In a World without Baseball.... [OOTP]

Scenario: The year is 1972. The United States has not had a functional major baseball league since 1942. The countries focus on World War II drew the populations attention away from the national past-time. And in the process, soccer made it's way into the States after all the soldiers came back home playing it. Chicago SC most recently defeated Los Angeles City in the Champions Playoffs. Sure the game is still played at the juvenile level, but no major league has developed since MLB folded. But some people aren't ready to let the sport die just yet....

News Clipping: Jan. 1, 1972 - News is spreading from Chicago, Ill. this morning that Wallace Olson, successful bus entrepreneur, and Co. will be bringing together a professional baseball league to play in the 1972. Olson, and childhood friends, will scrap together eight teams to play in the inaugural "Great Lakes Baseball League" season. Tryouts will be held later this month for all eight teams. The locations and owners have not been announced as of yet but look out for further updates in the future. Will Olson's experiment break new ground? Or will it fall flat like Major League Baseball did thirty years ago?

Team locations and names to be announced next time....

*Consider this an entry to this -> http://www.ootpdevel...py-ootp16.html*

News: Jan. 3, 1972 - Progress seems to be moving fast for the "Great Lakes Baseball League." Commissioner Wallace Olson will be going on an all-day tour of the Great Lakes area announcing each new franchise at every stop. His first stop is in Chicago, Ill. this morning.

New Franchise: Chicago Blues

Home Field: Wrigley Field, Chicago, Ill.

Owner: David McKee (Patience: 7, Spending: 4)

Manager: Alfredo Lopez

Background: Based on the City of Chicago's deep rooted jazz heritage, Olson decided to name the team "Blues." The Blues will continue baseball tradition by moving into Wrigley Field, which was most recently vacated by the Chicago Bears. Olson wanted to make the Blues unique by making them the only team in league without a logo on their cap. The Blues have the second pick in the inaugural draft.

Logo:   Chicago_Blues_092341_ca0629.png   10.09KB   1 downloads

Cap:   caps_Chicago_Blues.png   89.24KB   1 downloads

Jerseys:   jerseys_Chicago_Blues_Home.png   161.05KB   1 downloads   jerseys_Chicago_Blues_Away.png   163.41KB   0 downloads

Olson's tour seems to be moving into Wisconsin next.

Olson's second stop is in Milwaukee, Wis.

New Franchise: Milwaukee Brewers

Home Field: Milwaukee Field, Milwaukee, Wis.

Owner: Phillip "Fry" Simpson (9 ; 2)

Manager: Carl O'Slattery

Background: The City of Milwaukee was a no-brainer for Olson when coming up with profitable cities around the Great Lakes. He also wanted to incorporate old Major League Baseball somehow, so he named the team after the short-lived Milwaukee Brewers of the American League. The Brewers have the fourth pick in the inaugural draft.

Logo:   Milwaukee_Brewers_1d328d_fcc604.png   9.98KB   0 downloads

Cap:   caps_Milwaukee.png   98.13KB   0 downloads

Jerseys:   jerseys_Milwaukee_Home.png   191.93KB   0 downloads  jerseys_Milwaukee_Away.png   171.82KB   0 downloads

Olson was seen leaving and heading further north for his next stop.

The third stop on the tour is in Minneapolis, Min.

New Franchise: Minneapolis Renegades

Home Field: Renegade Stadium, Minneapolis, Min.

Owner: Pete Navarro (5 ; 2)

Manager: Silvio Bouwman

Background: Olson had no particularly special interest in Minnesota but knew a team in the state had to be in Minneapolis. The Renegades will pick first in the inaugural draft.

Logo:   Minneapolis_Renegades_002d62_ab0534.png   18.06KB   0 downloads

Cap:   caps_Minneapolis_Renegades.png   93.67KB   0 downloads

Jerseys:   jerseys_Renegades_Home.png   189KB   0 downloads  jerseys_Renegades_Away.png   181.63KB   0 downloads

Now Olson seems to be heading east. Canada? Michigan? Another Wisconsin team? Time will tell.

The next stop on the tour is an.... interesting one.

New Franchise: Superior Indians

Home Field: LeBlanc Park, Marquette, Mic.

Owner: Rob LeBlanc (6 ; 7)

Manager: Duncan Wilson

Background: It was something about Marquette, Michigan that caught Olson's eye. Not every team needed to be in a big city. Just look at the Green Bay Packers who are demolishing teams like Chicago, Detroit, and New York in the National Football League. Figuring "Superior" would get more recognition than "Marquette", Olson choose the earlier as a way to brand the team across the Northern side of the Upper Peninsula. When coming to the team's nickname, Olson was set on "Yoopers" until his people came back with the "S" logo and feathers on it. He knew when he saw it, the Superior Indians would be a special team. The Indians pick fifth in the inaugural draft.

