Brooklyn Baseball post-1957

[ctorg]

9/1/1959

The Cardinals pound Koufax for 8 runs in 6 innings, handing him his 12th loss. Zimmer homers in the loss.

9/2/1959

The Robins give George Snyder a chance to start, but he shows none of the skills he showed in the minors, allowing 7 runs in 2.2 innings for the loss. The Robins go down 13-9 and lose third place to the Giants.

9/4/1959

In San Francisco, the Robins go down again, 9-5. Duke Snider hits a homerun against his old team. Boros and Cimoli homer for the Robins.

9/5/1959

The Robins drop their fifth straight as Frank Sullivan just can’t throw good pitches. The Giants pound him for 7 runs in 2.1 innings and his record drops to 9-11.

9/6/1959

Koufax pitches very well and completes the game, but once again, the Robins hitters can’t back him up with anything and the team falls 4-2. The Robins have just 3 hits, including a homerun from Boros. It’s the sixth straight loss for Brooklyn. Fans have finally given up all hope for the pennant and begin to talk about next year.

9/8/1959

After a day off, the Robins show up in Milwaukee to drop their seventh straight game, 4-3, and fall to .500. Snyder gets his second loss. Wills steals number 110.

9/9/1959

Another day, another loss. The Robins drop their eighth straight, 4-3 again, and have not won in September. This one takes 11 innings. The team is now a game under .500 and officially eliminated from competition.

9/10/1959

Nine straight now. The Robins have become the team anyone can beat in the NL. Kaline and Cimoli both hit futile homeruns. Sullivan pitches well, but not well enough.

9/11/1959

The Robins finally win a game, but they almost blow it against the Phillies at home. Ahead 4-1 with one out and no one on in the ninth, Koufax leaves the game after hurling a ball to the backstop while facing the previous batter (despite striking the batter out). Drysdale comes on and hits Bouchee. He gets a flyout and is one out away from closing it out, when Richie Ashburn singles and Granny Hamner homers to tie the game up. Ridzik comes in to close the inning out. In the bottom of the ninth, thanks in part to a Maury Wills steal of third base, the Robins win it on a sac fly by Lillis. Once again, Koufax is great but gets a no decision. The Robins are now one game below .500. Milwaukee, meanwhile, has narrowed St. Louis’s lead to 4 games. The magic number for St. Louis is now 11. For New York, it is 4.

9/12/1959

The Robins return to their losing ways, dropping the game 3-2. Ken Johnson is the hard luck loser. Wills steals number 115 in the loss.

9/13/1959

The Robins get clobbered by the Phillies, 9-1. They manage just 3 hits off Bob Conley, the league leader in ERA (now 2.77). The Robins give the start to Erskine, his only big league appearance of the year, and he allows 11 hits and 7 runs (3 earned) in 5 innings.

9/14/1959

The Robins manage to pull off a win, 3-2, when Chicago comes to town. Ryne Duren pitches great to go to 13-8. Wills steals three and now has an unbelievable 119 steals.

9/15/1959

The Robins win their second in a row, prompting a somewhat sarcastic cheer from the crowd after the game. It is another close 3-2 victory. Sullivan takes it to go to 10-12 and Wills steals two more.

9/16/1959

The Robins scrape their way back to .500 with a win over the Cubs. Koufax gets his 15th victory with a stellar complete game performance. Wills steals yet another base.

9/17/1959

The Robins pull out a 2-1 victory in Pittsburgh, their third straight win, and go a game over .500. Sherry makes the most of another starting opportunity, completing the game and allowing just 3 hits while striking out 7. Meanwhile, the Yankees clinch the AL and Milwaukee narrows the gap between themselves and the Cardinals to 3 games.

9/18/1959

The Robins are clobbered by the Pirates, 10-1. Johnson fails to even his record at 10 and goes to 9-11 instead.

9/19/1959

Duren and Drysdale combine to shutout the Pirates, 2-0. Duren has the best W-L record on the team at 14-8, even if he has not been the team’s best pitcher by any other measure. Milwaukee and St. Louis now have only a single game separating them with 7 games left to play.

9/20/1959

The Robins fall back to .500 with an 11-inning loss in Pittburgh. Kaline hits homerun number 20 and Wills steals 3 to bring his total to 126.

9/21/1959

It’s another 11-inning loss in Pittsburgh. Howard and Demeter both homer in the loss.

9/22/1959

The Robins fall to 74-76 with another loss, this one in San Francisco. Demeter has 2 RBIs to reach and then surpass the 100-RBI mark.

