OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - To the Beat of a New Drum: The Chicago Chiefs of the FABL

HerbD · 02-23-2025, 05:56 PM

Welcome to 1963, the first season with the expanded 162-game schedule. OSA does not think much of our chances to be competitive but
we hope surprise some people just like we did the first half of 1962 when we were top half of the Fed for most of the first half of the season.
This year's opening day roster is a good mix of veterans and youth. We have 11 players that are 25 years old or younger including six
rookies and several players in just their second season on the big league roster. We have another six players between 26 ~ 30 years old.
And another eight players that are 31 years old and older. Let's meet the team.

Four of the five guys that ended the 1962 season in the rotation are back to start 1963. Vern Osbourne and Joe Cipolla are the veterans having combined for almost 200 FABL victories and over 3,400
FABL innings. Both are coming off the worst seasons of their careers in terms of ERA. Osbourne had never posted a full-season ERA over 4.00 in his seven seasons as a starter in Chicago. Cipolla's ERA jumped half a run
from 1961 which was another disappointing season for him. For the Chiefs to have any chance to compete in the Fed in 1963, these two guys are going to have to revert back to their form of days gone by. Most people
forget that Cipolla is only 26 years old because he's been around so long. Osbourne is only 31, so neither wants to be known around the league as washed up but they will have to prove themselves or the front office will replace
them with younger players, just ask Dick Champ and Jack Halbur.

Bud Andrews was the guy everyone was talking about last season when the Chiefs traded away two-thirds of their rotation and called up three rookies but it was little-known John Thomas that stole the headlines.
Andrews was the top prospect of the Chiefs at the time and he held his own through 13 up-and-down starts finishing with an ERA of 5.67, not much higher than what Osbourne and Cipolla were bringing. Thomas dominated
early posting a 2.61 ERA and earning several Player of the Game nods. 23 year old Fred Moore won the last spot in the rotation. Moore has seen big league time every season since he was 19 but he's always been a middle
relief/spot starter type. This spring he beat out top prospect Roy Brandt for the final spot posting a 1.64 RA in 11+ innings of work. If Brand shines in AAA and Moore struggles in Chicago then look for the leash to
be short on the lefty from Tennessee.

The bullpen has not just two rookies but two Rule V draft selections in Ed Funk and Bobby McGough, both 24. Since they cannot be sent down to the minors they will be given every chance to stay in the big leagues as long as their presence is not
costing the Chiefs wins. Both earned their place with strong spring showings but the regular season is its own animal and will be treated as such. The M&M&M boys, Jim Miller, Paul MaGee, and Al Mielcarek are the veterans that will be counted
on to hold things in check. Miller has an Allen, a Kellogg, and four FABL Championship rings with Detroit so there's no situation he hasn't seen in his career. He'll mentor not only the two rookies but also our 23-year-old stopper, Dutch Lane who won
nine games and saved a team-record 24 games last season while throwing over 120 innings from the pen.

In an effort to boost the offense, the Chiefs will break camp with three catchers on the roster. We will give Mickey Tucker more
looks at first base early while Al Padgett gets most of the starts behind the plate. Tucker will slide over to catch when Padgett
needs a break which leaves Ray Smith here to pick up the scraps in blowouts and when both Padgett and Tucker need a rest on
the same day. If Smith gets many meaningful plate appearances then this team is in trouble. He's here for defense and relief. Padget
was one of the best offensive backstops in the FABL last season smashing a team-best 24 home runs in a career-high 511 plate
appearances. Tucker was coming off of six consecutive seasons with double-digit homers but he finished 1962 with just nine after
seeing a career-low 208 plate appearances. Despite the team's new focus on defense, the front office felt it was important to get
both bats in the lineup as much as possible.