Logo:   Spokane_Chiefs_logo.svg_c41230_013a81.png   15.33KB   0 downloads

Cap:   caps_Superior_Indians.png   103.08KB   0 downloads

Jerseys:   jerseys_Superior_Indians_Home.png   164.47KB   0 downloads   jerseys_Superior_Indians_Away.png   165.61KB   0 downloads

Now Olson seems to be hopping in a helicopter to cross the lakes.

Touch down in Detroit, the next franchise in the GLBL.

New Franchise: Detroit Cougars

Home Field: Cougar Field, Detroit, Mic.

Owner: Scott Robison (2 ; 4)

Manager: Norm Hayes

Background: Olson wanted to add some Detroit flair and history to this team, so he went with the "Cougars" for the Detroit Red Wings original name. The logos are modeled after those ones. The Cougars have the seventh pick in the draft.

Logo:   Detroit_Cougars_ffffff_e62a39.png   15.44KB   0 downloads

Cap:   caps_Cougars.png   50.89KB   0 downloads

Jerseys:   jerseys_Detroit_Cougars.png   154.43KB   0 downloads   jerseys_Detroit_Cougars_Away.png   159.85KB   0 downloads

Olson is heading South for the next franchise.

Now in the center of Indiana, Olson is ready to announce the next team...

New Franchise: Indianapolis Mustangs

Home Field: Indy Ballpark, Indianapolis, Ind.

Owner: Kyle Peters (5 ; 4)

Manager: Flynn Kimball

Background: Inspired by trying to incorporate a plethora of colors into the league's landscape, Olson thought that he had never seen any team named the "Mustangs," much less a purple Mustangs team. The Mustangs select eighth in the inaugural draft.

Logo:   Indianapolis_Mustangs_767678_501952.png   12.17KB   0 downloads

Caps:   caps__mustangs1.png   86.58KB   0 downloads

Jerseys:   jerseys_Indy_Mustangs_Home.png   160.41KB   0 downloads   jerseys_Indy_Mustangs_Away.png   149.59KB   0 downloads

Next, Olson heads East into Ohio...

On the shores of Lake Erie, the next team is...

New Franchise: Cleveland Barons

Home Field: Cuyahoga County Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Owner: Larry Cusack (7 ; 5)

Manager: Kuniyuki Hayashi

Background: Inspired by the American Hockey League team, Larry Cusack bought into the Great Lakes Baseball League to further the Barons brand on Cleveland, hoping it will help sell tickets for the hockey team Barons. The Barons select third in the inaugural draft.

Logo:   Cleveland_Barons_c8102e_000000.png   15.97KB   0 downloads

Caps:   caps_Barons_Hat.png   66.15KB   0 downloads

Jerseys:   jerseys_Barons_Home.png   174.26KB   0 downloads  jerseys_Barons_Away.png   181.31KB   0 downloads

One team left and it looks like Olson is staying close to the lake coast...

And finally the last team is...

New Franchise: Pittsburgh Wolverines

Home Field: Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pen.

Owner: Ezra Rose (6 ; 5)

Manager: Felix Bravo

Background: Having one of only two saved stadiums in the league, the Wolverines are excited to be playing in such a large field. Owner Ezra Rose has made it known that he intends to refurbish Forbes to it's tip-top shape. The Wolverines pick sixth in the inaugural draft.

Logo:   Pittsburgh_Wolverines_fdb927_d32c34.png   19.61KB   1 downloads

Caps:   caps_Wolverines.png   68.73KB   0 downloads

Jerseys:   jerseys_Pittsburgh_Wolverines_Home.png   184.51KB   0 downloads  jerseys_Pittsburgh_Wolverines_Away.png   190.04KB   0 downloads

****WRITER'S NOTE****

First of all to any readers I just would like to say, thank you for reading this far! I get that sometimes you just do not click with a certain scenario or dynasty someone is doing but if you enjoy, please let me know! I have had the idea for this on the back burner for a long time so getting a platform to inspire me to actually make some blog posts about my work is exciting. I have big ideas for this series and I hope I will have time to continue. A big thank you to GMGames.org for providing the platform for me.

If I have time, the draft should be tomorrow. Thank you guys for reading.

