IAB: International Association of Baseball

[Anthony Odarczenko]

Dear members,

After reading the Top 75 dynasties of 2005 and many of the great dynasties that surround this forum, I've decided to submit my first dynasty. While I can never aspire to be a part of any of those lists as those are the most elite, I am one who feels that even the most modest of writings that entertains its audience is a great contribution to the community.

With that said, I will explain the concept, which goes in turn with the online league I am currently running (http://iab.leagueserver.net/). While you'll see this information in the first few entries, we begin our journey with the impending strike of 1994. But we mix it up a bit. The strike of 1994 did not occur until August of the 1994 season whereas the IAB appears on the scene in the beginning of 1994. So you may find that strange, but we play up the story up a bit to make up for that discrepency.

Anyways, those are just some notes about what to expect out of this and I will write my first entry shortly.

Sincerely,
Anthony Odarczenko
IAB President
Dynasty Rookie

[Anthony Odarczenko]

July 13, 1993
Fehr, MLBPA threaten postseason play
NEW YORK, NY- For those of you looking forward to the exciting pennant races this season, there is a great reason to feel a bit discouraged. MLBPA Executive Director Donald Fehr didn't hesitate when asked about the progress on a new labor agreement with the old agreement set to expire on December 31: "If serious negotiations between our players and the owners do not begin soon, our players will not hesitate to walk out in the middle of the pennant race."

Major League Baseball acting commissioner Bud Selig decided to decline comment on the labor disagreement and tried to steer focus towards the day's festivities - the 1993 Major League All-Star Game taking place in Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

The talk of an impending strike has no winners: The defending champion Toronto Blue Jays, currently leading their division, may not be able to finish their campaign for a repeat. The Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Phillies appear to be on their way to their first division titles since the 1983 season - but it could be all for naught. The San Francisco Giants are attempting to win a pennant for the first time since being swept in the 1989 World Series by their Bay Area rivals in the earthquake heartache.
And then there's revenue, both for player and owner alike. But in the end, it is truly the loyal fans that will be most pushed away from the national pastime.

All-American: NL drought reaches sixth year
BALTIMORE, MD - Inside Orioles Park at Camden Yards, the fairly new state-of-the-art ballpark located in Baltimore, at the city's first all-star game since 1958, the American League felt right at home, winning a record sixth consecutive All-Star game over the National League.

The National League drew first blood with Florida Marlins outfielder Gary Sheffield launching a two-run shot off California Angels pitcher Mark Langston. The American League evened the score with two home runs of their own - a solo-shot in the second inning by Minnesota Twins outfielder Kirby Puckett and another solo in the third inning by Toronto Blue Jays infielder Roberto Alomar. After that, it was all American League as they quietly hammered away: there was no more home runs but the team manged 7 more runs inbetween the fifth and seventh innings.

48,147 were in attendance at Oriole Park to watch Kirby Puckett accept the 1993 MLB All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award.

MLB Standings at the break

NLE W L GB WP RS RA
PHI 57 32 - .640 483 406
STL 51 36 5.0 .586 394 359
MON 48 40 8.5 .545 380 398
PIT 42 46 14.5 .477 391 442
CHC 41 45 14.5 .477 374 388
FLA 37 50 19.0 .425 336 359
NYM 27 60 29.0 .310 365 426
NLW W L GB WP RS RA
SFG 59 30 - .663 466 330
ATL 50 39 9.0 .562 363 314
HOU 46 41 12.0 .529 401 355
LAD 46 41 12.0 .529 379 354
CIN 45 45 14.5 .500 411 406
COL 33 54 25.0 .379 400 546
SDP 33 56 26.0 .371 349 409

ALE W L GB WP RS RA
TOR 49 40 - .551 455 426
DET 48 40 0.5 .545 506 459
NYY 48 41 1.0 .539 448 413
BAL 47 41 1.5 .534 398 378
BOS 45 42 3.0 .517 375 348
CLE 40 48 8.5 .455 413 438
MIL 37 49 10.5 .430 383 419

ALW W L GB WP RS RA
CHW 45 41 - .523 422 381
KCR 44 42 1.0 .512 363 387
TEX 44 42 1.0 .512 451 406
SEA 44 44 2.0 .500 404 386
CAL 43 43 2.0 .500 385 404
OAK 38 46 6.0 .452 383 434
MIN 36 49 8.5 .424 365 472

