Just as I do in the original Figment Universe I will be running the Brooklyn Kings in the Alternate history of Figment. You can read about the exploits of the modern day (1936 presently) Kings
here
The modern version of the Kings have never won a World Championship Series but did win two titles in the short-lived Border Association in 1889 and 1891. Our greatest player in the early days also turned out to be our greatest nemesis as Ferdinand Hawkins- an original King in 1884 - won 191 games in 9 years in Brooklyn before being abruptly released from the team at the age of 28. Some say he cursed the franchise upon his dismissal, vowing the team will never win another championship. While Brooklyn did win 3 Continental Association pennants in the ensuing four and a half decades, as Hawkins is said to have predicted they lost in the World Championship Series on each of those 3 occasions and have been victimized by injuries and bad luck ever since. But all of that is in the other timeline.
This reboot, or Mythic Baseball as it is called, will give me an opportunity to right that wrong. As we take over as GM's in advance of the 1886 season, Ferdinand Hawkins is a 21 year old pitcher on the verge of stardom, winning 35 games and losing just 23 over the previous two seasons for what has been a middle of the pack ballclub.
It is the third year for the young Brooklyn franchise, as we joined the upstart Border Association started by Cincinnati's James Tice two years after it's formation. One nice thing is this year I will have the borough of Brooklyn to myself as the Century League's Brooklyn Unions folded up shop and left town after a dispute between Unions owner, the now-deceased Miles Bigsby and league founder William Whitney. I still have a pair of New York clubs to contend with for fans in the Border Association's Stars and the Century League's Gothams but, at least for now, Brooklyn is all mine.
I say for now because the GM's have all been warned that Mythic will see some franchise movement and it will not mirror the evolution of the original Figment timeline. There is no trading off vets to rebuild in this league or you may find your team folded because lack of fan support as the commissioner has warned us teams can and will fail. The best medicine to keep your franchise active is to attract fans by winning ballgames. There is also no draft - this is the late 1800s after all - so I eagerly await the league file and rules (which should come any day now) to learn how we acquire new talent. There will be several minor leagues we can purchase players from and I believe we can also continue what has become a tradition of both the Century League and Border Association of raiding rival clubs for talent.
Figment was the first online league I have joined in over 15 years (I dabbled in 1 or 2 in the early days OOTP3 or 4) and it remains by far my favourite league. I expect Mythic will be right up alongside it. If you have been following any of the Figment dynasty reports (and there are a lot) on the boards you owe it to yourself to touch base with Legendsport and check this one out. You do not have to contribute written material to this league but are more than welcome to and there is a lot of friendly banter and league talk on our slack channel. In short, it is a great group and has won me over from being a solo dynasty writer/player only to a huge fan of online league play.
THE HISTORY OF THE BROOKLYN KINGS (entering the Mythic Timeline)
To get you up to speed on my club here is a brief history of the first two seasons of the Brooklyn Kings Border Association club:
1884
It began in 1884 when the Border Association adds two new clubs including the Brooklyn Kings in advance of it's third season as a major league. The new Brooklyn squad would have to compete for fans with the Brooklyn Unions of the more establish Century League but a strong debut season that saw them finish 3rd in their circuit helped the Kings outdraw their borough rivals.
Brooklyn finished the season with a 59-31 record, just 5.5 games behind league champion St Louis. The Kings were led by 22 year old righthander Jim Cox, who went 23-7 with a 2.14 era. Cox' only previous experience was coming out of the pen for New York two years prior. His career would be quite successful but very short-lived. Cox would go 23-13 for the Kings the following season and then disappear from the game - never to pitch again.(at least not in the original timeline. Who knows here in the alternate history world of Figment/Mythic Baseball)
The offensive leader was Samuel Higgins, a 25 year old second baseman who started the season in Indianapolis but after one game jumped to the Kings. Higgins would hit .373 and lead the club in rbi's and runs scored. His stay in Brooklyn was also quick as Higgins jumped to St Paul of the Century League the following season.
One player who did get his start that season and remained a King for several years was pitcher Ferdinand Hawkins. Just 19 years old in 1884, Hawkins won 19 games that season while fanning 197 batters. He would spend 9 years in Brooklyn until being waived by the club following the 1892 season. His 191 career victories remain the most all-time in a Kings uniform (Figment Timeline).
Catcher Harvey Reese was a 20 year old rookie in '84. He had a strong debut season for the Kings but would leave for Providence of the Century League. In the other timeline Reese is best known as a Cleveland Forester, where he played for a decade, but Reese did finish his stellar career with 4 seasons in Brooklyn before retiring at the age of 40 after 1827 games and 1872 career big league hits.
1885
The Border Association dropped from 10 teams to 8. The Kings survived but their expansion partners from last year, Indianapolis, did not with Washington also dropping out. For the Kings, it was another solid season as the club finished with a 63-47 record, good enough for fourth place as they sat 14 games behind the champion Cincinnati Monarchs.
Jim Cox (23-13) was solid in what would prove to be the final season of his all too brief Brooklyn career. The number two starter was Frank Maroney (22-14). Maroney had won 14 games in the expansion year but this would be his last season as a King. He jumped to New York the following season and would go on to have a pretty good career, finishing with a 173-127 record. Ferdinand Hawkins, who would elevate to a more prominent role in the seasons to come, was 16-16 as the number 3 starter at age 20.
The offense was pretty much non-existent but the Kings did welcome shortstop Albert Davis to the organization. The 22 year old hit .273 as a rookie to start a long career with the Kings that would see him leave in 1898 as the club's all-time leader in games played.
1886 awaits and I will have a preview of your Mythic Baseball Brooklyn Kings in the next few days.