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Old 06-01-2016, 04:22 PM   #1
Big Six
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Keystone Days

I just bought OOTP17, and I'm going to commemorate the occasion with a new dynasty story.

This spring, I started a dynasty with OOTP15 that I was enjoying quite a bit. It was the story of a young player in a fictional league, set in Pennsylvania in the early 1900s. I like my main character, so I'm using him as the protagonist in this story, too.

As I wrote at the beginning of that thread, I'm going back to my dynasty roots, writing a story set at the turn of the twentieth century and telling it through newspaper articles, letters, journal entries, and magazine stories.

There will be a few historical players who are part of the story, too. I've imported them into my league, and if they make good (I'm guessing at least one or two of them will) they could become major characters. If they're busts instead, their storylines will fade with them.

I hope some of you will join me as we travel back, over the span of a century and more, to a simpler time and a ten-team circuit called the Keystone League.

Game notes: I've set the league totals so the league produces stats that look like 1985, rather than the early twentieth century. While I enjoy Dead Ball Era "base ball," I wanted the Keystone League's history to be a bit more uniform than that of the real professional game, and I picked the era I enjoyed watching as a kid. I've played several seasons to give the league a bit of history as the story begins.
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The Base Ball Life of Patrick O'Farrell: 2014 inductee, OOTP Dynasty Hall of Fame

Kenilworth: A Town and its Team: fun with a fictional league
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Old 06-01-2016, 04:35 PM   #2
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Reading Eagle
April 22, 1896



BASE BALL LEAGUE TRYOUTS TO BE HELD IN THREE CITIES
Keystone League Auditions Prospective Players


The management of the Keystone League wishes to remind young men who aspire to playing professional base ball that the League will evaluate their talents at three tryouts within the next two weeks.

Young men who are completing their studies in Pennsylvania high schools are invited to attend the tryouts. They will be held in Erie, Reading, and Williamsport on Saturday, April 25 and Saturday, May 2. Representatives from all ten Keystone League teams will be in attendance...
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Kenilworth: A Town and its Team: fun with a fictional league
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Old 06-01-2016, 04:56 PM   #3
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224 North Tenth Street
Allentown, Pennsylvania

Mr. Bill Bradley
144 Church Street
Reading, Pennsylvania

May 9, 1896


Dear Bill,

I was very happy to receive a card from you yesterday. I enjoyed traveling down to Reading and meeting you at the try-out last week. I hope I showed the men from the Keystone League enough that one of them will recommend me. I would like to give professional ball a try. I can go to college if I'd like, but playing ball would be better.

If I were you, I wouldn't worry if you will be chosen in the draft. The only player I saw who hit harder than you was O'Leary, and he is a college man. I will never hit for power, so I hope I was able to do good enough work with my glove and my legs to open a few eyes.

I should like most to be chosen by Allentown, since they are my home-town club, but I would be happy to play anywhere. I suppose playing for Bethlehem would be more difficult; my school is their big rival, and a few boys from Bethlehem have roughed me up good on the football field! If I were picked by the Steelers, I suppose I would have to forget those days and give my all for the Orange and Black.

I have an essay to write for my English class, so I had better end this letter. I hope your examinations will go well, and perhaps we will end up as team-mates one day. Wouldn't that be swell?

Your friend,
Harry Bay
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Kenilworth: A Town and its Team: fun with a fictional league
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Old 06-01-2016, 08:30 PM   #4
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1120 Elk Street
Franklin, Pennsylvania

Mr. Harry Bay
304 Academy Street
Boalsburg, Pennsylvania

September 4, 1896


Dear Harry,

I'm sorry I have taken so long to write back to you. I confess to not feeling much like writing lately. Between you and me, I will be very glad when the base ball season ends and I can go back home to Reading.

I had such high hopes when Lancaster used its first pick to draft me back in June! I was flattered to be the fifth player chosen, and the team's owner, Mr. Worthey, seemed to have such confidence in my future. I wasn't expecting to be a world-beater right away, and I know that sending me to Boalsburg was the right thing to do. I was not expecting to see so many players on the team, however. There are 32 of us, and until the rules are changed to allow more than nine men to play at a time, the arithmetic simply doesn't add up, does it?

