The Base Ball Life of Patrick O'Farrell

[CTSoxFan]

Hopefully you can get it fixed. The end of Pat and the O'Farrell family's story would be a very sad thing.

[NCBeachBum]

Nooooooooooooooooooo!

[Big Six]

I'm happy to say that thanks to the great people on the forum, a solution to the problem has been found. There are a couple of guys who have room on their servers, and I'll upload the files there and download them to the new laptop.

I had a feeling that someone out there would be able to assist me, and I was right.

The dynasty lives on!

Thanks for your concern, guys. It's good to know that after all this time, Pat's story still interests somebody besides me.

[CTSoxFan]

Its awesome following the O'Farrell family. Its amazing that you have got this deep into baseball history, while still telling a story. Most replay dynasties simply show stats if they go this deep, but you have stats and a very deep story that is easy to fall in love with.

Glad to see Pat lives on!

[Big Six]

Thanks for your kind comments, CTSoxFan. I discovered very quickly that if my dynasty was only a "stat dump" without a story, I would lose interest in it before long. I've enjoyed bringing different elements into it as I've thought of them; that keeps it very fresh to me.

I've got good news, too. Thanks to the help of a couple of people from the forum who volunteered space on their servers to give Pat a temporary home during the transition, The Base Ball Life of Patrick O'Farrell is back up and running better than ever.

I just realized that I made my first post in this dynasty exactly three years ago today. I would have never thought I'd still be as interested in the story as I am, and I want to thank all of you who have followed Pat's story over 36 months of real time and almost 30 OOTP seasons. I'm hoping there will be many, many more to come, too. I'm enjoying the ride as much as ever.

[marc]

VERY VERY good news!

[darkenigma510]

Originally Posted by Big Six

I'm happy to say that thanks to the great people on the forum, a solution to the problem has been found. There are a couple of guys who have room on their servers, and I'll upload the files there and download them to the new laptop.

I had a feeling that someone out there would be able to assist me, and I was right.

The dynasty lives on!

Thanks for your concern, guys. It's good to know that after all this time, Pat's story still interests somebody besides me.

Thank goodness. It would be terrible for Pat's universe to implode like that. Although, at least you coould have written a compelling "Pat gets killed in a mysterious fashion" ending to the dynasty!

[Y0DA55]

Congrats on making it 3 years (and for saving your dynasty)! It really would be a shame to lose this one.

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by darkenigma510

Thank goodness. It would be terrible for Pat's universe to implode like that. Although, at least you coould have written a compelling "Pat gets killed in a mysterious fashion" ending to the dynasty!

Thanks, guys. It's been a great three years, and when the end comes, I want it to happen on my terms...not because of technical difficulties.

I'd actually thought of the death plotline as a last-case scenario. Now I'm glad I'll be shelving that story, actually.

[Big Six]

The Sporting News, May 23, 1934

ARCHIE GRAHAM'S STAR CROSSED OTHERS ON HIS WAY UP
Cubs' Standout Credits O'Farrell, Hitt For Aiding His Early Career

The Chicago Cubs have played terrific baseball this season, and one of the biggest reasons why is the play of Archie Graham. The fleet flychaser has kept his batting average north of .400 all season long, is touching home plate once a game, and has swiped 25 sacks. In each of these categories, “Moonlight” leads all National Leaguers, and were it not for Hank Greenberg’s 49 runs scored, Graham would pace the majors in each as well.

The soft-spoken and personable Graham, age 31, is a veteran of nine full big league seasons, and has played pro ball since 1921. His credentials include three All-Star game appearances; a batting title, which he earned when he swatted .386 in 1931; a World Series ring, won with the Cubs that same year; and a run of three consecutive National League stolen base crowns. Despite his numerous accomplishments on the ball field, Graham humbly credits two of the all-time greats of the game for starting him on the road to a career in the National Pastime.

“It happened in November 1920, right around the time of my eighteenth birthday,” Graham recalls. “I'm from Minnesota, but I had graduated from high school that spring and I was playing ball in California, hoping to catch on with a semipro club somewhere. I was in Sacramento when Roy Hitt’s barnstorming team came through town. I played for a town team against the barnstormers, and then I followed them to San Francisco. l met Pat O’Farrell and Roy Hitt in the hotel, and offered my services as a bat boy, errand runner, whatever it took to get a chance to watch the major leaguers play and maybe pick up a few pointers.

"Next thing I knew I was taking batting practice with the team and boarding a train for their next stop.”

Nothing could have prepared Graham for what happened next. “Ty Cobb suddenly decided to return home,” Archie explained. “It was something to do with his business interests back in Detroit or in Georgia, I believe. Anyway, we were suddenly short an outfielder, and Roy gave me Cobb’s uniform.”

