History Never Repeats: An Alternative Baseball History

[NYY #23]

An Introduction

Before we begin I wanted to give a little bit of background on what I've got planned. I'm a big fan of historical "what ifs", what would things look like if things happened just a little bit differently. If just a couple things happened a little differently it could have some major effects down the road, and baseball as we know it would be changed forever.

What if Ban Johnson and John McGraw never feuded, and the Orioles never left Baltimore after 1902? Or what if Babe Ruth was never sold to the Yankees, or the Dodgers never left Brooklyn? Or the PCL became a major league like Big Six is finding out? Or the Cubs didn't ask Billy Sianis to leave Wrigley during the World Series (if you believe in curses).

One relatively small change can make a big difference to the future. So we'll begin this story in the summer of 1889. Why the summer of 1889? Well, I did a lot of reading about the "War of 1890", and I think it was an interesting period of time. We'll start the story where, according to the Sporting News it was a period in time where a strike was imminent, there was unrest with the players and a new league was about to be born. We'll start following those events leading up to the formation of a new league, and how things turn out in 1890 and later. There are a couple of more reasons, and you can probably connect the dots on where I'm going, but I won't get to those reasons for a couple years worth of game time.

One thing that I should point out is that I do like playing with mostly real players and recalc off, in order to see what kind of surprises pop-up, and how things develop a little differently. Its always fun to see the little guy develop into a star, and maybe not as much fun to see the star go down in flames with a career ending injury, but it keeps things interesting. I also say mostly real players because I'm not going to be overly concerned if one or two of slipped through in the beginning because of how I did the initial set-up, in fact I intentionally left some of them in there. At some point I may also bring in some fictional players to fill in where necessary in minor leagues in such.

I've been kicking around this idea for a couple years now and at least a couple versions, and have been playing with the set-up off and on (mostly off) for a few months now and I think I've got things how I want them. I've got a pretty good roadmap of where I want to go with this, but things aren't set in stone so there is some flexibility if things need to change. I figured now is as good of time as any to start.

I'm going to attempt to tell the story at the 5,000 foot level, but I'll dive down deeper when I think it is appropriate and hopefully I'll find the right balance between moving through a season too fast or too slow. Another part of the inspiration was watching an episode of Prime 9 on the Major League Baseball network where they talked about the top 9 records that were hardest to break. I was tempted to do a replay focusing on just those 9 records, but thought I'd combine both of these ideas. It'll probably be a couple decades before we follow those a little bit more closely, so I won't get into that now.

I'm going to be using the Spritze database to import players. Instead of moving everybody to the team they began with during 1890, I went back and started simming from the beginning in 1871 and went up to present day, which in this case is 1889. Any resemblance between baseball reality in 1889, such as the Solons and Browns battling for first place in the American Association and in my league are purely coincidental because they are doing it with almost completely different players, who have progressed or regressed differently.

As for the title, I just couldn't get the song History Never Repeats out of my head for the past two weeks. Which is strange because I can't remember the last time I heard that song, but it sounded like a good title anyway.

Just a couple more brief notes about the set-up (if you want any more details just ask) -
• Scouting and coaching is on - not sure how much difference that will make when I'm not playing with a 'team'
• No minor leagues for now, but they will exist at some point
• Financials are on, and we'll get to that as part of the "story"
• Trading and injuries are set to "very low" to start, although I reserve the right to increase the frequency of either as time goes on
• Pretty much everything is set to the defaults

[damientheomen3]

will be following all the way. I read part of your other dynasties but they were too far developed and I was too lazy to read so much, and I like your writing, so I'm glad that I get to follow one fo your dynasties from the start.

[Raidergoo]

Originally Posted by NYY #23

Before we begin I wanted to give a little bit of background on what I've got planned. I'm a big fan of historical "what ifs", what would things look like if things happened just a little bit differently. If just a couple things happened a little differently it could have some major effects down the road, and baseball as we know it would be changed forever.

I love the premise. So much, in fact, that the online league I am starting next week has a very similar one. Unlike you, I am taking my league well into the 21st Century before digging into it. So, you could say that I am looking at this from 80,000 feet in an SR-71, instead of your 5,000 feet.

