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Senf
Nov 12, 2006

:munch:

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bewbies
Sep 23, 2003

Fun Shoe
September 21st, 2025, was a cool Sunday evening in San Diego. The Padres, who had long ago locked in their playoff spot, had nonetheless captivated the country -- along with much of East Asia -- thanks to a tall, shy kid from Forest Lake, Minnesota. When he was drafted, Matt Wallner was thought of as an outside shot, a kid with massive talent and massive holes in his swing. No one anticipated him taking over the minors as he did...or that the Phillies would make him sit in AAA for two full seasons as they waited for Rhys Hoskins to leave in free agency. The Padres came calling in the winter of 2023, offering up an all-star outfielder to bring him over. While expectations were high, no one guessed at just how good this kid could be. Aside, perhaps, from Pete Ward.

His first two seasons, he blasted 63 and 65 homers, winning a pair of MVPs along with the undying support of the Padres' faithful. As the 2025 season began, the Padres were looking for baseball's first 3-peat since the late 90's Yankees. Wallner was the engine room of this team, both statistically, and morally.

His 44 home runs at the break broke the previous record by 5. That was the first of Barry Bonds' records he'd break, but it wouldn't be the last.

By late September, it was pretty clear that #74 was going to happen, sooner or later. The only question remaining was when, and where.

Sunday Night Baseball was thrilled to be showing the Padres vs the Nationals. Late September could be a dicey time for baseball ratings, but this would prove to be one of the most watched regular season games in years. Tickets to get into Petco Park were going for five or six times their face value. Tickets in left field were going for 15 or 20 times their face value.

Tyler Chatwood was the Nats starter that night. The veteran right-hander was struggling through a tough year, and wasn't very excited about facing the Padres' murderer's row of hitters in a meaningless game. He was a free agent at the end of the year, and desperately wanted to land one more Major League deal before he packed it in. In all fairness, Wallner wasn't thrilled about facing Chatwood either...at this point in his career, Chatwood leaned heavily on a mediocre sinker/2 seamer, and tended to walk guys, or give up line shots, rather than serve up the high fastballs Wallner feasted on. Still, he was a below average pitcher, and maybe Wallner would get a sinker that didn't sink....

The Padres got out to an early 2-0 lead thanks to a Royce Lewis double followed by a long Fernando Tatis Jr. home run. Wallner's at-bat in the first was forgettable: he took a couple of pitches low, then fouled off a pair of inside sinkers, then drove a hard ground ball straight to veteran superstar Nolan Arenado at third. As he watched from the dugout in the second, he decided he knew what Chatty would try and do with the first pitch at his next at bat: challenge him with a hard strike inside. Chatty hadn't enjoyed being down 2-0, and wasn't going to get behind in the count again.

In reality, Chatwood had absolutely no idea what he was doing. It seemed like he was facing one all-star hitter after another, and he was keeping his head above water with a combination of luck, pitches in the dirt, and Petco's spacious outfield. He was hardly even aware when Wallner came up in the third - he was thinking more about the speedy Royce Lewis, again on-base at first. His catcher, Cesar Salazar, came out to talk. "Get your head in this," Salazar said. "Let me worry about Lewis. You worry about the big guy with the big bat over there. Start him out hard, inner half. He doesn't usually swing at first pitches. This'll be easier if you get up in the count." Chatwood nodded, and blew on his right hand to warm it up. Since when was San Diego this cold?

Wallner stepped in. On deck, he'd made his decision. He was sitting on a sinker on the inner half. He usually didn't like swinging early in the count, but if he didn't, he could probably count on a string of sinkers and curveballs in the dirt, and those weren't going out of the park.

Jessica Mendoza and Alex Rodriguez stopped talking for a loving second as they watched Wallner knock off his donut. Even they seemed to know something historic was about to happen, and had the presence of mind to stop talking for a loving second and just let the television audience enjoy the energy of the crowd.

Chatwood got his sign, though he knew already what he was going to do: sinker, inner half.

Wallner eyed Chatwood's forearm. He knew was probably about to swing over the top of a sinker in the dirt, but at least that might give Royce a chance to swipe second.

