West Coast Baseball League

tarmer · 10-07-2009, 10:20 AM

PREFACE:
I have been kicking several league "dynasties" around for a while, Started some but did not care for the direction they were going.. Most of them have been in historic fashion -

But it is tough coming up with a truly original concept that has not been in some form or fashion allready used by someone, The thought behind this is that sometime in the future this may evolve from a dynasty to an actual league. And we have all tried to figure out how to "backstory" all these leagues to try and come up with a good idea and make it stick

Well I finally did and in order to share it as part of the league premise, In sharing this concept I hope that you will all be kind and not run with the idea for your own leagues but rather enjoy this one instead.

In order to create this league I decided to use the West Coast as the geographic setting for the league it will be set in 1920 (more on this in the backstory) - I have used the Pacific Coast League and the Pacific Coast International League to form the baseball universe - Now there is still baseball elsewhere (as in real life) i am just not focusing on it...We need to acknowledge these leagues as part of the premise.

I have manually filled each of the PCL teams with their actual rosters (except where the player was not in the database - not many) And have filled the PCIL rosters with mostly fictional players since most of their players were not in any database I could find

Now the "difference" in this league is the part that follows...

As I was flipping thru baseball reference for some of the information, I started noticing some things that caught my eye and decided to base this league on those items.. First of all players like Sam Crawford, Tom Hughes, Doc Crandall, Rollie Zieder etc....

All played in this league during this time (not an unknown fact) BUT as I was looking at the players that retired each year I started seeing lists of top notch players to the guys who only managed to play for 1 season retiring as well (some as young as early 20's) So how these league is going to work to maintain it's "historic" value as well as it's different context is that rather than have a draft pool of "historic players" so we get the same players that every other league has,

I will use retired players both older stars as well as 1 season players to use as draft players, This allows me to keep some names in the league (To keep interest) as well as add real players who never get used in other sims since most of them wash out early..

I have also taken some liberty to add players that had been banned from Baseball in order to enhance the backstory..

That in a nutshell is "the difference" - I hope you enjoy...

tarmer · 10-07-2009, 10:23 AM

Backstory:

The Pacific Coast League has been around in some format since the early 1900's, Though it tried to put together a good product, And was mostly recieved as a good league - It was just never seen as "Major League Material".. It came close but nevre quite got there.. This is the story of this league trying to flex it's muscles

The year is 1920, Baseball on the West Coast has gone through a few incarnations with several different leagues coming and going, The PCL, The Northwestern League, The Inter-Mountain League, The Oregon League, The California League and so on most of these leagues by now have either merged or failed.

Currently both the Pacific Coast League as well as the Pacific Coast International League are operating on the West Coast. The Pacific Coast League is the big dog of the two, Still trying to prove it belongs in the Major Leagues has managed over the years to have some good players on their rosters only to have them sold to the Majors after a season or so.

This became frustrating to the league as they felt this talent was nurtured by them and should be able to help them elevate to the next level rather than raid all the talent and keep them a second tier league.

The PCIL on the other hand has also been around a few years with various teams in and out of the league. Though much less recognized and much less talent, They felt they too should get more notarity as a league.. This all changed in 1920

The presidents of both leagues got together late in the 1919 season to discuss pooling their collective resources and as they said "really making a go of it" Between the two of them they covered most of the West Coast whose population was growing (5.5 millon per the 1920 census) this was still a small number compared to say New York who was over 10 million but it was more than a lot of the cities in the East.

With this and the fact that their was no other professional baseball leagues anywhere in the Mountain West or Coast, They figured they had a great market to play to and with "fewer" teams and leagues, They could actually make some real money. And that was the secret, If they could make money, They may be able to keep and possibly lure good talent into the league thereby forcing MLB to take a serious look at them.

By the fall of 1919 both Presidents and league owners had come up with a plan and it had all been approved and was to be en-acted for the 1920 Season - The plan called for there to be interleague play between these teams thereby creating a market for the lesser known PCIL as they would benefit from the better known PCL and for the PCL this would allow them to continue to expand their following into other areas along the coast.

