[Tiger Fan]

THE HOB4 OUR STORY BEGINS
PROLOGUE
1940 - AN UNEASY PEACE AT HOME, TURMOIL ABROAD
To borrow a line from Dickens it really was the best of times and the worst of times for baseball fans. 1940 marked a new era of co-operation between the established major leagues and the rebel Western Baseball Alliance. However, as baseball executives were dousing a firestorm that had ravaged the game over the past decade, it was only a matter of time before events a continent away would challenge not only the well being of the game but, far more importantly, the very fabric of our society.

Britian and Canada had already be drawn into what was quickly becoming the second 'World War" and it was only a matter of time before the United States would join them. Many young American ballplayers had left the playing field for the battlefield twenty-odd years ago during the first Great War and it was clear that many talented young men would again leave the game to join the war effort.

Despite the looming war, executives throughout baseball had to be pleased with the state of the game. Following an 18 year battle that sent salaries spiralling out of control, the Major Leagues and rival Western Alliance had agreed to a truce that would only make both organizations stronger. Before we discuss the details of the truce, perhaps a little background on the Western Alliance should be shared.

The Pacific Coast League always had a strong following in California and it had never been stronger than in 1921. That was the year that a slugger from the east named Babe Ruth stood the game on its ear with a 59 homer season after hitting 54 the year before. Even in California, word was getting out about the Babe's accomplishments and fans everywhere were flocking to the ballpark to see the game. It was Ruth himself, the man who pulled Major League baseball out of the doldrums following the Black Sox scandal of 1919, that can be blamed (or credited) for the birth of the Western Alliance. You see, in the winter of 1921 Ruth and several of his major league teammates made a barnstorming tour of the southwest and California. Fans packed stadiums and that, of course, got the enterprising owners of the Pacific Coast League thinking.

"Why don't we declare ourselves a major league," was the question posed to PCL owners at their annual meeting prior to the 1922 season. Naysayers among them warn of the ill-conceived Federal League but those in the know explain that one of the Federal League's biggest errors was choosing to go head-to-head with the big boys. "Our league," they counter "will focus only on untapped cities and exist primarily west of the Mississippi.

In 1921 the Pacific Coast League had teams based in Oakland, Sacramento, Salt Lake, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Vernon and San Francisco. All except Sacramento and Vernon will join the new Western Baseball Alliance. In addition San Diego, Hollywood and Vancouver will be accepted to the loop.

The Kansas City Blues bolted the American Association to join the new professional alliance. Other larger centres were approached and as a result teams were awarded to Dallas, Houston, Alburquerque, Denver, New Orleans and Phoenix bringing the alliance total to 16 teams.

The 16 clubs would be arranged in 2 leagues:

MOUNTAIN LEAGUE
Alburquerque Arrows
Dallas Texans
Denver Bears
Houston Buffaloes
Kansas City Blues
New Orleans Pelicans
Phoenix Roadrunners
Salt Lake Bees

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE
Hollywood Stars
Los Angeles Angels
Oakland Oaks
Portland Ducks
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Seals
Seattle Rainiers
Vancouver Mounties


The Major League owners would view the Western Alliance as nothing more than a nusiance for nearly a decade. However, by the early 1930's Western Alliance teams began raiding major league rosters. The major league owners, not used to the competition, were now forced to pay their players more money since the Western Alliance refused to acknowledge existing major league contracts. Few big leaguers jumped to the West but many threatened and as a result earned a healthy raise. This battle continued for 8 years and might have continued for another dozen had not 3 things happened.

The first did not directly affect any major league team, but the MLB took it as a slap in the face when 43 year old Babe Ruth came out of retirement to play for the Denver Bears in the 1939 season. The major leagues felt insulted that an icon like Ruth would give the league credibility. Certainly he was not the player he used to be, but the Babe packed them in everywhere he played, and he did manage to belt 12 homeruns.

The second event really left the major league owners fuming. Ted Williams, a future superstar, had agreed to a contract with the Boston Red Sox. The San Diego native was even reportedly on a train bound for Boston when he was intercepted by WBA personnel and when they were done Williams had agreed to play for his hometown San Diego Padres. The Red Sox and the major leagues were incensed. Next, the Yankees suffered a blow when highly touted pitching prospect Marius Russo, a New York native, signed a lucrative deal with Seattle rather than play for the Yankees. These two moves signalled the Major Leagues that the Western Alliance had to be taken seriously, and if they were not careful, the PCL may steal away many other talented young players. The Yankees, worried that San Francisco native Joe Dimaggio would be the next to go, pressured the MLB to open negotiations with the Western clubs.

It was World War II that would actually be the final straw in forcing the leagues to merge. Major League Baseball still did not want to acknowledge the Western clubs as its equal, even with the salaries rising and players bolting. However, the threat of war and the likely financial crisis that would result forced the eastern clubs to the bargaining table. Negotiations began early in 1939 and it wasn't until mid-January of 1940 that a truce was official. Looking back at the agreement it really did not cost the major league's much, other than perhaps a slight loss of face in having to accept the Western clubs as their equal. The Western Alliance gained the recognition, if not the respect, of the original league, but little else. The big winners as it would turn out would be the players.

The Western teams agreed to honour all major league contracts and would only attempt to sign players that had declared their 'free agency'. The free agent system would allow players to play out their option and be free to sign with any professional club associated with the new Major League Baseball Alliance. Player salaries were sure too skyrocket with the open bidding format. The big loser could be small market clubs in centers like Salt Lake City and Albuquerque. In fact, one scribe - Jim Murray of the Los Angeles Times, claims this will signal the death of all but the strongest Western franchises.

Murray sees only 6 to 8 Western Alliance clubs surviving more than a decade under this system. "The other centres are simply too small to compete with Los Angeles or any of the New York clubs for prized free agents. I think free agency may be the end of the game - at least as we know it."


Regardless of Murray's opinion, the Western Alliance owners were all smiles after the agreement was reached. Each of the 4 leagues (American, National, Mountain and Pacific Coast) would continue to operate on their own with a 154 game schedule. At the end of the season the Mountain and PCL champs will play for the Western Alliance title while the American and National League winners will meet for the Major League title. The two winners will then square off in a best-of-7 World Series. In addition, the all-star game will now be in a Major League vs Western Alliance format.

This new plan will commence immediately, beginning with the 1940 season. The first act of co-operation between the two leagues was the inagural amateur draft. In the past the Major League clubs had been allowed to sign whoever the wished (players were assigned to original teams) but beginning with 1940 all rookies will be placed into a draft pool and all 32 teams will take turns, with last years worst record selecting first. There will be some fictional rookies mixed in along with the real life rookies for that particular season.

The Chicago White Sox had the luxury, based on their terrible 1939 showing, of selecting first and they responded by taking California native Tiny Bonham, Bonham, a 27 year old righthander would spend the entire season with the White Sox. San Francisco native Wally Judnich, an outfielder, was selected second by Denver. Rounding out the top 5 were pitcher Jack Hallett from Toledo, who went to Albuquerque; Kentucky native Pee Wee Reese, a shortstop selected by the Philadelphia Athletics and Steve Rachunok, a pitcher from Ohio picked by Brooklyn.


Next up Chapter 1 of our story - THE GREAT BEGINNING