Talahassee Federals - (SOM Dynasty)

[Breeze]

Update on Period 4 bidding...

Joss - 55 - Southside has the bid
Ryan - 15 - Tokyo has the bid
Seaver - 35 - Southside has the bid
Greenberg - 16 - Washington has the bid
Bell - 26 - Washington has the bid
Bench - 25 -Southside has the bid
Ripken - 15 - Tokyo has the bid
Jenkins - 6 - Washington has the bid
Dimaggio - 30 - LA New has the bid
Cochrane - 20 - LA New has the bid

[Breeze]

I did a quick budget check this morning where I projected out what I expect to have to spend to keep my current players (not assuming they will be the same price they are right now)...and here is what I came up with...


Jose Mendez - 42 - Currently under contract
Lefty Grove - 34 - Currently under contract
Martin DiHigo - 13 - Currently under contract

Luis Tiant Sr - 48
Cristobal Torriente - 35
Willie Wells - 33
Jud Wilson - 24
Kid Nichols - 20


These projections may be high (but I want to prepare for the worst)

These salaries add up to $249 (if my math is accurate). That leaves me with $26 to spend. That should allow me to get a catcher and maybe another innings eating starter or starter/reliever.

[Breeze]

interestingly - the bids have stayed under control for this period...

let's see if we get a mad rush right before closing...

[Breeze]

I bid $38 on both Bell and DiMaggio, I doubt I win the bidding on either and in even if I do I'll be shocked if they aren't topped, but I bid anyway...

I was getting bored

[path12]

Originally Posted by Breeze

I bid $38 on both Bell and DiMaggio, I doubt I win the bidding on either and in even if I do I'll be shocked if they aren't topped, but I bid anyway...

I was getting bored

Major shock if you get Joe D for that, but man, wouldn't Bell be a steal?

[path12]

Besides, regarding topping -- if you're pretty sure the other guy is going to and you want the player anyway, you might as well make him pay the max....

[Breeze]

Originally Posted by path12

Besides, regarding topping -- if you're pretty sure the other guy is going to and you want the player anyway, you might as well make him pay the max....

That's why I went ahead and bid. I figured I'd make the other guys pay as much as I can...

I've been topped on Bell (current bid is 42), but I'm considering going to 44 or 45 just to see what happens...

No new action yet on DiMaggio (but it's coming)

[Breeze]

by the way...if any readers are interested in how the bidding is going on a player that I'm not following, I'll be glad to let you know what's happening.

[Breeze]

well as it turns out, I went to 47 on Bell and I won the bid (ironically, it's $1 more than the DiMaggio bid). I'm really surprised on both counts. The interesting thing here is going to be the topper decission on Bell. The team that holds his rights (NY Highlanders), had 119 to spend, and they had 3 players in this round of bidding...

Bell - 47
Seaver - 35
Bench 32

To keep all these players - The Highlanders would have to pay out...116.

My bet is he let's Bench go and he tops on the other two, but we'll see.

[Breeze]

The following email just came through on the topper decisions...

"Well, it was tough. Leave myself with 2 dollars was unacceptable, so topping on all 3 wasn't going to work. So, the Highlanders top on Cool Papa Bell and Tom Seaver and bid farewell to Johnny Bench.

NY Highlanders"

As I expected

[Breeze]

Period 4 Final Bidding Info:

Addie Joss - Southside bids 55 - VAG (awaiting decision)
Cool Papa Bell - Tallahassee bids 47 - NYH tops $48
Joe Dimaggio - Portland bids 46 - NOR (awaiting decision)
Hank Greenberg - Scranton bids 40 - DET tops $41
Mickey Cochrane - Scranton bids 40 - TOK declines to top - Scranton wins bid
Tom Seaver - Southside bids 35 - NYH tops $36
Johnny Bench - Houston bids 32 - NYH declines to top - Houston wins bid
Nolan Ryan - Virginia bids 26 - BRK tops $27
Cal Ripken Jr. - Scranton bids 25 - UFA so Scranton wins bid
Ferguson Jenkins - Washington bids 24 - UFA so Washington wins bid

[Breeze]

Here is the bid list for period 5 and the early bids:


Willard Brown - Kansas City bids 15 - BRK holds rights
Luis Tiant Sr.- LA New bids 30 - TAL holds rights
Gaylord Perry - - TIJ holds rights
Jack Chesbro - LA New bids 30 - TOK holds rights
John Clarkson - LA New bids 30 - POB holds rights
Jim Palmer - - NOR holds rights
Wee Willie Keeler - - POB holds rights
Frank Robinson - - WAS holds rights
George Sisler - Washington bids 5 - UFA
Al Simmons - Washington bids 5 - TOK holds rights

[Breeze]

This is a big round for me. In addition to having Tiant Sr (and I'm already upset that he's reached $30 in bids), there are 5 others I have interest in.

If I'm going to be able to save money, I really need Tiant to come up under my projected number. If he does it may allow me to get another very good player.

