If I play at the rate I played yesterday (2 games in a day), I could be finished with the 1917 season in about 2 years!  And the most games that I ever played in a day was something like 4 games, so even that time could be cut in half!

That’s not going to happen, though.  There are periods when I need to back off from one hobby and go do another, which is why I averaged about 130+ baseball games per year since I started playing regularly.

And even within the table top games hobby, I do play football, soccer and racing games too, with basketball and hockey still waiting in the wings.

So while 9 years sounds like a long time, it may be shorter (or longer) depending on what’s going on in my life.

I will get this one done, though.  Someday.  Just not tomorrow.  Or next month.

As an aside I will say it’s quite a thing to see names in these lineups of players who are the legends of baseball, like Babe Ruth pitching for the Red Sox, or Ty Cobb striking out against Stan Coveleski.  Tris Speaker.  Wally Pipp.  Names of players who I’ve heard of, but never really knew.  After the two games I played Thursday night, I found myself looking up some of the players online to see what their careers were like.  It surprised me to find that Coveleski was a Hall of Famer, who used the spitball.  Pipp’s name rang a bell, and I confirmed online that this was the fella who Lou Gehrig replaced on the Yankees.

Forever a student of this game, that’s me.

Stay tuned!

It has taken me a little less than 3  years to play about 400 games of table top baseball.

I have over 1200 more games to play in just the 1917 season alone.

So even if I were to focus on just that replay project, it would take me a little under 9 more years to complete it.

I’ll give myself until December 2027 to get it done, just to stay on the safe side.

Stay tuned!

Had to post this recap.

Yankees Opening Day, Polo Grounds, April 11, 1917

Final from the Polo Grounds:

Babe Ruth had a no-hitter through 7-2/3 innings, and Ray Caldwell, the OPPOSING PITCHER, hits a double to break up the no-hit bid.

Damn.

… 1200+ to go!

I don’t think I’ll be posting an entry for each game, I’m thinking of doing daily boxscore recaps of that day’s games, with updated standings.

Work in progress.

Stay tuned!

I seem to find a new thing about this game whenever I start a new project.  A chart that I should have been looking at more often is what I usually find.

This time I’m actually taking the time to check the solitaire strategy charts which I should have been using, but didn’t.

It’s mostly because I’m playing games in 1917, the Deadball Era, where most runs were scored by what SF Giants broadcasters call the Ground Attack: bunts, steals, simply putting the ball in play and not relying on the longball.  I need these charts to keep me honest, and truth be told, I don’t call for most of the regular Ground Attack strategy, like sacrifice bunts or hit and run plays.  Heck, I hardly call for a steal of second, but that changes now.

Through two and a half innings, the Indians and Tigers are tied 0-0 with 1 hit for each team.  It’s been mostly ground outs, with one ball leaving the infield for a fly out.

Bottom line is that I have to adjust my style of play for 1917 baseball.

Stay tuned!

April 11, 1917: Cleveland Indians vs. Detroit Tigers @ Navin Field

Stan Coveleski vs. Bill James

Stay tuned!

I was getting the stadium charts ready for the 1917 replay, and counted off 7 of 8 stadiums for the National League, based on the years printed on the charts.  I checked twice, and then realized that the missing stadium was already being used in my 1967 replay, and that I’d be using it for a 2010 replay, should I decide to play the Cubs.

1935 World Series

Wrigley Field opened in 1914, as the home of the Federal League’s Chicago Whales.  The Cubs began play at Wrigley in 1916.  They’ve called the “friendly confines” home since then.

I hope to play a few Opening Day (April 11, 1917) games this weekend.

AL Games:
CLE @ DET
BOS @ NYY
WSH @ PHA
CHW @ SLB

NL Games:
PHI @ BRO
PIT @ CHC
STL @ CIN

The Giants and Braves begin their season on April 12th.

Stay tuned!