Chatwood delivered.

It was a 91 mph sinker, across the inner half, exactly where he wanted it.

Wallner swung.

The sound the bat made cut through the stadium noise, despite the excitement of the crowd. Chatwood knew as soon as he heard it. Wallner knew before he had even finished his swing. The crowd knew as soon as they saw the ball against the night sky.

The thousands of people who had paid huge money for bleacher seats in left field all looked skyward. For a second or two, every single one of them thought the ball was coming straight to them. As it hit its apex though, it began to turn left, heading for the Western Metal Supply Company seats, deep, deep in the left field corner.

It landed on the top deck. The statcast distance was 470 feet, one of the longest home runs hit in the majors that year.

Wallner casually dropped his bat and began to round the bases, slowly, a huge grin on his face.

ESPN's cameras flashed to Barry Bonds, who was in attendance. He was standing, applauding. Jessica Mendoza and Alex Rodriguez still didn't say anything.

There was a moment of horror, as a mob of people scrambled for the ball on the roof of a century-old brick building, built into a 21-st century ballpark. A fat middle-aged guy in a Yankees t-shirt who had flown in from out-of-state came away with it.

The Padres waited for Wallner at home plate, along with his family. The sports world stopped, and watched, and cheered.

Tyler Chatwood did not get a contract offer in 2026.

rickiep00h
Aug 16, 2010

BATDANCE


Of course it was Chatwood.

The king is dead; long live the king.

Julio Cruz
May 19, 2006
Sucks that Zack Hample (I presume) got the ball though.

Ice Fist
Jun 20, 2012

^^ Please send feedback to beefstache911@hotmail.com, this is not a joke that 'stache is the real deal. Serious assessments only. ^^

bewbies posted:

A fat middle-aged guy in a Yankees t-shirt who had flown in from out-of-state came away with it.

Inspector does visit a lot of ballparks

Island Nation
Jun 20, 2006
Trust No One
This has been a fantastic thread. In honor of the new home run king, I wanted to repost his first appearance with a little context following the LCS chokejob:

bewbies posted:

I'm just kidding, we can't afford anyone good. I'll try and pick up a decent LOOGY later in the offseason, or maybe we'll find a decent cheap veteran 1B or 2B to come into ST.

Pete posted:



We have an interesting situation, kid. It's gonna sound crazy, but hear me out.

I floated Williams around, and found the Phillies. They offered Matt Wallner in exchange for Williams and Ramon Perez. Wallner is a monster goddamn loving bat. He's currently the #13 overall prospect, and he's got a legit 75 power tool. He's hammered AAA the last two years and is more than ready for the bigs...I have no idea why the Phillies didn't have him up last year.

Amusing note: it looks like Wallner could be a halfway decent pitcher in addition to playing 1B and either corner in the OF.

How many people are still alive in Philadelphia’s office after that fateful move?

bewbies
Sep 23, 2003

Fun Shoe
2025 Playoffs and Offseason

Because I am stupid, I advanced to the next year without recording the game logs of the playoffs, which are deleted when you advance to the next year.

However, most of the relevant data can be seen in the team sheet and the year sheet.

2025 San Diego Padres

2025 Major League Baseball season.


After the last game of the series, we were sitting in our office in the wee hours of the morning, poring over a few spreadsheets before heading home. Pete came into our office with a bottle of Pappy and a couple of crystal glasses.



"Let's take a walk, kid."

We stroll out to the field and take a seat just behind the Dad's dugout.

"You've done what you came to do. You've created a monster. In a year or two, this team will have one of the largest payrolls in baseball. We sell out every game. We have a media contract worth more than the team was when you took over. This ain't moneyball anymore, kid. This is an Evil Empire."

We nod, slowly, and take a sip.

"When I got here, you drank McCormick's. That just about says it all."

We nod again and stand.

"Thanks, Pete, for everything."

He rises and extends his hand.

We shake, nod at one another and say nothing further. We slide off our letter of resignation under the owner's door, get into our Bugatti, and drive back to our mansion in La Jolla.

