[Rocketdawg2016]

1881

Ahh, the 1880's. The bustling economies of the various Eastern Seaboard cities, the rapidly expanding Midwest, and of course, baseball. Life was good if you were following the NOBB along, as league popularity continued to skyrocket with each passing season, and now fans had even more things to be excited about...

The Midwest Baseball Association, a collective of about eight semi-professional baseball "teams," as one could call them, announced they would formally become a professional league. Headquarted in the rapidly growing city of Cleveland, Ohio, the newly-minted league would compete technically as an independent to the National Assocation of Base Ball, but players from either league could be signed to each respective league, which, in the early days of the NOBB, was a longstanding policy league executives had set up AGAINST amateur clubs poaching star players from their teams. An 1876 owners meeting changed that rule with the formation of the Cuban Professional League, but even with four years of the CPL running, not many Cuban-born players had cracked into the majors yet. The Midwest Baseball Assocation was surprisingly met with overwhelming praise, as fans across the East and new fans in the West were even clamoring for more teams closer to their respective cities. Expansion was still on the minds of everybody, and the MBA brought the prospects of a Nationwide baseball league into its earliest stages throughout the coming years.

Diving into the Midwest Baseball Association a biiiiit more, league officials, which included the son of one of the founders of the NOBB, brought forth the idea for a Midwest baseball league in talks with senior NOBB officials after the Winter meetings in 1877. Fast forward to 1880, the league was a formality, and news of the league broke headlines across the United States. The league would run seasonally similar to the NOBB. It would start on April 1st every year, with a 112-game season between April and late July, with a postseason played in August. In a similar fashion to the NOBB, the playoffs consisted of a single division winner and one wildcard team from each division, with a wildcard best-of-five game series and a championship series, also a best-of-five. Although initially skeptical, NOBB officials welcomed the new league as an official "partner" league, despite the MBA initially disagreeing to be tied to a parent league. That set the MBA to be classified as an "Independent" league, even though the two leagues were technically working together.

The 1881 season in the NOBB was surprisingly uncompetitive down the stretch for most of the year. In the Colonial League, Hartford bounced back from a couple down years (by their standards, still making the playoffs) to re-claim the division, winning it 10 games over the next best team. In the wildcard race, it was Providence who also made a return to the playoffs. Capturing the wildcard in a safe race between them and Newport, who finished under .500 for the first time since their 65-win campaign just three seasons ago.

The Atlantic League saw little parity this season also, as New York easily coasted to a division title at 82-54. The wildcard race was slightly more competitive down the stretch, as Brooklyn and Philadelphia battled it out, but it was the Watchmen who returned to the playoffs and knocked out the defending champions. The stage was set for the 1881 playoffs, as both of last years National Championship teams missed out on playoff berth, which in the eyes of some allowed for new faces to get their chances in the spotlight.



In the wildcard round of the playoffs, both series were uneventful, as the division winners clearly flexed their muscles and showed exactly why they won the division, both New York and Hartford swept their playoff series 3-0, advancing to the National Championship to face each other for the second time in league history. In 1877, it was Hartford and New York who played a grueling five game series in the title series, and it was once again Hartford who prevailed this year, albeit with a much less competitive New York team. The Angels swept the Battalion in 3 games, capturing their second trophy in franchise history. 3rd basemen Eric Eaton, just 23 years old two weeks earlier, gets the best late birthday present and wins MVP honors for the series. Eaton slashed .417 with 5 hits and 2 runs batted in, including an .833 slugging percentage. A brutal stretch for New York as they advanced to their sixth National Championship in eight seasons, but were yet again dispatched by a Colonial League opponent. Their championship winning 1876 season still stands as the only championship they have won, despite having the second most appearance behind Manchester.



Season Awards
CL Most Valuable Player: CF Stephen Bolm, Boston Rebels - .330 AVG|37 2B|15 3B|7 HR|69 RBI|162 H|
AL Most Valuable Player: 1B Jack Adamitis, New York Battalion - .373 AVG|186 H|32 2B|12 3B|6 HR|97 RBI|

CL Pitcher of the Year: Bobby Stoetzel, Newport Midshipmen - 22-15|1.53 ERA|198 K|347 IP|
AL Pitcher of the Year: Eddie Rivas, Pittsburgh Iron Camels - 28-16|398 IP|184 K|2.56 ERA|

The youth movement in the NOBB is incredibly prevalent, as all of the major award winners are 26 or younger, with three of them being 24. Appears the league will be in good hands as we head toward the 20th Century.

Cuban Professional League: Trinidad Steamrollers defeat the Matanzas Blazers 3-0 (second championship)

In in the inaugural season of the Midwest Baseball Association, it was the Chicago Fire and Louisville Aviators on top of their respective divisions, with the Cleveland Indians and St. Louis Red Stockings capturing the wildcard. Both matchups went the full five games, setting up the first ever Championship between the Red Stockings and Aviators. Much like the wildcard round, the championship also went a full five games, and St. Louis dispatched Louisville to win their first championship in franchise history.

In the first season of competition, the MBA set numerous league records when compared to the NOBB. While many people consider the NOBB an elite level of the game, there were plenty of fans that thought the MBA was a better league in terms of competition. In just one season, the MBA had more home runs hit than in the entire history of the NOBB. The fans loved the electric pacing of the games and the higher levels of scoring. A huge hit for fans of both and certainly a positive as baseball continues its rise across the country.



Red Stockings ace Craig Winkleman won the Pitcher of the Year Award, putting up a 22-15 record and a 1.51 ERA. He struck out 232 batters he faced this season and allowed his opponents to only hit a .193 batting average against him, the best part? He's 19! Craig could possibly be a hot draw in the NOBB if teams are to pursue him, which is now allowed.

On the offensive side of things, it was Akron's 1B Danny Powers that bagged this seasons MVP Award. Powers hit .339 this season, which included a .409 on-base percentage. His 12 home runs, 38 RBI's and 66 runs scored solidified himself as the MVP front runner, and he takes it home in year one.