DMB-Blog

2017 Projection Season - ZiPS Available Now!

The 2017 Projection Season database includes projected statistics and ratings for over 2500 players generated using Dan Szymborski's ZiPS (sZymborski Projection System) projection system, including many top prospects; the 2017 MLB schedule; opening day rosters; and manager profiles set up with pitching rotations, batting lineups, and depth charts representing our assessment of how the players are expected to be used during the 2017 season.

With the 2017 download, we will be making the product dynamic – we will update the player projections around the All-Star Break to reflect performance in the season to that point and projected through the remainder of the season.  At the end of the season, we update them again for the playoff teams.

The 2017 Projection Season database is available for order in the Diamond Mind online store now. The price is $29.95 and includes the initial Opening Day release, the mid-season update, and the playoff database when they become available.

Note: We have added two new DMB style ballpark diagrams for the 2017 season, Minute Maid Park (removal of Tal's Hill in center field) and SunTrust Park (opened in 2017). These image files are available for free download from our Park Images page.

(The Diamond Mind Baseball game is required to use this product)

1967 Deluxe Past Season with transaction and lineups available now!

1967: The Summer of Love, Music, and Incredible Baseball

by Steve Ehresman

In 1967, America, torn apart by the Vietnam War, experienced an earthquake of social change, musical creativity, and, for those who were still paying attention, fabulous baseball.  While a staggering 475,000 Americans risked death in Southeast Asia, LSD guru Timothy Leary urged disaffected youth to “tune in, turn on, and drop out.”  Riots ignited in inner-cities.  Rebellion simmered on college campuses.  America wobbled on her axis.  Nineteen sixty-seven was an exhilarating, bewildering, and terrifying year to come of age in America.  

A Human Be-In took place in San Francisco, launching the careers of Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, and Big Brother and the Holding Company.  The Doors were banned from The Ed Sullivan Show for their uncensored version of “Light My Fire.”  The Who destroyed their instruments on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.  Jimi Hendrix emerged as a dazzling talent.  Not to be upstaged, The Beatles released both Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour.  Overnight, the 1960s had transformed from “mod” to “psychedelic.”    

Oh yes.  The baseball was pretty good, too.

While the St. Louis Cardinals, led by MVP Orlando Cepeda (37 2B, 25 HR, 111 RBI, .325) stolen base king Lou Brock (52 SB), consummate hitter Curt Flood (.335), and gritty World Series hero Bob Gibson (13-7, 2.98, and 3 complete game World Series victories), made short work of the National League, compiling a 101-60 record to breeze to the pennant by 10.5 games, the American League put on a show for the ages.  Junior Circuit MVP Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox (112 R, 189 H, 44 HR, 121 RBI, .325) won a Triple Crown and powered his team to an improbable pennant.

Only 8,324 turned out at Fenway for Opening Day 1967, demonstrating that the expectations for the Red Sox were low and that their pennant chances were . . . well . . . impossible.  Led by a cast of unknowns, the Sox defied the pundits, delighted their faithful, and edged out the Detroit Tigers, the Minnesota Twins, and the Chicago White Sox “to dream the impossible dream” and create the stuff of legends in Beantown. 

Jim Lonborg led the Red Sox pitchers (22-9, 246 K, 3.16), capturing the American League Cy Young Award.  Tragic figure Tony Conigliaro (20 HR, 67 RBI, .287) helped outfield mate Carl Yastrzemski hammer opposing pitchers, until a horrific beaning on August 18 ended his season and curtailed his promising career.  Youngsters Rico Petrocelli (17 HR) and Reggie Smith (15 HR, 16 SB) combined their talent and energy to push the Bosox across the finish line in baseball’s version of The Great Race.       

The 1967 season witnessed the debuts of Minnesota Twins star Rod Carew (.292) and New York Mets ace Tom Seaver (16-13, 170 K, 2.76).  In addition, reliable anchors like batting champion Roberto Clemente (.357), Cy Young winner Mike McCormick (22-10, 2.85), earned run leaders Joe Horlen (2.06) and Phil Niekro (1.87), strike-out artist Jim Bunning (253), and stolen base king Bert Campaneris (55 SB) all made stellar contributions to the 1967 baseball season. 

The Impossible Dreamers of Boston and the Red Birds of St. Louis made indelible impressions on America’s baseball history, as well as lifetime of memories for their fans.  Amid the swirling confusion of 1967, these championship teams stand out as examples of grace under pressure and consistent excellence.

The year 1967 resists easy interpretations.  America herself has always resisted easy interpretations, consistently emerging from turmoil as a nation greater than the sum of her many parts.  Through it all, baseball has offered a window into our past and a glimpse into our future.  Through it all, baseball has captivated and inspired millions.    

