From Worst to First

[NYY #23]

Ok, maybe there is something to a bench clearing brawl after all. It seems like the brawl was the turning point of the season. Post brawl we have won 26 of 31 games. Sure it is too little too late, but we have a real shot at finishing above .500 for the season, and showing some progress. After a couple of rough months progress is nice to see.

Yes, we have some holes, but I'm starting to see some good signs. SS Donie Bush had a great month, and I have a good problem at first base, with a trio of guys I can throw out there and I'm comfortable with any of them playing. Maybe there is some hope in Boston.

Our record for the month of September - 20-6
Season record: 75-74, 9 games back
Runs - 587 (3rd in league)
Batting Average - .259 (3rd in league)
Runs allowed - 570 (5th in league)
ERA - 2.64 (2nd in league)

Team Leaders -
AVG: Chick Stahl - .266
HR: Dave Brain - 7
RBI: Chick Stahl - 72
W: George Winter - 19
ERA: George Winter - 2.01
K: George Winter - 97

Who's hot:
SS- Donie Bush - .346, 14 R, 11 RBI
1B - Fred Merkle - .389
RF - Beals Becks - .355
LF - Chick Stahl - .333, 16 RBI
SP - George Winter - 6-1, 1.86 ERA
SP - Ralph Glaze - 4-0, 1.65 ERA

Who's not:
SS - Heinie Wagner - .222

Our updated positional rankings -
Cather - 9th (4th overall)
1B - 3rd (4th)
2B - 9th (9th)
3B - 11th (11th)
SS - 2nd (1st)
LF - 7th (3rd)
CF - 4th (4th)
RF - 7th (7th)
SP - 8th (8th)
RP - 7th (4th)
CL - 9th (9th)

Power Rankings:
5th (Last Month 12th)

Financials:
Fan Interest - 73 (Last Month 75)
Project Balance - $11,160

Trade Log:
Traded LF Kip Selbach to the New York Highlanders for C Ira Thomas
Traded C Charlie Graham to the Boston Doves for 3B Dave Brain
Traded C Charlie Armbruster to the St. Louis Cardinals for SS Ed Holly.

Season stats since the deal:
Sent:
Selbach - 33-157, .210 AVG
Graham - 90-453, .199 AVG
Armbruster - No at bats
Received:
Thomas - 109-476, .229 AVG
Brain - 117-527, .222 AVG
Holly - 0-1, .000 AVG

History:
1906 - Boston Americans 74-80, 15 GB (Season Score - 6)

[NYY #23]

At least we are going the right direction, finishing above .500 with a 79-75 record in 3rd place, just 8 games back. A season score of 30, which is a lot better than 6, but not too good. 1908 will bring a name change to the franchise, out with the Americans, in with the Red Sox. It now pains me even more to try and win a World Series with the Boston Red Sox as a Yankees fan, but hopefully we'll get the worst out of the way first.

First some housekeeping items, as C Lou Criger retired along with 1B Buck Freeman. Both ended the season on my reserve roster, and we won't miss either as they combined for one at bat. Next, I decided to cut Cy Young so I wouldn't have to pay him so much for 1908. I wanted to offer him a smaller salary because once again I'm over budget since my owner lowered it one more time. First he refused to deal with me, now he is talking again. I'm only offering the minimum, so we'll see. I won't lose sleep over it either way.

Next, my head scout's contract was up, so we parted ways with Jose Polanco, and went out and signed Carlos Trujillo to serve as our head scout. He's rated slightly better, so hopefully it was the right decision.

A look at each of our positions, and some thoughts on what we plan to do during the offseason -

Starting Pitcher -
George Winter - 29 yo (20-12, 1.99 ERA)
Jesse Tannehill - 33 yo (19-15, 2.43 ERA)
Ralph Glaze - 25 yo (14-17, 2.86 ERA)
Joe Harris - 25 yo (11-13, 2.71 ERA)

I'd love to add another starter to bolster our staff and help give us some depth. Overall not terrible as long as Tannehill can keep going.

Catcher -
Ira Thomas - (.233/.286/.307, 53 RBI)

I can't get any productivity out of any other catchers so it looks like Thomas will be the starter. I'm hoping one of my other catchers will step up and give me another option.