Pete gets on his horse, puts in a big plug of chew, and rides off down Harbor Drive. Some say he went to Tijuana, and built a new LMB dynasty there. Others say he went to Korea, to serve in President Sung-Yong Booh's cabinet. Still others say the federales got him, while his partner escaped to Cleveland. Whatever his fate, he did not show up for his Hall of Fame induction.


Editor's Note

That concludes the active portion of this wildly successful crowd-managed adventure. I will sim the game through 2050 or so, by which time, Mike Trout may have retired. I will post epilogues for all of our favorite players and personnel. If you want to see what happened to anyone specific, let me know.

Inspector_666
Oct 7, 2003

benny with the good hair

Ice Fist posted:

Inspector does visit a lot of ballparks

Hey man, going to that game was my birthday present!

Ice Fist
Jun 20, 2012

^^ Please send feedback to beefstache911@hotmail.com, this is not a joke that 'stache is the real deal. Serious assessments only. ^^

Well, we got the 3-peat

Niwrad
Jul 1, 2008

This was really cool. Thanks for doing it.

If you go with another one, I'd recommend trying the Marlins who not only have the lovely metrics a team from San Diego has, but a craptastic farm system to rebuild with. You can even relocate or just rename them to get the stink off that franchise.

Or be an expansion team that goes through the expansion draft and all that jazz.

bewbies
Sep 23, 2003

Fun Shoe

Niwrad posted:

This was really cool. Thanks for doing it.

If you go with another one, I'd recommend trying the Marlins who not only have the lovely metrics a team from San Diego has, but a craptastic farm system to rebuild with. You can even relocate or just rename them to get the stink off that franchise.

Or be an expansion team that goes through the expansion draft and all that jazz.

Yeah...this Padres farm system is among the very best the game has ever produced. You guys will love seeing how all these guys' careers went.

Pete was a huge plus for us, and he uncovered, by my count, no fewer than four future hall of famers that we acquired on the cheap.

The Sandman
Jun 23, 2013

Okay!

So, I've, like, designed a really sweet attack plan that I'm calling Attack Plan Ded Moroz, like "Deadmau5!"

WUB!

Island Nation posted:

How many people are still alive in Philadelphia’s office after that fateful move?
Depends how many recognized the Babe Ruth parallels.

rickiep00h
Aug 16, 2010

BATDANCE


Good luck and Godspeed, Pete. You’re a hell of a scout I must say.

oystertoadfish
Jun 17, 2003

that was awesome, thanks. it'd be cool to be a beloved millionaire with a mansion in la jolla. IRL during the drought a few years ago billy beane got named and shamed in the papers for using too much water to irrigate his mansion's garden so that would be good to avoid; on the other hand the water was like 80F off of san diego a few months ago, which is probably a horrible sign for billions of people around the world but will probably make that la jolla mansion a really good property (they do tend to be on the top of a fairly nice cliff)

bewbies
Sep 23, 2003

Fun Shoe
Fernando Tatis Jr retired as the best third baseman of all time, and went to the Hall on his first ballot. He earned 8 Gold Gloves, 7 Silver Sluggers, 12 All Star selections, 7 World Series rings, and a lone MVP. He also signed baseball's first $60m AAV deal, with the Angles in 2032 (note: this will be an amazingly common theme). Following his baseball career, he retired back to the Dominican and ran a charter fishing boat, while carefully watching over the burgeoning career of Fernando Tatis III.






After all his posturing about his extension, Royce Lewis ended up being the only one of the Golden Generation to retire a Padre. His career was tragically cut short by a severe concussion, which forced his retirement at age 34. Another first ballot hall of famer, he was within striking distance of career records for doubles and runs before suffering his tragic final injury. After retiring, Royce's love of all things money drove him to invest much of his baseball windfall in failed projects such as worm gardens and a restaurant chain for dogs. After blowing much of his fortune, he hit it big as an investor on a Mars mining expedition and is now one of the wealthiest people on earth. Unfortunately, he doesn't remember any of this.



