Classic exhibition games

[redsox]

Hey everyone, with so many classic total conversion mods that have come out (and more on their way), I just felt it would be best to showcase some (if not all) of these great mods on one thread. The basic idea is for anyone to post a game of their choosing for others to enjoy. There are only three things I ask of you when posting:

- Choose one of the classic mods - TC 51, TC 56, TC 61, TC 64, TC 67, TC 78, TC 88, MVP 94, TC Phase 9

- Please present a box score

- If possible, present some pictures

I wouldn't mind if some of you were to showcase games using the 07 mod as well as that was quite extensively modded too.

This could also be a way of the members to appreciate the hard work that the modders have put into each one of these updates.

I don't know about many of you, but with me being born in 1985 and only having been an avid baseball fan since 1998, I have looked to these classics to spur my interest into the history of the sports. I have always found myself researching about the game after a TC mod has been uploaded as I have understood that those years are of importance in the history of baseball. I am very much looking forward to sharing some of my interests.

Another thing I would like to point out is that this is not a "present your photoshop skills" thread. This is just a thread to share your experience with the total conversion mods. A well written presentation goes a long way in capturing the essence of the game - so I don't want people to be discouraged from posting because of limited photoshop skills.

One final word - Again, I would like to thank ALL the modders who have worked on everything from the Total Classics to the MVP 07 Mod and everything in-between. This community really appreciates your efforts. Thanks!

moderators/admins - If you feel that this would be better off under the Dynasty forum, please feel free to move it. Thanks.

[redsox]

Re-visiting 1986

Whenever the year 1986 is mentioned in a context related to Baseball, everyone immediately points to the 1986 WS - the comeback of the Amazing Mets and the power of the "Curse of the Bambino." This was the year in which the Red Sox were 1 strike away from winning the WS since 1918 and yet they managed to let that slip away as the Mets rallied to win game 6 and eventually win game 7 by a final score of 8-5 to win the world series.

But the fact that is sometimes overlooked is that the Red Sox made a memorable run to get to the WS by beating the California Angels. The Red Sox were facing elimination in the last 3 games of the ALCS as the Angels had a stronghold on that series leading 3 games to 1. The Angels took game 1 of the series beating Roger Clemens and the Red Sox by a score of 7-1. The Sox evened up the series at 1 game a piece by a score of 9-2. Angels took game 3 behind a strong pitching performance by J Candelaria. Game 4 saw a back and forth game that saw the Angels pull out an improbable victory by setting up a rally against Roger Clemens in the 9th inning. The Angels scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th to tie the game at 3 and later won the game on a RBI single by Bobby Grich in the bottom of the 11th. With the Angels leading 3 games to 1, all hope seemed lost for the Red Sox but made a miraculous recovery to win the championship series. The Sox won game 5 in 11 innings by a score of 7-6. But the most crucial inning was the 9th as they scored 4 runs in the top half to tie the game at 6. Game 6 saw the Red Sox route the Angels by a score of 10-4 and Roger Clemens redeemed himself in game 7 as he pitched 7 strong innings while giving up just an earned run. The Red Sox had done the unthinkable and made a memorable comeback to advance to the world series.

---

Some key facts about the 1986 season.

- Roger Clemens (BOS) set the ML record for the most number of strikeouts during a nine-inning game with 20.

- Roger Clemens (BOS) won both the AL Cy Young Award and the Most Valuable Player Award. The last person to do it was Vida Blue in 1971 for the Oakland A's.

- Bob Horner (ATL) hit 4 HRs in a single game to tie the ML record against the Montreal Expos, but the Braves ended up losing the game 11-8.

- Pete Rose (CIN) had 5 hits in a game against the San Francisco Giants to set a NL record.

- The Boston Red Sox (95-66) won the AL East division while the California Angels (92-70) won the AL west division.

- The New York Mets (108-54) won the NL east division by 21.5 games while Houston Astros (96-66) won the NL west division.

- This was also a year of tragedy as Space Shuttle Challenger exploded just 73 seconds after take-off, killing all 7 astronauts on board. The crew included the first civilian ever accepted into the astronaut program.

---

California Angels (92-70) vs. Boston Red Sox (95-66)

Mike Witt (18-10, 2.84 ERA) vs. Roger Clemens (24-4, 2.48 ERA)

Box score and play-by-play

Gary Pettis kicked off the first inning with a single and a SB but the Angels could not drive him home against the Rocket.

Tony Armas drove home 2 runs in the first inning with 2 outs to give the Sox a 2-0 lead.