This plan was formally submitted to Major League Baseball as a hope that it would get a interested response, But the hopes of this inital plan were dashed as the President's of both the National League and American League as well as Mountain Landis replied to the leagues "quest"

"We feel that this is a feeble attempt to not only extort money from our highly profitable leagues but also a slap in the face to the game of baseball, Your so called leagues have no business playing with our league, You do not have enough talent to be able to compete on same footing. We do not see the sense in playing baseball in the west as here in the east, This is where the fans are and the money is made.. We will continue to purchase your talent as we see fit, And will do so because we can offer more monetary compensation. So while we applaud your attempt at "joining us" we find you have succeeded in a very humourous letter. So we must at this time deny your request and wish you the best in your endevor"

This single letter solidified the path the West Coast Baseball League was to take. With several well known players on the books, Sam Crawford, Tom Hughes (though older) the league felt they needed to really pick up big names to help draw in a base and fond the castoffs that MLB no longer needed.

So the league formed in December 1919 - They understood (and had for some years) that one of the best ways to keep players is to pay them a little more so they did not have to try and find off-season jobs so the league who had always played close to 200 games (also due to the ability to have longer seasons due to weather) set up a 198 game season in which each league would play themselves as well as each other - At the end of the season the Division champions would meet in the WBL World Series..
So the groundwork was set....

In early January just prior to the start of the season, A windfall came to the League which would change the landscape of MLB..

Mountain Landis had banned for life from baseball the "Chicago 8" which included Joe Jackson, Happy Felsch, Buck Weaver, Ed Ciccotte and the rest as well as a few other players such as Hal Chase, Joe Geden, Eugene Paulette, Benny Kauff, Lee Magee, Heinie Zimmerman, Joe Harris, Ray Fisher and Dickie Kerr..

These players all out of baseball wanted a second chance to continue their playing careers, And since Landis made it clear he had no concern in how the West Coast wanted to handle their affairs - They jumped on the opportunity. Knowing that this may further alienate them from the Major Leagues and possibly draw the wrath of Landis, They decided to take the chance and allow these players to be signed to help the talent level and draw. And since these players were banned from the Majors, They could not be bought and taken away without a formal re-instatement.

Also looking to join the league were some of the players who had just resigned from the Majors, They wanted to see if they could draw just a few more paychecks in a nicer climate. Joe Benz, Red Ames, Gene Packard, Willie Mitchell, Terry Turner, Sherry Magee and a few others. This was exactly the break the league was hoping for.. These names would surely bring credibility and a draw to the league.

These players all got snapped up by teams in the league - This is the story

tarmer · 10-07-2009, 10:28 AM

Senators Ink deal with recently Banned Paulette

Tuesday, January 13th, 1920: Senators Ink Deal with 1B Paulette
Sacramento announced the signing of first baseman Gene Paulette earlier today, ending speculation on who they would acquire to fill the void at that position.

Paulette who was recently banned by Mountain Landis for gambling, joined the West Coast League just recently in hopes his ban could not be enforced away from the Majors and he could continue his career

Paulette will earn $15,970 per year, and will be with the club for 2 years.
In his career Paulette is batting .264 with a total of 1 home run.

Tyke · 10-07-2009, 11:41 AM

Nice start, tarmer - I particularly like the idea of including the likes of the "Black Sox" and it will be great to see how the careers of Shoeless Joe and the others pan out. GUTGW

tarmer · 10-07-2009, 02:42 PM

One of the Black Sox comes to Los Angeles

Wednesday, January 14th, 1920: SP Lefty Williams Agrees to Pact with Los Angeles

Los Angeles officials were grinning from ear to ear as they introduced their latest blockbuster signing to the media earlier today.

Lefty Williams, one of the game's marquee talents, opted for the Angels after receiving a 5-year, $399,400 offer. Where he will join other former MLB stars Sam Crawford and Tom Hughes

Williams one of the eight former White Sox players who was banned for life has joined the West Coast League along with several other players in hopes of continuing his playing career

Thus far in his career, Williams has 76 victories and 58 defeats with a 3.71 ERA. He has limited other teams to a .263 average.

tarmer · 10-07-2009, 07:40 PM

Banned Red OF signs with Seattle Giants

Friday, January 16th, 1920: Seattle Inks Star LF to $256,590 Deal
The Giants and Joe Harris appeared before the Seattle media today as the two sides emerged from marathon contract talks.

Harris another player banned by Mountain Landis along with Jackson, Felsch and others have all fled the Majors in hopes of reviving their baseball careers.

Harris, a left fielder, is poised to make $256,590 over 3 years.
In his career Harris has hit .320 with 570 hits, 23 home runs, 351 RBIs and scored 285 runs.

tarmer · 10-07-2009, 07:46 PM

"Shoeless" Joe joins Rainers

Sunday, January 18th, 1920: Seattle: LF Jackson Coming to Town!
News of an impending deal between Joe Jackson and Seattle became a reality today as both sides agreed to terms on a $401,800 commitment. The 30-year-old left fielder will call Seattle home for at least 4 years.

