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Old 05-22-2011, 09:43 PM   #1
AZTarHeel
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The Arizona League 3.0: Historical players in the Grand Canyon state

Like most folks who play OOTP, I have scores of ideas for dynasty stories that I want to try.

But I keep coming back to one in particular that I started a few years ago and never really got deep enough into for my satisfaction: The Arizona League.

My original idea was pretty simple: take historical players (i.e. "real" guys) and plug them into a fictional universe where every team is based in the Grand Canyon State, a fascinating place that I called home for four years in the early 2000s.

My first attempt actually happened on a whim back around 2006 (that dynasty thread is HERE). It was late at night and I was procrastinating big time on some work I had to do on the computer. I fired up good ol' OOTP5 and began a historical dynasty in 1901. For the heck of it, I changed all the team names to places in Arizona (bringing to life clubs like the Tombstone Epitaphs, Flagstaff Lumberjacks, Tucson Saguaros and Prescott Antelopes). I then released every player and redrafted.

As happens to a lot of us, I got totally wrapped up in the world I had created. It was neat to see who became stars in The Arizona League ("Wahoo Sam" Crawford won the MVP award a bunch of times) and who didn't (Cy Young was just average on the back end of his career). And it was cool to watch which teams emerged as the powerhouses and what rivalries developed among the different franchises I had created.

After about 20 seasons, my computer died and The Arizona League pretty much went with it. I tried one re-creation (The Arizona League Redux) after buying OOTP9, this time starting in the 1870s. But after a few seasons, I had painted myself into some tricky corners and realized too late that the game couldn't really handle very well what I was trying to pull off. So my excitement for that attempt fizzled out pretty quickly.

So, here I am again itching to get back to Arizona’s territorial days and build another baseball universe using historical players. This time, though, I am going to do more than observe and report. I plan to take over a franchise and see what I can make out of it through the years.

After spending way too many hours reading tales of Arizona's Wild West and baseball history, I believe I am ready to go again, hopefully for the long haul.

Without further ado, AzTarHeel Productions presents The Arizona League 3.0. Let's hope this one is a charm.

(Fade out to a hypnotic Native America flute music)


(A postcard image of one of the first ballparks used in Arizona, Warren Ballpark in the southern mining town of Bisbee).
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Old 05-22-2011, 09:51 PM   #2
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It’s been interesting to read some of the real-life history of baseball’s beginnings in Arizona. I found this article online recently:

"Between the founding of Arizona as a territory in 1863 and 1873, baseball had transformed from a gentleman's amateur game to a professional game with an official league and salaried players. During those ten years, with the assistance of the U.S. Army, settlers and families began to transform the Arizona Territory from army camps to town squares. Fortune seekers came from around the nation and the world staking out their fortune in mining and ranching; homesteaders and railroaders, merchants and bankers followed, with farms and towns dotting up across the rugged territory.

“While history records the infamous activities of the territorial mining and railroad towns of Arizona as denizens of drinking and gambling halls, Arizona's miners and cowboys did put their cards and whiskey down long enough during holiday celebrations to play the occasional ‘pickup’ game of baseball, especially on Christmas Day …

“Yuma was witness to one of the earliest matches with a game played on Main Street in February 1874. In Phoenix, following a Christmas Eve of dancing, celebrating, and feasting, the Norvall Club of McDowell and Phoenix Club played on Christmas Day 1880, with Phoenix winning 13 to 9. The game was described as ‘well played by both clubs, and was witnessed by a large audience, many of whom were ladies.’ A box score accompanied the brief article…”

(The whole article is HERE).

Using that as a backdrop to my dynasty, I envision two Base Ball leagues emerging in Arizona in the late 1800s -- one that grows up around the rough-and-tumble mining camps in places like Tombstone (known for its silver), Bisbee (copper) and Wickenburg (gold), and the other following growth in “town square” places like Phoenix, Prescott, Tucson, Yuma and Flagstaff.

By the early 1900s, these two competing leagues opt to merge into one professional league, thus forming The Arizona Territorial Baseball League -- or The Arizona League (AZL) for short. (Remember, Arizona was not yet a state in the early 1900s).

My dynasty will start in 1903, the first official year of the AZL. At this time there are 16 teams, divided into two eight-team divisions based on geography, with Phoenix as the dividing line. Once you start up the mountain out of Phoenix on what is now Interstate 17, you are in Northern League territory. The Southern League is comprised of teams in the Phoenix area and southward.


