This site is to share events,simulated and historical,experienced and learned,during my re-creation of classic baseball seasons. See the links below for previous replays. And the memories are not just for the summertime as I am also replaying the NFL and AFL seasons of the Super Bowl era using Second and Ten Football.
The current baseball replays are 1968 and 1920 using Diamond Mind Baseball,and a 1968 AFL and NFL football replay. Enjoy!
Marlin Briscoe replaced starting quarterback Steve Tensi in the second half and guided the Broncos to a 27-20 win over Cincinnati.
The following is not a summary of historical events,but rather the results of my computer football replay of the 1968 AFL season using Second and Ten football. In reality on October 6,1968,Marlin Briscoe of the Denver Broncos became the first black player to start at quarterback in professional football.
Denver Bronco head coach Lou Saban replaced starting quarterback Steve Tensi with backup Marlin Briscoe halfway through the third quarter. The controversial substitution ultimately paid dividends as Briscoe guided the Denver Broncos to a 27-20 victory over the expansion Cincinnati Bengals. Tensi started the game for the home team,and led the Broncos to a 13-10 halftime lead. After the break,the Bengals made defensive adjustments and began to pressure Tensi. The Bengals sacked Tensi twice in the opening possession of the second half. Following a Denver punt,Cincinnati nearly took the lead on their first possession,but a fumble deep in Bronco territory ended the drive. Saban summoned for Briscoe to the surprise of the crowd at Bears Field. The 14th round draft pick fared no better,and the Bengal pursuit got to him initially as well. Continue reading Briscoe Rallies Broncos,27-20. »»
For the first time in my fourteen month Twitter history,someone other than “Bad Henry”Aaron serves as the avatar for my account. Many in the Twitter-verse change avatars frequently,but I never felt a need for Aaron to leave as the icon for my account. But,my participation in Jeff Polman’s Mysteryball ’58 inspired me to honor Jeff’s effort in some way. So why is it that Vada Pinson follows Henry Aaron?
In October,1995,Vada Pinson passed away. I never saw Pinson play. But that autumn day as my favorite team was three games away from a World Series victory,I flipped through the sports section of USA Today at work and read about Vada Pinson. I believe it was an article by Tom Weir entitled “Pinson’s Greatness Lost Among Legends of 60′s“. At the time of his death,Pinson was one of four players to collect 2,500 hits,250 home runs and 250 stolen bases. The other three are in the Hall of Fame:Willie Mays,Joe Morgan and Andre Dawson. Pinson was one of those true under-appreciated superstar players who I enjoy to discover in my baseball simulation replays. However the author continued,sharing a memory from his childhood in which he discovered the local hotel in which the Reds were staying during a road trip during the season. The author made his way through the lobby and found his way to the room of Vada Pinson. He knocked on Mr. Pinson’s door,and then,recounted how gracious Mr. Pinson was to this young fan who interrupted his period of rest. Vada Pinson was one of those people that received and gave respect from all whose path he crossed.
In my mind,I have grouped this newspaper article with other stories that kindled my interest in baseball history. Five years earlier,there was William Nack’s story of Willard Hershberger that appeared in Sports Illustrated. In 1993,there was the secret from the 1925 World Series that Steve Wulf revealed Sam Rice kept to his grave. In fact,that summer issue of SI is a treasure trove of baseball lore. I read about Kenny Hubbs,about a marathon game in 1963 between Juan Marichal and Warren Spahn,and I read about Vada Pinson. These stories led me to books by David Halberstam and Robert Creamer,and as they say,the rest is history.
So why Vada Pinson? Vada Pinson represents the journey to my appreciation for baseball history as well as that overlooked gem from days gone by. Or maybe it’s just that Pinson’s 1958 rookie card fits the film noir feel of Mysteryball ’58 perfectly.
