Base-Ball World: A Stupidly Ambitious Dynasty

[Trebro]

So Cleveland does end up building on that late-season surge, nipping the Athletics (who also greatly improved) by just one game. Boston fell a bit, and Cincinnati really didn't compete well in its first year. Their entry may have been quite premature.

Troy's 10-win performance is absolutely pitiful. They have been warned that in order to survive as a pro team past 1873, they must get it in gear.

Chicago, as we will see, did not take finishing with only 16 wins lightly:

--Chicago White Stockings: Fired general manager Thomas Horton.
--Chicago White Stockings: Fired manager Jimmy Wood.
--Chicago White Stockings: Signed manager Al Burns to a 5-year, $260 per year contract.
--Chicago White Stockings: Signed general manager Steve Warner to a 5-year, $280 per year contract.

I don't get the pickup of Burns at all. Mobile fired him after two poor years and a 21-35 record. Can't see him improving the team. Warner is even worse, as Providence didn't even get past 20 wins in two years.

Other Personnel Moves:

Boston Red Stockings: Signed General Manager Bob Hill to a 3-year contract extension.
New York Mutuals: Signed Manager Joel Madden to a 2-year contract extension.
Fort Wayne Kekiongas: Signed Manager Earl Johnson to a 3-year contract extension. (This also makes little sense to me.)
Washington Olympians: Signed General Manager Bruce Browne to a 2-year contract extension.
Cincinnati Red Stockings: Fired general manager Jorge Lerma.

Notable Retirement:

New York Mutuals: MR Arthur Stephens retires. Stephens was a beast in 1871, but got Steve Blass disease, ballooning to a 5.35 ERA and a 1.71 WHIP. He'll try his luck as a pitching coach, but the competition is thick.

Major Trades
--The Boston Red Stockings traded 25-year-old right fielder Tom J Foley to the Norfolk News, getting 27-year-old minor league center fielder Rex Carter in return. Neither player is particularly notable, but this does mark Boston's first trade with a semi-pro team.
--The Troy Haymakers traded 29-year-old reliever Dean Wright to the Rockford Forest Citys, getting 21-year-old right fielder George Ewell in return.
Saturday, May 25th, 1872
--The Troy Haymakers traded 21-year-old right fielder Gene Kimball to the Cincinnati Red Stockings, getting 15-year-old left fielder Gabriel Reyes, 16-year-old starting pitcher Matt O'Shee and 15-year-old starting pitcher Ron Payne in return.

Troy continues its path towards irrelevance here, grasping for teenage straws. Mind you, Matt O'Shee looks like he'll be pretty good (high control potential and throws in the 90s), but it's still a bad move to stay at pro level.

--The Fort Wayne Kekiongas traded 29-year-old left fielder Eddie Booth to the St. Louis Brown Stockings, getting 16-year-old minor league starting pitcher Jim Huff, 19-year-old minor league reliever Raúl Suarze and 15-year-old minor league catcher Earl Stancil in return.

This is another first, this time Ft. Wayne making a deal with a semi-pro. I believe it's also the first historical player shipped out to a semi-pro team. Poor Eddie Booth!

1872 Awards:
Best Batter: Ross Barnes, White Stockings
Best Pitcher: George Zettlein, Mutuals
Best Greenhorn: Ross Barnes, White Stockings (because of low AB)
Manager of the Year: Charlie Pabor, Cleveland

Steady Hands Team:
Pitcher: Asa Brainard, Washington
Catcher: Dick Higham, Rockford
First Baseman: Denny Mack, Boston
Second Baseman: Fred Harmon, Troy
Third Baseman: Ezra Sutton, Rockford
Shortstop: Dickey Pearce, New York
Left Fielder: Guillermo Hernández, New York
Center Fielder: Dave Eggler, New York
Right Fielder: Jon Stevenson, Cincinnati

1872 Notable Stats:

Ross Barnes barely misses the first-ever triple crown. He lead in Average (.436) and HR (3), but just missed on RBIs. Barnes had 42 to Bill Barnes (of Cleveland) at 49.

Here's the complete batting and pitching leaderboards for 1872:




Drinking on the job?
Alden Jeffries was suspended for the first 10 games of 1873 for violating the league's drinking policy.

The National Association, feeling quite profitable, is pleased with their status. There is even talk of adjusting parks in the off-season.

[Trebro]

So I have been trying for hours to copy over things from "open external browser" to here so that I can stop having to screen shot everything.

If I just plain text it over, the formatting is wrong and I can't get it to look right. The same is true if I run it through Excel first after copying.

I tried "copy source code" and then it gives me the table okay, but it ends up looking all dark.