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by damientheomen3

will be following all the way. I read part of your other dynasties but they were too far developed and I was too lazy to read so much, and I like your writing, so I'm glad that I get to follow one fo your dynasties from the start.

Thanks for the compliment, and for following along. It definitely can be tough once a dynasty gets too big.

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by Raidergoo

I love the premise. So much, in fact, that the online league I am starting next week has a very similar one. Unlike you, I am taking my league well into the 21st Century before digging into it. So, you could say that I am looking at this from 80,000 feet in an SR-71, instead of your 5,000 feet.

Thanks. I checked out the league, and it looks very cool as well. I debated for the longest times on how best to start, and came close to moving ahead to the 21st Century, taking looks back and even ran it several times. I just kept having a hard time finding a good way to tell the history. So this is probably draft number 15 of this dynasty, but I've gotten far enough in to know that I like the direction. Good luck with your online league.

[NYY #23]

Player Strike is Imminent
June 30, 1889

The Columbus Solons and St. Louis Browns are locked in a tight battle for the American Association title. Frank "Monkey" Foreman notched his fifteenth victory of the season to lead the Solons to a 1-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles to pull in front by two games over the St. Louis Browns, who were victorious behind the arm of Charlie "Pretzel" Getzein, who picked up his eighteenth win of the season.

Over in the National League the Pittsburgh Alleghenys defeated the Washington Nationals 2-1 to increase their lead over the Cleveland Spiders to 3 games after the Spiders fell 9-8 to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Rumors of player unrest in the National League as reports continue to surface that the Brotherhood of Professional Base Ball Players are preparing to go on strike July 2nd. A strike would jeopardize the very popular July 4th doubleheaders that have been planned around the league.

Sources indicate there are three main issues of concern that the players hope to address:

1. Abolition of the classification system.
2. No reservation for a salary lower than the previous year.
3. Absolute abolition of the practice of selling players.

During the offseason the National League introduced the "Brush Classification Plan" which was introduced by the Indianapolis owner and implemented. The plan classified the players into five groups and has greatly upset the players. Our sources indicate that a strike is imminent.

[NYY #23]

A Third League is Born?
August 31, 1889

In the American Association the Columbus Solons and St. Louis Browns have been locked in a tight battle for first place all season long. Both teams entered last night's game tied for first place and St. Louis moved in front after defeating the Solons in 12 innings. Charlie Getzein picked up his 27th win of the season for the Browns after throwing 12 innings. Two errors in the 12th allowed the Browns to go ahead for good.

Over in the National League Pittsburgh looks to have the title all wrapped up as they increased their lead to seven games over their nearest competitor. Earlier this week Alleghany's pitcher Toad Ramsey won his 30th game of the season.

Rumors continue to surface that the Brotherhood of Professional Base Ball Players are planning on starting a rival league that will begin play in the 1890 season. We reported earlier that strike plans were put on hold when John Montgomery Ward pursued a better alternative. We'll keep you updated as we receive more details.

[NYY #23]

Regular Season Ends
September 30, 1889

Another season has come to a close in both the American Association and the National League. In the National League the Pittsburgh Alleghenys won the pennant by five games over the Cleveland Spiders. Pittsburgh was led on the field by starting pitcher Toad Ramsey, who finished the year with a 34-16 record and Dusty Miller, who finished fifth in the league with a .306 batting average.

The race was much closer in the American Association was much closer as the St. Louis Browns and Columbus Solons entered the final day of the season tied for first place. Columbus had no trouble handling the Brooklyn Bridegrooms as they rolled to a 11-5 victory with Silver King picking up his 27th victory of the season.

Word reached the St. Louis Browns that their rivals, the Colombus Solons were victorious, with the Browns leading the Cincinnati Red Stockings 3-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning. With two outs in the inning it looked like the Browns would finish tied with the Solons, but the Red Stockings had nothing else to play this season except this game, and they rallied to score a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to tie the score. The score would remain tied until the bottom of the thirteenth when Parson Nicholson would hit a three run home run over the fence to end the game and the Browns season.