First Base -
Myron Grimshaw - 32 yo (.374/.427/.458)
Fred Merkle - 18 yo (.301/.344/.377)
Dick Hobitzel - 19 yo (.302/.359/.363)

Too many bodies and not enough playing time for all of them, so this is an area of trade bait that I would like to improve another area. I'm going to dangle all three this offseason and see what I can reel in. Ideally Hobitzel will be the first baseman of the future, as he is the best defender of the bunch.

Second Base -
Chet Chadbourne - 23 yo (.265/.314/.342)

A pretty good defender, young, and not a bad bat. Other positions are probably more of a priority to upgrade.

Third Base -
Dave Brain - 28 yo (.228/.276/.309)

A very good defender, and has some pop for the deadball era. I'm not sure he is a keeper though, and think we could do better.

Shortstop -
Donie Bush - 20 yo (.254/.337/.301)

We'll keep him around, and hope he develops.

Left field -
Chick Stahl - 34 yo (.274/.326/.363)

A defensive liability in left field, but a good bat. I have concerns about his age, and will shop him. His high salary will make him hard to move though.

Center field -
Clyde Milan - 20 yo (.313/.382/.450)

He'll be playing center field as long as he is healthy. Good defense, good bad, good age. Not much else to say.

Right field -
Jack Hayden - 27 yo (.320/.357/.369)
Beals Becker - 21 yo (.280/.324/.405)

A good combo in right field. Becker had health problems this season, so having an adequate backup is a necessity, plus Hayden can play multiple outfield positions if necessary. I don't think he is more than a fourth outfielder though.

Overall a couple of holes, but not as bad as it could be. I feel better than when we started, but we've got a way to go.

[NYY #23]

As we get ready to begin our first season as the Boston Red Sox we completed a trio of trades this offseason, along with bringing back veteran starting pitcher Cy Young. At 40 years old Young isn't expected to give us much, but he'll be another arm just in case.

As for the trades, we made two minor deals and one major deal -

In the first minor deal we sent 3B Jimmy Collins to the New York Giants for RF Rudy Bell. This was nothing more than sending a reserve roster player to get another reserve roster player at another position. Bell can play both corner outfield positions, is a good bunter, and if lucky he'll be a good player to have off the bench.

The second minor deal was with the Washington Senators, shipping SS Freddy Parent in exchange for RF Joe Stanley. Both players were on the reserve roster most of the season last year (combining for 0 hits in 7 at bats) so nothing earth shattering.

The last deal was the major one, trading 19 year old 1B Fred Merkle to the Philadelphia Athletics for 24 year old 3B Ed Lennox and SP Pete Wilson. Lennox was the key to the deal for us, although he hit just .248 in limited action last season. He has a good arm, and hopefully his bat will develop. Wilson is projected as a borderline starter so we'll take a chance. It was tough to give up Merkle in the end, with alternating deals on the table between all three of my first baseman, I felt Merkle was the most expendable.

[NYY #23]

What do you do when you are made on offer for your 33 year-old ace starting pitcher? Well, going into this season his age did bother me, but I wasn't quite ready to part ways just yet. But when the St. Louis Browns offered me 24 year old left fielder Bob Bescher for Jesse Tannehill something about the deal made it too good to pass up. I didn't technically need another left fielder, and I did need a third baseman, but looking forward to the future it was a deal I felt I needed to make.

With the added benefit of saving salary. I have to admit I was feeling a bit ill when Tannehill's first game with the Browns resulted in a shutout win. But his second start resulted in a trip to the DL, and he will be out 2-3 months. I'm feeling pretty lucky making this deal so far.

With another left fielder in the mix, it was time to try and shop Chick Stahl. Stahl was hitting .372 so far this season, and has been good to me, but I figured I would take the best offer for him. The Giants offered 20 year-old centerfielder prospect Vin Campbell. Not exactly a position I need, but a young player that hopefully can grow into something useful, or be dealt for something I need.

I was only planning on making minor deals during the season, but couldn't pass shaking things up when I received the offer. I feel pretty good about our team, although I think we are in desperate need of a starting pitcher now. We did get off to a hot start and are sitting in first place at the end of the month, real early into the season. Hopefully we'll be able to keep up with our early pace.