9/23/1959

The Robins end any chances of finishing above .500 with a 5-3 loss to the Giants. Frank Howard hits his team leading 25th homer in the loss.

9/24/1959

The Robins come home to face Cincinnati. In the top of the tenth, the normally very reliable Ridzik gives up 4 runs to lose the game and ensure the Robins’ status as a losing team. The final score is 7-4. Howard hits his 26th homerun.

9/25/1959

The Robins win the game on a 3 run homer by Frank Howard in the bottom of the ninth, his third homer in three games. The final score is 7-4. Ebbets Field is nearly empty and amazingly quiet for such a normally loud city as Brooklyn.

9/27/1959

The Robins win their final game of the season before a large crowd, but the game ends in a mixture of boos and cheers. Fans are unhappy with the team’s final plunge into the lower depths of mediocrity. Howard accounts for both runs in the 2-1 victory with his 28th homer. Johnson looks great in getting his 10th win.

[ctorg]

END OF REGULAR SEASON

Standings:

American League Standings	

AL	

Team		W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff		Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10	
New York	92	62	.597	-	91-63	1		47-30	45-32	12-6	28-20	*	L2	6-4	
Cleveland	81	73	.526	11.0	80-74	1		38-39	43-34	11-5	25-23	-	L1	7-3	
Washington	79	75	.513	13.0	78-76	1		41-36	38-39	10-7	30-22	-	W1	5-5	
Baltimore	78	76	.506	14.0	71-83	7		37-40	41-36	9-4	24-18	-	L1	4-6	
Boston		75	79	.487	17.0	80-74	-5		39-38	36-41	1-8	23-28	-	W1	5-5	
Chicago (A)	72	82	.468	20.0	73-81	-1		42-35	30-47	10-5	24-33	-	L1	5-5	
Detroit		72	82	.468	20.0	78-76	-6		35-42	37-40	1-16	17-28	-	W2	3-7	
Kansas City	67	87	.435	25.0	65-89	2		33-44	34-43	7-10	27-26	-	W1	5-5	

National League Standings	

NL	

Team		W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff		Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10	
St. Louis	91	63	.591	-	88-66	3		43-34	48-29	8-10	20-23	*	W1	5-5	
Milwaukee	89	65	.578	2.0	85-69	4		50-27	39-38	11-7	31-23	-	L2	6-4	
San Fran	79	75	.513	12.0	77-77	2		44-33	35-42	4-7	23-23	-	L1	5-5	
Brooklyn	76	78	.494	15.0	81-73	-5		39-38	37-40	8-11	21-24	-	W2	4-6	
Philadlphia	74	80	.481	17.0	76-78	-2		40-37	34-43	12-7	18-29	-	W4	6-4	
Pittsburgh	70	84	.455	21.0	70-84	0		31-46	39-38	7-7	20-17	-	W2	5-5	
Cincinnati	69	85	.448	22.0	70-84	-1		36-41	33-44	9-10	27-23	-	L2	6-4	
Chicago (N)	68	86	.442	23.0	69-85	-1		34-43	34-43	8-8	24-22	-	L5	2-8

Overall Batting:	

Name		G	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	R	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	
S. Burgess	119	432	147	24	5	12	73	66	36	32	.340	.389	.502	
S. Ridzik 	41	9	3	0	0	0	0	2	0	4	.333	.333	.333	
A. Kaline	125	470	153	23	4	18	83	87	61	38	.326	.402	.506	
G. Cimoli	91	167	53	8	5	4	30	31	10	19	.317	.354	.497	
N. Larker	104	192	57	6	1	5	23	29	15	9	.297	.357	.417	
M. Wills 	126	517	153	6	10	2	38	95	34	42	.296	.339	.358	
D. Zimmer	80	158	46	7	1	5	23	20	8	36	.291	.320	.443	
D. Demeter	122	437	121	23	4	23	94	61	29	95	.277	.324	.506	
S. Boros	113	396	108	13	3	8	48	54	31	41	.273	.330	.381	
D. Drysdale	21	33	9	0	0	0	3	2	2	8	.273	.314	.273	
B. Lillis 	62	107	29	2	0	0	11	9	3	7	.271	.291	.290	
F. Howard	126	451	119	13	5	23	78	73	48	100	.264	.335	.468	
W. Mccovey	44	50	13	1	0	2	10	4	2	5	.260	.302	.400	
E. Bressoud	121	387	99	23	4	10	47	49	38	51	.256	.321	.413	
R. Craig 	3	8	2	0	0	0	1	1	0	1	.250	.250	.250	
B. Smith 	49	4	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	.250	.250	.500	
J. Pagan 	45	100	25	3	0	0	6	10	1	16	.250	.265	.280	
H. Landrith	11	22	5	1	0	0	2	0	3	0	.227	.308	.273	
J. Bolger 	17	18	4	1	0	0	0	3	2	2	.222	.300	.278	
R. Jackson	55	61	13	4	0	1	6	9	4	12	.213	.254	.328	
E. Averill	38	68	13	2	0	0	1	5	1	14	.191	.203	.221	
S. Koufax 	28	83	11	4	0	1	5	10	1	20	.133	.143	.217	
F. Sullivan	28	71	8	1	0	0	2	1	1	26	.113	.123	.127	
R. Duren 	28	55	5	2	0	0	2	3	1	21	.091	.107	.127	
K. Johnson	26	66	5	1	0	0	1	3	0	25	.076	.076	.091	
L. Sherry	3	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	.000	.000	.000	
J. Umbricht	71	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.000	.000	.000	
G. Zuverink	32	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	.000	.000	.000	
E. Wilson	27	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	
J. Pizarro	31	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000

