The Base Ball Life of Patrick O'Farrell

[Big Six]

Here is a game-by-game look at Mike O'Farrell's performance as a member of the 1938 Boston Red Sox:

DATE     OPP  IP    H  R  ER  BB   K  DEC
9/7/38   PHI  6.2   6  3   3   6   4  
9/12/38  DET  7.2   8  2   2   2   4   W
9/16/38  STL  7     6  3   3   3   6  
9/21/38  CHI  7.1   9  3   2   2   6   W
9/25/38  CLE  9    10  5   5   0   3   W

The Red Sox have to be satisfied with the way this young righthander pitched after his recall from Minneapolis. He gave the Red Sox a solid outing every time he took the hill, and in fact, he was the team's most dependable starter during the month of September. Mike was the only member of the rotation who wasn't shelled at least once while the team was fighting the Tigers and Yankees for the pennant.

Despite the fact that he retains his rookie status, Mike has enough service time that he doesn't appear on the league's list of the 100 best prospects. I'm guessing that, if he did, he would rank among the four most promising young pitchers in baseball, along with Bob Feller of the Indians, Leon Day of the Tigers, and Victor Starffin of the Giants.

O'Farrell and Starffin, who has completed four full seasons in the major leagues and is an established star at age 22, are the only members of the precocious quartet who have pitched in a major league game. Day and Feller both tore up the minors this season, and while both were added to their team's rosters for September, neither computer manager saw fit to actually let them pitch. Both Feller and Day are wild as March hares right now--Feller walked 138 men in 156 innings at AAA--but they both have the talent of an ace. Rapid Robert racked up 184 strikeouts, while Day notched 188 in 160 frames.

[Big Six]

Here are the standings for the recently completed 1938 season:

AMERICAN          W   L  PCT   GB
New York (A)     90  64 .584   -- 
Boston (A)       88  66 .571  2.0 
Detroit          87  67 .565  3.0 
Washington       79  75 .513 11.0 
Cleveland        77  77 .500 13.0 
Philadelphia (A) 76  78 .494 14.0 
Chicago (A)      66  88 .429 24.0 
St. Louis (A)    53 101 .344 37.0 

NATIONAL          W   L  PCT   GB
Pittsburgh       87  67 .565   -- 
New York (N)     86  68 .558  1.0 
St. Louis (N)    86  68 .558  1.0 
Chicago (N)      78  76 .506  9.0 
Cincinnati       74  80 .481 13.0 
Philadelphia (N) 73  81 .474 14.0 
Boston (N)       66  88 .429 21.0 
Brooklyn         66  88 .429 21.0

As you can see, three-team pennant races in both leagues went down to the wire. Going into the last day of the season, the Pirates and Cardinals were tied for first, with the Giants a game behind them. As fate would have it, the Cards and Giants played each other on the final day, the Giants winning 8-3. Had the Phillies beaten the Pirates, the National League would have ended in a three-way tie, but the Pirates won 4-3 on an eighth inning, two-run double by Joe Cronin.

The Pirates easily dispensed of the Yankees in the World Series, winning four games to one.

Despite the fact that his Red Sox barely lost the pennant to the Yankees, first baseman Lou Gehrig won the sixth Most Outstanding Batter award of his illustrious career. With one more MOB award, Lou will tie the man he was traded for, Babe Ruth, for the American League record. Gehrig hit .356 with 36 home runs and 148 RBI. He scored 153 runs and amassed 202 hits. His OPS of 1.140 was almost 200 points higher than his nearest AL competitor.

Gehrig lost the batting race by a single point to the Tigers' Jo Jo Moore. Jimmie Foxx of the Athletics hit 39 homers to lead the league in that category, with New York's Joe DiMaggio right behind him at 37. Gehrig easily won the RBI title, outproducing Tiger Hank Greenberg (128) and Red Sox teammate Josh Gibson (113). Cool Papa Bell proved there's still life in his 34-year-old legs, stealing 62 bases to lead the majors, while fellow Tiger Willie Wells drew 135 bases on balls.

Jim Weaver split his season between the two leagues, but his 26-9 overall record earned him the American League's Most Outstanding Pitcher award. Finishing the campaign with the Red Sox, Big Jim notched a 3.36 ERA and struck out 198 batters. Indians ace Johnny Broaca led the AL with 205 strikeouts, and Detroit's Marv Gudat took the ERA title at 3.32.

Gudat tied Weaver's win total, and a trio of Yankees: Mace Brown (24), Rufus Smith (21) and Lon Warneke (21) also won at least twenty decisions. Boston's Bucky Walters (21) closed out the junior circuit's 20-win circle. The fourth member of the Yankees' star-studded rotation, Spud Chandler, went 15-4 to nail down the Rookie of the Year prize.