Dwight Evans added 2 more runs for the Sox with a 2-run HR over the Green Monster.

Bill Buckner added a 2-run shot of his own to left field to make it 6-0 in favor of Boston.

Roger Clemens was phenomenal today as he pitched a 3-hit complete game shutout.

Roger Clemens showcases his glove as he took a bunt-hit away from Gary Pettis.

The Red Sox celebrate after winning the game against the California Angels by a score of 6-0.

[redsox]

Yankee (1927) vs. Yankee (1998)

The New York Yankees, the team with one of the (if not, the richest history in all of baseball had 2 of their finest seasons 71 years apart. Many baseball historians consider the 1927 Yankees as the greatest team to be ever assembled on a baseball field. And this was with reason. The '27 Yanks were led by the Sultan of Swat himself (Babe Ruth) and Lou Gehrig. Both of them combined to hit 107 HRs and were part of a lineup that was labeled, "The Murderer's Row." This team hit an astonishing .307 as a team and outscored its opponents by nearly 400 runs. Not only did they have a potent offense, their pitching featured 4 18+ game winners, led by Waite Hoyt. The pitching was so dominant that the top 3 ERAs in the league belonged to the 3 of the starters of these Yankees. With a 110-44 record, the Bombers won the division by 19 games.

71 Years later, another Yankees team emerged that gave a run for the money and put up a case to be called the greatest team ever. Under Joe Torre, the 1998 Yankees won 114 games in the regular season. The lineup included the likes of Derek Jeter, Paul O'Neal, Tino Martinez, Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada, and Scott Brosius. In this season, 8 of the regulars hit 15 or more homeruns and 10 players hit at least 10 homeruns for a total of 207 HRs. Similar to the '27 Yanks, the '98 Yanks boasted a lethal starting rotation that featured Andy Pettitte, David Wells, David Cone, and Orlando Hernandez and had the game's top closer in Mariano Rivera.

Both these teams dominated their opponents in the WS ('27 Yanks swept the Pirates while the '98 Yanks swept the Padres).

I realized that this would be a classic matchup of power vs. power and talent vs. talent, but I definitely did not expect the outcome. I had thought of this match to be a closely contested game with the advantage going to the 1927 Yankees, but it was not to be. The '27 Yanks dominated the '98 Yanks and won by a final scored of 10-0. Hoyt struck-out 8 en-route to a CG shutout. The '27 Yankees scored in every inning except for the first and the ninth innings.

---

1927 New York Yankees (110-44) vs. 1998 New York Yankees (114-48)

Waite Hoyt (22-7, 2.63 ERA) vs. Andy Pettitte (16-11, 4.24 ERA)

Box score and play-by-play

Classic Yankee Stadium! It has been very nicely designed and really enjoyed playing the game there..

Babe Ruth hit an astonishing 60 HRs and drove in 164 runs.

Lou Gherig was Ruth's partner in crime as he hit .373 with 47 HRs and league-leading 175 RBIs.

Waite Hoyt pitched a beautiful game for the '27 Yanks - pitched a CG shutout.

Babe Ruth rounds the bases after hitting a monster HR over left-center field.

The '27 Yanks kept on scoring runs - in fact they scored in every inning except for the 1st and the 9th.

Boomer Wells gives up a grand-slam HR to Joe Dugan in the top of the 6th.

The 1998 Yankees had a hard time limiting their pitches on or near the strikezone. Nelson is seen here throwing a wild-pitch.

I very much had a blast playing this game. It seems like I say this everyday, but I am very thankful that the modders took the time out to create these "Classics" segments. Thank you all.

[Maestro23]

Nice thread redsox. I like the idea. I might contribute once I get done with my current Cubs' Dynasty.

Again, great idea. :smile:

[redsox]

Nice thread redsox. I like the idea. I might contribute once I get done with my current Cubs' Dynasty.

Again, great idea. :smile:

Thanks bud. My Red Sox dynasty was just getting a little monotonous (even with that great divisional race) and besides I really don't have a whole lot of time to spend on the pre-game/post-game reports etc... for that dynasty. Not to mention I like playing these Total Classics, provides with the most enjoyment.

Hope to see a post from you in the near future, Maestro. Take care.

[TwentySeven]

Lookin' good, man!

Can't wait to see what's next.

[Yankee4Life]

This is one of the nicest threads I've seen in here in a long time.

[redsox]

Lookin' good, man!

Can't wait to see what's next.