I'm really frustrated because I want to get back to running my league and seeing where it goes, but I also wanted to make things easier for me to present. But it looks like I may need to actually HTML code to get the formatting right, and that seems like it's longer than the "print screen-edit photo-upload photo-link to photo" system I was using.

Is there anyone who can walk me through how to get this done? Or is it really just a case of needing to just screen-shot the stats (like leaderboards or team rosters) and be done with it?

HELP!

[Trebro]

A look at the Troy Haymakers and why they are in bad shape.

Here's the hitting breakdown:


Troy actually was #1 in average, and upper middle of the road in all other categories except home runs. They were 4th in the league in runs scored. How does a team like that only win 10 games out of 46?

The same way Boston finished last--pitching and defense.

Here's Troy's pitching staff. Note the runs vs earned runs, and the high WHIP for all of its staff:


But what really stands out is the poor defense:


3 players on the team had over 60 errors! The problem is that Davy Force is their best offensive player, and Lane and Duffy are their third and fifth best respectively.

In order to compete, they're going to have to get better defensively. At least one of these guys who can't field worth @#$@ need to go. Taking a hit in batting average to prevent being one of the worst-fielding teams in the league is a necessity for them going forward. Will General Manager Troy Ball be up to the task? We'll see...

[Trebro]

Final Standings:


Confederate States News and Notes:
--Nashville came down to earth, but naturally took the crown. Richmond rebounded nicely with the managerial changes. Mobile is absolutely horrible.
--Charleston fires its GM, but keeps its manager. Strange.
--Richmond Rivers: Fired Pitching coach Mark Thomas.
--Mobile Mariners: Fired manager Al Burns.
--Mobile Mariners: Signed manager Richie Lee to a 3-year, $130 per year contract. [Retread from Omaha. Not a great improvement.]
--Charleston Chews: Signed general manager Diego Guerrero to a 3-year, $130 per year contract. [New blood for a change.]

Confederate States Leaders:




Eastern News and Notes:
--Providence opts not to re-sign its main front office players.
--Cambridge Collegians reboot their entire front office, letting them all go.
--Baltimore Canaries: Signed General Manager Brian Abbott to a 2-year contract extension. [Team improved significantly. Good choice.]
--Baltimore Canaries: Signed Manager Cole Hooper to a 1-year contract extension. [Smart move for a team on the rise.]
--Hartford Dark Blues: General Manager Tony Norris leaves the team, his contract was not renewed. [Easy come, easy go on this one.]
--Providence Pilgrims: Signed manager Bob Jones to a 3-year, $140 per year contract.
--The St. Paul Saints traded 29-year-old minor league right fielder Jack McDonald to the Cambridge Collegians, getting 17-year-old minor league right fielder William Richardson in return. [Meh.]
--Hartford Dark Blues: Signed general manager Mike Cantrell to a 4-year, $150 per year contract. [Retread failure.]
Providence Pilgrims: Signed general manager Vincent Davis to a 3-year, $130 per year contract. [Retread failure.]

Eastern States Leaders:

[Trebro]

Final Standings:


Garry Clark of the Pittsburgh Alleghenies is something else. And keep in mind, he's only sixteen.


Midwestern Association News and Notes
--Greg Nance leaves the St. Louis Brownstockings after two years. Having played baseball for 15 years and having a WSPA career average of .347, he'll try his hand at being a coach--if anyone will stop hiring re-treads.
--Springfield Simpsons: Signed manager Kevin Christian to a 4-year, $140 per year contract.
--Erie Elks: Signed Manager Johnny MacComb to a 3-year contract extension.
--Pittsburg re-upped their improved management team, a solid choice, it seems.

Midwestern Association Leaders




Northwestern Association News And Notes
--Omaha Orphans can their management team, with good reason.
--Kansas City Kings: Signed Manager Bryan Williams to a 2-year contract extension. [Good choice.]
--Omaha Orphans: Signed manager Parker Roach to a 4-year, $120 per year contract.
--Detroit Dragons: Signed general manager Daniel Moss to a 3-year, $120 per year contract.
--Grand Rapids Glory: Fired general manager Daniel Moss.
--Grand Rapids Glory: Signed general manager Tony Norris to a 3-year, $140 per year contract. [Here we go again...]
Northwestern Association Leaders

[Trebro]

Pitttsburg, PA--June 13, 1872: It's been confirmed by telegraph that rising young star Garry Clark of the Alleghenies ballclub has been traded to cross-town pro-league super-team Philadelphia to give the Pittsburg team a solid starter in Bobby Matthews.

News of the trade, which saves the struggling Pittsburg club about $200, is circulating through the bars on the South Side of Pittsburg, up and down the many inclines. It is not going well.

"What were yinz thinking?" and similar comments echoed across the three rivers, as people who had come to see the young star play felt their minds become as hazy as the smoke surrounding the city.