Northern League

Flagstaff Lumberjacks
Grand Canyon River Runners
Holbrook Roadrunners
Jerome Copper Miners
Kingman Prospectors
Payson Pines
Prescott Antelopes
Wickenburg Gold Rush

Southern League
Bisbee Copper Kings
Florence Silver Sox
Nogales Apaches
Phoenix Coyotes
Tempe Diablos
Tombstone Epitaphs
Tucson Saguaros
Yuma Indians

I used most of these teams the first time I did the Arizona League. Some have new nicknames. I spent way too much time designing logos and uniforms for each franchise (which I’ll post as we go along).

Which team will I choose to take command of? It took me forever to decide that as well. Keep reading to find out.


A team of ballplayers from Prescott in the late 1800s.
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Old 05-22-2011, 11:08 PM   #3
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For four years in the early 2000s, I lived in what was known as Arizona’s Verde Valley, located halfway between Phoenix and Flagstaff just off I-17.

There was a little ghost town up on Mingus Mountain called Jerome. I could see the lights from restaurants and shops twinkling way up on the hill from my front porch each night. Only about 400 people live there now, but during the heyday of mining in the late 1880s and early 1990s, Jerome was a bustling mile-high city (at one point, the third-largest city in all of Arizona).


Jerome pictured in the 1920s.

Some history from Wiki: “A mining town named Jerome was established on the side of Cleopatra Hill in 1883. It was named for Eugene Murray Jerome, a New York investor who owned the mineral rights and financed mining there … The town housed the workers in the nearby United Verde Mine, which was to produce over 1 billion dollars in copper, gold and silver over the next 70 years … Jerome became a notorious "wild west" town, a hotbed of prostitution, gambling and vice. On 5 February 1903, the New York Sun proclaimed Jerome to be "the wickedest town in the West.”

How could I resist taking over the baseball team from the wickedest town in the West?

My plan now is to stick with the Copper Miners for the duration of the dynasty. Maybe building a successful baseball franchise will change Jerome’s reputation for the better in the eyes of the rest of the nation.

Here is a picture I found of a baseball team from Jerome from the 1920s. They were known as the Minerals.



Here is Jerome’s first uniform that I developed for my league. I used copper and turquoise as the main colors, along with black pinstripes (the only team in the AZL for now to use pinstripes). Turquoise also is abundant in Arizona.



The Copper Miners will play home games at the United Verde Baseball Park. For my purposes, the park will hold 9,000 spectators. Obviously, 9,000 would be a lot to cram into the space below.



Now, time to find out which players will be wearing copper and turquoise for the inaugural season of The Arizona Territorial Baseball League. Time to pick players!

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Old 05-22-2011, 11:12 PM   #4
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One of the things I am excited about is starting a franchise from scratch, beginning with the inaugural draft. I’ve never really done that before. For this dynasty, I randomized the draft order, and the Copper Miners will have the No. 4 pick behind Grand Canyon, Bisbee and Holbrook.

I’m using the Serpentine draft method, so it will probably feel like forever between Jerome’s first pick and second pick. But at least the third pick will come quickly after the second.

In all the years I’ve played OOTP, I’ve tried to build teams with great pitching, solid defense and speed on the base paths. I haven’t really done a whole lot in the Dead Ball era, so it will be interesting to see how my philosophy translates into this time period.

FYI: I am still using OOTP9 (hopefully will upgrade at some point this year). I have financials/free agency turned off and will keep it that way for awhile. I have injuries and player fatigue set on low. No suspensions for now. Trading frequency is low and trading difficulty is hard with the AI favoring neutral. I like the idea of great players staying with one team over the long haul. Talent change is listed at 40 (low). I have pledged not to look at a player’s “real stats” until after he is drafted.

OK, now on to the draft, let’s see who goes No. 1 and who the Copper Miners will build their team around in year No. 1.

(Fade out to hypnotic Native American flute music)
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Old 05-22-2011, 11:26 PM   #5
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I don’t know tons of names of Dead Ball players but there are two players that I really coveted in this first draft. I got one of them.

I had hoped to nab a youthful Christy “Big Six” Mathewson (age 22) but the Bisbee Copper Kings nabbed him with the No. 2 overall pick. At least my team won’t have to face him on a regular basis since he’ll be in the Southern League (Jerome is in the Northern League).

