Any Given Saturday

[NYY #23]

I originally read this article Rule change: Baseball At 16 Games | Joe Blogs and found the premise very interesting. It's the type of scenario that is perfect for OOTP, or at least almost perfect. I ran round one - http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...en-sunday.html and continued with round two - http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...continues.html but I think I made some mistakes along the way that backed me into a corner that I wanted to get out of.

Running a league for 14 years and you learn some things about what you like, what you don't like, and what could work a little bit better. There were a couple of things that I think that I did wrong. First was starting with a 32 team league, because the early parity was brutal. Second was trying to be too much like the NFL, including the adopting of the actual NFL nicknames. You live and learn, and hopefully I'll be able to take some of those lessons to make this iteration better. It went from one of the favorite leagues that I had ever played, and it felt like it lost its character, and became more of a chore. That's the back story of my "reset" at least, and probably more than you care to know. And I will miss quite a few of the players that I've gotten to know, and some of the "storylines" as well. Hopefully that same level of immersion will surface this time around.

One of my biggest problems with this concept is the fact that I can't imagine this being reality today. There is no way baseball would cut 10% of their games, which is my justification for going back to the beginning. I can't imagine a scenario today where baseball would switch to playing games once per week, but I can imagine a scenario where that starts in the beginning. After 100 years of playing games once per week I imagine that it would be hard to imagine playing more games per week. Playing one game per week should increase the important of a starting pitcher, and they should be like the quarterback. A winner take all will mean that the better team won't always win.

As I did last time I will be playing God in this world, and not take control of any teams. I have no preconceived notions of how things should go, and I always enjoy seeing how things play out. Once the games begin everything from that point forward will be fictional, but hopefully somewhat grounded in reality. I have some ideas on how I'd like to see the league evolve, but they are just a guide. Ultimately the action on the field (OTTP) will determine the course I'll follow. Here are some of the rules that I will be following -

• Games played will be 26 per season, and played weekly on Saturdays, due to the blue laws in place at the start. Baseball season will be April through September, so 26 games will work out best. I expect that the number of games per season will always remain at 26.
• Roster will be limited to 17 players - 5 pitchers and 12 hitters. This could change slightly as things evolve
• Players will be fictional. After seeing players like Aaron Jackson come to life in round one this is one of the things that I really enjoyed.
• League totals will be constant throughout, with only random changes to more or less offense
• The league will begin with 14 teams to start, which will grow over time

Feel free to ask any questions, or let me know if there is anything that you'd like to see.

[NYY #23]

Our story begins in December of 1868 where the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) permits professional clubs for the first time. Twelve teams would turn professional and begin play as professionals in 1869. The season would not be without controversy though, as the Troy Haymakers refused to play after they dropped their 20th game of the season. There would also be controversy as the top two teams in the league were invited to play in the Championship Cup, but a dispute arose between St Louis and Washington over who would play Washington couldn't be settled. St. Louis had more wins, but four of those wins came against amateur teams, while Washington played just one amateur team. The raiding of the Hartford Blues best players forced them to abandon play for several games, until they could raid another roster. Rumors of gambling continued to rise above a whisper.

It was clear that the National Association needed better organization, and if baseball was going to survive professionally there would need to be tighter controls, better rules, and stronger authority. In December of 1869 the National Association voted to elect Gil Ford as president, a former player and member of the bar. His first course of action was holding a series of meetings with representatives of the professional teams, and on February 7th, 1870 Ford produces a document outlining the rules, punishments, and governance of the National Association, in what became known as the Ford rules.

14 teams signed the "Ford rules" and the National League was born. Those teams would begin play to play on April 2, 1870. Each of the 14 teams were required to play all 13 teams at their home field, and on the road for a total of 26 games. Those games would be played on Saturdays only. Any games played against amateur teams, scrimmages, or other teams wouldn't count in the standings. All players would remain under control of the team for one year, and any player appearing in a game would be compensated. Any player who failed to honor their contract would be banned from the league.