Overall Pitching:	

Name		G	GS	W	L	SV	ERA	IP	HA	R	ER	BB	K	
S. Koufax 	28	28	14	11	0	3.36	228.0	176	92	85	79	227	
R. Duren 	28	28	12	8	0	4.97	155.2	163	97	86	88	140	
K. Johnson	26	26	9	9	0	3.22	181.2	170	80	65	50	79	
F. Sullivan	28	28	9	10	0	3.13	213.0	205	92	74	44	123	
S. Ridzik 	41	0	8	1	1	2.18	66.0	49	17	16	23	33	
J. Umbricht	71	0	6	5	7	4.65	79.1	79	47	41	41	57	
D. Drysdale	21	14	5	4	0	4.80	95.2	104	58	51	32	53	
E. Wilson 	27	0	2	1	2	5.90	29.0	31	19	19	16	18	
L. Sherry 	3	3	1	1	0	5.40	16.2	21	12	10	5	12	
J. Pizarro	31	0	1	8	14	4.28	33.2	37	17	16	9	22	
G. Zuverink	32	0	1	1	1	6.14	44.0	64	31	30	7	8	
B. Smith 	49	0	1	2	3	5.03	62.2	68	44	35	41	40	
R. Craig 	3	3	0	1	0	4.50	22.0	25	11	11	7	4	
J. Bolger 	1	0	0	1	0	18.00	1.0	2	2	2	2	0

AL Leaders

#  TOP 10 AVG 		AVG 
1  R. Nixon (CLE) 	.344 
2  S. Taylor (WS1) 	.333 
3  P. Runnels (BOS) 	.326 
4  B. White (NYA) 	.322 
5  B. Nieman (BAL) 	.319 
6  C. Maxwell (DET) 	.314 
7  Y. Berra (NYA) 	.314 
8  N. Fox (CHA) 	.312 
9  H. Kuenn (DET) 	.308 
10  M. Keough (BOS)	.302 

#  TOP 10 HR 		HR 
1  M. Mantle (NYA) 	41 
2  R. Colavito (CLE) 	38 
3  J. Lemon (WS1) 	32 
4  R. Sievers (WS1) 	30 
5  H. Killebrew (WS1) 	27 
6  N. Cash (CHA) 	26 
6  V. Wertz (CLE) 	26 
8  D. Stuart (DET) 	25 
8  B. Cerv (CHA) 	25 
8  B. White (NYA) 	25 
 
#  TOP 10 RBI 		RBI 
1  B. Skowron (BOS) 	117 
2  R. Sievers (WS1) 	109 
3  J. Lemon (WS1) 	106 
4  B. White (NYA) 	105 
5  R. Colavito (CLE) 	102 
6  V. Wertz (CLE) 	99 
7  H. Kuenn (DET) 	97 
8  N. Cash (CHA) 	96 
8  G. Triandos (BAL) 	96 
10  M. Mantle (NYA) 	90 

#  TOP 10 Wins 			W 
1  B. Monbouquette (BOS) 	20 
2  B. O'dell (BAL) 		18 
2  W. Ford (NYA) 		18 
2  C. Beamon (BAL) 		18 
2  D. Larsen (NYA) 		18 
6  G. Conley (CLE) 		15 
6  T. Sturdivant (NYA) 		15 
6  D. Donovan (CHA) 		15 
6  B. Grim (NYA) 		15 
10  J. Nuxhall (BOS) 		14 