The duds were too big for Graham, as they had been tailored for Cobb who, ironically, just missed being Graham’s teammate on the Cubs when Archie was traded there in 1928. That spring, 41-year-old Tyrus had attempted a come-back but failed to make the squad.

“I was so elated about the chance to play with the big leaguers that I would have played in a burlap sack,” a grinning Graham reminisced. “Imagine that: playing on the same team as Pat O’Farrell, Joe Jackson, Jim Nealon…and me, just a teenaged kid.”

Among his opponents were a squad of Negro League players, including Oscar Charleston who, of course, now plays alongside Graham in the Cubs outer garden. “That meant I was there when the plans to integrate the big leagues were being hatched,” Graham recalls. “If players like O’Farrell, Hitt, Joe Wood, Tris Speaker—the biggest stars in the game—hadn’t backed the idea and vouched for the men we played against on that tour, we wouldn’t have Negroes in the major leagues today. I’m as sure as I can be about that.”

Graham is also sure that Pat O’Farrell had a hand in his first offer of employment with a professional baseball team. “Pat put the word out that I was a promising player. I hadn’t hit much on the tour—maybe .200—but I had played the outfield well, and Pat thought I’d make a major league hitter one day.”

O’Farrell, then, was already displaying the eye for baseball talent that has served him so well as general manager of the Boston Red Sox. Before Graham knew it, the Philadelphia Phillies had signed him to a minor league contract; before Archie had fully accustomed himself to life as a pro player, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox. Consequently, his path would cross O’Farrell’s once again.

“In 1922, I was playing with the Pittsfield [Massachusetts] club. Pat grew up in Stockbridge, which was just a few miles away, and his family lived there. He offered me a place to live in his home, and I became a member of the family. I loved spending time with his children,” Graham says.

Within two years, Graham was playing in the American League, just like his landlord and mentor, but he has never completely lost touch with O’Farrell. “We’ve visited each other when our families are in town,” says Graham, who is now married with two children himself. “I’ve watched the Red Sox in the World Series a time or two, and Pat has seen me play in the Series with the Cubs.”

Perhaps Graham, who has a lifetime batting average of .320, will one day join O’Farrell and Hitt as enshrinees in the Baseball Hall of Fame. “I can’t think of anything that would be a higher honor for me as a ballplayer,” Graham said. “If not for Pat and Roy, I wouldn’t be playing big league ball today.”

[Big Six]

Office of the Director of Athletics
University of Notre Dame
South Bend, Indiana

Mr. and Mrs. Patrick J. O’Farrell
12 Lowell Road
Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts

May 25, 1934

Dear Mr. and Mrs. O’Farrell,

Please allow me first to introduce myself. My name is Elmer Layden, and I have recently been hired by the University of Notre Dame to serve as director of athletics and head coach of the varsity football team.

As I was reviewing the academic performance of Notre Dame’s scholarship athletes, I noticed that your son Michael did not achieve the standard that the University requires of the men who receive athletic scholarships. Michael’s grade point average for the 1933-1934 academic year was 1.75; the University requires its athletes to maintain an average of 2.00. Any athlete who does not meet this standard is ruled ineligible for interscholastic competition.

Michael is obviously a bright young man, and his professors and I feel that he should have no problem at all achieving marks which are considerably higher than those he earned in his freshman year. His solid scholastic record at Deerfield Academy also indicates his potential for academic success at Notre Dame. Michael’s problem appears to be a lack of dedication to his studies rather than a lack of aptitude.

I earned varsity letters in two sports at Notre Dame, as Michael endeavors to do, and am therefore fully cognizant of the difficulties a man faces when he attempts to participate in two interscholastic sports while maintaining satisfactory marks in the classroom. Clarence Kline, who is the varsity baseball coach, and I agree that Michael, if and only if he applies himself properly, will be able to manage this task.

If possible, I strongly recommend to you that Michael remain in residence at Notre Dame for the summer term. If he does so, he can take as many as three courses; if he earns high marks, he will be able to raise his grade point average to or above the 2.00 standard and remain eligible to participate in athletics during the fall semester. I hope that will happen, because I believe Michael could contribute substantially to the success of our varsity football squad this fall.

Please reply and inform me if Michael will be remaining at Notre Dame for the summer, so we may make arrangements for him to remain in his dormitory room.

Sincerely,

Elmer F. Layden
Director of Athletics
University of Notre Dame

[Big Six]

Boston Globe, July 3, 1934

GERMAN POLICE FOIL PLANS FOR COUP
Four Men Arrested, Notable Fascist Leader Among Them

BERLIN—In a daring raid last night, German police stormed the home of a wealthy industrialist and arrested four men, charging them with concocting a plot to overthrow the Weimar Republic.