Matt Wallner was the league's premier power hitter for over a decade, and for a while, looked like a sure bet to break the career home run record. He won 4 MVPs, 3 Gold Gloves (all at 1B), 4 silver sluggers, and was an 8 time all star. His trade from the Padres to the Angels nearly caused riots in San Diego; only Willians Astudillo and his constant stream of jokes was able to calm the mob before they wrecked the city. Injuries in his mid 30s added up quickly, and coupled with a growing weight problem, caused his play dropped off dramatically after age 35. His final season, he weighed over 300 pounds, and set what I assume is a record -3.2 WAR...all while getting paid $63 million for the year. After retiring, he continued to get bigger and bigger, and became a staunch advocate of the "healthy at any weight" movement before a series of heart attacks prompted him to change his lifestyle and lose nearly 200 pounds. The reality show chronicling his weight loss was the biggest TV program of the year.





I almost forgot: Wallner's career pitching stats:



I'm lovingly imagining a 38 year old 300 pound DH in the midst of the worst season of all time coming out to pitch an inning of major league ball.

gently caress him for being inducted as an Angel, though.

bewbies fucked around with this message at 20:09 on Oct 28, 2018

Sydin
Oct 29, 2011

Another spring commute
Thank you for this LP, it was magical :allears:

IcePhoenix
Sep 18, 2005

Take me to your Shida

wonderful LP, thanks bewbies!

How did Vlad Jr end up?

Island Nation
Jun 20, 2006
Trust No One

The Sandman posted:

Depends how many recognized the Babe Ruth parallels.

Holdout by the player, Cronyism by the league office and accused of being Jewish?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Frazee

IcePhoenix
Sep 18, 2005

Take me to your Shida

oh also before I forget to ask: was our choice on Pete at the beginning of the LP us choosing what position you put him at with edited max stats?

rickiep00h
Aug 16, 2010

BATDANCE


What happened to Gore and Quantrill? They were some of the best arms we ever did see.

iospace
Jan 19, 2038


Did Cube Catcher get inducted/number retired? I must know!

bewbies
Sep 23, 2003

Fun Shoe
Cal Quantrill enjoyed a long and successful Padre career, though he spent much of it as an understudy. He won his Cy Young early on, and made 6 all star games, while never striking out more than 200 batters, and never walking more than 50 in a year. Quantrill was always irked that he never received the attention of a superstar pitcher, and as he got older, this inferiority complex manifested itself in strange ways. First, he began taking an active interest in reactionary politics, which then morphed into his joining the "anti-climate" movement of the mid 2030s. His farewell from San Diego, which should have been a joyous and happy occasion, was marred by a bizarre speech in which he outlined the "man versus earth" theory and demanded "immediate counter-environmental action". His Hall of Fame induction was similarly awkward: clearly a borderline hall of famer at best, he spent much of his speech complaining about the locker room habits of MacKenzie Gore, thanking no one, and leaving the stage after only five minutes. He retired to his childhood home along the beautiful shores of Lake Ontario, where he was sadly reported as one of the missing, presumed dead, during the Great Toronto Hurricane of 2044.




Masuo Nagamatsu returned to Japan a national hero, having performed as one of the best hitters in American baseball for much of his 30s. His achievments included 4 all star games, 6 world series rings, 2 playoff MVPs, and two Silver Sluggers. Nagamatsu is famously reclusive in retirement, building a baseball retreat in the mountains where he runs a famed yearlong hitting camp blending baseball theory, intense high altitude physical training, Buddhist philosophy, and an assortment of Japanese martial arts. Graduates of his program are highly sought after as prospects, though they tend to be somewhat aloof and distant, talking constantly about the "12 Energies of Baseball" and the various "Invisible Colors of Emotion" that surround themselves, their teammates, and their opponents.