#  TOP 10 ERA 			ERA 
1  C. Pascual (WS1) 		2.96 
2  W. Ford (NYA) 		3.10 
3  J. Kaat (WS1) 		3.17 
4  C. Beamon (BAL) 		3.20 
5  T. Brewer (BOS) 		3.21 
6  D. Donovan (CHA) 		3.34 
7  B. Monbouquette (BOS) 	3.52 
8  B. Shaw (CHA) 		3.64 
9  C. Raymond (CHA) 		3.71 
10  B. O'dell (BAL) 		3.73

#  TOP 10 Strikeouts 		K's 
1  H. Score (CLE) 		217 
2  B. O'dell (BAL) 		189 
3  C. Pascual (WS1) 		177 
3  W. Ford (NYA) 		177 
5  D. Larsen (NYA) 		164 
6  G. Conley (CLE) 		163 
7  C. Beamon (BAL) 		155 
8  B. Monbouquette (BOS) 	146 
8  T. Sturdivant (NYA) 		146 
10  J. Nuxhall (BOS) 		136

NL Leaders

#  TOP 10 AVG 		AVG 
1  W. Moon (SLN) 	.335 
2  S. Burgess (BRO) 	.328 
3  W. Covington (ML1) 	.324 
4  A. Kaline (BRO) 	.317 
5  R. Ashburn (PHI) 	.314 
6  S. Musial (SLN) 	.314 
7  W. Mays (SFN) 	.312 
8  H. Aaron (ML1) 	.307 
9  B. Skinner (PIT) 	.306 
10  K. Boyer (SLN) 	.306 

#  TOP 10 HR 		HR 
1  E. Mathews (ML1) 	39 
2  J. Adcock (ML1) 	38 
3  W. Covington (ML1) 	37 
3  W. Post (PHI) 	37 
5  W. Mays (SFN) 	34 
6  E. Banks (CHN) 	33 
7  H. Aaron (ML1) 	28 
7  F. Howard (BRO) 	28 
7  L. Wagner (SFN) 	28 
7  G. Zernial (PIT) 	28 
 
#  TOP 10 RBI 		RBI 
1  O. Cepeda (SFN) 	119 
2  W. Post (PHI) 	110 
3  J. Adcock (ML1) 	106 
3  E. Banks (CHN) 	106 
5  W. Mays (SFN) 	103 
5  D. Demeter (BRO) 	103 
7  W. Moon (SLN) 	102 
7  E. Mathews (ML1) 	102 
9  F. Thomas (PIT) 	101 
9  G. Zernial (PIT) 	101

American League-Pitcher of the Month:
Whitey Ford (NYA)!
He had a record of 4-1 in 6 games started, with an ERA of 3.07 and 1 shutouts.
American League-Batter of the Month:
Rocky Colavito (CLE)!
He batted .405 in 84 AB, with 7 homers and 25 RBI.
National League-Pitcher of the Month:
Jim Perry (ML1)!
He had a record of 4-1 in 6 games started, with an ERA of 0.89.
National League-Batter of the Month:
Wally Moon (SLN)!
He batted .354 in 82 AB, with 5 homers and 21 RBI.

By far the Robins’ worst month, they went 8-16 in September to fall far out of the pennant chase and lose the confidence of the fans almost completely. There were few bright spots. Frank Howard led the offense with 5 homers and 16 RBI, but he hit just .250. The bats were generally limp. Only Gino Cimoli had an outstanding month, batting .352 with 2 homers and 5 RBI to make a case for himself as the Robins’ leftfielder. Even the consistent bat of Smoky Burgess dulled to a .246 average with just 2 RBI and no homers. Wills finished with 126 steals, far more than any other team in baseball.

Duren pitched well, going 2-0 with a 1.97 ERA for the month, but none of the other starters did much. Koufax wasn’t bad, going 1-2 with a 3.99 ERA for the month, and Sherry looked pretty good. Pizarro looked good coming back from his stint in the minors, allowing three hits and a run in seven innings of work. The Robins did finish with the best team ERA in the NL, second best in baseball to the Yankees. Koufax has far more strikeouts than anyone else.