I saw a ledger with our team's statistics, and I noticed I have come to bat only 31 times since I arrived. We are a good club, and we might win a championship, so I understand why the manager might not want to make many changes. Still, I wish I could get a chance to show what I can do.

Boalsburg sounds like a nice little town. I know you wish the Memorials were playing better ball, and I know you feel like you could be doing more to help your team win. It's good to see that your manager still has confidence in you, though. We both know you are better than a .200 hitter, and you will show them what you're made of next season.

You ought to see if you can come down to Reading for a visit this fall or winter. I will be getting a job at a printing office, but I should have time to show you the town.

I think it's funny that you ended up with the White Roses, while I'm with the Reds. I suppose that makes us arch-rivals, doesn't it? I will do my best to make sure the rivalry remains a gentlemanly one, at least as far as I am concerned. Just don't slide into third base too hard, or I'll have to give it right back!

Write me back as soon as you can. I understand if that can't happen until you are back home in Allentown, but it will be good to hear from you.

Your pal,
Bill
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Kenilworth: A Town and its Team: fun with a fictional league
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Old 06-02-2016, 09:49 AM   #5
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Madisontown Courier-News
May 8, 1897

Will College Star Leave For Keystone League?
Kreisher Coveted By Professionals


For two seasons now, fans of the Madison College base ball team have been treated to the exploits of one Charles Kreisher, a fleet-footed, hard-hitting outfielder who has put the Presidents back on the front foot after years of lack-luster play.

Since Mr. Kreisher is completing his sophomore year, it stood to reason his time on the Prospect Park diamond was merely half done, and that the best was, perhaps, yet to come.

Now it turns out that we might have seen the last of Charlie with the College nine. Word has it that scouts from Keystone League clubs--all ten of them--have cast their eyes on Charlie, and they like what they see. Enough that young Kreisher is often mentioned as the likeliest choice for the first player chosen in the Keystone draft next month.

By all accounts, Kreisher, a history major, is a fine student. Charlie is also active in campus life; he sings with the College men's chorus and is active in the Beta Chi fraternity and the Theta Theta literary society. He is, by no means, simply a "hired gun" who is at Madison simply because he can hit a ball and catch it and, by all accounts, Charlie likes college life just fine.

However, the temptation to play ball and make a few dollars for it might be too much for the young man from Hummelstown to resist. The Kreisher family is not wealthy, nor are they poor; Mr. Kreisher owns and operates a bustling little grocery. Charlie might not, then, be too easily swayed by the lure of lucre.

While we at the Courier-News hope Charlie will provide us with two more years' worth of delight, we nevertheless wish him well if his dreams take him elsewhere.
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Kenilworth: A Town and its Team: fun with a fictional league
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Old 06-02-2016, 12:27 PM   #6
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Here's some background on the Keystone League system.

The KL is a ten-team league that began play in 1890. The regular season is 162 games long, and the two teams with the best records face each other in a best-of-seven Governor's Cup Series.



Code:
TEAM             SERIES APPEARANCES    GOVERNOR'S CUPS      BEST FINISH
Allentown        none                  none                 3rd; 1892
Altoona          none                  none                 6th; 1890, 1895
Bethlehem        1893, 1894, 1896      1894, 1896           1st; 1893, 1896
Erie             1894                  none                 1st; 1894
Harrisburg       1892                  none                 2nd; 1892
Lancaster        none                  none                 3rd; 1894
Reading          1895                  none                 2nd; 1895
Scranton         1890, 1896            1890                 1st; 1890
Williamsport     1890, 1891, 1895      1895                 1st; 1891, 1895
York             1891, 1892, 1893      1891, 1892, 1893     1st; 1892, 1893
The Loggers have been the best team during the regular season, but have managed to win the Series only once in three tries.

York, on the other hand, has captured the Cup in each of their three tries, which came during a glorious run of success from 1891 to 1893.

Hapless Altoona is the only club never to finish in the first division. Allentown and Lancaster, the other teams who have yet to make the Series, both came close. The Red Roses finished four games out of second place in 1894, while the Fleetwings lost a one-game playoff to the Harrisburg Senators in 1892.



Here are the winners of the major league awards, through the 1896 season. I imported a handful of real major league players whom I thought might be fun to have in the league. I partially did this to see how well (or poorly) they might perform, with an eye to including some real players in my story.