The National League's Most Outstanding Batter also went to a man who's won the award six time. New York's slugging first sacker Buck Leonard led the majors with 44 homers, led his league with 119 RBI, and placed third in the batting race at .338. His .447 OBP and .646 slugging average also paced the NL, as did his total of 137 runs scored.

Len Koenecke, a veteran Giants outfielder who had never hit higher than .309 in a full season, caught lightning in a bottle in 1938 and won the batting title at .371. His .964 OPS was second in the league. Another man in his thirties, Chicago's Archie Graham, led the NL in steals with 61. Moonlight went 6-for-6 in a September game against the Phillies, driving in five runs. The Cardinals' Enos Slaughter was named National League Rookie of the Year, on the strength of his .307-11-71 performance.

Pittsburgh's Red Lucas added a fifth Most Outstanding Pitcher trophy to his mantelpiece, going 26-8 with a 2.66 ERA. The only category in which Lucas led his league was victories; Dizzy Dean of the Cards was his closest competitor with 24, while Giants teammates Pat Malone and Victor Starffin each garnered 21 wins.

Satchel Paige of the Cubs easily took the ERA crown with a sparkling 1.98 mark. And Hilton Smith, who moved to the Braves in a May 30 trade with the White Sox, struck out 278 men between the two leagues. While still in the American League, Smith pitched the game of the year, firing a one-hit shutout and whiffing 15 St. Louis Browns.

[lewis31lewis52]

Come on Detroit, you can win the pennant! Hammerin' Hank and Gibson looked pretty good too.

Oh yeah, and, er... good job on your Sox there too.

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by lewis31lewis52

Come on Detroit, you can win the pennant! Hammerin' Hank and Gibson looked pretty good too.

Oh yeah, and, er... good job on your Sox there too.

Thanks, lewis. And...ummm...I hate to tell you this, but the way I wrote that sentence about Gibson led you to believe he's a Tiger. I just edited it to make it clearer. Josh actually plays for the Red Sox.

The Tigers do have the makings of a championship team, although their window of opportunity might be closing. Several of their key players, guys like Charlie Gehringer and Cool Papa Bell, are in their mid-thirties now. Their pitching staff is fairly young, however, with Schoolboy Rowe as their ace, and Greenberg and Wells are in their primes.

[Ric915]

Originally Posted by Big Six

The Pirates easily dispensed of the Yankees in the World Series, winning four games to one.

That's Crap!!!...Oh Well maybe next year...Great Stuff Six

[lewis31lewis52]

Ah crap, it was Cool Papa that played for the Tigers. I knew they had a Negro Leaguer. Oh well, they'll win the pennant next year.

[Big Six]

Detroit News, October 31, 1938

UNDEFEATED LIONS CLAW BEARS, 19-0
Versatile O'Farrell Stars On Both Sides Of Ball

CHICAGO--The Detroit Lions could have been forgiven if they were rooting for the New York Yankees to eliminate the Boston Red Sox from the American League pennant race last month.

The Lions knew that if the Red Sox did not extend their season with a trip to the World Series, their ranks would soon be reinforced with the arrival of Mike O'Farrell, the Red Sox righthander who moonlights as the Lions' quarterback and safety each fall. When the Yankees won the pennant race, O'Farrell joined the Lions in time for the team's second game. With the former Notre Dame standout in the lineup, the Lions have roared to a 6-0 record and sit comfortably atop of the NFL West standings.

The sparkling play of O'Farrell has been a big reason for the Lions' success, and he displayed his talents as well in yesterday's 16-0 victory against the Chicago Bears as he ever has.

Although the Lions concentrated their offensive efforts almost exclusively on the ground, O'Farrell demonstrated his passing ability, connecting on three of his four throws. Among them was a nifty short throw that halfback Lloyd Cardwell turned into a 40-yard gain.

O'Farrell also displayed the ability to carry the mail himself. Late in the third quarter, he burst up the middle on a draw play, shook loose from two Bear defenders, and raced 41 yards for the game's only touchdown. In all, O'Farrell accumulated 57 yards on nine carries, leading all rushers.

Mike also flashed his defensive abilities, recording four tackles from his safety position and scooping up a Bear fumble.

Lions player-coach Dutch Clark, like O'Farrell a two-way standout, had nothing but praise for his young teammate. "I'm not saying he's the only reason why we're undefeated right now, but it would be fair to say O'Farrell is a big part of our success."

The Red Sox barely missed the chance to play for a World Series title. O'Farrell hopes that his gridiron season ends on a more positive note.

[lewis31lewis52]

Mike had 4 passing attempts all game? He had more tackles than completions!

Anyway, I don't know if I should cheer for the Lions or not. I hate them in real life, but Millen wasn't even born yet, not to mention he couldn't screw the team up yet.

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by lewis31lewis52

Mike had 4 passing attempts all game? He had more tackles than completions!