The Yankees won the AL crown with little drama. Cleveland rallied at the end to finish second, but they still came in twelve games behind New York. St. Louis managed to fend off the Braves for the NL crown. Milwaukee scored the first three slots in homeruns in the NL, with Mathews, Adcock, and Covington hitting 39, 38, and 37 respectively. Covington was a late bloomer for Milwaukee but may challenge Mays for the MVP honors this year. Mantle looks like a good bet to win in the AL, though several other players may well challenge him. Moboquette appears to be a lock for the AL Cy Young. The NL Cy Young will ether go to Conley (16-9, 2.60 ERA) or rookie phenom Bob Gibson (20-7, 3.71 ERA, 214 K). Gibson is considered the favorite, but his age and the fact that he appears to be the top ROTY candidate may keep the award from him.

[ctorg]

THE 1959 WORLD SERIES

GAME 1 – 9/30 @ New York

The Yankees take game 1 6-5, scoring all of their runs in the 7th inning. Elston Howard leads the way with a homer and 3 RBI. The Yankees blast last year’s Cy Young winner Larry Jackson (18-10, 3.86 ERA this year) for all 6 runs.

GAME 2 – 10/1 @ New York

New York wins another close game, 4-3 over the Cardinals. The Yankees aren’t as dominant as last year’s champs, but they have still managed to take the first two games.

GAME 3 – 10/3 @ St. Louis.

Yet another one run game, and yet another Yankee win, 5-4. The Yankee machine just keeps rolling with help from a long homerun by major league homerun champ Mickey Mantle.

GAME 4 – 10/4 @ St. Louis

The Yankees complete the sweep with a 5-2 win. Whitey Ford gets the win and Siebern hits a ball into nearly out of Sportsman’s Park.

[ctorg]

The Awards:
American League Rookie of the Year:
Claude Raymond (CHA)!
He had a record of 13-8 with an ERA of 3.71.
In 26 games started, he pitched 179.2 innings, fanning 113 and walking 52 batters.
National League Rookie of the Year:
Bob Gibson (SLN)!
He had a record of 20-7 with an ERA of 3.71 and 1 shutouts.
In 40 games started, he pitched 281.1 innings, fanning 214 and walking 104 batters.
American League Cy Young Award:
Bill Monbouquette (BOS)!
He had a record of 20-12 with an ERA of 3.52.
In 40 games started, he pitched 286.1 innings, fanning 146 and walking 43 batters.
American League Most Valuable Player:
Bill White (NYA)!
He batted .322 in 521 AB, with 25 homers and 105 RBI.
National League Cy Young Award:
Bob Gibson (SLN)!
He had a record of 20-7 with an ERA of 3.71 and 1 shutouts.
In 40 games started, he pitched 281.1 innings, fanning 214 and walking 104 batters.
National League Most Valuable Player:
Willie Mays (SFN)!
He batted .312 in 538 AB, with 34 h
American League Gold Glove Winners:
Pitcher: Don Gross (DET)
Catcher: Gus Triandos (BAL)
First Base: Harmon Killebrew (WS1)
Second Base: Jerry Lumpe (NYA)
Third Base: Brooks Robinson (BAL)
Shortstop: Chico Carrasquel (CLE)
Leftfield: Norm Siebern (NYA)
Centerfield: Mickey Mantle (NYA)
Rightfield: Jackie Jensen (BOS)
National League Gold Glove Winners:
Pitcher: Frank Sullivan (BRO)
Catcher: Johnny Roseboro (SLN)
First Base: Joe Adcock (ML1)
Second Base: Tony Taylor (CHN)
Third Base: Willie Jones (PHI)
Shortstop: Johnny Logan (ML1)
Leftfield: Leon Wagner (SFN)
Centerfield: Willie Mays (SFN)
Rightfield: Roberto Clemente (PIT)

[ctorg]

Closing out 1959

Chadwick Harrelson is not happy. The Robins’ collapse at the end of the year was below even his lowered expectations. He was sure the team would at least finish with a winning record.

“I am appalled,” he tells the staff in a meeting. “We had a real chance this year, and we let it slip away at the end.”

“It was that godforsaken trade,” says Sean Haggerty, the marketing VP. “We were in it until that trade.”

Jack moves forward to defend himself. “With or without that trade, we weren’t going to win. Look at St. Louis’s record, their win streak. We had a great month in August, right after the trade. The guys just couldn’t get it together in September.”

“The fans are angry,” says Haggerty. “It’s sure made my job harder, trying to promote a team that trades away its best chances at a pennant.”

“If the job is too difficult,” says Chadwick Harrelson, “perhaps you are in the wrong line of work.”