With their victory the Columbus Solons are set to take on the National League leader, the Pittsburgh Alleghenys in a championship series.

[NYY #23]

Alleghenys win Championship in 6
October 31, 1889

The National League once again displayed their dominance over the American Association as the Pittsburgh Alleghenys defeated the Columbus Solons in 6 games to win the Championship Series. In 1886 the winner of the American Association accepted the challenge of a Championship Series against the winner of the National League. For the fourth straight year the National League came out on top to continue their dominance.

As the National League continues to dominate the American Association, rumors of financial trouble continue to plague the American Association. Rumors continue to surface that two teams could be leaving the American Association in 1890 due to financial problems. A league meeting is scheduled for November among American Association teams in order to address the challenges and future of the American Association.

The Brotherhood of Professional Base Ball Players continue to move forward with plans to start a rival "third" professional baseball league. Formal preparations are expected to begin in November. Neither the National League or American Association would comment on the situation.

[NYY #23]

Players issue Manifesto; New league to play in 1890
November 30, 1889

The Brotherhood of Professional Base Ball Players issued its Manifesto stating that "players have been bought, sold, and exchanged as though they were sheep instead of American citizens." Later in the month of November the Players League was officially born, announcing an eight team league that will begin play during the 1890 season. The Players League has made it clear that they intend to 'take on' the National League, placing teams in seven of the National League cities. Several prominent stars have announced their intention of joining the new league, including John Montgomery Ward, Buck Ewing, and King Kelly.

The National League issued a rebuttal to the Manifesto, claiming that the National League saved baseball in 1876 and under the reserve system player's salaries "more than trebled". The National League denouncing the Players League as "efforts of certain overpaid players to again control for their own aggrandizement……to its ultimate dishonor and disintegration."

The American Association has yet to issue a statement, but two American Association teams have announced that they will be joining the National League in 1890, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, who will become known as the Cincinnati Reds, and the Brooklyn Bridegrooms. Two additional teams, the Kansas City Cowboys and Baltimore Orioles have announced they will be dropping out of the American Association, leaving the American Association with just four teams.

[NYY #23]

Players League Announces Teams; Commissioner
December 31, 1889

The Players League announced that Colonel Edwin A. McAlpin has been named Commissioner of the Players League. They also officially unveiled the eight teams that will make up the league, consisting of the following teams -

Boston Reds
Brooklyn Ward's Wonders
New York Giants
Chicago Pirates
Philadelphia Quakers
Pittsburgh Burghers
Cleveland Infants
Buffalo Bisons

As expected the Players League has placed teams in seven cities that currently have an existing team. Also unveiled were the Stadiums were games would be played, along with the managers for each team:

Boston Reds
Manager: King Kelly
Stadium: Congress Street Grounds

Brooklyn Ward's Wonders
Manager: John Montgomery Ward
Stadium: Eastern Park

Buffalo Bisons
Manager: Jack Rowe
Stadium: Olympic Park

Chicago Pirates
Manager: Charlie Comiskey
Stadium: South Side Park

Cleveland Infants
Manager: Henry Larkin
Stadium: Brotherhood Park

New York Giants
Manager: Buck Ewing
Stadium: Polo Grounds

Philadelphia Quakers
Manager: Jim Fogarty
Stadium: Forepaugh Park

Pittsburgh Burghers
Manager: Ned Hanlon
Stadium: Exposition Park

[William Foster]

Will be interesting to see if the fledging Player League survives in this reality. Consider me subscribed.

[Big Six]

Your dynasties are always well-written and entertaining, so I'll be following this one with a lot of interest. Good luck!

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by William Foster

Will be interesting to see if the fledging Player League survives in this reality. Consider me subscribed.

Thanks for following along. I'm hoping I'll get the stage set for the beginning of 1890 tonight, and get right into the action.

Originally Posted by Big Six

Your dynasties are always well-written and entertaining, so I'll be following this one with a lot of interest. Good luck!

