From: dxf12@po.CWRU.Edu (Douglas Fowler)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: All Time season history (ATAS)
Date: 10 Jan 1993 22:55:42 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: dxf12@po.CWRU.Edu (Douglas Fowler)
NNTP-Posting-Host: slc12.ins.cwru.edu


     Part of this history of the "Dream Seasons" I made up, but the all
time Yankee vs. all-time Dodgers World Series wsa played on my computer
about 4 years ago.  I coached the Dodgers.

     Judge Landis rose in front of the major league owners and began to
deliver his "State of the Sport" speech.  The occasion:  the winter meetings
of the All-time, All-Star baseball league, the one where fans, through their
hot stove league discussions, really control the reins.
     Who was the best hitter ever?  Was Cy Young really better than Walter
Johnson?  Or would Satchel Paige or Joe Williams have eclipsed them both?
Were the players from the early or late twentieth century the best?  Fans
ponder these questions often, and use these fantasy all-time teams to
partially answer them.  This is one version - I don't expect everyone to
believe that the team I have winning the title is the greatest franchise ever,
but I do hope to generate discussion.  I want to please you, The Fan, sitting
at home or in your office reading.
     The best of baseball gathered for the sixth such season in 1990.  Begun in
1915, it occurs every 15 years as a way to determine which franchise was
the best.  Each squad participates in a "dream season" lasting five real years
- just as it takes five years for even the greatest to become eligible for the
Hall of Fame - with the best of the franchise's players on the roster.  The
majors expanded to 26 teams for this encounter, having been at 20 for the
1975 campaign.  There was considerable talk of holding the next as early as
2000, because of the parity that had overcome the sport in the intervening
years.
     That was not the biggest news story out of the winter meetings,
however.  Trades would be held for the first time ever, so that players like
Arky Vaughn - a great-hitting shortstop with Pittsburgh - and Ernie
Lombardi - a great batter but a catcher who gave new meaning to the term
lead-footed while with the Reds - could continue to play almost every day
with new teams, as they had been squeezed out by new talent on their old
teams.
     Previously, certain teams had dominated the majors - primarily the
Athletics, Yankees, and Giants.  However, the splitting up of the leagues into
divisions and the increased movement among players could not keep these
teams, along with Brookangeles (the Dodgers' conglomeration of talent on
both coasts - if you think that team sounded funny, wait till you see the
Athletics' name) and St. Louis, from being named the favorites.
     The past races had been exciting, for the most part.  The Athletics won
by only five games over Boston in 1915, with Detroit mounting several
threats before falling to third.  Meanwhile, the eventual world champion
Cubs fought the Giants and Pittsburgh all the way.  A playoff was forced
when the Giants lost to the Braves and Chicago beat Philadelphia in extra
innings on the final day.
     It was Mordecai "Three-finger" Brown versus Christy Mathewson in the
first contest.  With the team in a scoreless tie in the tenth, Joe Tinker
walked, stole second, and rode home on two passed balls.
     New York grabbed the second behind Joe McGinnity 3-2.  However, Chicago
won the third as Matty couldn't hold a 1-0 lead which he came in to protect.
Frank Chance homered to tie it at one, then knocked a two-run blast over the
fence to win in the twelfth off Joe McGinnity - a premonition of the lively
ball era which was to follow.  Ironically, those were his only homers that
season.  The Cubs relied on scratch singles and steals the rest of the way,
taking the A's and their $100,000 infield in six.
     As 1930 dawned, the Giants were not to be denied, rolling over the rest
of the league.  Since they had won many more pennants than any other team,
most fans agreed that theirs was the best franchise.  The Americans
provided the excitement this time.  The Yankees drove to an early lead
behind Chesboro, Hoyt, Ruth, and Gehrig.  Athletics fans could only sit and
gawk as the Bronx Bombers pummelled the weaker teams, moving ten games
up by August first.