[Anthony Odarczenko]

August 1, 1993
MLB labor negotiations turning sour
NEW YORK, NY - Donald Fehr and Bud Selig were among many officals close to the MLB, MLBPA labor discussions that gathered today in the Big Apple. While the media speculated that the two sides were closing the gap, and that today's conference would be an effort to seal the deal, insiders suggest that the owners and the players association have never been farther away from reaching an agreement. League officials drizzled in slowly at about a quarter to noon, and the conference that was closed from the media lasted about 4 hours. However, it was at about two hours in that Donald Fehr reportedly walked out of negotiations claiming that the MLB were pulling things out of the offer they sent him just days before.

Fehr was not able to be reached for comment. Insiders close to the negotiation say that Fehr announced that the players would finish the regular season and postseason, but if an agreement was not reached by the end of the calendar year, the MLBPA would not continue negotiations until June of 1994.

[Anthony Odarczenko]

August 8, 1993
Baseball Business: No, fans, It's good news.
CHICAGO, IL - Fans received a reprieve from the daily panic regarding the status of the 1993 season due to the labor war. The fact, however, that the sides being so far apart in the labor negotiations need to reach an agreement by the end of the calendar year when the current agreement expires to prevent negotiations from being pushed back to what would be Midseason 1994, almost certainly canceling the season entirely, is very discouraging. This is why Fehr's announcement last week that the season would finish was both a sigh of relief and a reason to be alarmed.

However, there are a group of business men working for the good of baseball. They are a bunch of investors that you've probably never heard of, but after making serious strides in recent meetings, Hall-of-Famers from all over are rallying support for these no-names. Still, some say - anything baseball other than Major League Baseball is not the American pastime we know.

The leading man in these discussions is a Ukranian-American investor from the northwest side of Chicago named Anthony Odarczenko who has had a love for baseball since he was a child growing up as a Cubs fan (poor guy). "Baseball is an amazing game - it is a game that has been sewed into the American fabric from day one and it is a shame that the leaders of our game today are tearing it apart."

So immediately many wonder what Odarczenko is planning to do to prevent the game from being torn apart? He smiles and then calmly says "They're blockheads." Reporters gave him a puzzled look before Odarczenko began clearing it up: "The leaders of our game. There is no way to prevent what they are going to do. There's been bills in Congress, they've met with the President, I'm not going to claim I can do something that the political types have already seriously failed at. All I can do is continue the baseball tradition."

And how does he plan to do this? "I want to keep baseball alive in this nation. Two world wars and a great depression couldn't stop this game from declaring a national professional champion, why should we let a bunch of greedy [expletive] stop it?"

Some say he's a revolutionary, some say he just loves baseball - but he says there are more like him. "I've been flying across the globe in the recent weeks, and we're pulling something together. It's going to be big. It's going to keep baseball in America and bring it to the rest of the world."

Odarczenko and other investors have scheduled meetings for later this week to discuss the matter further.

[Anthony Odarczenko]

August 13, 1993
International Association of Baseball founded; USBL founded as first associate
CHICAGO, IL - Although he is not yet a household name, Ukranian-American investor Anthony Odarczenko has received quite a bit of notariety since being interviewed in the USA Today earlier in the week about his plans to keep baseball alive in America and spread it across the globe, but it will pale in comparison to the coverage he will soon be receiving after yesterday's announcement.

Yesterday, Odarczenko announced on the floor of Chicago Stadium that he is founding the International Association of Baseball (IAB), which will be an association that is going associate itself with leagues around the world.

Odarczenko also announced the first league to associate with the IAB - The United States Baseball League (USBL). The United States Baseball League would consist of eight founding teams and would be separated into a Western and Eastern conference. The league was a creation based on many in-depth discussions between Odarczenko and another no-name investor from Vegas, Robby Ruggles, who will serve as the first United States Baseball League president.

