplating upgrading to XIII. Most owners buy the new versions anyway to support Markus and the game company, but we don't always upgrade the entire league.

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Thanks for the consideration,
Philip

[Cool Papa Bell]

NAPBBP Notes- January 23, 2012

As the King returns to form, Bad News making headlines

As we enter our 9th season of play, more and more historical players are finding their way into the minor league system, as they progress to the Bigs. This season, Candy Cummings headlines a group that also consists of Lefty McMullin, Samuel Wright (the youngest of the Wright base ball playing clan), Charlie Hodes, George Bechtel, John Bass, Amos Booth, Frank Fleet, among many others. Quite a few contemporaries that never made it to the real National League include Boaz Pike (and younger brother Israel, siblings of the famed Lipman), Ben De La Vergne, Wild Bill Lennon, Edmond Harper, Cooper Thirtle, Jimmy Kinloch, Collin O'Rourke, Harry Gillespie, Spider Bane, Judge Cameron and many others.

Next year we will see even more join the ranks of the NAPBBP, as Count Gedney, Cal McVey, Candy Nelson, Mart King, Wee Davey Force, Clipper Flynn, John O'Rourke, Jim Devlin and others become young rookies. For the 1868 expansion season, Al Spalding, Cy Bentley, Jim O'Rourke, Alamazoo Jennings, Esteban Bellan, Ross Barnes, Gentlemanly Bob Clack, Tricky Nichols, Favel Wordsworth and a host of others will be drafted.

As these rookies try to make a name for themselves, the King has returned to form. King Keller, after an 1865 season not up to his usual standards, is bashing away at an AL leading .368 clip with 20 home runs thru the first 56 games. But it's Bad News Galloway that is putting up prodigious numbers for the Detroit Tigers. His 24 homes runs has him on pace to clout 66...yikes...and shatter the King's record of 46 in 1864.

Several milestones have been reached in player's careers, as Tom Van Cott notched his NAPBBP leading 150th career win. Unheralded closer Robert Jacobsen posted his 249th career save. Dickey Pearce is approaching 700 career stolen bases, while Henry Polhemus is closing in on 1,000 career bases on balls. As the league continues thru the seasons, it's been fun watching the career numbers of players and the development not just of the historical players, but the historical fictional and fictional players as well. Quite a few have underachieved and overachieved, while more than a few have come out of the weeds to turn in solid careers so far.

I have posted a message regarding the expansion of 4 more teams for the 1868 season on the OOTP forum and have had quite a few responses, which is great news, especially since we may stay on version XI. Again, if anyone knows someone who might be interested, please let me know as well. Keep up the great work guys and nice work on the 1866 draft so far!

KML
NAPBBP

[Cool Papa Bell]

In what's shaping up to be a great finish in both leagues, the NL race has been particularly intriguing. The battle hardened and playoff tested Brooklyn Atlantics, 2-time winners of the league championship trophy, pulled off 2 trades at the deadline to strenghten a depleted outfield corps. A crop of young pitchers brought them veteran fly-chasers Wes Kissam from New Orleans and John Glenn from Washington.

But sometimes the best laid plans as they say, of mice, men and Atlantics, have ways of taking paths of their own. Not 4 days after the deadline, star closer Dennis Leyden was shut down for the remainder of the '66 campaign with shoulder inflammation. Can the boys from Brooklyn continue to close, having cut the lead on the upstart Philadelphians in half over the last 2 weeks? Or will the mighty Jimmy Creighton lead the Phillies to their first ever NL pennant?

---The Wright Stuff
Cardinal star outfielder Harry Wright, the only player in league history to hit over .400 (.419 in 1864) continues his run at the mark yet again this season. Thru the first 120 games of the season, he is striking at a .421 clip. But Master Harry has been joined in the Bigs by younger brother George, a recent callup of the Canadians. Thru his first 26 games, the younger Wright is hitting just .240, but has 2 home runs and 5 stolen bases. The talent and the pedigree is there for him to be a star like his brother, as it is for the youngest of the Wright clan, wee Samuel, another baseball rat who was drafted this year and is in A ball for the Pirates.

