OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - The Ballad of the Brothers Barrell

legendsport · 09-03-2024, 08:12 PM

1954 BARRELL BROTHERS UPDATE

ROLLIE BARRELL
Rollie's efforts to purchase the Detroit Dynamos took a dramatic turn when FABL President Eugene Holcroft announced that the Board of Governors had voted unanimously that FABL owners would not be permitted to own teams in multiple sports. Owners who already owned teams in multiple sports, such as Thomas X. Bigsby, were grandfathered in and the rule would only apply to new FABL owners. Rollie later commented to Francine that he would be shut out until "Millard dies, or sells the team," noting that Holcroft owes his job to Millard and the Toronto owner has an outsized amount of power in the league, according to non-Millard-aligned owners friendly to the Barrells, such as Chicago's Billy Whitney and LA's Bigsby.

JACK BARRELL
The Toronto Dukes make it back to the Challenge Cup Finals, but fall to the Detroit Wolves.

DAN BARRELL
Chicago Poly's Athletic Director is pleased to see his younger son enroll at Poly and make the football team as - for now - the third-string QB, but the work to make the Catamounts matter in the AIAA is very much an ongoing concern. The football squad stumbles badly, finishing 1-8 and Dan considers firing the coach and taking the reins himself. The basketball team is better, as they manage a respectable 17-14 mark, including a win over the (then) #1 team in the country, Western Iowa. Even better, Steve Barrell is a blue-chip basketball prospect and expected to play a leading role in the 1954-55 Catamounts season.

FRED BARRELL
Fred continues his work in Canada, monitoring - and occasionally undermining - Soviet intelligence efforts.

TOM BARRELL
With the birth of his daughter Maureen in August, Tom agrees to join the National Auto Racing Federation as his nephew's right-hand man, moving his family to Charlotte, North Carolina, where the NARF headquarters is located in November. He ends the year looking forward to an interesting 1955 as he will learn the ropes of stock car racing. In discussing the move with Marla, Tom reflects on how he had, as a boy, looked up to his brother Jimmy who had stood out among the older Barrells as an idealist with a reckless streak, and he sees some of that in Jimmy's son James, though the latter has his wild streak leavened by a strong dose of no-nonsense German pragmatism from his mother Claudia.

BOBBY BARRELL
Though he misses playing, Bobby has settled into his role as a broadcaster. His down-home charm and honesty make him a good color man. The highlight of the summer for Bobby is when he takes batting practice with the Federal All-Stars in San Francisco, and hits several balls over the fence. "I love this ballpark," he tells the viewers during the broadcast of the All-Star Game, adding, "I wish I could have played here. I might have hit 70 homers!"

HARRY BARRELL
The Boston Minutemen are sold by Jesse Barton to Hartford-based businessman Gil Goebel. Goebel promises no changes to the front office. Two weeks after the sale, Jesse Barton dies. Harry attends the funeral, where he witnesses an ugly argument between Ruth and Reginald Barton. It turns out that Reg is planning to contest the will because Jesse had evenly split his sizeable fortune between them. Harry intervenes on Ruth's behalf which she takes as a sign of his affection for her, but he denies this, saying he still loves his ex-wife. On the field, the Minutemen have a 71-83 season and Harry officially retires as a player at the end of it, after having gone just 2-for-17 on the year. One bright spot for Harry is the friendship he has sparked up with Joe Kleman, the now-24-year-old who replaced him as the starting shortstop. Kleman's play is reminiscent of Harry's - slick fielding with good hitting, though even Harry has to admit the kid has more pop than he did. Seeing a kindred spirit in Kleman, Harry has taken a personal interest in mentoring the young shortstop.

TOM BOWENS
The Detroit Maroons have an up & down season, finishing 6-6 after having their young star QB Sam Burson miss three games due to injury. Tom remains confident in his team's chances, though the Western Conference is a tough one with both San Francisco and St. Louis having taken steps forward into the vacuum left by the shocking disintegration of former powerhouse Kansas City.