Our record for the month of April - 11-5
Season record: 11-5, - games back
Runs - 101 (1st in league)
Batting Average - .316 (1st in league)
Runs allowed - 58 (4th in league)
ERA - 2.45 (3rd in league)

Team Leaders -
AVG: Dick Hobitzel - .400
HR: Beals Becker - 2
RBI: Dick Hobitzel - 19
W: Ralph Glaze - 4
ERA: Ralph Glaze - 1.75
K: Ralph Glaze - 14

Who's hot:
C- Bill Carrigan - .321
1B - Dick Hobitzel - .400, 19 RBI
CF - Clylde Milan - .369, 18 RBI
3B - Dave Brain - .447
SP - George Winter - 3-1, 2.75 ERA
SP - Joe Harris - 3-1, 2.12 ERA
SP - Ralph Glaze - 4-0, 1.75 ERA

Who's not:
SS - Heinie Wagner - .133
3B - Ed Lennox - .259 (injured)

Our updated positional rankings -
Cather - 3rd (2nd overall)
1B - 2nd (3rd)
2B - 9th (9th)
3B - 6th (6th)
SS - 4th (1st)
LF - 2nd (2nd)
CF - 3rd (3rd)
RF - 3rd (3rd)
SP - 8th (8th)
RP - 1st (1st)
CL - 15th (14th)

Power Rankings:
3rd (Last Month 5th)

Financials:
Fan Interest - 81 (Last Month 73)
Project Balance - ($44,003)

Trade Log:
1906-Traded LF Kip Selbach to the New York Highlanders for C Ira Thomas
1907-Traded C Charlie Graham to the Boston Doves for 3B Dave Brain
1907-Traded C Charlie Armbruster to the St. Louis Cardinals for SS Ed Holly
1908-Traded 3B Jimmy Collins to the New York Giants for RF Rudy Bell
1908-Traded SS Feddy Parent to the Washington Senators for RF Joe Stanley
1908-Traded 1B Fed Merkle to the Philadelphia Athletics for 3B Ed Lennox and SP Pete Wilson
1908-Traded SP Jesse Tannehill to the St. Louis Browns for LF Bob Bescher
1908-Traded LF Chick Stahl to the New York Giants for CF Vin Campbell

History:
1906 - Boston Americans 74-80, 15 GB (Season Score - 6)
1907 - Boston Americans 79-75, 8 GB (Season Score - 30)

[NYY #23]

First place, the best offense in the league, and the best pitching staff in the league. It almost is starting to feel like we could win a World Series with this team.

I'm having second thoughts on Ralph Glaze, maybe he isn't quite worth Ty Cobb, but he is developing into a heck of a player. I guess historical bias can be a bad thing, especially with recalc off. Hopefully he can keep pitching like he has been.

I'm still worried about being a starter short, but maybe not, maybe we are in good shape. We'll see what June brings.

Our record for the month of May - 20-7
Season record: 31-12, 1 game lead over Detroit Tigers
Runs - 227 (1st in league)
Batting Average - .284 (1st in league)
Runs allowed - 120 (1st in league)
ERA - 1.84 (1st in league)

Team Leaders -
AVG: Clyde Milan - .355
HR: Beals Becker - 3
RBI: Clyde Milan - 28
W: Ralph Glaze - 10
ERA: Ralph Glaze - 0.94
K: Joe Harris - 37

Who's hot:
3B - Ed Lennox - .348, 12 RBI
RF- Beals Becker - .442, 10 RBI
CF - Clylde Milan - .339, 10 RBI
SP - Joe Harris - 5-2, 2.45 ERA
SP - Ralph Glaze - 6-1, 0.45 ERA

Who's not:
3B - Dave Brain - .155

Our updated positional rankings -
Cather - 3rd (2nd overall)
1B - 2nd (3rd)
2B - 8th (8th)
3B - 4th (4th)
SS - 4th (1st)
LF - 2nd (2nd)
CF - 3rd (4th)
RF - 3rd (3rd)
SP - 4th (4th)
RP - 2nd (6th)
CL - 16th (13th)

Power Rankings:
1st (Last Month 3rd)

Financials:
Fan Interest - 81 (Last Month 81)
Project Balance - $9589

Trade Log:
1906-Traded LF Kip Selbach to the New York Highlanders for C Ira Thomas
1907-Traded C Charlie Graham to the Boston Doves for 3B Dave Brain
1907-Traded C Charlie Armbruster to the St. Louis Cardinals for SS Ed Holly
1908-Traded 3B Jimmy Collins to the New York Giants for RF Rudy Bell
1908-Traded SS Feddy Parent to the Washington Senators for RF Joe Stanley
1908-Traded 1B Fed Merkle to the Philadelphia Athletics for 3B Ed Lennox and SP Pete Wilson
1908-Traded SP Jesse Tannehill to the St. Louis Browns for LF Bob Bescher
1908-Traded LF Chick Stahl to the New York Giants for CF Vin Campbell

