The Third Major League - a fictional history of the Federal League

[Tiger Fan]

MONDAY APRIL 4, 1921
FEDERAL LEAGUE SEASON GETS UNDERWAY

The three time defending Federal League champion Brooklyn Tip-Tops got off to the start you would expect with a convincing 9-0 drubbing of the Columbus Buckeyes in the regular season opener. Bullet Joe Bush tossed a 5-hit complete game shutout while Jack Hannibal hit 3 doubles and drove in 3 runs to lead the Tip-Tops.

In other action the Chicago Whales, who made plenty of waves by sweeping the spring Chicago Cup event, pulled out a 5-3 victory in 11 innings over Baltimore. Rookie Frank Parkinson, the MVP of the Cup tournament, had 3 hits while ex-Pittsburgh Pirate Mike Prendegast pitched 10 innings for the victory.

Catcher Patsy Gharrity drove in two runs to help Pittsburgh win it's home opener, 3-2 over Kansas City. Meanwhile in Indianapolis Bob Groom went the distance, pitching visiting St Louis past the Indians 4-1.

The St Louis Terriers topped the spring training standings with a league best 20-10 mark, followed by Philadelphia (19-11) and Brooklyn (18-12). The Chicago Whales were just 18-13 overall but just 12-13 in games against Federal League opponents. The Whales went 6-0 in the Chicago Cup challenge series with the White Sox and Cubs from MLB and the Negro National League's Chicago American Giants.

The pre-season predictions favour a St Louis title but in my opinion the Tip-Tops are far too strong and could enjoy another double-digit lead at the end of the season.

[Tiger Fan]

WEDNESDAY APRIL 13, 1921
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL OPENING DAY!

The 1921 Major League season is about to beginning and there are many indications it could be a historic one - and not just for what happens on the field. The preseason predictions call for a couple of record setting performances by National League stars as well as some exciting pennant races.

It is widely expected that new Cincinnati Reds slugger Babe Ruth will break his own record for home runs in a season. Ruth, who was let go by Pittsburgh in a cost-cutting move after the Pirates won the World Series in October, hit 30 homers last season after smashing a record setting 38 round-trippers in 1919. While Redland Field is not considered to be as homer friendly as Pittsburgh's Forbes Field most expect the now 26 year old Ruth to surpass the 40 homerun mark.

Meanwhile, Rogers Hornsby of the St Louis Cardinals came close to a triple crown a year ago but was denied because of Ruth's homerun total. Hornsby did bat .417, which was the third highest average of all-time and second only to Ty Cobb's .426 in 1918 for the modern record. Pre-season predictions feel Hornsby will smash that mark this season.

Despite unloading Ruth and other stars the Pittsburgh Pirates are still considered contenders this year as the expectation is Chet Carmichael and Glen 'Ballplayer' Harle will each enjoy dominant seasons on the mound. It won't be enough to defend their pennant as the experts have Brooklyn first and St Louis a close second. It will be status quo in the American League as the Philadelphia Athletics are tabbed to win their 5th consecutive pennant with Detroit picked for second place.

If there is going to be a triple crown winner, something we have not seen in MLB since Levi Meyerle in 1872, the guess is Ken Williams of the Yankees has the best chance. Williams, who won the triple crown in the Federal League two seasons ago, has the power to do it but will face stiff competition for the American League batting crown.

[Tiger Fan]

SUNDAY MAY 1, 1921
HANNIBAL DOMINATING FEDERAL LEAGUE

As the first month of the season comes to an end the big story in the Federal League is Brooklyn Tip-Tops outifleder Jack Hannibal. The 30 year old is dominating the league in all 3 triple crown categories (.481,6,35) and is presently on a 29 game hitting streak that dates back to last season. His club is off to a 21-5 start and has a 4 game lead on second place Pittsburgh.

The Tip-Tops lead the Federal League in just about every category as Hannibal is not the only Brooklyn player on a tear. George H Burns (.441,3,20), Oscar Charleston (.340,2,16) and Joe Boley (.343,0,25) are leading the way offensively while great starting pitching is coming from Bullet Joe Bush (6-1, 1.75), Jeff Tesreau (5-1, 2.35) and Bullet Rogan (5-1, 3.45).

It is Hannibal, however, that is the big story. He is in his 6th season with Brooklyn and was a key contributer to their 3 Federal League titles but he has been overshadowed his entire career by teammate Oscar Charleston. A Campbellsville, Kentucky native, Hannibal began his career by playing 3 seasons for the San Francisco Seals and won a pair of batting titles in the old PCL before joining the Federal League in 1916.

In real life it appears Hannibal was a middleweight boxer who also played some baseball and football in the 1910's and 20s. According to the one source of information I found on him in a google search, his real name was Porter Lee Floyd and he played under 4 different names for local Indianapolis teams in the 1910's - playing as Porter, Lee, Floyd and Hannibal. Against the best negro league competition from 1913-16 the article says he hit .431/.456/.600 in 17 games. As a boxer, according to boxrec he was 7-5 as a professional.

[Tiger Fan]

SUNDAY MAY 1, 1921
ABC's LEAD NNL

Thanks to some timely hitting from Ben Taylor (.443,2,15) and Dobie Moore (.417,4,15) the Indianapolis ABC's enjoy a 3 game lead on St Louis as the opening month of the Negro National League seasons comes to a close. Taylor, a 32 year old first baseman who spent a number of seasons with the ABC's when they were a barnstorming club and joined them in the move to the NNL last year, is the face of the franchise. In real life Taylor's brother C.I. was the manager and owner of the club and Taylor would take over as manager following his brother's death in 1922. Moore is a 23 year old shortstop who made his pro debut with the ABC's last year. In real life Moore played 7 seasons with the Kansas City Monarchs but his career came to an early end when he shattered his leg after trying to escape from a woman who had shot him. He led the NNL in batting in 1924.

The two Indianapolis Stars are 2-3 in batting as Ronert 'High Pockets' Hudspeth (.516,0,17) has got off to an outstanding start for the second place St Louis Giants. Hudspeth is a 23 year old first baseman who hit .381 as a rookie for the Giants last year.

TEXAS LEAGUE

The first Asian major leaguer is tearing up the Texas League. William "Buck" Lai(.441,4,9) of the Beaumont Exporters leads the Texas League in batting as April comes to an end. Lai, who was born in Hawaii to Chinese parents, became the first Asian player to appear in the majors when he had 2 at bats for the 1919 New York Yankees. He went 0-for-2 but did score a pair of runs as a pinch-runner. The Yankees released the 26 year old from their reserve roster mid-way through last season and he signed with Beaumont.

In real life Lai came close to being the first Asian-American player to play in the major leagues. He played primarily semi-pro ball but did spend 4 seasons with Bridgeport of the Eastern League and was invited to training camp for the 1918 Phillies. He also got a spring training invite 10 years later with the New York Giants and stayed on their roster until just after opening day when he was sold to the Jersey City Skeeters. It is unclear if he was on the Giants bench for their opening day victory over the Boston Braves or not so whether he actually was a major leaguer is uncertain.

[Tiger Fan]

SUNDAY MAY 1, 1921
MLB IS ALL ABOUT THE OFFENSE

Last season the 16 major league baseball teams combined to bat .281, a total unseen since the mid 1890's. If April is any indication there will be an even greater offensive outburst this season. The season is less than a month old so the totals may come down but right now the 16 clubs are batting .291, which if it holds will be the 6th highest single season batting average in the 51 year history of the sport, and an increase of .026 from 2 years ago.

At the end of April nine major leaguers are batting over .400, led by Bill Terry's .477 average for the Chicago Cubs. Despite Terry's (.477,3,16) lofty numbers the Cubs find themselves in 7th place in the National League, already 8.5 games behind front-running Philadelphia.