[Breeze]

DiMaggio was topped at 47 - that leaves NOR with $15

[Breeze]

Virginia tops on Joss for 56 too..by my count that leaves them with $68

[Breeze]

where bidding currently stands...

Willard Brown - 17
Luis Tiant Sr. - 31
Gaylord Perry - 10
Jack Chesbro - 30
John Clarkston - 30
Jim Palmer - 15
Wee Willie Keeler -
Frank Robinson - 20
George Sisler - 8
Al Simmons - 20

[path12]

Is Washington going to be able to top Robinson? That might be worth a bid or two.

[Breeze]

Bidding for the period is now up...

Al Simmons - LA New bids 40 - TOK waiting on decision
John Clarkson - Minnesota bids 38 - POB tops at 39
Luis Tiant Sr. - LA New bids 36 - TAL tops at $37
Frank Robinson - Portland bids 35 - WAS waiting on decision
Jack Chesbro - LA New bids 32 - TOK waiting on decision
Willard Brown - Minnesota bids 30 - BRK waiting on decision
Gaylord Perry - Portland bids 25 - TIJ waiting on decision
Wee Willie Keeler - Minnesota bids 25 - POB waiting on decision
Jim Palmer - Houston bids 23 - NOR waiting on decision
George Sisler - Minnesota bids 19 - UFA, Minnesota wins the bid

[Breeze]

This bidding period really got high in my opinion...

I honestly thought of bidding on Simmons at the mid 30s, but at 40 I felt I needed to protect some money to resign Torriente and Wells.

Clarkston at $39 is about right (though I rather have Tiant for even money)

Path made a good point above about Washington not being able to keep Robinson, but he really doesn't fit my park and style of play so I decided to stay away from this bid.

Chesbro doesn't hold runners well enough to pay him in the 30s.

Willard Brown is a guy I was going to bid on, when he was in the low 20s. In fact, I might have gone all the way to 28 and if I had to let Wilson go, but when he reached 30 I felt it wasn't a good play. He has nice range at SS but he makes quite a few errors.

Perry is an innings eater, but I get one of those for half the money he was paid

Keeler I thought about bidding on because he's a good on base guy. But he has no power and for $25 I can do better (shoot I can get Spotwood Poles for a third of that price)

Palmer is like a cross between Ryan and Perry.

Sisler at 19 was intriguing, and if I wasn't so LH batter heavy, I might have made a bid here.

-----------------

As for Tiant, he went for more than I was hoping he would go for (I was honestly hoping for 32, but less than I expected). I'm actually at about 33 to play with in the budget by my estimation.

-----------------

Because so much money was shelled out this round (at least for a round this late in the process), topper decisions will really impact the next few rounds...

[Breeze]

Bid period 6



Bill Dickey - TIJ
Joe Morgan - HCF
Omar Linares - WAS
Roy Campanella - POR
Buck Leonard - KCM
Charlie Gehringer - WAS
Harry Heilman - HCF
George Brett - BRK
Reggie Jackson - MIN
Rube Waddell - BOA
Bruce Sutter - UFA
Willie Wells - TAL
Edd Roush - UFA
Bob Gibson - POR
Luis Tiant Jr. - POR

[Breeze]

We are getting to a point in the bidding now, where I'm going to have to decide what my extra money is going to be used for.

I've looked through the available players and there aren't many RH batters that will be able to help me (not that I'm opposed to another LH hitter, but a RH would be more helpful).

I could also use the extra money on another pitcher and there are few big names still out there (carlton, gibson and waddell to name a few).

I also like to have a catcher, and I think I can get one at a reasonable price, but even at $10, that will probably prevent me from spending money on the pitchers mentioned above.

One other note...in my budget posted earlier, I left off Wild Bill Wright. He won't go for much, but because he has posted such good numbers with my team, he might go for much more than his original salary. I'm hoping not, because he fits my park.

Basically here is how I see it right now...

I go with a catcher...I can probably keep Wright and get a moderate pitcher or 2 (rube foster, bill foster, tiant jr).

I can get a harry heilmann (terrible defensively and SLOW...but he can hit) and probably get 2 of the 3..(Wright, a moderate pitcher and a catcher).

Or I can go for the big pitcher, Gibson (who'll probably get in the 40s which will be too high), Carlton (mid 30s so possible) and Waddell (mid 30s as well), but that will leave me very little to spend on anything else (no wright, no catcher) and/or leave me vulnerable to not having the money to keep all my own players.

I'm open to comments...