Jackson the most sought after of the free agents was swayed by the ability to make an immediate impact

Jackson has a lifetime .353 average and .426 on-base percentage in his career with 1966 hits, 367 doubles, 205 triples, 61 home runs, 992 RBIs and 1120 runs scored.

tarmer · 10-07-2009, 07:56 PM

Salt Lake makes a killing

The Salt Lake Bees not wanting to miss out on the opportunity to bring in some star power to their fans made two huge signings this afternoon,

Their first signing was Buck Weaver (one of the Chicago 8)

Monday, January 19th, 1920: Superstar Weaver Signs with Salt Lake
Fans in Salt Lake ushered in Buck Weaver today as their new third baseman. The 29-year-old came to terms with the Bees and will be hauling in $87,420 a year over 4 years.

Over his 1195-game career Weaver has compiled a .265 batting average and collected 1200 hits, 23 home runs and 444 RBIs.

Shortly after this signing, Seattle went back to the well and brought in another superstar

Monday, January 19th, 1920: Bees Announce $312,360 Deal for Kauff
As speculation mounted into the morning, rumors over a final agreement between Benny Kauff and Salt Lake became a reality, with the star opting for a $312,360 deal over 3 years.

Kauff boasts a career batting average of .316 with 1169 hits, 63 homers and 645 RBIs.

Kauff another player banned by Landis (for selling stolen cars) looks to turn his fortune around as well

tarmer · 10-09-2009, 10:00 AM

20 games in the books

tarmer · 10-09-2009, 10:28 AM

Top Batters

tarmer · 10-09-2009, 01:28 PM

Pitching Leaders

10-07-2009, 10:20 AM	#1
tarmer All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2005 Location: Out in Leftfield Posts: 618	West Coast Baseball League PREFACE: I have been kicking several league "dynasties" around for a while, Started some but did not care for the direction they were going.. Most of them have been in historic fashion - But it is tough coming up with a truly original concept that has not been in some form or fashion allready used by someone, The thought behind this is that sometime in the future this may evolve from a dynasty to an actual league. And we have all tried to figure out how to "backstory" all these leagues to try and come up with a good idea and make it stick Well I finally did and in order to share it as part of the league premise, In sharing this concept I hope that you will all be kind and not run with the idea for your own leagues but rather enjoy this one instead. In order to create this league I decided to use the West Coast as the geographic setting for the league it will be set in 1920 (more on this in the backstory) - I have used the Pacific Coast League and the Pacific Coast International League to form the baseball universe - Now there is still baseball elsewhere (as in real life) i am just not focusing on it...We need to acknowledge these leagues as part of the premise. I have manually filled each of the PCL teams with their actual rosters (except where the player was not in the database - not many) And have filled the PCIL rosters with mostly fictional players since most of their players were not in any database I could find Now the "difference" in this league is the part that follows... As I was flipping thru baseball reference for some of the information, I started noticing some things that caught my eye and decided to base this league on those items.. First of all players like Sam Crawford, Tom Hughes, Doc Crandall, Rollie Zieder etc.... All played in this league during this time (not an unknown fact) BUT as I was looking at the players that retired each year I started seeing lists of top notch players to the guys who only managed to play for 1 season retiring as well (some as young as early 20's) So how these league is going to work to maintain it's "historic" value as well as it's different context is that rather than have a draft pool of "historic players" so we get the same players that every other league has, I will use retired players both older stars as well as 1 season players to use as draft players, This allows me to keep some names in the league (To keep interest) as well as add real players who never get used in other sims since most of them wash out early.. I have also taken some liberty to add players that had been banned from Baseball in order to enhance the backstory.. That in a nutshell is "the difference" - I hope you enjoy... __________________