Two things shaped the makeup of the infield to start the season. Number one, our infield defense was atrocious in 1962 and veteran Irv Clifford could not miss in spring training. Coming into spring ball the best case for Clifford was for him to remain
on the team as a pinch hitter off the bench. Clifford had other thoughts and hit .361 in exhibition play. He'll split time with Tucker and between the two of them and Padgett, the hotter hitters will get the swings. Who gets the short end of this? That would be
sophomore Joe Flanagan put together a terrific 1962 hitting a team-best .323 as a rookie but his struggles this spring(.217 batting average) put him behind the others going into the season. He still made the team and if Clifford doesn't field the ball
better at first than he did at second then Flanagan will likely get his job back. The other three infielders to make the roster out of camp are all rookies. Harry Bailey, Tom Spruill, and Jorge Vallejo are here to improve our infield defense.
Bailey struggled to hit at AAA last season but he led the team with a .394 average in the spring. He was not supposed to make the team this year but nobody told him. Spruill and Vallejo came to the Chiefs in mid-season trades last year and played together
at AA. The three rookies will take turns playing third and short on most days. As long as they contribute in the field then their bats will get some grace. Let's not forget the great Ed Bloom! Bloom will play mostly second base where he has plenty of
experience. The veteran is chasing the FABL record for bases on balls in a career after leading the FED in the category for 10 of the last 12 seasons. He currently sits in sixth place but is just 214 behind the all-time leader, a number that Bloom could
eclipse in less than two full seasons.

The outfield was another spot where the team wanted to improve their defense in 1963. That means that 1962 team RBI leader Gene Rader is on the outside looking in at the beginning of the season. Rader
was a good situational hitter but he was often described as a statue in the outfield. He wasn't much better at first base. He'll provide some punch off the bench while second-year player Joe Siniscalchi takes over center
field allowing living legend Rod Shearer to move back to his natural position of right field. Siniscalchi came over in one of the mid-season trades last year and played well hitting .311 with 10 homers and 41 RBI in just
218 plate appearances. The front office felt that the stress of playing center may have affected Shearer's offensive production last year so it was imperative that they find a way to move. Another veteran, Doc Zimmerman
will field his regular position of left field. Top prospect Bob Starr was given every chance to win a spot on the team but he struggled in spring competition. He's a defensive whiz and an outfield of him, Siniscalchi,
and Shearer is the eventual future of the team. For now, Zimmerman will provide his normal, steady production. Rookie and Rule V draftee John Howard rounds out the roster. Howard earned his spot on the team
beating out Starr and other competitors with a .400 batting average while never starting a game.