[Breeze]

In case you were wondering...here are the players in the next couple bid periods

Cristobal Torriente TAL
Roberto Clemente POR
Ozzie Smith POR
Pud Galvin SWE
Yogi Berra NOR
Jim Bunning UFA
Phil Niekro PTR
Mickey Welch SSS
Harmon Killebrew HCF
Eddie Murray UFA
Bobby Doerr BOA
Frankie Frisch TIJ
Buck Ewing VAG
Dave Winfield UFA
Steve Carlton BOA


Biz Mackey POB
Joe Cronin HCF
Hal Newhouser SWE
Don Sutton VAG
Rodolfo Puente UFA
Eppa Rixey SWE
Tony Lazzeri NOR
Jud Wilson TAF
Bob Feller UFA
Goose Goslin POB
Dizzy Dean SSS
Willie Stargell UFA
Dazzy Vance POR
Stan Coveleski UFA
Antonio Pacheco SSS

[Breeze]

Current Bids


Bill Dickey Portsmouth 17 TIJ
Joe Morgan Southside 10 HCF
Omar Linares LA New 20 WAS
Roy Campanella Southside 11 POR
Buck Leonard LA New 20 KCM
Charlie Gehringer New York 15 WAS
Harry Heilman Chicago 10 HCF
George Brett Washington 7 BRK
Reggie Jackson LA New 15 MIN
Rube Waddell Southside 23 BOA
Bruce Sutter New York 5 UFA
Willie Wells Kansas City 15 TAF
Edd Roush Washington 6 UFA
Bob Gibson Southside 16 POR
Luis Tiant Jr. LA New 10 POR



A few interested things of note…

Almost all the players listed are under-priced right now. Obviously we’ll have the end of period run on bids – but I expect there may be some good deals on a few players when this round is over.

---------------------

Portsmouth has the rights to Campanella but is bidding on Dickey. If he wins the bid he’ll let Campy go to whoever wins that bid.

I’d be shocked if Morgan goes anywhere. Houston’s expiring contract on Morgan was $37, I don’t think he’ll reach that number this time, so it looks like Houston will save some money here

Kansas City only has $79 left to spend, but Leonard is their only remaining high dollar free agent. I expect he’ll top here and then look to get a pitcher later (or maybe this round)

I expect Washington to keep Gehringer and his bid on Brett, won’t hold up, so he’ll probably also top on Linares

Heilmann is a very interesting one. As I’ve mentioned before, I’d love to have his bat in my lineup. I just wish I wouldn’t be stuck with his defense and lack of speed. I am still considering a bid here, and it looks like the price might be right. To add some interest to this one…I doubt that Houston will top. Earlier in the bidding process Houston spent $20 on Gwynn is ranks as an RF-2 defensively (the lower the number the better), and a CF-4. You can’t be competitive in this league with a CF who can’t cover any ground – you’ll give up too many hits. This is important because Heilmann only qualifies in RF.

NOTE: A little explanation on how the game works to clarify the comments above. Defensive rankings are divided into 2 parts, range and error rating. The lower the number the better the range, meaning the player will get to more balls, but the error rating is separate and it is ranked based on the number of errors that player actually had in the games they played, so if the player had 30 errors in a season their “e” rating would be e30.

I’m a little surprised by the lack of action on Brett. I expect it to increase dramatically (last contract was $25), but I’m not sure he’ll reach his previous bid. Though I didn’t have much interest in him prior to this period, if his bidding doesn’t increase significantly, I may bid on him and pass on Jud Wilson if I win the bid and he isn’t topped.

Portsmouth has a bunch of money to spend and they have 2 pitchers on the docket (Gibson and Tiant Jr.). They already won the bidding for Walter Johnson, so I’m completely sure what they will do here. I do believe he’ll top on Gibson, but he may let Tiant go if the bidding gets above 12 to 15.

I have no interest in Reggie Jackson, Bruce Sutter or Edd Roush.

Willie Wells is mine, and I’m holding my breath that he isn’t bid up much more. If he can come in under budget, that will free up a good bit of money for me.

Rube Waddell is an interesting case, and I’ll cover him more in depth in a minute, when I give an update of each team’s status.

[Breeze]

I was going to go into a breakdown of each team and where they sit money vs player wise, but I'll wait until after this bidding period. One thing I will note is that Boston has some tough decisions coming. He has only $60 with 4 big name players left...

Waddell
Carlton
Keefe
Lloyd

He'll be hard pressed to even keep 2 of the 4...

Last year Keefe and Waddell were 30, while Lloyd was 40 and Carlton 46. Waddell is in this bidding period, and I believe he's currently at 26. If he gets any higher, I would expect Boston to let him go...

Carton is the next period and Lloyd and Keefe come up very late in the process.

Seeing what happens tonight and in the next period will give us a good idea of who Boston wants to keep.

By the way...I've though seriously about bidding on Waddell. I know it would give me another lefty, but he's a good one and if I can keep fire trucks from going by the park, we should be just fine...

[Breeze]

I was going to bid on Brett, but someone entered a bid higher than I was willing to go, before I got my bid in...

I bid on Campy (14), but someone jumped him up to 20 (which I expected)

I bid on Heilmann (16), but someone jumped him to 20, I thought about countering to 21, but I couldn't get the bid in before the deadline.

Surprisingly, I bid on Buck Leonard. I really had no interest in getting him (and I still think he'll be topped), But he was too good a value at 20, so I bid 23 (still too good). I figure if I end up with him, I'll let Jud Wilson go (I had 24 budgeted for him) and call it even...