Haggerty is angry. “Perhaps the nepotism that has allowed someone unsuitable for the position to become GM is the true problem with this team,” he says boldly.

Chadwick Harrelson is visibly upset, but he doesn’t have a chance to speak before Haggerty continues. “Don’t bother to fire me. I quit. This place is a circus, not a baseball team.”

With that, Haggerty leaves. The room is silent as all eyes move from Jack to Chadwick Harrelson and back. Everyone has been thinking it. Jack was the only one to survive Chadwick Harrelson’s mass firings in 1958, yet he was the one with the most power to affect the team. Jack knows it, too. Things will change. However much his father wants him to be GM, that desire can only withstand so many bad decisions. The deal for McCovey – or, as others see it, the trading away of Snider – will make or break him as GM in 1960. McCovey must work out if he is to keep the job, whether or not his father owns the team.

The Robins have three players whose contracts are up: Don Zimmer, Jim Bolger, and Carl Erskine. None are expected to return in 1960. Next year’s success will depend upon the current players and any trades or free agent pickups done in the off season.

[ctorg]

Author’s Note

Unfortunately, real life (my MBA classes) is going to make it difficult for me to continue this at its current pace. I have a lot of work coming up. I’ll probably leave it for a few weeks and come back to it once things settle, most likely in December. It’s been fun so far. I’ve never enjoyed a historical league so much. I’m looking forward to making it to the 80s, when I’ll see players with whom I’m a bit more familiar.

I like how the tension has increased between Chadwick and Jack Harrelson. It wasn’t something I was planning, but it’s very hard not to pin the poor performance of the team on Jack, whether or not he’s Chadwick’s son. The big trade was a real risk, and I’m not sure how good or bad a deal it will turn out to be. McCovey was obviously a great player in real life, but he’s just a big prospect and he may take the Roger Maris or Don Drysdale path and flame out (Maris, by the way, ended up hitting .198 with 17 homers and 43 RBI in 338 AB – I’d be very surprised if he breaks any HR records by 1961).

[Gastric ReFlux]

It looks like you're paying close attention to everything. Sometimes that helps the immersion factor, sometimes it's a reflection of how immersed you already are.

[ctorg]

Originally Posted by Gastric ReFlux

It looks like you're paying close attention to everything. Sometimes that helps the immersion factor, sometimes it's a reflection of how immersed you already are.

I'm trying to pay attention as best as I can. The leagues where I don't pay enough attention are the ones I end up shutting down after a few hours of playing. I'm really learning that the more attention I pay to my leagues, the more successful they are, and I pay more attention when I follow one team the way I have been with this one, rather than one player or with a managerial career, as I have in the past.

[Gastric ReFlux]

Originally Posted by ctorg

I'm trying to pay attention as best as I can. The leagues where I don't pay enough attention are the ones I end up shutting down after a few hours of playing. I'm really learning that the more attention I pay to my leagues, the more successful they are, and I pay more attention when I follow one team the way I have been with this one, rather than one player or with a managerial career, as I have in the past.

I enjoy those other kinds of leagues too, where you don't get immersed, but maybe learn something in the process that helps when you get ready to make that immersive league. But yeah, where OOTP pays off is when you get a league like you're getting into now, when the players become far more than just numbers but at least characters that you root for, or despise.

[ctorg]

Originally Posted by Gastric ReFlux

I enjoy those other kinds of leagues too, where you don't get immersed, but maybe learn something in the process that helps when you get ready to make that immersive league. But yeah, where OOTP pays off is when you get a league like you're getting into now, when the players become far more than just numbers but at least characters that you root for, or despise.

In some ways I kind of wish it wasn't a historical league, because then I could make up things about the players. It's a bit more stifling to deal with the constraints of real life. I don't feel right making up something about the particular players.

I do like the quirk about Ryne Duren being mostly blind, as someone alluded to earlier, but I haven't really had a chance to use it.

[marky32082]

^BUMP^

...Really enjoying this thread. KUTGW.

[ctorg]

Originally Posted by marky32082

^BUMP^

...Really enjoying this thread. KUTGW.

Glad to know! I'll pick it up again in late December when my current class ends.

[ctorg]

I actually went back to this league over the weekend with the intention of reviving it, but I must have screwed something up, because it crashes my game now. I was disappointed, because this had potential. Oh well. Maybe I'll start another dynasty thread at some point.

[seth70liz76]

Hope you do, it was an interesting concept you had here.

[Vris]

Sorry to hear that ctorg. This was (still is) a fun read.