Pitcher Chief Bender, age 19, went No. 1 overall to Grand Canyon. I found that an intriguing pick, almost like current NBA teams drafting on future potential (and potential longevity) rather than current talent/abilities. We’ll see how he pans out. My scout only ranks him with three-star potential.

Pitcher Noodles Hahn went No. 3 overall to Holbrook. We will have to face both Hahn and Bender in the Northern League. Yikes.

We’ll build our pitching fortunes around our No. 1 overall pick, Rube Waddell. I’ve read Waddell was a pretty quirky guy (reportedly running off the field to chase down fire engines according to some baseball lore). But on the field I feel good about this selection. Waddell, a left-hander, is just 26 years old. He is coming off a 24-7 performance in 1902, with a 2.05 ERA. He’s listed by the game as the top pitcher in the league right now. We’ll see what happens.

Teams were gobbling up pitchers right and left in the first two rounds. In fact, as I look over the draft log, no position player was taken until the third round. That worked great for me because I was able to grab the one position player I really wanted (the star of my first Arizona League dynasty): outfielder Sam Crawford. “Wahoo” Sam is only 22, has great pop in his bat and pretty good speed. He’s rated as a solid defensive right fielder. I’m loving it and hope he matches his performances from his stint in my original Arizona League (where he played for Flagstaff his entire career).

Here is how the whole draft went for Jerome:
1. SP Rube Waddell
2. MR Ambrose Puttman
3. LF Sam Crawford
4. 2B Jimmy Williams
5. SP Gus Thompson
6. CF Homer “Doc” Smoot
7. 3B Harry Steinfeldt
8. SS Otto Williams
9. SP Ed Killian
10. C Hughie Hearne
11. SP Jack Pfiester
12. RF Socks Seybold
13. MR Libe Washburn
14. 1B John Ganzel
15. MR Charlie Moran
16. 3B Jimmy “Sunset Jimmy” Burke
17. SP Harry Betts
18. C Owen Shannon
19. SS Billy Clingman
20. CF Ed Householder
21. 1B Bill “Big Bill” Hanlon
22. 1B Lon “Old Sleep” Ury
23. 2B Bert Daly

Thoughts from Dead Ball experts? We’ll see how it pans out. Crawford and fellow outfielder Socks Seybold are listed as top 20 batters heading into the season. Waddell is the only top 20 pitcher, so I’m concerned about pitching depth.

The top player in the league going into the 1903 season, according to the OOTP in-game scout, is 35-year-old Ed Delahanty, picked by Grand Canyon. Grand Canyon also has the No. 3 overall player, LF Fred Clark. The top three overall prospects play for Grand Canyon -- SP Chief Bender, MR Red Ames and MR Lew Moren. The River Runners could be the team to beat in the early history of the league.

A few other key names and where they went in the inaugural draft: SP Addie Joss went No. 5 to Florence, SP Jesse Tannehill was picked No. 11 by Wickenburg, SS Honus Wagner (another player I was looking at hard before picking Crawford) went in the third round to Kingman, 2B Nap Lajoie was picked in the third round by Tombstone. An aging Cy Young (now 35) didn’t get picked until late in the fourth round, by Prescott. It will be interesting to see what he has left. He’s already earned 351 wins by this point in his career.

If there are other players readers are interested in, feel free to ask. I’ll gladly provide updates. Same with teams if there is a team that you want to follow.

By the way, Jerome’s owner doesn’t have huge expectations for the 1903 season. He just wants us to play .500 ball (and stay out of bar fights).
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Old 05-22-2011, 11:45 PM   #6
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He just wants us to play .500 ball (and stay out of bar fights).
Pffft. Is he some Yankee sissy from New Yawk?
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Old 05-23-2011, 09:24 PM   #7
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Pffft. Is he some Yankee sissy from New Yawk?
Funny - maybe getting in a few bar fights would toughen the guys up a bit ...
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Old 05-23-2011, 09:27 PM   #8
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1903 Season - Opening Day

The first-ever game in the Arizona Territorial Baseball League involved familiar rivals from the old miners leagues, the Bisbee Copper Kings and Tombstone Epitaphs. The game was played on April 15, 1903. Those two towns are located pretty close to each other in southern Arizona.

Jack Chesbro outdueled Christy “Big Six” Mathewson from the mound as Tombstone topped Bisbee 2-1. Chesbro threw a complete-game three-hitter, with six Ks and no earned runs. Big Six struggled a little bit, walking four and giving up six hits.