The two pitchers, I was interested in, I let ride. I think Gibson topped 30 (still a good deal), and Waddell was just under (another good deal, but I'm hoping Boston elects to keep him, so I can get one of his other players later).

[Breeze]

Here is how the bidding ended:

Omar Linares - Tokyo bids 42 - WAS holds his rights
Bob Gibson - Minnesota bids 30 - POR holds his rights
Rube Waddell - LA New bids 27 - BOA holds his rights
Buck Leonard - Tallahassee bids 23 - KCM holds his rights
Bill Dickey - Portsmouth bids 20 - TIJ holds his rights
Roy Campanella - Tokyo bids 20 - POR holds his rights
Harry Heilman - Tokyo bids 20 - HCF holds his rights
George Brett - Boston bids 19 bids BRK holds his rights
Bruce Sutter - Scranton bids 16 - UFA
Willie Wells - Washington bids 16 - TAF holds his rights
Joe Morgan - Tokyo bids 15 - HCF holds his rights
Charlie Gehringer - New York bids 15 - WAS holds his rights
Reggie Jackson - LA New bids 15 - MIN holds his rights
Luis Tiant Jr. - LA New bids 10 - POR holds his rights
Edd Roush - Brooklyn bids 7 - UFA

[Breeze]

I am absolutely shocked by some of these bids...

Linaries jumped from 20 to 42, and his previous salary coming into this auction period was 32

Gibson and Waddell are a little low, but not way off...

Buck Leonard was a $36 player at the last auction...now he's down to 23 (24 if you count the fact he'll be topped)

Dickey, Heilmann, and Brett are about right where they should be.

I can't give you an opinion on Sutter because I haven't studied his card or seen stats from his seasons...

Wells at 16 seems low (I had 33 budgeted, though I though upper 20s was more likely)

Jackson, Tiant Jr and Roush are fine...

What really shocks me is Morgan and Gehringer for 15.. These guys were mid 30's players in previous seasons. It really makes my 13 deal for DiHigo look bad. I had no idea these guys would stay so low...I really expected both to at least get into the low 20s. (I know...why didn't you bid then... Probably because - though DiHigo is a utility player, 2nd base his where his numbers project out competitively, and I've already paid for him. I'd rather save my 18+ for another player or pitcher later...)

[Breeze]

Topper decisions from the previous bidding period

Linares topped at $43 by Washington
Gibson topped at 31 by Portsmouth
Waddell not topped - now property of LA New
Leonard topped at $24 by KC
Campanella topped at $21 by Portsmouth
Heilmann topped at $21 by Houston (not sure where he's going to play)
Brett topped at $20 by Brooklyn
Wells topped at $17 by Tallahassee
Morgan topped at $16 by Houston
Gehringer topped at $16 by Washington
Jackson not topped - property of LA New for $15
Tiant Jr topped at 11 by Portsmouth

[Breeze]

Current team situations

...

Team - Money to spend - RFA still to be bid on...

  

    
Southside Sultans 
    
167
    
6
  
  

    
Tokyo Samurai
    
143
    
2
  
  

    
Tallahassee Federals
    
132
    
5
  
  

    
Portland Bambinos
    
101
    
6
  
  

    
Houston Colt 45's
    
98
    
4
  
  

    
Washington Senators
    
87
    
5
  
  

    
Tijuana Brass
    
76
    
6
  
  

    
Virginia Generals
    
68
    
5
  
  

    
Portsmouth Roadrunners
    
63
    
6
  
  

    
Boston Americans
    
60
    
12
  
  

    
Kansas City Monarchs
    
55
    
3
  
  

    
LA New Bears
    
50
    
2
  
  

    
Minnesota Loons
    
49
    
3
  
  

    
Brooklyn Cyclones
    
44
    
4
  
  

    
Detroit Stars
    
43
    
6
  
  

    
Norfolk Tars
    
38
    
8
  
  

    
New York Highlanders
    
35
    
3
  
  

    
Chicago Whitestockings
    
34
    
0
  
  

    
Paris Texas Rangers
    
16
    
5
  
  

    
Scranton White Elephants
    
14
    
3
  
 

Basically Tokyo can have whomever they want from this point forward...there 2 RFA that haven't been bid on yet are low dollar guys. Look for them to apply big bucks to the big names remaining...

[Breeze]

I need to pinpoint the players I want to try and get with my extra money...there are so many teams that have money to spend with very few RFA, that they'll be able to trump anyone I want if they want them as well. So I need to figure out a good time to roll the dice and try and get someone...

I love to get Lloyd, but my bet is he's going to be one of the crown jewels left over. I know 2 teams that have money left may be eyeing him and be willing to pay $50 for him.

If anyone has any suggestions for player or even just position...I'm listening...

[path12]

What's your roster look like right now? It's interesting (and probably makes sense) that the bidding in general has gotten lower as the rounds progress. Should give you the opportunity for some bargains.

