EOBHR

Entirety of Baseball History Replayed!

Love baseball.... but sick of the 3+ hour games  and all the pampered $10+ MILLION/YEAR players...while you now have to skip lunch every other day plus have also completely stopped changing the oil in, or servicing,  your family car just so you can pay for your MLB cable package?!?  Then you may need to use a healthy supplement to reduce or even replace the current 25% of your waking hours watching draggy baseball games, plus the unhealthy brain-warping diet of erectile dysfunction, gout water, automobile, beer, and insurance ads that accompanies them: YES YOU NEED to experience  the efficient, , never-boring, digest-sized baseball world  of EOBHR (The "Entirety of Baseball History Replayed" project)....Wherein a unique possible but not actual history of baseball unfolds in an unpredictable but totally plausible,  entertaining, fascinating, relaxing, mind-blowing, time-efficient way.  EOBHR is now replaying the 1906 season.  Each season consists of a 16 game per team regular season, followed by an NCAA-like tournament among teams that finish in the top half of their organizational unit's standings.   The tournament games count in team win-loss and also in player statistics.   Really, would you rather spend a year plowing  through the HARD-COPY, HERNIA/SLEEP-INDUCING,  NO-HOT-PHOTOS, HARD-COPY 500,000 word  TOME of Tolstoy's War & Peace -- or see a 2-3 hour movie of the same story, loaded with plenty of hot , blouse-ripping actresses -- hunky, ripped actors -- and colorful, head-banging violence??  EOBHR began the project on July 11, 2006 and has now replayed 1903, 1911, 1912, 1914, 1917, 1918, 1923, 1928, 1933, 1937, 1941, 1944, 1949, 1954, 1955,  1958, 1959, 1960, 1964, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1993, 1995, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008,  2009, 2010, 2011 & 2012 MLB seasons.  EOBHR staff hands-on manage both sides and records game details real-time as each contest progresses.  You can relive each game by reading the entertaining, succinct, picture-assisted, irreverent game writeups...  A few hours of occasional reading will enable you to relive an entire season in a plausible way that actually ADDS to your appreciation of real baseball by its presentation of surprising what-ifs.... AND IF YOU ENJOY EOBHR, YOU'LL  LIKELY BE IN NIRVANA  WHEN YOU  CUDDLE UP WITH THE SKUNKVILLE SAGA!!! The world's longest (well over 1,500,000+ words), most pictorial (5,000+ photos), with more than 1,000 archived episodes to enjoy...  funniest novel ever written in English or any other language, including Swahilian!.. Kirkus Reviews compares The Skunkville Saga to the works of James Joyce, Thomas Pynchon, & John Barth.  FONT>

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11/23/14

1980 EOBHR REPLAY#37: DAY 13 OF 16 N.L.

Like Dr. Strange, Ed Figueroa may be able to conjure up his alternate ego, or Spectral Self to pitch the late innings of an important start!

163  LD (9-4/1st+2g) 5-15-0-15  SF(4-9/T5th) 2-8-1-10

Though the Dodgers are cruising atop the division with a 9-4 record, they hardly cruised to this win, trailing 2-0 entering the 9th inning... Plus they lose starter Jerry Reuss after he faces and retires just two batters -- out for seven long games at this critical time of the replay. 

The game is scoreless, with Rick Sutcliffe filling in nicely for Reuss, until the B6th, when Jim Wohlford and C Milt May one out RBI singles put S.F. out front 2-0.

But come the T9th, and still a 2-0 Dodger deficit, Dusty Baker takes charge of the situation... lining a one hop RBI single by cruising Giant starter Vida Blue to cut the S.F. lead to 2-1.  Dave Lopes also singles in this belated L.A. rally, but it is C Mike Scioscia's 2-out last chance RBI single deep to LCF that deadlocks the game in its final regulation minutes: 2-2, time for extra frames.

Having been the first Dodger to put the Bums on the board T9th, in the T13th Baker  (3-1-5-16 power stats now in just 55 ab) rockets a 2-run go-ahead triple by speedy Giant CF Billy North.  L.A. reliever Steve Howe loops an RBI single to give himself a 5-2 lead, and then Howe (1-0/0.84) neatly puts the Giants away 1-2-3 in the B13th, to play with on another day.

 Vida?  Blue....  Dusty?  Bakin'....Howe to close out?  Yep, 1-2-3!  Steve....Howe does he do it?

 

 

162  AB (4-9/last) 6-11-1  SD (6-6/3rd) 3-10-1

Unfortunately, the detailed reporting and script were lost (perhaps a first for EOBHR...but I keep plenty of my own notes as the game progresses) for this interesting, unusual game, which involved the tired Padres having to play the lowly (nothing in my baseball simulation experience is quite as awful as managing the Atlanta teams of this era) Braves squad with virtually no Padre in a rested condition: on the bench or in the bullpen. 

It was so bad that several Padres had to play a secondary or tertiary positions -- and one or two poor fellows (e.g., the extraordinarily versatle 3B-OF Luis Salazar) had to, in Luis's case,  catch when not having played that position at all, at least during the 1980 campaign.

