Total Conversion Mods

**Jim825** · April 7

I grew up in Connecticut and we didn't have access to New York TV channels, so my Yankee game viewing was limited to when the Yankees were on ABC Monday Night Baseball or the NBC Game of the Week on Saturday afternoons. For those too young to remember, this was before cable TV, so you were limited (at least in my area) to four channels - ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS.

The town I grew up in central Connecticut was along the "Munson/Nixon" line, meaning that most people were either Yankees fans or Red Sox fans, with a few outliers who were Mets fans.

In school, there was always a lot of trash talking between Yankee and Red Sox fans. I remember in the Spring of 1978, my junior year of high school, how much trash talking and boasting my friends who were Red Sox fans did, especially by the end of the school year when the Yankees were 6 games behind the Red Sox. This eventually grew to 14-1/2 games by July.

Over the summer, the Yankees clawed their way back and when my senior year started on Sept. 5th, the Yankees were only 4 games back. The following weekend was the famous "Boston Massacre" where the Yankees swept the 4-game series, outscoring the Red Sox 42-9. That Monday, I was the one doing the trash talking.

I still vividly remember racing home after school on October 2, 1978 to watch the one-game playoff between the Yankees and Red Sox. By the time I got home, the game was in the 2nd inning but I was able to watch the rest of the game. It turned out to be a real nail biter but in the end the Yankees prevailed and my Red Sox friends were pretty quiet the next day at school.

The Yankees went on to win their 2nd consecutive World Series and this is still my favorite Yankees season of all time. That's why I decided to make it my first total conversion mod. With this mod, I am able to re-live a great season but also a simpler time in my life when I was only 17 years old with no pressures of being an adult (bills, mortgage, etc.).

Here are highlight from that tie breaker game for those who are interested:

**Yankee4Life** · April 8

Jim, my experience was very similar to yours. In my Upstate New York town we also only had those four channels (ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS and PBS didn’t count because none of us watched it.)

The Saturday NBC Game of the Week and ABC’s Monday Night Baseball provided the exposure I had to see the Yankees but along with that I had one more. On Sundays I would watch them from my home TV antenna from WSYR channel 3 in Syracuse. So if I was really lucky I would see them for three straight games.

The Boston Massacre brings back so many nice memories of what I was doing and where I was when it happened. I did not see the first two games but everyone on my street gathered around on Thursday and Friday September 7th and 8th to listen to it on the radio. Saturday’s game was on NBC and that was Guidry’s game and Sunday is when Boston’s Bobby Sprowl could not get out of the first. I was able to see that one too thanks to the Syracuse channel.

I was prepared to also race home on October 2, 1978 but to my surprise my mother met me at the bus stop and drove me home. The ride was only a two minute trip but it felt like hours. I did not miss the Bucky Dent home run nor anything else that followed during the upcoming playoffs and World Series.

No pressures of being an adult is probably the best way to describe is how I look back at that time and that season. Playing this mod along with the 1977 one where I first saw the Yankees win a World Series or the 1976 one where I first saw them win a pennant the first time are my personal favorite mods most of all around here.

Thank you again.

**Yankee4Life** · April 13

Returning to the mod reviews after a few days brings us to one of the oldest Total Classics mods we have in the 1969 season mod by stecropper. You can download the mod right here.

I like this mod for a variety of reasons with the attention to detail being the main reason. Here’s a good example of what I mean. The game I played was at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York. The stadium was not far from Laguardia airport and you will hear the sounds of an airplane flying over while the game is going on. It’s a small addition to the game but so important.

The game I played was between the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Mets. The Reds were a year away from winning the pennant and going off on their run in the early 70’s and the Mets were winning it all in 1969.

Again thank you stecropper. You are missed here.

Screenshots.

Welcome to Total Classics 1969.

**Yankee4Life** · April 14

The next mod I am covering is the 1998 mod that was made by Andy82 some years ago. Do not confuse this mod withe the upcoming 1998 mod by BallFour. That mod is presently still being worked on so the only 1998 mod is this one. I encourage you all to try this one out first just so you can compare it to the work that is currently being put in the new ‘98 mod. The improvements that we read about from BallFour promise an exciting and detailed season mod coming our way.

Andy82’s mod can be downloaded right here. He has not been here in almost five years but his fine work is still here for us to use.

I wanted to use the 1998 champion Yankees in this exhibition and I picked the Royals via a coin flip. Heads it was Minnesota and tails it was Kansas City. The game ended up exactly how I hoped it would have turned out.

Screenshots.

Welcome to Total Classics 1998.

**Yankee4Life** · April 15

The next mod I am going over once again is one of my top five favorite Total Classics mods that we have. The 1951 mod is the last mod that we have that feature the original sixteen teams. You can download this mod right here.

I used the St. Louis Browns and the Philadelphia Athletics. Ned Garver (20 - 12 for St. Louis in 1951) against Bobby Shantz (18 - 10 for Philadelphia.) I was expecting a pitcher’s duel but I got a lot more.

Garver only gave up two runs but he was no match for Shantz because he came within one out of pitching a perfect game. And who got the only hit? Garver. And it was no fluke hit either. Garver turned on a fastball and doubled to left field to spoil Shantz’ party. The Browns allowed Garver to hit in the ninth because he hit .305 during the 1951 season. Shantz retired the next hitter for his one hit shutout.

Screenshots.

Welcome to Total Classics 1951.

**Yankee4Life** · April 16

The next mod I am covering is the 1994 Total Classics mod that Hory made. Hory was the first guy here who was involved with updating the portraits of the game and if you were around back then they were outstanding. This mod took him eighteen months to complete and he took his time creating it and the end result was this great 1994 mod which you can download for yourself right here.

