I've learned that certain great teams were aided by less-than-optimal lineups by opponents. Even though I was right in the thick of the 1969 Mets as an 11-yr-old, I wasn't paying close attention to opposing lineups. However, when replaying the team in Payoff Pitch with as-played lineups, I was amazed at how often the opposition was missing some of their best players in the batting order. One that comes to mind was a 3-game series against the Reds where Johnny Bench was out and 3rd-string catcher Dan Breeden made his only 3 appearances of the season! I'm currently replaying the 70-71 Bruins for the third time but it's the first time I have access to who dressed and who sat out for each game and again I'm seeing instances where top players were scratches and more notably, many instances where the opposing team put out their backup or even third-string goalie to be "thrown to the wolves". How would the Bruins have fared if every team had their optimal lineup and 1st-string goalie? Might be the basis for a future project...
Great documentary about Nolan Ryan came put this year. Ryan was the most unhittable pitcher of all time, fewest hits per 9 innings, most strikeouts ever, most walks ever, most no hitters ever.
Learned about Jim Beauchamp and Norm Miller, 2 guys barely carded in a Strat season, who both hit extra inning pinch hit homers on opposite sides in a game that went 16 innings. Never heard of either guy before. Norm Miller wrote a book about his time in the majors. He was Hank Aaron's locker-mate in Atlanta and roomed with Jim Bouton. Some interesting times for a little known major leaguer for sure. Beauchamp (pronounced Beech-um) was a prolific home run hitter in the minors who never cracked through as a major league regular. He's a hometown hero in Oklahoma and left behind a large family who speak well of one of the nicest men a lot of people ever met. I wrote an article about the game and these men a couple years ago. It's published on Medium. Also an article on there about Ryan in one wild Strat game I played.
I was a Mets fan and remember when Ryan came up. There was a story in the NY Daily News about how he soaked his arm in a bucket of pickle brine after starts. And also a photo spread of his lovely with Ruth...
The thing I learned playing games from before 1947 is that ONLY black players were excluded. I have found MANY mexican and cuban players from the 20's. People were just afraid of black skin! ☹
I've learned that certain great teams were aided by less-than-optimal lineups by opponents. Even though I was right in the thick of the 1969 Mets as an 11-yr-old, I wasn't paying close attention to opposing lineups. However, when replaying the team in Payoff Pitch with as-played lineups, I was amazed at how often the opposition was missing some of their best players in the batting order. One that comes to mind was a 3-game series against the Reds where Johnny Bench was out and 3rd-string catcher Dan Breeden made his only 3 appearances of the season!
I'm currently replaying the 70-71 Bruins for the third time but it's the first time I have access to who dressed and who sat out for each game and again I'm seeing instances where top players were scratches and more notably, many instances where the opposing team put out their backup or even third-string goalie to be "thrown to the wolves". How would the Bruins have fared if every team had their optimal lineup and 1st-string goalie? Might be the basis for a future project...
I also bough Main Event Boxing, Set1, Set 2, Set 3 and the Heavyweights from Downey Games
Great documentary about Nolan Ryan came put this year. Ryan was the most unhittable pitcher of all time, fewest hits per 9 innings, most strikeouts ever, most walks ever, most no hitters ever.
Learned about Jim Beauchamp and Norm Miller, 2 guys barely carded in a Strat season, who both hit extra inning pinch hit homers on opposite sides in a game that went 16 innings. Never heard of either guy before.
Norm Miller wrote a book about his time in the majors. He was Hank Aaron's locker-mate in Atlanta and roomed with Jim Bouton. Some interesting times for a little known major leaguer for sure.
Beauchamp (pronounced Beech-um) was a prolific home run hitter in the minors who never cracked through as a major league regular. He's a hometown hero in Oklahoma and left behind a large family who speak well of one of the nicest men a lot of people ever met.
I wrote an article about the game and these men a couple years ago. It's published on Medium.
Also an article on there about Ryan in one wild Strat game I played.
I was a Mets fan and remember when Ryan came up. There was a story in the NY Daily News about how he soaked his arm in a bucket of pickle brine after starts. And also a photo spread of his lovely with Ruth...
Spiders remind me of last years White Sox.
Reinsdorf crippled the team with no star players.
He thinks it’s 1990 again with salaries
Looking forward to the new APBA Football 1977 release
The thing I learned playing games from before 1947 is that ONLY black players were excluded. I have found MANY mexican and cuban players from the 20's. People were just afraid of black skin! ☹