[legendsport]

The Base Ball Intelligencer, Troy, New York - May 1, 1869:

The dawning of the 1869 base ball season draws nigh. Therefore it is time to meet the men who will compete on the fields this summer for the right to claim the title of the champions of the National Association.

First, our local entry, the Union Club of Troy:
Led by Greg Dixon, the Unions look to be a solid compendium of play making parts. Will it be enough to topple the powers of the Association, you ask? One might wonder, for beyond the aforementioned Dixon (who mans the third base and is the club's top batsman), many of the battists are unknowns. Having witnessed their play with mine own eyes however, this writer can confirm that the Union club does have the makings of a champion. Clint Vestal and Ernie Beall patrol the outer pastures and are dead ringers with a club in their hands. Backstop Ernie Heinen, whose proud Pap runs an Elmira brewery, is also a promising player. The hurler will be the man upon which the team's ultimate destiny will ride and in Doug Manchester, the Unions have a golden arm.

Next, the favorites, the Red Stockings of Cincinnati:
It all starts with Rube Pitman, the star rover - or shortstop, if you will - of the Red Stocking club. Born in Birmingham, England, this former cricketer is a master with a wand of wood and is fleet afoot with sure hands afield. Possibly the best practicioner of base ball in the world, he's also purportedly the highest-paid. The rest of the team is made up of stars as well, from pitching master Robby Buse to household names Asa English (1B), Rit Withers (LF), Ron James (2B), and Ernie Biscan (RF). Without a doubt, this is the team that all others will be measured by.

Other contenders:

Maryland Club (Baltimore): Hurler Bunker Theobald and outfielder Ethan Gunkel lead a rag-tag group.
Atlantic Club (Brooklyn): CF Kevin Ager is the top-man in Brooklyn
Eckford Club (Brooklyn): CF Erik Anson represents the main opposition to Pitman for the "best player in base ball" title. Not much else for Eckford supporters to rally around.
Forest City Club (Cleveland): Catcher Ken Bigler represents the main talent on this club.
Irvington Club (New Jersey): One of the game's best in Johnie Bryant. Precipitous drop-off in talent thereafter.
Mutual Club (New York): A quartet of strong batsmen (Spencer, Boyd, Dedrick, Miller) provide runs; the New Yorker's weakness lies in their pitcher.
Athletic Club (Philadelphia): Two players who share the same initials (A.M.) also share the load for Athletic. Aleck Mason and Alvin McMahon are the fuel that stokes the fire in the City of Brotherly Love.
Keystone Club (Philadelphia): 1B Powhatan Bellino, despite his unfortunate moniker, is a player that must be considered among the game's elite. Rumors abound that the Red Stocking club heavily courted the rotund Bellino last winter, to no avail.
National Club (Washington, DC): Is the glass half-full or half-empty? The National club features four top players, among them the man considered the top chucker in all of the sport, J.W. Chapman, but beyond their vaunted quartet, the team is weak, weak, weak.
Olympic Club (Washington, DC): Possibly the weakest of the Association clubs, Olympic relies on an above-average hurler in Ron Pierce and a sporadic offense.

Images (left to right): Troy's Greg Dixon, Cincinnati's Rube Pitman, Eckford's Erik Anson, Keystone's Powhatan Bellino, National's J.W. Chapman