The Phillies are off to a 15-2 start led by Dazzy Vance (5-0, 1.80), who has had a great turnaround after 2 unimpressive seasons. Carson Bigbee (.413,0,6), Dutch Distel (.406,1,12) and Heinie Zimmerman (.338,1,15) are leading the offense. The Phillies have had their great start despite misisng Shoeless Joe Jackson, who is close to returning after breaking a bone in his hand in spring training. With Jackson sidelined, Cuban born Jacinto Calvo (.390,3,21) is getting a chance to shine. The 26 year old was acquired from the Braves last season after spending some time in the International League and with Baltimore of the Federal loop.

In real life Calvo, also known as Jack Calvo, played briefly for the Washington Senators but spent most of his career in Cuba, where he played 14 winters and was elected into the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1948.

Babe Ruth (.383,6,19) is earning the big contract he signed with Cincinnati. Ruth leads the major leagues in homeruns and has helped the Reds stay within shouting distance of the Phillies.

The American League has 4 teams seperated by just a game and a half led by the New York Yankees, who remain in search of the first pennant in franchise history. Former Brooklyn Tip-Top Ken Williams (.333,3,17) leads the Yankees and the American League in RBI's.

St Louis Browns star Ty Cobb(.448,0,7) is 1 hit shy of 2750 for his career and looks to be bidding for his 7th batting crown, but first in 3 years.

[Tiger Fan]

WEDNESDAY JUNE 1, 1921

While Babe Ruth of the Cincinnati Reds made plenty of headlines by belting 9 homeruns in the month to boost his league leading total to 15 the month of May really belonged to Rogers Hornsby. In 27 games in May, the 25 year old St Louis Cardinals second baseman hit .519 with 10 homeruns and 26 rbi's. Hornsby increased his season batting average to .470 and his 14 homeruns were one shy of Ruth. Hornsby also lead the National League with 14 stolen bases and was 4th in rbi's with 42.

Despite Hornsby's big month his Cardinals team went just 14-13 and found themselves in 5th place in the National League, 6.5 games back of co-leaders Philadelphia and Brooklyn. Losing outfielder Harry Heilman, who hit .380 a year ago, for the season with a torn up knee certainly had it's impact on the St Louis offense.

The hot team in the National League last month was the Brooklyn Robins, who won 21 of 30 games to move into a share of first place. The Robins did not stand out in any particular area but they did get clutch hitting, going 6-2 in extra innings games and had the best record (11-6) out of any team in either league in one run games. Without a true ace to anchor their pitching staff there was certainly question as to how long the Robins could keep on winning.

The Philadelphia Phillies had the best home record (21-8) in either league but were below .500 on the road. After a big April, Jacinto Calvo missed most of May with hamstring problems but Shoeless Joe Jackson (.260,1,10) has recently come off the DL. Dutch Distel (.390,2,28), Heinie Zimmerman (.386,2,30) and Carson Bigbee (.374,1,26) continue to lead the Phillies offense while Rube Marquard (8-0, 3.98) and Dazzy Vance (7-3, 3.20) keep on winning games.

A couple of standout performances from the bottom two clubs in the National League. 22 year old Chicago Cubs first baseman Bill Terry (.440,5,32) continues to have a dominant season despite having very little support in the lineup around him. Meanwhile, the New York Giants have won only 8 games all season and the great Walter Johnson (8-5, 3.26) owns half of their wins. The 33 year old Johnson, who has toiled his entire career for the lowly Giants, has a lifetime record of 323-186 despite the fact the Giants have only finished over .500 3 times in his 15 year career.

GIANTS RUMOURED TO HAVE APPROACHED TIP-TOP STARS

There are rumours circulating that the New York Giants have had discussions with a pair of Brooklyn Tip-Tops outfielders about jumping leagues and becoming the first Negro players in major league baseball. With the New York Yankees building a new stadium that will see them leave the Polo Grounds, Giants owner Noah Arnold is worried about the lost revenue in rent money he received from the American League club. His Giants, which have long been the laughing stock of the National League, sit near the bottom of the league in attendance despite having one of the largest capacity stadiums in the league.

Rumour is Arnold wants to improve his ballclub and make a splash in the New York papers by luring Oscar Charleston and Jack Hannibal from the Federal League. The 27 year old Charleston (.390,6,51) is a two-time Federal League MVP while Hannibal (.450,10,57) is enjoying the best season of his career at age 30. The two would be a huge upgrade on 25 year old George Lafayette (.222,1,17) and 34 year old journeyman Doc Cook (.322,0,9) who presently patrol the same outfield positions for the Giants as Charleston and Hannibal do in Brooklyn.

There has been an uneasy peace between the Federal League and MLB as both league's appear to be respecting contracts signed by the other but that has not always been the case and the recent Chicago Cup embarrassment for the major leagues may put them on the offensive. Giants owner Arnold denied that he has spoke to any players about jumping league but at the same time did not rule out going after talent regardless of the color of his skin.

"I personally have not apporached anyone under contract to a club in that other league," Arnold said when questioned by reporters. "Frankly, I am not sure how these things get started. However, it is clear the roster of the Giants needs to be improved."

When asked specifically about Negro players Arnold indicated he would not rule out the option. "You know there is no actual rule against it," he said. "Some owners are concerned it may affect attendance and create issues with southern born players. The Giants roster is almost exclusively made up of northern boys and we are committed to doing anything we can to improve our team. Anything."

Arnold also joked about how Charleston, Hannibal and Bullet Rogan have certainly not had a negative affect on the Tip-Tops attendance and commented on how they have certainly helped Brooklyn win a lot of Federal League titles.

It has been speculated that Oscar Charleston would be the ideal candidate for the major leagues to have as the first to break the color barrier. The Giants would be an ideal fit for him so perhaps there is much more truth to this than Arnold is admitting.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

As good as Brooklyn was in the National League last month, the hottest team in baseball is the Philadelphia Athletics. The A's, the American League's most dominant team over the past decade, won 23 of their 29 May contests to open a 6 game lead on the New York Yankees atop the league.

The A's pitching, led by Herb Pennock (9-1, 2.08) and Guy Morton (8-1, 2.88) has been outstanding. There has also been plenty of offense with the bulk of it provided by the usual stars: Bob Meusel (.330,6,30), Dave Bancroft (.299,2,36), Max Carey (.330,3,26) and Jack Fournier (.280,3,29). Philadelphia has won 8 of the past 10 American League pennants.

The Yankees went 16-12 in May but still find themselves 6 games back of Philadelphia. St Louis is tied with Detroit for third, 10.5 games off the pace. The Browns are led by Ty Cobb (.405,0,17), who leads the American League in batting average, while Detroit is riding the coattails of pitcher Dutch Leonard's (11-2, 3.29) incredible start.

[Tiger Fan]

Wednesday June 1, 1921
FEDERAL LEAGUE ROUND-UP
TIP-TOPS ROLL ON DESPITE RUMOURS

The Brooklyn Tip-Tops continue to dominate the Federal League amid rumours that two of their star players are preparing to jump to the National League's New York Giants. Jack Hannibal (.450,10,57) leads the league in all 3 triple crown categories but there has been rampant speculation the 30 year old outfielder along with 27 year old teammate Oscar Charleston (.390,6,51) were preparing to switch leagues, perhaps even during the season.

That isn't the only turmoil the young league is facing. Word out of Columbus is the last place Buckeyes are having difficulty meeting their payroll obligations and there are worries the club might fold before the season's end. Columbus has a record of 15-38 and is barely averaging 1500 fans per game. Attendance is down in many Federal League cities with the one notable exception being Chicago. The Whales, riding high after their win over MLB counterparts in the Chicago Series, have seen their attendance rise by over 16%.