      Lefty Grove, Rube Waddell, and Eddie Plank each tossed shutouts against
them, however, and that knocked some wind out of their sails.  The Babe
batted .230 for the next 13 games, and suddenly his team was one game
behind the Mackmen.  
     The lead shifted several times, but New York was four behind
Philadelphia entering the home stretch.  That shrank to one with seven to
play.  That week, the A's went 6-1, losing only in the finale to Cleveland, but
New York went 7-0.  New York grabbed a 3-2 lead off of Lefty Grove in the
one-game playoff, but Eddie Collins hit one to deep right in Yankee Stadium
for a home run.  Howard Ehmke retired Babe Ruth - the potential winning run
- on a pop-up to right in the ninth to preserve the pennant.  The A's great
all-around talent allowed them to conquer the Giants in seven.
     With the end of the war dawned the next all-time greats season.  While
the Athletics had not added any new talent to their storied past, the Yankees
now owned some great pitching depth, along with a fellow named Joe
DiMaggio, who was hailed as the greatest player in the game.  Boston fans
claimed their own great hitter, Ted Williams, was the best.  However, their
team could not keep up, as it possessed neither the pitchers nor the hitters
(besides Williams and Tris Speaker) to outduel the Yankees.
     The Giants received many accolades, but the Cardinals owned just a bit
more offense and just enough pitching to eke past them.  They owned a
powerful lineup, and seemed to prove that players from their era were
perhaps just a bit better than those from 1915, although the argument was
pretty much a toss-up.  Three players batted over .320, and six had more
than 10 home runs on the Cards.  It should be noted, though, that Ty Cobb
edged out Ted Williams for the batting crown, while Lou Gehrig won the
M.V.P. award.  Despite their abilities, the Cards lost handily to the Yankees
in five.  
     The Bronx Bombers dominated even more in 1960, the last of the 154
game seasons.  They captured 103 game - an astounding feat for this level
of play - behind a phenomenal pitching staff and this batting order:  2B-Tony
Lazzeri; LF-Joe Dimaggio; RF-Babe Ruth; 1B-Lou Gehrig; CF-Mickey Mantle;
C-Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra; 3B-Joe Dugan; SS-Phil Rizzuto.  If they look
vulnerable to lefthanders, they could have been, but it didn't matter - the
only great ones not on the Yanks were Lefty Grove and Babe Ruth (players
may play with up to three different teams that they had been on during their
careers).  The Giants succumbed to their onslaught in four straight, the
closest game being a 7-2 defeat of Mathewson by Lefty Gomez.
     Although only Roger Maris and Sparky Lyle had become good enough to
join the Yanks' all-time squad in 1975, they still dominated, going 100-62
(including 18-0 versus the new Senators!).  The National League featured
much excitement that year, though.  The Giants hosted several new pitchers
and a fine group of sluggers.  St. Louis, with Bob Gibson and Lou Brock, felt
ready to climb back to the top.  There was a newcomer as well.  The Dodgers,
playing in a 100,000-seat Ebbets field to accommodate the many fans in
"Brookangeles", had collected 25 hard-working professionals and claimed to
have the greatest franchise of all time.  Their roster (first mentioned are
starters):
     Pitchers:  Sandy Koufax; Don Drysdale; Don Newcombe; Dazzy Vance; Carl
Erskine; Van Lingle Mungo; Tommy John; Don Sutton; Clem Labine; Mike
Marshall;
     Catchers:  Roy Campanella; John Roseboro;
     Infielders:  Steve Garvey; Jackie Robinson; Pee Wee Reese; Ron Cey; Maury
Wills; Gil Hodges; Junior Gilliam;
     Outfielders:  Pete Reiser; Duke Snider; Carl Furillo; Zack Wheat; Babe
Herman; and Frank Howard.
     Their fans claimed that nobody could beat them, that there was a "Great
Dodger in the sky" looking down upon their team.  Sandy Koufax hurled an
opening day no-hitter at Chicago, but the Cardinals soon pulled in front, and
the great race had begun.  Rogers Hornsby started with a .405 average; truly
remarkable considering the amount of talent.  Most good pitchers won 20-25
games, and batting titlists often hit around .340.