The announcement has received mixed reviews. One common question is whether or not the IAB will begin play with more than one associated league, to that end Odarczenko said, "We're in negotiations with leagues across the world, and close to getting associations made with some high rollers in the international scene. The plan, however, is to only bring one more associated league in to begin play." What countries are being considered? He wouldn't quite say, "There's a lot of countries in on the take - Asia, Europe, and the Americas - we'll give more details when things get done." Another common question is how the IAB will go if Major League Baseball reaches an agreement before year's end. Odarczenko hesitated and then said, "Well, we're try to put together something global. We would be open to talking to Major League Baseball about joining the scene. Regardless of what happens, the USBL is going to open in the Spring of 1994, whether it be with talents you know and love or whether with lower level players that will help us gain the national reputation required to be consider a major league."

In other news, the USBL Inaugural Draft will be scheduled for January 1st, 1994. Players are allowed to enter this draft until December 15, but can withdraw on the morning of the New Year.

[Anthony Odarczenko]

August 31, 1993
USBL announces first inaugural teams
CHICAGO, IL - Once again on the floor of Chicago Stadium, IAB President Anthony Odarczenko called a press conference to announce the first batch of inaugural teams. There would be eight that would begin play in 1994, so further announcements are expected in the upcoming weeks, but some of the nations top cities were represented.

"It is my pleasure to announce to you three of the eight founding teams of the United States Baseball League.", said Anthony Odarczenko. "The first three cities to receive USBL bids are New York, Las Vegas, and Chicago."

"The name of the New York franchise will be the Liberty which will reside in the Eastern Conference, and the bid for this team has been purchased by Trapper Yuvencio.", said Odarczenko. Like most people in the development of the IAB - the name Trapper Yuvencio did not ring a bell though our insiders have found that he is a investor in Connecticutt.


"The name of the Las Vegas franchise will be the Jackpot which will reside in the Western Conference, and the bid for this team has been purchased by our very own USBL President Robby Ruggles.", said Odarczenko. Ruggles is still not very well known, but those who have worked with him previously say he is very knowledgable in the field that he is entering.

"The name of the Chicago franchise will be the Storm which will reside in the Eastern Conference, and I will be purchasing the bid for this team.", said Odarczenko. The IAB Presdient was one of two groups trying to purchase the Chicago franchise. The other group was led by Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf. Reinsdorf has publicly criticized the league saying that the reason Odarczenko won the bid was because he held the association presidency. The USBL has fired back stating that "Reinsdorf's role in the Major League Baseball and its strike was one of the reasons we were not able to fully approve his bid for a Chicago franchise in our league. He may reapply anytime."

With these announcements, the USBL has five remaining bids - two in the Eastern Conference, three in the Western Conference. Cities being considered for the remaining bids are Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, Washington D.C., Phoenix, Los Angeles, Seattle, Dallas, Portland, New Orleans, and San Diego.

[Vris]

Hey, I know you!

Good work!

[Anthony Odarczenko]

Thanks Vris!

I haven't seen you in awhile, you used to be in my old vrMLB league. Good to see you!

[Vris]

Originally Posted by Anthony Odarczenko

Thanks Vris!

I haven't seen you in awhile, you used to be in my old vrMLB league. Good to see you!

Long time ago. Looking forward to the next installment.

[robster1225]

Originally Posted by Vris

Long time ago. Looking forward to the next installment.

Keep it coming Anthony.
It's great to see the leagues history spelled out like this

[Anthony Odarczenko]

Tuesday, September 14, 1993
USBL announces three more teams
LOS ANGELES, CA - After two weeks of traveling around the world, Odarczenko was prepared to return home for some rest before announcing an installment of two more teams on the USBL docket for 1994 at league headquarters. A phone call, a press conference postponement, and a flight later, Odarczenko had a third team to announce.

Odarczenko flew out to Los Angeles for the weekend to meet with Mike Boss. After canceling a Monday morning press conference in Chicago, he stood before the media in Los Angeles at home plate of Dodgers Stadium to announce three more teams for the inaugural USBL season.

"It is once again an honor to announce three more teams that will be participating in USBL's inaugural season." Odarczenko said, "This installment will include franchises in the cities of Los Angeles, Dallas, and Washington D.C."

"The name of the Los Angeles franchise will be the Nighthawks which will reside in the Western Conference, and the bid for this team has been purchased by Michael Boss.", said Odarczenko. Mike Boss is a Southern California businessman who has often been accused of seeing baseball as clearly a financial endeavor and winning was a bonus, but not something you worked towards.