DEUCE BARRELL
Deuce resumes a role in the rotation under new Foresters manager Art Newton and makes 29 starts, fashioning a 16-6 record and 3.96 ERA for a second-place 87-67 club. Even better for Deuce is the news that his best friend and brother-in-law Charley McCullough is hired on as the third base coach in Cleveland. With his twin sister, her husband and their family in town, Deuce is wholly content in his life.

ROGER CLEAVES
1954 was a nice, solid season for Roger. His average was just .254, the second-lowest of his career (only the dismal .229 of '51 was worse) but he made his seventh-All-Star appearance in his eight FABL seasons, clouted 27 home runs, which left him with a career total of 199 at season's end. Bobby was around the team quite a bit and he and Roger continued their close relationship. Roger did suffer a knee injury late in the season and in the winter, skating with his sons, he tore a hamstring, leaving him limping into 1955 but otherwise a happy man.

QUINTON POLLACK
Jack's son-in-law had another great season, albeit not quite at the same level of greatness as the previous season. His points dropped from a record-99 to 78, as his goal output fell (47-to-35) and his assists did as well (52-43). Though he finished second in both categories, his 78 points did make him the scoring leader.

CHARLIE BARRELL
1954 was a bit of a contentious year for Charlie. Tom Bigsby, who was now engaged to Charlie's mother as well as being the owner of two of the three professional teams for which Charlie played, was displeased when Charlie announced in February that he was done with football. Matters took an even uglier turn when Bigsby learned that Charlie wasn't planning to leave the FBL's Chicago Panthers to attend Stars spring training in Arizona. Charlie pointed to his contract, which continued to hold a clause allowing him to join the Stars "when the season of the Chicago Panthers basketball club has been completed." Bigsby threatened to trade Charlie, but Charlie didn't buy that for an instant. He then threatened to buy the Panthers and release Charlie, which just made the young man laugh. In the end, Charlie finished the season with the Panthers, starting as the shooting guard, averaging 14.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game (Charlie had always been proud of his rebounding ability). The team was knocked out of the playoffs by Rochester in the semi-finals, and Charlie joined the Stars in the second week of May. Baseball in sunny California was a welcome event for native-son Charlie, who loved the weather after spending the winter in Chicago. And though he played well - hitting .384 - his season was cut even shorter by injury. Bigsby wryly noted to Dorothy in her son's presence that perhaps "double-dipping" was wearing Charlie out. Charlie was unimpressed by this and joined the Panthers for the opening of the '54-55 season.

MIKE BARRELL
Mike's third-season quarterbacking the Rome State Centurions was his best yet. Though the team employed its typical run-heavy offense, when Mike did throw, he was very efficient, completing 55% of his passes for 872 yards. In the '53-54 season on the hardwood, Mike played point guard and averaged 10.1 points and 2.8 assists for a 15-14 squad. He is looking forward to the '54-55 season when his team will face his brother Steve and the Chicago Poly Catamounts - the first time Dan Barrell's two sons will play on opposing teams.

STEVE BARRELL
Steve started college and was disappointed to not see the field at all during Chicago Poly's 1954 season, particularly since the team went 1-8 under coach Ed Webber. Steve avoided bad-mouthing his coach to his father - who just happened to be Webber's boss as Athletic Director, but Dan had already drawn his own impression of Webber before Steve joined the team. Like his brother Mike, Steve is looking forward to facing his sibling in basketball, where Steve is expected to be a starter for the Catamounts at small forward.

FREDDY BARRELL
Freddy Barrell entered his second year at Georgia Baptist, studying business and playing golf, where he has shown some promise.

