The Pecan Park Eagle

“WE RE-PRESENT … THE HOU-STON BA-BIES!

THE HOU-STON BA-BIES! … The HOU-ston BA-BIES!

WE RE-PRESENT … THE HOU-STON BAY-BEEEEEEES!

WE WEL-COME ALL YOU YANKS TO – GEORGE RANCH PARK!”

Of course, some Babies players weren’t that excited about the news that we finally have that series with the 1927 New York Yankees, Murderers’ Row, on our schedule. In fact, four of these skeptical Babies players go home from practice at sundown every day in each other’s company, as they unfailingly try to keep thinking about who’s on that terrifying club by singing and dancing their ways home:

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“GEHRIG and MEUSEL and RUTH!

OH MY!

GEHRIG AND MEUSEL AND RUTH!”

SERIES ARRANGEMENT FOR 1927 SERIES BETWEEN THE HOUSTON BABIES AND THE 1927 NEW YORK YANKEES

Cow Pasture #2

It will be another first four wins in seven contests, as needed. The series will be played on a 2-3-2 home schedule basis until one team or the other wins 4 games. This series will begin at Yankee Stadium I and then move to Houston for two, three, if needed, where the games will be played at George Ranch State Park in Cow Pasture No.2. It’s an aptly named place for our vintage base ball operations, especially when the Houston Babies are playing other vintage clubs like the fine Katy Combine nine in almost that same place.

Cheap Admission and Concessions in Houston

Well, it is the same place, but, because the ’27 Yankees want no part in time travel themselves, and because West End Park near downtown Houston was unavailable for a 1927 series, the Houston Babies worked out a deal with the George family to use Cow Pasture #2 for their home games in this all-1927 time zone event. Should be interesting. The George Ranch, after all, was still a working family agribusiness in 1927 – and not a state park.

George Ranch 1927 is still our home field

In  return for their generous neighborly loan of the site, Manager Bob Dorrill promised the Georges that the Houston Babies would personally corral the cattle prior to  each home game and move them back to Cow Pasture #2 when the game was done. In supportive appreciation, the George family promised to have sideline treats of hot dogs, pop corn, peanuts, beer, soft drinks, and water available to players and fans as low priced concessions during each game. Tickets for stand or squat viewing of the games will be fifty cents for adults and a quarter for children.

“Better have plenty of them hot dogs ready,” shortstop Mark Koenig shouted when he heard the Houston area concession fare news. “You gotta remember. The Babe’s coming!”

Rules in Force

Since the game is being played by ’27 Yankee conditions and exclusively in their time zone, the Houston Babies will use gloves for the first time and play by the rules that were in effect for major league baseball during the 1927 season.

Back To The Future

For the series opener in the Bronx, Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, and Jay Leno will fly a special time-travel modified 1927 Ford from Jay’s classic car garage to Yankee Stadium I prior to the game. They will bring the game’s first pitch and it will be ceremonially thrown out by their fourth special car passenger, Lady Gaga! If that doesn’t wake up New York of the “Roaring Twenties,” we cannot imagine what will.

The Game Plan

The series will be played and reported in real time on a daily basis here  at the Pecan Park Eagle. As per always for me since 1951, the games will be played on an APBA Baseball game simulator that is now available for easy use in a computerized version. By real time, we simply mean this: The simulator games will be played, one per day as scheduled – then reported one game at a time here at the Pecan Park Eagle.

Game Schedule and Pitching Match Ups

Dates below reflect when you will see the game reports here in the Pecan Park Eagle. (as noted earlier, that means that actual simulator game was played the night before it report was published:

Game 1: June 2, 1927, Houston Babies @ New York Yankees, in Yankee Stadium.

Pitching Match-Ups: Bob Blair (HB) vs. Waite Hoyt (NYY)

Game 2: June 3, 1927, Houston Babies @ New York Yankees, in Yankee Stadium.

Pitching Match-Ups: Larry Hajduk (HB) vs. Herb Pennock (NYY)

Travel Day (No Game), Wednesday , June 4, 1927. New York Yankees, in George Ranch  Cow Pasture #2.

Game 3: June 5, 1927, New York Yankees  @ Houston Babies, in George Ranch  Cow Pasture #2.

Pitching Match-Ups: Dutch Reuther (NYY) vs. Red Mahoney (HB)

Game 4: June 6, 1927, New York Yankees  @ Houston Babies, in George Ranch  Cow Pasture #2.

Pitching Match-Ups: Urban Shocker (NYY) vs. Mike Vance (HB)

Note: The series schedule corresponds to those same dates in June for 2014. Barring a rain out, look for the first series game report next Monday, June 3, 2014. Games 5 through 7, if necessary, will be played in Houston on June 8th and New York on June 10th and 11th, if needed.

THE MANAGERS

This series will pit two of baseball greatest managerial minds against each other. Little Miller Huggins will match wits and strategies with Hustling Bob Dorrill of the Houston Babies, whose previous time travel efforts in time travel baseball have brought “the Infancy Insanity” to victories over the 2005 Houston Astros, the 2005 Chicago White Sox, and the 2007 Boston Red Sox.

Can the Babies keep it up against the arguably greatest baseball team of all time? We’ll find out in the next week or so. For now, please cast your votes on who is going to win the series in how many games in the comment section of this column. Please do not send your answers by personal e-mail to me. We want the world to see your guesses in this pursuit of simple fun through vicarious achievement. I will leave my guess by the following pictorial:

Babies in Seven!