Thanks bud. I may be able to get a couple of games in this weekend, but it will most likely be a weekly update.

This is one of the nicest threads I've seen in here in a long time.

Thanks a lot Y4L. This is just an appreciation thread to all the modders who spent so much time creating these and yet don't have the time to play it. It may not have any of the updates created in Photoshop like JoeRudi's or my Red Sox dynasty, but this serves the purpose nonetheless. Hope you would stop by from time to time and maybe post a few. Take care.

[sfgiantsflgators]

The Classics mods are by far my favorite and I look forward to seeing how this pans out. Maybe I'll eventually add a game or two if time allows.

Beautiful idea for a thread.

[redsox]

The Classics mods are by far my favorite and I look forward to seeing how this pans out. Maybe I'll eventually add a game or two if time allows.

Beautiful idea for a thread.

Surely be looking out for yours man. I still look over your TC thread once in a while. It was very nicely done.

[fred13]

are the screens from the 86 game edited at all? They look really nice and crisp.

[redsox]

are the screens from the 86 game edited at all? They look really nice and crisp.

Yes they are fred. I added a screen layer on top of the normal layer.

[Yankee4Life]

Yes they are fred. I added a screen layer on top of the normal layer.

How do you do that?

[fred13]

How do you do that?

Thanks for the info redsox.

Y4L: do you have photoshop. That's what you need.

[redsox]

How do you do that?

You open up your picture in Photoshop and create a duplicate layer (Layer -> duplicate layer). For the duplicate layer, that you just created, set the layer option to screen and play around with the opacity. I usually go with overlay, soft light, or multiply, but since the brightness was low in those pictures I went with screen.

[redsox]

"Phold" of 1964!

From 1919 through 1947, the Philadelphia Phillies finished last a total of 17 times and next to last seven times. But during the 1962 and 1963 seasons, the Phillies began to make a statement and by 1964 were in a great position to make a run at the playoffs. The '64 Phillies received excellent performances from Richie Allen, Jim Bunning, Chris Short, and John Callison and with 12 games remaining in the season and being up by 6.5 games, they were well on their way to win the pennant. But then it began - the slump. Philadelphia went on a 10-game losing streak (first 7 games played at home, and a sweep at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals in the next 3) and all eyes rested on the last day of the season. With the Cardinals set to play the Mets and with the Phillies and the Reds tied for second place (0.5 GB), there was a possibility of a "round-robin" playoff for the league title (assuming the Cardinals lost to the Mets). But the Cardinals held on and won the game thus taking the pennant in spectacular fashion. Heartbroken, the fans started pointing fingers at Gene Mauch for mis-handling the pitching staff. But in another 14 years, an even greater slump was witnessed. The 1978 Boston Red Sox had a 14 game lead over the New York Yankees but ended up blowing that lead and would eventually lose a one-off game against the Yankees to crown the league champion. But that is another story.

---

Some key facts about the 1964 season.

- Mickey Mantle set the tenth Major League record of his career after hitting two "switch" home runs in a single game against the Chicago White Sox.

- Kansas City A's rookie Bert Campaneris became only the second player (Bob Nieman) since 1900 to hit two home runs in his Major League debut during a 4-3 win over Jim Kaat and the Minnesota Twins.

- Willie Mays became the first African-American player to hold the "team leader title" after San Francisco Giants' skipper Alvin Dark named him as the team's captain.

- The St. Louis Cardinals became only the second team in the modern era (1923 Giants) to score at least one run in every inning while rolling over the Chicago Cubs during a September 13th outing at Wrigley Field.

- The highly contested and still criticized Warren Commission delivered its final report on September 27th concluding that President John F. Kennedy's assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, had acted alone and on his own recourse.

- The Beatles arrived in America for an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. This was their first trip to America.

---

Philadelphia Phillies (92-70) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (93-69)

Jim Bunning (19-8, 2.63 ERA) vs. Bob Gibson (19-12, 3.01 ERA)

Box score and play-by-play

Cardinals' late season acquisition, Lou Brock, had a phenomenal game for them today.

Curt Flood got the soring started with a solo shot to left field.

Jim Callison drove the first run of the game for the Phillies by smacking a RBI triple off of Bob Gibson.

Lou Brock was phenomenal - he hit a game tying solo blast and a 2-run shot to give the Cards a 4-2 lead in the 8th.

7th inning stretch - the game was tied at 2 at the end of 7 innings.

Bob Gibson pitched a great game. He went 7 innings and gave up 2 ER while striking out 6.