At the end of the season the top four teams in the league by record would play for the Turner Cup, named after former Cincinnati manager Jack Turner, who passed away last year.

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Up next we'll take a look at those 14 teams and how they did in 1870.

[NYY #23]

You almost have to feel bad for Chris Codling. At 41 year old his better days are in the past, and he's the Lakers' starter almost by default, as Cleveland doesn't have better options. That's why it's hard to fault Codling for going 2-19 with a 6.64 ERA for the Lakers. He took one for the team, so to speak, and the Lakers will likely turn to either Nathan Burke or Randall Steele next season, but the Lakers will need to find a long term solution if they are going to be competitive.

24 year old first baseman Jimmy Adams is the team leader, hitting .300 this year with 4 home runs and 11 RBI. Adams is going to need some help though, as the Lakers scored the 14th fewest runs, while allowing the 13th most runs.

On the bright side, there isn't anywhere else to go but up for the Lakers.

Season Record: 4-22

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I believe that all of the original team's logo, caps, and jerseys are from txranger and knuckler's Retro Style thread - http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...-uniforms.html

This community has some really talented mod makers, which make the game better for us all. The Retro logos are among my favorites, so a big thanks to txranger and knuckler for their hard work and helping to bring the game to life.

[NYY #23]

Just two teams in and I'm beginning to spot a trend that wasn't unexpected. The Rebels are relying on 26 year old Blair Parks as their starting pitcher, but really need to find a better option. In modern times Parks might be one of those borderline fifth starters. I guy that you don't want to throw out there unless absolutely necessary. In this world Parks is the Rebels one and only starter, and went 6-15 with a 6.50 ERA. His stats don't lie either, he really shouldn't be starting. Lucky for the Rebels they have 21 year old Bobby Robertson on the reserve roster. If he develops like he could the Rebels will have that ace that they need.



Offensively Troy Thompson is the team's leader. He hit .375 this year while driving in 14 runs and scoring 20. The Rebels hope that Armando Merizalde can improve on his rookie season. Merizalde hit just .233 this season, but appears to have a bright future and combined with Thompson the Rebels have the potential for a dangerous offense.

Season Record: 8-18

[NYY #23]

After going 8-17 with a 7.97 ERA the Americans released starter Mark Stevens having seen more than enough from the 26 year old. They signed Robbie Copeland for a short term solution, with the hopes that either 20 year old Adam Bowers or 18 year old Ken Kaufman is the long term answer.



37 year old Don Hoffman may not be around that long to see the Americans with a true ace, but he's the current leader now. Hoffman hit .420 this season with 5 home runs, 20 RBI, and 21 runs scored. The Americans are going to need to find a way to move Hoffman to a less demanding defensive position, because he can't handle center field any more, but still need to find a way to keep his bat in the lineup.

Season Record: 8-18

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The reset has been a cruel twist of fate for New York fans. The last World Championship featured the Jets vs Giants. Just one team remains as a New York team, and they aren't doing too well. They will have Brooklyn as an option though.

[NYY #23]

The Patriots are another team in limbo after going 9-17. They don't have the talent to compete today, but have some of the best prospects in the game. The Patriots split starting pitcher duties between Tim Morgan (2-4, 4.64) and Steve Churchhill (7-12, 4.97). Neither is the long term option, but Philadelphia has three of the top starting pitcher prospects in baseball in Hector Franco, Christian Howard, and Allen Rogers. They are all "5 star" potential, but unfortunately for Philly they are all 17 or 18 years old. If one of the three develops fully the Patriots could have that ace that they need.



One are that the Patriots are strong in is behind the plate. 25 year old catcher Alan Adams is one of the top catchers in the league and hit .337 this season. He drove in 13 runs and scored 11 runs in a weak Patriots lineup.

Season Record: 9-17

[NYY #23]

New Orleans is the outlier among current teams, at least geographically, but given their success in round one it's hard to not include them among the 14 teams. The Crescents look like they have an uphill road though, and it may take at least a few years before they are capable of winning a championship.