Sung-Yong Booh became the first Korean MLB superstar, and became one of the biggest celebrities and most famous personalities in his home country. For half a decade, he was the best relief pitcher in baseball, winning Reliever of the Year four times and going to five all star games. Returning home to a tremendous ovation, he seized the day and moved straight into politics. He easily won his first election to the National Assembly, and four years later, was elected president. His administration almost immediately faced a catastrophe, as American President Donald Trump Jr's insensitive tweet about "kimchee and dog meat" inadvertently set off the Second Korean War. Knowing he could not count on his unreliable American allies, Booh formed the "Impossible Coalition" of China, Korea, and Japan to stand down the DPRK threat and restore peace and stability to East Asia. He is regarded today as one of the world's great statesmen and is living legend in his country.

bewbies fucked around with this message at 22:04 on Oct 28, 2018

Carlosologist
Oct 13, 2013

Revelry in the Dark

Cal Quantrill turning into new age Curt Schilling was uh unexpected

Niwrad
Jul 1, 2008

How did the Angels get so much loving money?

Eric the Mauve
May 8, 2012

Making you happy for a buck since 199X
Awww, thread's already over?

Seriously bewbies, this LP was awesome and you're awesome for putting all that time into it. :cheers:

I leave you all with another of my favorite baseball trivia, this one straight from the New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, which is the greatest baseball book ever written and you should go buy it right now if you don't already own it: Ken Griffey Jr. was the second best lefthanded outfielder that was ever born in Donora, PA, on November 21.

bewbies
Sep 23, 2003

Fun Shoe

Eric the Mauve posted:

Awww, thread's already over?

No way! We still have plenty of epilogues to get through.

To that end....

Mike Trout finished #15 on the career WAR list. And briefly...oh so briefly...held the career home run record. 3 MVPs (shoulda been 6), 16 time all star, 10 time Silver Slugger, and an on-base monster until the very end. He was within about a hundred walks of the career record (without all of the IBBs), and finished 2nd in the career games played list, behind only on Pete Rose. He's now 3rd, by the way. Following his baseball career, Mike immediately enrolled at Boston University's meteorology program, and earned his bachelor's in only 3 years. It was hard for the baseball legend to find work as a morning weatherman, so he simply moved back to New Jersey, bought a local ABC affiliate with the almost $700 million he earned during his major league career, and installed himself as MIKE IN THE MORNING. TV news was almost dead at this point, but a handful of local old people fell in love with their new weather guy. Most didn't know he'd hit 771 career home runs.



Giancarlo Stanton stuck around just long enough to pass Barry...by one home run, which gave daytime sports talk shows about 8 months worth of nonsense to yell about. He held the record exactly one year...and he's now moved down to #3. Dingers aside, he was actually a borderline HoF case, but made it in on his second ballot, thanks in no small part to his amazing late career resurgence. Big Mike loved the game so much he immediately moved over to MLB Network, taking his love for pro wrestling right along with. He started a nightly segment called LORD BARON OF DONGS -- he insisted on the name -- wherein he dresses in a pro wrestling outfit mimicking 18th century British nobility. He reads out statcast numbers in a pro wrestler voice while clips of dingers go off, then breaks a bat over his knee. Sometimes, he lifts an aging Pedro Martinez over his head.



Vladimir Guerrero Jr never reached the lofty heights once predicted for him, though 58 career WAR and 452 home runs are nothing to sniff at. Deciding to retire to the Dominican instead of Canada, Vlad Jr. found his longtime friend and fellow MLB legacy, Fernando Tatis Jr, and his new charter fishing operation. He now runs a boat for FTJ. The two are best friends, but when Vladimir Guerrero III's team plays Fernando Tatis III's team, things can get a little...tense.

bewbies fucked around with this message at 02:55 on Oct 29, 2018

StupidSexyMothman
Aug 9, 2010

:lol: the Mets signing 38-year-old Vlad Jr. a year after he had exactly one plate appearance is exactly what I expect the 2037 Mets would do

bewbies
Sep 23, 2003

Fun Shoe
Despite being thought of by many as the heart and soul of the Padres Golden Generation, Francisco Mejia did not end up making the Hall. Which, of course, is silly...he was one of the best catchers in the game for over a decade, went to 9 all star games and won 5 silver sluggers, along with 5 World Series. But, WAR is WAR, and by the 2030s, nearly every hall of fame ballot was simply "sort by WAR" and vote accordingly. Mejia devoted his retirement to publishing an anti-Bill James blog, which he updated nearly every day, and to developing a new system to evalute catcher performance. Dubbed "Mejia-metrics", it proved to be so complex that most MLB teams were unable to compute the necessary data. It didn't help that it required the catcher to wear a small portable radar and motion capture system. Some of his calculations proved useful for space travel, however, and indirectly contributed to Royce Lewis' huge payoff on the first Mars mission.




