Mr. October, Carlton Fisk, others announce RMLB

[attackemu]

Feb. 21, 1994

A group of former and current players announced today that, in the wake of the impending baseball strike, a replacement Major League Baseball(RMLB) will be created. Rather than a single comissioner, the founding players will serve as a board for making all decisions regarding the league.
The group is comprised of legendary baseball star Reggie Jackson, who's masterplan the league was. As talks of a player strike loomed, Jackson contacted a number of people to develop interest in the new league. Some current players, such as Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken declined involvement, citing the peak of their careers just around the corner. Some of the people Jackson contacted thought the idea of new league seemed silly but the call was answered by five players.
Two-time MVP and recent retiree Dale Murphy was the first to come on board. He was followed by fellow recent retirees Nolan Ryan, Robin Yount and Carlton Fisk. Current baseball player Ozzie Smith, retiring in order to free himself of his Player's Union obligations, also joined the fray.
"I just wasn't interested in the idea of a strike at this point," said Smith, "I want to stay involved in baseball and Mr. Jackson's new league is an incredible way for me to do that."
Jackson said 30 cities were in negotiations for the league, which will include 24 teams. He would not comment on which cities were in the running, but he said a number of current MLB cities were involved as well as a number of non-MLB cities.
A report on the details of the league, as well as a list of cities granted teams, should be available soon.

[attackemu]

Feb. 26, 1994
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
RMLB

The cities for the new Replacement Major League Baseball have been announced!

The league will be divided, similarly to Major League Baseball, into two leagues, each with an eastern and western division. The leagues will be the Northern League and the Southern League.

Here's the complete list, by division, for the first year of the RMLB.

*s denote current MLB cities


NL WEST
Denver Trappers*
Minnesota(St. Paul) Wolves
Portland Lookouts
Sacramento Pilots
Salt Lake City Sabercats
Seattle Emeralds*

NL EAST
Boston Americans*
Buffalo Cougars
Hartford Admirals
New York City Skyliners*
Philadelphia Panthers*
Washington Nationals

SL WEST
Albuquerque Aeros
Las Vegas Express
Los Angeles Dragons*
Oklahoma(Oklahoma City) Chiefs
San Francisco Black Knights*
Tucson Blaze

SL EAST
Austin Stars
Little Rock Bandits
Louisville Legends
Memphis Scouts
New Orleans Barons
Richmond Rebels


The six cities that did not make the cut were Albany, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Detroit, Santa Fe and Phoenix.


The official details, such as designated hitter rule and pool from which players may be selected, are being determined by the board now. Information will be released as it comes.

[attackemu]

March 16, 1994
Official Details for RMLB



Players
Because of complete lack of interest from current major league baseball players(Of the interest survey of every player in the league, only Ozzie Smith showed interest in the league), the pool from which the RMLB teams will be chosen is players all over the world who are not at any level in the MLB. Any level is acceptable and the minimum age for players is 16. 16 and 17 year-olds require work permits for their jobs. Opening day is April 1st, and teams have until then to set their line-ups.

Minor Leagues
The minor league system of the RMLB will work similarly to the system currently in place in the Major Leagues. The most notable difference is an absence of Rookie Leagues and multiple teams at one level. Each team will have one team at the A level, one at the AA level and one at the AAA level.

Playoffs
The top two teams in each division will make the playoffs. The first round, the wild-card round, will be a 5 game series, as will the League Championship Series. The championship series will be a 7 game series. The winner will be awarded the Jackson Cup.

Financial Rules
Every player in the league will make a base fee of $300,000. Major League Baseball's rules of auto resigning and arbitration will go into effect, so performance-based salaries will be awarded to players by an arbitrator in 1997. Free agency will begin after the 1999 season. At that point, a 90,000,000 salary cap will be put into effect

Ballparks
One of the stark differences between RMLB and MLB will be a regulation ballpark. The RMLB will be building identical stadiums(with the only differences being the sponsor and team logos) in each of the 24 cities. The parks will seat 53,400 and have retractable roofs, so that teams in colder cities such as St. Paul and Buffalo can essentially play in a dome and teams in warmer cities can play outdoors. The dimensions of the RMLB Standard Parks are as follows:
WALL DISTANCE
Lines: 330
Leftfield/Rightfield: 350
Left-Center/Right-Center: 375
Center: 400

Wall Heights will be 9 ft. all the way round.