39 year old Jeff Raines is the current starter for the Crescents and went 11-14 with a 5.25 ERA. He's on the downside of his career though, but showed flashes of the pitcher he once was winning a Player of the Week and Pitcher of the Month award this season.

The Crescents don't have many options to replace Raines though. Gary Robertson and Jack Wright may be the best options on their current roster, but both have plenty of faults.



The Crescents do have one of the best offensive players in baseball though in Will Rollins. Rollins hit .370 this season with 8 home runs, 22 RBI, and 25 runs scored for a team that scored the third highest runs in the league.

Season Record: 12-14

[NYY #23]

At 29 years old second baseman Kenny Miller is a standout defensively and hit .327 for the Terriers. While many consider Miller the team leader, his high batting average (.327) and strong defense are pluses, but Miller has no power and no speed.

The Terriers are looking for an upgrade for their starting pitcher role. Ralph Murray was 12-12 with a 4.77 ERA, with an even worse 5.26 FIP. He's still just 28 years old, but doesn't provide much upside to this year's performance.

Season Record: 13-13

[NYY #23]

We get to the first team with a starting pitcher that is starting to show potential and has a bright future. Robert Brown just turned 24 years old last week and went 13-11 with a 4.26 ERA this season. In 186 innings Brown struck out 132 batters. Brown still needs to improve on a couple of things before he turns into a true ace, but he's on the right path. He has a tendency to walk a few too many batters, but he's still young and developing.

He'll be pitching to 24 year old catcher Allen Strong, who hit .379 this season. The Giants will be a team to watch in the next several years, and ranked 6th in runs scored and runs allowed this year with the 3rd ranked defense.

Season Record: 14-12

[NYY #23]

I'm going to ramble a little bit with the Boston Trolleys. On a personal level, I'm a Yankee fan who grew up in Massachusetts. Despite my natural hatred of the Red Sox, for obvious reasons, I wanted to pick a nickname for Boston that I liked. The Pilgrims were the obvious candidate, but I stumbled upon the Trolleys. I have fond memories of the Trolleys nickname from a previous dynasty that I did on the Players League, where the Trolleys won four straight World Championships, if I remember correctly. While I've always associated the Trolleys with Cleveland since then, I couldn't manage to find a Trolleys logo and uniform to match, so when I found the Boston Trolleys logo and uniform I had to go with it, and I'm excited to see how they do and see if magic will strike twice.

Part two of my rambling is when I was considering doing a restart I did a few test leagues and sims to make sure everything was working out well, and I was getting the totals I was looking for. After a few times through I started the league in 1860 and that was my last chance to make any final tweaks, make sure I didn't have any errors, and then erase history and start. I still don't have a 100% comfort level with fictional players. For the longest time I viewed them as too hard to get into. I've slowly dabbled in some fictional players, and after reading dynasties by Orcin, ileracula, StLee and others I thought I was ready to make the leap.

I went through 1860-1865 before I realized a stupid error, and then again from 1860-1869 as a last chance. I tried to pay close attention to some of the players, and I told myself if I didn't get attached to at least one player I was going to abandon this idea. Obviously I did or I wouldn't be writing this now. There were a few players that really caught my eye, although they were all really in the right place at the wrong time, meaning that the prime of their careers played out before we started. You've seen two of those names so far - Gil Ford, who I found a special place as president of the National League, and Don Hoffman of the Americans, who is still playing, but not at the same levels. The third was Phil Wheeler, who we'll meet next. If I started 10 years earlier you would have heard a lot about Wheeler, because he was a pretty special pitcher. I'll only talk about Wheeler's stats going forward, but if you enjoy this going forward you owe a debt of gratitude to Wheeler. If you don't enjoy this I suppose you can place part of the blame on Wheeler too.