Matthew Lugo found his seat waiting in the hall of "very good". Likely the finest defensive 2B of all time, his 13 gold gloves and 2100 hits were not enough to even sniff the Hall. Despite putting up nearly 50 career WAR, he only appeared in one all star game. Lugo was much beloved in San Diego, and found his niche as the Padres color guy, primarily spending his on-air hours ripping on current Padre players for sucking rear end compared to the legends he'd played with 20 years before.




Michel Baez, arguably the most talented of the Padres Golden Arms, never really reached the level many expected of him. He won a Cy Young and went to a slew of all star games, but was never a serious Hall of Fame candidate. Unlike Cal Quantrill however, he loved living his career under the radar. Indeed, he seemed almost relieved when an elbow injury forced him into retirement at age 35. He returned to Cuba right about the time the communist government finally fell, and today plays an important role in publicizing Cuban baseball talent for American scouts.

bewbies
Sep 23, 2003

Fun Shoe
Stanton and Trout are 1/2 in career strikeouts.

MODERN BASEBALL

oystertoadfish
Jun 17, 2003

oh yeah, did the nats win that one world series or did astro bryce harper? you don't have to screenshot his stats but how'd he end up doing

Inspector_666
Oct 7, 2003

benny with the good hair
I am so ridiculously proud of our fake baseball boys and their wonderful lives (not you Cal.)

bewbies
Sep 23, 2003

Fun Shoe
Following his days a pretty solid backup catcher and local legend, Willians Astudillo moved easily the Padres bench coach position. His easygoing manner and encyclopedic knowledge of baseball served the team well during its dynasty years. Willians felt the winds of change after 14 years in San Diego, and moved to Boston, taking the same job there. After four years in Boston, he was one of the most sought after young management prospects in baseball. The Dodgers came calling with a fat contract and bottomless budget. Willians then guided the Dodgers to....one playoff appearance in 11 years. While most managers would have been fired long years earlier, Willians' fanatical popularity with the players and constant appearances in local used car lot commercials made him practically untouchable. Untouchable, that is, until he took the manager position with the Giants, making him an instant persona non grata in the LA basin. The Giants missed the playoffs his first season there.



IcePhoenix
Sep 18, 2005

Take me to your Shida

bewbies posted:

Following his days a pretty solid backup catcher and local legend, Willians Astudillo moved easily the Padres bench coach position. His easygoing manner and encyclopedic knowledge of baseball served the team well during its dynasty years. Willians felt the winds of change after 14 years in San Diego, and moved to Boston, taking the same job there. After four years in Boston, he was one of the most sought after young management prospects in baseball. The Dodgers came calling with a fat contract and bottomless budget. Willians then guided the Dodgers to....one playoff appearance in 11 years. While most managers would have been fired long years earlier, Willians' fanatical popularity with the players and constant appearances in local used car lot commercials made him practically untouchable. Untouchable, that is, until he took the manager position with the Giants, making him an instant persona non grata in the LA basin. The Giants missed the playoffs his first season there.





I like how he's made like four times as much managing as he did as a player

KICK BAMA KICK
Mar 2, 2009

Cube Coach owns

bewbies
Sep 23, 2003

Fun Shoe
The dominant pitcher of his era, MacKenzie Gore is often referred to as baseball's last great starting pitcher. In an era where starters rarely broke 5 innings in a start or 160 innings a year, big Mac managed to put up over 100 career WAR and finished 4th on the career K list. His award shelf is arguably the most impressive in baseball history: 14 all star games, 3 gold gloves, 7 world series rings...and 11 Cy Youngs. After highly successful tours of duty in Detroit and Oakland, Gore retired at age 42, and moved into the Fox Baseball booth alongside Blake Buck. Gore's reviews as an announcer were mixed: his knowledge of the game was second to none, but his vast vocabulary, constant use of metaphorical devices, and tendency to analogize baseball games with obscure historical events alienated the dumber half of baseball fans.

bewbies
Sep 23, 2003

Fun Shoe
Controversial to the end, Bryce Harper somehow managed to make a 628 home run, 70 WAR career seem like a disappointment. Never again reaching the heights of his 2015, he was nevertheless a premier power hitter for 20 years, staying (mostly) healthy and always seeming just a little bit worse than Mike Trout at everything. After retiring, Bryce started a men's hair product company whose advertising copy consisted entirely of pictures of him in his early 20s. It didn't sell well with men, but it did with women.