Thanks for the compliment Big Six. I've been wanting to do this one for a long time now, but a little hesitant because of writing about the whole league and the deadball era. I wanted to make it through three years before I started posting just in case, but I'm enjoying the deadball era more than I thought I would. The second was I was a little hesitant about covering a whole league, but seeing how well your dynasty is turning out has eased some of those concerns. So hopefully this turns out 1/4 as good as yours.

[NYY #23]

Players win court battle; Players League will go on as planned
January 31, 1890

New York Supreme Court Justice Morgan J. O'Brien ruled in favor of John Montgomery Ward's Reserve Clause Case, paving the way for the Players League season to proceed as planned. With several pending court cases between players and the National League this was the first legal ruling indicating that baseball contracts lacked mutuality and were unenforceable.

While the National League and the Players League continue to battle it out in the courts, the American Association announced several changes and released their schedule for the 1890 season, the first of the professional leagues to do so. The Brooklyn Gladiators, Toledo Maumees, Rochester Broncos, and Syracuse Stars have been admitted into the American Association. With the addition of the four teams the American Association will once again field eight teams -

Louisville Colonels
Columbus Solons
St. Louis Browns
Toledo Maumees
Rochester Broncos
Syracuse Stars
Philadelphia Athletics
Brooklyn Gladiators

[NYY #23]

National League releases 1890 schedule
February 28, 1890

The National League has released their 1890 schedule after speculation that they were waiting until the Players League released their schedule in order to purposely schedule games during the same time as Players League games. It has been widely rumored that both the Indianapolis Hoosiers and the Washington Nationals were bought out by the National League, but the National League schedule contains 10 teams, including both the Nationals and Hoosiers.

The National League will be made up of:
Brooklyn Bridegrooms
Chicago Colts
Philadelphia Phillies
Cincinnati Reds
Boston Beaneaters
New York Giants
Cleveland Spiders
Pittsburgh Alleghenys
Indianapolis Hoosiers
Washington Nationals

The Players League has yet to release their schedule for the 1890 season. The fighting between the leagues is now being referred to as the 'War of 1890'. We can't help but wonder the real losers in this war will be baseball fans everywhere.

[NYY #23]

National League drops two teams; Players League releases schedule
March 31, 1890

Just two days after the Players League released its schedule for the 1890 season, the National League has issued a revised schedule for the 1890 season. Gone from the schedule are both the Indianapolis Hoosiers and the Washington Nationals.

The National League will be made up of:
Brooklyn Bridegrooms
Chicago Colts
Philadelphia Phillies
Cincinnati Reds
Boston Beaneaters
New York Giants
Cleveland Spiders
Pittsburgh Alleghenys

As expected, many of the dates have been changed in order to create many games that conflict with the Players League schedule. A representative from the Players League has indicated that they are not concerned with the competition, as they believe that the quality of play in the Players League will be higher, and more fans will be drawn to their games. During our discussion with the representative from the Players League, they also stressed the differences between their league and the National League.

The Players league will be run on a co-operative basis, and each team will be governed by a board that consisted of an equal number of players, and financial backers. Profits were to be shared between the players and the backers. Players were signed to three year contracts at the higher of their 1888 or 1889 salary. The players were allowed to buy stock in their teams, and the selling of players is against the rules. Any trading of players is discouraged, and needs to be done with the players consent. The Players League has also indicated that the top two teams will play in a special Championship Series after the regular season has concluded.

However, the only thing that will matter to most fans is how the teams play on the field. With Opening Day just three days away we will offer a special preview of each of the three leagues rosters over the next three days. We will go alphabetically, so first up will be the American Association. The players ranking within his league will be listed in parenthesis.

-----------------------------
Note - in order to give you a better idea of who is where I'm going to do a preview for 1890 for each team. I won't do this every year, but I'll do something like this every 10 years.

[NYY #23]

American Association Preview
April 1, 1890

The number in parenthesis is the rank of the player within the division.