Clark, who hit well over .400 each of his two years in the semi-pro leagues and can now possibly make the impossible sum of $1,000 a year, was delighted. "I wanted to show what I could do against the best," he said.

Meanwhile, Matthews, who is only 20 himself, was similarly humble. "I understand I will immediately become their number one hurler. Me and my best underhand are ready!" The competition dip may help Matthews, who had a rough first year at a 5.19 ERA, which shrank to 3.09 in his second year, but his penchant for giving up hits (167 in 1871 and 261 in 1872) still mar his record. In his pro career, Matthews was 17-24. It remains to be seen if he will ever return to the highest level of competition.

The Athletics will turn to Will Hess to take the hill most days. In spot duty, he was 1-1 with a 2.01 ERA but lots of hits against (WHIP of 1.48). The Alleghenies, meanwhile, may never see the like of Clark again.

[Trebro]

Stadium Changes

--Cincinnati Redstockings to Avenue Grounds, $5,000 seats 6K, pitcher’s park
--Baltimore Canaries to Newington Park, $5,000 seats 5K, neutral park, high on triples
--Nashville to William Walker Park, $5,000 seats 5K, neutral park, high on triples
--Washington Nationals to Athletic Park, $8,000 seats 7,500, pitcher’s park
--Erie Elks expand Lake Erie Park, $2000, to 2500 seats, neutral park
--St. Louis Brown Stockings to Grand Avenue Grounds, $4,500, seats 5700, hitter’s park

Ticket Price Changes:
--Eastern Semi-Pro Association votes 9-7 to increase attendance to 15 cents.
--Washington Nationals opt to increase to 20 cents, angling for higher status.
--Western Semi-Pro Association votes 9-5 to increase attendance to 15 cents.

Pay Structure:
--Western Semi-Pro Association votes 8-6 to lower player and coach salaries by up to $150 at the top levels and $10 at lowest levels. Players not pleased, to say the least.

Expansion? No Way!
--Confederate States Association votes definitively to NOT expand, 6-2.
--Eastern Association votes not to expand, 5-3.
--Midwestern Association votes not to expand, 5-2.
--Northwestern Association votes note to expand, 5-2.

California Dreaming?
Baseball is spreading on the West Coast, particularly in San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle. Nothing formally organized, but there is talk if the East Coast can do it, why not the West?

Trades of Note:
--The Cleveland Forest Citys traded 30-year-old second baseman Bob Addy to the Nashville Nails, getting 28-year-old minor league shortstop John Campbell in return. [This is a need for need trade, with both players having strong offensive stats of over .300 averages.]
--The Troy Haymakers traded 28-year-old reliever Ed Stratton to the New York Mutuals, getting 23-year-old center fielder George Heubel and 16-year-old third baseman Richie Dillon in return. [Troy gives away a pitcher they might be able to use for a pair of young crap players. They're headed for another crap year.]

[StLee]

Originally Posted by panelpatter

So I have been trying for hours to copy over things from "open external browser" to here so that I can stop having to screen shot everything.

If I just plain text it over, the formatting is wrong and I can't get it to look right. The same is true if I run it through Excel first after copying.

I tried "copy source code" and then it gives me the table okay, but it ends up looking all dark.

I'm really frustrated because I want to get back to running my league and seeing where it goes, but I also wanted to make things easier for me to present. But it looks like I may need to actually HTML code to get the formatting right, and that seems like it's longer than the "print screen-edit photo-upload photo-link to photo" system I was using.

Is there anyone who can walk me through how to get this done? Or is it really just a case of needing to just screen-shot the stats (like leaderboards or team rosters) and be done with it?

HELP!

If you use Windows, I find the Clipping Tool to be really convenient. You can edit your picture and save in one easy step instead of going through the Print Screen option.

[Trebro]

Originally Posted by StLee

If you use Windows, I find the Clipping Tool to be really convenient. You can edit your picture and save in one easy step instead of going through the Print Screen option.

BAM! That's perfect! Thank you soooo much. I knew there had to be an easier way than all the extra steps I was taking.

This is why this community is awesome.

[Trebro]

National Association Standings:


The Mutuals are shaping up to be the most dominant team in the National Association. Unlike past years, this race does not seem close heading into the second half. Meanwhile, Troy is doing a lot better than I expected. I'm starting to think Cincinnati's inclusion was a mistake.

Pro League News and Notes:
--Bill Stearns of the White Stockings, will miss the rest of the season. He was dominating 1873, with a 3-1 record and a 2.13 ERA. The White Stockings were only 4-3 outside his record, so their chance at rebounding just took a hit.

--Bill Boyd of Cleveland Forest City hits the first back to back HRs in pro ball, April 10th and 11th, 1873. They give him the league lead, of course.

