Root For the Home Team: the story of a ball club and its fans

[Big Six]

Hi again, everyone.

The Football Manager story I began writing this week seems to have jump-started my creativity, which I confess had been slumping for a while now. It's good to feel like writing again, and I have an idea for a story that I hope we'll all enjoy.

There have been many outstanding stories written from the viewpoint of a GM or a field manager--the man who calls the shots. There have also been a number of compelling stories written from a player's perspective--the man who makes things happen between the lines. I've tried my hand at both of these over the years.

I've never written a story based on the experiences of the men and women, boys and girls who come to the ballpark, watch and read about and listen to and talk about the players, the teams, the game they love. That's what I'm going to try this time.

Once upon a time, I created a fictional league based in Pennsylvania, called the Keystone League. Since then, knuckler and txranger have created a set of ten logo/cap/uniform combinations for their own version of the Keystone League. This league will provide the setting for my story. The league begins play in 1889, and I'm playing through the early years so the league will have a bit of history before I begin to tell the story (and so any kinks I encounter will hopefully be worked out before I begin to write)

I originally planned to give each KL team a single minor league affiliate. But, as I reached the turn of the century, I decided to expand my universe. Now I'm creating an association with three levels of minor leagues: Classes AAA, AA, and A. I'm trying my hand at creating logos and uniform sets for the two lower levels of my minors--my first attempt at this process. I've finding it to be a lot of fun!

As I'm writing, I have no idea which team I'll use as the "home team" for my story. Nor do I know when in the league's history I'll step in and begin the tale. I figure I'll know when it's time. I already have some ideas for characters I'll use, and an off-the-field plot twist or two that might be cool.

So, before I begin, I want to thank some people who have already contributed to the creation of my idea:

• knuckler and txranger, for their beautiful logos and uniforms that add so much immersion value to any league I add them to.
• justafan, for the massive logo set he's compiled, and for the programs--Pickoff, Jersey Creator, and Ballcap Creator--that I'm using to give more life to my minor leagues.

And, in advance, all of you who might one day take the time to read what I write here. I'm honored that you choose to take some time from your busy day and read my threads.

I'll be back once everything is all set up, and then the story will begin.

[NYY #23]

I'm definitely looking forward to this!

[Tyke]

This is definitely good news!

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by NYY #23

I'm definitely looking forward to this!

Originally Posted by Tyke

This is definitely good news!

Thank you both, very much! You've both been big supporters of my dynasties in the past, and I'm very glad to see you're planning to follow this one, too.

I'm almost ready to get things started here. I've had to tweak a few things to get them to work the way I'd like, and I don't have all the teams kitted out in their new gear, but I can start the story and work on the uniforms as I go.

[Big Six]

My story will be built around the happenings in the Keystone Baseball League, a fictional ten-team league based in the state of Pennsylvania.

The Keystone League was founded in 1889, and I've played 20 seasons already; I needed to work out a few quirks, and I wanted to establish a history for the league. I also figured that, through this process, I'd identify a team (or two, or more) that I wanted to focus on.

I picked the Altoona Alleghenies. I've never lived in Altoona. I've driven through it a few times, and I've visited it exactly once: to go to a ballgame. Something about the Alleghenies grabbed me and said "Pick us." So I did.

I'm not making much of an attempt to identify streets, buildings, businesses, etc. that existed in Altoona during the past hundred years or so. Any resemblance to the real town, then, is entirely a coincidence. If Altoona happens to be your town, I hope I do right by it, and if I don't, I apologize in advance.

The characters in my story are the people of Altoona: men and women, boys and girls. They're old and young, wealthy and impoverished, educated and unschooled, hard-working and lazy. Some of them are ball players, some of them are fans, and some of them are neither one. They may cross paths with people from all kinds of other places.

*****

The story begins in the late autumn of 1908.

Here's a brief look at the history of the league:

At the end of the regular season, the first and second place clubs meet in the Commonwealth Series. Every club except the York White Roses have won at least one Commonwealth Series. With four Series appearances and two championships, Altoona has done just about as well as anyone else. There really hasn't been a dominant club.

The Alleghenies have had their ups and downs over the past 20 years. They've finished in the first division 12 times, and their composite won-loss record is the third best. They've never won the Governor's Cup, which goes to the team that finishes first during the regular season, but they and their supporters got to celebrate back-to-back series wins not too long ago. And, while they endured a 100-loss season back in '99, they've never finished last. Next-to-last three times, sure, but never at the bottom.

[(I realize there's a bit of a spoiler up there, as I've already played a month's worth of games in '09.)

[Tyke]

Coming from the "White Rose County" here in the UK, looks like I'll be supporting two teams in the Keystone League: York and anyone playing against Lancaster!