At 35 years old the Trolleys know that Phil Wheeler doesn't have too much gas left in his tank, but they'll continue to ride his arm as long as they can. Last year Wheeler was 13-9 with a 3.57 ERA with 120 strikes in 194 1/3 innings. His best days are behind him, but the Trolleys hope he has a couple years left while they search for a replacement.

Season Record: 14-12

[dynaboyj]

You keep switching between 1870 and 1970 as the current year, and I'm really confused as to whether you've played a hundred years or are just starting. Other than that, though, I loved Any Given Sunday and am really excited for in-depth coverage of this league.

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by dynaboyj

You keep switching between 1870 and 1970 as the current year, and I'm really confused as to whether you've played a hundred years or are just starting. Other than that, though, I loved Any Given Sunday and am really excited for in-depth coverage of this league.

Oops, sorry about that. I've gone ahead and updated the dates to 1870. I do intend to move pretty fast through the early years, just not that fast.

[ZTO333]

Originally Posted by NYY #23

Oops, sorry about that. I've gone ahead and updated the dates to 1870. I do intend to move pretty fast through the early years, just not that fast.

There's still a few 1970s written in the second post. Other than that can't wait for more of this dynasty. One little thing I found funny though is the New York team logo. Technically the Statue of Libery was made after 1870 so it wouldn't be up yet to be a logo. Just found that funny actually. And let's go Philly Patriots!

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by ZTO333

There's still a few 1970s written in the second post. Other than that can't wait for more of this dynasty. One little thing I found funny though is the New York team logo. Technically the Statue of Libery was made after 1870 so it wouldn't be up yet to be a logo. Just found that funny actually. And let's go Philly Patriots!

Thanks, I think I got them all now. I guess my lesson of the day is I shouldn't multi task when trying to proof read.

I'm definitely one who feels like every team needs a logo and jersey, and I don't like the era appropriate ones. So I'm ok with them looking more modern than was the style at the time, and I'm not worried about being 100% historically accurate, but thanks for catching that one. I don't want their logo to be something that doesn't exist for over 15 years.

I think I should be able to find an alternative, and out that one on the shelf for a couple decades.

Philly is my home team now, so I hope that they'll be successful soon. Especially since they finally started having success before I restarted!

[NYY #23]

There is an exception to every rule, and Stephen Haynes and Baltimore just may be the exception to the rule that you need a good starter to win. Baltimore won 14 games while Haynes had a 4.84 ERA. 147 runs scored was the fourth highest in the league, but Baltimore allowed the 9th most runs in the league at 134. While Haynes struck out 135 batters in 178 innings, he also walked 101 batters and had a 1.58 WHIP.



The play of Jimmy West is a big reason for Baltimore's success. West hit .419 this season with 7 home runs, 32 RBI, and 22 runs scored, helping the Silver Moons score the fourth highest total of runs in the league. Their offense can get a lot better if 23 year old leadoff hitter Robert Collins can make some improvements at the plate. Collins hit just .196 this season.

Season Record: 14-12

[NYY #23]

A poor start to the season for the Senators may have ruined their postseason chances as the Senators started the season with a 2-6 record, and finished just one game out of the final playoff spot.



It's hard not to make a strong correlation between starter Brad Frost's struggles, and the Senators struggles. When Frost pitched well, the Senators won, and when Frost struggled, the Senators lost. Luckily for the Senators Frost pitched very well most of the year. Frost finished with a 16-8 record and 3.10 ERA in 232 innings. The 31 year old led the league in innings pitched, strikeouts (251), and shutouts (5), while finishing second in wins, and third in ERA. Despite his early season struggles the Senators still allowed the fewest runs in the league (90).

They also scored the fifth highest amount of runs in the league, led by a pair of .400 hitters(technically).



26 year old Clark Wardrope took the league by storm after hitting .410 with 10 home runs, 31 RBI, and 22 runs scored. He's the best hitter I've profiled so far, but we may see a couple more just a bit better. At 26 years old he still has a little bit of room to grow, and pared with 24 year old Freddy Kirby, who joined the team late, but hit .417 in the three games he played, and 30 year old Richard Franklin, who hit .363 with 4 home runs and 20 RBI, the Senators have a dangerous offense.

