The Golden Age Draft League

Share your gameplay tips, secret tactics and fabulous strategies with fellow gamers.

Moderator: puresimmer

Post Reply
User avatar
KG Erwin
Posts: 8366
Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2000 8:00 am
Location: Cross Lanes WV USA

The Golden Age Draft League

Post by KG Erwin »

January 1, 1946: With WWII veterans returning home, and game attendance suffering, the major-league owners have agreed (after many acrimonious meetings) to turn the game on its head and basically start from scratch. Commissioner "Happy" Chandler, who is simply an errand boy between the league presidents, nodded and pretended to understand what was going on.

ALL players will be dumped into a pool, and a 50-round draft will be held, with draft order being chosen in a lottery.

As GM and manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, I had mixed feelings about this, but given the rumors of a player union being formed, what better way to break up the union cliques (one of which is here in Pittsburgh) than by completely reshuffling the deck?

The player reserve clause will stay intact, so a given player has no choice on where he may end up.

To fans, the reaction has been a mixture of shock and anticipation. We are essentially breaking up the two leagues, and entering a brave new world.

The draft will be held tomorrow.

PS: I look at the possibilities, and I don't know how I will choose IF I get the first choice. Jeezus, I actually hope I DON'T get it. Ted Williams is back from the war, but has his skill diminished? What about all of those other returning veterans? No one knows. Who is the best player in baseball right now? Stan Musial? Hal Newhouser? I'll be drinking much coffee tonight, and looking over hundreds of scouting reports. What kind of team do I want the Pirates to be? How will they best play in this park?

I have some ideas, and I'll be discussing them with the coaching staff.
Image
User avatar
KG Erwin
Posts: 8366
Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2000 8:00 am
Location: Cross Lanes WV USA

RE: The Golden Age Draft League

Post by KG Erwin »

The draft has been completed, and the pundits are engaging in a typing frenzy. I felt pleased about the Pirates' selections, until I saw this report on PSPN:



Image

The St. Louis Browns rated at the top? Well, they DID win the World Series in 1944, but that was regarded as a fluke. I suppose their management decided to go for a "win right now" philosophy, whereas I'm planning for the future. I stocked up on promising young talent. The average age of my projected starting lineup is 24.

For the record, the first choice of the draft lottery was awarded to the Giants, and they picked Hal Newhouser. The second choice went to the Phillies, and they picked Ted Williams. My first choice was young pitching prospect Warren Spahn, which raised a few eyebrows. He had performed well in 1945, but was not a proven starting pitcher.
Attachments
UO0003.jpg
UO0003.jpg (83.21 KiB) Viewed 296 times
Image
User avatar
KG Erwin
Posts: 8366
Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2000 8:00 am
Location: Cross Lanes WV USA

RE: The Golden Age Draft League

Post by KG Erwin »

The strength of the Pirates will hopefully be the young pitching staff:

Image

To shore up the young starters, I also chose a couple of proven relievers. The "old man" of the bullpen is southpaw Woody Abernathy, aged 31.
Attachments
UO0005.jpg
UO0005.jpg (75.77 KiB) Viewed 295 times
Image
User avatar
KG Erwin
Posts: 8366
Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2000 8:00 am
Location: Cross Lanes WV USA

RE: The Golden Age Draft League

Post by KG Erwin »

The batting lineup will look like this:


Image

I carry three second basemen on my 25-man roster, but two of them are my pinch-hitting specialists: LHB Billy Goodman and RHB Eddie Stanky.

In the minors, I have a number of kids fresh out of high school, including a couple of slam-bang young pitching prospects, 17-year-old Curt Simmons and 19-year-old Marv Rotblatt.
Attachments
UO0004.jpg
UO0004.jpg (76.99 KiB) Viewed 295 times
Image
User avatar
KG Erwin
Posts: 8366
Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2000 8:00 am
Location: Cross Lanes WV USA

RE: The Golden Age Draft League

Post by KG Erwin »

On opening day, April 16, Warren Spahn will be facing the Cardinals' Howie Pollet at Sportsman's Park. Both are 25 years old, and neither has pitched in a major-league game in at least 2 years.