Brooklyn Gladiators
C - Ed Whiting (5)
1B - Andy Knox (7)
2B - Fred Dunlap (8)
3B - Arlie Latham (3)
SS - Pop Smith (7)
LF - Joe Knight (1)
CF - George Hogriever (5)
RF - Mike Tiernan (2)
SP - Scott Stratton (8)

Columbus Solons
C - Van Nicholson (7)
1B - Cap Anson (1)
2B - Charlie Ferguson (3)
3B - Gil Hatfield (6)
SS - Irv Ray (1)
LF - Thomas Brown (4)
CF - Bug Holliday (2)
RF - Vince Dailey (7)
SP - Bert Dorr (1)

Louisville Colonels - 1889 Champion
C - Thomas Daly (4)
1B - Harry Taylor (5)
2B - Hub Collins (4)
3B - Billy Alvord (5)
SS - Mike Morrison (8)
LF - Harry Lyons (7)
CF - Ryan Beard (8)
RF - Tommy McCarthy (6)
SP - John Horan (2)

Philadelphia Athletics
C - Jocko Milligan (1)
1B - Billy O'Brien (6)
2B - Art McCoy (6)
3B - Fred Hartman (4)
SS - Ollie Beard (5)
LF - Walt Wilmot (2)
CF - Sun Daly (7)
RF - Sam Thompson (4)
SP - Alex Voss (4)

Rochester Broncos
C - Spider Clark (8)
1B - Tim O'Rourke (2)
2B - Steffen Gates (2)
3B - Bill Hassamaer (1)
SS - Shorty Fuller (2)
LF - Jerry Davis (3)
CF - Jim McTamany (6)
RF - Steve Brodie (5)
SP - George Stovey (3)

St. Louis Browns
C - Art Twineham (3)
1B - Jack O'Brien (4)
2B - Bob Black (5)
3B - Pat Sullivan (7)
SS - Frank Fennelly (6)
LF - John Rainey (6)
CF - Curt Welch (4)
RF - Phil Reccius (8)
SP - Kid Nichols (6)

Syracuse Stars
C - Fred Carroll (2)
1B - William O'Brien (3)
2B - Cupid Childs (1)
3B - Walt Preston(8)
SS - James Cooney (4)
LF - Jim Burns (5)
CF - Jake Stenzel (1)
RF - George Van Haltren (1)
SP - Amos Rusie (5)

Toledo Maumees
C - Mike Trost (6)
1B - George Decker (8)
2B - Dan Shannon (7)
3B - Heinie Reitz (2)
SS - Monte Cross (3)
LF - Ducky Holmes (8)
CF - Ollie Smith (3)
RF - Jesse Burkett (3)
SP - Ed Conley (7)

[NYY #23]

National League Preview
April 2, 1890

Boston Beaneaters
C - John Munyan (6)
1B - Steve Nelson (7)
2B - Dale Wilson (2)
3B - Charlie Reilly (4)
SS - Paul Radford (6)
LF - Piggy Ward (2)
CF - George Davis (1)
RF - Ryan Weaver (3)
SP - Al Atkinson (6)

Brooklyn Bridegrooms
C - Fred Donovan (5)
1B - Dan O'Connor (5)
2B - Frank Grant (4)
3B - Billy Clingman (5)
SS - Tom Murray (2)
LF - Ed Pabst (5)
CF - Frank Genins (7)
RF - Bill Goodenough (6)
SP - Adonis Terry (8)

Chicago Colts
C - Frank Connaughton (7)
1B - Denny O'Neill (8)
2B - Bill Niles (3)
3B - Denny Lyons (1)
SS - Jack Glasscock (3)
LF - Jim Long (8)
CF - John Henry (8)
RF - Paul Hines (8)
SP - Clarence Chandler (7)

Cleveland Spiders
C - Doggie Miller (2)
1B - Tommy Tucker (3)
2B - Reddy Mack (5)
3B - Donald Carr (7)
SS - Harry Moore (4)
LF - Billy Hamilton (1)
CF - Eddie Burke (4)
RF - George Treadway (1)
SP - Charlie Hodnett (2)