[Breeze]

Originally Posted by path12

What's your roster look like right now? It's interesting (and probably makes sense) that the bidding in general has gotten lower as the rounds progress. Should give you the opportunity for some bargains.

Path,

Yeah, I expected salaries to go down too, but unfortunatley, when I look at the other teams I see too many that have more money to spend that I do (especially when you consider they don't have any RFA that are of high value).

As for my roster...

Currently I have 3 pitchers

Mendez - RH - SP/RP/Closer
Tiant Sr - LH - SP/RP/Closer
Grove - LH - SP/RP

Martin DiHigo - RH - UTL (will probably be my starting 2b)
Willie Wells - RH - SS/3b


I have topper rights on:

Torriente - LH - OF
Wilson - LH - 1b/3b
Nichols - RH - SP/RP/Closer

[path12]

Well, you were asking for suggestions, so here goes. Looks like you need some power in that lineup to me. I guess Wilson could be that but it would be easy enough to pitch around him. IIRC, Torriente, Wells and DiHigo are more on base guys rather than sluggers...

As for the pitching, I don't know Mendez, but you've got a couple good starters in Tiant and of course Grove, and Nichols should be a decent closer. You could certainly use another RH starter...

Just random two cents by someone who doesn't own the game.

[Breeze]

Originally Posted by path12

Well, you were asking for suggestions, so here goes. Looks like you need some power in that lineup to me. I guess Wilson could be that but it would be easy enough to pitch around him. IIRC, Torriente, Wells and DiHigo are more on base guys rather than sluggers...

As for the pitching, I don't know Mendez, but you've got a couple good starters in Tiant and of course Grove, and Nichols should be a decent closer. You could certainly use another RH starter...

Just random two cents by someone who doesn't own the game.

Good assessments...

I agree I need more power, problem is most of the power players that can hit in the middle of an order are already paid for. Plus the few that are left are on teams with tons of money to top or will be bid on by teams with tons of money left. Plus, while I need more power (preferably RH), I have to be careful, because I play in a huge park so I don't get cheap HRs, most of them turn to flyouts...thus the proliferation of line drive hitters with extra base power.

Let me give you a little break down of how the game sees the players I have on my roster...

Pitchers

Pitchers	T	W	L	ERA	IP	HITS	BB	K	HR	GS	SV
Luis Tiant Sr.	L	18	5	2.45	233	198	51	169	6	29	5
Lefty Grove	L	18	7	2.55	220	200	59	139	8	25	4
Jose Mendez	R	22	5	2.15	248	205	45	158	5	30	2
Kid Nichols	R	18	8	2.82	231	223	56	84	7	25	1

The stats you read are the numbers the players card is built from...so it gives you an idea of what kind of player they are. In this league with all the superstar and HOFers, the results almost never approach the numbers you are reading, but that is what they have in mind when they design the player...

Players

Hitters	          AB	DO	TR	HR	BAVG	BB	K'S	RBI	OB%	SL%
Jud Wilson	583	37	4	31	.336	66	76	110	.407	.549
Bill Wright	577	36	12	19	.324	45	52	95	.386	.532
Martin Dihigo	523	34	14	12	.311	64	58	105	.394	.495
C Torriente	576	36	14	22	.329	61	66	116	.408	.554
Willie Wells	532	28	10	12	.312	68	31	77	.403	.426

[Breeze]

Torriente went for only $15, so I'll top...

I also hold the top bid on Clemente at $12 (he'll probably get topped)

[Breeze]

A note from the Commish...

Jim Bunning is now a Loon and Dave Winfield a Monument as UFA's. Pud Galvin is now a member of the Samurai and Phil Niekro a Bear as their current teams cannot place a topper bid. All of topper decisions due and Period 8 is now open.

[path12]

Well, if you have a big park then it makes a ton of sense. You're in pretty good shape if all of those guys hit 12-20 homers but are fast and good with the bat.

[Breeze]

Thanks for the comments and questions...it not only does it make this more interesting for me, but it helps me sort out my thoughts.

Keep 'em coming

[Breeze]

Torriente coming in for only $17 is great, and it has really made it obvious I'm going to have money to spend even after I use topper rights on Wilson and Nichols…

However, there really aren’t many impact players (on this level) left in the draft that fit my team. I probably should have bid more on Clemente (though he really wouldn’t make a huge difference for the team). I’ve created a list of players that I have interest in…and they are split up into when they are scheduled to be on the docket…

Current Bid Period

C – Biz Mackey - $10 (currently) - Cost to Acquire $10 – 18
Overview: Nice catcher, good defense, decent bat, but nothing special
Observation: One of many catchers still available, not much difference in any of them.
Probable Action: Will most likely pass, save money and if everything else falls apart get a catcher later

SS – Joe Cronin - $13 – Cost to Acquire – $10 - $18
Overview – Nice SS, Good defense, Decent power for the position
Observation – Similar to Wells, without the speed
Probable Action: Will pass, he doesn’t offer enough of an impact to justify even the low bid.