---STAND STILL W'UDYA..!
If you don't eat yer meat, ya can't have any pudding...how can ya have any pudding if ya do'n eat yer meat? Or swing the bat for the matter... Yankees star Sam Shafer has become adept at standing still and taking those free passes to first. Thru 88 games this year, he has drawn an amazing total of 76 walks, and over 600 in his career. Just this past week, he drew 5 bases on balls in a single game, an AL record, and that streak ended at 9 free passes in a row! Who is the all-time leader in Bases on Balls in the NAPBBP? Brookyn's Henry Polhemus (1,033) and St. Louis' Harry Wright (1,001) both recently passed the 1,000 milestone.

---Iron Man
Speaking of Polhemus, if the league has an Iron Man in the mold of the as yet to come Lou Gehrig, it would be Hammerin' Hank. He has played in every game this season...and every game for the past 6 seasons. In fact, he's only missed one game in his entire career, way back in 1859.

---That would Creighton
Who holds the record for most strikeouts in a game with 14? That would be Philadelphia's Jimmy Creighton. Who matched that mark with 14? Creighton. Who also matched it twice more? Well, again Jimmy Creighton. The Mighty One has fanned 14 a record 4 times in his career, the only pitcher to ever reach that mark in a single game. He's also struck out 13 batters 3 times and for good measure, 12 batters another 3 times. The all-time career leader in the league is the indominable Tom Van Cott of Baltimore. His 1,869 K's lead Pittsburgh's Dopey Mills who has 1,836. No other pitcher has yet to reach even the 1,500 mark for their careers.

---The King is Back
Washington's King Keller is making another assault on a Triple Crown. With 2 of them on his head already, in 1860 and 1864, he currently leads Chicago's Charlie Smith in batting average .370 to .339, and is second only to Detroit's Bad News Galloway in both home runs (41-34) and RBI (92-90). His single season home run mark of 46 set in 1864 looks in peril however, as Galloway is poised to shatter that mark and go well beyond. Can Bad News make big news with 50 this year?

---Those who can't do, teach, right?
The Montreal Canadians have made great strides this season, particularly in the pitching department. Some of that credit goes the some excellent scouting and drafting of good young arms. But pitching coach Tom Floch deserves some credit as well. Before his hire last season, the Canadians had only one double digit winner, Dick McBride with 11, in the history of their franchise. This season, they already have 3. Maybe there's something to those 'teach pitching "Excellent" and 'handle rookies "Outstanding" coach ratings after all.

---Keep the ball on the ground, you keep it in the yard
The Yankees have returned from a few years hiatus, having won the Championship Series in 1862, and they are doing it with pitching, pitching and more pitching. They are ranked in the top 2 or 3 in almost every major pitching category and lead in 3 key areas, lowest Starters's ERA (2.97), fewest runs allowed (461) and best groundball percentage, an incredible 62.6%. With slick fielder's Sam Shafer, Freddy Parkinson, Junior Davis, Pony Sager and others in the infield, that's sure to help the team ERA.

---From out of the woodwork
Philadelphia has risen to the top of the NL behind the arms of Jim Creighton, Charmer Zettlein, Jim Collins and Augustus Clark, all double-digit winners so far this year. But one of the plums from the trade of Captain Joe Leggett is paying big dividends so far. Richard Brumby leads the Fightin' Phils with 19 home runs and 84 RBI, that last mark good for third in the NL. Will Kaufman, another of the pieces of the Leggett trade, has chipped in so far with 7 wins and a fine 3.32 ERA in 17 starts. Both players are shining at the age of 22.

Another player that has exploded onto the scene from out of the woodwork is Chicago Cubs releiver Brian Goscombe. At 20 years of age, he is one of the youngest players in the Bigs, but his arm has been even bigger so far. Thru 27 games, he as pitched 39 innings and allowed just 19 hits, with a microscopic 0.46 ERA.