     Christy Mathewson unfurled three straight shutouts, and Bill Terry
launched pinch-homers to win two of them.  By the All-Star Game, the three
contenders were miles ahead of fourth-place Pittsburgh, which would have
been with them had they had any sort of pitching.  The Giants were a game
up on St. Louis and a game-and-a-half up on the Dodgers.
     Immediately afterwards, Ron Cey became the Dodgers' full-time third
sacker.  He was hitting .301 with six homers in a platoon with Junior
Gilliam, and wound up at .276 with 15 home runs.
     The Giants owned a mob of first basemen and outfielders, and the
difficulty of giving everyone playing time forced them into third for much of
July and August.  The Alou brothers, Orlando Cepeda, Bill Terry, Mel Ott,
Monte Irvin, Johnny Mize, and Willie McCovey vied for three spots, with
Willie Mays entrenched in center.
     The Cardinals rotated outfielders, with Stan Musial starting over 40
games at each outfield spot and 25 at first base.  Player-manager Frankie
Frisch was again a full-time pinch hitter, and Hornsby settled in around
.345.  Bob Gibson and Dizzy Dean would both win 23 as St. Louis held its own
until September.
     Then, the Dodgers went on a tear.  All of their pitchers owned at least
five wins as the team entered the final week two up on each team.  Neither
club got closer than one back, as the Dodgers proved their dominance as a
National League franchise.
     Fighting the Yankees would be no easy task.  However, Koufax tossed a
three-hitter in Brookangeles and Pete Reiser's two-run single produced a 
2-0 win in the first game of this all-time fall classic.  
     Game 2 saw Lefty Gomez battered about for six runs in two innings, and
Don Drysdale added to the excitement by surrendering three of his own.  Red
Ruffing pitched the final seven as the Bronx Bombers rallied for an 11-7
triumph.  Lou Gehrig hit two of New York's five homers.
     Game 3 belonged to Waite Hoyt.  His 4-3 triumph over Don Newcombe was
saved by Gomez, who induced Babe Herman to ground into a double play to
end it.
     Koufax and Whitey Ford again dueled in game 4, but neither one witnessed
the decision.  Van Lingle Mungo pitched the final three innings of a fifteen
inning marathon.  Zack Wheat singled Roy Campanella home, and Gil Hodge's
home run made it 6-3.  New York scored once, but Gil McDougald - the last
available pinch-hitter - ground into a double play to end it.
     Don Drysdale was counted upon to go nine, but he lasted only six as the
Yankees won 8-5.  Jack Chesboro surrendered a long fly to Duke Snider with
two on and two out in the ninth that Roger Maris leaped over the fence to
catch.  The Dodgers would have to take two in Brookangeles to win.
     Newcombe started the sixth game, but Dazzy Vance had to enter in the
fifth.  Reiser's pinch-single tied the game at two, signaling Tommy John's
second Series appearance.  Maris pinch-homered, but the Dodgers scored two
off Sparky Lyle, as Carl Furillo and Duke Snider each singled in a run.  Babe
Herman's insurance homer finished the scoring in a 5-3 triumph.  Mike
Marshall got the save.  
     Koufax and Ford met again in the deciding game.  Erskine and Labine
combined with the fireballer on a three-hitter through nine, but the score
remained tied at one.  Dazzy Vance entered with runners on first and second
in the tenth and struck Ruth, Gehrig, and Mantle out before Maury Wills'
inside-the-park home run won it in the bottom of the frame.
-- 
Doug Fowler: dxf12@po.CWRU.edu  : Me, age 4 & now: "Mommys and Daddys & other
    Ever wonder if, after Casey : relatives have to give lots of hugs & love
missed the 3rd strike in the poem: & support, 'cause Heaven is just a great
he ran to first and made it?     : big hug that lasts forever and ever!!!"
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball