The Union Baseball League (1871-????)

[fuzzy_patters]

In the year 1865 a Civil War ended in the United States that left the country fractured and devastated and in need of something to reunify it. In 1871 some wealthy magnates in the countries 8 largest cities got together and decided to create something beautiful to help the country heal (and to line their pockets along the way.) At that moment the Union Baseball League was born. It consisted of the following teams.



The Baltimore Shippers- Named for the shipyards that lined the Baltimore coast, the Shippers were owned by Nolan Hake, a shipping magnate himself. Having made his mark originally as a ship captain, Hake was a demanding sort who was ruthless in search of profit.

Boston Brahmins- Named for the upper class of Boston society, the Brahmins were owned by Mike Lipsett. Mr. Lipsett was charitable, friendly, and devoutly religious. He esd expected to spend freely and be understanding of his employees because he loved his fellow man, and he really wanted to bring the country back together.

Brooklyn Red Legged Devils- The Brooklyn squad was named for a Civil War unit of boys who all hailed from Brooklyn. They were founded by Jason Bittner, who was expected to be a pretty hands-off type of owner.

Chicago Union- Named for the Union Stockyards, the Chicago Squad was assembled by Mr. Tyler Buckner, a big spender who was all about winning.

Cincinnati Abolitionists- Tommy Baer was an abolitionist himself during the Civil War and his city of Cincinnati was a hotbed of Abolitionist activity. Baer could be a cheapskate, but he also wanted to win. His team was usually called the Abs in the newspapers of the time.

New York Immigrants- Carlos Whitfield made his fortune as a free black man through unbelievably shrewd business dealings. He saw owning a baseball team as yet another opportunity to make extreme profits in a country in which many people did not wish to see him succeed. He was instrumental in helping to create rules that allowed black players to play in the UBL when many people were opposed to it. He named his team after the many immigrants that lived in his city.

Philadelphia Liberty- Named for the Liberty Bell, the Philadelphia club was founded by Alex Toro, who made his fortune as a business associate of Carlos Whitfield. Toro decided to break out on his own in this venture, and was expected to spend freely in search of championships.

St Louis Survivors- After an epidemic killed many St Louis residents in 1870, Irish immigrant Colin McCarthy decided to turn his considerable fortune, which he had made conducting a barge company on the Mississippi River, towards reinvigorating the city around baseball. Money and charity were the most important things to him.

I Cletus McGee was named the general manager of the Abolitionist squad. This is my story.

[fuzzy_patters]

As I walked into the team headquarters on New Year's Day, 1871, I knew that I was excited for my new job, but I knew that I would have my work cut out for me. My first order of business would be to get to know my team.

The Coaching Staff

Manager- Mike Strycharz- Mike has a fair reputation and is known as a bit of a tactician. I am concerned with his infatuation with homeruns seeing as they are so rare.

Bench Coach- Enrique De Leon- The Texan is just an average guy. Some might say he is milquetoast.

Pitching Coach- Matt Loyd- Matt is all about finesse pitching and youngsters. He has a fair reputation.

Hitting Coach- Garrett Zonca- Garrett preaches patience with his hitters and has a pretty average reputation.

Scouting Director- Tony Mobley- Tony was just 26 years old when the war ended, and he saw every square inch of this country as a soldier from Michigan. He should be a wonderful scout despite his youth.

Team Trainer- Ethan Beach- Dr. Beach is said to be an expert in all of modern medicine except for the prevention of injuries.

Skipper Strycharz informed me that he intends to use this lineup as we enter UBL play.

SS Jeremy Duncan, 23 years old
CF Ryan Hamilton, 32
1B Chris Graves, 32
2B Jonathan Murph, 33
RF Dan Rogers, 32
3B Danny Ybarra, 29
LF Armando Hinojosa, 28
C Asher McCorkell, 25

SP Chris Guerrera, 22
RP Trevor Kellett, 32

While this is a bit of an older club, I am excited to get a chance to watch so many people who fought in the war show their tenacity on the ball field.

[fuzzy_patters]

Opening Day 1871

Owner Tommy Baer says that I need to have a winning record this year. I will have to see if I can make that happen.

This year's opening day matchups are the following.

Cincinnati @ Boston
St Louis @ Brooklyn
Philadelphia @ New York
Baltimore @ Chicago