Anyway, I don't know if I should cheer for the Lions or not. I hate them in real life, but Millen wasn't even born yet, not to mention he couldn't screw the team up yet.

I noticed that too, Lewis. I call the offensive plays for Mike's team. The Bears weren't doing a very good job of stopping the Lions rushing attack, so I kept the ball on the ground. The Lions averaged 4.3 yards per carry on 35 attempts, which was an excellent average for 1938.

I remember three passing plays that were called back because of penalties, and at least twice, Mike was flushed out of the pocket and ran the ball himself.

Then, since the Lions had a 16-point lead going into the fourth quarter, I kept the ball on the ground and ate up the clock.

In the other four games he's played this season, Mike has thrown 14, 11, 8, and 13 passes. Those totals are much more typical than the four attempts he had in this game.

I'm not a huge Lions fan myself, despite the fact that a high school teammate of mine played for them in the late 80s-early 90s.

[sflcat]

You've got to remember that in 1938, the forward pass was still considered something of a last resort. Almost all NFL teams were still using the Single Wing attack.

15-20 pass attempts in a game would be comparable to 45-50 today. Also it wasn't uncommon for two or more players in a team's offensive backfield to have several pass attempts in a game.

[lewis31lewis52]

I know the passing attack was not used that much, I just though 4 attempts seemed a little low.

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by lewis31lewis52

I know the passing attack was not used that much, I just though 4 attempts seemed a little low.

I think most 1930s coaches followed the advice implied by the old adage, "Three things can happen when you pass, and two of them are bad." 1930s passers threw lots of interceptions, and I created Mike O'Farrell as a typical 1930s passer. So, in my modern eyes, he's a pick waiting to happen.

Keeping that in mind, when the Lions are gaining yards on the ground, I tend to keep calling running plays. I think a lot of 21st century coaches also employ that strategy, and I know if I were coaching a team in 1938, that's what I would do.

I've had a few very stressful weeks lately, so I've had very little spare time. I've had even less desire to try to write something coherent, so I've been really scarce around the boards. Things are looking better, so I should be updating my dynasties again soon.

[DTF955]

I'll be very busy in the next few months, so I'm bumping this up a year ahead of the timeline as you're reading it, and posting what will be the end of the last of the tyrants' aggression. While Finland could have compromised, and avoided the war, possibly, this seemed more plausible...

Dec. 7, 1939 (that date should remain historical somehow, though it's a different year :-)

"This is Edward R. Murrow, reporting live from Switzerland. The so-called Winter War which Stalin and his forces launched on independent Finland and the Baltic Republics just a few weeks ago has been joined. As it was, the Finns were matching the Soviets,and then some, refusing to buckle under to Soviet demands for land. The League of Nations tried to sit this out and work diplomatically. Now, Stalin's forces have attacked Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, hoping that the League will continue its attitude of non-combat. And, it appears he has lost that gamble, as the League of Nations, in emergency session, has voted to request several leading European nations to send troops..."

(A/N: The Finns fought valiantly as it was, Stalin would likely attack the others early here because he's feeling bolder since there's no worry about Hitler.)

Jan. 19, 1940:
"Dateline, Helsinki. The British Expeditionary Forces, together with those of President von Lettow-Vorbeck in Germany, have forced the Soviets to a draw in Finland. Negotiations are underway. Meanwhile, though fighting rages in the Baltic Republics, the success of the League so far has sent Wendell Wilkie's stock soaring as the potential Democratic nominee..."

(Note: someone did a great AH about this man leading a centrist military dictatorship and defeating the Soviets in the 1930s, I figured, why not let him be the democratic leader of Germany; he was one of few with lasting success in WW I. Sorry if you'd used another name, I couldn't recall.)
From "Germany's Washington - The Career of Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck":
"...After Germany's defeat, he was inspired by the integration of baseball in the United States. Having fought in formerly german East Africa, he was inspired to work to bring all peoples together...He attained leadership in the middle 1930s, and instantly put Germany on the road to respectability. A former general, some have likened him to George Washington in the making of Germany into a modern demoracy...
"...But his greatest triumph, in his eyes, was bringing Germany into a leadership position in the League of Nations, during which time, germany helped defeat the italians and the Soviets in two League-led wars..."

May 30, 1940: Stalin Admits Defeat, Begins More Purges
This is Edward r. Murrow reporting. After this date, the Soviets plan to look inwardly. (Think OTL's North Korea today.) The League of Nations has assured the freedom of four nations, and Stalin is so incensed, it's a sure thing that he will begin more purges, those things so secret to the West, which we heard a glimpse of from captured soldiers in the Winter War..."