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by Tyke

Coming from the "White Rose County" here in the UK, looks like I'll be supporting two teams in the Keystone League: York and anyone playing against Lancaster!

You'll earn your stripes, supporting the White Roses. They have the worst aggregate record in the league, and when they're bad, they're horrid.

In 1905, they won the league by 11 games, but were swept by Altoona in the Commonwealth Series. Within two seasons, however, they were back in the cellar.

Their bitter rivals, the Red Roses, boast the league's biggest star. Charlie Rawls is a slugging shortstop whose exploits will be mentioned in an upcoming post. He's the league's all-time home run leader.

This is as good a time as any to mention the fact that I've set up the league to produce totals that resemble those of 1985. I like the balance present in 1980s baseball--some power, some speed, some pitching. Besides, that's when I was a kid, and I think we all tend to enjoy the way the game was played when we discovered it. I enjoy keeping league totals consistent from year to year, so players from one era can be easily compared to those from another.

Thanks for following along, Tyke. I'll be sure to concoct a story line that brings the White Roses into the story somehow.

[Tyke]

Originally Posted by Big Six

You'll earn your stripes, supporting the White Roses. They have the worst aggregate record in the league, and when they're bad, they're horrid.

Oh, ye of little faith! The only way is up

[Big Six]

7 December 1908

The skies were grey over Altoona this afternoon, with a chill wind that reminded everyone that regardless of what the calendar said, winter had arrived a little early this year. Four boys, all aged eleven or twelve, were wobbling a little as they tried to walk up Prospect Avenue, against the wind. One boy's flat cap blew off, causing him to scamper after it.

"If you could pick up a ground ball like that, we'd have won a few more games."

"If you were a better pitcher, we'd have won a lot more games."

All the boys laughed at the good-natured teasing. They'd been friends since first grade, which seemed so long ago--now that they were in Grade 6.

"I wonder if Grissom's has hot chocolate today," wondered a tall, slender boy with light brown hair. His name was Tom Rector.

"I bet they do," predicted another. He was shorter and stockier, but he moved with an athlete's grace. His teachers called him Robert McKenzie, but the boys always called him Laddie. His father and mother had come from Scotland, and still sounded like it.

"Did you read in the paper where Reading traded Ed Benson to Allentown?" The speaker, Marty O'Toole, was the boy whose cap had blown off.

"And who cares about that?" Laddie McKenzie replied with a laugh. "Allentown's not Altoona."

"I know that. But Allentown and Reading were both ahead of us last year. Not by much, though. I wonder what this does to their chances?" Marty, an intelligent boy who was top of their class at Prospect Avenue School, shook his head. "There's more to the league than the Alleghenies, you know."

"They'll all be looking up at us next year. Wait and see." The fourth boy, Charlie Fletcher, was the quietest of the group, but he'd also been the quickest to tease Marty a moment ago. "Mike Peters is gonna win 20."

"Naah, Peters is what, 40 years old? He was great, but those days are gone."

Charlie's face darkened. "Peters is still the best in the league." He idolized Peters, who was a right-handed pitcher, just like him.

"Hope you're right," offered Laddie.

The group had by now turned right on Madison and left on Main, heading for Grissom's Pharmacy, where they hoped they'd get hot chocolate. When they passed the window of Belding's Jewelers, all four of the boys looked inside.

"She's not there, dummies. She's got school, just like us." Tom shook his head.

"She" was Laura Belding, the jeweler's daughter. She was sixteen, and the boys were now almost old enough to appreciate what a beautiful girl she was.

"Marty's not looking for Laura. He's looking for Chet so he can get his signature," Laddie offered. All the boys laughed, and Marty cuffed Laddie just hard enough on the shoulder. Chet Belding was the star athlete in the senior class at Altoona Central High. A natural at football and baseball, many wondered if he would one day grace the diamonds of the Keystone League.

"You think Chet will play for Altoona?" asked Tom.

"If they draft him, he might," Charlie replied. "He can't just pick who he plays for unless nobody drafts him, and then Altoona would have to sign him."

Marty shook his head. "And even if he did, he'd play for Milford first, probably." Milford were the Alleghenies' affiliate in the Independence League, the lowest of the three levels of developmental leagues in the Keystone association.

"Where's Milford?"

"Pennsylvania."

"Really, genius?"

By now, the boys had reached Grissom's, and sure enough, Mr. Grissom had placed a hand-written sign in his shop window.

"HOT CHOCOLATE TODAY!"

It was a good day to be a young boy in Altoona.

[Big Six]

I know it's been a while, but I'm getting the urge to resuscitate this one. I've caught myself thinking about it lately. It might be fun to immerse myself in an OOTP story again.

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by Big Six

I know it's been a while, but I'm getting the urge to resuscitate this one. I've caught myself thinking about it lately. It might be fun to immerse myself in an OOTP story again.

