The Base Ball Intelligencer, Troy, NY, July 16, 1879:
IS 'BALANCE' THE STORY OF THE LEAGUE?
An unimagineable situation has arisen in the National League this season - balance. With nearly half the season having been played, none of the eight clubs has shown dominance over their competition. Currently the Cincinnati and Providence clubs share the top billing with twenty victories apiece and the newly added Cleveland and Syracuse clubs having piled up nineteen victories apiece. Even the club with the fewest victories thus far, our own Trojan Club, has fourteen victories and plenty of time to make up the difference.
AARON LEWIS OF CLEVELAND
STANDINGS
Code:
Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run Streak Last10
Cincinnati Red Legs 20 15 .571 - 19-16 1 11-9 9-6 2-1 5-6 L2 6-4
Providence Grays 20 16 .556 .5 21-15 -1 11-7 9-9 1-1 5-6 L1 4-6
Cleveland Blues 19 16 .543 1.0 18-17 1 10-7 9-9 2-2 7-5 W1 7-3
Syracuse Stars 19 17 .528 1.5 18-18 1 10-6 9-11 1-3 10-7 W1 5-5
Boston Red Stockings 18 18 .500 2.5 17-19 1 5-10 13-8 1-0 7-4 W2 4-6
Buffalo Bisons 16 19 .457 4.0 17-18 -1 8-12 8-7 3-1 4-4 L1 3-7
Chicago White Stockings 16 20 .444 4.5 17-19 -1 10-11 6-9 0-1 6-8 L1 5-5
Troy Trojans 14 21 .400 6.0 15-20 -1 7-8 7-13 1-2 5-9 W1 5-5
RECORD DAY FOR MORTON
Fred Morton has already established himself as one of the best players in the country, so it was no surprise when he collected six safeties in a game against Cincinnati. What made the performance extra special was that Mutton managed to vary his safeties to record a "cycle" - at least one of each type of hit - single, double, triple and home run. And as if that wasn't enough, he twice recorded the toughest of the variety with two three-baggers and two four-baggers. A day to remember for Mutton Morton.
FRED MORTON
"DEAD ARM" TO SIDELINE LANGTON
The fortunes of the Cleveland Blues could have taken a severe downturn when their best asset - pitcher Clifford Langton's right arm - went dead, putting the player out of the game for the foreseeable future. Thus far this season, Langton had won 15 of 24 starts and posted a 1.68 earned run average - easily the best in the League. With Langton gone, the pitching chores will fall upon 23-year-old Kelly St. Jean, an unproven hurler who in his first few appearances seemed promising enough - though it's unlikely he will prove as crafty as Langton.
CLIFFORD LANGTON
YOUNG IRISHMAN'S PRESENCE A PROBLEM FOR VETERAN BACKSTOP
Rumors from around our hometown Trojans club are that the presence of young Mahan O'Faolan, a talented 20-year-old Irish-born catcher/pitcher has irked the veteran backstop Charlie Ramsdell to the point where the latter player has requested a release from his Troy contract. This comes not as a result of O'Faolan's personality - he is a genial young man (a fondness for whiskey is an unsubstantiated rumor) and well-liked by his team mates - but arises due to the fact that O'Faolan is playing well, and more frequently of late, than Ramsdell. O'Faolan's average is a lofty .418 and Ramsdell is requesting that the Irishman be used as a pitcher instead of a catcher. With Iron Man Jones playing well, it's unlikely that request will be met, and club officials have indicated that Ramsdell's contract will not be voided. After this season, he will be free to move on, but for now he is stuck with the Trojans - and they're stuck with his sour attitude.
MAHAN O'FAOLAN
ROCHESTER, UTICA TOP THE NA
The Rochester and Utica clubs are the best of the current National Association crop - at least through the first half of the season. With fifteen wins in twenty-two games, Springfield has just three fewer victories than Rochester, who have won 18 of their 24 games thus far. None of the other clubs have shown much, with the newly revived National Club of Washington looking particularly dismal thus far.
Code:
Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run Streak Last10
Rochester Flour Citys 18 6 .750 - 18-6 0 11-2 7-4 1-0 6-4 W6 8-2
Utica Franklins 15 7 .682 2.0 13-9 2 7-5 8-2 3-0 5-1 W1 6-4
Springfield Club 12 6 .667 3.0 12-6 0 8-2 4-4 2-1 2-1 L1 7-3
Albany Blues 14 10 .583 4.0 14-10 0 6-6 8-4 1-1 3-2 W2 6-4
Manchester Reds 6 6 .500 6.0 7-5 -1 3-2 3-4 0-1 0-2 L1 5-5
Capital City Club of Albany 3 4 .429 6.5 4-3 -1 3-3 0-1 0-0 1-2 W1 3-4
Holyoke Browns 3 8 .273 8.5 4-7 -1 1-4 2-4 0-0 0-1 L4 3-7
New Bedford Whites 5 10 .333 8.5 6-9 -1 4-4 1-6 0-1 2-2 W2 4-6
Worcester Ruby Legs 7 15 .318 10.0 8-14 -1 3-8 4-7 0-2 2-3 L3 3-7
National Club of Washington 4 15 .211 11.5 4-15 0 0-5 4-10 0-1 1-4 L2 2-8
OMAHA HAS OTHER NORTHWEST CLUBS SEEING GREEN
The Omaha Green Stockings are the top club in the Northwest League, having won eight of their eleven contests in the first half of this inaugural season for the new midwestern-based loop. With the loop's best hitter in Paul Young (he has an incredible .543 average in 46 at-bats), Omaha seems to be the team to beat this year.
Code:
Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run Streak Last10
Omaha Green Stockings 8 3 .727 - 8-3 0 4-2 4-1 0-1 1-2 W2 7-3
Dubuque Red Stockings 5 6 .455 3.0 5-6 0 1-4 4-2 0-0 1-1 L1 4-6
Davenport Brown Stockings 5 7 .417 3.5 3-9 2 2-4 3-3 1-0 2-1 L1 5-5
Rockford White Stockings 4 6 .400 3.5 5-5 -1 0-5 4-1 0-0 1-1 L1 4-6
HAVERLY CLUB CLASS OF CALIFORNIA LOOP
It's early and they may only play on Sundays, but the Haverly Club has thus far proven itself to be the best of the quartet of Pacific Coast ballclubs that play in San Francisco.
Code:
Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run Streak Last10
Haverly Club 4 2 .667 - 5-1 -1 3-0 1-2 1-1 1-2 L1 4-2
Athletic Club 3 3 .500 1.0 3-3 0 2-1 1-2 0-1 1-2 W2 3-3
California Club 2 3 .400 1.5 1-4 1 2-0 0-3 1-0 2-0 L3 2-3
Pioneer Club 2 3 .400 1.5 2-3 0 1-2 1-1 0-0 0-0 L1 2-3