The experience of the Chicago Cup also helped the Whales on the field as rookie Frank Parkinson (.335,7,37) is off to a great start to his career after winning the MVP award in the tournament. The leadership of former World Series winner and ex-Pittsburgh Pirate Mike Prendergast (7-5, 2.63) has also helped the Whales. Chicago is 7 games over .500 but already 12 behind the Brooklyn Tip-Tops.

Grumbling around the league is the Tip-Tops are too good and have hurt the league because fans in the other nine centers know they have no chance of winning with Brooklyn in the league. More than one Federal League executive has wondered out loud if the league would be better off without the Tip-Tops, and one may wonder if the rumours of Charleston and Hannibal to the National League are perhaps being started by disgruntled Federal League owners in an effort to create unrest in Brooklyn.

[Tiger Fan]

WEDNESDAY JUNE 1, 1921
NEGRO NATIONAL LEAGUE
AMERICAN GIANTS TAKE OVER LEAD

Nine wins in their last 10 games including a 3 game sweep of Indianapolis has allowed the defending Negro National League champion Chicago American Giants to move into top spot for the first time this season. The American Giants sweep of Indianapolis puts them a half game ahead of the ABC's.

The bats of Biz Mackey (.416,4,19) and Chaney White (.348,9,30) along with the arms of Ballplayer Evans (8-2, 3.16) and Tom Johnson (8-2, 2.47) have led the American Giants. The ABC's have some talent of their own, led by first baseman Ben Taylor (.409,3,37), shortstop Dobie Moore (.386,10,40) and pitcher Bill Holland (8-2, 2.27).

The top batter in the NNL remains Robert Hudspeth of the third place St Louis Giants. Hudspeth leads the league by hitting at a .488 clip, and is third in homeruns (9) and rbi's (39). John Taylor (10-2, 2.14), a 23 year old righthander for the Kansas City Monarchs, leads the league in victories.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

The San Francisco Seals lead the Pacific Coast League by 2.5 games over second place Seattle. The Seals are getting offense from 24 year old outfielder Herschel Bennett (.363,9,46) but their real strength is a rotation that features John Merritt (11-6, 4.17), Ole Olsen (8-3, 1.76) and Cliff Markle (8-6, 4.04).

I always like to see Markle do well. His image is my profile pic and has been since his dominant performance in OOTP2 or 3 when he became that league's version of Cy Young and Walter Johnson all rolled into one. In this reply Markle, who in real life had a 12-17 major league record over parts of 5 seasons with the Yankees and Cincinnati, has yet to make the majors and aappears to be unlikely to do so. He did have some decent seasons in the Independent Northwestern League and has spent a couple of turns on the Philadelphia Phillies reserve roster.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

The Central League has been known the past season or two for it's power hitters and this year is no exception. 25 year old catcher Harold Yordy (.364,24,68) has dominated Central League pitching in the early going but he may not have a chance to break the single season homerun record for the loop as he was called up by the Federal League Indianapolis Indians today. Yordy had a dominant lead in homers and rbi's and was second in batting average in the Cetral League prior to his call-up.

Yordy, who split last season between Indianapolis and Fort Wayne of the Central League, was chasing the homerun record for the Central League of 37 set by Clarence Kraft a year ago. Kraft finished one ahead of Babe Ellison last season. This year thru 54 games Kraft has 10 homeruns for the Grand Rapids Black Sox while Ellison has hit 11 for Zanesville.

[Tiger Fan]

TUESDAY JULY 12, 1921
GIANTS MAKE HISTORY, SIGN TWO NEGRO PLAYERS

The big news at the all-star break should have been the amazing season Cincinnati outfielder Babe Ruth is putting together, but Ruth's 32 homers at the break - and every other story in baseball - takes a back seat to the news coming from New York. The Giants have announced that they have signed outfielder's Oscar Charleston and Jack Hannibal and are prepared to play them in Thursday's game against the Chicago Cubs which would make the duo the first negro players to appear in a major league game.

Rumours had been circulating for months that the Giants were interested in the two players and when neither boarded the train Sunday with their Brooklyn Tip-Tops teammates for a road trip to St Louis it was clear something was up. While most of baseball's elite spent Monday morning on their way to Washington for the all-star game, Charleston and Hannibal were ushered to the Polo Grounds were they met with Giants owner Noah Arnold and General Manager Con Strothers.

A short time later they were each signed to contracts much larger than they were making in the Federal League and were introduced to the media. Reaction from Giants players was generally positive including star pitcher Walter Johnson. The Humboldt, Tennessee native was in Washington preparing to be the National League starter for the Tuesday night contest when he was approached by reporters looking to break the news to The Big Train.

It was clear Johnson was aware of what was happening back in New York and said he would welcome anyone who could help the Giants win regardless of the color of his skin. Reaction from others around the practice field Tuesday morning was mixed as several players voiced their opposition to the decision.

Reaction was swift from the Federal League as the commissioners office and owners of the Brooklyn Tip-Tops expressed outrage at the Giants and major league baseball for failing to recognize a valid contract. Brooklyn owner Cornelius Dees vowed the "traitors" would never play a Federal League game again and publicly declared war on the Giants and MLB.

In reality there was little Dees or the Federal League could do. They had no legal arguement as the loop's still did not officially recognize each other and MLB considered the Federal League to be like any other minor league in that it's clubs were free to purchase players from minor league teams. The fact that it rarely happened during the season in the past, and that in this case no money changed hands, seemed to be conveniently ignored in this case.

With no legal course of action the only recourse the Federal League would have if they wished to 'declare war' on the major leagues was to raid MLB rosters themselves. The problem with that is the fact that the Federal League teams, except Brooklyn and possibly Chicago, lacked the finances to do so. In fact, the league was in danger of losing teams due to a lack of attendance.

FEDERAL LEAGUE UNOFFICIALLY GIVES UP IT'S MAJOR LEAGUE STATUS

Following the defection of Charleston and Hannibal the Federal League had great concerns others would leave. In fact Brooklyn first baseman George H Burns went to his team owner with news the Cleveland Indians had offered him a 10% raise to join them immediately. Rumours of a number of others includind Bob Fothergill of St Louis and Eddie Murphy of Columbus being approached as well filtered through the league office.

Faced with the fear many of their top players would bolt - either for better salaries or much more stable organizations that would guarantee a paycheque - the Federal League effectively gave up it's major league status on the evening of July 13th when it reached an agreement with major league baseball.

It was agreed that MLB teams would not raid Federal League rosters during the season but in the off-season the major league clubs were free to purchase players from Federal clubs at the standard rate that applies to other leagues like the International League and Southern Association. That concession, which saved the Federal League from losing much of it's top talent, effectively made the league an independant AAA circuit. It did pay higher salaries than the International League, which was considered the top AAA loop, but Federal League teams would now have no way to keep their top talent from leaving each winter.

In the matter of Charleston and Hannibal the Giants offered to provide Brooklyn with the sum of $1000 per player. Tip-Top owner Cornelius Dees had a very animated response that including suggesting the Giants owner Arnold insert that $2000 in, well, a place that was clearly not his wallet. After much bickering it was agreed that the New York Giants would provide to the Brooklyn Tip-Tops two players: 19 year old centerfielder Phil Todt, who hit .237 in 54 games this season, along with rightfielder George Lafayette (.265,2,36), a 25 year old who spent 4 seasons with the Chicago White Sox before joining the Giants. In effect, the move was considered a trade in the eyes of major league baseball and extortion in the eyes of the Brooklyn Tip-Tops.

Much of the Federal League seemed quite happy with the decision. With so many teams struggling to survive the deal not only protected them from losing players for nothing to the major leagues but it actually could act as a source of revenue for the Federal League clubs as some felt the rules gave them some leeway to negotiate the price of player transfers to major league clubs on an individual basis. The fact that it also immediately closed the gap between the Tip-Tops and the rest of the Federal League was just an added bonus.

All that remains to be seen is how Charleston and Hannibal will be received at the Polo Grounds and how good will they be against the best talent in baseball.


