[ifspuds]

Excerpt from "Aces, Hawkeyes and Golden Boys: Early Baseball in the Outposts" by Frank O'Leary

"The announcement in 2017 that the Bay League had officially sanctioned eight cities to host minor league teams had a ripple effect that brought about a number of changes throughout the league, not just in those cities welcomed under the umbrella of John Baxter's grand experiment. For some of the players that had been with the league since its inception, this was an indication that perhaps money wasn't quite as tight as the team owners had always said.

It's important to remember that travel around the Outposts still was not terribly reliable or easy. Many players hadn't left their own little corner of the island since they first arrived from Earth, busy as they were trying to carve out a stable existence in their new homes. The development of a baseball league upset that arrangement, sending people far and wide across the Outposts. Baseball players in the early days were paid a small stipend to send home to their families, on top of the room and board allowance they needed to keep a residence in another city. It was never very much, though it was more than most Outposters got, and the fact that no one was certain if the Bay League would have any success kept anyone from complaining too loudly about the situation. But as it became increasingly clear that there was a tremendous demand for baseball throughout the Outposts and fans poured into the early, tiny parks, some of the players felt they deserved a bit more.

Josh Sowder is credited with being the first player to openly challenge the controlled stipend levels. Playing right field for the Silver Beach Whales, Sowder was a fan favorite and at the time, held the record for batting average in a season with a .398 mark in 2015. After the Class A league was conceived and affiliated with the Bay League, Sowder saw an opportunity to ask for a raise. In retrospect, he might not have been the ideal maverick. The Whales were owned and operated by Michael Hernandez, a name that needs no introduction, even now. Predictably, when confronted with a player not only challenging his own authority and rule, but the carefully crafted system of the entire league, Hernandez flatly refused his right fielder's request. He went one further, shipping Sowder later that day to the Allison Spelunkers, who had yet to make any sort of noise in the Bay League and were widely considered to be a haphazardly-run franchise, for nearly nothing in return.

The trade was widely panned throughout the growing following surrounding the Bay League. Sowder exemplified those early Silver Beach teams, who put together a string of winning seasons with marginal talent that endeared them to a wide range of fans. No one mistook Sowder for Ace Gervin or Mario DeGray, but he was a solid, dependable performer that brought fans out to the park on a consistent basis. Hernandez was willing to rip that cog out of his well-oiled Whales machine. The future of the league, the balance of control and finances, as Hernandez saw it, was more important.

The message was quiet, but clear. Don't rock the boat, no matter who you are. It would be some time before another player stepped forward to try and get a larger piece of the Bay League pie..."