And even though the Padres made just one error, and Salazar was only officially charged with one passed ball, the chaos that occurred on some of the plays was a pathetic thing to have to watch (well, read the detailed play by play of).  Poor-fielding Padre OF Jerry Turner was playing 1st instead of the OF.  Fine-fielding 3B Paul Dade bungled several plays at his tertiary position of 2B, but none so egregiously that he was slapped with an E. 

So, several of the Braves' 11 hits involved butchery, clumsiness, and unfamiliarity with the instincts of the position but not outright errors in the field.   The worst defensive meltdowns occurred in the 5th and 7th, and a couple included a slightly errant but hardly wild pitch getting by C Salazar.

Pitch to contact lefty Randy Jones was probably the right kind of hurler for this team of out of position bunglers, but he was lifted due to fatigue (mental and physical!) after 6 innings, fanning none and walking one, officially allowing one  unearned run. 

Then all heck broked loose in the 7th. 

On the other hand, if one had a real C and not brave Luis Salazar in the Tools of Ignorance, then Randy might have been able to shut these lousy Braves out. 

The big bopper for Atlanta was flabby 1B Chris Chambliss (,280), who was 3-4/HR/2R/2RBI.  Phil Niekro, aided by defenders playing at their proper positions, as well as his knuckler, allowed 10 hits, including 2 doubles and a triple, plus 2 walks -- but he also fanned seven and resourcefully allowed only two tallies...Or were the Padres too shaken by their unfamiliar defensive roles to be comfortable at the plate?

With two men on and tying run HOF SS Ozzie Smith at the plate for the Padres with two out B9th, the Braves brought in Rick Camp to secure the final out...  As the ill-equipped Padres fought through 'til the bitter end!

The Padre Defense rests its (lack of a) case... asks MLB to charge 'C?' Luis Salazar, not P Randy Jones, with loss

161  HA (7-6/3rd-1.5g) 4-10-0  CN (5-8/4th) 1-3-0 

The 3rd place Astros (7-6) and the 1st place Dodgers (8-4) in the N.L. West are now both carrying 3-game winning streaks after this EOBHR season day ends.. Better win-skeins than any other team in either N.L. division except for the surging, no-holds-barred tied for 1st Pirates (*8-5) in the N.L. East, who have SIX W's in a row after starting out a miserable 2-5.

The Astros' athletic, powerful 6'-8"/220lb J.R. Richard is clearly the MVP of this game:  pitching an overwhelming 11K:4BB 3-hitter...also busting a double off opposing P Leibrandt... while said Cincy P Charlie looks pathetic, like he's just been rejected by the Starkist team,  in comparison, allowing 10 hits in 7 frames, walking 3, and somehow escaping with just 3 runs charged against him.

Top notch Astro -- flashy, swift, strong-armed LF Jose Cruz ontributes in several ways offensively for the winners in this one... Like grounding into a T1st go-ahead run-scoring GDP for the 1st run of the game (is that really contributing?  who wrote this?), then scoring from 3rd in the same initial frame when 2 for 18  (not exactly the kind of hitting you expect from your 1st sacker) 1B 'Wailing' Denny Walling grounds a single, scoring the fleet, athletic Cruz to make it 2-0 Stros T1st.... And since J.R. Richard pitches his 11K/4BB CG 3-hitter, the Reds are destined to lose this one from the very start.

CF Terry Puhl's triple soars over even speedy CF Ken Griffey with one out T3rd, and Terry ends up tagging home due to another RBI single by Jose Cruz, perhaps still using making up for his 1st inning rally-limiting GDP as a motivator.  And then even perhaps also guilty-feeling 3-19 1B Walling bloops a single over short for the Astros 4th run in 3 frames against loser 'Sorry Charlie' Leibrandt, in all likelihood feeling at this point like Charlie the Tuna that Starkist always rejects as having too high an ERA (eater rejection average).  

Meanwhile, I've missed the big story of this game, which is the 10-K 2-hit shutout (both singles) that J.R. Richard takes into the B9th... And J.R. fans the ultra-dangerous George Foster to open the B9th for his 11th whiffler.... But then also highly dangerous Ken Griffey draws a walk, and with two out, a Ray Knight looper gives the Reds their 3rd and last single and scores Griffey to at the very last moment to put Cincy on the board and ruin Richard's shutout, but never the greatness of his performance ...but a miniscule cause for slightly less misery in host Redlands fandom as they plod, heads down, back to their red vehicles.

Sorry Charlie,  but Red management isn't looking for pitchers who look good, but pitchers who win lots of games 

 

160  PH (6-7/T-Last) 0-6-0  SC (7-5/3rd) 3-5-0

After being in the National League since the 19th century, the Phillies finally won their first realworld World Series in real 1980.  However, as of now in this replay, they are up to their old tricks, being in last place in the N.L. East with just three games left to play, despite their realworld success.

However, the perennial Phillies' optimist can point out that the Phils are only 2 games out of 1st in the tightly bunched East and one game behind as far as a Tourney slot.  The Quakers are tied for last with the Cubs (6-7) and are a game behind Montreal (7-6), who ironically finished real 1980 one game behind the Phils, in 2nd place.