I used the Montreal Expos in this game because whenever you think of the 1994 season you think of how the Expos were cheated out of the post season in which was the without question the best team in Montreal’s brief history in the National League.

Screenshots.

Welcome to Total Classics 1994.

**Yankee4Life** · April 17

The next mod that I am covering here is in my opinion the most anticipated mod not only in 2008 but the history of this website. I’ll tell you why in case you were not here in 2008. Krawhitham and his team of modders created this mod on the now defunct EAmods. It seemed that every day we were being overrun with posts about when the mod was coming out because it was running into delays and people were impatient and were pressuring him. Kraw did not want to release it until he felt it was ready and to this day I have to tip my hat to him for how he handled it.

Well, that’s about it for the brief history of this particular mod. It can be downloaded right here.

I played the Detroit Tigers against the American League champion Tampa Bay Rays while Justin Verlander gave up a lot of hits (ten hits in seven innings of work) he was good enough to get the victory.

Screenshots.

Welcome to the 2008 Total Conversion mod.

**Yankee4Life** · April 18

The 1974 mod is the next one that I am covering and I am very surprised that I am getting closer to finishing everything up. You can download the 1974 mod right here.

I still regret covering these games again because there were some pretty good screen shots and videos that are gone forever but I am happy to have the opportunity to play and talk about these mods.

I played the Atlanta Braves, with a nod to Henry Aaron who on April 8th, 1974 broke Babe Ruth’s home run record. Where did fifty years go? Their opponent in this game was the National League East Champion Pittsburgh Pirates. Both teams ended up with the same record in 1974 with a 88 - 74 record. That was good for Pittsburgh to win the division but Atlanta finished fourteen games behind the Dodgers because they won 102 games.

Screenshots.

Welcome to Total Classics 1974.

**Yankee4Life** · April 19

As I moved on to the 1975 mod it once again reminded me how different two mods from the Total Classics series could be. I recall years ago a casual fan in here asking in the shoutbox that if there really was a big difference and I told him yes. I told him to look at each team and their different strengths along with the differences in the rosters. And this is why I chose the Boston Red Sox in this exhibition game. The ‘74 Sox team did not have Jim Rice and Fred Lynn and the 1975 one did. Some players are not featured anymore in the game and Al Kaline of Detroit immediately comes to mind as 1974 was his last year. So, there is a difference of one year here but that is as close as the ‘74 and ‘75 seasons are.

If you would like to try out this mod it can be downloaded right here.

As stated I used the Boston Red Sox and I had them face the Milwaukee Brewers in Fenway Park. Everything was going well for the home team until the eighth inning when the Brewers, who were aided by three home runs in the inning, scored nine runs to send Fenway faithful home disappointed.

Screenshots.

Welcome to Total Classics 1975.

**Yankee4Life** · April 20

The 1946 mod is the next one I am covering and it is another example of Dennis and Jim’s combined efforts to create a superb mod based on another exciting year in baseball history. The 1946 mod can be downloaded right here.

I used the Boston Braves and the Brooklyn Dodgers in this exhibition game because these two teams would win the next two National League flags with Brooklyn in 1947 and Boston in 1948. Pete Reiser and Cookie Lavagetto both went 3 for 4 for the Dodgers but Lavagetto had a tough day out at third base as you will see.

Screenshots.

Welcome to Total Classics 1946.

**Yankee4Life** · April 21

The next mod I have completed is the 1927 mod that was originally created by a user that I will put a lot of money on that you do not know. The guy’s name is Sal and he had the original idea to make a Total Classics mod for the 1927 season. It was a mod that, to be honest, needed a lot of work. For example if you played the Brooklyn Dodgers at the New York Giants the announcer would say “Los Angeles” and “San Francisco” and the overlay would say SF and LAD.

I have to say to everyone who reads this thread that I am not here to put this guy’s work down at all because of my years of paying attention to Jim and Dennis the creation of a Total Classics mod is a lot of work. Sal has not been here in over ten years and I still have his original mod on one of my DVDs. Anyone who is curious about it will have to remain that way because Sal gave Jim permission to improve on the mod in any way he could and this is the version I am reviewing here. You can download the 1927 mod right here.

Naturally with this mod the 1927 Yankees had to make an appearance and I picked the Boston Red Sox via a coin flip. Heads the Red Sox and tails the Senators.

This game just proved why baseball is such a great game.You’d have expected New York to walk all over Boston but that’ not what happened here. Boston starter Hal Wiltse only made one mistake but he was facing the pitcher that led the American League in wins in Waite Hoyt. It was another good game in the Total Classics series.

Screenshots.

Welcome to Total Classics 1927.

**Yankee4Life** · April 23

This is the final mod that I am playing catch-up to in here and I am very happy that it did not take me longer to accomplish but then again now that I think it over I shouldn’t be because all I was doing was playing Total Classics and once I begin to do that the time just flies for me. The next mod I feature in here will be a new Total Classics mod.

The mod that I am ending with is Total Classics Phase 10, the very first Total Classics mod originally made for Mvp 2004. That’s how long this great series has been going. If you are anything like me you can literally lose yourself in this mod. Where else can you play an exhibition game with Christy Mathewson squaring off against Carl Hubbell or Lefty Grove against Walter Johnson like I had in the game I played here?

A lot of combined modders worked on this to make this the game it is today and to name them all here would be difficult because I would not want to leave anyone out. You can download the mod right here.

I played the 1924 World Champion Washington Senators against the 1929 Philadelphia Athletics and even though the ‘29 Athletics were a very good hitting team they still had to go against Johnson, who was in his eighteenth year as a member of the Senators. Grove o course was no pushover. It was another typical game of Total Classics.

Screenshots.