NOTES
I used random numbers to determine what, if any, players would jump from the Federal League to the major leagues. When Charleston and Hannibal came up the next thing was to let chance decide if they will move during the season or not until next year. The result was July would be the time frame for the move.

I wanted to ease integration in just like real-life so I did not turn off the color barrier yet, that will happen at the end of the season as I was unsure if turning it on during the year would cause a mass migration from the Federal League and Negro National League all at once. So for the remainder of the year only Charleston and Hannibal will be admitted to the major leagues but at seasons end the color barrier will be gone for major league baseball.

The Federal League will remain major league in name for now, but every November I will switch the league to AAA level which I hope will allow MLB clubs to purchase Federal League players. It will switch back to being a major league in January and then I can track attendance which, along with team performance, determines what teams survive.

If the game allowed it I think the natural course over the next season or two would be to have the Tip-Tops and maybe 3 other Federal League teams join MLB as expansion clubs but I don't believe I can do so without messing up the automatic evolution of all leagues each season so instead the Federal League will soldier on and we will see how (if) it survives over the next several years.

The next chapter is to see how Charleston and Hannibal, as well as other Federal League and Negro National League stars fare in world with an integrated major league baseball.

[Tiger Fan]

TUESDAY JULY 12, 1921
AMERICAN LEAGUE WINS ALL-STAR GAME
Washington- The all-star game was overshadowed by all the news coming out of New York but the 32,000 fans that jammed Nationals Park were treated to a slugfest as the host American League side came out on top by a 12-9 score.

Cincinnati slugger Babe Ruth, who has hit an amazing total of 32 homeruns in just 77 games so far this season, delighted fans after going 2-for-2 with a towering homerun, a walk, 3 rbi's and 3 runs scored. Austin McHenry of the St Louis Cardinals also homered and drove in 3 runs for the National side.

The American stars jumped all over National League starting pitcher Walter Johnson of the Giants, scoring 4 times in the first inning but the NL had the lead 8-7 going into the bottom of the 7th inning. The American Leaguers put the game away with a 5-run outburst in the bottom of the 7th that included a bases loaded 3-run double from pitcher Dick Rudolph of Philadelphia.

Rudolph also was named the winning pitcher as he tossed the final 3 innings of the victory, allowing just 1 run on 2 hits.

[Tiger Fan]

THURSDAY JULY 14, 1921
HISTORY IS MADE

Normally a midweek game in July involving the 7th place New York Giants and 6th place Chicago Cubs at the Polo Grounds would draw very little interest, but this was not a normal day. On this day the New York Giants were making history by starting Oscar Charleston and Jack Hannibal in their outfield - marking the first time in the 51 year history of major league baseball that negro players would be allowed to participate. There was no written rule prohibiting it. Major league owners simply used the excuse that there were no Negro players good enough for their league.

The two players that jumped from the Federal League's Brooklyn Tip-Tops immediately put that opinion to shame as they made their presence felt in their debut. In the bottom of the first inning with Sam Rice on first and two-out Oscar Charleston stepped to the plate against Pete Donohue of the Chicago Cubs. He worked Donohue for a walk which brought Jack Hannibal to the plate.

Hannibal, who was leading the Federal League in batting with a .431 average, ripped a 3-2 pitch from Donohue into right field for a solid single that scored Rice with the game's first run. By the time the contest was over the due had gone a combined 3-for-7 with an rbi and 2 runs scored in a 6-4 Giants victory.

At the end of the week the Giants were riding a 4-game winning streak. Hannibal (.467,1,3) was picking up right where he left off in the Federal League while Charleson (.250,0,0) struggled a bit in the early going but was still a big upgrade on the player he replaced. Meanwhile in the Federal League, the Brooklyn Tip-Tops were mirred in a 7 game losing streak.

[Tiger Fan]

MONDAY AUGUST 1, 1921
CHARLESTON AND HANNIBAL FITTING RIGHT IN WITH GIANTS

The New York Giants have gone 10-8 since breaking the color barrier with the addition of outfielders Oscar Charleston (.308,4,14) and Jack Hannibal (.309,3,13). While not an outstanding record it is a drastic improvement as the Giants were 33-52 before adding the two former Federal League stars at the all star break. It also deserves mention that 17 of those 18 games were against Cincinnati, St Louis and Pittsburgh - three of the top 4 teams in the National League.

While they have heard some catcalls on the road, fans at the Polo Grounds have been clearly behind the new additions and it appears the rest of their Giants teammates have also been very supportive, which makes sense as only lead-off man Dutch Schliebner outhit the newcomers in July.

RUTH EQUALS HOMERUN MARK

On Saturday at home in Cincinnati against the Boston Braves, Red slugger Babe Ruth (.408,38,112) hit his 38th homerun of the season. That blast, off of Braves starter Dick McCabe in an 8-0 Reds win, allowed Ruth to equal the major league homerun record that he set two years ago. With over 50 games remaining in the season the expectation is Ruth could surpass the 50 homerun mark.

In 26 July games Ruth was on a tear, smashing 15 homers and driving in 41 runs as his Reds went 17-9 and are first in the National League, 2 games up on St Louis. The Cardinals have been hot since the all-star break, winning 11 of their 16 games behind the bats of Rogers Hornsby (.421,26,86), Austin McHenry (.370,10,82) and Joe Sewell (.386,7,72).

Brooklyn's Joe Harris (.373,5,61) recently had his hitting streak snapped at 37 games. That total is 7 shy of Frank Baker's record 44 game streak in 1911 and the 6th longest in major league history (4th longest post-1900).

AMERICAN LEAGUE

With the exploits of Babe Ruth and Rogers Hornsby as well as the 2 new additions to the Giants it seems the American League has been all but ignored of late by baseball scribes. There is another good pennant race shaping up between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Athletics. The A's and Yanks have battled down the stretch a number of times in the past decade but Philadelphia always found a way to come out on top. As the calendar turns to August New York finds itself 2 games ahead as the Yankees continue their quest for that elusive first pennant in franchise history.

A pair of former Federal League stars in Ken Williams (.341,14,59) and Bill Steen (11-7, 3.22) are among the key Yankee players. Bibi Falk (.346,9,56), Cy Williams (.298,11,51) and catcher Steve O'Neill (.347,3,45) have helped New York to have the top batting average in the American League. Their starting pitching, featuring Steen along with Phil Douglas (16-8, 2.83) and Lee Meadows (9-8, 3.80) has the lowest era in the circuit.

The always dangerous Athletics rely on the pitching of Herb Pennock (16-5, 2.78) and plenty of offense from the likes of Bob Meusel (.367,12,64), Eddie Brown (.380,1,47), Max Carey (.313,7,55) and Dave Bancroft (.315,3,59)


George Kahler (11-8, 4.80) of the St Louis Browns tossed the first MLB no-hitter in over two years on June 27th when he pitched the Browns past Cleveland 2-0. The 31 year old fanned 9 batters while allowing 2 walks in the victory. In the start below the gem he failed to get through 5 innings and gave up 7 earned runs to Detroit while in the start after his no-hitter he was rocked for 9 runs over 5 innings vs the White Sox. Kahler, who has pitched for the Browns since 1914, is 134-117 for his career. He won the Rookie of the Year Award and the Charlie Geggus Trophy in 1914 when he went 22-11 with a 1.68 era for the Browns. He also made his only all-star game appearance that same year.

There has been a total of 35 no-hitters thrown but only one perfect game. Earl Zook, who had a lifetime mark of 226-190, threw the only perfecto while with the Brooklyn Robins in 1904. No one has ever thrown 2 career no-hitters.

Here is the complete list of major league no-hitters

Date		Player		     No-Hitters
07/01/1880	Lee Richmond	   11 K, 1 BB and 9 IP versus Baltimore while playing for St. Louis
09/06/1880	Jim McCormick	    5 K, 4 BB and 8 IP versus Baltimore while playing for Cleveland
06/29/1883	Dupee Shaw	    4 K, 3 BB and 9 IP versus Philadelphia while playing for New York
07/24/1884	Hardie Henderson   10 K, 1 BB and 9 IP versus Washington while playing for Detroit
05/02/1885	Ed Daily	    5 K, 2 BB and 9 IP versus Boston while playing for Philadelphia
07/13/1885	Bob Caruthers	    7 K, 1 BB and 9 IP versus New York while playing for Boston
08/03/1885	Old Hoss Radbourn   2 K, 0 BB and 9 IP versus Washington while playing for Philadelphia
05/15/1886	Toad Ramsey	    6 K, 5 BB and 9 IP versus Detroit while playing for Cleveland
06/13/1886	Hank O'Day	    5 K, 1 BB and 9 IP versus Baltimore while playing for Boston
06/05/1888	Joe E Brown	    6 K, 1 BB and 9 IP versus Brooklyn while playing for St. Louis
09/15/1889	Ed Morris	    7 K, 1 BB and 9 IP versus Philadelphia while playing for Brooklyn
04/21/1890	Jesse Duryea	    3 K, 2 BB and 9 IP versus Pittsburg while playing for New York
05/11/1890	Bob Emslie	    7 K, 2 BB and 6 IP versus Chicago while playing for Brooklyn
04/16/1891	Dick Burns	    6 K, 2 BB and 9 IP versus St. Louis while playing for Pittsburgh
06/14/1894	George Pechiney	    2 K, 4 BB and 5 IP versus Louisville while playing for Cleveland
5/7/1900	Frank Knauss	    2 K, 0 BB and 8 IP versus Brooklyn while playing for Cincinnati
6/12/1902	Ed Beatin	    3 K, 2 BB and 9 IP versus New York while playing for St. Louis
6/20/1902	Charlie A Ferguson  2 K, 2 BB and 9 IP versus Detroit while playing for Boston
9/20/1904	Earl Zook	    4 K, 0 BB and 9 IP versus New York while playing for Brooklyn (PERFECT GAME)
9/5/1905	Christy Mathewson   8 K, 0 BB and 9 IP versus New York while playing for Philadelphia
9/23/1905	Fred Applegate	    5 K, 4 BB and 9 IP versus New York while playing for Philadelphia
4/19/1906	Ed Walsh	    7 K, 0 BB and 9 IP versus New York while playing for Boston
6/18/1906	Jimmy Whalen	    4 K, 3 BB and 9 IP versus Chicago while playing for Boston
8/3/1906	Harry McIntire	    1 K, 1 BB and 9 IP versus New York while playing for St. Louis
4/23/1907	Monte Method	    3 K, 2 BB and 9 IP versus St. Louis while playing for Detroit
9/17/1907	Fred Smith	    8 K, 4 BB and 9 IP versus Brooklyn while playing for New York
7/4/1910	Buttons Briggs	    3 K, 2 BB and 9 IP versus St. Louis while playing for Cincinnati
9/21/1911	Charles Bender	    6 K, 2 BB and 9 IP versus Boston while playing for St. Louis
4/30/1912	Russ Ford	    6 K, 3 BB and 9 IP versus Brooklyn while playing for Philadelphia
8/8/1912	Johnny Lush	    3 K, 2 BB and 9 IP versus Washington while playing for Chicago
5/3/1915	Dick Rudolph	    5 K, 0 BB and 9 IP versus New York while playing for Philadelphia
5/11/1915	Chet Carmichael	    3 K, 1 BB and 9 IP versus Washington while playing for Chicago
5/20/1915	Tom L Hughes	    7 K, 2 BB and 9 IP versus Philadelphia while playing for Cincinnati
6/19/1919	Dutch Leonard	    3 K, 2 BB and 9 IP versus Philadelphia while playing for Detroit
6/27/1921	George Kahler	    9 K, 2 BB and 9 IP versus Cleveland while playing for St. Louis

FEDERAL LEAGUE

After a 4-game losing streak following the defection of Oscar Charleston and Jack Hannibal to the National League, the Brooklyn Tip-Tops got back on a track and finished the month of July on a 9 game winning streak. The key move for Brooklyn, the richest team in the Federal League, was the ability to trade for 31 year old outfielder Jimmy Lyons (.345,11,52) from the Baltimore Terrapins. Baltimore received pitcher Walter Seaman (11-8, 3.78) in return but also saved several thousand dollars in salary with the deal.

The move by Baltimore signals the Terps have given up in the chase for the wildcard spot, which is shaping up to be quite a battle between Pittsburgh, St Louis, Chicago and Newark - all seperated by just 4 games.

[Tiger Fan]

MONDAY AUGUST 1, 1921
NEGRO NATIONAL LEAGUE

The Chicago American Giants are closing in on their second straight NNL pennant. The club presently enjoys a 2-game lead on the Indianapolis ABC's with just a couple of weeks remaining in the season. That lead was 5 games a week ago, before the American Giants were thumped in 3 straight games at home by the ABC's and were outscored 36-16 in the process.

Biz Mackey (.420,10,50), Chaney White (.360,12,63) and Otto Ray (.355,3,77) are the offensive leaders in Chicago but the American Giants have seen a resurgence from 38 year old first baseman Pete Hill (.345,6,37) who has done a great job as their lead-off man since missing over a month earlier in the season with an ankle injury.

Hill is nearing the end of a great career that included 5 batting titles while playing in the Western Association as well as a pair of Federal League series titles while with St Louis. He also won a Negro World Series title last year with Chicago and was a member of a Union Pacific Series title while with the St Joseph Drummers in 1914. He remains the Western Association's career batting average leader with a lifetime .347 mark and his name has to come up in discussions when considering the best minor league hitter of all-time. It is just a shame the Federal League did not start until Hill was well into his thirties or he would have received much more attention.

WESTERN ASSOCIATION

The player with the second best all-time batting average in the Western Association behind Pete Hill is Joe Birmingham and the 36 year old is back in the Western Association with the Hutchinson Salt Packers. Birmingham (.381,0,41) leads the league in batting through July. His much-travelled career has included major league stops with Pittsburgh and the New York Giants as well as Baltimore and St Louis of the Federal League. He has also played in the International League, Central League and Northwestern League as well as the Western Association.

In real life Birmingham was an outfielder for 7 seasons with the Cleveland Naps and was their manager for 4 seasons. His tenure was marked with controversy as he benched a slumping Nap Lajoie and the feud led to Lajoie being sold back to Philadelphia.

Here is a look at the career numbers for Hill and Birmingham, as well as updated standings and leaders from each of the minor leagues in this universe. The PCL and Texas League are affiliated with MLB. The Central League is affiliated with the Federal League and the remaining minor leagues are independants.

[Tiger Fan]

TUESDAY AUGUST 2, 1921
RUTH BREAK OWN RECORD

Babe Ruth hit his major league record 39th homerun today in helping the Cincinnati Reds to a 6-3 victory over the New York Giants. Ruth, who hit 38 homeruns two years ago while with Pittsburgh to set the record and clouted 30 last season, ripped a 7th inning offering from Giants starter Duke Kenworthy 448 feet to clear the leftfield wall at Redland Field. It was a 3-run shot and put Cincinnati ahead 5-3 at the time. It was the third time in 56 at bats against the Giants starter that Ruth took Kenworthy deep.

With the homerun record surpassed the attention remains on Ruth to see if he can hit 50 round-trippers this season. Ruth is also quickly closing in on the single season RBI record of 139 set by Beals Becker when he was with the Giants in 1911. Ruth presently has 116 rbi's. The Bambino is also within shouting distance of the batting lead this season, as Rogers Hornsby of St Louis leads with a .419 average while Ruth is hitting .410. He could become the first major league triple crown winner since 1872.

MONDAY AUGUST 8, 1921
YANKEES HOLDING OFF ATHLETICS

The New York Yankees lead over the Philadelphia Athletics atop the American League now sits at a game and a half after both clubs had a very successful week. The Yankees won 5 of 7 games last week including a 4-game sweep of Cleveland and splitting a doubleheader with Detroit yesterday. Despite New York's strong week, Philaldelphia picked up a half game as the A's won 5 of 6 with their lone loss of the week coming in a 6-5 defeat against Chicago on Tuesday.

TUESDAY AUGUST 9, 1921

This doesn't happen very often. The Toledo Mud Hens, a 9th place team in the Central League, had two players each get 5 hits in a game vs South Bend but the Mud Hens still lost the contest 11-10 to the Greens. 29 year old Toledo outfielder Tom Rogers went 5-for-5 while fellow outfielder William Davis, 34, went 5-for-7 with 4 rbi's in the loss. The pair each finished one hit shy of the Central League single game record of 6, accomplished 4 times including twice by Paul Meloan.

TWO SPORT STAR FRANK NESSER

There was also a 5-hit game in the International League as Frank Nesser went 5-for-6 with 3 doubles and a triple but it wasn't enough to help his Syracuse Stars, who fell for 5-4 at home to Buffalo in 12 innings. The 33 year old first baseman has spent the past 4 seasons in Syracuse after 6 years with Vernon of the old Pacific League. Nesser also suited up for 6 games over 2 seasons with the Chicago Cubs and had great success at the dish, going 7-for-22 as a major leaguer.

In real life Nesser played half a dozen seasons of minor league ball, mostly in the Ohio State League, but he was much better known for his exploits on the gridirion. He was a member of the Nesser Brothers, a group of 7 brothers who made up the most famous footabll family from 1907 until the mid-twenties. He played football in the Ohio League and in the early days of the NFL. Nesser played mainly for the Columbus Panhandles. He frequently engaged in kicking contests with Jim Thorpe and was once credited with a 63 yard field goal. He was a sensational runner but his greatest talent in football was as a passer although he did lead the Panhandles in scoring most of his professional seasons.

[Tiger Fan]

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 10, 1921

Bob Meusel had 4 hits including a homerun and 3 rbi's to lead the Philadelphia Athletics past St Louis 7-6. The A's win, coupled with the Yankees 7-4 loss to Detroit, allows Philadelphia to move within a half game of first place New York atop the American League standings.

Elmer Smith had 4 hits including his 13th homerun of the season to pace Cincinnati to a 6-2 win at home over Philadelphia in National League play. Babe Ruth remains at 39 homeruns and his average dipped to .399 after managing just 1 single in 4 at bats today. Ruth did drive in his major league leading 118th run in the game. Rogers Hornsby (.415) went 1-for-3 in the St Louis Cardinals 6-0 win over Boston to keep his lead on Ruth in the batting race at .016.

In Negro National League action the Chicago American Giants swept a doubleheader from the New York Bacharach Giants to clinch first place for the second year in a row. The Indianapolis ABC's are a game ahead of St Louis in the battle for the second berth in the NNL Series. Indianapolis finishes the season with 2 games at home against Columbus while St Louis plays a pair of games at home against the Cincinnati Cuban Stars.

THURSDAY AUGUST 11, 1921

The Indianapolis ABCs will face the regular season champion Chicago American Giants in the Negro League World Series for the second straight year. The ABC's, who were swept 4 straight last season, advanced with a win over Columbus yesterday that allowed them to clinch second place over St Louis. Blainey Hall (.328,5,50) had the hot bat for the ABC's, as he the outfielder went 4-for-4 with a homerun, 3 singles and a walk in a 7-3 victory. He drove in 3 runs and scored a pair of his own. Ben Taylor (.363,4,67) also had a big game, delivering 3 hits including a 2-run triple in the 7th inning. The NNL regular season comes to an end tomorrow.

No change atop the American League as the Yankees and Athletics both won today so New York's lead remains at a half game. Cincinnati pounded Philadelphia 9-1 in National League play but Babe Ruth (.398,39,119) only managed to go 1-for-4 with an rbi single. Ruth, who has been slowed by a nagging shoulder injury, has not homered since August 2nd. The Reds are 4 games ahead of St Louis and 5 up on both Brooklyn and Pittsburgh.

In Federal League play journeyman pitcher Richard Lloyd had what is likely the greatest game of his pro career. The 34 year old righthander improved his record to 5-11 on the season as he pitched a 7-hit shutout to allow lowly Columbus to blank Brooklyn 2-0. It was the third major league level shutout of Lloyd's career and he has a lifetime 21-26 record in 3 seasons with the Buckeyes. He previously pitched nearly a decade in Seattle of the old Pacific States League and was 123-136 in that loop. In real life the New York City native never advanced past Class B, pitching for 3 different teams from 1910-13 while compiling a 26-26 career mark.

Even with the loss the Tip-Tops are still 17.5 games ahead of second place Pittsburgh in the Federal League. St Louis is a half game back of the Rebels in the wildcard chase with Newark a game off the pace and Chicago 3 back.

The longest hitting streak in the history of the young Texas League came to an end as Dallas Submarines catcher Edward Yuna went 0-for-3 against Wichita Falls today. That ends Yuna's streak at 30 games, which is one more than the mark established by Shreveport's George Smith in the inagural season of the loop in 1919. If we include the original Texas League - which ran from 1903-1918 the record is 33 games established by Charley O'Leary of Galveston in 1904. Yuna is a 28 year old in his first professional season. I can find nothing out about him other than he played 7 seasons of minor league ball that included stops in Des Moines and Danville.

FRIDAY AUGUST 12, 1921

The Negro National League regular season came to an end with both playoff clubs ending their season on a down note. In New York the first place Chicago American Giants were blanked 8-0 by the New York Bacharach Giants. Harold Treadwell (6-6) pitched the shutout for the homeside, allowing 9 hits while walking 4. Second place Indianapolis lost 7-6 in 10 innings at home against Columbus. The best of seven playoff series will begin Sunday in Chicago. Last season the American Giants swept the ABC's four straight.

St Louis Giants first baseman Robert 'High Pockets' Hudspeth hung on to win the batting title. Hudspeth (.415,20,78) went 3-for-5 in a season ending win over Cincinnati to finish .001 ahead of Biz Mackey of the Chicago American Giants. Mackey (.414,12,55) went 1-for-3 in the loss to New York.

George 'Tank' Carr (.353,24,108) of the Cincinnati Cuban Stars won the homerun title while also leading the league in rbi's and stolen bases (32). Carr is a 22 year old switch hitter in his second season in the league.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

The Philadelphia Athletics won for the 8th straight game as they held off Cleveland 12-11 in a wild 14-inning affair. The A's had 26 hits in the game with first baseman Jack Fournier (.253,7,55) leading the way with 5 of them. Fournier scored the winning run on a 2-out rbi single from Bob Meusel (.383,15,80) to end the game. Meusel went 4-for-8 in the game.

Despite the winning streak the A's remain a half game back of the Yankees who pounded Chicago 16-2. Ken Williams (.347,19,74) led the way with a pair of homeruns and 3 rbi's while Cy Williams (.317,14,63) added 4 hits and scored 4 runs.

Cincinnati won again, their 5th straight, blanking Philadelphia 4-0 behind an Emmett Munsell (11-11, 4.67) shutout. Babe Ruth (.398,39,119) was given the day off to rest his nagging shoulder injury. St Louis was pounded 9-1 by visiting Boston while Pittsburgh topped Brooklyn 6-1 which means the Reds lead atop the National League is now 5 games on both the Bucs and Cards with the Robins 6 back.

[RMc]

the first time in the 51 year history of major league baseball that negro players would be allowed to participate.