Diamond Mind Baseball is pleased to offer this historic season to its customers.  As the 50^th anniversary of the 1967 season dawns, Diamond Mind invites you to remember our heroes from long ago and to revisit their remarkable achievements in our brand new version of this unforgettable baseball season. 

The 1967 Deluxe Past Season database contains everything you need to play games using teams and players from the 1967 season -- a full set of ratings and statistics for every player who appeared in the big leagues that year, plus team rosters, manager profiles, ballpark ratings, transactions, and league schedules. Statistics include official batting, pitching and fielding totals with left/right splits for all batters and pitchers.

(The Diamond Mind Baseball - Version 11 game is required to use this product)

1924 Classic Past Season with transaction and lineups available now!

1924: Surprise for Gotham

by Steve Ehresman

When the 1924 baseball season began, the odds-on favorites to return to the World Series were Miller Huggins’ Yankees and John McGraw’s Giants, both located in the baseball capital of the world, New York City. For three consecutive seasons, these Gotham dynasties had clashed in the post-season. Further, each team entered 1924 with virtually the same talent that had allowed them to vanquish their opponents in the preceding years.

What could go wrong?

For the Giants, the answer was stout resistance by Brooklyn and Pittsburgh. For the Yankees, the answer was superb play by a talented Washington team. Whereas McGraw’s Giants survived the challenge to capture the National League flag, Huggins’ defending American League champions, the Yankees, succumbed to the rival Senators.

As the 1920s began to roar, baseball produced its share of dynamic performers, heroes whose grit would not have been out of place in the baseball novels of Zane Grey. Indeed, the 1920s was a decade of larger-than-life baseball legends

In the National League, Rogers Hornsby, despite the dismal performance of his St. Louis team, captured his fifth batting title with an other-worldly .424 average, while banging out 43 doubles, 14 triples, and 25 home runs. In the Senior Circuit, “The Rajah” was nonpareil.

The New York Giants, who edged out Brooklyn by 1 ½ games and Pittsburgh by 3 games, featured outstanding hitting by George Kelly (.324, 136 RBI), Frankie Frisch (.328), Travis Jackson (.302), and Ross Youngs (.355). On the mound, Jack Bentley (16-5, 3.78), Virgil Barnes (16-10, 3.07), and Art Nehf (14-4, 3.66) were reliable starters.

Despite the prowess of the Giants, the Robins, led by Jack Fournier (27 HR, 116 RBI), Zack Wheat (.375), and Dazzy Vance (28-6, 2.16), and the Pirates, paced by Max Carey (49 SB), Rabbit Maranville (20 3B), Kiki Cuyler (.354, 32 SB), Pie Traynor (24 SB), and Mort Cooper (20-14, 3.28), would keep the pressure on the Giants all season.

In addition to the pennant race provided by this trio of outstanding ball clubs, the National League boasted of stars like Ed Roush (.348, 21 3B), Carl Mays (20-9, 3.15), Gabby Hartnett (16 HR), Jim Bottomley (.316), and Cy Williams (24 HR), all of whom contributed to this Golden Age of American Sports.

Above all the rest stood Babe Ruth, enjoying one of his greatest seasons, as he led the American League in batting (.378) home runs (46), and RBI (142) in an effort to turn back the challenge posed by Goose Goslin’s (.344, 30 2B, 17 3B, 12 HR, 129 RBI) and Walter Johnson’s (23-7, 2.72) resolute Senators. Despite the Babe’s historic bating and Herb Pennock’s ace pitching (21-9, 2.83), the Nationals captured the pennant by a slender two-game margin.

Fans outside New York or Washington were entertained by the exploits of Ty Cobb (.338, 23 SB), Harry Heilman (.348, 113 RBI), George Sisler (.305), Baby Doll Jacobson (.318, 19 HR), Ken Williams (.324, 18 HR, 20 SB), Bing Miller (.342), Al Simmons (.308), Tris Speaker (.344), Charlie Jamieson (.359, 21 SB), Eddie Collins (.349, 42 SB), Harry Hooper (.328), and Bib Falk (.352), names that resonate with baseball fans to this day.

In a spirited 7-game World Series, the Washington Senators of player-manager Bucky Harris dispatched the New York Giants of John McGraw and on October 10, 1924 and stood alone atop the baseball world. The Gotham dynasties had been displaced by a new powerhouse.