In true Phillie style, a club always prone to being beaten by the most obscure and most marginal MLB pitchers, they lose this game to Cardinal starting P Silvio Martinez, who shuts the Phils right on out of there.  Silvio was 5-10 in real 1980, with a 4.81 ERA.  He managed to win 31 games in his five seasons, disappearing for good from MLB after the following, 1981 season, finished as far as MLB at age 26.

The great OF Bobby Bonds. age 34 in real '80, father of the infamous Barry, has the 2-out B3rd go-ahead/game-winning single... scoring noneother than winning P Silvio Martinez, who had drawn a one out walk against Phillie ace Steve Carlton. The multi-talented Bonds then steals 2nd and famed C Ted Simmons singles Bobby home with what proves to be an insurance run... George Hendrick adds a solo homer B8th for the quickly-played game's final tally.

Surprise Silvio lining for Cards vs. great Carlton

 

159  CC (6-7/last) 1-8-0  PT (8-5/T1st) 5-10-3

It's a pretty strong division that has only one team below .500, and that club, the Cubbies, sub-.500 due to this here loss. 

Amazingly, when Dave Kingman lines a go-ahead single over 2nd T3rd, this gives 'Kong' 7 RBI n this '80 replay to 3 punchouts!  Kong, who for example K'd 153 times in real 1986 while leading the N.L. with 37 dingers, must have been trying to change his approach in the Cubs' Wrigley Field in 1980, fanning only 44 times in his 81 games, plus the career actual BA = .236 Kingman hit .278 in 1980 reality.

However, Dave's ribbie single is the only Cubbie highlight as the Pirates (8-5), tied for 1st in the tightly-bunched East in this replay, easily defeat the Windy City boys 5-1.

A slumping 1 for 13 1B John Milner ties the game with an RBI single B4th, then Omar Moreno follows with a one out bases loaded go-ahead-for-good single....B.B. Blyleven (2-0/3.60) easily takes Star of the Game honors with his 8K/2BB 8-hitter, allowing just the one Cub run. 

 Omar the Lead-Maker 

 

158  NM (8-5/1st+.5g) 17-22-0  ME (7-6/4th) 4-9-1

While the 1st place Mets blew out the Expos in this skirmish, they still have no more than a 1 1/2 game lead on ANY of the other five teams in the N.L. East.  The actual N.L. Champ 1980 Phillies are tied with the Cubs for last, both with 6-6 records, 1 1/2 games out with just 3 games left.  Kind of like one of those wild, irresponsible NASCAR shootouts or just the classic close NASCAR finish, with cars spinning out, crashing into the wall, flipping over onto their roofs, bursting momentarily into flames,  in a kind of orgy of mechanized, gasoline-ignited violence.

But, as this score shows, this was not a 30 cars in the same lap finish...  More like a two car race between a Bugatti and a Chevrolet Spark, with the Bugatti done its ten laps before the Spark creeps through the first turn of the first lap.

Put it this way, when the Expo manager takes the ball from starter and loser Bill Gullickson (0-1/10.22), the score is 7-2, it is one out T2nd, and Gully, who had some really good real MLB seasons, has retired 4 of the 14 batters he has faced, having already allowed a long 2-run bases loaded single to Mets C Johns Stearns as well as a 2-run double down the LF line with one out T2nd to the same John Stearns... who bats 5th in the Mets' order.  Stearns (.407) finishes with a 4-6/2D/HR/3R/5RBI afternoon against the hopeless, helpless (at least in this game) Expos.   

Aside from Stearns 9 total bases, dreadfully slumping ('til now) CF Lee Mazilli (.255: 3-5/4R/D/HR/BB) and C Alex Trevino (.206:4-6/D/T/3R/2RBI)  each have 7 TBs, while Elliot Maddux (.234: 2-5/HR/2R/2RBI/BB) collects 5 tbs, or tablespoons of love from the Montreal pitchers. 

As the really alert, engrossed, on the ball reader may comment -- 'Wowie jizzackers, Oh Nerded One... These guys you jest cited were all really slumping, except for maybe Stearns.... Otherwise, their BAs would have ended up much higher after this glorious hitfest!!  Gee gitzzackers!  This was like the Mets fans watching this game of EOBHR-O-VISION were paid back for all their misery in the prior 12 Met games with one big whopping payment... Sounds like something our U.S. governance would do, you know what I mean, Baby?  But a win's just a win, 1-0 or 100-0!'

Mark Bomback's (1-0/6.11) name certainly indicated the aggressive nature of the Mets today....Except these Mets bombed and bombed away before the poor Expos could get anything started to bomb back against... A proactive approach, which would not be descriptive with Bomback's -- you bomb us, we bomb you back twice as hard -- name connotation.  This was an all-out premedicated max bombing attack no matter what the Expos did.

But why not?  Why dilly-dally and 'wait til we get behind'.... The pre-emptive strike is far for more frightening and effective!!

Mets have strong reply to their earlier 3-1 loss

 
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