Later on Opening Day, the Yuma Indians edged the Nogales Chiefs 3-2.

Some AZL notables that may be trivia questions on day:
* First pitch: Tombstone’s Chesbro threw a ball to Bisbee’s Jimmy Sebring.
* First hit: Tombstone’s Kid Elberfeld raps a line drive single to centerfield on the first pitch of the game from Mathewson in the bottom of the first
* First run: Elberfeld comes around to score in the first inning on a fielder’s choice play by Herm McFarland
* First double: Tombstone’s Nap Lajoie gets two sacks in the third inning
* First triple: Yuma’s Buck Freeman earns three bags on opening day against Nogales in the fourth inning
* First walk: Drawn by Lajoie in the first inning against Mathewson
* First strikeout: Bisbee catcher Duke Farrell fans against Chesbro in the second inning
* First batter beaned by a pitch: Bisbee LF Joe Kelley is hit by Chesbro to start the sixth inning
* First stolen base: Nogales CF Ginger Beaumont grabs a base in the first inning against Yuma.
* First home run: A solo shot from Tempe’s Charlie “Piano Legs” Hickman in the second inning against Florence on April 17,1903 (day three of the season).
* First pitching win: Jack Chesbro of Tombstone against Bisbee

The Jerome Copper Miners don’t start their season until April 22. The Miners’ first series will be a four-game set at home on Cleopatra Hill against the Holbrook Roadrunners. I imagine we’ll have to face Noodles Hahn in the opener. We’ll see what we’re made of right away with Rube Waddell on the hill for us…
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Old 05-23-2011, 10:50 PM   #9
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1903 Season - Jerome's Opening Day

Here is Jerome's Opening Day roster for the Copper Miner's inaugural season.



A crowd of 4,076 fans came to Cleopatra Hill to see the Miners beat Holbrook 4-3 in the team's opener April 22.

Rube Waddell outdueled Noodles Hahn from the mound, striking out seven in 8.1 innings of work. Harry Steinfeldt had a big two-run double in the third inning to put Jerome ahead. Seven of nine Miners starters got hits.

A nice beginning for the franchise.

Last edited by AZTarHeel; 05-23-2011 at 10:53 PM.
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Old 05-23-2011, 11:31 PM   #10
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It's great to see you back on the boards, AZ. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this story turns out!

Good luck with the Copper Miners. I'll be rooting for them!
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Old 05-24-2011, 12:33 PM   #11
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It's great to see you back on the boards, AZ. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this story turns out!

Good luck with the Copper Miners. I'll be rooting for them!
Thanks Big Six. I appreciate the kind words. And it's glad to be back!
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Old 05-24-2011, 12:39 PM   #12
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1903 Season Recap

1903 Standings


1903 Jerome Copper Miners Leaderboard


Surprise, surprise. The Copper Miners finished on the top of the Northern League.

I certainly didn’t expect that. I thought the Miners would be solid but not good enough to win it all. I didn’t think we had enough pitching depth, but a couple of starters developed alongside Rube Waddell, and the offense showed some pop. We were first in just about every offensive category and in the top four in nearly every pitching category.

Socks Seybold’s home run numbers surprised me a little (on the high side). The combo of Seybold-Crawford-Steinfeldt made for a mean 2-3-4 set up in the batting order. I’m an even bigger Sam Crawford fan now and really glad I drafted him. He’s in his early 20s so hopefully this is just the start for him.

I usually tinker quite a bit with my teams when I play long-term dynasties, but I made very little moves all season long. I didn’t make a single trade (mostly because I didn’t want to deal any of my guys and didn't have many "extras" to work with), and the lineup stayed the same most games.

The only struggle was finding a consistent No. 4 starter behind Waddell, Gus Thompson and Ed Killian. Nobody could hang on to the job for very long. That may be a place to start wheeling and dealing in the off-season, but no sense messing with anything now as long as it’s working.

The Northern League was interesting. All eight teams stayed within a couple of games of each other in April and early May (all around .500). Jerome took over the lead by late May but only by a game or two. Prescott, Flagstaff and Grand Canyon hung around for a long time, and the four teams jockeyed back and forth. The Miners went 18-8 in June and 18-9 in July to start seizing control. A 14-9 record in September helped Jerome hold on to the lead.

The Southern League featured a lot more disparity early. Yuma started 7-0 and then 12-2, and pulled away from the pack quickly along with eventual champion Florence and Tombstone. Florence held on for the SL title despite losing its last four games.

