1968 Season Thread

[leecemark]

--Play Ball! The Opening Day series are compete. The Legends start what promises to a dominating season with a sweep of the Gamblers - outscoring them 20-3 in the process. The Gold Sox overhaul paid early dividends as they are the other team to pick up an opening sweep.

[catcher24]

Good luck to all in 1968 (except, of course, when playing the Legends!). Hope everyone enjoys the season. I'll be trying to get stats up on the website after every other series (every six games).

Be forewarned I will be gone for a week starting Good Friday (March 21st). No stats will be getting uploaded to the website for at least three and maybe four series of games. I will have internet access but I won't have the game to generate the web pages.

[leecemark]

--After 2 series the Gold Sox have a league best 5-1 mark. We have our furst serious injury as the Angels Dalton Jones goes down for 3 weeks.

[baseballPAP]

(AP)-reports from "league sources" indicate a player strike is imminent. No comments to reports that the Redbirds started this rumor in hopes of ending the season in a playoff spot.

[Erik Bedard]

One change: Please switch my rotation to a strict 5-man, as opposed to skip.

[Sockeye]

Dalton Jones goes on the DL

Ed Kranepool is called up to take his place on the roster.

Bill White will now bat 7th vs LHP

[catcher24]

Well, this isn't boding well for the Legends in the first six games. In all the sims I ran, I never lost more than 3 or 4 games to the Badgers all season - and now I've dropped two of the first three.

Anyway, I'll upload the stats shortly. However, I ran off 20 sims with the lineups/pitching assignments set by the human owners. The results of the 20 individual seasons are listed here and the 20 game averages are listed here.
I have included a breakdown of finishes by team here.

Several interesting items:
In season 3, the Gold Sox had the fifth best overall record, yet won their division. The Shoeless Joes had the fourth best record, but the Legends won that division and the Skipjacks took the WC – the Joes ending up with a bitter taste.

In season 4, the Knights suffered the same fate. They had 89 wins for fourth best overall record, yet didn’t make the playoffs. The Gold Sox won that division, while the Hornets and Diablos both finished at 81-87 (yup, sub .500) and yet tied for the Cartwright Division crown – with the Cider another game back.

Season 6 – The Knights have the sixth best overall record (88-80) yet win their division. The Skipjacks (4th best overall) and Joes (5th best overall) are sitting home watching the playoffs.

Season 12 – Happens again. This time the Gold Sox have sixth best record (89-79) but win their division. Once again the Joes suffer, having third best overall record buy no playoff berth; the Diablos have fifth best overall and go home as well.

Season 13 – Gold Sox go home with the fourth best record, as the fifth best Diablos take their division.

Season 14 – What goes around comes around. The Gold Sox have fifth best overall record but win their division. Skipjacks, with fourth best overall, head home.

The Skipjacks had the second best overall record eight seasons, yet never won the division title.

It’s interesting how variable the results can be. This occurs just as much for the individual players as it does for teams. Using my team as an example, Hank Aaron has as few as 24 and as many as 48 HR, with just about everything in between. His OPS ranges from 993 to 752. Pitchers: Tom Seaver wins vary from 29 to 20; ERA from 2.41 to 3.67; WHIP from 1.01 to 1.19. And over his 20 year “career”, he wins 481 games.

Check out the links and the tables. If you have any questions, about a particular season or player (they’re all in the encyclopedia – 20 seasons worth for each player), let me know.

[J W]

I wouldn't worry Lew. 20 times, 20 first place finishes, average total of 118 wins.

Worry about the playoffs. If we don't win the title, we'll be rooting for you to get over the hump.

[-Kyle-]

Dangit, I am not always in last place. Does anyone want Mantle?

[catcher24]

AARRGHHH!! I already hate the computer manager!

Checking my first six box scores. In six games, the idiot CM has already managed to use my lowest rated reliever in the 14th inning (although he had three higher rated choices), who of course gave up 2 runs and took the loss. He has also led Ron Santo off twice when Dick Green subbed for Don Buford!

[buppers]

[QUOTE=catcher24;1121655]Well, this isn't boding well for the Legends in the first six games. In all the sims I ran, I never lost more than 3 or 4 games to the Badgers all season - and now I've dropped two of the first three.

Looking forward to May 1-3 where I hope to do the same again on your home turf

Ed

[catcher24]

Posted by Ed of the bedraggled Badgers

Looking forward to May 1-3 where I hope to do the same again on your home turf

Don't count on it! We'll be kickin' butt and takin' names in that series!