The conservative pundits are beside themselves, and rail endlessly against the so-called "youth movement" that prevails on a few teams, most notably the Pirates. They make bad jokes about players being transported to the field in baby carriages. [8|]
Image
User avatar
KG Erwin
Posts: 8366
Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2000 8:00 am
Location: Cross Lanes WV USA

RE: The Golden Age Draft League

Post by KG Erwin »

St. Louis, April 16: That's the way to do it! Warren Spahn pitched a 5-1 complete-game victory for the Pirates on opening day. He had 7 SO, while allowing 5 hits and 4 BB. Duke Snider had 2 RBI in a sloppily-played game in which the Cardinals committed 2 errors and the Bucs 1. We'll call it opening-day jitters for these two young teams.
Image
User avatar
KG Erwin
Posts: 8366
Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2000 8:00 am
Location: Cross Lanes WV USA

RE: The Golden Age Draft League

Post by KG Erwin »

St.Louis, April 17: Strange game -- 27 hits (17 by the Cardinals), both starters knocked out, but the Cards commit two more fielding errors, and the Pirates win 5-4. Milo Candini , relieving Don Newcombe, gets the win. Ken Trinkle earns a save in the 9th.
Image
User avatar
KG Erwin
Posts: 8366
Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2000 8:00 am
Location: Cross Lanes WV USA

RE: The Golden Age Draft League

Post by KG Erwin »

St. Louis, April 18: The Bucs complete the sweep, downing the Cardinals 7-0. Early Wynn threw 113 pitches to get the 5-hit shutout, with 2 SO and 5 BB. The Bucs' leadoff batter, Red Schoendienst, hit .400 in the series, with 6 RBI.
Image
legendsport2k
Posts: 45
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2006 10:59 pm
Contact:

RE: The Golden Age Draft League

Post by legendsport2k »

Looks like you've built a very solid squad. I'll be reading.
Check out the Legendsport Leagues - Remaking Baseball History including GGB Redux - the first Puresim historical online league
User avatar
KG Erwin
Posts: 8366
Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2000 8:00 am
Location: Cross Lanes WV USA

RE: The Golden Age Draft League

Post by KG Erwin »

Pittsburgh, April 19: the Pirates win their home opener in a squeaker that saw 16 walks issued.

Image
Attachments
UO0002.jpg
UO0002.jpg (118.61 KiB) Viewed 293 times
Image
User avatar
KG Erwin
Posts: 8366
Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2000 8:00 am
Location: Cross Lanes WV USA

RE: The Golden Age Draft League

Post by KG Erwin »

Pittsburgh, April 20: the Bucs' win streak comes to an end in an embarrassing fashion. The game went into extra innings with the score tied at 2, but in the top of the 15th the Reds busted loose with 9 runs off of Clem Dreisewerd and Woody Abernathy. The Pirates scored one in the bottom of the 15th. Final, Reds 11-3. Ken Heintzelman got the win, and Dreisewerd took the loss.
Image
User avatar
KG Erwin
Posts: 8366
Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2000 8:00 am
Location: Cross Lanes WV USA

RE: The Golden Age Draft League

Post by KG Erwin »

Pittsburgh, April 21: for the double-header against the Reds, Duke Snider and Yogi Berra will be rested. Richie Ashburn will replace Snider in CF, and Dixie Howell will step in for Berra at C.

In game 1, Don Newcombe got the win and Ken Trinkle earned his 2nd save as the Pirates win 4-1.

In game 2 (which I inadvertently quick-simmed), the Pirates win 5-2. Woody Abernathy gets the win, and Ken Gables earns a save.