--The Fort Wayne Kekiongas have parted ways with 23-year-old first baseman Clipper Flynn in a trade with the Troy Haymakers for 22-year-old right fielder Ned Connor, 16-year-old left fielder Gabriel Reyes and 16-year-old starting pitcher Ron Payne. The Kekiongas general manager confirmed the deal in an announcement this morning. [And this is the one that proves I picked the wrong team to be failing its way out of the National Association. Oops.]

--Newspapers in Troy and Cincinnati reported that the Haymakers have reached a deal sending 29-year-old second baseman Fred Harmon to the Red Stockings for 32-year-old reliever René Dore and 21-year-old starting pitcher Cédric Lang. [Cincy’s 2B Kimball, ironically also from Troy, has been mediocre this year, so Harmon gives them a potential boost. Meanwhile, Troy gets a pitcher with high potential for movement and control.]

--Garry Clark is struggling a bit against higher-level competition. He's hitting only .275, and has 20 errors in RF and 21 errors at 1B! He's still very, very young, so there's time to recover, if his horrible defense doesn't get him booted. (Philly even used him as an emergency pitcher, giving him an ERA over 20.)

Eastern and Western Semi-Pro Associations:



In the Eastern Semi-Pro Association, which has wrapped up, the Nails make it two in a row for the CSA and are discussing with Chicago and Fort Wayne the idea of joining the pro-level ranks. The biggest issue right now is the uneasy feelings between North and South that caused the creation of the CSA after all. Meanwhile, Brooklyn's .679 winning percentage over three years, one title and two second place finishes also make them a potential candidate. The Mutuals aren't sure how they feel yet about the idea of two pro-level teams in Gotham.

The Western Semi-Pro season isn't over yet, and both Associations are pretty tight. Columbus is the latest Midwestern team to rise towards the top, while Milwaukee looks to go back to back. They are also rumored to be talking with Chicago about creating a Midwestern area pro league and letting the East do as it wishes.

Semi-Pro News and Notes:
--Jason Higgins, Atlanta, had a 37-game hit streak across 1872-1873. It was a Base-Ball World record, but...

--Bill Kelley, Grand Rapids, had a 40 game hitting streak across 1872-1873.

[Trebro]

Final Standings:


The Mutuals take their second title in three years, riding the sure-fire Hall of Famer George Zettlein to an easy finish, a full 7 games up on Chicago, who recovered after losing their main SP for the year.

Troy's over .500 finish was the biggest surprise for me. I'm really curious to see if they can keep it up.

Cincinnati is just plain terrible. They didn't have a single regular even hit .300 in a high batting average era. If they can't get to together, the others in the league might take a secret vote to get them out of the pros. There are plenty of semi-pro teams ready to take the plunge, let me tell you.

National Association News and Notes:
--Ross Barnes carries a 22 game hitting streak into 1874.

--How much did Troy improve? Three players with an OPS over .800 this year, which helped keep the offense going. But the key was the defense, where no player had over 60 errors, and Davy Force cut his all the way down to 40. That moved them to a fourth place team with record attendance. Can they build on this for 1874?

--No retired players of note, or any who look skilled enough to try their hand at coaching.

--Barry Fuller of the Olympians hits 2 HR in a game in 1873, a new record.

--Cy Bentley of the White Stockings strikes out 6 in a game in 1873, a new record, breaking the old mark of 4. He finishes with 24Ks, good for third in the league. This version of Bentley is already far better than his historical counterpart.

--There were no trades of note since the last update.

Front Office Shuffle:

--Boston Red Stockings: Manager Harry Wright leaves the team, his contract was not renewed.
Though Wright is a very savvy guy in the real world, his Red Stockings in my dynasty never got going. Wright, however, figures in one of the more outlandish parts of my overall plan, namely having a small league in England that cannot trade with other leagues (How do you get them on a boat?) sometime in the future. In reality, Wright’s efforts failed badly in the mid-1870s. Will he have better luck? Will a British League even happen? Find out!

--New York Mutuals: Signed General Manager Tony Moyer to a 1-year contract extension.

--Philadelphia Athletics: Manager Dick McBride leaves the team, his contract was not renewed.
--Philadelphia Athletics: Signed Bench Coach Gabriel Hamilton to a 3-year contract extension.
--Philadelphia Athletics: Appointed Bench Coach Gabriel Hamilton to be the new manager of the team.

--Troy Haymakers: Signed Manager Pedro Aguilar to a 3-year contract extension.
--Troy Haymakers: Signed Hitting Coach Tom O'Horan to a 3-year contract extension.
Solid set of moves here by Troy. They rebounded well, and their offense is one of the best in the pros. Makes sense to keep it going, unlike...

--Cleveland Forest Citys: Signed General Manager Terry Harris to a 3-year contract extension.