That would be great! Welcome back!

[darkcloud4579]

It's got a great foundation would love to keep reading

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by NYY #23

That would be great! Welcome back!

Originally Posted by darkcloud4579

It's got a great foundation would love to keep reading

Thanks very much for your support! It's great to be back, and I hope we'll all have a lot of fun with this story.



7 December 1908

Had the boys from Prospect Avenue School spent only a bit more time looking into the windows they passed as they made their way up Main Street, they would have seen Altoona's "King of the Diamond" enter Belding Jewelers.

Mike Peters wasn't quite an original Allegheny, but he was pretty darn close. Altoona made him the third pick in the 1889 rookie draft, shortly after the completion of his career at Trinity College.

Peters threw hard, but there were plenty of twirlers who threw harder . His cut fastball crackled, and he complemented it with a tricky forkball and a wicked change of pace. He struggled with the transition to pro ball for a while. He hurt his shoulder and, once he recovered, he got hit hard at the Alleghenies' Johnstown affiliate, and even harder when he was called up to the big club. Mike was seriously considering hanging up his glove and making use of his education. Law school was a possibility, and he had also thought about teaching.

Then, in the spring of 1893, something clicked. That season, he went 17-10 with a 2.25 ERA, and he postponed his plans for an alternative career. He continued to have problems with injuries for a year or two--he missed most of the '94 campaign with a sore elbow--but once he passed through that stage, he proved to be as healthy as a horse.

That durability became his calling card. While there always seemed to be pitchers who were more talented, more dynamic than Mike Peters, there was nobody else who would take the ball every four days with the same regularity. He won the Outstanding Pitcher award in 1900, when he posted a 21-6 record and a sparkling 1.72 ERA, and he was almost as good in '05 (20-9, 1.95).

No pitcher in the history of the Keystone League had started more games or thrown more innings. And none had won more games--269 and counting as the '09 season approached. However, Mike was quick to point out that he'd allowed more hits than anyone else, and that only he had lost 203 games. An entire generation of baseball fans in Altoona had witnessed his reliable effectiveness, and they loved him for it.

Mike understood the people of Altoona, too. "There are a lot of people around here who work very hard for a living, day in and day out. They're farmers or workers, and they start in the morning and don't finish up until dark. I see myself as that kind of ballplayer. I show up, do my job, rest a little, and get ready to do it again the next time I'm called on."

Now, Mike was forty, and, while he could still dial up some speed from time to time, he depended more on guile than he had before. He had also sharpened his control to the point that he could deliver five different pitches to almost the exact spot he wanted, time and time again.

When Mike entered the jeweler's store, Charlie Belding grinned and approached him for a handshake. Mike was just as glad to see his friend, and clasped Charlie's hand with his "salary paw," as the Altoona paper called it sometimes.

"I'm looking for something especially nice for Nellie this Christmas," Mike told him.

"You know I'll fix you up. And I'll keep it a secret, too." Charlie winked conspiratorially.

"That's why I give you my business, pal."

[boogeyboard1]

I didn't know about this before but I'm really glad you're starting it back up

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by boogeyboard1

I didn't know about this before but I'm really glad you're starting it back up

Thanks, boogeyboard1. I hope you enjoy it.

I just took a look at your Grand Slam dynasty today. That's a really cool idea, too.


7 December 1908

The young man was tall and muscular, and he swung the heavy sledgehammer like it was a child's toy. He was splitting firewood, and when he brought the hammer down on the maul, it rang out like a bell, and the wood cleaved neatly into quarters. His light brown hair fell over his eyes as he bent down to position the next log.

Chet Belding would have finished this chore on Saturday evening, but he was recovering from the bumps and bruises he'd suffered in the football game earlier that day. Chet's Altoona Central High team had lost a playoff game against Johnstown High, despite two touchdown runs by Chet, a fast, powerful fullback.

The Beldings lived on Birch Street, in a neighborhood of stately Queen Anne homes with large, well-tended lawns. Chet's father Charlie had inherited the family business from his father, and he was an even better businessman than "Grandpa Will" had been. Charlie had married well, too. Hannah Van Dusen was the daughter of a judge, and she was the prettiest girl in town. She became Mrs. Hannah Belding on a sparkling June day in 1889, and Chet was born not quite two years later. Daughter Laura followed, eighteen months behind her brother.

Chet enjoyed football, and he was very good at it, but baseball was his first love. He was an outfielder, with speed and range afield and a powerful left-handed stroke at the bat. He was a good enough student to earn admission to some of the best colleges in the East--if not the Ivy League, then close to that calibre--but he'd decided he would prefer to stay in Altoona and attend Trinity. That is, unless he chose to give professional baseball a try. A few of the Keystone League clubs, including the hometown Alleghenies, were paying attention to him, and he might well be chosen in next June's draft.

