Play Ball! (Partial Show Test)

[Deleted]

Since we're about a month away from pitchers and catchers reporting for 2024 Spring Training, I figured this would be a good time to test out an idea I have for a Channel 1 show.  If you are a baseball fan, this show is for you.

Believe it or not, I have a working version of an old PC game by EA Sports called "MVP Baseball 2005".  I have it running on a virtual machine.  Not only that, I have a fantastic fan-made mod installed on it called "Total Classics" that allows us to play with teams as old as the 1900s and as recent as the early 2000s.

So on this show, you'll be represented on the virtual playing field by some of the greatest players that ever played the game, like Ty Cobb, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Lefty Grove, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, Derek Jeter, Walter Johnson, Sandy Koufax, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson, Babe Ruth, Nolan Ryan, Curt Schilling and Cy Young just to name a few.

Each of our "innings" involves solving a word puzzle based on a term relating to baseball, followed by selecting teams to play out a 3-inning mini-game.  We'll start out back in the dead ball era of the 1900s and work our way forward to modern-day baseball, playing a different time period each inning.  Contestants earn money for hits and runs scored and lose money for errors made by the teams they select.

I'm hoping there's at least two baseball fans on here willing to help me test this out.  The first to sign up here will be the "Home" team, the second will be the "Visiting" team.

Anyway want to play ball?

[billmcdee]

I am destined for this game.  Just today I was playing my version of MVP 05 baseball on my old game cube.

Count me in.

[bighornbattle]

Count me in as well.

[Deleted]

That's awesome Bill!  You're gonna get a kick out of this then if you play that game!

I thank you and you as well George.  We'll get underway shortly.

[bighornbattle]

I used to also play MVP Baseball 2005 until my GameCube stopped working.

[Deleted]

Well that's perfect then!  Two of you familiar with the game is terrific!

Okay well since it's a test, I'm gonna skip the intros and just get to it, although if this goes well, my plan is to premiere this show in April alongside the actual 2024 MLB season and I already have an idea for a cool intro to the show, so I'll save that for then.

For this test, I think we'll do only 3 innings, the first inning, then we'll purposely have a scoreless 2nd, 3rd and 4th, then we'll play the 5th inning, then have a scoreless 6th, 7th and 8th, then finish up with the 9th inning followed by the "Heroes vs. Legends" Bonus Round for the winner!

So let's pick it up as if we've just finished the intros...

Let's start with having a look at our scoreboard up here on our big computer display!

(ding)

As you would expect, since we haven't started yet, our game is scoreless.  Next, let's look at our team selection board please.

(ding)

During each of our innings, you'll have up to 8 teams to choose from.  For this first inning, we have a selection of eight memorable teams from the 1900s and 1910s.  In a few moments, each of you will start making number selections from this board and then we'll reveal the team concealed behind that number.  You need to earn your chance at a number selection however by having success with our Baseball Words puzzle board.  Let's see that please.

(ding)

There's our board for the first inning.  Each time, the word or words in the puzzle relate somehow to baseball.  In this case, the term we're looking for has 3 words in it, with 6 letters in the first and third words and 4 letters in the second word.

To earn a number selection, you must at least light up one letter in the puzzle.  The person who solves the puzzle gets first choice of the teams that were revealed on the team board and also gets to setup his lineup last, which may or may not give some advantage on our virtual field.

Hopefully I explained that well enough, please ask any questions as we go along.  For now though, let's play the first inning!

Bill is the designated champion and has been assigned the "Home" team and will play second.  George, you are the designated challenging "Visiting" team, so you will start us off.

Again, the puzzle relates to something to do with baseball.  Give us a letter you think we might find in that puzzle please George.

[bighornbattle]

R please.

[Deleted]

(ding ding)

Good choice George, a couple of them in that puzzle.  The person who lights up a letter in the puzzle first always gets two selections from our Team Board.

(ding)

Which two numbers would you like George?

[bighornbattle]

1 and 8 please.

[Deleted]

(ding ding)

Our first two possibilities for teams to choose from are the 1912 New York Giants and the 1918 Boston Red Sox.

Led by manager John McGraw, the 1912 Giants dominated the NL, opening the season 54–11 and building a 16 1/2-game lead by July 3. On the offensive side, they easily led the league in runs scored. Larry Doyle finished fourth in the batting race and was voted league MVP. Chief Meyers had one of the greatest offensive seasons ever for a catcher and was second in batting.

The 1918 Red Sox' pitching staff, led by Carl Mays and Bullet Joe Bush, allowed the fewest runs in the league. Babe Ruth was the fourth starter and also spent significant time in the outfield, as he was the best hitter on the team, leading the AL in home runs and slugging percentage.

George, if you can solve our puzzle now, you'll have your choice of these two teams, otherwise we play on with Bill having his first turn.  Can you solve the puzzle George?

[bighornbattle]

I want to give it a shot. BRAVES ROCK BOSTON

[Deleted]

That's a great guess George!  It certainly fits, but no that's not it.

Bill, a letter please sir.

[billmcdee]

D

[Deleted]

(ding ding)

A good choice there as well since we have 2 Ds.

(ding)

Choose a team number please Bill and solve the puzzle if you can.

[billmcdee]

I will select 2 and 7.

The puzzle is GROUND RULE DOUBLE.