"The name of the Dallas franchise will be the Lone Stars which will reside in the Western Conference, and the bid for this team has been purchased by Tony Jeffers", said Odarczenko. Jeffers is the first non-American owner to purchase a USBL bid. Jeffers, a wealthy man from Great Britain, is the oldest owner to purchase a USBL bid to date.

"The name of the Washington D.C. franchise will be the Revolution which will reside in the Eastern Conference, and the bid for this team has been purchased by Ryan Searson.", said Odarczenko. Searson, the mayor of the District of Columbia, has made it clear that he is purchasing the bid strictly to keep it in the city and out of the hands of politicians who barely spend any time in the District. Insiders say Searson is already searching out wealthy residents who will keep the team in the District and represent it well.

With the late August bids that went to Chicago, Las Vegas, and New York, and yesterday's announcement, two bids remain for the USBL - one eastern and one western.

[Anthony Odarczenko]

Monday, October 4, 1993
On the eve of MLB league championships, USBL announces final two franchises
CHICAGO, IL - Tommorow evening on the South side of Chicago, Game 1 of the American League Championship Series will begin at Comiskey Park. Today on the north side of Chicago, Anthony Odarczenko, president of the newly formed International Association of Baseball announced the final two teams in the USBL's inaugural league structure.

With the White Sox fielding the best team the city has seen in ten years, the focus on the South Side of Chicago is on the Pale Hose, who are looking to bring home the first league championship in 34 years, the first World Series championship in 76 years, and perhaps, the last title in Major League history - or at least for an extended strike period.

Nonetheless, hopeless Cubs fans and a great deal of the country directed their attention to the little operation that is appearing stronger and stronger with every day.

"It is with great privelage that I am able to announce to you the final two teams that will be participating in the inaugural season of the USBL." Odarczenko said. "The cities represented will include Miami and Phoenix."

These words shattered Honolulu and Portland who until a few weeks ago were neck-in-neck fighting for the last Western Conference bid.

"The name of the Miami franchise will be the Wave which will reside in the Eastern Conference, and the bid for this team has been purchased by Chris Copeland.", said Odarczenko. This news brought great joy to the fans in Miami who for years wanted to bring a baseball team to South Beach, only to receive the Marlins and watch MLB enter a labor struggle with the players union. Copeland is a reputable piece to the USBL ownership puzzle.

"The name of the Phoenix franchise will be the Fire, which will reside in the Western Conference, and the bid was purchased by Jason Caruso and associates.", said Odarczenko. Caruso is another big piece to the USBL ownership puzzle. Caruso spent a great deal of time trying to bring a franchise to Honolulu, where his operations are located, only to find that Phoenix would win the final western bid. Left with no choice, Caruso could wait for expansion in 1995 or operate the Southwest franchise. He chose to give it a go in Phoenix.

With Miami and Phoenix added, the United States Baseball is fully represented for the 1994 season. Even so, the next couple months will tell the story for the inaugural season. Will the players union and the league come to an agreement and deal a big blow to the USBL or will the two sides reach an impasse and give the USBL a rise to the top of the sport in the U.S.?

Regular Season concludes: Sox-Jays, Phils-Braves on LCS schedule

NLE W L GB WP RS RA
PHI 97 65 - .599 877 740
MON 94 68 3.0 .580 732 682
STL 87 75 10.0 .537 758 744
CHC 84 78 13.0 .519 738 739
PIT 75 87 22.0 .463 707 806
FLA 64 98 33.0 .395 581 724
NYM 59 103 38.0 .364 672 744

NLW W L GB WP RS RA
ATL 104 58 - .642 767 559
SFG 103 59 1.0 .636 808 636
HOU 85 77 19.0 .525 716 630
LAD 81 81 23.0 .500 675 662
CIN 73 89 31.0 .451 722 785
COL 67 95 37.0 .414 758 967
SDP 61 101 43.0 .377 679 772

ALE W L GB WP RS RA
TOR 95 67 - .586 847 742
NYY 88 74 7.0 .543 821 761
DET 85 77 10.0 .525 899 837
BAL 85 77 10.0 .525 786 745
BOS 80 82 15.0 .494 686 698
CLE 76 86 19.0 .469 790 813
MIL 69 93 26.0 .426 733 792