The Cardinal hitters were always hustling down the line to try and beat out th throw.

I have to say that this is another stadium that was so beautifully modded. Truly is amazing. I suggest that those of you who have TC 7 and have not played at "Busch Stadium Classic", I suggest you give it a shot. Its very well designed in game.

[MrDudleyDoWright]

Nice thread redsox, i might contribute to this with some classic Met games

[redsox]

Nice thread redsox, i might contribute to this with some classic Met games

Will surely be looking forward to it. Take care.

[redsox]

* Its been a while since I had last played a Total Classics game and thought I would give it a try today. Hope you guys enjoy even though there is nothing fancy about the presentation. Take care. *

"Subway Series 2000!"

After a forty-four year absence (1956) the Subway Series finally returned to the Big Apple matching the ever-present New York Yankees against their cross-town rivals, the New York Mets. The American Leaguers had continued to dominate the postseason, winning three out of the last four titles, and the Nationals were determined to finally end their reign. While manager Joe Torre's Yankees were focused on becoming the first team in twenty-six years to win three titles in a row, Mets skipper Bobby Valentine was spending time at St. Patrick's Cathedral looking for some divine intervention.

Game 1 was a match-up between postseason veterans Al Leiter and Andy Pettitte. Both starters pitched scoreless until the sixth inning when David Justice's 2-run double put the Yankees on top. In the top half of the 7th, Pettitte would quickly lose the lead on a barrage of hits, the last by Edgardo Alfonzo to put the Mets on top. However, the Yankees would rally to tie the game on Chuck Knoblauch's sacrifice fly against Mets closer Armando Benitez. Jose Vizcaino would drive in Tino Martinez in the 12th inning with his fourth hit of the game to win it for the Yankees.

Game 2 had Roger Clemens start for the Yankees. Earlier in the year during regular season Interleague play, Clemens had hit Mets catcher Mike Piazza in the head with a fastball that resulted in Piazza getting a concussion and going on the disabled list. Because pitchers are required to hit in National League parks, Yankees Manager Joe Torre decided to pitch Clemens in Game 2 at Yankee Stadium. This would keep Clemens from forcing himself to pitch in the National League park (and therefore bat) and avoid the Mets getting a chance to retaliate against Clemens. Despite Torre's precautions, Game 2 still saw its share of controversy with Clemens and Piazza. Early in the game during Piazza's first at bat, Clemens pitch had shattered the bat Piazza swung with. The ball went foul, but a sharp edge of the bat came towards Clemens. Clemens rushed off the mound and threw the bat towards the sideline, almost hitting the running Piazza. Piazza saw this as a dangerous stunt and Mets supporters lambasted Clemens for his actions. Clemens, after the game, defended himself saying he did not see Piazza coming and threw the piece angrily because he was pumped up with nervous energy. Piazza did get some revenge by belting a home run, but in the end Clemens had the last laugh by getting credit for the eventual 6-5 win.

In Game 3 the Mets went ahead quickly (on Robin Ventura's leadoff homer in the second), but the visitors didn't stay behind for long. They tied it against Rick Reed in the third as Derek Jeter hit a two out single followed by a Justice double to the right-field corner. Then they sprinted ahead in the fourth as Paul O'Neill tripled to right-center driving home Tino Martinez. The Mets surged ahead and tied it at two in the sixth on a Todd Zeile double. Rick Reed (six innings, six hits, two runs, eight strikeouts) did his part to keep up with Orlando Hernandez who had always struggled at Shea Stadium. "El Duque" struck out twelve in 7 1/3 innings and was at the top of the game when he got out of a bases-loaded, none-out jam in the sixth without allowing another Mets run to score. However, the home team managed to add two more in the eighth and emerged with a clutch, 4-2 victory.

Both rotations earned their paychecks in Game 4 as a combined nine pitchers went at it on the mound. The night had a promising start and finish for the Yankees, who set the pace with Derek Jeter's homer on the first pitch and ended it with two scoreless innings by Rivera. Scott Brosius made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly that drove home Paul O'Neill in the second and Jeter led off the third with a triple to right-centerfield and came home on Luis Sojo's groundout. When the Mets Mike Piazza came up again (with two on and no outs in the fifth) Torre lifted the left-handed Denny Neagle in favor of the right-handed David Cone. The surprising move proved brilliant as the Yankees ace forced the All-Star catcher to pop-out. The American League champs bullpen continued to shine while holding the Mets quiet for 4 1/3 innings. The result was 3-2 decision that pushed the Nationals to within nine innings of elimination.