[Deleted]

When a base hit bounces off the field of play in fair territory and enters into the stands, that's a ground rule double!  Nice solve there Bill!

(ding)

So, the way it works is the first person to reveal a letter gets 2 choices from the Team Board just in case they solve it right off the bat so that we have at least two teams to choose from.  The next person to reveal a letter gets only one choice since we will only ever reveal 3 of the 8 teams.  Since you chose number 2 first Bill, I've unveiled that team which is the 1909 Detroit Tigers!

A picture of Ty Cobb stealing third

The 1909 Detroit Tigers won the American League pennant with a record of 98–54, but lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1909 World Series, 4 games to 3. The season was their ninth since they were charter members of the American League in 1901. It was the third consecutive season in which they won the pennant but lost the World Series. Center fielder Ty Cobb won the Triple Crown and pitcher George Mullin led the league in wins (29) and winning percentage (.784).

Bill, since you solved the puzzle, you get first choice of the three teams and you'll get to set your lineup after George sets his as this may give you a slight advantage.

So who will represent you on our virtual field in our first 3-inning mini-game Bill?  The 1909 Detroit Tigers, the 1912 New York Giants or the 1918 Boston Red Sox?

[billmcdee]

Because of Babe Ruth being on them, the 1918 Red Sox please.

[Deleted]

(ding)

The Red Sox it is and this means our first mini-game will take place at a classic version of Fenway Park!

George, that leaves you with either the 1909 Tigers or the 1912 Giants, which of those two would you like please?

[bighornbattle]

1909 Tigers. I know the solution to the puzzle.

[Deleted]

Yep, Bill already solved the puzzle earlier George.  It was Ground Rule Double.

(ding)

Very good, so our first mini-game will be the 1909 Tigers at the 1918 Red Sox!

So the way this works is you both will now set your starting lineups, beginning with you George.  You pick your starting pitcher and your initial lineup, however the CPU will take care of making substitutions during the game, such as relief pitchers or pinch hitters/runners.

George, you have 5 pitchers to choose from and they are:

(ding)

George Mullin, Ed Willett, Ed Summers, Ed Killian and Bill Donovan.  They are all right-handed pitchers except for Killian, he's the only lefty.

Which of these 5 would you like to start for you George?

[bighornbattle]

George Mullin.

[Deleted]

Alrighty, Mullin will start for you, now for your lineup:

Since this is the early days of baseball, there is no Designated Hitter, so for each of you, the pitcher will bat in the ninth position.

George, on the left is the current lineup for you as recommended by the CPU, with the batters from top to bottom batting first through eighth.  On the right are the 7 players you currently have on your bench.  You can swap players from the bench to the lineup if you like if their position matches.  As examples, you could have Jennings play first base instead of Rossman if you wanted or you could have Stanage be the catcher insted of Schmidt.  You can also switch around the batting order as you see fit or leave it as is, it's up to you.

[bighornbattle]

I will leave it.

[Deleted]

Alright, George's Tigers are set so Bill, it's time to setup your Red Sox!

I have a feeling I might know who you're going to pick, but your choices are Carl Mays, "Bullet" Joe Bush, "Sad" Sam Jones, Babe Ruth and Dutch Leonard.  In your case Ruth and Leonard are the southpaws while the other three are righties.  Who's starting for your Red Sox Bill?

[billmcdee]

Carl Mays please.

[Deleted]

Oh okay, since you mentioned him earlier, I figured you were gonna send Ruth out on the mound!  Carl Mays it is though.

There is your lineup and it's the same deal -- you can swap in some bench guys and/or change the batting order or leave it as is.

[billmcdee]

I'll stand pat with that line up.

[Deleted]

Very well, we're set to go then!  Incidentally, the other teams on the board that were not chosen were the 1905 New York Giants, 1908 Chicago Cubs, 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates, 1910 Philadelphia A's and the 1919 Chicago White Sox.

We pay out as follows for your team's performance on the field:

$25 for a base hit

$50 for a double

$75 for a triple

$100 for a Home Run

$250 for every run scored

$500 for winning the mini-game

$1,000 for being the overall winner after 9 mini-games

-$250 for every error

Let's get our first mini-game action underway!  Out to classic Fenway Park we go and here with the call are legendary broadcasters Mel Allen, Ernie Harwell and Vin Scully!

[Deleted]

What a start to the action on our show today as our first mini-game goes into extra innings!

Harry Hooper wins it for the Red Sox on a walk-off solo Home Run in the bottom of the 5th inning!  Let's take a look at the stats for the game!

Detroit managed just three hits, all singles, as the lone RBI of the game came off the bat of Ty Cobb in his first plate appearance thanks to a sacrifice fly in the top of the first.

Boston picked up 6 hits, including 4 singles, a double and of course, Hooper's winning dinger.

The pitching was pretty good all around for both teams, with the exception of that one pitch in the bottom of the 5th by George "Kid" Speer that left the park.

So, with one inning in the books, it's George on the board with a run on three hits and no errors for a total of $325!  Bill is the leader so far, with two runs on six hits and no errors, which includes a double, a Home Run and a bonus for winning the mini-game.  Bill leads with $1,250!

We'll be back to Play Ball in the second inning, right after we see about this!

- (commercial would go here) -

So that's how it goes basically.  What do you two think so far?

[bighornbattle]

It is awesome.