Designated hitter
The RMLB will not use a designated hitter

Award Names
The award for the most outstanding batter will be the Dale Murphy Award

The award for the most outstanding pitcher will be the Nolan Ryan Award

The award for the most outstanding newcomer will be Rookie of the Year

The award for the best fielder at each position will be the Ozzie Smith Award

[Mikekem]

Good luck, I kind of like the idea of making every stadium having the same dimensions. Can't wait to see how it all unfolds. Being an east coast guy, I'm throwing my full support behind the Richmond Rebels. When do tickets go on sale?

[Enkiel]

not even a single canadian city...

[attackemu]

Mar. 29, 1994

In regards to recent criticisms regarding the lack of Canadian cities in the RMLB, we felt that the level of interest in Canada for baseball was too low to warrant any originial teams there.
There is a possibility the league will expand after the 2004 season, at which time Canada will certainly be considered.

[attackemu]

ROSTERS SET, PLAY BEGINS

April 1, 1994
The RMLB is officially underway today with 12 games scheduled!
Having never seen any of the players in the league in action, we're not sure what to expect. We're geared up now for an exciting 1994 season!
In order to create some buzz, we have come up with a "Players to Watch" list, a compilation of the players we feel are going to be the most exciting this season.
The list is broken down to include ten hitters to watch and ten pitchers.




Players To Watch

POSITION PLAYERS
1.) Pedro "Pumpkin" Gula, 1B, New York City Skyliners
2.) Mark Philbrick, 1B, Oklahoma Chiefs
3.) Walt Greenstret, LF, Philadelphia Panthers
4.) Glen Cannon, 1B, Philadelphia Panthers
5.) Raul Sanchez, SS, Richmond Rebels
6.) Ferdinand Botello, CF, San Francisco Black Knights
7.) John Geter, 1B, Salt Lake City Sabercats
8.) Manuel Espinoza, CF, Denver Trappers
9.) Michael Oliva, SS, Oklahoma Chiefs
10.) Mario Leon, 1B, Tucson Blaze

PITCHERS
1.) Hernando Arciniega, SP, Tucson Blaze
2.) David Nova, SP, Sacramento Pilots
3.) Sukegorou Kyuso, SP, New Orleans Barons
4.) Jack Olson, CL, Denver Trappers
5.) David Toshiaki, SP, Albuquerque Aeros
6.) Jeffery Bevis, SP, Albuquerque Aeros
7.) Simon Plaza, SP, Denver Trappers
8.) Norris Sosabowski, SP, Richmond Rebels
9.) Tristan Terry, SP, Little Rock Bandits
10.) Orlando Ramirez, SP, Louisville Legends


We look forward to an exciting year of RMLB Baseball!

[Vris]

Very interesting notion. I love the no designated hitter rule. Very turbulent times in 1994. I still hate the fact that they went on strike on August 12, 1994: my eleventh birthday. Back then I felt responsible. But it was okay as the Braves would've missed the playoffs, and as far as I've been a baseball fan I've never not seen Atlanta in October. It's music to my ears.

WAIT A MINUTE...YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE A FRANCHISE IN ATLANTA!!

Oh well. Gotta root for the next best thing: Go Americans!

[Dvdmanny]

Count my vote for a Canadian city in a hopeful expansion bid for 2004. Perhpas if we drum up enough support the RMBL will provide us with a franchise sooner than that. Until that great occurs I'll put my support behind the City of Sin, Las Vegas. Go Express!!!!

[Kelric]

Originally posted by Vris

Oh well. Gotta root for the.....best thing: Go Americans!

Damn right, go Boston.

[Vris]

damn straight....GO PATRIOTS!!!!!