Just as the 1968 baseball season was nearly derailed by the assassination of Martin Luther King,Jr.,and then by the assassination of Robert Kennedy,and nearly again by the turmoil of the Democratic National Convention,my replay has plodded along. Just like that season,that year,that seemed as if it would never end. As the reader may suspect,my own reality has interrupted this alternate “second time through the order”of the Year of the Pitcher. But also my involvement in other baseball projects. First,The Hall of Fame Baseball League,a Diamond Mind Baseball league established in 1995 that allows owners to draft nearly any player in baseball history. Since November,I have taken over an franchise and participated in a player and an annual draft. My team is built around 1980 George Brett and 1982 Robin Yount. The camaraderie of the 48 owners is great and the league is a semi-daily routine. Spring training games start soon. The second project will be my participation in Jeff Polman’s latest creation:Mysteryball ’58 as I attempted to guide the 1958 Cincinnati Redlegs’season to a more successful conclusion than in reality. Jeff weaves a tale like no other and I’ve been a fan since picking up his 1924 replay late in that season. That story was so enjoyable and well researched. It has been made into a book now available on Amazon!
Meanwhile,the replays of the 1968 baseball and football seasons continue. It has been ironic as my posts lessened,the traffic has increased. The same of late with Twitter:fewer tweets,more followers? I really enjoy the comments and emails from those who discover my project and inform me that a team did not win that game or that a score is incorrect. If you do stumble upon the site while researching using Google,it could be confusing. I merge actual events with my replay results,but the disclaimers are there. This site is based on my replays of baseball and football seasons:a second time through the order. So with less than six weeks remaining in the 1968 replay,the Tigers and Cardinals prepare for a replay World Series rematch,and the NFL and AFL reports will follow. Thank you to all who follow my replay projects and your patience during this off-season. And now for the most comforting words of all:Pitchers and catchers report tomorrow. Stay tuned and enjoy!
As I prepared to write a post on the passing of legendary announcer Larry Munson of the University of Georgia,I surfed through the plethora of online tributes and obituaries. I came across this tribute compiled by the University. This video is better than anything I could have written. Anyone who watches this and bleeds Red and Black will get goosebumps and possibly well up with tears. For anyone else,I’m sorry if you don’t get it,but I hope there is another announcer in your life,past or present,who verbalizes and memorializes the passion you feel for your home team.
One of his overlooked radio calls,as possibly his finest,came from the final minutes of the 1997 UGA –Georgia Tech game. Tech scored a touchdown to take a 24-21 lead with 48 seconds remaining in the game. Munson summed it up (paraphrasing from my memory of listening to this call probably over 20 times) “And they just cut out our heart and the blood is pouring down North Avenue!”Graphic,yes. Over the top,yes…but that is how every Bulldog fan felt at that moment. It was a complete heartbreak. Miraculously,Mike Bobo and the Bulldogs engineered a furious 65 yard drive (aided by a pass interference call) and hit Corey Allen on an eight-yard pass with just eight ticks left on the clock. “Oh my,oh it couldn’t have happened! …and we just picked up our heart and stuffed it back in!”Munson summed up the game later,“Michigan State had rocked Penn State 49-7 but nothing has rocked like this one. Nothing. Has. Rocked. Like This One.”
See why UGA fans chose to turn down the television sound and turn on Munson: the final drive vs. Georgia Tech,2006. Larry was 84 years old on this call.
“Fifty years from now,some grandparent is going to remember him as the sports voice of their childhood. ‘Yes,’they’ll say to a grandson or granddaughter,‘[fill in the blank] is good,but you should have heard Larry Munson. He was absolutely the best.’”
- Verne Lundquist,CBS Sports
Larry Munson retired in 2008 after 42 years in the booth. His classic calls echo throughout campus each football Saturday in Athens,and they will continue to do so for years to come. Yes,I am biased. Herschel Walker is the greatest running back in college football history,and college football will never have an announcer with the passion of Larry Munson. Look at the sugar falling from the sky! Rest in Peace,Larry. This really feels like a death in my family.
Back on March 29,2011 in a post aptly titled For What It’s Worth,I listed my division and wild card predictions along with my picks for league superlatives. My team predictions were a disaster. I correctly selected Texas as AL West champions,and the Rays as the AL wild card. The problem with the Rays selection was that I chose the Red Sox as AL East division champs. As for the NL,I received the golden sombrero. My MVP and Cy Young predictions were no better. But with today’s announcement of the Rookie of the Year awards,I can boast of complete clairvoyant abilities. Atlanta’s Craig Kimbrel and Tampa Bay’s Jeremy Hellickson are the 2011 Rookies of the Year,just as I declared on March 29,2011. [mic drop]