No Walker brothers in this universe? (And what about this guy?)

at seasons end the color barrier will be gone for major league baseball

So...that's it for the NNL, right?

[Tiger Fan]

Originally Posted by RMc

No Walker brothers in this universe? (And what about this guy?)




So...that's it for the NNL, right?

Not sure if he is in the database but White did not import at any time in my game that I can see.

Fleetwood Walker did import but only played in the American Association, for about a decade with Indianapolis. I did not find his brother anywhere in my game. Charleston and Hannibal are the first to play in either the American or National League in my sim.

As for the NNL, it will continue on as a minor league through the mid-forties but I believe it will now be integrated as well since the color barrier is removed.

[Tiger Fan]

SATURDAY AUGUST 13, 1921
RUTH HITS #40

Babe Ruth ended his 8 game homerless drought with a solo shot in the 6th inning of Cincinnati's 5-2 victory over the Philadelphi Phillies. It was Ruth's (.396,40,120) 40th homerun of the season and 175th of his major league career. It came against Phillies starter Dazzy Vance and marked the 6th time Ruth has taken Vance deep. Prior to the homerun, Ruth was in his second longest drought of the season having previously endured a 10 game stretch without going deep in early June.

The win was the 6th straight for Cincinnati and keeps the Reds lead atop the National League on both St Louis and Pittsburgh at 5 games. The Reds last won the National League pennant in 1901. In addition to Ruth, Cincinnati also got homeruns in their win from Vic Saier (.259,5,41) and George Sisler (.378,6,65). Sisler had a 3 hit game to lead the team.

In other National League action Roy Leslie's (.319,11,101) 2-run single in the first inning was all the offense Chet Carmichael (14-7, 3.88) needed to pitch Pittsburgh past Brooklyn 2-1 while in St Louis Joe Sewell's (.377,7,82) walkoff 2-run single lifted the Cardinals past Boston 6-5. The other National League game saw Oscar Charleston (.299,7,21) and Jack Hannibal (.366,5,24) each get two hits but it wasn't enough to prevent the New York Giants from falling 4-3 in Chicago.

The New York Yankees lead atop the American League is up to a game and a half after Ken Williams (.350,20,78) delivered a 3-run walkoff homerun in the bottom of the ninth to give New York a 9-8 win over visiting Chicago. The win was the Yankees third straight and 9th in their past 11 games. Meanwhile, second place Philadelphia saw their winning streak snapped at 8 games with an 8-3 loss to Cleveland.

In Southern Association action, 42 year old Dave Brain of the Memphis Chickasaws hit for the cycle with 3 rbi's and 4 runs scored in an 8-4 win in Birmingham. Brain (.305,1,34) tripled in the first, hit his first homerun of the season in the 5th, doubled in the 8th and delivered an rbi single in the ninth. A two-time MLB all-star, Brain played 1606 big league games with 6 teams from 1900-1912, hitting .238 for his major league career. He then spent 5 seasons in the old Pacific States League before joining Memphis in 1918. His next game will be the 2300th of his professional career. In real life Brain played 679 major league games between 1901 and 1908, hitting .252 for his career. A SABR biography of Brain can be found here https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/8d0440ac

SUNDAY AUGUST 14, 1921

The Negro World Series opened in Chicago today with the American Giants taking the opener of the best-of-seven series by an 8-3 score over visiting Indianapoilis. Mack Eggleston (.285,1,43) led the way for Chicago, going 3-for-4 with a homerun, a triple, 4 rbi's and 3 runs scored. The 23 year old is in his first season with the American Giants. He played 11 games for the Federal League Chicago Whales in 1919 and spent last year with Canton of the Central League.

Biz Mackey chipped in with 3 hits for the American Giants while Ben Taylor led the way for Indianapolis with 4 of the ABC's 12 base hits. Game Two is set for tomorrow in Chicago.

ATHLETICS TAKE OPENER OF KEY 4 GAME SET

The Philadelphia Athletics moved to within a half game of first place New York atop the American League after the A's beat the Yankees 7-2 in the opener of a 4-game series at Shibe Park. Cliff Heathcote (.410,3,38) led the way for Philadelphia with a 4-hit day, including a pair of doubles. Heathcote drove in two runs and scored twice to make a winner out of Athletics starter Herb Pennock (19-5, 2.92). Lee Meadows (10-10, 3.97) took the loss for the visiting Yankees.

The Cincinnati Reds swept a doubleheader from St Louis, winning 10-2 and 11-6. Babe Ruth (.403,41,125) went 6-for-9 in the twinbill and hit his 41st homerun in the second game. That homerun ties Ken Williams 1919 Federal League mark for the most homeruns hit in a season at the major league level. Ruth did not gain much ground on Cardinals second baseman Rogers Hornsby (.414,28,92) in the batting average race as Hornsby was 4-for-8 on the day.

Cincinnati first baseman George Sisler (.381,7,70) was named the National League player of the week. The 28 year old went 15-for-30 with a pair of homeruns and 9 rbi's in 7 games this past week, including 5 hits and 5 rbi's in today's doubleheader sweep. American League honors went to Ken Williams (.351,20,79) of the Yankees. The 1919 Federal League triple crown winner hit .462 (12-for-26) with 4 homers and 11 rbi's last week.

FEDERAL LEAGUE WILDCARD VERY MURKY

While the Brooklyn Tip-Tops are clearly the class of the Federal League and enjoy a 20 game lead atop the standings there is still a great race going on for the second playoff spot. The St Louis Terriers, Pittsburgh Rebels and Newark Pepper are all just seperated by a half game after each club suffered a loss yesterday. The Chicago Whales and Baltimore Terrapins are also still in the race.

FEDERAL LEAGUE WILDCARD RACE
TEAM		 W  L  GB
St Louis	69 52  -
Pittsburgh	68 52  0.5
Newark		70 54  0.5
Chicago		66 54  2.5
Baltimore	63 57  5.5

MONDAY AUGUST 15, 1921
LATE RUN ALLOWS ABC'S TO EVEN SERIES

The Indianapolis ABC's evened the Negro World Series at one win apiece after beating the Chicago American Giants 9-8 in game two. The contest was tied at 8 heading into the top of the ninth when, with Morten Clark (.287,2,45) on third after hitting a one-out triple, Willis Moody (.244,0,38) delivered a sacrifice fly to plate Clark with the game winning run. Moody also had 2 hits in the game, as did Ben Taylor (.366,4,68) with one of Taylor's being a 2-run homer in the first inning. 23 year old third baseman Bill Riggins (.339,7,66) had the hot bat for Chicago on the day as he went 4-for-5 with 2 doubles and a pair of rbi's. After an off-day tomorrow the series will resume Wednesday in Indianapolis.

DOUGLAS GETS WIN 20 TO LEAD YANKEES TO VICTORY

Phil Douglas (20-8, 2.96) joined Detroit's Dutch Leonard as the only pitcher's with 20 wins this season after tossing a complete game 5-hitter to lead his New York Yankees past Philadelphia 9-4. Ken Williams (.353,21,83), who was recently named American League player of the week, continued to have the hot bat for New York as he went 2-for-4 with a homerun and 4 rbi's in the contest. The win restores the Yankees lead on Philadelphia atop the American League to a game and a half.

In National League action the Cincinnati Reds beat St Louis 9-8 despite a 4-for-5 day with 3 rbi's from Cardinals outfielder Austin McHenry (.364,10,90). Babe Ruth (.405,41,126) did not homer in the game, but he did go 3-for-5 with 3 singles and an rbi. Second place Pittsburgh lost to Brooklyn the the Reds lead is now 6 games with St Louis and Brooklyn 8 games back.

