2nd April 1888
Early January was a tough time for all associated with the Philadelphia Athletics organisation as they lost their owner and founder Mr Henry Canning. The family told the awaiting press that Mr Canning had passed away peacefully after a short illness.
The teams control has passed to his son Mr Henry Canning Jr. The news from the people that work within baseball say that the younger Mr Canning allows his employees the time to do the work needed but doesn't always give them the finances to carry out those tasks.
The fans were hoping for a pennant challenge this year but after the owner's death they are not quite so sure. The independent league assessors couldn't give the fans any extra belief as they predicted a 6th place finish for the team with a record of 74-80.
The team saw further player changes during the pre season as they traded 27 year old Pitcher John Schappert and 22 year old minor league Second Baseman Billy Klusman to the Louisville Colonels in exchange for 30 year old Short Stop Jack Farrell.
The MLB head office has decided to again tamper with the schedule and increase the games to 154 so that more fans can see their favourite stars.
The opening day roster for the Athletics was a contentious call this year as the GM and Manager batted names back and forth to find the perfect squad. They were helped by the spring training work outs this year and finally came up with the following 25 players.
Pitching
Batting