Cincinnati Reds
C - Jack Clements (1)
1B - Hughie Jennings (1)
2B - Sam Laroque (6)
3B - Jim Green (6)
SS - Bones Ely (5)
LF - Jimmy Wolf (6)
CF - Jim McCauley (6)
RF - Ed Swartwood (4)
SP - Jocko Flynn (1)

New York Giants
C - Chris Fulmer (3)
1B - Perry Werden (2)
2B - George Williams (7)
3B - Buck Becannon (8)
SS - Barney McLaughlin (8)
LF - Marty Sullivan (3)
CF - Farmer Weaver (3)
RF - Sam Dungan (7)
SP - Clark Griffith (5)

Philadelphia Phillies
C - Sy Sutcliffe (4)
1B - Ed Cartwright (4)
2B - Sol White (1)
3B - Lefty Marr (2)
SS - Herman Long (1)
LF - Jim Canavan (4)
CF - Pat Hannifan (5)
RF - Dick Burns (5)
SP - Red Ehret (4)

Pittsburgh Alleghenys - 1889 Champion
C - Maurice Eissens (8)
1B - Pearce Chiles (6)
2B - Heinie Kappel (8)
3B - Jumbo Davis (3)
SS - Bob Langsford (7)
LF - Count Campau (7)
CF - Charlie Abbey (2)
RF - Dusty Miller (2)
SP - Toad Ramsey (3)

[NYY #23]

National League Preview
April 3, 1890

Boston Reds
C - King Kelly (4)
1B - Dan Brouthers (1)
2B - Hardy Richardson (2)
3B - Billy Nash (4)
SS - George Crawford (8)
LF - Harry Stovey (5)
CF - Kevin Loftus (7)
RF - Charlie Hastings (6)
SP - John Fitzgerald (7)

Brooklyn Ward's Wonders
C - Pop Swett (8)
1B - Dave Orr (5)
2B - Lou Bierbauer (3)
3B - Bill Joyce (1)
SS - John Ward (1)
LF - Emmett Seery (6)
CF - John Leighton (4)
RF - Jack McGeachy (8)
SP - Gus Weyhing (6)

Buffalo Bisons
C - Spike McGregor (7)
1B - Jay Faatz (8)
2B - Sam Wise (4)
3B - Bill Dahlen (2)
SS - Jack Rowe (3)
LF - Edward Beecher (7)
CF - Dummy Hoy (3)
RF - Tom Colcolough (7)
SP - Doug Dickson (8)

Chicago Pirates
C - Duke Farrell (2)
1B - Charlie Comiskey (7)
2B - Parson Nicholson (1)
3B - Joe Burke (7)
SS - Joe Shelton (7)
LF - Hugh Duffy (1)
CF - Jimmy Ryan (1)
RF - Ecky Stearns (4)
SP - Silver King (2)

Cleveland Infants
C - Nathan Holley (5)
1B - Henry Larkin (4)
2B - Red Bittman (5)
3B - Bill Gray (3)
SS - Ed Delahanty (2)
LF - Pete Browning (2)
CF - Brian Cochrane (8)
RF - Heinie Peitz (5)
SP - William Wallace (4)

New York Giants
C - Buck Ewing (1)
1B - Roger Connor (2)
2B - Sam Campbell (8)
3B - Corbin Hamilton (8)
SS - Danny Richardson (6)
LF - Ham Sweigert (8)
CF - George Gore (2)
RF - Mike Slattery (2)
SP - Hank O'Day (3)

Philadelphia Quakers
C - John Kerins (3)
1B - John Reilly (6)
2B - Ned Warren (6)
3B - John Irwin (5)
SS - Billy Shindle (4)
LF - George Wood (3)
CF - George Tebeau (6)
RF - Alfonso Banda (3)
SP - Frank Killen (1)

Pittsburgh Burghers
C - Tim Donahue (6)
1B - Jake Beckley (3)
2B - Yank Robinson (7)
3B - Jason Woodward (6)
SS - Tommy Corcoran (5)
LF - Jocko Fields (4)
CF - Ned Hanlon (5)
RF - Joe Visner (1)
SP - Harry Staley (5)