AHL - Alternative History League
 

Hi everyone. My name is Tony, and I've been playing OOTP for 3 years now. I just recently started reading the board, and thought it might be fun to tell you about a fictional league I'm starting, the AHL.

Alternative History has always fascinated me. What if Germany had won WW2 (check out a book called "The Fatherland" by Robert Harris)? What if Napoleon had defeated Wellington at Waterloo? What if the Plague hadn't ravaged Europe in the 14th century? What if? What if? What if?

Since I also love baseball, AHL is a fictional account of what might have happened had Branch Rickey been successful in forming the Continental League in 1960 against the wishes of the 16 teams of the American and National Leagues.

Two years previous, in 1958, The New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers were relocated to San Francisco and Los Angeles to capture the growing west coast entertainment dollar and end the Pacific Coast League's hopes of becoming the 3rd major league.

This fictional dynasty is intended to play out an alternate history of what might have happened had the Pacific Coast League and Continental League joined forces to compete for the baseball entertainment dollars of the West the MLB wanted control of so badly.

Here is a bullet list of the setup I used, and the assumptions I made, to configure the AHL.

1. The American and National league 1961 teams rosters were imported to setup the MLB.

2. The 1961 expansion teams (Los Angeles Angels and Minnesota Twins) were removed from the American League since they wouldn't have been added) and their rosters released as free agents available to the two new leagues.

3. The MLB2, consisting of the eight proposed Continental league teams and the eight PCL teams of 1961, were filled with fictional players since it would have been a humongous effort to create the 1961 PCL players for the game.

4. Each year's new rookies, however, will be drafted by all 32 teams.

5. Since, in my estimation, the American and National Leagues would have flatly refused to allow the two new leagues access to the playoffs, especially the World Series, the CL and PCL entered negotiations for their own playoff process. This negotiation was not completed by the start of the 1961 season, however, and was deferred until the 61-62 winter meetings.

6. Three levels of the minor leagues (AAA, AA, A) were established for all teams. I will keep a watch on this concept and adjust it to insure enough players are available.

7. Finances are off initially. My thoughts are that the financial aspect of the game will play out along the same time line as real life. Thus the reserve clause is still in effect.

8. The AHL will be played out and reported on per the following schedule;

April 1-30
May 1-31
June 1-30 (incl the All Star game)
July 1-31
August 1-31
September 1-30 (incl Playoffs)
October-December
January-February (incl Winter Meetings)
March 1-31 (incl Spring Training)

9. 154 game schedule, 4 game typical series

No better time to start the AHL than the 1961 season either. The Mantle-Maris marathon to Ruth's record (with a corrected 154 game schedule) will be an interesting story as the new AHL steps foot on the stage for the first time - maybe the way it should have been.

HRB

:woohoo: April '61 has been played - analysis in progress.

April 1961
 

May 1961
 

In the Mantle-Maris home run race, you're closer than you might think. You have Mantle with 16 and Maris with 11 at the end of May. I checked their actual totals - on May 31 Mantle had 14 and Maris had 12. Maris got off to a real slow start and then really came on in the second half of the season, so you're in pretty good shape.

June 1961
 

July 1961
 

August 1961
 

September 1961
 

Darn good job, Home Run Baker.

Extremely good format visually.

Great idea.

Winter Meetings 1961 (Q4)
 

Unfortunately, there is no "Winter Meetings" event in OOTP9 (hint-hint). It would be cool if sometime in December a week was put aside where there is a flurry of acivity we could report on. But the next best thing is to treat the 4th Quarter of each year as the Winter Meetings which is what I will do for the AHL.

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In the first Winter Meetings of the AHL, all 32 MLB/MLB2 teams met in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Hotel Conference Center. Although the mood was jolly off hours, serious discussions took place, and the following actions were confirmed.

Discussion of the World Series to include the MLB2 was the first item on the agenda. this proposal must be passed by 2/3rds of 32 team organization - or 22 teams. After some heated discussion, the final vote was 19-13 with the two MLB West Coast teams (Dodgers and Giants) and the Senators voting with the MLB2. The proposal will certainly be brought up next year again. As a side note, the MLB2 has an agenda item to discuss in January to add a World Series equivalent playoff to the MLB2 schedule.

Highlights in BOLD

Atlanta Braves (101-53) - Lost 2B Wayne Lawson in the rule 5 draft to the New York Mets.

Baltimore Orioles (88-66) - none.

Boston Red Sox (77-77) - Traded 28-year old reliever A. Earley to the Los Angeles Dodgers 1961, getting 30-year old first baseman N. Larker in return.

Buffalo Bisons (65-89) - Traded 25-year old reliever J. Lamabe to the Minnesota Twins, getting 25-year old second baseman C. Parra and 22-year old minor league center fielder G. McBryde in return. Traded 28-year old reliever E. Palmquist and 17-year old minor league starting pitcher B. Kruhl to the New York Yankees 1961, getting 35-year old third baseman E. Yost in return. Lost C D. Bertell in the rule 5 draft to the Portland Beavers.

Chicago White Sox (77-77) - none.

Chicago Cubs (81-73) - none.

Cincinnati Reds (82-72) - none.