--Cleveland Forest Citys: Manager Charlie Pabor leaves the team, his contract was not renewed.
--Washington Olympians: Manager Lonnie James leaves the team, his contract was not renewed.
Not sure I understand this pair of moves by the Cleveland and Washington front offices. Both had winning records and Pabor was the 1872 Manager of the Year. I have a feeling this might bite them in the butt, but we’ll see.

--Washington Olympians: Signed Bench Coach Mark Young to a 2-year contract extension, and promote him to manager..

--Rockford Forest Citys: Fired manager Miguel Maldonado.
-- Boston Red Stockings: Signed manager Lonnie James to a 4-year, $290 per year contract.
Good pickup for Boston. James should be able to take that team and make it a lot better.

Looking into the off-season:
--Given the League's success and despite economic issues in the country at large, it looks like they may hold a vote to go up to 12 teams (the high for the historical NA), as Chicago fights Boston and New York over control of the geography of the National Association. This (and not city size, the historical reason for the NA breakup) looks to be what may cause a split and perhaps the arrival of a new pro league sooner rather than later.
--With economics being a factor, several cities are proposing a cut to wages.

National Association Stats Leaders:

[Trebro]

Final Standings:





Not much to add to the Eastern Semi-Pro, since their season ended by the last update, other than Nashville has a strong case for moving up and noting how far Atlanta has fallen out of things. Similarly, Brooklyn also looks poised for prime time.

On the Western side, Columbus takes a tight race in the Midwest, with Springfield (general managed by the former White Stockings GM) makes a play for being a power despite their tiny market size. Milwaukee pulls the rare back to back titles in the Northwest, with Detroit looking ready to be players.

Management Movement:

--Pittsburg hires a young, restless, Henry Clay Frick to general manage the team.

Unfortunately, Frick looks to be a bad choice, immediately sending out Victor Coad for a set of really mediocre prospects. Looks like the Glass City of PPG is going to have a fragile team for the foreseeable future.



--Columbus re-ups their front office staff after finishing better each year. They’d love to get a pro call, but it’s unlikely given the size of their city.

--Mobile finally cans their General Manager Denny O’Brien after years of sucking. 31-53 career record is sure to net him another job, given the way people keep getting re-hired.

--Petersburg re-ups its front office, too, apparently okay with being middle of the road.

--Brooklyn re-signs their manager, Tim Parrish, along with most of his staff. They’ve been consistently good, and are strongly looking towards going pro.

--The Nationals, who wanted to go pro but have not had the success necessary, fire their entire staff.

--There were other management moves, but they tend to be the same tedious re-treads.

Trades N' At:

Trading was extremely active, with a priority on getting multiple players for one pretty good player. We’ll see how these 16, 17, 19 year olds do once they get to play. None of the names were all that notable, however, and the trend of sending the best players to the pros, where they can pay them, is something that happened several times.

Noteable Retirements:

Luis Antonio Herrera (career .307 hitter), trying to be a bench coach.
Francisco Trejo (career 26 wins. 2.19 ERA), trying to be a pitching coach.
Jake Wilson (career .369 hitter), trying to be a hitting coach.
Jack Carver (career .361 hitter), trying to be a bench coach.
Jarred Hoffman (career .331 hitter), trying to be a hitting coach.

Looking into the Off-Season
--Most of the semi-pro teams are already in money trouble, and the economic hit doesn't help matters. They are likely to vote to cut salaries, given that they just raised prices.
--Another likelihood is a push to expand, in total games if not in team size. More games means more potential gate.
--If they are, as expected, raided by the pros, look for replacement teams to be primarily in larger cities. There's little appetite for adding small, struggling cities.

[Trebro]

National Association:

--The National Association votes 7-3 against expanding the pro ranks. Team officials in Brooklyn and St. Louis are furious and even Nashville is angry, though they were a long shot. Chicago, Fort Wayne, and Cincinnati voted yes. The killer was New York, who said flatly they want not extra competition and are quite happy to keep being the biggest team in the biggest city. "We can change that ourselves, you know," said Chicago's owner, William Hurlbert. This is a fight that does not look to be going away anytime soon.

--Plans to cut salaries stagnated 5-5, with all smaller cities, led by Rockford, voting yes.

--The League votes 8-2 to increase to a 63 game schedule, which hopefully all teams will be able to play. Chicago votes no out of spite, Cincinnati votes no because it doesn't want to potentially lose 50 games.

--Troy works to keep building up their team, picking up a solid CF/RF in Joe Simmons from Broolyn in exchange for two younger players with not a lot of talent potential.
--Troy also absolutely fleeses Rockford, sending Caleb Johnson to them in exchange for 19 year old Bernie Wilcox, whose potential ratings are off the charts.