BENNY BARRELL
Benny has drawn some attention as a potential future star as he approaches his 16th birthday and with it, eligibility for the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association.
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15-year-old Benny Barrell in his midget hockey uniform, 1954

09-03-2024, 08:12 PM	#378
legendsport Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Behind The Lens Posts: 2,933	1954 BARRELL BROTHERS UPDATE ROLLIE BARRELL Rollie's efforts to purchase the Detroit Dynamos took a dramatic turn when FABL President Eugene Holcroft announced that the Board of Governors had voted unanimously that FABL owners would not be permitted to own teams in multiple sports. Owners who already owned teams in multiple sports, such as Thomas X. Bigsby, were grandfathered in and the rule would only apply to new FABL owners. Rollie later commented to Francine that he would be shut out until "Millard dies, or sells the team," noting that Holcroft owes his job to Millard and the Toronto owner has an outsized amount of power in the league, according to non-Millard-aligned owners friendly to the Barrells, such as Chicago's Billy Whitney and LA's Bigsby. JACK BARRELL The Toronto Dukes make it back to the Challenge Cup Finals, but fall to the Detroit Wolves. DAN BARRELL Chicago Poly's Athletic Director is pleased to see his younger son enroll at Poly and make the football team as - for now - the third-string QB, but the work to make the Catamounts matter in the AIAA is very much an ongoing concern. The football squad stumbles badly, finishing 1-8 and Dan considers firing the coach and taking the reins himself. The basketball team is better, as they manage a respectable 17-14 mark, including a win over the (then) #1 team in the country, Western Iowa. Even better, Steve Barrell is a blue-chip basketball prospect and expected to play a leading role in the 1954-55 Catamounts season. FRED BARRELL Fred continues his work in Canada, monitoring - and occasionally undermining - Soviet intelligence efforts. TOM BARRELL With the birth of his daughter Maureen in August, Tom agrees to join the National Auto Racing Federation as his nephew's right-hand man, moving his family to Charlotte, North Carolina, where the NARF headquarters is located in November. He ends the year looking forward to an interesting 1955 as he will learn the ropes of stock car racing. In discussing the move with Marla, Tom reflects on how he had, as a boy, looked up to his brother Jimmy who had stood out among the older Barrells as an idealist with a reckless streak, and he sees some of that in Jimmy's son James, though the latter has his wild streak leavened by a strong dose of no-nonsense German pragmatism from his mother Claudia. BOBBY BARRELL Though he misses playing, Bobby has settled into his role as a broadcaster. His down-home charm and honesty make him a good color man. The highlight of the summer for Bobby is when he takes batting practice with the Federal All-Stars in San Francisco, and hits several balls over the fence. "I love this ballpark," he tells the viewers during the broadcast of the All-Star Game, adding, "I wish I could have played here. I might have hit 70 homers!" HARRY BARRELL The Boston Minutemen are sold by Jesse Barton to Hartford-based businessman Gil Goebel. Goebel promises no changes to the front office. Two weeks after the sale, Jesse Barton dies. Harry attends the funeral, where he witnesses an ugly argument between Ruth and Reginald Barton. It turns out that Reg is planning to contest the will because Jesse had evenly split his sizeable fortune between them. Harry intervenes on Ruth's behalf which she takes as a sign of his affection for her, but he denies this, saying he still loves his ex-wife. On the field, the Minutemen have a 71-83 season and Harry officially retires as a player at the end of it, after having gone just 2-for-17 on the year. One bright spot for Harry is the friendship he has sparked up with Joe Kleman, the now-24-year-old who replaced him as the starting shortstop. Kleman's play is reminiscent of Harry's - slick fielding with good hitting, though even Harry has to admit the kid has more pop than he did. Seeing a kindred spirit in Kleman, Harry has taken a personal interest in mentoring the young shortstop. TOM BOWENS The Detroit Maroons have an up & down season, finishing 6-6 after having their young star QB Sam Burson miss three games due to injury. Tom remains confident in his team's chances, though the Western Conference is a tough one with both San Francisco and St. Louis having taken steps forward into the vacuum left by the shocking disintegration of former powerhouse Kansas City. DEUCE