The Yankees got on top 1-0 on a Bernie Williams home run in the second inning. However, the Mets responded with two unearned runs of Andy Pettitte in the bottom of the inning. In the top of the sixth, Derek Jeter homered to tie the game at 2-2. In the top of the ninth, Luis Sojo hit a two-hit single off Al Leiter, who had pitched for the Mets since the first inning, that went into the Yankee dugout, allowing Jorge Posada and Scott Brosius to score the put the Yankees on top 4-2. In the bottom of the ninth, Mike Piazza faced Mariano Rivera as the tying run with two outs, but Rivera got Piazza to fly out to Bernie Williams to end the game and give the Yankees their third straight World Title.

---

Some key facts about the 2000 season.

- Boston's shortstop sensation Nomar Garciaparra earned his second consecutive batting title while Pedro Martinez earned his third Cy Young Award in four years.

- The Detroit Tigers topped the Minnesota Twins, 12-11 on October 1st, as Shane Halter became the fourth Major Leaguer in history to play all nine positions in a game.

- The Cleveland Indians became the leagues fifth, triple play victim at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles during a September 1st outing. With runners at first and second and no outs, shortstop Melvin Mora intentionally dropped Sandy Alomar's pop fly, then threw to Jerry Hairston who tagged the runner at second as well as the runner coming from first. A confused Alomar retreated to the dugout believing the infield fly rule is in effect and was called out for leaving the basepath.

- Major league baseball ordered Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker to undergo psychological testing following racial remarks he had made during an off-season interview with Sports Illustrated.

- The Chicago Cubs christened the 2000 season by defeating the New York Mets, 5-3 in the Tokyo Dome in Japan marking the first Major League game ever played on Asian soil.

---

New York Mets (94-68) vs. New York Yankees (87-74)

Al Leiter (16-8, 3.20 ERA) vs. Orlando Hernandez (12-13, 4.51 ERA)

Box score and play-by-play

Orlando Hernandez makes a spectacular catch to begin the game against the Mets.

Tino Martinez flashes his glove at first base to prevent a base hit.

Al Leiter threw a great ball game for the Mets; at least until he got hurt.

Al Leiter gets injured in the 8th inning of the game against the Yankees.

Jay Payton delivers a clutch 3-run HR off of Orlando Hernandez to put the Mets on top by a score of 3-0.

Derek Jeter homers to right field to score the only run of the game for the New York Yankees.

Jay Payton's stats for the game.

[Yankee4Life]

Keep this up damn you!! This is great! You do a wonderful job. If you don't play another game in this series soon you will be suspended.**

**No not really, but please???

[Yankee4Life]

Hey Red Sox, now you got to add TC 1956 to your list and the Mvp Caribe mod too. Don't forget that mod that the Caribe guys made. You'll be blown away.

[JoeRudi26]

Great thread, V. Saves the monotony from posting a whole dynasty, but still could be very interesting with all the variety still possible.

I actually snagged this pic from HC Legend's dynasty, and grayscaled it. Just a pic from a Classic Cardinal's game, but I really liked the pic.

[RaptorQuiz]

If you're still looking at a team facing itself, from different years...

I'd love to see a 60's world-series Cardinals team face an 80's world-series Cardinals team. :)

[redsox]

Thanks Y4L. You know, the rate at which these Total Conversion Mods are coming out, I am going to have to expand my hard-drive capacity pretty soon.

I haven't downloaded either of those TC mods but rest assured I am going to pretty soon. Thanks for checking in. Take care.

[redsox]

Great thread, V. Saves the monotony from posting a whole dynasty, but still could be very interesting with all the variety still possible.

I actually snagged this pic from HC Legend's dynasty, and grayscaled it. Just a pic from a Classic Cardinal's game, but I really liked the pic.

I agree Jay. For one thing, it gives me some time to check out the other conversion mods that have been implemented and also catch up on some baseball history.

EDIT: Man, that picture is so life like. Nice job on editing that. Would love to see you post some games; maybe implement some of your photoshop skills? :wink:

If you're still looking at a team facing itself, from different years...

I'd love to see a 60's world-series Cardinals team face an 80's world-series Cardinals team.

I will surely give this game a shot. I just wish I was more knowledgeable with baseball's history. And this thread actually gives me an opportunity.

I don't know about others, but every time one of these classic mods come out, I usually take some time out to study that year since something memorable has happened.

This thread in general is just a very small way of showing my appreciation for the modders and to the history of baseball.