---Expansion Twins hanging on
The most successful of the expansion teams has been the Minnesota Twins. Aggression play in free agency and an active minor league system has their 266 wins well ahead of their 3 peers. This season however, that has equated into playoff contention, with the team just 4 back of the Yankees in the AL.

[Cool Papa Bell]

One expansion team left for the upcoming 1868 season. Currently conducting the June Amateur Draft in 1867. Expansion of 4 more teams is planned for the off-season, in about 3 weeks.

Irish Eyes are Smiling in Washington
Matty "Irish" O'Brien has had a stellar NAPBBP career for the Senators, but 1867 is shaping up to be his finest effort yet. His 11 wins in 13 decisions is the most in the league by far thru the first 2 months of the season, giving him a fine 153-87 career mark. At still just 32 years of age, Irish has his eyes on 200 wins and more before he hangs up his cleats, and this year his effort has the Senators back in the hunt in the AL, just one game back of the Whitestockings.

Hammerin' Henry
There are but a few NAPBBP stars with the stature of Henry Polhemus of Brooklyn. Hammerin' Hank is feared by most hurlers, who prefer to pitch around the giant, rather than face him. But each season, as the Atlantics continue to put pieces around him in the order like Nealy Phelps, George Poplein, Bob Reach and others, his home run numbers have continued to climb. This year, Polhemus has already slugged 21 home runs, a pace of 57 for the season. His 53 RBI are also the most in the NL circuit and his.372 average is second only to the indomitable Harry Wright. With just 8 more long clouts, he will be the first NAPBBP player to reach the 300 mark for his career.

Phillies looking strong again
The reigning NAPBBP champion Philadelphia Phillies boasted a strong cast of starting pitchers in taking the 1866 league crown and they do not appear to have taken a single step backwards. The are among the the league's best in virtually every pitching category again this year, led by The Great One Jimmy Creighton, Charmer Zettlein, Augustus Clark and Jimmy Collins. The addition of free agent slugger Fred Crane added to their offense, but the scary item for NL owners is that there is more starting pitching waiting in the wings for the Phillies. At 9-1 for AAA Scranton, Lefty McMullin is next to the big leagues, with Edmund Cain, Octavio Hernandez and Bob Ford all waiting for their telegrams as well.

AL leading Whitestockings mulling move to cattle country
The American League leading Chicago Whitestockings are strongly leaning towards a move that would take them from the stockyards of Chicago to the stockyards of Fort Worth and Dallas cattle country after the 1867 season. Fans are concerned about seeing the 1865 AL champs re-locate, but team owner Xavier Marroquin is being lured by big D money and moved to go back to his Texas roots, leaving Whitestocking fans with the thought of backing a new expansion team in 1868.

The Count continues counting
Asa 'Count' Brainard of the Redstockings has known quite a lot of success as a moundsman so far in his career. His 6-2 record has his career mark at 149-65. His next win will mark him the youngest hurler to reach 150 career wins at age 27. His 1,528 strikeouts is the 2nd fast to the 1,500 mark to Jimmy Creighton, at just 4 months older than the Great One.

The Wright Stuff
Only 2 men have hit over .400 in league history. They are Chicago Cub star Dickey Pearce (.408 in .1863) and St. Louis Cardinal legend Harry Wright (419 in 1864 and 408 in 1866). Uncle Harry is perhaps on his way to an unprecedented third time over that magical mark, banging away at a .452 clip so far in 1867. Amazingly, he has only had 2 streaks of 20 or more games with a hit, a 20 gamer in 1865 and a 27 game hit streak this season.

Redstockings moving west?
Rumors are swirling that Cincinnati owner Rick Spinelli is also contemplating moving the Redstockings. With the new transcontinental rail lines linking the entire country with speedy, safe and efficient transportation, he too is thinking of going back to his California roots and relocating his franchis to the Bay area of San Francisco. Gold probably has nothing to do with it, right? More details will follow on this and other expansion news as the season moves along.

Articles by you the owners are always welcome as are your comments. I should have more time to update the website in the coming weeks with some additional player bios, etc and an updated owner list, as we have some new expansion owners joining us as well. Keep up the great work guys!

www.napbbp.com