Inspector_666
Oct 7, 2003

benny with the good hair

bewbies posted:

The dominant pitcher of his era, MacKenzie Gore is often referred to as baseball's last great starting pitcher. In an era where starters rarely broke 5 innings in a start or 160 innings a year, big Mac managed to put up over 100 career WAR and finished 4th on the career K list. His award shelf is arguably the most impressive in baseball history: 14 all star games, 3 gold gloves, 7 world series rings...and 11 Cy Youngs. After highly successful tours of duty in Detroit and Oakland, Gore retired at age 42, and moved into the Fox Baseball booth alongside Blake Buck. Gore's reviews as an announcer were mixed: his knowledge of the game was second to none, but his vast vocabulary, constant use of metaphorical devices, and tendency to analogize baseball games with obscure historical events alienated the dumber half of baseball fans.



:stare: My God, what a career.

StandardVC10
Feb 6, 2007

This avatar now 50% more dark mode compliant
Is anyone else just ignoring the stats and only paying attention to the "where are they now?" writeups?

bewbies
Sep 23, 2003

Fun Shoe
Back in 2021, Pete Ward came to us saying we should pay whatever Miami wanted for a husky 18 year old first baseman named Blaze Jordan. After giving up a fortune in prospects, the Padres had what they hoped would be their first baseman for a generation. It didn't work out that way exactly - the Padres were out of money and couldn't extend him past his final arbitration year - but Pete was right about one thing: this kid was worth anything to get. 24 years after he came into the league, Big Blaze retired holding nearly every important hitting counting record in baseball. His list of career accomplishments makes him arguably the most successful pro athlete of all time: 16 time all star, 8 world series rings, 11 silver sluggers, 6 MVPs...1st all time in games played, runs, total bases, home runs, and RBIs...second in at bats and doubles, third in hits, and sixth in career WAR. He was also baseball's first billion dollar player, crossing $1bn in career earnings the year before he retired. After hanging them up, Blaze headed back to his cabin in rural Mississippi, where he runs a competitive barbeque team and coaches little league. He also plays adult recreational softball; the league had to implement a number of rules for competitive balance as Blaze would hit the ball into the parking lot every single at bat.





editor's note: I did not modify anything with his background numbers. I dug into it a bit and think he got two big "talent bumps" when he was in our minor league system in the early 2020s, which coupled with his very good durability and laid back, friendly (but very not-loyal) personality meant he was something close to a perfect specimen for this game. I'm not sure I can remember another in-game prospect that had a career this incredible. He was that durable despite the in-game injury setting being on "high".

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bewbies
Sep 23, 2003

Fun Shoe
The San Diego Padres were a backwater ball club with a good looking farm system in 2018. It took a couple of years for their young stars to ripen and a few trades to pan out, but by 2021, this was the best team in baseball. They'd go on to win four consecutive World Series, and 7 in 9 years. They enjoyed 16 straight playoff appearances, and the 2029 team set what is likely to be an unbreakable record with 135 wins. It proved to be the last hurrah of the Golden Generation though...by 2035, the good times were pretty much over. The Dads have descended now back to somewhere between mediocre and bad, and those fans who were kids growing up during the dynasty era are now indifferent adults. Perhaps that's how things are meant to be in San Diego.

There are still some old timers around who talk about the days of Clayton Richard and Carlos Santana and Yuli Guerriel and Gerrit Cole, names washed away from the memories of most by the slew of hall of famers that followed just after they left. They remember how those championship teams were built, though.





bewbies fucked around with this message at 01:04 on Oct 30, 2018

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