--The Mutuals grab aging CF Josh Garrett from the Bronx for a young catcher. Garrett hits well, but I wonder if there will be significant drop-off.

--Not to outdone, the White Stockings pick up another older Semi-Pro guy, Rob Barnes, for a throwaway player to Norfolk.

--Fort Wayne ships off 2B Jimmy Wood to the Bronx for a third basemen with some potential, Pedro Gonzales. "It's better than losing a leg, I guess," was Wood's odd quip upon learning of the deal.

--Cleveland picks up OF Steve King from the Washington Olympians, in exchange for little-used SS John Bass.

Eastern Semi-Pro Association

--The Confederate States Association votes 5-3 to expand by 2 teams. They will be: Louisville, KY (size 7) and Baltimore, MD (size 8). They then vote 6-4 to increase to a 45 game schedule, after rejecting a 36 game schedule 7-3.

--In another popular move, the CSA votes 7-3 to reduce player salaries by a sliding scale, similar to that used by the Western Semi-Pro Association last year.

--The Eastern Association votes 5-3 to expand by 2 teams as well. They will be: Philadelphia (size 10) and Newark (size 7), continuing the trend to be larger locales. They then vote 7-3 to also adopt a 45 game schedule.

--The EA also votes overwhelmingly to reduce player salaries, 8-2, with details to be hashed out later.

Western Semi-Pro Association

--The Midwestern Association rejects expansion again, 5-2. Only St. Louis and Columbus vote yes.

--Midwest will also expand their schedule to 45 games, voting 5-2 after rejecting a 36 game schedule 4-3.

--The Northwestern Association, however, votes 5-2 in favor of expansion, and opts to add 3 teams. They are: Chicago (size 8), Davenport (size 2), and a second Detroit team (size 7).

--Northwest will also play a 45 game schedule, voting 6-4 to do so.

--In a stunning (and probably stupid) move, Erie sends Lee Good to Indianapolis for a 17 year old third baseman!

--St. Louis sends a young Tommy Bond (who won over 250 games in real life) to Grand Rapids for superstar catcher Bill Kelley. Kelley was one of Grand Rapids' best players, and he's a hitting machine.

--Grand Rapids also sends Ham Allen, amother of their better players, to Hartford for a trio of suspect prospects.

Other News from around Baseball:

--Harry Wright has decided NOT to go to England with a baseball team. "Maybe next year," he says when asked.

--Several San Francisco area teams talk about paying their players, but deadlock on a decision, so it doesn't happen.

[Trebro]

National Association



The rest of the league can't see the Forest Citys for the trees, as the two same-named clubs battle it out for first.

Meanwhile, New York has had rotten luck, wrecking George Zettlein's previously pristine winning percentage. How the mighty have fallen, especially in one-run games. (Karma for the no vote admitting Brooklyn?)

A check in with Garry Clark: He's settling in nicely, batting around .300 with amazing speed, on pace for 36SB, which would set a new single-season record.

A check in with Ross Barnes: Barnes is having a horrible year, hitting only .314 after 26 games. While league-wide average is down a bit (no one is hitting over .400), it seems Barnes might be into an early decline, after looking like a lock for the Hall of Fame.

Eastern Semi-Pro Association:



Atlanta rises again, with Richmond and Nashville keeping pace. The new teams are holding their own but Baltimore Marylands have already replaced their manage with...Harry Wright, who opted not to go to England and now may never get there.

In the East, Octavius Catto, who narrowly missed dying at racist hands in 1871, is dying as the former baseball superstar watches his Freedom win only two games so far. Newark's injury bug was so bad, they had to recruit new players!

Newark was quick on the hook, firing its manager and general manager on April 14th. It didn't help. Re-tread Tim Stephenson, formerly of Petersburg, has yet to win them a game.

But the biggest news is that Leland Johnson of Jersey City has already hit the unheard of total of FIVE home runs this year, after hitting none in his career. No other player has hit more than 3 across the entire pro and semi-pro levels.

Western Semi-Pro Association



Pittsburg briefly led the Midwest but it's Columbus' show again. Meanwhile, the most successful expansion team by far, the Davenport Dandies, are in the thick of a pennant race in their inaugural year!

Chicago is also doing well, but the new Detroit team is struggling to keep it together.

[Trebro]

National Association (Pro)


Ft. Wayne of all clubs takes the title, which really floored me. Meanwhile, the Mutuals go from penthouse to outhouse, with the owner cleaning house of 2-time Manager of the Year Madden, repacing him with a bench coach from successful semi-pro Des Moines, who took their second title. The new guy, Kurt Zimmerman, makes an immediate impact, as the team goes 6-5 under his tenure.

The downturn hurts George Zettlein, who has a losing record (13-18) for the first time in his career, despite strong overall numbers.