Diamond Mind is excited to bring you this slice of American sporting history. Our season comes complete with the great pennant races, the powerful hitters, the rising stars, and the stalwart veterans that made 1924 and outstanding year for baseball. In fact, we give you everything you need for a realistic replay. Everything, that is, except bathtub gin, flappers, and gangsters.

The 1924 Classic Past Season database contains everything you need to play games using teams and players from the 1924 season -- a full set of ratings and statistics for every player who appeared in the big leagues that year, plus team rosters, manager profiles, ballpark ratings, transactions, and league schedules. Statistics include official batting, pitching and fielding totals for all batters and pitchers.

1970 Deluxe Past Season with transaction and lineups available now!

1970: Baseball Enters a New Decade

by Steve Ehresman

 As the United States moved into the post-Woodstock era, the Vietnam War continued to rage, bitterly dividing the nation, but the Apollo 13 crew made it home safely, showing American ingenuity at its best. The psychedelic 1960s had come to an end, and America stood on the threshold of a roller coaster decade no one could have predicted. Although challenges lay ahead, the American people, like the Apollo 13 crew, possessed “the right stuff,” meeting the unknown with courage and hope.

As it always has in troubled times, baseball remained a steady, calming influence, “a bridge over troubled waters.” The 1970 season itself was a bridge between decades, as the Baltimore Orioles asserted their dominance, winning a World Series title to compensate for their loss to the New York Mets in 1969, and the Cincinnati Reds fired on all cylinders, providing fans with a preview of the Big Red Machine.

The MVP of the American League, Boog Powell of the Baltimore Orioles (35 home runs, 114 RBI, .297), and the MVP of the National League, Johnny Bench of the Cincinnati Reds (45 home runs, 148 RBI, .293), reflected the excellence of their respective teams. Bench’s 1970 season may be the greatest by a catcher in major league history, as he led the National League in both home runs and RBI.

These all-star performances were joined by Frank Howard (44 home runs, 126 RBI), Alex Johnson (.329), and Bert Campaneris (42 SB) of the Junior Circuit and Rico Carty (.366) and Bobby Tolan (57 SB) of the Senor Circuit to give fans a season of superlatives, truly "one for the ages."

On the mound, Dave McNally and Jim Perry (24 wins), Diego Segui (2.56 ERA), Sam McDowell (304 SO), and Ron Perranoski (34 SV) set the pace in the American League. Their counterparts in the National League, Bob Gibson and Gaylord Perry (23 wins), Tom Seaver (2.82 ERA, 283 SO), and Wayne Granger (35 SV) put up equally admirable numbers in the National League.

The 1970 major league season entertained and thrilled, giving Americans a chance to catch their collective breath before the coming decade, in which a political scandal, an oil embargo, and a hostage crisis would rock the nation. Through it all, baseball produced Hall of Fame stars and legendary dynasties that made their own headlines and printed their names indelibly in our nation’s history.

Diamond Mind has the 1970 season ready to ship, complete with everything you need to celebrate the Baltimore Orioles and to prepare for the Big Red Machine. With DMB, you can manage powerhouse teams just like Earl Weaver and Sparky Anderson. Maybe you can even rewrite history.

The 1970 Deluxe Past Season database contains everything you need to play games using teams and players from the 1970 season -- a full set of ratings and statistics for every player who appeared in the big leagues that year, plus team rosters, manager profiles, ballpark ratings, transactions, and league schedules. Statistics include official batting, pitching and fielding totals with left/right splits for all batters and pitchers.

2016 Season Database Update

In late December, we discovered a number of small discrepancies between the player stats for some players and the final stats release from our data supplier. An updated copy of the 2016 Season Database is now available for download from the Diamond Mind website. (Please refer to the Scope of Changes note on the 2016 Season Database Changes web page for details.)

2016 Season Database Changes

All customers who have purchased the 2016 Season Database so far have been sent a notification email that includes information about the update and a new link to allow you to download a copy of the updated season. If you have not received the update notification, you can contact us directly at dmb_info@imaginesports.com

To check if your copy of the 2016 Season Database is up to date, have a look in the Notes tab of the Organizer window with your installed copy of the 2016 season as the active database. If the date of the "2016 Updates" note is 12/22/2016 or later then you have the most up to date version.

In addition, we have released a season update patch that will allow you to update your already installed copy of the 2016 season. The update patch is not a complete copy of the 2016 season database. It is a program that applies the corrections to an already installed copy of the 2016 season without disturbing the work you may have already done to your team rosters and league structure. Instructions on using the 2016 season update patch and the link to download it can be found on the 2016 Season Database Changes web page. 

We apologize for these errors and for the inconvenience.

Updated: 2/1/2017