3B – Jud Wilson - $16 – Cost to keep - $10 - $20
Overview – Terrible Defensively, but a nice power average combination
Observation – Is versatile, can play a lousy 1b or 3b (does help in draft portion though)
Probable Action: Will most likely top, we need his bat in the lineup


Bid Period 9

RHP - Hilton Smith - $8 – Cost to Acquire - $6 - $16
Overview – A nice innings eater, that gives you a chance to win games
Observation – there are several other innings eaters still available
Probable Action: might low bid and see what happens, but I’m not going to do much.

SS – Pops Lloyd - $40 – Cost to Acquire - $35 - $50
Overview – An excellent player, and one of the few truly impact players left
Observation – He is an awesome player, but he’s a top of the order table setter, not a power hitter
Probable Action : Boston is in a tough spot, they won’t be able to keep both Lloyd and Keefe so I might consider bidding here, even though he isn’t ideally what I need, because I could actually end up with this guy. If I get him, Wells moves to 3b. There could be several others that are interested in this guy too…especially KC and Boston will want to top.

1B/LF - Perucho Cepeda - $46 – Cost to Acquire - $42 - $62
Overview – The Crown Jewel of the remaining players
Observation – RH power hitting player with good defense. Truly a middle of the order guy.
Probable Action: I am at odds on what to do here. I could bid him up, but if I do, my money will be tied to this player, and no matter how much I bid I think that Southside is going to top. They currently have the money to spend, and in fact he has more money that they can possibly spend on good players. I think he’s been saving his money for this bid and won’t let him go at any cost.

CF – Will Bill Wright - $6 – Cost to Keep - $5 - $14
Overview – Similar to Clemente
Observation – A player who has been good for me since I started in the league and he’ll come cheap.
Probable Action : Most likely will top, unless the money is needed for one of the star players in this round.

RHP – Tim Keefe - $31 – Cost to Acquire - $35 - $48
Overview – Best pitcher still available
Observation – with so many teams holding so much money, this bidding could get high
Probable Action – Another of Boston’s players, and he can’t keep them all. I might bid high here and on Lloyd and force Boston to choose 1 or the other. Would love to have him in the rotation and he does fit my philosophy of pitching, speed, defense and extra base power.




Bid Period 10

RHP – Kid Nichols - $8 – Cost to Keep $10 - $25
Overview – a very underrated pitcher
Observation – With so few big time pitchers remaining, the price on the remaining pitchers could go up
Probable Action : Will top if the money is there.

OF – Pete Hill – UNK – Cost to Acquire - $6 - $14
Overview – Table setting outfielder with good defense
Observation – Not even an elite table setter, but a nice player to have. Won’t make a major impact on a season
Probable Action: None. Could get a bid ,if for some reason I lose Wright.

C – Gabby Hartnett - $1 – Cost to Acquire - $5 - $11
Overview – Defensive catcher with some power
Observation – One of many catchers still available
Probable Action – might low bid, just to make sure I have a catcher on the roster before the auction ends. Bids are more likely if cash is tight at this point (meaning I’ve acquired one of the impact players listed above)

C/UTL - King Kelly - $16 – Cost to Acquire - $15 - $25
Overview – Catcher/ Utility player with SPEED and decent defense. Can be an impact in games
Observation: He’s only allowed around 400 AB a season, so he’ll require a good backup player
Probable Action: If I whiff on all the big name stars above, he’ll get a bunch of money thrown his way. It might be for just one season, but if I have the cash to spend and no one to spend it on, might as well get the best player I can.

RHP – Rube Foster - $4 – Cost to Acquire - $5 - $12
Overview – See Hilton Smith
Observation: Basically the same player
Probable Action: Depending on what has happened above, he could get a bid. More likely he gets a bid because he comes a round later than Smith


The Remainder Don’t Have a Bid Period Assigned Yet:

C – Louis Santop - $4 – Cost to Acquire - $5 - $15
Overview – Nice combination of power, defense. See Biz Mackey (but LH batter)
Observation – Whenever he come up it will be time to start looking for a catcher with whatever money I have left (assuming I didn’t already get one).
Probable Action: If I don’t have a catcher yet, or if my catcher is Kelly, I will probably bid on him

C – Miguel Gonzalez - $21 – Cost to Acquire - $12 - $28
Overview – Has been a great player for me in the past, Decent all around player
Observation – Better than the rest of the catchers listed above
Probable Action – If I have whiffed on all counts, Stars and Kelly, Gonzalez will get my bid. He works well in my lineup.

LHP – Bill Foster - $4 – Cost to Acquire - $5 - $12
Overview – A LHP that kills Lefties.
Observation – Has thrived as a closer against lefties - Undervalued
Probable Action – Could get a bid, never hurts to have a guy like this in this league

P – Kaz Inao – $1 – Cost to Acquire - $UNK
I’m going to get back to you on this one. There is a Japanese pitcher that I’ve taken a closer look at that appears to be very similar to Hilton Smith and Rube Foster, but I’m not sure if it is this guy.