The Senators look like they'll be in the thick of things during the early years of the league.

Season Record: 16-10

[NYY #23]

When the Bisons next take the field in the playoffs they'll do so with Clarence Lechner on the mound. The 36 year old went 15-8 this year with a 3.64 ERA while striking out 179 batters in 203 innings. The Michigan native is the team leader both on and off the field, and he realizes that this may be his only opportunity for a championship.

He'll need to pitch well too, as the Bisons will have to beat the second best, and potentially best offensive in the league, depending on next game's winner. Lechner will have a good defense behind him, but an offense that gets on base a lot, but has trouble scoring runs.

Season Record: 17-9

[NYY #23]

Rich Dunbar went 17-8 this season with a 3.11 ERA. Dunbar doesn't do anything too flashy, just throws strikes, doesn't walk batters, and gets plenty of groundball outs. In two starts against Baltimore this year Dunbar allowed 17 earned runs in 11 innings, good for a 13.91 ERA. Against every other team Dunbar's ERA equaled 2.54. If I had to pick one pitcher to win a game I'd pick Dunbar, unless I happened to be playing Baltimore.

The only knock on Dunbar would be his age. At 38 year old Dunbar is in the twilight of his career. The Tigers have a poor defense behind him, and an even worse offense. The Tigers also don't have a replacement waiting in the wings. So it looks like time is of the essence for the Tigers. They'll face off against the top offense in the league next, in what should be an interesting battle between great pitching and great hitting.

Season Record: 17-9

[NYY #23]

The Chicago Blues have the top offense in the league, led by a pair of 28 year olds that combined to dominate the leaderboards. They also have a pretty good pitcher, who saw his ERA suffer because of the worst defense in the league. They also have one of the best young pitchers in the league waiting in the wings, with an interesting story of his own.

(After my New York Americans logo featured the Statue of Liberty before it's time, I'm going with a modified version of the Blue's log and uniform as well, but I'm sure you can see where I will be heading with their nickname.)



Let's start with 28 year old right fielder Roger Wilson, who hit .454 this season while driving in 22 runs and scoring 36. Wilson led the league in batting average, OPS (1.314), wOBA (.534), and runs scored.



Billy Evans is the team's left fielder and cleanup hitter, and also 28 years old. Evans hit .364 with 11 home runs, 44 RBI, and 23 runs scored. Evans led the league in doubles (12), homers, RBI, isolated power (.455), and extra base hits (23). Combined with Wilson he helped the Blues' lineup score 197 runs, 43 more than the next closest team. They scored over twice as many runs as the Lakers' league worst offense (96).



That brings us to David Twilley who went 13-8 with a 4.06 ERA. Twilley struck out 157 batters while walking 72 in 186 1/3 innings. His 4.06 ERA was high, but his 3.62 FIP was almost 1/2 a run lower. Twilley turned 32 years old before the season began.

The Blues also have one of the best young pitchers in the game in Willie Smith. The 22 year old starter the year with the Blues, but jumped to the Lakers for an opportunity to pitch. The Blues filed a formal complaint with the league before league president Ford forced Smith to return to the Blues. He left the team two more times this year, once to join the Rebels, and once to join the Tigers, but he was returned both times. If Smith sticks around he'll give the Blues a potential future ace.

Season Record: 17-9

[NYY #23]

At 25 years old Joe Thompson hit .431 with 11 home runs, 33 RBI, and 25 runs scored. Thompson had more hits (47) and total bases (90) than any other player in the league. His .826 slugging percentage also led the league.

Thompson anchors a lineup that scored the second most runs in the league. The Atlantics know how to go on a winning streak, winning 5 or more games three separate times this season.

26 year old Bob Miller is the team's starter, and went 12-5 with a 3.97 ERA while making 21 starts after taking over from Mark Goff, who was 5-1 with a 2.26 ERA this season.

Season Record: 19-7