History:
1906 - Boston Americans 74-80, 15 GB (Season Score - 6)
1907 - Boston Americans 79-75, 8 GB (Season Score - 30)

[NYY #23]

If you look around the league it has become evident that there is a divide between the haves and have nots. The Tigers (44-21), Giants (49-19), and ourselves, the Red Sox (50-19) are in a class all by ourselves currently. I'm hoping things can stay that way. I feel pretty good with how this team stacks up right now, despite our second baseman Chet Chadbourne and third baseman Ed Lennox both on the disabled list. I think we can cover those injuries well enough to keep on rolling. With a little luck we've managed to turn around the Red Sox a little bit faster than I anticipated, and I'm at the point where I'm only worried about one team, the Tigers. Of course things can change and change quick, but having a draft in the deadball era definitely allows for quicker changes.

We drafted 12th this amateur draft, and our theme of the draft was pitching, pitching, and more pitching. I'm in the camp that you can never have enough good pitching, and despite the late round drafting of throwing enough things against the wall to see what sticks, I think we have one or two pitchers we can use in case of emergency this year. Here are our picks:

SP - Bob Harmon
MR - Jerry Upp
SP - Les Backman
MR - Rip Hagerman
CF - Howard Murphy
MR - Al Klawitter
CF - Warren Miller
MR - Joe Bernard
LF - Paul Howard
C - Si Pauxitis


Our record for the month of June - 19-7
Season record: 50-19, 4 games lead over Detroit Tigers
Runs - 367 (1st in league)
Batting Average - .278 (1st in league)
Runs allowed - 191 (1st in league)
ERA - 1.96 (1st in league)

Team Leaders -
AVG: Clyde Milan - .330
HR: Beals Becker - 4
RBI: Beals Becker - 46
W: Ralph Glaze - 14
ERA: George Winter - 1.42
K: Joe Harris - 57

Who's hot:
LF - Bob Bescher- .342, 11 RBI, 27 R
3B- Ed Lennox - .313, 12 RBI
CF - Clylde Milan - .339, 10 RBI
SP - George Winter - 6-1, 1.29 ERA

Who's not:
3B - Dave Brain - .200
SS - Heinie Wagner - .208

Our updated positional rankings -
Cather - 6th (4th overall)
1B - 2nd (5th)
2B - 7th (7th)
3B - 3rd (5th)
SS - 4th (5th)
LF - 1st (2nd)
CF - 4th (2nd)
RF - 3rd (5th)
SP - 5th (6th)
RP - 1st (1st)
CL - 16th (15th)

Power Rankings:
2nd (Last Month 1st)

Financials:
Fan Interest - 81 (Last Month 81)
Project Balance - $13,496

Trade Log:
1906-Traded LF Kip Selbach to the New York Highlanders for C Ira Thomas
1907-Traded C Charlie Graham to the Boston Doves for 3B Dave Brain
1907-Traded C Charlie Armbruster to the St. Louis Cardinals for SS Ed Holly
1908-Traded 3B Jimmy Collins to the New York Giants for RF Rudy Bell
1908-Traded SS Feddy Parent to the Washington Senators for RF Joe Stanley
1908-Traded 1B Fed Merkle to the Philadelphia Athletics for 3B Ed Lennox and SP Pete Wilson
1908-Traded SP Jesse Tannehill to the St. Louis Browns for LF Bob Bescher
1908-Traded LF Chick Stahl to the New York Giants for CF Vin Campbell

History:
1906 - Boston Americans 74-80, 15 GB (Season Score - 6)
1907 - Boston Americans 79-75, 8 GB (Season Score - 30)

[NYY #23]

There comes a time during every team's quest for a championship that you just have to go all in and make the big move. Based on where we stood at the trading deadline I decided we didn't have too many holes, and decided to float some of my top prospects around to see if anybody offered anything that would improve our team.