10-07-2009, 10:23 AM	#2
tarmer All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2005 Location: Out in Leftfield Posts: 618	Backstory: The Pacific Coast League has been around in some format since the early 1900's, Though it tried to put together a good product, And was mostly recieved as a good league - It was just never seen as "Major League Material".. It came close but nevre quite got there.. This is the story of this league trying to flex it's muscles The year is 1920, Baseball on the West Coast has gone through a few incarnations with several different leagues coming and going, The PCL, The Northwestern League, The Inter-Mountain League, The Oregon League, The California League and so on most of these leagues by now have either merged or failed. Currently both the Pacific Coast League as well as the Pacific Coast International League are operating on the West Coast. The Pacific Coast League is the big dog of the two, Still trying to prove it belongs in the Major Leagues has managed over the years to have some good players on their rosters only to have them sold to the Majors after a season or so. This became frustrating to the league as they felt this talent was nurtured by them and should be able to help them elevate to the next level rather than raid all the talent and keep them a second tier league. The PCIL on the other hand has also been around a few years with various teams in and out of the league. Though much less recognized and much less talent, They felt they too should get more notarity as a league.. This all changed in 1920 The presidents of both leagues got together late in the 1919 season to discuss pooling their collective resources and as they said "really making a go of it" Between the two of them they covered most of the West Coast whose population was growing (5.5 millon per the 1920 census) this was still a small number compared to say New York who was over 10 million but it was more than a lot of the cities in the East. With this and the fact that their was no other professional baseball leagues anywhere in the Mountain West or Coast, They figured they had a great market to play to and with "fewer" teams and leagues, They could actually make some real money. And that was the secret, If they could make money, They may be able to keep and possibly lure good talent into the league thereby forcing MLB to take a serious look at them. By the fall of 1919 both Presidents and league owners had come up with a plan and it had all been approved and was to be en-acted for the 1920 Season - The plan called for there to be interleague play between these teams thereby creating a market for the lesser known PCIL as they would benefit from the better known PCL and for the PCL this would allow them to continue to expand their following into other areas along the coast. This plan was formally submitted to Major League Baseball as a hope that it would get a interested response, But the hopes of this inital plan were dashed as the President's of both the National League and American League as well as Mountain Landis replied to the leagues "quest" "We feel that this is a feeble attempt to not only extort money from our highly profitable leagues but also a slap in the face to the game of baseball, Your so called leagues have no business playing with our league, You do not have enough talent to be able to compete on same footing. We do not see the sense in playing baseball in the west as here in the east, This is where the fans are and the money is made.. We will continue to purchase your talent as we see fit, And will do so because we can offer more monetary compensation. So while we applaud your attempt at "joining us" we find you have succeeded in a very humourous letter. So we must at this time deny your request and wish you the best in your endevor" This single letter solidified the path the West Coast Baseball League was to take. With several well known players on the books, Sam Crawford, Tom Hughes (though older) the league felt they needed to really pick up big names to help draw in a base and fond the castoffs that MLB no longer needed. So the league formed in December 1919 - They understood (and had for some years) that one of the best ways to keep players is to pay them a little more so they did not have to try and find off-season jobs so the league who had always played close to 200 games (also due to the ability to have longer seasons due to weather) set up a 198 game season in which each league would play themselves as well as each other - At the end of the season the Division champions would meet in the WBL World Series.. So the groundwork was set.... In early January just prior to the start of the season, A windfall came to the League which would change the landscape of MLB.. Mountain Landis had banned for life from baseball the "Chicago 8" which included Joe Jackson, Happy Felsch, Buck Weaver, Ed Ciccotte and the rest as well as a few other players such as Hal Chase, Joe Geden, Eugene Paulette, Benny Kauff, Lee Magee, Heinie Zimmerman, Joe Harris, Ray Fisher and Dickie Kerr.. These players all out of baseball wanted a second chance to continue their playing careers, And since Landis made it clear he had no concern in how the West Coast wanted to handle their affairs - They jumped on the opportunity. Knowing that this may further alienate them from the Major Leagues and possibly draw the wrath of Landis, They decided to take the chance and allow these players to be signed to help the talent level and draw. And since these players were banned from the Majors, They could not be bought and taken away without a formal re-instatement. Also looking to join the league were some of the players who had just resigned from the Majors, They wanted to see if they could draw just a few more paychecks in a nicer climate. Joe Benz, Red Ames, Gene Packard, Willie Mitchell, Terry Turner, Sherry Magee and a few others. This was exactly the break the league was hoping for.. These names would surely bring credibility and a draw to the league. These players all got snapped up by teams in the league - This is the story __________________ Last edited by tarmer; 10-07-2009 at 10:29 AM.

10-07-2009, 10:28 AM	#3
tarmer All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2005 Location: Out in Leftfield Posts: 618	Senators Ink deal with recently Banned Paulette Tuesday, January 13th, 1920: Senators Ink Deal with 1B Paulette Sacramento announced the signing of first baseman Gene Paulette earlier today, ending speculation on who they would acquire to fill the void at that position. Paulette who was recently banned by Mountain Landis for gambling, joined the West Coast League just recently in hopes his ban could not be enforced away from the Majors and he could continue his career Paulette will earn $15,970 per year, and will be with the club for 2 years. In his career Paulette is batting .264 with a total of 1 home run. __________________ Last edited by tarmer; 10-07-2009 at 10:40 AM.