Cleveland Indians (82-72) - Traded 33-year old first baseman L. Wells to the St. Louis Cardinals 1961, getting 29-year old reliever M. White in return.

Dallas Rangers (64-90) - none.

Denver Rockies (76-78) - Lost 1B J. King in the rule 5 draft to the Detroit Tigers 1961. Lost LF D. Pengilly in the rule 5 draft to the New York Yankees 1961.

Detroit Tigers (70-84) - Drafted 1B J. King in the 1961 rule 5 draft (Pick 12, Round 1, 12th overall Pick).

Hawaii Islanders (84-70) - none.

Houston Colt 45s (86-68) - Traded 26-year old first baseman J. Maldonado and 24-year old minor league catcher J. Muñóz to the Toronto Blue Jays, getting 30-year old left fielder H. Kuenn and 22-year old minor league right fielder B. O'Geary in return.

Kansas City Athletics (74-80) - Traded 30-year old third baseman A. Carey to the Toronto Blue Jays, getting 26-year old reliever D. Richardson and 22-year old minor league starting pitcher P. Womack in return.

Los Angeles Dodgers (82-72) - Traded 30-year old first baseman N. Larker to the Boston Red Sox 1961, getting 28-year old reliever A. Earley in return. Traded 35-year old right fielder D. Snider to the Tacoma Tugs, getting 35-year old reliever S. Wilson and 23-year old minor league second baseman B. Foreman in return. Traded 27-year old reliever T. Farrell to the St. Louis Cardinals 1961, getting 30-year old first baseman J. Cunningham in return.

Milwaukee Braves (58-96) - none.

Minnesota Twins (88-66) - Traded 25-year old second baseman C. Parra and 22-year old minor league center fielder G. McBryde to the Buffalo Bisons, getting 25-year old reliever J. Lamabe in return.

New York Mets (95-59) - Drafted 2B W. Lawson in the 1961 rule 5 draft (Pick 30, Round 1, 30th overall Pick).

New York Yankees (76-78) - Traded 35-year old third baseman E. Yost to the Buffalo Bisons, getting 28-year old reliever E. Palmquist and 17-year old minor league starting pitcher B. Kruhl in return. Drafted LF D. Pengilly in the 1961 rule 5 draft (Pick 16, Round 1, 16th overall Pick).

Philadelphia Phillies (69-85) - Traded 28-year old reliever W. Stephens to the Pittsburgh Pirates 1961, getting 30-year old shortstop D. Groat in return. Traded 26-year old shortstop M. Lee to the Seattle Rainiers, getting 32-year old starting pitcher J. Bonilla in return. Traded 28-year old center fielder B. Del Greco to the San Diego Padres, getting 27-year old left fielder T. Carpenter and 20-year old minor league shortstop M. Martinez in return.

Pittsburgh Pirates (68-86) - Traded 30-year old shortstop D. Groat to the Philadelphia Phillies 1961, getting 28-year old reliever W. Stephens in return. Traded 30-year old second baseman K. Aspromonte to the Spokane Hawks, getting 35-year old left fielder B. Cerv in return.

Portland Beavers (53-101) - Drafted C D. Bertell in the 1961 rule 5 draft (Pick 1, Round 1, 1st overall Pick).

Salt Lake City Bees (77-77) - none.

San Diego Padres (66-88) - Traded 27-year old left fielder T. Carpenter and 20-year old minor league shortstop M. Martinez to the Philadelphia Phillies 1961, getting 28-year old center fielder B. Del Greco in return.

San Francisco Giants (85-69) - none.

Seattle Rainiers (55-99) - Traded 32-year old starting pitcher J. Bonilla to the Philadelphia Phillies 1961, getting 26-year old shortstop M. Lee in return.

Spokane Hawks (58-96) - Traded 35-year old left fielder B. Cerv to the Pittsburgh Pirates 1961, getting 30-year old second baseman K. Aspromonte in return.

St. Louis Cardinals (93-61) - Traded 29-year old reliever M. White to the Cleveland Indians 1961, getting 33-year old first baseman L. Wells in return. Traded 30-year old first baseman J. Cunningham to the Los Angeles Dodgers 1961, getting 27-year old reliever T. Farrell in return.

Tacoma Tugs (72-82) - Traded 35-year old reliever S. Wilson and 23-year old minor league second baseman B. Foreman to the Los Angeles Dodgers 1961, getting 35-year old right fielder D. Snider in return.

Toronto Blue Jays (65-89) - Traded 30-year old left fielder H. Kuenn and 22-year old minor league right fielder B. O'Geary to the Houston Colt 45s, getting 26-year old first baseman J. Maldonado and 24-year old minor league catcher J. Muñóz in return. Traded 26-year old reliever D. Richardson and 22-year old minor league starting pitcher P. Womack to the Kansas City Athletics 1961, getting 30-year old third baseman A. Carey in return.

Vancouver Canadians (127-27) - none.

Washington Senators (70-84) - none.

= = =

Top 5 Minor League Systems
Vancouver(127-27), Hawaii(84-70), Atlanta(101-53), NYMets(95-59), Salt Lake City(77-77)

Bottom 5 Minor League Systems
Los Angeles(82-72), Philadelphia(69-85), Chicago White Sox(77-77), Baltimore(88-66), Cincinnati(82-72)

= = =

HRB