April 22 is an off day.
Image
User avatar
KG Erwin
Posts: 8366
Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2000 8:00 am
Location: Cross Lanes WV USA

RE: The Golden Age Draft League

Post by KG Erwin »

Pittsburgh, April 24: Warren Spahn tosses a complete-game shutout of the Cubs as the Pirates win handily 5-0. Spahn gave up 11 hits (all singles), with 7 SO and 4 BB. Joe Beggs took the loss.

Yesterday, Bob Lemon defeated Kirby Higbe 3-2. The Bucs are now 8-1.

Hmm, I'm noticing that I'm cluttering up the thread with daily updates. Think I should go with weekly reports.

I made one lineup change: LF Roy Sievers isn't hitting (.211), so I'm platooning him with Dale Mitchell (who is better defensively) in his spot against right-handed pitchers for now.

This makes my batting order dominated by lefties, but my young pitching staff has been overwhelming the opposition. As of yet, they haven't given up a HR, and lead the majors in ERA (2.53). I also lead the majors in saves (6).

The one problem is this: I have no decent spot-starters, so I'm keeping a close eye on the kids' health. In the farm system, Curt Simmons (AAA) is performing well, but he is SO young. I want him to get at least a year of seasoning before calling him up.
Image
User avatar
KG Erwin
Posts: 8366
Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2000 8:00 am
Location: Cross Lanes WV USA

RE: The Golden Age Draft League

Post by KG Erwin »

Minor League Report: former player Roy Hobbs is the overseer of the farm system. He is actually a farmer, growing whatever it is he grows somewhere in Iowa. [;)]



Image
Attachments
UO0003.jpg
UO0003.jpg (124.57 KiB) Viewed 293 times
Image
User avatar
KG Erwin
Posts: 8366
Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2000 8:00 am
Location: Cross Lanes WV USA

RE: The Golden Age Draft League

Post by KG Erwin »

Pittsburgh, April 26: I can't believe what I'm seeing. Early Wynn just pitched a complete-game 2-hit shutout against the Cardinals. He got 4 SO and gave up only 1 BB. The score was 4-0.

Yesterday, Don Newcombe beat the Cards 5-3, with Ken Trinkle earning his 3rd save.

The Pirates are now 10-1, and will be traveling to Cincinnati for a 3-game series.

The reporters have been hounding me, asking me what kind of magic seems to surround this team.

I respond this way : "We drafted a talented group of youngsters who are surpassing all expectations. It is a balanced team, with excellent starting pitching, an experienced bullpen, good defense and timely hitting. No magic to it at all. The credit should go to our scouts and the management for providing me with a solid foundation for the future. I just let them play."

Privately, I'm thinking it all seems TOO perfect. We have weaknesses, but no one, outside of myself, has as yet seen them. No one has been injured -- if and when this happens, the machine will break down. I'm crossing my fingers. I'm thinking of shopping for a backup 1st baseman. If Kryhoski gets hurt, I'm in a bad way. I have Paul Campbell in AAA, but he's not major-league caliber, and never will be.

Image
User avatar
KG Erwin
Posts: 8366
Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2000 8:00 am
Location: Cross Lanes WV USA

RE: The Golden Age Draft League

Post by KG Erwin »

Cincinnati, April 27: We eke out a 2-1 victory. Woody Abernathy gets the win in relief of Bob Lemon, and Milo Candini earns his 3rd save.

I also pulled off a trade -- reserve SS Stan Rojek was sent to the Dodgers in exchange for 40-year-old 1B Joe Kuhel. This is not as crazy as it seems. Kuhel is still solid defensively, and as a pinch-hitter. I wanted a dependable backup first baseman, so now I have one. I had a surfeit of shortstops, so Rojek (a promising prospect) was deemed expendable. The Dodgers were thrilled with the trade, so I keep my business relations with them in good standing. This could reap some benefits for me at a later time.

April 28: double-header against the Reds. Dick Kryhoski is tired, so I'm inserting freshly-acquired Joe Kuhel in his spot for today. I'm also inserting Richie Ashburn to spell Duke Snider in CF. At 3B, Eddie Yost is also showing some signs of wear & tear. I have no one to replace him, so I hope he can tough it out. As I've said, I cannot afford any injuries to my key players.