ALW W L GB WP RS RA
CHW 94 68 - .580 776 664
TEX 86 76 8.0 .531 835 751
KCR 84 78 10.0 .519 675 694
SEA 82 80 12.0 .506 734 731
CAL 71 91 23.0 .438 684 770
MIN 71 91 23.0 .438 693 830
OAK 68 94 26.0 .420 715 846

[Anthony Odarczenko]

Sunday, October 24, 1993
Two-Jays! Toronto wins 2nd WS title in a row
TORONTO, ON - The Blue Jays defended their World Series title by winning Game Six of the World Series over the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phils entered the bottom of the ninth inning with a 6-5 lead, expecting to force a seventh game. However, Joe Carter's three-run home run with one out in the bottom half of the deciding inning gave the Blue Jays the World Series title. Paul Molitor was named the World Series' Most Valuable Player following the game. Skydome held a great amount of excitement Saturday evening, but there was a great amount of calm afterwards as the Toronto fans are hoping for an agreement in the MLB labor war because there has been no plans for the USBL to include any Canadian teams.

[Anthony Odarczenko]

Friday, November 26, 1993
Talk Me Out to the Ballgame: Fehr meeting with MLB, USBL next week
NEW YORK, NY - It has been more than a month since the Toronto Blue Jays won Game Six of the 1993 World Series and there has barely been any news to report in the MLB labor discussions. Baseball fans who were nerved before the news lull find themselves even more nervous now.

"The silence worries me. If they don't start negotiations soon, it's very unlikely they'll get anything done by the end of the year deadline.", said Arlowe, a 39-year-old Yankees fan, "I've been going to major league games for years, I can't imagine a summer without it. The USBA isn't going to feel the same."

The USBL has gained quite a bit of momentum in previous weeks, but still the occasional fan fails to abbreviate the league correctly. Some things take a little longer to catch on.

But not to fear MLB fans, Donald Fehr is expected to meet with Bud Selig and MLB on Tuesday. However, Fehr is also expected to meet with IAB President Anthony Odarczenko and USBL President Robby Ruggles on Monday.

So, who's got the better shot at netting the best major league talents in the United States? Vegas always has something to say: "People were betting all majors all fall long, nobody gave the new league a shot", said Richard Harrington of Caesar's Palace " Since the Jays won it, people are standing up and taking notice, especially with the new ballpark being built around these parts for the Jackpot."

[Anthony Odarczenko]

Tuesday, December 28, 1993
[league redacted] signs letter of intent to associate with IAB as 2nd league
TOKYO, JAPAN - Many predicted that it would happen but very few predicted it this way, on Tuesday of this week the [league redacted] League announced that it had tied a deal up with another professional baseball league to form a global league called the International Association of Baseball. Many thought that as soon as Masaaki Yoshida the spokesman for the day had announced this that Bud Selig would appear onto the podium but everybody was shocked when Yoshida announced the names of Anthony Odarczenko and Robby Ruggles of the International Association of Baseball.


Odarczenko and Ruggles announced through interpreter Masaaki Yoshida that they represented the United States Baseball League an independent baseball league in America that had tied a deal up with the NPBL to form the IAB, the deal will see the winner of the USBL and the winner of the NPBL going head to head competing for the IAB Championship.

Although teams were familiar to many from the NPBL, with the Pacific League consisting of the Chiba Lotte Marines, Fukuoka Daiei Hawks, Nippon Ham Fighters, Orix Buffaloes, Seibu Lions and Tohoku Ratuken Golden Eagles and the Central League consisting of the Chunichi Dragons, Hiroshima Toyo Carp, Yakult Swallows, Yokohama BayStars, Yomiuri Giants and our very own Hanshin Tigers.

The teams from the USBL were not as familiar as Ruggles announced the league set up, playing in the Western Conference will be the Dallas Lone Stars, Honolulu Sharks, Las Vegas Jackpots and the Los Angeles Nighthawks. In the Eastern Conference will be the Chicago Storm, Miami Wave, New York Liberty and Washington DC Revolution only time will tell if the likes of the Lone Stars, Nighthawks, Storm, Wave, Liberty and Revolution can not only compete against the other IAB teams but also the teams in the MLB that they share cities with."