10-07-2009, 02:42 PM	#5
tarmer All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2005 Location: Out in Leftfield Posts: 618	One of the Black Sox comes to Los Angeles Wednesday, January 14th, 1920: SP Lefty Williams Agrees to Pact with Los Angeles Los Angeles officials were grinning from ear to ear as they introduced their latest blockbuster signing to the media earlier today. Lefty Williams, one of the game's marquee talents, opted for the Angels after receiving a 5-year, $399,400 offer. Where he will join other former MLB stars Sam Crawford and Tom Hughes Williams one of the eight former White Sox players who was banned for life has joined the West Coast League along with several other players in hopes of continuing his playing career Thus far in his career, Williams has 76 victories and 58 defeats with a 3.71 ERA. He has limited other teams to a .263 average. __________________

10-07-2009, 07:40 PM	#6
tarmer All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2005 Location: Out in Leftfield Posts: 618	Banned Red OF signs with Seattle Giants Friday, January 16th, 1920: Seattle Inks Star LF to $256,590 Deal The Giants and Joe Harris appeared before the Seattle media today as the two sides emerged from marathon contract talks. Harris another player banned by Mountain Landis along with Jackson, Felsch and others have all fled the Majors in hopes of reviving their baseball careers. Harris, a left fielder, is poised to make $256,590 over 3 years. In his career Harris has hit .320 with 570 hits, 23 home runs, 351 RBIs and scored 285 runs. __________________ Last edited by tarmer; 10-07-2009 at 07:41 PM.

10-07-2009, 11:41 AM	#4
Tyke All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, U.K. Posts: 1,138	Nice start, tarmer - I particularly like the idea of including the likes of the "Black Sox" and it will be great to see how the careers of Shoeless Joe and the others pan out. GUTGW

10-07-2009, 07:46 PM	#7
tarmer All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2005 Location: Out in Leftfield Posts: 618	"Shoeless" Joe joins Rainers Sunday, January 18th, 1920: Seattle: LF Jackson Coming to Town! News of an impending deal between Joe Jackson and Seattle became a reality today as both sides agreed to terms on a $401,800 commitment. The 30-year-old left fielder will call Seattle home for at least 4 years. Jackson the most sought after of the free agents was swayed by the ability to make an immediate impact Jackson has a lifetime .353 average and .426 on-base percentage in his career with 1966 hits, 367 doubles, 205 triples, 61 home runs, 992 RBIs and 1120 runs scored. __________________

10-07-2009, 07:56 PM	#8
tarmer All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2005 Location: Out in Leftfield Posts: 618	Salt Lake makes a killing The Salt Lake Bees not wanting to miss out on the opportunity to bring in some star power to their fans made two huge signings this afternoon, Their first signing was Buck Weaver (one of the Chicago 8) Monday, January 19th, 1920: Superstar Weaver Signs with Salt Lake Fans in Salt Lake ushered in Buck Weaver today as their new third baseman. The 29-year-old came to terms with the Bees and will be hauling in $87,420 a year over 4 years. Over his 1195-game career Weaver has compiled a .265 batting average and collected 1200 hits, 23 home runs and 444 RBIs. Shortly after this signing, Seattle went back to the well and brought in another superstar Monday, January 19th, 1920: Bees Announce $312,360 Deal for Kauff As speculation mounted into the morning, rumors over a final agreement between Benny Kauff and Salt Lake became a reality, with the star opting for a $312,360 deal over 3 years. Kauff boasts a career batting average of .316 with 1169 hits, 63 homers and 645 RBIs. Kauff another player banned by Landis (for selling stolen cars) looks to turn his fortune around as well __________________

10-09-2009, 10:00 AM	#9
tarmer All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2005 Location: Out in Leftfield Posts: 618	20 games in the books Attached Images __________________ Last edited by tarmer; 10-09-2009 at 04:42 PM.

10-09-2009, 10:28 AM	#10
tarmer All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2005 Location: Out in Leftfield Posts: 618	Top Batters Attached Images Last edited by tarmer; 10-09-2009 at 04:44 PM.

10-09-2009, 01:28 PM	#11
tarmer All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2005 Location: Out in Leftfield Posts: 618	Pitching Leaders Attached Images __________________ Last edited by tarmer; 10-09-2009 at 04:48 PM.