There were TWO triple crown winners in season one of the AZL. Waddell led the Northern League in wins, strikeouts and ERA. Bisbee’s Christy “Big Six” Mathewson did the same in the Southern League (24 wins, 220 strikeouts, 2.13 ERA). Too bad for Bisbee that the Copper Kings didn’t win the division. Then it would have been an all-Copper playoff series.

The Cactus Champions Cup (i.e. the World Series of the AZL) will be best-of-nine this season. My gut feeling is that Florence has a much deeper pitching rotation -- Jock Menefee 21 wins, Roy Patterson 20 wins, Addie Joss 18 wins, etc. -- and that will be tough to overcome. Then again, it’s the Dead Ball era and maybe we’ll pitch Rube Waddell every game!! I’ve never played a best-of-nine, so this will be interesting to say the least…

(As a side note, I plan to sim through each season a few games or a week at a time. If I’m locked in a real tight pennant race in September, I may play out some games. I plan to play out all the playoff games as well.)
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Old 05-26-2011, 11:11 AM   #13
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1903 Cactus Champions Cup Recap, Part I



Logo and uniform of the Florence Silver Sox, Jerome's opponent in the championship series.


The first-ever Cactus Champions Cup series certainly lived up to the hype for both clubs involved (and honestly playing out each of the games was some of the most fun I’ve ever had with OOTP).

I won’t give away the ending just yet, but here are how the first four games transpired:

Game 1
Jerome 4, Florence 1 -- Rube Waddell pitched a gem on a cool, windy and rainy afternoon on Cleopatra Hill, allowing six hits and one earned run. He struck out five and only walked one. John Ganzel went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in the fourth inning that gave Jerome a 2-1 lead (it shocked me a little to see a HR).

The Copper Miners got out of some harrowing situations defensively, including when Florence got two men in scoring position in the sixth. Roy Patterson, a 20-game winner for Florence, took the loss. All four runs were earned runs charged to the standout pitcher. Jerome leads the series 1-0.


Game 2
Florence 5, Jerome 3 -- Despite a home run from Socks Seybold and a 3-for-4 performance from “Wahoo Sam” Crawford, the Copper Miners fell at home, evening the series 1-1. Pitcher Gus Thompson struggled to find the strike zone. Florence jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first inning and then plated three runs after the Miners tied it up 2-2. Florence starter Jock Menefee proved tough to hit all day long. Series tied 1-1.


Game 3
Jerome 6, Florence 2 -- Almost all of the scoring came in the first two innings. Florence took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first after a two-run double by Lew Drill (who has been having a great series). Jerome scored five runs in the top of the second inning, and that lead held until the Miners pushed an insurance run across in the top of the ninth.

Jerome had chances to break things open, getting leadoff runners aboard in several innings. But the Miners kept getting gunned down trying to steal bases by Drill (who has a catcher’s arm rated at 4/20 -- I felt confident running but we only stole half the bases we tried to swipe).

Sam Crawford went 3-for-4 in the game with an RBI and a run. Billy Clingman had two hits and two RBIs. John Ganzel and Homer “Doc” Smoot each had two hits. Doc Smoot, Jerome’s starting centerfielder, made a huge defensive play in the bottom of the eighth with Florence threatening. The Silver Sox had two on with one out, but Smoot gunned down the lead runner to snuff out a potential rally.

Pitcher Ed Killian did a solid job, throwing all nine innings and allowing the Miners to save Rube Waddell for Game Four. (I had pondered pitching Waddell in this game as he was listed at 100 percent rested). Jerome leads the series 2-1.


Game 4
Florence 9, Jerome 2 -- So much for the advantage gained in game three. Just about everything that could go wrong went wrong for the Copper Miners. Pitcher Rube Waddell was way off, giving up two home runs and five early runs total before being pulled. Ambrose Puttman allowed another homer. The Jerome defense committed four errors.

The Miners did generate 10 hits against Al Orth but couldn’t get runners home. Two bright spots: Jimmy Williams was 4-for-4 with two RBIs. Sam Crawford finished 2-for-3 to push his post-season average up to .600. But the scoreboard beamed back frustrating overall numbers on a day when many hoped Jerome would take a 3-1 series lead.

Danny Green enjoyed a rarity, bashing two home runs in the game for Florence. Hobe Ferris also hit a home run ball. Both Green and Ferris finished with three hits for the Silver Sox.