It was a bit of a changing of the guard in terms of the leaderboards, with Zettlein and Ross Barnes taking a back seat to others:





Cherokee Fisher may be a name to watch. He had a good MLB career, but got sidelined here due to a year-long injury.

Garry Clark may never come close to his hitting totals in the semi-pros, but he is incredibly fast. The youngster set a new record of 29 in one year, and is already 3rd all time.

Three players break 20 wins in the new, longer schedule, something I expect we'll see often now. 200 wins may not get them into my Hall.

Interestingly, no one managed 100 hits yet.

Eastern Semi-Pro Association:


Richmond ends up on top as Atlanta falls down in a worrying trend for them. I'm impressed by how the new Baltimore Marylands jumped right in and held up well, and even Louisville did not do that bad when compared to general league doormat, Mobile.

Despite its continued issues, Atlanta keeps extending its management team. General Longstreet is showing great loyalty, but it's hurting his team.

In the East, however, it's a very different story. The Freedom won only three games all year. They'll get another year to get better, but if that holds, they are likely to face a removal vote. Newark did not fare much better. Meanwhile, Hartford wins again, pressing their case to move up to the pro ranks. The Dark Blues don't really have any stars, just a solid team that's managed well.

In a very, very strange move, Hartford lets Manager Randy McCullough walk, despite his great success. He's grabbed almost immediately by Newark to help build up the team.

We have a new player to watch in the semi-pro ranks, Leland Johnson:


Western Semi-Pro Association:


Milwaukee decided that despite great success and two Managers of the Year, Eric Smith had to go. Smith was nabbed by Philadelphia Freedom, though honestly, that's not a job I'd want.

Pittsburg opts to try a different manager after 4 years of playing poorly. Paco Rodriguez ends up helping Columbus as their new bench coach.

Bobby Matthews watch: He continues to excel in Pittsburg, wondering if maybe a pro team might look for him again. His line includes a 1.84 ERA and 1.22 whip, as well as league leads in IP, K, and a 6.6 WAR.

Off-Season Storylines:

The National Association will once again look at expanding. If it fails this time, it is highly likely there will be a schism, since in this timeline, no teams are in desperate financial trouble on the pro level.

Speaking of financial issues, any teams bleeding money in the semi-pro leagues may have to vote regarding folding at the end of next season. These owners aren't made of money, and there are plenty of other cities, particularly in the East, who could field a team, at least theoretically.

In order to drum up further excitement, each Semi-Pro League is discussing having a playoff between the league champs (CSA vs East, MW vs NW). Who gets what money and how is the biggest obstacle.

Discussion of selling media rights to local newspapers is also being discussed, both on the pro and semi-pro levels.

[Trebro]

National Association Turmoil:

Once again, the vote is 7-3, rejecting expansion. Chicago is adamant that this means something has to change. "This Association may be National," said Hulbert, "But we will show them how to be Americans!" Ominous words indeed...

Because of the strife, expanding the season is also canned, as the group votes 6-4 No to 72 games.

Not Ready To Make the Leap:

The Eastern Semi-Pro Aossication votes 13-7 to remain semi-pro.'

In a much closer mark, the Western Semi-Pro Association votes 9-8 to remain semi-pro.

Rumor has it that both votes are primarily based on the best teams angling to get into whatever Association Chicago has planned.

Stadium Changes:

Richmond expands Jefferson Davis Field to 3500, at a cost of $5,000.

Ralph Lazarus buys the Colombus Colonels. He then builds Germany Field in their German District, seating 3500 and costing $7,000 of his father's retail store money. Clearly, they're going to need to expand into other cities to sell their wares.

Des Moines adds 1000 seats at a cost of $2000

Kansas City adds 1500 seats at a cost of $2500

Trades and Such:

Fort Wayne looks to be gearing up for a second title, picking up a closer with dynamite movement and control and a steady first baseman for some of their younger players, in trades with Cincinnati and the Mutuals. They also grabbed a dependable middle reliever from Cincinnati as well. They look good on paper, but we'll see how the team plays. Fort Wayne is definitely making a case to stay as a full-fledged pro-level power.

A fair number of off-season moves among the semi-pro teams, but no notable players involved. The lack of movement by the Philadelphia Freedom is disturbing, to say the least. They are keeping 9 of the 15 starters from last year. They look very likely to be the first Base-Ball World team to fold.

Elsewhere in Baseball:

Cuba has begun playing baseball, but nothing major as of yet.

Philadelphia Freedom owner Octavius Catto notes that because the major associations made the right choice of allowing black men to play baseball with them, there is no need for a league of their own, as long as owners such as himself are allowed to join the ranks of the semi-pro and pro levels.

San Francisco area teams remain committed to playing amateur ball against each other.

Portland and Seattle area teams remain committed to playing amateur ball against each other.