May 16, 1941:
EXTRA: AMERICA JOINS LEAGUE
Dateline, Washington:
"President Wilkie didn't get all he wanted, but he got the main thing.
"Such was the assessment of expert after the Untied States Congress approved U.S. entry into the League of Nations. President Wilkie was forced to give up on the notion of America's troops being called on to fight in any foreign wars - America is very isolationist yet. However, successful League oeprations against two dictators, one still in power, one out, has convinced enough voters that American will not be getting embroiled in too many international squabbles if it joins."

So, till I have a chance to post again...if I ever decide to...well, here, this is also important.

Feb. 19, 1944:
Dateline, London:
"In a shocking expose, defectors from the Soviet Union have revealed not only massive numbers of dead, killed by the Soviets, but also active pogroms such as were thought to have gone out with the most reactionary of czars..."

April 13, 1944:
"Vice President Harry Truman took office yesterday, after President Wilkie sudden death to a heart attack - no doubt related to the great stress he has been under since the United States entered the League of Nations, especially withthe recent Soviet turmoil. (Note: OTL he died late in '44, the stress of the office would probably take a few months off his life.)
"He was quoted as saying 'The anti-Semitism of the Soviets has shown there is no place for racism in the United States, or anywhere else. We not only support an independent Jewish homeland, as some have clamored for, but also, we will endeavor to integrate in this nation as much as can be done. Yes, I know I am now the one up for renominationa nd re-election. But, I am convinced that it is the right thing to do! If you can't stand the heat, I say get out of the kitchen. The heat's going to be turned up on this office, but I guarantee, it's going to be turned up a lot more on some others who insist that it should not be done!"

President Truman won a close election in 1944, then another term of his own in 1948 before rtiring. A Civil Rights bill was passed in 1950.

More improtantly, the United States' membership in the League of Nations was entirely peaceful, such that American didn't fight in any more wars.

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

And with that, I'm off. thanks for the great fun in thsi thread.

[Renner]

DTF955 - I think Big Six commented that WW2 would not be included in his dynasty...good job with the bump, however.

[DTF955]

Sorry, but if something's not done to Stalin, from some sources I've read, he would have started it. because this is not a war, it's a League of Nations police action. (I know, sounds like Korea :-) Same with Mussolini.

What this does is, it sets the stage for the Untied States to not have to fight Korea *or* Vietnam; otherwise, the U.S. might have to fight in Vietnam. Now, the Soviets won't pose a threat, and the U.S. won't have fought in any wars in the 20th century.

[Big Six]

Thanks for the bumps, guys.

I'll be the first to admit that I haven't worried about the "hows" and "whys" behind the more peaceful United States in which Pat O'Farrell lived and played. I teach history for a living, and when I play OOTP I'm looking for an escape from the "real world." I have to help sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds make sense of the way their world has become, and it's not an easy thing to do.

While I'm here, I think I'll pose a question to the thread's readers, whichever of you are still with us!

Would you like it better if I started a new thread and continued the story there? Or, should I continue this one, which is now almost FOUR years old? I can see advantages to both, honestly. It's been a while since I updated here at all, and I was wondering if there's still an audience for Pat's story.

[lewis31lewis52]

I'd rather have a new thread. I just think this one is finally getting too big.

If you do make a new thread, make sure you link back here, though. For reference purposes.

[Tyke]

Big Six, there's definitely an audience [of at least one!] for Pat's story and from my personal point of view it doesn't matter much whether you start a new thread or stick with this one, as I check regularly and just go straight to the latest post. Whether it might be easier to attract new readers to a new thread.... I'm not so sure that would be more effective than the "story so far" summary that you have already done. Along with the fabulous "Metro Leagues" and "Laseron", Pat's story is permanently in my Top 3 OOTP dynasties, so PLEASE keep up the fantastic work.

[Snap Wilson]

Originally Posted by Big Six

Thanks for the bumps, guys.

I'll be the first to admit that I haven't worried about the "hows" and "whys" behind the more peaceful United States in which Pat O'Farrell lived and played.

Not only peaceful in a global sense, but in Patrick's life as well. I think prior to Sarah's car accident, the worst thing that happened to him was his poor friend Bill being temporarily sent down to the minors. When Boston's management wants to trade away Josh Gibson and Martin Dihigo for a 35-year old pitcher, it's not racism, but benign incompetence. There don't seem to be any bad guys in Pat's world. He's a walking Norman Rockwell painting.

Not that I'm criticizing, I understand where you're coming from with the escapist approach, and you certainly do it well. I'm more of an Eight Men Out person than a Natural/Field of Dreams person (and honestly, even Eight Men Out is escapist fantasy of a sort), but I find this thread very readable.

You could easily turn Pat's story into a novel, and probably do very well with it. It would definitely appeal to the "baseball as mythology" crowd, but you would need to introduce conflict at some point.

[Jamee999]

Please carry on, I'd prefer it to be in this thread, but as others have said, that's not really important.