The Around the Horn League (AtHoL) - Page 6

luckymann · 10-28-2021, 09:52 AM

... to the Freedom Band Series. 3 of 4 go into extras with the Tars-Herrings game particularly wild...

... and our own Freddie Lindstrom has the game of his short career to date.

luckymann · 10-29-2021, 10:16 PM

After winning games 1 and 2 at Toronto, we lose two one-run games at home including one in which we fall behind 9-0 early then almost make it all the way back but lose 9-8.

Deciding Game 5 in Toronto, they lead 3-0 with us having just 2 hits thru 8. Down to our final out, men on 1st and 2nd, Ayala smacks one out to tie it at 3 and send it into extras.

After we waste a second and third with no outs chance in the 13th, they walk it off in 14.

Adios, American Giants. And then there were four.

luckymann · 10-30-2021, 06:35 AM

luckymann · 10-30-2021, 09:59 AM

The Cincinnati Tigers easily beat the Norfolk Tars four games to one to become the very first AtHoL Champions. Tigers second-baseman Nick Solak, who hits 389 with a homer and 11 RBI, wins the MVP.

Back with all the awards and leaders in a bit.

luckymann · 10-31-2021, 01:31 AM

luckymann · 10-31-2021, 03:44 AM

Not much to say, other than I am really pleased with how we battled on and nearly made it all the way to the end. The group never stopped trying and that's as much as I will ever ask of them.

Plenty of gaps to be plugged and upgrades to be sought over the offseason, with a quality CF, some better pitching and middle-infield depth the highest priorities.

But, all in all, a solid start to our franchise's major league existence.

Our season stats for those interested.

luckymann · 10-31-2021, 05:33 PM

luckymann · 10-31-2021, 11:27 PM

Plenty of moves made around the league in preparation for the 1948 season, now it is time to see if they were the right ones.

We, too, have been busy.

30th pick in the Draft limited our opportunities for any really big additions, still we picked up some handy types, some of whom will feature this season. We have a high pick in the July Draft, so hopefully we have better returns then. That meant some trades were needed to get things as we want.

We traded Jimmy Ripple and Mule Watson to Detroit for Dizzy Trout, reliever Lee Thompson, and a couple other relievers. Jimmy had been great for us but we needed to shore up our rotation after Livan Hernandez suffered a setback that will likely keep him out of action until 1949.

We traded Benny Ayala to Cincinnati for outfielder Sam Rice.

Other than these and a few situational changes, our squad remains intact from last year.

No players in the Top 20 rankings for either positional players or pitchers, but that doesn’t bother us. Again, we aim to be greater as a team than the sum of our collective parts.

Here's a rundown of our 1948 squad:

BATTING

Our Opening Day lineups will look like this.

v RHP

Freddie Lindstrom 3B
Joe Sewell SS
Sam Rice RF
Ben Chapman 2B
Willy Aybar 1B
Al Zarilla LF
George Bjorkman C
Albert Almora CF

v LHP

Freddie Lindstrom 3B
George Bjorkman C
Joe Sewell SS
Ben Chapman 2B
Willy Aybar 1B
Sam Rice RF
Alan Storke 1B
Albert Almora CF

Still plenty of tinkering to be done, methinks.

RATING: B

BENCH

Eddie Fusselback: C / 3B / OF / P (in a pinch only)
Dane Iorg: 1B / OF
Chuck Goggin: C / 2B / 3B / SS / CF
Mike McGeary: C / SS
Jerry Hairston: 1B / 2B / 3B / LF / CF / RF

Pretty solid mix. RATING: B

PITCHING - STARTERS

Our rotation as at Opening Day:

Ed Karger LHP
Dizzy Trout RHP
Greg Hibbard LHP
Stan Williams RHP

Trout and Williams should give us some more solidity here. Smith and Caldwell replacement options, along with Henry McHenry if things get rough.