Now, the series becomes a best-of-five affair. That’s one of the reasons Jerome pulled Waddell so early, knowing that if he can rest up he should be able to throw two more times (maybe three if I’m a little crazy). Series tied 2-2.
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Old 05-26-2011, 11:20 AM   #14
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1903 Cactus Champions Cup Recap, Part II




Continuing with game recaps from a very entertaining (and gut-wrenching) Cactus Champions Cup series between the Copper Miners and Silver Sox.

Game 5
Jerome 2, Florence 0 -- The series returned to Jerome, and the Miners treated their fans to a gem. Pitcher Gus Thompson threw a complete-game shutout, striking out three. (It was tense, since almost every ball got put in play).

Florence pitcher Roy Patterson kept Jerome hitters tied up most of the night. Jimmy Williams hit a run-scoring double for the Miners in the bottom of the first. The score stayed 1-0 until the seventh when Thompson helped his own cause, batting in Harry Steinfeldt with a two-out single.

Jerome needs just two more wins to clinch the Arizona League’s first-ever championship trophy.

Trying to figure out if we should go back with Rube Waddell in Game Six (since he got beat up pretty good his last time out) or try Ed Killian instead, since Killian was on in Game Three. Jerome leads the series 3-2.


Game 6
Florence 7, Jerome 0 -- Sometimes OOTP makes me very angry. This was one of those times. A very close game got away late as the Copper Miners completely imploded in the top of the ninth.

I was regretting my decision to start Rube Waddell when he began the game by giving up three straight singles to Fred Tenney, Bobby Wallace and Danny Green. Waddell then walked Sam Mertes to bring in a run. Yikes!

But from there, Waddell settled down and the Miners worked out of the first-inning jam to keep the game 1-0. Lew Drill hit a long fly to centerfield, but Homer Smoot gunned down the runner heading to the plate. Catcher Hughie Hearne got bowled over on the play but still held on to the ball! Dave Fultz then flied out and the inning was over. For awhile, I thought Hearne's gutsy play at home would be the game-defining (and maybe series-defining) moment.

But the Copper Miners couldn’t generate any offense against Florence starter Jock Menefee, who threw a complete-game, five-hit shutout.

Waddell struck out eight for the game. He walked a few but nothing ever really came back to bite him. But we had to take him out in the bottom of the eighth to try and generate some runs. Big mistake! Florence lit up relievers Jack “The Giant Killer (not really)” Pfiester, Libe Washburn and Ambrose Puttman. Jerome players lost their minds as the Florence lead climbed, with Puttman beaning a couple of batters (on purpose). Florence then hit Socks Seybold in return, and the dugouts nearly cleared.

Jerome has some regrouping to do now. Best two-out-of-three wins it. Somebody other than Rube Waddell is going to have come through with some pitching for Jerome. Series tied 3-3.


Game 7
Florence 2, Jerome 1 -- Playing out this game had me pounding my fists on my desk just like Game 6. Florence catcher Lew Drill, who I’ve really learned to loathe in this series, stroked the game-winning RBI with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Arrg!

The score stayed 0-0 for awhile, then Jerome’s Sam Crawford stroked a run-scoring single in the top of the fourth. The 1-0 advantage held until the bottom of the seventh. Florence’s Danny Green led off the inning with a double. With one out, he made a break for third base, and our catcher, Hughie Hearne, overthrew the bag, giving Green the green light to come home and tie the game.

I knew we were in trouble when the game went into the ninth still tied 1-1. Gus Thompson had pitched a beauty for Jerome, but you can only hold back good hitters for so long. With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Florence’s Bobby Wallace tripled. We played the infield in and Danny Green’s infield single didn’t score Wallace (whew!). Sam Mertes flew out to center, and the Miners needed just one more out to force extra innings.

Enter Lew Drill, our nemesis. He bashed a line drive up the middle to score Wallace, ending the game. The Florence fans went nuts as the Silver Sox moved to within one game of clinching the championship. Jerome was pretty devastated (as was I).

In the games we’ve lost (and even some in the games we’ve won), Jerome has struggled to move runners into scoring position. We get guys on base but then they get thrown out stealing second or we can’t bunt them into scoring position. Honestly I’m used to playing with a modern day team that bashes home runs (like the Phillies from my old Andrew Zarzour dynasty). It’s tough when you have to manufacture runs and can‘t even get to second base.

