Let's see if I can get this written and then get back to the sim!
It's May 19th, 1926. In the American League, the pattern of the last couple of years in the sim is repeating--the Yankees have gotten off to a great start and are on a 115-120-win pace, though it doesn't quite feel like it. In some ways the scenarios I mentioned as what Packers fans might be hoping for have come to pass. Tony Lazzeri almost immediately got hurt, followed by Eddie Collins going on the IL. That means that Newt Allen, Plan C at 2B, has been pressed into everyday action, with Plan D (Frank Sigafoose) called up from Toronto to play one of the other infield positions as need be when Traynor or Peckinpaugh need a rest, and Plan E (Rap Dixon) called up in case of disaster. Meanwhile, Dazzy Vance has lost a significant amount of staminy and is only just making it into the 6th or 7th inning, with an elevated ERA, and Freddie Fitzsimmons has been awful. Red Faber has been OK but is also hurt. Nevertheless, even with all of this, the Yankees have cruised to a pretty healthy 5.5-game lead over the surprising Newark Eagles. Collins is expected back within a week, with Lazzeri likely back in early June.
Over in the National League, the Giants had a good start but the Cardinals stuck pretty close to them before getting hot--at this writing they've won 11 in a row and have a better record than the Yankees (if only just). The Giants are 5 games back in second place, while the defending champion Blues are in fifth place at .500. Fans of the Cardinals in this universe, however, will be looking over their shoulders (particularly at Buffalo) all season...
As far as the league leaders, Edd Roush has had a crazy 40-game stretch and sits at a .500 average. His 6 home runs aren't far off of the league lead (Jack Fournier with 10), and he's already amassed 3.2 WAR. Presumably he'll cool off, of course. Heilmann and Ruth are also among the league leaders, but are performing at levels that they've established as sustainable (at least for them)--Heilmann at .401, Ruth at 8 home runs and 52 RBI. That puts Ruth at a 200-RBI pace, which of course would be a record but doesn't seem quite as crazy at Roush hitting .500... Three pitchers are tied with 8 wins, though Luque is 8-0 and has appeared in only 9 games while Andy Cooper and Willis Flournoy have multiple relief outings and multiple losses to go with their 8 wins (but also have lower ERAs than Luque).
The NL leaders aren't quite up to the AL ones--Ken Williams is "only" hitting .394, and Gehrig "only" has 9 home runs, with his league-leading 2.2 WAR a full win less than Roush. Bill Foster and Ray Kremer both have 8 wins, and both have win-loss records more like Luque's 8-0 than Flournoy's 8-5. We'll see how this all plays out, and whether the Cardinals can place some more folks in the league leaders if they can keep up their pace.
As far as the minor leagues, they all seem to be rolling along. The French league has about another month to go, while the Big Six League championship ended with Meiji coming back from a 3-0 deficit to beat Rikkyo four games to three. Mexico and Nicaragua are underway, and the Sesquicentennial Tour is en route to Balboa.
So, more to come, but at least I've put the interim situation into the blog!
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