RATING: B

PITCHING - RELIEVERS

LHP: Mike Caldwell; Joe Page; Zane Smith, Lee Thompson
RHP Dennis Musgraves; Esmil Rogers, Johnny Tillman

This group will hopefully be bolstered later in the season by Juan Pena’s return. All the same, this is a strong pen.

RATING: A-

DEFENSE

Lindstrom a concern at 3B and will be lifted in close and late. Same as ’47, not great but not poor either. RATING: B-

IN THE WINGS

Not much to fall back on, so let’s hope we are spared having to do so. RATING: B-

(updated early April)

Albeit by a lesser and very narrow margin, we are again expected to win the Posey Band. The Boss also expects us to make the playoffs, so the gloves are off and the pressure is on in earnest.

Fianlly, here are the AtHoL's Top 20-rated position players and pitchers, as at Opening Day.

Let's get it on!

luckymann · 10-31-2021, 11:47 PM

The Almighty AtHoL Dice Gods have spoken, and this season will be using 1923 stats, so not as many homers as last season, a higher BA and lower ERA / fewer runs. Even more of a concern for our defensive shortcomings, then.

luckymann · 11-01-2021, 07:46 AM

luckymann · 11-02-2021, 03:26 AM

luckymann · 11-03-2021, 05:46 AM

... but I reckon it will be hard to top this game.

luckymann · 11-03-2021, 08:40 AM

luckymann · 11-04-2021, 05:23 PM

luckymann · 11-05-2021, 10:12 PM

luckymann · 11-06-2021, 11:29 PM

We'll end up with a decent enough pick in the mid-year Draft that should plug some of our many holes. But our dreadful start to the season has prompted me to make some moves in the interim.

George has the talent, just not the drive, and there were rumblings of disharmony among the playing group about his less-than-exemplary work habits. While Yorvit might not be quite so skilled, his renowned can-do attitude should more than compensate.

Al Almora projects to hit OK, but he has struggled to contribute so far and Lew gives us another CF option as well as an extra RH bat.

Here's hoping this lights the necessary fire under our sorry 6-12 a**es.

luckymann · 11-10-2021, 05:59 PM

luckymann · 11-11-2021, 08:38 AM

luckymann · 11-12-2021, 08:28 PM

The story so far this season has been just how abysmal our pitching has been. ERA of nearly 5 with the starters over that mark. Even our FIP is nearly 4. Just cannot find a rotation that can keep it together. Trout and his 47 ERA+ on the RR for the second time. Bullpen no better. Tough times in ChiTown.

Fortunately the bats have lifted us to an even May at 13-13 with some ugly wins, including 14-9 and 13-8 decisions right at month's end. Torrealba has been a godsend and without Chapman we'd probably be at 4-29 rather than 14-19.

The other area of real concern is our defence, especially our infield. 15th in DE, 12th in ZR, 43 errors in 33 games. With our pitch-to-contact profile this becomes even more problematic. Lindstrom is now being hidden at 1B but it is Sewell causing the biggest headache with 15 errors already and a FA barely above 900. This cannot stand.

The Draft can't come quick enough. We have the 5th overall pick. I have some big decisions to make. Do I go for a power cornerman or a defensively-strong and decent enough bat middle infielder and try and trade for the power guy? Then there's the pitching upgrades we so obviously need. Then there's the new Cairo franchise to consider as well, which needs a full complement of players. Although, this is very much of secondary concern right now.

No quick fix I'm afraid, this will need to be done incrementally with the hope that we do well enough for me to keep my job.

The only saving grace is that nobody in our Band has made a run for it, so we're still within reach of the WC. But that's all a long way away. Getting back to 500 is our first hurdle.

April awards, standings and leaders. An AtHoL newsletter to come at end May.

luckymann · 11-13-2021, 04:21 AM

Given the premise, setup and era of this league, Jackie setting a new hit streak mark of 31 games seems entirely appropriate.