The Cleveland Naps, sitting 35 games out of first place, made me an offer for our top centerfield prospect, 20 year old Vin Campbell, that I couldn't refuse. Soon to be 34 year old second baseman Nap Lajoie, who wasn't happy playing for a last place team. We had the budget room to take on the larger contract, and while I was happy with our second baseman I think we definitely got an upgrade. Lajoie is having a down year this season, hitting .276 for the Naps, but he is worth taking a chance on. I added 29 year-old second baseman Harry Hinchman to the deal as a potential replacement. We took on $8000 in salary in the deal, so in what seems like a fair deal we send a good prospect to the Naps, give them salary relief, and someone who will compete for their second base job. Hopefully a fair deal, but I do know that if I do win the World Series I'd be taken over the Naps next year so it could come back to haunt me.

One more minor deal, as we sent 32 year old first baseman Myron Grimshaw to the Philadelphia Phillies for 32 year old right fielder John Titus. A change of scenery might do both good, as Grimshaw is hitting just .171 this year after hitting .374 last season. Titus is hitting .179 this season, after hitting .282 last season. I like Beals Becker in right field, but Titus is a better defender, which could be useful.

Hopefully this will be enough to give us a final push.

Our record for the month of July - 18-8
Season record: 68-27, 6 game lead over Detroit Tigers
Runs - 478 (1st in league)
Batting Average - .279 (1st in league)
Runs allowed - 264 (1st in league)
ERA - 2.03 (1st in league)

Team Leaders -
AVG: Clyde Milan - .334
HR: Beals Becker - 4
RBI: Clyde Milan - 57
W: George Winter - 17
ERA: George Winter - 1.45
K: Pete Wilson - 82

Who's hot:
SS - Donie Bush - .343
3B- Ed Lennox - .333
CF - Clylde Milan - .343, 16 RBI, 14 R
SP - George Winter - 5-1, 1.53 ERA
SP - Pete Wilson - 5-0, 1.64 ERA

Who's not:
3B - Dave Brain - .202
SP - Frank Oberlin - 6.75 ERA

Our updated positional rankings -
Cather - 3rd (3rd overall)
1B - 2nd (5th)
2B - 2nd (2nd)
3B - 14th (14th)
SS - 2nd (4th)
LF - 1st (1st)
CF - 3rd (4th)
RF - 4th (6th)
SP - 5th (6th)
RP - 1st (1st)
CL - 16th (15th)

Power Rankings:
1st (Last Month 2nd)

Financials:
Fan Interest - 84 (Last Month 81)
Project Balance - $29,677

Trade Log:
1906-Traded LF Kip Selbach to the New York Highlanders for C Ira Thomas
1907-Traded C Charlie Graham to the Boston Doves for 3B Dave Brain
1907-Traded C Charlie Armbruster to the St. Louis Cardinals for SS Ed Holly
1908-Traded 3B Jimmy Collins to the New York Giants for RF Rudy Bell
1908-Traded SS Feddy Parent to the Washington Senators for RF Joe Stanley
1908-Traded 1B Fed Merkle to the Philadelphia Athletics for 3B Ed Lennox and SP Pete Wilson
1908-Traded SP Jesse Tannehill to the St. Louis Browns for LF Bob Bescher
1908-Traded LF Chick Stahl to the New York Giants for CF Vin Campbell
1908 -Traded CF Vin Campbell and 2B Harry Hinchman to the Cleveland Naps for 2B Nap Lajoie
1908-Traded 1B Myron Grimshaw to the Philadelphia Phillies for RF John Titus

History:
1906 - Boston Americans 74-80, 15 GB (Season Score - 6)
1907 - Boston Americans 79-75, 8 GB (Season Score - 30)

[HGVoyager]

Here's hoping that the Lajoie trade works out. Very good 1908 so far!

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by HGVoyager

Here's hoping that the Lajoie trade works out. Very good 1908 so far!

Thanks. Nap hasn't been too good so far, but luckily it hasn't mattered yet as you'll see in a minute.

[NYY #23]

We had our worst month of the season, but so did the Tigers, as we opened up a 12 1/2 game lead over the Tigers, with our magic number sitting at 23. I'd love to say my acquisitions pushed us over the edge, but Nap Lajoie has struggled so far, hitting just .247. The "throw in" of the deal, Harry Hinchman is hitting .300 so far for the Naps. But hopefully September is just a tune up for the World Series.

