[Hendu Style]

The records will show the Freeport Foxes won the inaugural season in the Colonial League in 1871. Led be a 3-man rotation that posted the three lowest ERA's in baseball, the Foxes finished the 60-game campaign with a 38-22 mark, with Maxis City (31-29) finishing as runner-up.

#1 draft pick J.W. Matthews was crowned as the league's first-ever batting champ, hitting .342 for the season. But in a cost-cutting measure, the Black Sox infamously dealt Matthews to the Mules mid-season for four players, only one of which ever reached the big leagues. Matthews would go on to win the first of three straight batting titles that year, and claimed the league MVP award in 1877. He retired after the 1885 season as the game's all-time leader in games played (1445), doubles (245), and RBI (1017). His 1901 hits ranked 2nd on the career list. Perhaps most importantly, Matthews won 10 league titles in Maxis City from 1871 to 1885, while Irontown earned just one title in that span.

There was no championship series to decide the league champ during this era. Owners felt that any playoffs would diminish the importance of the regular season. Besides, the teams didn't actually own the stadiums they were playing in. The individual leases were up by July each year, so the baseball teams had to make room for football during the fall. This was baseball's first clash with any other sport, and baseball was losing.

Ticket prices for games in the 1870's fetched less than 20 cents. Player salaries for an entire season topped out at a mere 400 Simoleons. In short, baseball was not a good way to make a living in the 19th century. These underpaid athletes would end up paving the way for future generations of millionaires.

You must understand, though, that times were tough for not only the players, but also the fans. With a World War being waged overseas, trade was cut off to the Colonies. Irontown, for example, was forced to cease all commercial production of steel, instead laboring to feed the growing appetite of the England war machine. Those steel workers' only outlet was the occasional day off, and they would often spend that day off pouring into Exposition Stadium to watch the beloved Black Sox play.

Maxis City outfielder Doogie Rogers became a crowd favorite in the league's infancy. His hard-nosed approach on the baseball field earned him the nickname "Doogie Hustle," and he would go on to win the league MVP award in 1876 (.353 average, 114 runs scored in 113 games). His 28-game hitting streak that season was the second-longest in league history, but he was never the same after breaking his foot while sliding into third base the following season. He retired two years later.

Meanwhile, Freeport ace Jimmy Jordan had become the game's most dominant pitcher, armed with a blazing fastball and a devastating slider. At the time of his retirement in 1880, Jordan owned 10 career pitching records, including wins (139), strikeouts (1322), and complete games (173).

The Colonial League had its first superstars. Baseball was on the rise.