Boston - What a bounce back season! Tommy Bond was finally made "the man" and he won the pitching triple crown. Makes you wonder what Bob Ferguson was thinking at Hartford switching between Bond a Candy Cummings.
Chicago - They started out really slow. Had a good offense, but Spalding no longer pitches and George Bradley ain't no Al Spalding.
St. Louis - Played well against Chicago and Boston, but not anyone else. They had a nice ending stretch, but that was after everything was all settled.
Louisville - Started out really hot, but by July had started to fade and never made it back. (In all the times I've played this season Louisville usually does this. It's kind of creepy knowing what is going to happen after the season)
Hartford - Losing Bond killed this team. The offense was good, but just not good enough.
Cincinnati - Beset by financial woes all season, the team actually disbanded at the end of May. Candy Cummings and new financial backing formed a new team, but not a good one. After the season Hulbert kicked the team out of the league for non-payment of bills. But then they were admitted back in because...
After the season, 4 Louisville players were implicated, and two confessed, to throwing games for gamblers during the season. George Hall was a great batter and Jim Devlin wasn't a bad pitcher, yet both, along with Al Nichols and Bill Craver were banished from the league per the orders of Hulbert and the other owners.
Then there were suggestions the St. Louis team was guilty of the same. Though nothing was found, that team and Louisville folded up shop. Hartford, who actually played in Brooklyn this season, was already walking away. So Hulbert now has a league of Chicago, Boston, and a broke Cincinnati team. The league is on very thin ice at the moment.