Adolf Hitler, head of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, was among the four men who were apprehended. Hitler, an avowed Fascist, was imprisoned in 1924 for conspiring to commit treason against the German state. He was released after several months, as he was not considered dangerous. “I find it impossible to believe Hitler will be treated as leniently this time,” commented John R. Laster of the U.S. Embassy in Germany.

German chancellor Heinrich Bruning did not comment on last night’s arrests, but he has spoken sharply against right-wing activists who, in his words, “threaten liberal democracy not only in this country, but elsewhere in Europe and the world.” President Franklin D. Roosevelt commended the actions of German authorities who “love democracy and freedom, as we do here in the United States.”

The raids provoked noisy protests in Italy, where a Fascist party has tried with little success to revive itself in the eight years since dictator Benito Mussolini was assassinated by an Irish woman.

********
I am a high school history teacher, but I don't usually inject much of the history of the world outside baseball into my dynasties. Honestly, writing history feels a little too much like work.

I did, however, feel the need to explain why in Pat's world, there will be no World War II. If you've followed the story for a while, you surely noticed there was no First World War either, and I more or less slipped that bit of counterfactual history past everyone on purpose.

I've intended all along to allow the careers of players in my universe to develop without the interruptions caused by military service. I figured that if I eliminated the Fascist threat in Europe somehow, the ballplayers born in the late 'teens and early twenties wouldn't have to go to war.

Mussolini was shot in an assassination attempt in 1926, so it wasn't such a stretch to have the attempt succeed in Pat's world. Heinrich Bruning was also a real historical character, a leader of the Centre Party who served as Chancellor before the Fascists came to power in 1933.

I also have plans for the Japanese Empire, which could lead to some interesting subplots, too.

[darkenigma510]

Originally Posted by Big Six

Thanks, guys. It's been a great three years, and when the end comes, I want it to happen on my terms...not because of technical difficulties.

I'd actually thought of the death plotline as a last-case scenario. Now I'm glad I'll be shelving that story, actually.

The dark humourist in me would love to write a very long dynasty story only to kill off the main character in a senseless, meaningless death (e.g. player gets hit by a bus crossing the road to get to the ballpark.) But that's just my sick sense of humour.

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by darkenigma510

The dark humourist in me would love to write a very long dynasty story only to kill off the main character in a senseless, meaningless death (e.g. player gets hit by a bus crossing the road to get to the ballpark.) But that's just my sick sense of humour.

When the whole board crashed last summer, I actually considered a couple of "tragedy" scenarios, too.

If you have some time, vote in our Hall of Fame election, Enigma. We need more ballots to make the election truly meaningful. The thread is linked in my signature. Thanks!

[Jamee999]

Hey, Big Six, read the whole thread from start to finish, and wow.

I thought that Tib's thread on ITP was a once-in-a-board type, for free story telling of such quality, but I was obviously wrong.

Well done!

(And keep it up )

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by Jamee999

Hey, Big Six, read the whole thread from start to finish, and wow.

I thought that Tib's thread on ITP was a once-in-a-board type, for free story telling of such quality, but I was obviously wrong.

Well done!

(And keep it up )

Thank you very much, Jamee. It's very flattering to have my dynasty compared to Tib's, and I'm glad you enjoyed reading it. I'm not planning on stopping the story anytime soon. Baseball, history, and writing would all make a very short list of my favorite activities, and my foray into Pat O'Farrell's world allows me to indulge myself in all three simultaneously.

Congratulations on making it through from beginning to end! Several people have told me that they had browsed by it, but were put off by its length now that it's nearly 1000 posts long. I can certainly understand that.

Inspired by those comments, and your successful completion of the whole damn thing, I've decided to write a synopsis of the story up to this point. I'll make it detailed enough so that a reader who is brand-new to Pat's tale can read the synopsis and will hopefully become well-enough acquainted with the story and its characters to jump in at any point and enjoy the rest of the ride. I'll give page references to events in the story, so if someone decides a part of the tale is interesting enough to read about in more detail, s/he can find it in the thread easily.

At the same time, it won't be so long that someone will be spending hours reading the synopsis instead of reading one of the other great dynasties that are written up on the forums here.

I'll put the synopsis in a separate thread, if that's not a problem, and I'll update it as the story of Pat O'Farrell continues.

And since you finished it, Jamee, you now have time to vote in the 1934 Hall of Fame election.

[ndinardo76]

I'm a bit intimidated by the size of this thing. May take me a week or so to digest it By the way, the addition of an alternate history is great. My favorite dynasties are the ones that add that aspect

[Jamee999]

Originally Posted by Big Six

Thank you very much, Jamee. It's very flattering to have my dynasty compared to Tib's, and I'm glad you enjoyed reading it. I'm not planning on stopping the story anytime soon. Baseball, history, and writing would all make a very short list of my favorite activities, and my foray into Pat O'Farrell's world allows me to indulge myself in all three simultaneously.

