A Baseball House Divided

[legendsport]

From Official Reports, Second Corps, Army of Confederate States, 1904:

April 12, 1904: completed route of march from Vera Cruz to outskirts of Mexico City. Scouts report that Chapultapec castle, site of Scott's great victory in First Mexican War, is held in force by Mexican regulars. Probing for determination of strength and composition of enemy forces is commencing.

R.E.L. Stuart, Maj. Gen.

[legendsport]

from the Sporting Way, June 3, 1904:

The New York Giants have raced out to a fast start and sit atop the standings in the Federal League, with a 3 and a half game lead on the Boston Minutemen and Chicago Orphans. Philadelphia, which was expected to be a strong contender, is at .500 and 4 and a half games out.

In the Pacific League, San Diego as expected is leading, with Portland and Los Angeles nipping at their heels. Manager Connie Mack of Portland has promised a rotation shakeup to get his boys playing up to potential...

Federal Standings
Team		W	L	PCT	GB	 Pyt.	Diff	 	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
New York	26	17	.605	-	27-16	-1	 	14-11	12-6	3-4	7-6	109	L3	5-5
Boston		22	20	.524	3.5	21-21	1	 	9-11	13-9	6-2	8-6	-	W5	5-5
Chicago		22	20	.524	3.5	18-24	4	 	11-14	11-6	4-0	10-3	-	L1	4-6
Philadelphia	21	21	.500	4.5	22-20	-1	 	11-13	10-8	4-4	6-8	-	W3	7-3
Columbia	21	22	.488	5.0	21-22	0	 	10-8	11-14	1-4	6-7	-	W1	4-6
Pittsburgh	15	27	.357	10.5	17-25	-2	 	5-10	10-17	1-5	6-13	-	L3	5-5
Pacific Standings
Team		W	L	PCT	GB	 Pyt.	Diff	 	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
San Diego	27	15	.643	-	25-17	2	 	10-10	17-5	4-3	4-8	109	W2	7-3
Portland	23	19	.548	4.0	21-21	2	 	14-11	9-8	4-4	12-5	-	W3	4-6
Los Angeles	23	20	.535	4.5	24-19	-1	 	10-8	13-12	3-4	11-7	-	L2	6-4
Sacramento	20	22	.476	7.0	21-21	-1	 	11-13	9-9	6-3	9-7	-	L1	5-5
San Francisco	20	22	.476	7.0	22-20	-2	 	6-9	14-13	2-4	3-11	-	W1	4-6
Oakland		14	29	.326	13.5	15-28	-1	 	6-19	8-10	2-3	6-7	-	L3	4-6

[legendsport]

from the diary of Jesse Tannehill:

April 13, 1904: Just accompanied our third convoy from Hamptonburg to the camps around Mexico City. No sign of Villa - again.

May 10, 1904: Maybe Villa has heard we're waiting for him. The convoys continue to run unopposed to the Corps encampment. General Wheeler told me that the attack on the city would probably commence in less than a month.

June 6, 1904: That makes six roundtrips from Mexico City to Hamptonburg accompanying the supply convoys. I've spent so much time with horses I expect to be eating oats and whinnying any day now. Still not hide nor hair of Villa and his banditos.

[canadiancreed]

Originally Posted by legendsport

from the diary of Jesse Tannehill:

April 13, 1904: Just accompanied our third convoy from Hamptonburg to the camps around Mexico City. No sign of Villa - again.

May 10, 1904: Maybe Villa has heard we're waiting for him. The convoys continue to run unopposed to the Corps encampment. General Wheeler told me that the attack on the city would probably commence in less than a month.

June 6, 1904: That makes six roundtrips from Mexico City to Hamptonburg accompanying the supply convoys. I've spent so much time with horses I expect to be eating oats and whinnying any day now. Still not hide nor hair of Villa and his banditos.

either a surprise is coming, or betrayal of the banditos and Mexico will fall.

You'd thikn the North would want to oppose such reckless power grabbing by their southern neighbours

[legendsport]

from the Sporting Way, July 4, 1904:

FED RACE IS EXTREMELY CLOSE - The Columbia Senators find themselves in first place on July 1 - a half-game ahead of the champion New York Giants. Pittsburgh, energized under new manager Ed Barrow, and McGraw's Philadelphia team, are both very much in the hunt.

SEALS CHARGING AND GAINING ON SAN DIEGO - The long-time doormat San Francisco Seals have caught fire and are gaining ground on front-runner San Diego. Despite one of most anemic offenses in either league, the Seals pitching has held them up and they sit just seven back of the Seals. The Mackmen in Portland have faltered and dropped into fourth place. Bid McPhee's well-oiled machine in San Diego, meanwhile, rolls along.