10-28-2021, 09:52 AM	#101
luckymann Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 14,410	What a start... ... to the Freedom Band Series. 3 of 4 go into extras with the Tars-Herrings game particularly wild... ... and our own Freddie Lindstrom has the game of his short career to date. __________________ HISTORICAL DO-OVERS A'S RED SOX DODGERS PIRATES MARINERS CUSTOM SAVES LGB NEXUS

10-29-2021, 10:16 PM	#102
luckymann Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 14,410	Porky pig... After winning games 1 and 2 at Toronto, we lose two one-run games at home including one in which we fall behind 9-0 early then almost make it all the way back but lose 9-8. Deciding Game 5 in Toronto, they lead 3-0 with us having just 2 hits thru 8. Down to our final out, men on 1st and 2nd, Ayala smacks one out to tie it at 3 and send it into extras. After we waste a second and third with no outs chance in the 13th, they walk it off in 14. Adios, American Giants. And then there were four. __________________ HISTORICAL DO-OVERS A'S RED SOX DODGERS PIRATES MARINERS CUSTOM SAVES LGB NEXUS

10-30-2021, 06:35 AM	#103
luckymann Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 14,410	Cincy, Norfolk advance to the Big Dance __________________ HISTORICAL DO-OVERS A'S RED SOX DODGERS PIRATES MARINERS CUSTOM SAVES LGB NEXUS Last edited by luckymann; 10-30-2021 at 07:30 AM.

10-30-2021, 09:59 AM	#104
luckymann Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 14,410	Champions! The Cincinnati Tigers easily beat the Norfolk Tars four games to one to become the very first AtHoL Champions. Tigers second-baseman Nick Solak, who hits 389 with a homer and 11 RBI, wins the MVP. Back with all the awards and leaders in a bit. __________________ HISTORICAL DO-OVERS A'S RED SOX DODGERS PIRATES MARINERS CUSTOM SAVES LGB NEXUS Last edited by luckymann; 10-30-2021 at 10:20 AM.

10-31-2021, 01:31 AM	#105
luckymann Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 14,410	News from Around the Horn - end of 1947 season edition __________________ HISTORICAL DO-OVERS A'S RED SOX DODGERS PIRATES MARINERS CUSTOM SAVES LGB NEXUS Last edited by luckymann; 10-31-2021 at 03:31 AM.

10-31-2021, 03:44 AM	#106
luckymann Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 14,410	CAG 1947 Recap Not much to say, other than I am really pleased with how we battled on and nearly made it all the way to the end. The group never stopped trying and that's as much as I will ever ask of them. Plenty of gaps to be plugged and upgrades to be sought over the offseason, with a quality CF, some better pitching and middle-infield depth the highest priorities. But, all in all, a solid start to our franchise's major league existence. Our season stats for those interested. __________________ HISTORICAL DO-OVERS A'S RED SOX DODGERS PIRATES MARINERS CUSTOM SAVES LGB NEXUS

10-31-2021, 05:33 PM	#107
luckymann Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 14,410	News from Around the Horn __________________ HISTORICAL DO-OVERS A'S RED SOX DODGERS PIRATES MARINERS CUSTOM SAVES LGB NEXUS