Our record for the month of August - 16-9
Season record: 84-36, 12 1/2 game lead over Detroit Tigers
Runs - 581 (1st in league)
Batting Average - .275 (1st in league)
Runs allowed - 334 (1st in league)
ERA - 2.06 (1st in league)

Team Leaders -
AVG: Clyde Milan - .318
HR: Clyde Milan - 7
RBI: Clyde Milan - 70
W: George Winter - 22
ERA: George Winter - 1.50
K: Pete Wilson - 105

Who's hot:
SS - Donie Bush - .364, 13 R
C - Bill Carrigan - .342, 12 RBI
RF - Beals Becker - .340, 13 RBI, 12 R
SP - George Winter - 5-1, 1.70 ERA
SP - Joe Harris - 5-1, 1.88 ERA

Who's not:
3B - Dave Brain - .111
SS - Heinie Wagner - .100
1B - Dick Hobitzel - .225
2B - Nap Lajoie - .240

Our updated positional rankings -
Cather - 4th (7th overall)
1B - 2nd (5th)
2B - 3rd (3rd)
3B - 3rd (6th)
SS - 2nd (5th)
LF - 2nd (2nd)
CF - 3rd (4th)
RF - 3rd (5th)
SP - 5th (5th)
RP - 1st (1st)
CL - 16th (14th)

Power Rankings:
1st (Last Month 1st)

Financials:
Fan Interest - 85 (Last Month 84)
Project Balance - $46,442

Trade Log:
1906-Traded LF Kip Selbach to the New York Highlanders for C Ira Thomas
1907-Traded C Charlie Graham to the Boston Doves for 3B Dave Brain
1907-Traded C Charlie Armbruster to the St. Louis Cardinals for SS Ed Holly
1908-Traded 3B Jimmy Collins to the New York Giants for RF Rudy Bell
1908-Traded SS Feddy Parent to the Washington Senators for RF Joe Stanley
1908-Traded 1B Fed Merkle to the Philadelphia Athletics for 3B Ed Lennox and SP Pete Wilson
1908-Traded SP Jesse Tannehill to the St. Louis Browns for LF Bob Bescher
1908-Traded LF Chick Stahl to the New York Giants for CF Vin Campbell
1908 -Traded CF Vin Campbell and 2B Harry Hinchman to the Cleveland Naps for 2B Nap Lajoie
1908-Traded 1B Myron Grimshaw to the Philadelphia Phillies for RF John Titus

History:
1906 - Boston Americans 74-80, 15 GB (Season Score - 6)
1907 - Boston Americans 79-75, 8 GB (Season Score - 30)

[NYY #23]

The Boston Red Sox are going to the World Series as we clinched the American League pennant! Barring a miraculous collapse we will be taking on the New York Giants, who lead the NL by 14 1/2 games.

[NYY #23]

We took care of business in the American League, and the Giants took care of business in the National League. With just 8 games to play I'm ready for the World Series to begin. Bring in the Giants, we are ready!

Our record for the month of September - 18-8
Season record: 102-44, 23 1/2 game lead over Washington Senators
Runs - 729 (1st in league)
Batting Average - .277 (1st in league)
Runs allowed - 423 (1st in league)
ERA - 2.13 (1st in league)

Team Leaders -
AVG: Clyde Milan - .333
HR: Clyde Milan/Beals Becker - 9
RBI: Clyde Milan - 98
W: George Winter/Joe Harris- 25
ERA: George Winter - 1.75
K: Pete Wilson/Joe Harris - 125

Who's hot:
CF - Clyde Milan - .396, 22 R, 28 RBI
RF - Beals Becker - .374, 16 R, 28 RBI
2B - Nap Lajoie - .327, 17 R
SP - Joe Harris - 5-1, 1.14 ERA

Who's not:
C - Bill Carrigan - .207

Our updated positional rankings -
Cather - 4th (7th overall)
1B - 2nd (5th)
2B - 2nd (2nd)
3B - 3rd (6th)
SS - 2nd (3rd)
LF - 3rd (3rd)
CF - 1st (2nd)
RF - 2nd (4th)
SP - 5th (5th)
RP - 3rd (2nd)
CL - 16th (13th)

Power Rankings:
1st (Last Month 1st)