I’ve got to credit Lew Drill (even though I hate him). After seven playoff games, the Florence catcher has thrown out 12 base-stealers. I guess I refuse to learn my lesson and keep sending runners. But when your players have speed and stealing abilities rated at 10-15 (out of 20), and the catcher you are trying to run against has arm rated at 4/20 and overall catching ability at 7/20, you’d think you’d have much more success. Not the case against Mr. Drill.

On to game eight -- do or die time for the Copper Miners. Florence leads the series 4-3.
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Old 05-26-2011, 12:18 PM   #15
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1903 Cactus Champions Cup Recap: Game 8



Game 8
Jerome 6, Florence 0 -- With everything on the line, the Copper Miners go back to pitcher Rube Waddell and the quirky left-hander delivers. Waddell threw a complete-game, four-hit shutout. He struck out eight and walked just two.

For awhile, I thought this game would turn out much like Games 6 and 7. While our pitching was good, we just couldn’t string together hits to score runs.

A triple by Sam Crawford and a walk by Jimmy Williams were wasted in the first inning. Hughie Hearne doubled in the second frame but was left stranded in scoring position. Finally the Miners got something going in the third when Homer “Doc” Smoot doubled to lead off and made it around on a sac fly. But that was it for the Jerome scoring until the eighth inning.

Waddell helped his own cause in the eighth with a double to lead off -- maybe the biggest hit of the series for the Miners. Sam Crawford eventually batted Waddell home, then came home himself after a hit by Williams. The Miners got some breathing room for Waddell up 3-0 and then pounded out four more runs in the top of the ninth as Florence imploded (much like Jerome did in Game 6).

Wahoo Sam finished 4-for-5 and was a home run shy of the cycle. Hearne and Smoot had a couple of hits apiece. Williams and Socks Seybold each had two RBIs.

So now the series moves back to Jerome for a winner-take-all Game 9. Even though Rube Waddell about threw his arm off in Game 8, the Copper Miners are thinking about giving him the ball again in Game 9. Hey, why not? There is a rest day between the two games. In the Dead Ball era, that may be all that it takes to get Waddell’s arm ready … Series tied 4-4.
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Old 05-26-2011, 05:06 PM   #16
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1903 Cactus Champions Cup Recap: Game 9!



Game 9
Florence 6, Jerome 0 -- We took a big gamble by coming back with Rube Waddell in Game 9, and it backfired. My scout said he was 100 percent rested even though he threw 120-plus pitches in Game 8.

Waddell lived on the edge through the first three innings, then he finally cracked in the fourth.

In the opening frame, Florence loaded the bases but couldn’t score. In the second inning, Bill Coughlin tripled with one out, but Waddell struck out the next two batters. In the third, Frank Tenney doubled with one out and eventually made it to third on a fielder’s choice. But Waddell fanned Danny Green and lured the hated Lew Drill into a fly-ball out (take that Lew!).

But the magic ended in the fourth inning. The hero of the game turned out to be CF Dave Fultz, who had been 2-for-20 in the series until smashing a two-run triple to right field. The Silver Sox added two more runs and chased Waddell from the game.

In hindsight, maybe we should have gone with Gus Thompson on the hill and brought in Waddell to close if needed. But then again, we once again couldn’t get the bats going. Roy Patterson went the distance for Florence, giving up just six hits and striking out four. And of course, Jerome had two more base-runners thrown out by Lew Drill trying to steal second (good job, Lew). Maybe we need to trade for this guy. There is much more to him than meets the eye.

I hate how the series turned out for Jerome but then again, playing out the nine-game set proved a lot of fun (even the losses) -- and a big challenge for me as an OOTP player. The Dead Ball era definitely is different since you can’t rely on home run hitters to bail you out all the time.

A few final notes on the playoffs: Sam Crawford batted .417 for the Copper Miners, though he only had four RBIs in the nine games. Jimmy Williams had five RBIs behind Crawford and finished with a .344 average. Homer “Doc” Smoot moved into the leadoff role in the latter games and finished with a .310 average.

Waddell was only 2-3 in the post-season with a 2.77 ERA. He struck out 34 and walked nine.

If there was an MVP trophy, I'd give it to Lew Drill, who limited our base-running and had the big game-winning hit in Game Seven.
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Old 05-26-2011, 10:12 PM   #17
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What a classic Series! I enjoyed reading your writeups very much.