10-31-2021, 11:27 PM	#108
luckymann Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 14,410	Opening Day, 1948 Plenty of moves made around the league in preparation for the 1948 season, now it is time to see if they were the right ones. We, too, have been busy. 30th pick in the Draft limited our opportunities for any really big additions, still we picked up some handy types, some of whom will feature this season. We have a high pick in the July Draft, so hopefully we have better returns then. That meant some trades were needed to get things as we want. We traded Jimmy Ripple and Mule Watson to Detroit for Dizzy Trout, reliever Lee Thompson, and a couple other relievers. Jimmy had been great for us but we needed to shore up our rotation after Livan Hernandez suffered a setback that will likely keep him out of action until 1949. We traded Benny Ayala to Cincinnati for outfielder Sam Rice. Other than these and a few situational changes, our squad remains intact from last year. No players in the Top 20 rankings for either positional players or pitchers, but that doesn’t bother us. Again, we aim to be greater as a team than the sum of our collective parts. Here's a rundown of our 1948 squad: BATTING Our Opening Day lineups will look like this. v RHP Freddie Lindstrom 3B Joe Sewell SS Sam Rice RF Ben Chapman 2B Willy Aybar 1B Al Zarilla LF George Bjorkman C Albert Almora CF v LHP Freddie Lindstrom 3B George Bjorkman C Joe Sewell SS Ben Chapman 2B Willy Aybar 1B Sam Rice RF Alan Storke 1B Albert Almora CF Still plenty of tinkering to be done, methinks. *RATING: B* BENCH Eddie Fusselback: C / 3B / OF / P (in a pinch only) Dane Iorg: 1B / OF Chuck Goggin: C / 2B / 3B / SS / CF Mike McGeary: C / SS Jerry Hairston: 1B / 2B / 3B / LF / CF / RF Pretty solid mix. *RATING: B* PITCHING - STARTERS Our rotation as at Opening Day: Ed Karger LHP Dizzy Trout RHP Greg Hibbard LHP Stan Williams RHP Trout and Williams should give us some more solidity here. Smith and Caldwell replacement options, along with Henry McHenry if things get rough. *RATING: B* PITCHING - RELIEVERS LHP: Mike Caldwell; Joe Page; Zane Smith, Lee Thompson RHP Dennis Musgraves; Esmil Rogers, Johnny Tillman This group will hopefully be bolstered later in the season by Juan Pena’s return. All the same, this is a strong pen. RATING: A- DEFENSE Lindstrom a concern at 3B and will be lifted in close and late. Same as ’47, not great but not poor either. *RATING: B-* IN THE WINGS Not much to fall back on, so let’s hope we are spared having to do so. *RATING: B-* *(updated early April)* Albeit by a lesser and very narrow margin, we are again expected to win the Posey Band. The Boss also expects us to make the playoffs, so the gloves are off and the pressure is on in earnest. Fianlly, here are the AtHoL's Top 20-rated position players and pitchers, as at Opening Day. Let's get it on! __________________ HISTORICAL DO-OVERS A'S RED SOX DODGERS PIRATES MARINERS CUSTOM SAVES LGB NEXUS Last edited by luckymann; 11-03-2021 at 05:51 AM.

10-31-2021, 11:47 PM	#109
luckymann Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 14,410	1948 Season Settings The Almighty AtHoL Dice Gods have spoken, and this season will be using 1923 stats, so not as many homers as last season, a higher BA and lower ERA / fewer runs. Even more of a concern for our defensive shortcomings, then. __________________ HISTORICAL DO-OVERS A'S RED SOX DODGERS PIRATES MARINERS CUSTOM SAVES LGB NEXUS Last edited by luckymann; 11-01-2021 at 12:25 AM.

11-01-2021, 07:46 AM	#110
luckymann Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 14,410	Is Donn, is good __________________ HISTORICAL DO-OVERS A'S RED SOX DODGERS PIRATES MARINERS CUSTOM SAVES LGB NEXUS

11-02-2021, 03:26 AM	#111
luckymann Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 14,410	This was not in the brochure... __________________ HISTORICAL DO-OVERS A'S RED SOX DODGERS PIRATES MARINERS CUSTOM SAVES LGB NEXUS

11-03-2021, 05:46 AM	#112
luckymann Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 14,410	Only early doors, I know... ... but I reckon it will be hard to top this game. __________________ HISTORICAL DO-OVERS A'S RED SOX DODGERS PIRATES MARINERS CUSTOM SAVES LGB NEXUS

11-03-2021, 08:40 AM	#113
luckymann Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 14,410	On yer bike, Mike... __________________ HISTORICAL DO-OVERS A'S RED SOX DODGERS PIRATES MARINERS CUSTOM SAVES LGB NEXUS