Texas, thanks to the invasion of Northern troops to secure its borders and other areas, is starting to like baseball.

[Trebro]

Nothing of note to report in terms of transactions, things have been pretty steady. So just an update on the standings this time out. Note that Philadelphia may actually have gotten worse.

[Trebro]

So I am debating two options for 1876 in terms of the pro leagues, and I was wondering if anyone had any opinions:

Option 1: Abrupt double-cross: Chicago teams with New York, despite the things I've had them say, and they kick out the low-population teams, no matter how successful.

OR, start the American Association early, with...

Option 2: Split semi-geographically (Chicago, Cincy, Cleveland Fort Wayne, Rockford) (Boston, NY, Wash, Troy, Philly), with each league adding 1 or 3 new members, who may cut into each other's turf. So the Chicago group might add Brooklyn out of spite, while the NY group nabs the highly successful new Chicago semi-pro team.

I'm leaning towards 2, to really give this a different direction from history. I mean, there's only so much you can re-create perfectly anyway (we aren't playing in fields, teams can't fold mid-season, pitchers are throwing overhand fastballs, and don't even get me started on integration, which I would do no matter what), so why not play out having a second pro-level league early, especially since my goal is a more Bill James-ian, no affiliated minors world, where there may end up being up to 6 pro-level leagues in the US, to say nothing of other countries.*

One change I am doing is increasing pay for the pro-level players. This will help put the squeeze on teams like Rockford, who should be losing money, not making it. By 1900, I don't think there should be more than maybe 2 or 3 cities with market size under five playing at a pro level across the country.

Anyway, thoughts welcomed on which way the Base-Ball World should zig!

*Told ya this is ambitious!

[Trebro]

The Base-Ball World has its first no-hitter! Cy Bentley of Chicago blanks Cleveland Forest City in a 1-0 gem marred only by 2 fielding errors. A true pitching duel in an era where scores tend to run high:



Bentley, who was not very good in the real world, had been middling along until this career year with the White Stockings:



We'll see how he progresses as time goes on. At 25, he has plenty of time to develop into a superb pitcher

[Trebro]

Final Standings:


Chicago, with its big, boastful owner finally nets its first NA Championship. But will it be its last? Meanwhile, Rockford and Ft. Wayne keep the dream alive, and are very worried about rumors of their being exiled just for lack of people.

Then there's the perpetual underclass of Cincinnati and Washington. While the Semi-Pro Nationals continue to do well, the Olympians are anything but. Despite remaining profitable, they just...suck.

A lot will be on the debate table this coming off-season.

Award Winners:
Boston's Lonnie James got Manager of the Year for putting Boston back on a winning track. I told you I thought James was a good hire.

George Hall of Rockford, in an odd choice, got [COLOR="DarkOrchid)"]Best Batter[/COLOR]. I don't agree. As you'll see in the stats leaders below, there were better options, especially Ross Barnes.

Best Pitcher went to Cy Bentley, of the only no-hitter. Good choice in a strong field.

Lastly, a new player to watch is going to be this year's Best Greenhorn, Tricky Nichols. Here's his current information:



With Nichols pitching and Garry Clark improving (see below), Philly is looking pretty good.

Stats, Stats, Stats




Interesting Players

First off, there's Ross Barnes, the guy who should have had the Best Batter. Look at his awards summary:



Are we seeing the Sim Engine not wanting to keep giving "Best Batter" awards? Probably not, but it's fun to think so! Barnes is likely to be the first hitter to break 100 hits in a season, 500 hits in a career, and maybe even 500 RBIs, too. Even if he breaks down before going on to really big milestones like 2000 hits, it's likely I'll induct him into the Base-Ball World HoF.

Meanwhile, George Zettlein is headed to be the first pitcher to 100 wins, with a strong shot at 200 despite his age:



He's definitely an amazing pitcher, but there's plenty of competition, such as Cherokee Fisher (who I profiled last season) Bentley and Nichols (if they can keep it going) and this underrated, under-the-radar guy, Steve Wood:



Wood's stats are very close to Zettlein's, but he rarely ends up on the top of a category, so I hadn't noticed before.

Batters to watch other than Barnes include a new guy for Fort Wayne, Paul Hines:



And Garry Clark is quietly improving, with ratings bumps. He's also now the All-Time leader in Stolen Bases, in just 3 years:



News and Notes:

Believe it or not, there were no firings this year. Washington did let their manager walk, however.

Looking into the Off-Season

There will be votes aplenty, as the teams deal with whether or not to stay together, whether to offer a raise (a ploy Rockford feels is designed to keep them from affording a winning team), whether to put in a performance warning probation, or maybe just start kicking teams out. With several semi-pro cities chomping at the bit to get bigger, this is going to be interesting...