02-23-2025, 05:56 PM	#55
HerbD All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Indiana Posts: 982	1963 Preview for the FABL Chicago Chiefs Welcome to 1963, the first season with the expanded 162-game schedule. OSA does not think much of our chances to be competitive but we hope surprise some people just like we did the first half of 1962 when we were top half of the Fed for most of the first half of the season. This year's opening day roster is a good mix of veterans and youth. We have 11 players that are 25 years old or younger including six rookies and several players in just their second season on the big league roster. We have another six players between 26 ~ 30 years old. And another eight players that are 31 years old and older. Let's meet the team. Four of the five guys that ended the 1962 season in the rotation are back to start 1963. Vern Osbourne and Joe Cipolla are the veterans having combined for almost 200 FABL victories and over 3,400 FABL innings. Both are coming off the worst seasons of their careers in terms of ERA. Osbourne had never posted a full-season ERA over 4.00 in his seven seasons as a starter in Chicago. Cipolla's ERA jumped half a run from 1961 which was another disappointing season for him. For the Chiefs to have any chance to compete in the Fed in 1963, these two guys are going to have to revert back to their form of days gone by. Most people forget that Cipolla is only 26 years old because he's been around so long. Osbourne is only 31, so neither wants to be known around the league as washed up but they will have to prove themselves or the front office will replace them with younger players, just ask Dick Champ and Jack Halbur. Bud Andrews was the guy everyone was talking about last season when the Chiefs traded away two-thirds of their rotation and called up three rookies but it was little-known John Thomas that stole the headlines. Andrews was the top prospect of the Chiefs at the time and he held his own through 13 up-and-down starts finishing with an ERA of 5.67, not much higher than what Osbourne and Cipolla were bringing. Thomas dominated early posting a 2.61 ERA and earning several Player of the Game nods. 23 year old Fred Moore won the last spot in the rotation. Moore has seen big league time every season since he was 19 but he's always been a middle relief/spot starter type. This spring he beat out top prospect Roy Brandt for the final spot posting a 1.64 RA in 11+ innings of work. If Brand shines in AAA and Moore struggles in Chicago then look for the leash to be short on the lefty from Tennessee. The bullpen has not just two rookies but two Rule V draft selections in Ed Funk and Bobby McGough, both 24. Since they cannot be sent down to the minors they will be given every chance to stay in the big leagues as long as their presence is not costing the Chiefs wins. Both earned their place with strong spring showings but the regular season is its own animal and will be treated as such. The M&M&M boys, Jim Miller, Paul MaGee, and Al Mielcarek are the veterans that will be counted on to hold things in check. Miller has an Allen, a Kellogg, and four FABL Championship rings with Detroit so there's no situation he hasn't seen in his career. He'll mentor not only the two rookies but also our 23-year-old stopper, Dutch Lane who won nine games and saved a team-record 24 games last season while throwing over 120 innings from the pen. In an effort to boost the offense, the Chiefs will break camp with three catchers on the roster. We will give Mickey Tucker more looks at first base early while Al Padgett gets most of the starts behind the plate. Tucker will slide over to catch when Padgett needs a break which leaves Ray Smith here to pick up the scraps in blowouts and when both Padgett and Tucker need a rest on the same day. If Smith gets many meaningful plate appearances then this team is in trouble. He's here for defense and relief. Padget was one of the best offensive backstops in the FABL last season smashing a team-best 24 home runs in a career-high 511 plate appearances. Tucker was coming off of six consecutive seasons with double-digit homers but he finished 1962 with just nine after seeing a career-low 208 plate appearances. Despite the team's new focus on defense, the front office felt it was important to get both bats in the lineup as much as possible. Two things shaped the makeup of the infield to start the season. Number one, our infield defense was atrocious in 1962 and veteran Irv Clifford could not miss in spring training. Coming into spring ball the best case for Clifford was for him to remain on the team as a pinch hitter off the bench. Clifford had other thoughts and hit .361 in exhibition play. He'll split time with Tucker and between the two of them and Padgett, the hotter hitters will get the swings. Who gets the short end of this? That would be sophomore Joe Flanagan put together a terrific 1962 hitting a team-best .323 as a rookie but his struggles this spring(.217 batting average) put him behind the others going into the season. He still made the team and if Clifford doesn't field the ball better at first than he did at second then Flanagan will likely get his job back. The other three infielders to make the roster out of camp are all rookies. Harry Bailey, Tom Spruill, and Jorge Vallejo are here to improve our infield defense. Bailey struggled to hit at AAA last season but he led the team with a .394 average in the spring. He was not supposed to make the team this year but nobody told him. Spruill and Vallejo came to the Chiefs in mid-season trades last year and played together at AA. The three rookies will take turns playing third and short on most days. As long as they contribute in the field then their bats will get some grace. Let's not forget the great Ed Bloom! Bloom will play mostly second base where he has plenty of experience. The veteran is chasing the FABL record for bases on balls in a career after leading the FED in the category for 10 of the last 12 seasons. He currently sits in sixth place but is just 214 behind the all-time leader, a number that Bloom could eclipse in less than two full seasons. The outfield was another spot where the team wanted to improve their defense in 1963. That means that 1962 team RBI leader Gene Rader is on the outside looking in at the beginning of the season. Rader was a good situational hitter but he was often described as a statue in the outfield. He wasn't much better at first base. He'll provide some punch off the bench while second-year player Joe Siniscalchi takes over center field allowing living legend Rod Shearer to move back to his natural position of right field. Siniscalchi came over in one of the mid-season trades last year and played well hitting .311 with 10 homers and 41 RBI in just 218 plate appearances. The front office felt that the stress of playing center may have affected Shearer's offensive production last year so it was imperative that they find a way to move. Another veteran, Doc Zimmerman will field his regular position of left field. Top prospect Bob Starr was given every chance to win a spot on the team but he struggled in spring competition. He's a defensive whiz and an outfield of him, Siniscalchi, and Shearer is the eventual future of the team. For now, Zimmerman will provide his normal, steady production. Rookie and Rule V draftee John Howard rounds out the roster. Howard earned his spot on the team beating out Starr and other competitors with a .400 batting average while never starting a game. __________________ Last edited by HerbD; 03-02-2025 at 10:16 AM.