[Pelican]

So, I have started a sim for the 1938 season with the color bar eliminated. Surprisingly, teams were slow to try to sign Negro League players, perhaps due to the $7000 compensation to be paid to the Negro League team. I have been managing the Phillies and the Athletics.

The A's signed Cool Papa Bell, Willie Wells (from the Homestead Grays), Henry McHenry (from the KC Monarchs), and Ray Dandridge (from the Grays). From the Pacific Coast League, then mostly independent franchises, the A's signed pitchers Tiny Bonham (Oakland Oaks) and Ray Prim (LA Angels) and infielders Dario Lodigiani (Oaks) and Pinky May (Oaks).

The Phillies signed Josh Gibson (Grays) and Satchel Paige (as a free agent, after weeks of back-and-forth negotiations, outbidding other teams). Then went on to add young infielder Ted Strong (Monarchs, as a 6-6 SS, an early preview of O'Neill Cruz with the Pirates today), Willard Brown (Monarchs), Buck Leonard (Grays), Roy Parnell (Philly Stars), an aging Turkey Stearnes (Chicago American Giants), and relievers Roy Welmaker and George Walker (Grays). From the PCL, the Phils nabbed SP Ad Liska (Portland Beavers) and catcher Cap Clark (Sacramento Solons).

The Phils and A's were awful teams in 1938. These and other changes have made them competitive, at least, in the early going.

1938 was also the last year the Phillies played in the antiquated Baker Bowl IRL, before moving a few blocks west, to share Shibe Park with the A's. In this sim, the new owners of the Phillies have renovated Baker Bowl, pushing out the notorious right field fence about thirty feet onto the North Broad Street sidewalk (presumably providing pedestrian access underneath the field), and lowering the fence somewhat. The RF fair pole is now 311 feet from home plate, and RF is 338 feet out, with a twenty-five foot fence. This has already reduced the "cheap" flyball doubles, while still allowing many HR to RF. Not quite the bandbox that it was.