[attackemu]

December 15, 1994


The first year of the RMLB has officially wrapped up! It was an exciting first year for the league, and plenty of incredible things happened. First of all, the general information for the season:

STANDINGS

NL WEST
Denver 89-73
Sacramento 89-73
Salt Lake City 86-76
Seattle 84-78
Minnesota 83-79
Portland 73-89

NL EAST
Washington 94-68
Philadelphia 86-76
Hartford 79-83
Buffalo 75-87
New York City 68-94
Boston 66-96

SL WEST
Tucson 94-68
Oklahoma 89-73
Los Angeles 87-75
Albuquerque 86-76
Las Vegas 77-85
San Francisco 68-94

SL EAST
Louisville 86-76
New Orleans 86-76
Little Rock 82-80
Richmond 75-87
Memphis 72-90
Austin 70-92


PLAYOFFS
Wild-Card Series

Philadelphia defeats Washington 3-2
Denver defeats Sacramento 3-1
Louisville defeats Tucson 3-1
Oklahoma defeats New Orleans 3-2

LCS

Philadelphia defeats Denver 3-0
Louisville defeats Oklahoma 3-0

JACKSON CUP
Philadelphia defeats Louisville 3-1

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FIRST JACKSON CUP WINNERS!
THE PHILADELPHIA PANTHERS!!!


INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENTS

League Leaders
BA: Glen Cannon, Philadelphia, .362
HR: Mark Philbrick, Oklahoma, 66
RBI: Mark Philbrick, Oklahoma, 145
ERA: Jeffery Bevis, Hartford, 3.22
K: Sukegorou Kyuso, New Orleans, 205

Awards
Dale Murphy Award
NL: Pedro Gula, NYC, .333/49/137/1.173OPS
SL: Mark Philbrick, OKL, .262/66/145/1.001OPS

Nolan Ryan Award
NL: Bernard Cyriaks, SAC, 18-8/3.26/169Ks
SL: Lucio Reno, LR, 19-11/4.13/189


Needless to say, the first year of the RMLB was very much hitter dominated! We're proud to say that in our first year, we had a player break Roger Maris' single-season homerun record in the MLB by 5!!!


There have been some vocal supporters of the Richmond Rebels, Boston Americans and Las Vegas Express so we will be providing a bit deeper of an analysis for those three teams.


BOSTON

The Americans struggled in their first year. Though they were a tough hitting team, their .278 average was 6th in the RMLB, they never seemed to capitalize on opportunities as their 826 runs scored was only 18th. They had a team ERA of 5.87, the worst in the league, and this is what gave them the worst record.
Only one member of the team, 1B Jere Mulhall was named to the all-star team in June.
Mulhall was a huge bright spot for the Americans, hitting .326 with 37 homeruns and 129 RBI and making a strong run at the Dale Murphy Award. He is beginning to gather a large following in Boston. The other major offensive force for the team was 3B Fred Didden, who hit .308 with 22 homeruns and 100 RBI.
The strongest pitcher for the team, which is somewhat of a dubious honor, was Manny Fabregas who posted a 13-5 record with a comparitavely strong 4.54 ERA. Bob Fallon did good work out of the bullpen, maintaining a 1.91 ERA throughout the year.

LAS VEGAS
The Express has a promising, but ultimately disappointing year. They had the eigth best batting average in the league, but like Boston, they failed to execute. Their runs scored(844) placed 13th in the league. Las Vegas also stuggled with pitching as their staff posted a 5.07 ERA over the year.
LF Milton Ball was Sin City's sole representative at the all-star game in 1994, but he slowed down in the second half. He still finished with relatively strong numbers of .282 with 34 homeruns and 112 RBI. His neighbor in the field, CF John Desverneys had a good year as well, hitting .296 with 29 Homeruns, 107 RBI and 20 stolen bases.
Though he was second in the rotation, Cristian Barbera was the finest pitcher on the team. He posted a 15-6 record with a 4.12 era, easily the lowest of the staff.

RICHMOND
The Rebels suffered from great mediocrity all year. With the exception of Batting Average(22nd) and Homeruns(9th), Richmond finished between 11-18th place in every major statistical category, both hitting and pitching.
The all-star game had four representative from Richmond, pitchers Alfonso Valazquez(SP) and Romeo Galicia(CL), catcher John Heideman and shortstop Raul Sanchez.
Sanchez is the biggest star in Richmond, having knocked out 50 homeruns and come through with 130 RBI albeit posting a modest .256 average.
Valazquez had an excellent season, going 18-15 with a 3.80 ERA. Galicia was destroyed after the all-star game, ultimately posting a 1-11 record, 4.81ERA and only 28 saves.


