Total Conversion Mods

[Jim825]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.