TUESDAY AUGUST 16, 1921
REDS EXTEND WIN STREAK TO 10

The Cincinnati Reds won for the 10th game in a row as they chase their first National League pennant since 1901. Vic Saier (.265,6,46) hit a three-run homer while catcher Ray Schalf (.290,3,53) had 3 hits and drove in 3 runs as the Reds outscored St Louis 11-7. Babe Ruth (.405,41,126) was limited to just 1 single in the victory. The win keeps Cincinnati 6 games ahead of Pittsburgh for the National League lead after the Pirates blanked Chicago 3-0.

The Philadelphia Athletics are back to within a half game of first place New York in the American League pennant race after the Athletics thumped the Yankees 14-4 at Shibe Field. Dave Bancroft (.313,4,72) and Eddie Brown (.388,1,51) led the Philadelphia attack with 4 hits each. New York outfielder Cy Williams (.310,14,65) went 0-for-4 to snap his hitting streak at 23 games.

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 17, 1921

Pete Hill, Chaney White and Biz Mackey each had a pair of rbi's to lead the Chicago American Giants to a 9-2 road win over the Indianapolis ABC's. The victory puts Chicago up 2 games to one in the Negro World Series. Tom 'Schoolboy' Johnson, who was 13-11 during the season, went the distance for the victory.

In National League action the St Louis Cardinals ended Cincinnati's 10-game winning streak by doubling the Reds 4-2 but Cincinnati did get another homerun from Babe Ruth. Ruth (.404,42,128) hit his 42nd in the first inning to give Cincinnati the early lead. It was one of only 4 hits the Reds would get off of St Louis starter Ed Wahl (16-9, 3.14). The Cardinals now trail Cincinnati by 8 games. Second place Pittsburgh moved to within 5 games with a 5-4 win in Chicago.

Philadelphia and New York had the day off in American League play. The two clubs wrap up their 4 game series tomorrow.

[Tiger Fan]

THURSDAY AUGUST 18, 1921
AMERICAN GIANTS TAKE COMMAND WITH CONVINCING WIN

The Chicago American Giants are one win away from claiming their second straight Negro World Series title after schooling the ABC's 15-4 in Game Four at Indianapolis. The American Giants rapped 17 hits including homeruns from Bill Riggins (.339,7,66), Bert Woods and pitcher Wade Johnston. Woods had 2 hits in the game, which were the first two of the season for the 32 year old journeyman. Woods has had an interesting career. He made his pro debut with the Buffalo Bisons of the International League in 1911, batting .240 in 101 games. He would reamin with the Bisons until 1916 but rarely saw much game action, appearing in just 154 games over the next 5 seasons. He suffered a concussion in 1916 and did not play again until signing with the American Giants last year as a back up outfielder. Woods hit just .188 in 37 games last season and was 0-for-7 in regular season play this year before getting his first start of the season today in place of Chaney White, after White suffered a knee injury yesterday.

ATHLETICS TAKE OVER TOP SPOT

The Philadelphia Athletics moved in to first place in the American League with a 4-3 victory over the New York Yankees. The A's, who took 3 of 4 from New York in their series, now have a half game lead on the Yanks. The Yankees led 3-1 entering the bottom of the 8th but Philadelphia exploded for three runs thanks to a Jack Fournier single followed by a Muddy Ruel triple, a Bob Meusel double and an rbi single off the bat of Eddie Brown.

All of the top teams in the National League had the day off as the only game in that circuit saw the New York Giants beat Philadelphia 3-2. Oscar Charleston (.315,8,23) hit a solo homerun for the Giants while Jack Hannibal (.348,6,27) got the game winner with a 2-run walk-off shot in the bottom of the ninth. The Giants are playing .500 ball (18-18) since signing the two former Brooklyn Tip-Tops. They were 33-51 prior to the signings.

SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION

Veteran righthander Ballplayer Likowski got his name back in the news. The 34 year old tossed his second one-hit shutout of the season for the Chattanooga Lookouts today. Likowski pitched a couple of seasons in the Federal League and also was 5-7 for the Cleveland Indians in 1918. With an 18-9 record and a 3.09 era, Likowski is enjoying his best season as a professional. He has bounced around a few leagues and spent all of 1916 on the St Louis Browns reserve roster. In 1917 he helped St Paul win the American Association title. I can't find too much out about the real Ballplayer Likowski other than his first name is Joe and he was born in Oklahoma. Likowski won 21 games for Class D Muskogee in 1914 but after splitting the 1915 season between Muskegee and Oklahoma City of the Western Association he falls off the grid.

[Tiger Fan]

FRIDAY AUGUST 19, 1921
INDIANAPOLIS STAYS ALIVE

The ABC's kept their Negro World Series title hopes alive with a 3-1 victory at home over Chicago in game five of the best-of-seven series. Indianapolis trails the American Giants 3 games to two with the series moving back to Chicago for Sunday's Game Six.

All 3 of Indianapolis' runs came in the bottom of the first inning as Dobie Moore hit a 3-run homer. That would be all ABC's starter Evelio Calderin would need as he threw 7 innings of 6-hit ball allowing just 1 run. Johnny Owens came on to record the final 6 outs without incident for the winners.

Moore leads all players with 8 rbi's in the series and is batting .400 (8-for-20). Chicago third baseman Bill Riggins had 3 more hits to give him a series leading 12 and a .545 batting average.

FEDERAL LEAGUE
REBELS LOSE KEY PLAYER

The injury bug has struck the Pittsburgh Rebels once again. The Rebels, fighting to hang on to second place and a playoff berth in the Federal League not only lost 7-0 to the Chicago Whales today but they also learned that third baseman Willie Kamm (.321,1,72) is done for the season with a concussion. It has been a rough year for the Rebels, who presently have 8 players on the injury list. Included in the 8 are pitcher Bill Cadreau (8-4, 3.64), who won 25 games last year and was named the Federal League's top pitcher. Cadreau has been sidelined since June with an elbow injury. Also missing are starting outfielders Steve Evans (.322,1,29) and Possum Whitted (.278,2,38) as well as rookie pitcher Johnny Enzmann (9-3, 4.31). Evans, Cadreau and Kamm are done for the year but there is hope the other two will return.

Despite the injuries the Rebels are still clinging to the wildcard spot, a game and a half up on both St Louis and Neark with Chicago 2.5 off the pace.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

A light schedule in major league baseball with only 3 games on the slate. The lone American League contest saw Ty Cobb (.376,2,50) extend his hit streak to 20 games as the St Louis Browns scored 7 times in the bottom of the ninth to beat Detroit 8-7. In the National League Philadelphia beat Pittsburgh 4-3 while Boston hammered Chicago 10-4.

SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION

Veteran pitcher Bill Sline has decided his career is not over yet. The 38 year old, who was released by Cincinnati a couple of weeks ago after going 5-7 with an 8.80 era out of the Reds bullpen, has signed with the Little Rock Travelers for the remainder of the season.

Sline has a lifetime major league mark of 165-200 which included a 9-32 season for the positively awful 1907 New York Yankees - a team that went 52-102. While he did lose 20 games three times in the major leagues, Sline also enjoyed a 21 win season for the 1918 Boston Red Sox. The move to Little Rock marks his first visit to the Southern Association but Sline did pitch 3 seasons in the old Pacific States Association (now Northwestern League) and a year in the Western Association. His career record at all levels is 211-262. He won a gold glove in 1915 with the Red Sox and made the 1917 American League all-star team.

In real life Sline was nicknamed “Spitball Bill” and he began his career with three straight 20-win seasons – all coming in the New England League. He was 20-9 for Concord in 1905 and then 21-10 and 23-8 the next two seasons playing for Jesse Burkett in Worcester. From 1908 through 1913 Sline hurled for Providence in the Eastern/International League. He won 17 games in 1909, a season split between Providence and the New England League, and 16 games for Chattanooga in 1914 before finishing with a 7-18 season for Manchester in 1915. While in the New England circuit, Sline threw two no-hitters, and had a career minor league record of 143-129.