Federal Standings
Team		W	L	PCT	GB	 Pyt.	Diff	 	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Columbia	39	32	.549	-	39-32	0	 	18-14	21-18	1-5	8-9	84	L4	6-4
New York	38	32	.543	.5	41-29	-3	 	16-20	22-12	3-6	9-11	-	L1	2-8
Pittsburgh	36	34	.514	2.5	36-34	0	 	17-15	19-19	3-6	12-17	-	W13	10-0
Philadelphia	36	35	.507	3.0	35-36	1	 	16-19	20-16	5-4	14-10	-	L1	5-5
Boston		32	38	.457	6.5	35-35	-3	 	13-25	19-13	6-2	10-13	-	W1	3-7
Chicago		30	40	.429	8.5	27-43	3	 	15-23	15-17	6-1	13-6	-	W1	3-7
Pacific Standings
Team		W	L	PCT	GB	 Pyt.	Diff	 	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
San Diego	44	26	.629	-	43-27	1	 	23-15	21-11	5-5	9-12	78	W1	5-5
San Francisco	37	33	.529	7.0	36-34	1	 	16-16	21-17	6-4	13-13	-	W1	6-4
Los Angeles	36	34	.514	8.0	37-33	-1	 	19-13	17-21	3-5	17-15	-	L1	4-6
Portland	35	35	.500	9.0	32-38	3	 	20-18	15-17	5-6	15-9	-	W2	6-4
Sacramento	33	38	.465	11.5	36-35	-3	 	16-19	17-19	6-5	10-11	-	L2	4-6
Oakland		25	44	.362	18.5	27-42	-2	 	12-23	13-21	3-3	8-12	-	L1	4-6

Bid McPhee in his playing days with Spalding's Touring Group

[legendsport]

Originally Posted by canadiancreed

You'd thikn the North would want to oppose such reckless power grabbing by their southern neighbours

You would think that, wouldn't you?

[canadiancreed]

Originally Posted by legendsport

You would think that, wouldn't you?

well unless they dont'mind the south obtaining the riches of Mexico and using it to eventully invade

[legendsport]

Top Secret Reports, Edwin Hurd Conger, U.S. Ambassador in Mexico to State Department, Columbia:

July 3, 1904: As requested, attache made contact with USS McClellan off coast of Puerto Vallarta. Attache reports Confederate gunboat in area did not detect the unloading of material from McClellan.

July 4, 1904: Attache with wagon train rendezvoused with Pancho Villa outside Guadalajara. Successful transfer of munitions, weaponry and food stuffs. Villa's men reported the suppression of a Confederate patrol in the area and recommended the attache return to Mexico City immediately.

July 5, 1904: Attache reports that contact with Villa's people in the capital indicate that the guerrillas will resume attacks on Confederate support troops immediately.

[legendsport]

memorandum, Confederate War Department to Maj. General R.E.L. Stuart, Chapultapec, Mexico:

July 11, 1904: General, you are hereby officially ordered to assault the fortress of Chapultapec, regardless of expectation of heavy casualties as you have previously reported. That castle is the key to the defense of the Mexican capital and must be reduced immediately. Failure to comply will result in dismissal.

- Pritchard

[canadiancreed]

Originally Posted by legendsport

memorandum, Confederate War Department to Maj. General R.E.L. Stuart, Chapultapec, Mexico:

July 11, 1904: General, you are hereby officially ordered to assault the fortress of Chapultapec, regardless of expectation of heavy casualties as you have previously reported. That castle is the key to the defense of the Mexican capital and must be reduced immediately. Failure to comply will result in dismissal.

- Pritchard

one thing I'm confused about.

Wasn't the CSA IRL the more agricultural of the two, while the north was more industrial? Did they pour most of their GNP into the military? Or are the Mexicans just that bad in the early 20th century?

[legendsport]

Top Secret Dispatch, Her Majesty's Ambassador to CSA to Foreign Office, London:

July 11, 1904: Sir, it is my pleasure to announce that the cargo aboard HMS Valiant [six of the brand-new Quick Firing 13-pounder artillery piece] have been "given" to the Mexicans. It is expected that this cargo will eventually find its way to the area of Chapultapec, where the Mexican garrison is surrounded by the Confederate Army.

- Sir Henry Mortimer Durand

[legendsport]

Originally Posted by canadiancreed

one thing I'm confused about.