In Game 1, Warren Spahn earns yet another complete-game victory, 9-2. The Iron Man gets 5 SO, while giving up 2 BB and 10 hits.

In Game 2, Newcombe, Abernathy and Dreisewerd combine to down the Reds 4-1, with Dreisewerd earning the save.
Image
User avatar
KG Erwin
Posts: 8366
Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2000 8:00 am
Location: Cross Lanes WV USA

RE: The Golden Age Draft League

Post by KG Erwin »

Pittsburgh, April 30: it was unseasonably cold in Forbes Field (27 degrees), and the Pirates' bats were also cold (just 4 hits) as the Phillies handed the Bucs their second loss, 3-0.

Still, it's been a fantastic beginning for this young team. Here are the standings:

Image
Attachments
UO0001.jpg
UO0001.jpg (93.09 KiB) Viewed 293 times
Image
User avatar
KG Erwin
Posts: 8366
Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2000 8:00 am
Location: Cross Lanes WV USA

RE: The Golden Age Draft League

Post by KG Erwin »

Pittsburgh, May 5: the "Young Guns" of the pitching staff continue to dominate. On May 1, Milo Candini gets his second win in relief of Bob Lemon as we beat the Phillies 4-3. Thursday the 2nd was a disappointment as we lost to the Phils 1-0. Warren Spahn took the loss. On Friday Ken Trinkle got his first win in relief of Don Newcombe in a 7-4 victory over the Braves. Yesterday, Early Wynn pitched his 3rd CG as we beat the Braves 5-2. The Bucs have not yet given up any HR.

In all this talk about the Pirates' stellar pitching, a couple of the batsmen have also been rendering outstanding performances. Leadoff hitter Red Schoendienst is second in the majors in BA at .402, with 13 RBI. The Phillies' Ted Williams leads the pack, hitting .414, with 1 HR and 10 RBI. Yogi Berra is 10th, with a .359 avg and 18 RBI.

The one man is my lineup who is faltering is 3B Eddie Yost, with a sickly .164 avg. Therefore, before the 1st game of a double-header aginst the Dodgers, I traded LF Roy Sievers to the Phillies for 30-year-old 3B Hank Majeski, who was hitting .300 and is solid defensively. Majeski will be in the lineup today, batting 6th.
Image
User avatar
KG Erwin
Posts: 8366
Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2000 8:00 am
Location: Cross Lanes WV USA

RE: The Golden Age Draft League

Post by KG Erwin »

Pittsburgh, May 7. In the series against the Dodgers we took 2 out of 3. The Pirates' manager had made several lineup changes, but it is the pitching that sets this team apart from the rest of the league.

The Giants come to Iron City on the 8th and 9th, and then we begin a road trip.

As of today, we hold a 6 1/2 game lead over the Giants and the Braves.
Image
User avatar
KG Erwin
Posts: 8366
Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2000 8:00 am
Location: Cross Lanes WV USA

RE: The Golden Age Draft League

Post by KG Erwin »

Pittsburgh, May 9. After losing two straight, one to the Dodgers and one to the Giants, the home stand ended in a 4-2 triumph over the Giants.

The Bucs are now 19-5, holding a 6 1/2 game lead over the Giants and Braves.

Leadoff batter Red Schoendienst is red-hot, leading the majors with a .422 avg. He also has 15 RBI and 6 stolen bases. 2nd is the Phillies' Ted Williams (.390/1/10).

Pirates' ace Warren Spahn also leads the majors with a 1.06 ERA. He is 4-1, with 32 SO and 18 BB. Three of his six starts have been complete games.

In the junior circuit, the Indians and White Sox are both 13-8.

We begin a road trip tomorrow, which will last until May 23.



Image
Post Reply

Return to “The Locker”