Thanks to our Hanshin_GM for contributing this to our league during the time when this was actually occuring in our online league.

[Anthony Odarczenko]

Friday, December 31, 1993
Deadline expected to pass with no agreement; Players will be eligible to be drafted
NEW YORK, NY - MLBPA executive director Donald Fehr announced that the MLB and MLBPA had officially reached an impasse and that the deadline would not be met. Fehr announced that negotiations may be re-opened in June 1994, making good on his threat to shut down talks for six months if an agreement was not reached by year's end.

In addition, Fehr announced that all players that are members of the players association were automatically submitted for eligibility in this Sunday's USBL Inaugural Draft and were all eligible unless they withdrew themselves.

This was an amazing breakthrough for IAB's Anthony Odarczenko and USBL's Robby Ruggles, who were guaranteed to stick around after the agreement with ***, but now have had their association lifted to world-class status.

Major League Baseball acting commissioner Bud Selig made a statement regarding the MLBPA's decision: "This is a sad and regretful day for the game of baseball. Major League Baseball has been, is, and always will be the stick by which the game will be measured. The greatest players in the world have always played in this league, and it is regrettable that this will not be the case for the 1994 season. I cannot speak to whether or not, the game will ever be as great as it once was. I am announcing the cancellation of the 1994 Major League Baseball season. The league offices will be closed until April 4 while we make efforts to bring back the game you know and love."

[Anthony Odarczenko]

Sunday, January 2nd, 1994
Former 'Fire' steal the show at inaugural draft

Breaking News: Following the draft, Jason Caruso announced that his team (at the time the Phoenix Fire) would not reside in Phoenix but in Honolulu as the Sharks. The Sharks thank Phoenix for their hospitality and wish them luck on their 1995 expansion franchise Phoenix Fire.

CHICAGO - The lights went down, and the crowds went quiet with the spotlight on the IAB President Anthony Odarczenko. "Welcome to the USBL Inaugural Draft at the Chicago Stadium", he said. He then stated the format of the inaugural draft, and then the moment came for the draft to begin. Who would owner Jason Caruso select as the face of the bright futured franchise and brand new league?

"With the first overall pick in the USBL Inaugural Draft, the Phoenix Fire select Centerfielder Ken Griffey Jr, formerly of the Seattle Mariners." said Odarczenko, with great enthusiasm. With Griffey being one of the brightest stars in the future of baseball, it was expected by many that he would not escape the Southwest with Phoenix and Las Vegas ranking first and second in the round.

The biggest surprise was yet to come: The Fire before even playing a game in Arizona, would be moving to Honolulu and changing their name to the Sharks. President Odarczenko of the IAB and President Ruggles of the USBL discussed this thought, originally denying the Caruso ownership group's request, but then later approved it upon a sudden bid by an ownership group to maintain the Phoenix Fire name and open the franchise in the USBL's Western Conference in 1995. Expect some fans to be bitter as Phoenix fought very hard to win their inaugural bid over Portland and Honolulu.

Odarczenko commented hours after the completion of the draft: "This is a really strange twist that I wasn't expecting. The first pick in draft history is made by the Phoenix Fire, and they don't even play in the inaugural season or have any of the players from the draft. But it'll work out. No one will ever remember them as Phoenix. Everyone will look in the history books confused as to why the Shark history starts with a name of a team already in the league. It works, and I'm planning to attend many Shark-Fire games in 1995. A rivalry will be born."

Odarczenko's Predictions for USBL Rivalries
Chicago Storm - New York Liberty (The battle of the two largest cities in the Eastern half of the country)
New York Liberty - Los Angeles Nighthawks (Two largest cities in the U.S.)
Los Angeles Nighthawks - Honolulu Sharks (Pacific Battle - two of the most competitive owners)
Honolulu Sharks - Phoenix Fire (When Fire comes back in '95, the Phoenix fans will tear the Sharks apart)

[robster1225]

Hey, I think Las Vegas and Miami will be a great rivalry. Two of the top vacation spots in the country.

Great work Anthony. I enjoy reading these, and they reflect the brief history of our already great league.