As the offseason approaches, a number of much buzzed about young stars are directing their attention to the RMLB rather than the MLB, mostly thanks to the opportunity for immediate stardom. Future prospects Jason Giambi, Derek Jeter and John Wasdin, as well as major Japanese star Hideo Nomo have already comitted themselves to the RMLB draft rather than entrance into the MLB and more are expected to join.

What a fantastic year!

[Dvdmanny]

Hopefully my express can pick up some good FA's and draft a good pitcher that will lead us to the promise land. Hopefully a few teams will continue to tank and the fans will stop going allowing a relocation to the Great White North.

[Vris]

There's definitely a good base up in Boston, they just need some starting pitching.....5.87 is unacceptable

[Dvdmanny]

I will also be keeping tabs on the Boston Americans as my beloved Red Sox await next year.

[attackemu]

OFF-SEASON

The RMLB's off-season was relatively inactive. Free agency is not yet a part of the league and no trades were made.

The lack of player movement, though, made the draft even more exciting!

Here is the first round of the draft along with some other notable picks.

ROUND ONE

1.) Boston : RF Brian Giles
2.) San Francisco: 3B Jason Giambi
3.) New York City: P Mariano Rivera
4.) Austin: C Mike Sweeney
5.) Memphis: P Ugueth Urbina
6.) Portland: SS Derek Jeter
7.) Buffalo: P Juan Acevedo
8.) Richmond: P Jason Isringhausen
9.) Las Vegas: RF Mike Cameron
10.) Hartford: C Jorge Posada
11.) Little Rock: P Jamie Brewington
12.) Minnesota: RF Bobby Higginson
13.) Seattle: P John Wasdin
14.) Philadelphia: CF Shannon Stewart
15.) Salt Lake City: P Brian Boehringer
16.) New Orleans: P Hideo Nomo
17.) Louisville: P Felipe Lira
18.) Albuquerque: 3B Edgardo Alfonzo
19.) Los Angeles: P Brian Keyser
20.) Sacramento: P Shawn Estes
21.) Denver: 2B Quilvio Veras
22.) Oklahoma: P Donne Wall
23.) Tucson: 2B Ray Durham
24.) Washington: P Joe Roa

OTHER NOTABLE PICKS
Andy Pettitte: New York, 2nd round
Billy Wagner: Memphis, 2nd round
Esteban Loaiza: Portland, 2nd round
Brad Radke: Richmond, 2nd round
Rich Aurilia: Washington, 2nd round
Johnny Damon: Las Vegas, 3rd round
Joe Borowski: Sacramento, 4th round
Mark Grudzielanek: Little Rock, 5th round
Jason Schmidt: Denver, 6th round
Karim Garcia: Las Vegas, 10th round


PICKS FOR BOSTON, LAS VEGAS and RICHMOND

Boston
1. RF Brian Giles
2. CF Matt Lawton
3. P James Baldwin
4. P Gary Wilson
5. P Ariel Prieto
6. 3B Shane Andrews
7. C George Williams
8. P Ron Villone
9. P Jim Bruske
10. P Jim Dedrick

Las Vegas
1. RF Mike Cameron
2. CF Todd Hollandsworth
3. CF Johnny Damon
4. 2B Matt Franco
5. P Sid Roberson
6. CF Jose Herrera
7. P Tavo Alvarez
8. P Roberto Rivera
9. LF Freddy Garcia
10. RF Karim Garcia

Richmond
1. P Jason Isringhausen
2. P Brad Radke
3. C Gregg Zaun
4. 3B Eric Owens
5. P Rick Huisman
6. P Doug Bochtler
7. P Tom Thobe
8. 1B Tim Unroe
9. LF Ozzie Timmons
10. 2B Edgar Caceres


The very exciting year of 1995 is now underway!

[Vris]

Didn't address the pitching until the 3rd Round. Brian Giles is a good bat, but they need help on the mound. Could've chosen anyone else. Is Dan Duquette still GMing?