[J.HenryWaugh]

Thru PC issues, I lost my 77-year-old UBA (along with EVERYTHING ELSE), a lamentation detailed in the General Discussion forum under "Making lemonade from lemons..."

But in its rebirth, it is closer to historical believablility and I think closer to what J. Henry himself might have created. A couple of guys asked if I would chronicale the exploits of this fledgling enterprise, and I thought why not?

I just wrapped up 1904, the second season of this revamped UBA. Preseason picks had Boston facing Chicago in the Diamond King Championship. True to form, the experts got it wrong...well, thanks to a mistimed collapse of the Keystones down the stretch, they were only HALF wrong.

The Boston Beaneaters were picked win the Atlantic League by 14 games. They held a slim one-game lead when they rolled into Philadelphia for a KEY four-game series in mid-September. And they left Philly with a three-game lead, taking three of four from the Keystones. They finished their season on a high, winning six straight and nine of ten to win the AL by 8 over the second-place Keystones.

In the Heartland, the scribes picked Chicago, but any horse player with a nose for talent would not bet against the state of Missouri, and a few lucky bettors could have taken the trifecta with that knowledge. The defending Diamond King champion St. Louis Stars reclaimed the HL by just two games over their arch-rivals from Kansas City. The Black Stockings of Chicago won 81 games, finished a distant third, 13 games out.

The Beaneaters kept up their hot hand, taking the best of seven Diamond King Championship in five games. The Beanies were led by pitching ace Carl Rodgers, whose 25 wins and 1.78 ERA made him a favorite for the Pitcher of the Year Award. Troy Watts won 21 with a 2.20 ERA, and immediate fan favorite Phineas 'Skinny Ass' Flint replaced injured 16-game Conan Bunch and reeled off an impressive 11-0, 2.24 season. He was 2-0, with a 1.78 ERA in his two starts against the Stars in the postseason. The Beanies were number one in runs allowed.

Boston's offense was even more impressive, led by Owen Kendrick, who became the first UBA hitter to drive in 100 runs. He also hit .302 to go along with it. Secondbaseman Jasper Buckner hit .307 with 87 RBIs, and CF Barnaby North drove in 86 runs and stole 65 bases. The Beaneaters were tops in the AL in batting average, runs, home runs, and on-base average.

Rodgers did NOT win the POTY award, however. That went to Keystone ace 'Fancy Dan' Casey, 25-13 with a 1.75 ERA. He was also the first pitcher to strike out 300 batters in a season. Headcase Duncan of St. Louis was the HL winner, going 23-15 with a 2.12 ERA. Duncan is just 23, so a few more accolades seem likely.

The two best hitters were a study in contrasts. Weasel Wilson of the Keystones hit .324 with 32 doubles, 7 triples, 3 homers and 60 RBIs; he was just 3 of 7 in steal attempts. Shadow Dixon of the KC Cowboys hit .323, with 27 doubles, a UBA record 32 TRIPLES!!!, 6 homers, 93 RBIS and 55 steals.