-Andy

News Clipping: Jan. 10, 1972 - A week after Wallace Olson completed his welcome tour of the "Great Lakes Baseball League", which involved him traveling to the site of each new franchise in one day, the GLBL will hold it's inaugural draft in Roosevelt University's Auditorium Building. With steam building, will talent actually emerge out of the draft?

With the first pick in the draft, the Minneapolis Renegades select...

Catcher, ​Pedro Perri out of Venezuela

5'10", 200 lbs.

"Pedro 'Biff' Perri is a 29-year old, right-handed batting catcher. 'Biff' can hit for average and also a bit of power. He's an above average catcher with a good eye but absolutely no speed. He will go down in history as the very first player ever in the Great Lakes Baseball League."

 Pedro Perri.png   295.87KB   0 downloads

With the second pick in the draft, the Chicago Blues pick...

Shortstop, Bill Graham from Glen Burnie, Maryland

6'1", 195 lbs.

"Bill Graham is a 26-year old, switch hitting shortstop. Graham can also play second base, third base, and right field. He is a great fielder at shortstop and second. Do not expect Graham to hit any home runs but do expect him to hit for high average and have a low strikeout rate. Also expect many stolen bases."

 Bill Graham.png   312.58KB   0 downloads

With the third pick, the Cleveland Barons select...

Left Fielder, Tom Williams from Idabel, Oklahoma

6'0", 210 lbs.

"Tom Williams is a 28-year old, right-handed batting left fielder. He can also play right field. Spectators will not be blown away by his fielding but may be blown away by his blazing fast speed and ability to avoid strikeouts. He'll hit for a very good average but not many home runs."

 Tom Williams.png   303.6KB   0 downloads

With the fourth pick in the draft, the Milwaukee Brewers select...

Center Fielder, Rudolf Cenkova from Warerford, Connecticut

5'11", 180 lbs.

"Rudolf Cenkova is a 30-year old, left-handed batting center fielder. Cenkova is mostly known for his impressive fielding skills. He can play anywhere in the outfield if need be. He's got above average speed mixed with stellar stealing ability. He also has an above average eye, contact, and power."

 Rudolf Cenkova.png   309.04KB   0 downloads

With the fifth pick, the Superior Indians select...

Second Baseman, Aldo Adrio out of Venezuela

5'9", 180 lbs.

"Aldo 'Hornet' Adrio is a 28-year old, right-handed batting second baseman. 'Hornet' has stellar speed but is usually not very good at taking a bag. He's most known for his fielding, contact, and ability to avoid strikeouts. Do not expect too many home runs from him."

 Aldo Adrio.png   299.1KB   0 downloads

With the sixth pick, the Pittsburgh Wolverines select...

Second Baseman, Vicente Feliciano from Grantsville, Utah

5'8", 170 lbs.

"Vicente Feliciano is a 22-year old, right-handed batting second baseman. He is a stellar base runner but average defender. Good at avoiding strikeouts with above average contact and no power. May be in a battle for the rest of his career with Adrio to see who got the better pick."

 Vicente Feliciano.png   306.26KB   0 downloads

With the seventh pick, the Detroit Cougars select...

​Center Fielder, Jim Alba from Columbus, Ohio

6'2", 210 lbs.

"Jim Alba is a 29-year old, left-handed batting center fielder. He can also play first base and the corner outfield spots. He's a good fielder with above average contact, home run power, and base running."

 Jim Alba.png   294.15KB   0 downloads

With the last pick in the first round, the Indianapolis Mustangs select...

Third Baseman, Alexis Sloan from Meadowood, Pennsylvania

5'11", 195 lbs.

"Alexis Sloan is a 23-year old, right-handed batting third baseman. Sloan has a tremendous arm and can steal bases with ease. He has a lot of room still to grow with his batting."

 Alexis Sloan.png   300.06KB   0 downloads

And here's the rest of the rosters for each team:

Minneapolis Renegades

 Renegades 1972 Opening Day.png   344.98KB   0 downloads

Chicago Blues

 Blues 1972 Opening Day.png   330.05KB   0 downloads

Cleveland Barons

 Barons 1972 Opening Day.png   341.81KB   0 downloads

Milwaukee Brewers

 Brewers 1972 Opening Day.png   333.33KB   0 downloads

Superior Indians

 Indians 1972 Opening Day.png   340.3KB   0 downloads

Pittsburgh Wolverines

 Wolverines 1972 Opening Day.png   339.7KB   0 downloads

Detroit Cougars

 Cougars 1972 Opening Day.png   339.34KB   0 downloads

Indianapolis Mustangs

 Mustangs 1972 Opening Day.png   341.31KB   0 downloads

The next update should bring you all the way into the midst of the first Great Lakes Baseball League season.