Lew Drill gunning down so many baserunners "feels" like Dead Ball era baseball. Stolen base percentages were a lot lower then. Did you see that throughout your league, or did Lew suddenly sprout a howitzer in place of his right arm during the Series?

I've enjoyed getting to know players I otherwise knew nothing about through OOTP. Guys like Roy Hitt, who were nobodies in "real" MLB, and guys like Bill Carrigan, who was a solid player I'd heard of, became central characters in dynasties I've written, and I became curious about their real careers.

I'll be reading. I hope you'll provide some Lew Drill updates from time to time, too.
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Old 05-26-2011, 11:19 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Six View Post
What a classic Series! I enjoyed reading your writeups very much.

Lew Drill gunning down so many baserunners "feels" like Dead Ball era baseball. Stolen base percentages were a lot lower then. Did you see that throughout your league, or did Lew suddenly sprout a howitzer in place of his right arm during the Series?

I've enjoyed getting to know players I otherwise knew nothing about through OOTP. Guys like Roy Hitt, who were nobodies in "real" MLB, and guys like Bill Carrigan, who was a solid player I'd heard of, became central characters in dynasties I've written, and I became curious about their real careers.

I'll be reading. I hope you'll provide some Lew Drill updates from time to time, too.
I definitely should have done my homework on ol' Lew before the Series ... He threw out 42 percent of would-be base-stealers for the season ... I think that percentage was a lot higher in the championship series ... I'm like you. I enjoy seeing the historical guys come to life in dynasties like this and seeing what kind of personalities they develop. That's why I try to play out at least a few of the games. That helps me get to know my team as well ... Thanks for reading...
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Old 05-26-2011, 11:24 PM   #19
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I found this obituary of Lew Drill, who actually lived to be 92 ...

TheDeadballEra.com :: Lew Drill's Obit

Drill was a federal prosecutor whose tenure "was briefer than his stay in the American League" -- good stuff ...
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Old 05-27-2011, 12:53 PM   #20
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1903 Season Wrapup

Season Score
Our score was 83 out of 100. Not bad. Would prefer to have a championship, though.

Jerome Player Awards
It was a no-brainer that Rube Waddell would win the Northern League Pitcher of the Year award. Despite not having the greatest of post-seasons, Waddell won the triple crown of pitching with 27 wins, a 2.00 ERA and 200 strikeouts.

Jerome pitcher Ed Killian (19-11, 3.06 ERA) was voted Northern League rookie of the year.

I was a little surprised to see 3B Harry Steinfeldt win the NL’s Top Hitter award. He batted .326, with 99 RBIs and seven home runs during the season. He was pretty quiet in the post-season, though, and I actually moved him down the lineup (and eventually out for one game).

Other notes

Christy “Big Six” Mathewson of Bisbee was the Southern League’s top pitcher … Patsy Donovan of Prescott had the top batting average for the whole league, .373 … Tucson’s Roger Bresnahan was the Southern League’s top hitter award winner, batting .321 with 69 RBIs … No one threw a no-hitter in 1903, but Payson’s Weldon Henley enjoyed a 15 strikeout game …

Notable Retirees/Transactions
* Infielder Bobby “Link” Lowe hung it up at the age of 38. He played his last season in Payson and finished with 1,777 career hits. Lowe had 925 career RBIs and finished with a career average of .282.

* Yuma catcher Chief Zimmer retired at the age of 42. His career began in 1884. He started 1903 in Tucson and was traded to Yuma. He finished with 1,300 career hits and a lifetime average of .263.

* Grand Canyon dealt 36-year-old outfielder Ed Delahanty to Bisbee for 27-year-old outfielder Charlie Dexter right after the season ended. Guess the River Runners were looking to get younger in the outfield. “Big Ed” is just 296 hits shy of reaching 3,000 for his career. He had a good 1903 season, batting .289 (162 hits). Delahanty is a lifetime .342 hitter.

Bisbee must like older outfielders because they also traded with Phoenix to get 40-year-old Jimmy Ryan. Ryan has 2,510 career hits and batted .263 in 1903.

* Can you believe this? The Florence Silver Sox traded catcher Lew Drill (“The Hated One” to Jerome fans) to the Yuma Indians (to replace Chief Zimmer)! The Sox got outfielder Billy Lush in return. At least Drill will stay in the Southern League.

OK, on to the 1904 season! Hopefully Jerome can earn some redemption for its championship series loss.
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