Financials:
Fan Interest - 85 (Last Month 85)
Project Balance - $45,992

Trade Log:
1906-Traded LF Kip Selbach to the New York Highlanders for C Ira Thomas
1907-Traded C Charlie Graham to the Boston Doves for 3B Dave Brain
1907-Traded C Charlie Armbruster to the St. Louis Cardinals for SS Ed Holly
1908-Traded 3B Jimmy Collins to the New York Giants for RF Rudy Bell
1908-Traded SS Feddy Parent to the Washington Senators for RF Joe Stanley
1908-Traded 1B Fed Merkle to the Philadelphia Athletics for 3B Ed Lennox and SP Pete Wilson
1908-Traded SP Jesse Tannehill to the St. Louis Browns for LF Bob Bescher
1908-Traded LF Chick Stahl to the New York Giants for CF Vin Campbell
1908 -Traded CF Vin Campbell and 2B Harry Hinchman to the Cleveland Naps for 2B Nap Lajoie
1908-Traded 1B Myron Grimshaw to the Philadelphia Phillies for RF John Titus

History:
1906 - Boston Americans 74-80, 15 GB (Season Score - 6)
1907 - Boston Americans 79-75, 8 GB (Season Score - 30)

[NYY #23]

As we prepared to head into the World Series we got a double dose of bad news, first our starting third baseman, Ed Lennox, got injured and was going to be out for the next five weeks. Next, our second baseman Nap Lajoie was suspended for 10 games for starting a bench clearing brawl on the last day of the season. (Shouldn't that take effect next season?)

So, we headed into the World Series with the Giants down two starters, but the hole at third base hurt more because we had a serviceable second baseman.

The World Series started bad as Ralph Glaze allowed one in the first, two in the second, and three in the third in Game 1 to put us down 4-0. We weren't coming back, and we ended up dropping Game 1 4-1. The second game looked bleak. Watching these games play out without being able to make any substitutions or changes was painful. These were the first games I watched as GM. Why is my manager doing that was my thought throughout the game? Nothing like a second guessing GM that thinks he knows how to manage better than the manager.

We were down 4-2 heading into the bottom of the eighth and I really, really didn't want to go down 2 games to none. Dick Hoblitzel saved the game for us, tripling home two runs to tie the game, and we won the game in the bottom of the ninth with a Bob Beschler double. Series tied, on to New York…

George Winter was on the mound, which was a good sign, but we fell behind 3-0 early and lost 4-1. Another year in Boston with the Red Sox was looking more and more likely each day. Game 4 we were down 6-4 going into the top of the ninth, when we started knocking the cover off the ball to score 4 runs and even up the series.

Game 5 was an extra inning affair. An 18 game affair. It wasn't until the top of the 18th when we scored a pair of runs to go up 6-4 in the game, which turned out to be the final score, and for the first time take a series lead.

Game 6 was back in Boston, and when we scored 5 runs in the bottom of the first, and I was thinking about getting out of Boston for good after scoring 4 runs in the bottom of the second. Final score 14-0 and I got my first World Championship with the Red Sox, closing the first chapter in my book.

There were a couple of reasons that I think made this possible so quickly. First, the Americans weren't too bad my first year, and the amateur draft helps out a lot. Taking an ok team into a champion where top to bottom the gap between teams wasn't too large wasn't too difficult. I know it will be more difficult next time. As I prepare to part Boston I think I left the team in pretty good shape for next year, and beyond. I'll be back with the final wrap up of Chapter 1, and reveal where I'll be going next.

[HGVoyager]

Worst to first in 3 years. Not bad!

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by HGVoyager

Worst to first in 3 years. Not bad!

I'm thinking the first one will be the easiest. The draft definitely helps out quite a bit, and being able to draft someone who is ready to play definitely helps a lot. I probably should have used something other than the default database that imports players a little earlier, but I guess its too late now.

[NYY #23]

I must say that I leave the Red Sox with mixed emotions. In three years we have gone from:

1906 - Boston Americans 74-80, 15 GB (Season Score - 6)
1907 - Boston Americans 79-75, 8 GB (Season Score - 30)
1908 - Boston Red Sox 106-48, Won World Series 4-2 over New York Giants (Season Score - 77)

I'll be leaving behind a trio of twenty game winners, a fairly young team in which I drafted many of the players, and a team that won the division by 23 games, and who was 52 games better than the team I'll be taking over. How is that for a wake up call? Yes, I think Chapter 2 will be a bit harder.

From Ralph Glaze going from someone I never heard of to 10-13 to 14-17 to 22-13 and pitching 331 1/3 innings.

To the guys I drafted like Donie Bush (.300, 52 RBI, 94 R), Bob Bescher (.279, 51 RBI, 109 R), or Clyde Milan (.332, 103 RBI, 93 R).

