OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - The Federal Baseball League: Rebirth of a Franchise

ifspuds · 03-20-2008, 11:38 AM

The Rebirth of a Proud Franchise

While the Pacific Ball Players Union lasted a scant 10 seasons, from 1940 to 1949, the PBPL's Seattle Rainiers were one of the upstart circuit's most successful teams, finishing in first place four times and winning two Western Cups in the mid-1940's. Notables such as two-time Outstanding Pitcher Eddie Walters and longtime lineup stalwarts Ramon German and Craig Playne thrilled fans in the Emerald City for most of the 1940s until hard times hit and the team sunk into the basement of the PBPL standings as the decade came to a close.

It's not often that life allows you a chance to wipe the board clean and restart from the very beginning, but the announcement that the PBPL would merge with the Federal Baseball League to start the 1950 season presented the management of the Rainiers with just that opportunity. The Federal Baseball League, an independent league that got its start in 1925, boasted 14 teams spread across the midwest and eastern seaboard. While the league had struggled through the pre-war years, the post-war boom brought prosperity and the desire to establish the league as a national fixture. All six PBPL teams would be brought under the FBL umbrella and begin play in 1950 as the FBL's third division. In addition, an agreement with the Cuban Professional League would provide a pipeline of international talent to the upstart league. The most surprising announcement proved yet to come, however. As a condition of the merger, all teams agreed to place their players into a common pool and redistribute the talent across the new 20-team league. There were protests, of course, but in Seattle, the Rainiers saw it as a chance to get back to the upper echelon of baseball teams.

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This will be the ongoing story of the Seattle Rainiers, my team in the Federal Baseball League. The FBL is the next generation of the JOBL, a long-running fictional league. While the league is completely different than its predecessor, many of the owners remain along with some new blood (like myself). This is a fictional talent-only OOTP2007 league with 25 years of pre-sim history built in, with three sims a week, 7 days per sim. The sims have just begun, and after a short introduction to the 10-year history of the Rainiers in the PBPL and the players selected in the redraft, I'll be covering events from sim to sim. I hope you'll enjoy reading.

03-20-2008, 11:38 AM	#1 (permalink)
ifspuds Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 2,076	The Federal Baseball League: Rebirth of a Franchise The Rebirth of a Proud Franchise While the Pacific Ball Players Union lasted a scant 10 seasons, from 1940 to 1949, the PBPL's Seattle Rainiers were one of the upstart circuit's most successful teams, finishing in first place four times and winning two Western Cups in the mid-1940's. Notables such as two-time Outstanding Pitcher Eddie Walters and longtime lineup stalwarts Ramon German and Craig Playne thrilled fans in the Emerald City for most of the 1940s until hard times hit and the team sunk into the basement of the PBPL standings as the decade came to a close. It's not often that life allows you a chance to wipe the board clean and restart from the very beginning, but the announcement that the PBPL would merge with the Federal Baseball League to start the 1950 season presented the management of the Rainiers with just that opportunity. The Federal Baseball League, an independent league that got its start in 1925, boasted 14 teams spread across the midwest and eastern seaboard. While the league had struggled through the pre-war years, the post-war boom brought prosperity and the desire to establish the league as a national fixture. All six PBPL teams would be brought under the FBL umbrella and begin play in 1950 as the FBL's third division. In addition, an agreement with the Cuban Professional League would provide a pipeline of international talent to the upstart league. The most surprising announcement proved yet to come, however. As a condition of the merger, all teams agreed to place their players into a common pool and redistribute the talent across the new 20-team league. There were protests, of course, but in Seattle, the Rainiers saw it as a chance to get back to the upper echelon of baseball teams. ----- This will be the ongoing story of the Seattle Rainiers, my team in the Federal Baseball League. The FBL is the next generation of the JOBL, a long-running fictional league. While the league is completely different than its predecessor, many of the owners remain along with some new blood (like myself). This is a fictional talent-only OOTP2007 league with 25 years of pre-sim history built in, with three sims a week, 7 days per sim. The sims have just begun, and after a short introduction to the 10-year history of the Rainiers in the PBPL and the players selected in the redraft, I'll be covering events from sim to sim. I hope you'll enjoy reading. __________________ Jeff Watson TWB (co-commissioner): Pittsburgh Pirates GM (team dynasty here, #5 Dynasty of 2005!) (TWB Champs 1966, 1967, 1973, NL Champs 1968, NL East Champs 1969, NL Champs 1970, 1971 NPBL: Illinois Jethawks GM Outpost League: A Fictional World Dynasty (#9 (tie) Dynasty of 2005!)