LHP – Warren Spahn - $12 – Cost to Acquire - $10 to $20
Overview - A player I think isn’t well represented in the game. He should be better. A solid pitcher.
Observation: A LHP that is good against RH batters.
Probable Action: If I a bunch of money left when he’s on the board I’ll probably bid him up.

RHP – Webster McDonald – $1 – Cost to Acquire - $3 - $9
Overview – A pitcher who has made a living as a closer, Kills RH batters
Observation – Would make a perfect complement to Bill Foster as a Closer tandem,
Probable Action – See Bill Foster. Actually might try to do the tandem thing if I have too much money at this point.

OF – Spotwood Poles - $9 – Cost to Acquire - $5 - $!2
See Pete Hill (A little more speed)

RHP – Chet Brewer – UNK – Cost to Acquire - $4 - $12
See Rube Foster and Hilton Smith. Maybe not quite as good.

OF – Isao Harimoto - $3 – Cost to Acquire $1 - $4
Overview – A nice spot player, LHB that kills lefties
Observation – Does extremely well against players like Spahn, Valenzeula, Hubble. Has a role and plays it well
Probable Action: Could be a player picked up for spot duty.

C – Ernie Lombardi - $10 – Cost to Acquire $6 - $15
Overview – OK defender, lacks a great arm (for this league) so teams can run on him (especially if the pitcher doesn’t hold runners well). But he can hit
Observation: Good contact hitter, some power, Really Really Really Slow. Could clog the bases for my team.
Probable Action: Another Catcher…I’ll probably end up with 1 of them. I would rank Lombardi 2 or 3 on the Catcher wish list (not counting Kelly)

[Breeze]

If you have a question why I'm not bidding on someone you like or think is real good, ask. Maybe I need to go back and evaluate my strategy.

[Breeze]

Bid Period 8

Biz Mackey POB
Joe Cronin HCF
Hal Newhouser SWE
Don Sutton VAG
Rodolfo Puente UFA
Eppa Rixey SWE
Tony Lazzeri NOR
Jud Wilson TAF
Bob Feller UFA
Goose Goslin POB
Dizzy Dean SSS
Willie Stargell UFA
Dazzy Vance POR
Stan Coveleski UFA
Antonio Pacheco SSS

[Breeze]

As expected bidding is slow this go round

Biz Mackey - Southside - 11 - POB
Joe Cronin - Southside - 9 - HCF
Hal Newhouser - Houston - 5 - SWE
Don Sutton - Southside - 13 - VAG
Rodolfo Puente - Washington - 5 - UFA
Eppa Rixey - Portland - 4 - SWE
Tony Lazzeri - Southside - 4 - NOR
Jud Wilson - washington - 8 - TAF
Bob Feller - Brooklyn - 5 -UFA
Goose Goslin - Brooklyn - 5 - POB
Dizzy Dean - New York - 10 - SSS
Willie Stargell - Southside - 6 - UFA
Dazzy Vance - washington - 9 - POR
Stan Coveleski - washington - 6 - UFA
Antonio Pacheco - New York - 12 - SSS

[Breeze]

Getting you caught up....

Here is how bidding on group 8 closed:

Biz Mackey - Southside bid 26 - POB topped at $27 ( This guy was at 10 last contract)
Don Sutton - Houston bids 17 - VAG tops at $18
Rodolfo Puente - Tokyo bids 15 - UFA so Tokyo wins the bid
Eppa Rixey - Tokyo bids 15 - Not topped so Tokyo wins the bid
Jud Wilson - Houston bids 15 - TAF tops at $16
Bob Feller - Tokyo bids 15 - UFA so Tokyo wins the bid
Dizzy Dean - Kansas City bids 14 - Not topped so KC wins the bid
Dazzy Vance - Kansas City bids 14 - Not topped so KC wins the bid
Joe Cronin - Southside bids 12 - HCF tops at $13
Stan Coveleski - Southside bids 12 - UFA so Southside wins the bid
Antonio Pacheco - New York bids 12 - SSS top at $13
Willie Stargell - Southside bids 10 - UFA so Southside wins the bid
Hal Newhouser - New York bids 9 - SWE tops at $10
Tony Lazzeri - Southside bids 8 - Not topped so Southside wins the bid
Goose Goslin - Brooklyn bids 5 - POB tops at $6

[Breeze]

That left us with this salary breakdown heading into group 9

Tallahassee Federals - $100
Houston Colt 45's - $85
Southside Sultans - $77
Portland Bambinos - $68
Virginia Generals - $50
Washington Senators - $64
Tijuana Brass - $58
Boston Americans - $56
Tokyo Samurai - $46
Brooklyn Cyclones - $44
Kansas City Monarchs - $27
Portsmouth Roadrunners - $38
New York Highlanders - $35
LA New Bears - $34
Chicago Whitestockings - $34
Minnesota Loons - $27
Detroit Stars - $23
Paris Texas Rangers - $16
Norfolk Tars - $11
Scranton White Elephants - $4

[Breeze]

Here is how period 9 Closed:

Perucho Cepeda - Tallahassee 41 - SSS
Tim Keefe - Houston 40 - BOA
Pop Lloyd - Tallahassee 32 - BOA
Hilton Smith - Boston 24 - POB
Chief Bender - Houston 18 - TOK
Laz Salazar - Tijuana 15 - UFA
Carl Yaztrzemski - Chicago 13 - TIJ
Hoyt Wilhelm - Detroit 12 - VAG
Bill Terry - Portland 10 - UFA
Al Spaulding - Washington 9 - VAG
Roger Connor - Washington 5 - UFA
Cap Anson - Houston 5 - POB
Hughie Jennings - Portland 6 - NYH
Dan Brouthers - Washington 3 - PTR
Wild Bill Wright - Scranton 2 - TAF

[Breeze]

In period 9 I actually started my bidding with Keefe. KC had put 24 on Lloyd so I put 32 on Keefe, basically putting Boston in a pick or choose situation. I was planning to go back and put 38 on Keefe and 32 on Lloyd, but when I started to do that I noticed Houston had already topped my bid. I contemplated going to 41, but in stead placed that money on Cepeda (assuming it would be topped), but he is the RH middle of the order hitter that would help me the most.

Now I'm in a wait and see on what Boston does...He bid 24 on Smith...I happen to know that was topped so he has the money left to get either of his players. I'm starting to think he might let Keefe go and target Nichols, Foster, Foster and Spahn in the next few periods as a quantity replacement over quality (because Keefe is an Ace). We'll see.

I'll probably top on Wright...too productive to lose for $3.

If I end up with both Cepeda and Lloyd (unlikely), I might not have enough money to keep Nichols...(probably won't judging from Smith going for $25), but if I lose him, I'll also target the pitchers I mentioned for Boston plus a few relievers.

[Breeze]

Here is group 10:


Johnny Evers UFA
Bingo Demoss POB
George Kell BOA
Carl Hubbell NOR
Larry Doby WAS
Kid Nichols TAF
Pete Hill UFA
Tony Perez UFA
Pie Traynor DET
Gabby Hartnett BOA
King Kelly VAG
Earl Averill WAS
Gary Carter DET
Rube Foster WAS
Tony Oliva UFA

[Breeze]

Final Results from bid period 9

Perucho Cepeda - Tallahassee bids 41 -Not Topped Tallahassee wins the bid
Tim Keefe - Houston bids 40 - Not topped Houston wins the bid
Pop Lloyd - Tallahassee bids 32 - Not topped Tallahassee wins the bid
Hilton Smith - Boston bids 24 - POB Tops at $25
Chief Bender - Houston bids 18 - TOK tops at $19
Laz Salazar - Tijuana bids 15 - UFA so Tijuana wins the bid
Carl Yaztrzemski - Chicago bids 13 -TIJ tops at $14
Hoyt Wilhelm - Detroit bids 12 - VAG tops at $13
Bill Terry - Portland bids 10 -UFA so Portland wins the bid
Al Spaulding - Washington bids 9 -Not topped Washington wins the bid
Roger Connor -Washington bids 5 - UFA so Washington wins the bid
Cap Anson - Houston bids 5 -Not topped so Houston wins the bid
Hughie Jennings - Portland bids 6 - NYH tops at $7
Dan Brouthers - Washington bids 3 - PTR tops at $4
Wild Bill Wright - Scranton bids 2 - TAF tops at $3

[Breeze]

Bargain shopping now....probably won't be able to keep Nichols (especially with Smith going for $25). I'll bet Nichols clears $20, and I'll probably have to let him go.

New targets:

Rube Foster
Bill Foster
Webster McDonald
Dizzy Dizmukes
Warren Spahn (but he'll probably be about the same as Nichols).
Carl Hubbell (See Spahn)

[Breeze]

Here is the final results from bid period 10

Earl Averill - Houston bids 18 - Not topped so Houston wins the bid
Carl Hubbell - Southside bids 17 - Not topped so Southside wins the bid
King Kelly - New York bids 16 - VAG tops and keeps Kelly (I would have too for $17)
Gary Carter - Southside bids 16 - Not topped so Southside wins the bid
Kid Nichols - Boston bids 15 - TAF has topper rights???? What to do
Gabby Hartnett - Tokyo bids 15 - Not topped so Toyko wins the bid
Rube Foster - Houston bids 12 - WAS tops at $13
Larry Doby - Houston bids 10 - WAS tops at $11
Pete Hill - Minnesota bids 6 - UFA so Minnesota wins the bid
George Kell - Chicago bids 5 - BOA tops at $6
Pie Traynor - Boston bids 4 - DET tops at $5 (I would too at this price)
Johnny Evers - Tijuana bids 4 - UFA so Tijuana wins the bid
Bingo Demoss - Kansas City bids 3 - POB tops at $4
Tony Oliva - Washington bids 3 - UFA so Washington wins the bid
Tony Perez - Tijuana bids 3 - UFA so Tijuana wins the bid