As his father was waiting on Mike Peters at the jewelry store, Chet split the last of the logs and placed the sledgehammer and maul back into the shed. He stacked all but three of the pieces of split wood onto the woodpile inside the shed, and carefully arranged the others into his arms. Just then, a side door opened, and he heard a very familiar voice.

"Chester Charles Belding, If you don't get that wood inside here soon, we're all going to freeze! And if that stove's not hot by the time your father gets home, HE's going to be hot, and you know it!"

The voice was his mother's. Hannah Belding was in no mood to deal with a dallying son who had fallen behind on his chores...even if he was a star athlete.

[Big Six]

9 February 1909

Almost two feet of snow fell in the days before Christmas, giving Altoona and the surrounding area a festive air for the holidays and providing Tom Rector, Charlie Fletcher, and their friends with hours and hours of winter fun over their school holiday.

Once the tinsel and garlands were taken down, and the Christmas sheet music placed back inside the piano bench, winter tightened its grip on the town, and this year, that grip seemed relentless. Baseball season seemed a long way off, even as the calendar turned to February.

Gary Nelis was aware of how quickly the season would approach. After all, it was his job to be prepared for such things. Nelis was the owner of the Alleghenies and, to his credit, he treated the club seriously--unlike some of the businessmen who owned Keystone League clubs simply so they could say they did so.

Like many other wealthy men in Pennsylvania, Nelis made his fortune in the railroad business. He operated a small line and did it well enough that he could sell it to the Pennsylvania Railroad for a big profit and retire on his fifty-third birthday. He quickly became restless, however, and in 1905 he bought enough shares in the Alleghenies to control the club.

Nelis liked baseball, and he became a regular fixture at Alleghenies Park. The team won the Commonwealth Series in his first year at the helm, and followed it up with a second championship in '06. The Alleghenies were probably just as good in 1907, with a 95-67 record that equalled that of the '05 champions, but they ran into a Lancaster Red Roses juggernaut that went 102-60 and seized the Commonwealth Cup in four straight games. Still, the baseball fans of the city--and there were many--seemed to be in love with the man who had brought them the most success they'd ever seen.

Gary's magic touch seemed to desert him last season, however. The '08 team wasn't bad; it won 84 games and came home fifth, and were only three games adrift of second place and another trip to the Commonwealth Series. After the successes of the past three seasons, that performance nevertheless seemed disappointing, and the owner spent many hours that fall and winter trying to figure out how he could help the team back to the top of the league.

A trade might shake up the team a little, Gary thought, so he began talking with other clubs about a possible deal. The Erie Lakers, another middle-of-the-standings club with a desire to show its fans it meant business, seemed open to the possibility of a swap. They had a veteran outfielder, Rick Corbine, who had once been considered one of the most promising young power hitters in the league. He'd mashed 31 homers in 1902, but hadn't hit more than 23 in a season since, and most experts thought that, at 31, his best days were behind him.

Nelis thought Corbine might thrive in a new environment, and inquired about his availability. The Lakers drove a hard bargain. They would give up Corbine, but only in exchange for Pete Frank.

On the surface, this didn't seem like a good trade for Altoona. Frank was four years younger. He'd been the Alleghenies' regular second baseman since 1902, and in the four years beginning with the '05 title campaign, he'd never batted lower than .276. Pete didn't walk often, so his on-base percentage wasn't as high as it could be, but he had a decent amount of pop in his bat, especially for a middle infielder. He was usually good for a dozen home runs and 35 doubles a year, and he drove in 80, 90 runs a year.

The newspapers hadn't been kind, either. Joe DiGirolamo, who wrote for the Altoona Press, was usually among the Alleghenies' biggest cheerleaders from the press box. Even he was critical of this move, calling Corbine a "player with one skill, which he hasn't exhibited regularly for several years" and lamenting the departure of the popular Frank.

The trade was announced two days ago, and by now the news was all over town. This afternoon, Gary decided he was in the mood for spaghetti and meatballs. He rode the streetcar into town from his elegant home on the fashionable East Side, smiling and nodding to a few of his fellow passengers. They didn't seem quite as friendly in return, and one man scowled at him and shook his head.

The owner stepped from the streetcar at Jefferson Avenue and began to walk up the block to the Piazza Restaurant. Just then, a snowball whizzed past his head, nearly knocking off his hat. A second one, not thrown quite as accurately, splatted against a lamppost several feet away. Gary turned in the direction from which the wintry missiles had come, just in time to watch three young boys race around the corner.

By April, Rick Corbine would have the chance to launch a few home runs and restore the faith of the people of Altoona in the owner of their local team. Right now, with snow on the ground and springtime seeming a long, long way away, Gary Nelis might be better off enjoying his luncheons at home.