This is a list of the top 20 hitters, ranked by career WAR.



Dan Brouthers has been the Keystone League's most dominant batsman since the league's inception. His .359 lifetime average is the best in the KL's (short) history, and he is its career leader in at bats, hits, runs, total bases, and WAR. Big Dan's .391 average in 1890 is a league record.

Preston Reynolds doesn't hit for a high average, but he has plenty of power, and he's anchored the Loggers' batting order since they made him the #4 pick in the inaugural draft. He complements his slugging by drawing lots of walks, and he's a very good third baseman. At age 35, he's still getting the job done.

White Roses outfielder Eddie Richards has won three batting titles, and he's still in his prime. At 5'6" and 160 pounds, he packs a surprising amount of punch; he's good for 30-plus homers a year and is a career .599 slugger.

Raul Sharff is one of the league's most popular players. The Bethlehem shortstop consistently posts an OPS over .800 and fields his position well, and contributes between 15-20 home runs and 100 RBI like clockwork.

These 20 pitchers have the best career WAR, to date.



Two KL pitchers have set themselves apart from the rest.

Ryan Westfall is the only twirler to win a MVP award, which he earned during his magical 1891 season. He is the ace of the Erie Lakers staff, which has traditionally been the league's best. Westie struggled to an 8-20 record in '96 despite a 2.90 ERA, a record that says more about the Lakers than it does about him. He's 36 now, but his skills remain intact.

Reading righty Doug Golden is a model of consistency, posting a WAR of at least 5.9 in every season but one. He relies on his pinpoint control. Doug is also a remarkably lousy hitter. (The Keystone League does not use the DH.)

Cy Young, the best of the "real" pitchers in this league, has struggled with injuries during his career with the Bethlehem Steelers. He tore a flexor tendon in August 1892, and missed almost all of the '93 season. He bounced back with his best year ever in 1894. Cy is 28, so he should have plenty of good years left...if he can remain healthy.

There are three levels of minor leagues in the Keystone League system. The Quaker State League is the highest (AAA).



The Commonwealth League is next (AA).



And, the Independence League is the lowest (A).



Shouts out to:
txranger, for creating logos, caps, and uniforms for the teams of the Keystone and Quaker State leagues, and for the Keystone League logo

justafan: for his Ballcap Creator and Pickoff programs, which I used to make logos and caps for the Commonwealth League and Independence League teams. The names of the CL and IL teams were also inspired by his Glossy Logo sets, and I used those logos as the basis for the ones I created.

Thanks to both of you for helping my universe be even more immersive!
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My dynasties:

The Base Ball Life of Patrick O'Farrell: 2014 inductee, OOTP Dynasty Hall of Fame

Kenilworth: A Town and its Team: fun with a fictional league
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Old 06-02-2016, 04:16 PM   #7
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Before I return to the story, here's a brief statistical rundown of the 1896 Keystone League season.



The closest pennant race in Keystone League history ended with the Bethlehem Steelers finishing a game ahead of the Scranton Electrics and York White Roses. Those clubs met in a one-game playoff to decide who met the Steelers in the Governor's Cup Series, and the Electrics scored twice in the top of the ninth to win, 3-2.

Bethlehem swept the Series in four games, becoming only the second club in league history to win the Cup more than once.





The Steelers' winning formula combined the league's third-best offense and its third-stingiest pitching staff. Meanwhile, the Erie Lakers were great at preventing runs, but just as poor at scoring them, and struggled to stay out of the cellar.

The cozy dimensions of Altoona's Alleghenies Park were largely responsible for the team's league-leading 181 home runs (and league-highest 161 home runs allowed). Meanwhile, Erie's spacious Lakers Park helps their pitchers (who are very good without the help) and hinders their hitters (who aren't much, no matter where they play.)
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Kenilworth: A Town and its Team: fun with a fictional league
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Old 06-03-2016, 12:52 PM   #8
Eugene Church
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You have made a really fine start... good interesting premise and back story... you write very well, too.

I really loves the nicknames of your teams in all the leagues... they are traditional, fit the period very well and seem to be localized in nature.

Looking forward to Txranger's wonderful creations... and also to yours.

Good luck in your fine dynasty endeavor... it look like one heck of a good one!

Last edited by Eugene Church; 06-03-2016 at 12:57 PM.
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