BARRELL Deuce resumes a role in the rotation under new Foresters manager Art Newton and makes 29 starts, fashioning a 16-6 record and 3.96 ERA for a second-place 87-67 club. Even better for Deuce is the news that his best friend and brother-in-law Charley McCullough is hired on as the third base coach in Cleveland. With his twin sister, her husband and their family in town, Deuce is wholly content in his life. ROGER CLEAVES 1954 was a nice, solid season for Roger. His average was just .254, the second-lowest of his career (only the dismal .229 of '51 was worse) but he made his seventh-All-Star appearance in his eight FABL seasons, clouted 27 home runs, which left him with a career total of 199 at season's end. Bobby was around the team quite a bit and he and Roger continued their close relationship. Roger did suffer a knee injury late in the season and in the winter, skating with his sons, he tore a hamstring, leaving him limping into 1955 but otherwise a happy man. QUINTON POLLACK Jack's son-in-law had another great season, albeit not quite at the same level of greatness as the previous season. His points dropped from a record-99 to 78, as his goal output fell (47-to-35) and his assists did as well (52-43). Though he finished second in both categories, his 78 points did make him the scoring leader. CHARLIE BARRELL 1954 was a bit of a contentious year for Charlie. Tom Bigsby, who was now engaged to Charlie's mother as well as being the owner of two of the three professional teams for which Charlie played, was displeased when Charlie announced in February that he was done with football. Matters took an even uglier turn when Bigsby learned that Charlie wasn't planning to leave the FBL's Chicago Panthers to attend Stars spring training in Arizona. Charlie pointed to his contract, which continued to hold a clause allowing him to join the Stars "when the season of the Chicago Panthers basketball club has been completed." Bigsby threatened to trade Charlie, but Charlie didn't buy that for an instant. He then threatened to buy the Panthers and release Charlie, which just made the young man laugh. In the end, Charlie finished the season with the Panthers, starting as the shooting guard, averaging 14.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game (Charlie had always been proud of his rebounding ability). The team was knocked out of the playoffs by Rochester in the semi-finals, and Charlie joined the Stars in the second week of May. Baseball in sunny California was a welcome event for native-son Charlie, who loved the weather after spending the winter in Chicago. And though he played well - hitting .384 - his season was cut even shorter by injury. Bigsby wryly noted to Dorothy in her son's presence that perhaps "double-dipping" was wearing Charlie out. Charlie was unimpressed by this and joined the Panthers for the opening of the '54-55 season. MIKE BARRELL Mike's third-season quarterbacking the Rome State Centurions was his best yet. Though the team employed its typical run-heavy offense, when Mike did throw, he was very efficient, completing 55% of his passes for 872 yards. In the '53-54 season on the hardwood, Mike played point guard and averaged 10.1 points and 2.8 assists for a 15-14 squad. He is looking forward to the '54-55 season when his team will face his brother Steve and the Chicago Poly Catamounts - the first time Dan Barrell's two sons will play on opposing teams. STEVE BARRELL Steve started college and was disappointed to not see the field at all during Chicago Poly's 1954 season, particularly since the team went 1-8 under coach Ed Webber. Steve avoided bad-mouthing his coach to his father - who just happened to be Webber's boss as Athletic Director, but Dan had already drawn his own impression of Webber before Steve joined the team. Like his brother Mike, Steve is looking forward to facing his sibling in basketball, where Steve is expected to be a starter for the Catamounts at small forward. FREDDY BARRELL Freddy Barrell entered his second year at Georgia Baptist, studying business and playing golf, where he has shown some promise. BENNY BARRELL Benny has drawn some attention as a potential future star as he approaches his 16th birthday and with it, eligibility for the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15-year-old Benny Barrell in his midget hockey uniform, 1954 __________________ Hexed & Countered on YouTube Figment League - A fictional history of baseball, basketball, football, hockey & more! Want to join in the fun? Shoot me a PM! Read the story of the Barrell Family - A Figment Baseball tale Same Song, Different Tune - The Barrells in the Modern Era Last edited by legendsport; 09-03-2024 at 09:20 PM.