Congratulations on making it through from beginning to end! Several people have told me that they had browsed by it, but were put off by its length now that it's nearly 1000 posts long. I can certainly understand that.

Inspired by those comments, and your successful completion of the whole damn thing, I've decided to write a synopsis of the story up to this point. I'll make it detailed enough so that a reader who is brand-new to Pat's tale can read the synopsis and will hopefully become well-enough acquainted with the story and its characters to jump in at any point and enjoy the rest of the ride. I'll give page references to events in the story, so if someone decides a part of the tale is interesting enough to read about in more detail, s/he can find it in the thread easily.

At the same time, it won't be so long that someone will be spending hours reading the synopsis instead of reading one of the other great dynasties that are written up on the forums here.

I'll put the synopsis in a separate thread, if that's not a problem, and I'll update it as the story of Pat O'Farrell continues.

And since you finished it, Jamee, you now have time to vote in the 1934 Hall of Fame election.

I had a weekend at my Gran's .

[DTF955]

Since you were so gracious to accept my idea on why Pat was so eager to help with integration, and since it's a little slow, please allow me to offer this:

There is still no major Civil Rights movement. World War Two was one of the big pushes to get this going, though of course the integration of baseball will help. The elimination of one of the more militant of the movers and shakers of the 1950s and 1960s will surely help the races co-exist better. Ergo, I suggest this scene at Deteroit's ball field for sometime in 1934.

.--------------
Late May, 1934

Earl Little handed a vendor some money, and handed a hot dog over to his son Malcolm. "Here you go."

"Thanks, Dad."

Earl studied his son's pensive expression. Usually, he'd be chomping at the bit with home town hero Cool Papa Bell at first base. Bell had led the league with an incredible amount of steals for the day...hadn't he outstolen numerous teams, in the same way Ruth had outhomered teams?

"What's on your mind, son? From that look I'm sure it's not the pennant race."

Malcolm studied the hot dog before applying ketchup. "I heard you and Moma talking last night."

"About what?"

"Well, I couldn't sleep, and the radio wasn't working so I snuck down to listen...Dad, did someone try to kill you once?"

Earl sighed. he'd tried to hide it from his wife and kids. His wife would have gone insane if it had happened, he had no doubt, and there was little way to provide for his kids; Malcolm saw his heroes as larger than life, but he doubted Malcolm's idea of writing to Bell for help would have gained anything. that's who Malcolm had wanted to write to last Christmas when he was told the Littles couldn't afford to give him a new bike.

A few weeks ago, though, the last of the white supremacist group had been rounded up in Lansing. And, someone in that group had discussed trying to kill him. He had escaped, though, because of the Tigers. Because the Tigers were an integrated baseball club in a world that was only slowly accepting the idea that the races could live in harmony. He'd travelled to Detroit to see those Tigers, and when he returned, he'd learned that another poor, black family had had their house set ablaze, but with no casualties.

"Son...God has a way of working things out. There was a man who tried to hurt someone else, who planned to hurt me, but everything's okay now."

"But what if it had happened? Who would take care of us?" Earl's exhortations to watch the baseball game went unheeded; there were too many questions in young Malcolm's mind.

Earl considered that the "accidents of history,' as one called it, caused many things to change. Including this. "Malcolm," he finally said, "I don't know. I really don't know."

And, as he gazed out at the ball field, trying in vain to draw his son's attention back to the game, an idea began to form. And idea that perhaps baseball players should be getting involved in charity work, too, trying to help many of those less fortunate. Couldn't organizations benefit greatly from playes like these larger than life heroes aiding them? Big Brothers and Big Sisters, the Salvation Army, so many others.Especially with detroit leading the way. After all, they not only had some great black players, they had young Hank Greenberg, a great slugger who happened to be Jewish. Perhaps the answer was not separation, as he'd felt for some time, but co-operation.

He looked at Malcolm, patted him on the back reassuringly, and said, "Tell you what, son. When we go home...let's write that letter to the Tigers you were talking about last Christmas. But, not for a new bike. No..I thinking that if they're willing, for osmething much more..."

---------------------

Again, you don't have to accept it, but it's one possibility. And it'd be itneresting just to see wht Malcolm X could have done without the traumas of his childhood.

[Big Six]

That's great, DTF! I'm sorry I've been so slow to respond; the past two weeks, I've been busy with track meets and exams.

You've given me a few really cool ideas for storylines here, actually...look for some of them soon!

Thanks again, DTF.