11-04-2021, 05:23 PM	#114
luckymann Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 14,410	Great Scott! __________________ HISTORICAL DO-OVERS A'S RED SOX DODGERS PIRATES MARINERS CUSTOM SAVES LGB NEXUS

11-05-2021, 10:12 PM	#115
luckymann Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 14,410	News from Third Base __________________ HISTORICAL DO-OVERS A'S RED SOX DODGERS PIRATES MARINERS CUSTOM SAVES LGB NEXUS

11-06-2021, 11:29 PM	#116
luckymann Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 14,410	Something had to give... We'll end up with a decent enough pick in the mid-year Draft that should plug some of our many holes. But our dreadful start to the season has prompted me to make some moves in the interim. George has the talent, just not the drive, and there were rumblings of disharmony among the playing group about his less-than-exemplary work habits. While Yorvit might not be quite so skilled, his renowned can-do attitude should more than compensate. Al Almora projects to hit OK, but he has struggled to contribute so far and Lew gives us another CF option as well as an extra RH bat. Here's hoping this lights the necessary fire under our sorry 6-12 aes. __________________ HISTORICAL DO-OVERS A'S RED SOX DODGERS PIRATES MARINERS CUSTOM SAVES LGB NEXUS**

11-10-2021, 05:59 PM	#117
luckymann Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 14,410	Melvin Masters Minneapolis... __________________ HISTORICAL DO-OVERS A'S RED SOX DODGERS PIRATES MARINERS CUSTOM SAVES LGB NEXUS

11-11-2021, 08:38 AM	#118
luckymann Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 14,410	Hawpe the kids brought their gloves... __________________ HISTORICAL DO-OVERS A'S RED SOX DODGERS PIRATES MARINERS CUSTOM SAVES LGB NEXUS

11-12-2021, 08:28 PM	#119
luckymann Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 14,410	CAG News - 1 May, 1948 The story so far this season has been just how abysmal our pitching has been. ERA of nearly 5 with the starters over that mark. Even our FIP is nearly 4. Just cannot find a rotation that can keep it together. Trout and his 47 ERA+ on the RR for the second time. Bullpen no better. Tough times in ChiTown. Fortunately the bats have lifted us to an even May at 13-13 with some ugly wins, including 14-9 and 13-8 decisions right at month's end. Torrealba has been a godsend and without Chapman we'd probably be at 4-29 rather than 14-19. The other area of real concern is our defence, especially our infield. 15th in DE, 12th in ZR, 43 errors in 33 games. With our pitch-to-contact profile this becomes even more problematic. Lindstrom is now being hidden at 1B but it is Sewell causing the biggest headache with 15 errors already and a FA barely above 900. This cannot stand. The Draft can't come quick enough. We have the 5th overall pick. I have some big decisions to make. Do I go for a power cornerman or a defensively-strong and decent enough bat middle infielder and try and trade for the power guy? Then there's the pitching upgrades we so obviously need. Then there's the new Cairo franchise to consider as well, which needs a full complement of players. Although, this is very much of secondary concern right now. No quick fix I'm afraid, this will need to be done incrementally with the hope that we do well enough for me to keep my job. The only saving grace is that nobody in our Band has made a run for it, so we're still within reach of the WC. But that's all a long way away. Getting back to 500 is our first hurdle. April awards, standings and leaders. An AtHoL newsletter to come at end May. __________________ HISTORICAL DO-OVERS A'S RED SOX DODGERS PIRATES MARINERS CUSTOM SAVES LGB NEXUS

11-13-2021, 04:21 AM	#120
luckymann Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 14,410	Hit the Ball, Jack Given the premise, setup and era of this league, Jackie setting a new hit streak mark of 31 games seems entirely appropriate. __________________ HISTORICAL DO-OVERS A'S RED SOX DODGERS PIRATES MARINERS CUSTOM SAVES LGB NEXUS Last edited by luckymann; 11-26-2021 at 03:41 AM.