To guys like Dave Brain who I traded for, and despite not amounting to much (-2.8 VORP, .217 AVG, 25 errors) that I still got attached to for one reason or another.

So goodbye Boston, its time to move from a 106 game winner to a 100 game loser….

[NYY #23]

Or not. After a 54-100 season I've officially become the new GM of the Cleveland Naps, and I've got until 1915 until they become the Indians. The Indians won just two World Series titles in their history, in 1920 and 1948. So what has been happening with the Indians the last few years -

1905 : 76-68
1906: 88-68
1907: 85-69
1908: 54-100

Something happened between 1907 and 1908, but an interesting note is that the Indians 1907 projected record was 76-78, so they did better than they should have in 1907.

Our new offense - 8th in the league out of 8 teams
Our new defense - 8th in the league out of 8 teams

The Naps also lost $40,000 last year, and I don't think I've seen so many angry faces staring back at me when I look at the roster. We're going to have a lot of fun in Cleveland!!!

Our rotation:
Buster Brown (27) - 16-15, 2.86
Bill Grahame (24) - 6-14, 2.34
Addie Joss (28) - 15-23, 2.36
Glenn Liebhardt (25) - 6-15, 3.48

On the surface it doesn't look too bad, at least they are young. Of course, I inherited a team without a scout, a manager, and a pitching coach, so I'm just going off instinct here.

Other pitchers:
Mal Eason (29) - 1-5, 3.90
Fred Olmstead (27) - 8-3, 2.28
Otto Hess (30) - 7-11, 3.55
Willie Mitchell (18) - Reserve Roster
Harry Sullivan (20) - Reserve Roster

Catcher:
Bill Ludwig (26) - .176
Nig Clarke (25) - .259

First Base:
Claude Rossman (27) - .267, 62 RBI

Second Base:
Red Killefer (23) - .215, 36 RBI
Harry Hinchman (30) - .333

Third Base:
Stuffy McInnis (18) - .208
Morrie Rath (21) - .286

Shortstop:
Jack Barry (21) - .236
Terry Turner (27) - .190

Left Field:
Bunk Congalton (33) - .238

Center Field:
Joe Birmingham (24) - .207
Vin Campbell (20) - .128

Right Field:
Elmer Flick (32) - .253
Walt DeVoy (22) - .000

Nothing really stands out right now, except it is a young team, and hopefully they can grow into something special. It looks like we need some younger corner outfielders, and I'm not exactly sure how much trade bait we've got.

A look at our positional rankings -
Cather - 6th (7th overall)
1B - 6th (8th)
2B - 16th (16th)
3B - 11th (1st)
SS - 8th (8th)
LF - 16th (16th)
CF - 11th (11th)
RF - 10th (10th)
SP - 14th (14th)
RP - 7th (9th)
CL - 14th (9th)

Now it is time to do some hiring and fill out our staff.

[norva13x]

Just want to say, keep up the good work, really enjoying this thread

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by norva13x

Just want to say, keep up the good work, really enjoying this thread

Thanks, and thanks for following along!

[NYY #23]

As I mentioned before we needed a manager, pitching coach, and a scouting director. Looking at the choices out there, I noticed a familiar name among the choices to manage the team, Tim Thompson, who was my manager in Boston. I guess I need to check my personnel contracts more frequently, because I would have resigned him in Boston. I'm not sure why they didn't.

We imported our pitching coach from San Salvador, Luis Miguel Zamora, who rates well in teaching pitching (20), and teaching hitting (20). He was looking for a manager's job, but he accepted my offer of pitching coach.

Last but not least we brought aboard Bennie Smith as our scouting director. His specialty is scouting amateurs (19) and minors (18), but was the best scout available.

With our coaching staff under contact we did receive a trade proposal from the Chicago Cubs that I accepted. We sent catcher Bill Ludwig to the Cubs for Carl Lundgren, who was 3-2 with a 2.23 ERA last season and is 28 years old. It was an impulse decision to agree to the trade, but I have a bunch of catchers on the reserve roster, and it looks like Lundgren can start. We'll see how it works out.

We completed a second deal, shipping LF Bunk Congalton to the Brooklyn Superbas for 2B John Hummel. I'm hoping we are buying low with Hummel, after he hit .219 last season, after hitting .273 the season before.