[buppers]

If I'm "bedraggled" and you are 1-2 vs. me. What does that make you ? You should be ashamed, picking on one of the underpriviledged, poor owners - calling me out and calling me "bedraggled". When I go 2 -1 (or 3 - 0) against you in May, will you take back that insult?

Ed

[J W]

Awesome. Looking forward to the Badgers-Legends brawl in May Who's going to start it?

[buppers]

Since I'm the visiting team, I guess I'll have "first swings".

Who knows, maybe a bat will slip out of the leadoff batters hands and "might" head towards the mound.

PS - if you see a scrub leading off......

Ed

[leecemark]

--The Legends bounce back from the horror of dropping a series to the Badgers to deliver a spanking to their long time rivals - hammering the Skipjacks to claim the leagues best record. The Gold Sox came to Tiger Stadium for the first meeting of what should be a season long battle. The Knights managed to take 2 of 3 hard fought games Billy Williams hit for the cycle and added a bonus triple for his 5th hit in a 9-8 win in the rubber match.

[catcher24]

Mark, you attached the wrong results file. Those are the previous series results. Or were you trying to rub a little salt into the wound over that ignominious series loss to the Bedraggled --I mean, Buppers Badgers.

If I'm "bedraggled" and you are 1-2 vs. me. What does that make you ?

Remember, Ed, even a blind squirrel finds a nut occasionally. No telling who Lady Luck will decide to shine upon in a given day.

When I go 2 -1 (or 3 - 0) against you in May, will you take back that insult?

Nope. Win the season series from me and I'll take it back. Incidentally, Ed, in one of the sims I ran, you were actually the only team that managed a .500 record against the Legends. I pummeled everyone else - the Gold Sox were next best at 5-7. So, although as I mentioned previously I normally only lost 4 to 6 games out of the 24 to you, and at least once I went 24-0, you did have my number at least once!

You should be ashamed, picking on one of the underpriviledged, poor owners - calling me out and calling me "bedraggled"

Sorry, Ed, but sometimes the truth hurts! Didn't mean for it to be an insult. I've been in your shoes. In 62, I tied for the league's second worst record (excluding the doormat teams); 4th worst in 64; 2nd worst in 65. But then my plan reached fruition (nice word, huh?), and in 66 I tied for second best record and had my first 100 win season. So I have no doubt you'll turn it around as long as you have a plan and stick to it.

Awesome. Looking forward to the Badgers-Legends brawl in May Who's going to start it?

We'll see what happens....

--The Legends bounce back from the horror of dropping a series to the Badgers to deliver a spanking to their long time rivals - hammering the Skipjacks to claim the leagues best record.

Well, my team read the Badgers owner's comments in the paper and had to take it out on someone. The fact it was the Skipjacks helps the standings early on.

[Erik Bedard]

I've had the terrible seasons too. My '64 squad has to be the most overachieving team ever, with incredible seasons from below-average pitchers and only two offensive standouts. My '65 team looked better on paper, but it flopped terribly, as lots of guys failed to repeat their strong '64 campaigns. Then my '66 team was awesomely bad (I say awesomely because it got me Johnny Bench ), finishing with the second worst record in the league. A couple of seasons later, I'm back in contention. So you see, there's hope for anybody.

[J W]

Well, my team read the Badgers owner's comments in the paper and had to take it out on someone. The fact it was the Skipjacks helps the standings early on.

I bet Dick Williams had a field day with his team after that series.

[leecemark]

Mark, you attached the wrong results file. Those are the previous series results. Or were you trying to rub a little salt into the wound over that ignominious series loss to the Bedraggled --I mean, Buppers Badgers.



.

--Its you own Groundhogs Day nightmare.

[leecemark]

Well, my team read the Badgers owner's comments in the paper and had to take it out on someone. The fact it was the Skipjacks helps the standings early on.

.....but I guess I'll go ahead and show you the next series anyway

[buppers]

.....but I guess I'll go ahead and show you the next series anyway

Now thats the Badgers team we know and love

Ed

[J W]

Yeech... a team should have no business giving up 30 runs in a series in 1968. And with my team defense too? I guess I better get used to it vs the Legends.

[catcher24]

--Its you own Groundhogs Day nightmare

Good one!

Now thats the Badgers team we know and love

Another good one!

I always come here when I need my laugh for the day!

[catcher24]

If anyone's interested at all, I found a file that I thought was long gone - the OOTP draft log for our league formation draft back at the beginning of the CKL. This would (or should) be exactly the same as our DM draft, since I followed right along in OOTP. The link to it is on the web page, bottom - under the rookie drafts.