Wasn't the CSA IRL the more agricultural of the two, while the north was more industrial? Did they pour most of their GNP into the military? Or are the Mexicans just that bad in the early 20th century?

This early in the 20th century, Mexico was still an "emerging" nation. The popular revolution of 1910 is what turned the country around. In 1900 Mexico City had a population of less than a million - obviously it has grown by leaps and bounds since then.

This timeline also presumes that the Confederacy, shorn of the industrial plants in the North, would have built an industrial base of its own and the presence of an "enemy" on the Northern border would ensure a strong military.

[canadiancreed]

Originally Posted by legendsport

This early in the 20th century, Mexico was still an "emerging" nation. The popular revolution of 1910 is what turned the country around. In 1900 Mexico City had a population of less than a million - obviously it has grown by leaps and bounds since then.

This timeline also presumes that the Confederacy, shorn of the industrial plants in the North, would have built an industrial base of its own and the presence of an "enemy" on the Northern border would ensure a strong military.

and with the 40 year timeframe it would have a decent military. Nowhere near the size of the present US at the time or Britian, France ro what not, but there.

Fair enough. Just seemed to be a bit.....easy?

[rudel.dietrich]

13 pound? Might as well give them crates of rocks!
Might I ask when the German become involved?

Perhaps they can introduce the Mexicans to the newer 155mm pieces coming out of the Krupp plant

[legendsport]

Originally Posted by canadiancreed

and with the 40 year timeframe it would have a decent military. Nowhere near the size of the present US at the time or Britian, France ro what not, but there.

Fair enough. Just seemed to be a bit.....easy?

Well, I elected not to post a lot of info on how the Confederate society was coming along - this is supposed to be mainly a baseball thread, after all. I figured that discussing the increase in infrastructure, military and so forth would risk alienating any audience I might get.

Also, keep in mind that Mexico was going through a series of governmental changes from 1870 til 1910, so though on a man-for-man basis they might have been able to stand up to the Confederacy, from an organizational and military technology standpoint, they wouldn't have much of a chance.

[legendsport]

Originally Posted by Fallschirmjager

13 pound? Might as well give them crates of rocks!
Might I ask when the German become involved?

Perhaps they can introduce the Mexicans to the newer 155mm pieces coming out of the Krupp plant

Hey, in 1904 the 13 pounder was state of the art....

See the earlier post about Ambassador Roosevelt for what's going on with Germany - they'll be heavily involved down the road, believe me.

[canadiancreed]

Originally Posted by Fallschirmjager

13 pound? Might as well give them crates of rocks!
Might I ask when the German become involved?

Perhaps they can introduce the Mexicans to the newer 155mm pieces coming out of the Krupp plant

Maybe I'm missing a page in the ole history books, but I don't think the germans came into the picture until WWI when they tried to aid the Mexicans to keep the US off the Kaizers back?

then again this was a united US. This fractured version could pose a very reduced influence in the euro theatre

EDIT: Never mind I remember the post mentioned above. ops:

[canadiancreed]

Originally Posted by legendsport

Well, I elected not to post a lot of info on how the Confederate society was coming along - this is supposed to be mainly a baseball thread, after all. I figured that discussing the increase in infrastructure, military and so forth would risk alienating any audience I might get.

True. And then you'd end up with a dysnasty like mine

Also, keep in mind that Mexico was going through a series of governmental changes from 1870 til 1910, so though on a man-for-man basis they might have been able to stand up to the Confederacy, from an organizational and military technology standpoint, they wouldn't have much of a chance.

Becuase of the inferior chain of command? Fair enough. Sorry for the devils advocate, but something tells me that I know who the next target is after this, and just trying to keep you honest

[rudel.dietrich]

Originally Posted by legendsport

Hey, in 1904 the 13 pounder was state of the art....

See the earlier post about Ambassador Roosevelt for what's going on with Germany - they'll be heavily involved down the road, believe me.

Don't you mean the 18 pounder? A 13 pound would be like...55mm

[rudel.dietrich]

Originally Posted by canadiancreed

Maybe I'm missing a page in the ole history books, but I don't think the germans came into the picture until WWI when they tried to aid the Mexicans to keep the US off the Kaizers back?

then again this was a united US. This fractured version could pose a very reduced influence in the euro theatre

EDIT: Never mind I remember the post mentioned above. ops:

Germany was a world power by 1904 and had the most powerful land army on Earth. The French were a distant second. Most of the worlds rifles were of Mauser design and most artillery pieces were Krupp or French design.
They were arming almost every land army on earth.