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toxicavenger74 · 12-02-2008, 11:24 AM

League Premise
The United States Baseball League starts in 1995. Currently the league is in 2005. The league is started by Charlie Lowe who starts the league to bring baseball back from the scandles that caused is to fold under a cloud of corruption at the end of the 1994 season. None of the players from MLB are allowed to play in the league.

In 1995 12 teams started with the USBL. Initially, Lowe did not know whether to name the league the USBL or the IBL for International Baseball League. He didn't yet have the infrastructure in place for a team in Mexico or Canada but he was sure that someday he would. Regardless, he goes with the name USBL and will change it if the league is successful and he desires for it to expand outside of the US.

The Characters
Charlie Lowe--Commissioner of the USBL. He is a successful businessman and family man. He made is forturne from the trucking and long haul transportation industry. He owns a company headquartered in Lebanon, MO called Lowe Trucking. He is well known for getting things down throughout Southern Missouri and he is a man you don't want on your bad side. He is a man who would be at his ideal weight if he were 6'5" but alas he is only 5'8". He was a major follower of highschool sports...particularly basketball. He loved the team and fan camraderie and especially the intense holiday tournaments. He started the Midwest Womems Softball League (MWSL) in the early 80's which folded after 2 years and in the early 90's the Missouri Governors League (MGL) which was a professional mens baseball league based soley in Missouri. The MGL would fold after 3 years but it layed inroads and created infrastrucure for the USBL to take over when a baseball void was left by corruption and folding of MLB.

Brice Harrison--Charlie Lowe's grandson who is the GM of the Memphis Legends. Often times is chided because many believe he is given special treatment.

Hub Capps--Writer for the The Baseball Network which is headquarted in Memphis. In addition he is assigned to cover the Memphis Legends.

The Baseball Network--A Multimedia network that produces both a 24 hr. baseball network and daily columns focusing on each team in the USBL. TBN has assigned writers to cover each team and their columns are published in the local newspapers for each of the teams.

The Memphis Legends--Often times called "The First Team of Baseball" by Lowe and later picked up by Capps in his columns due to the fact that this was the first team established in the USBL. The Legends get their roots from the Lebanon Yellow Jackets of the MGL.

The Jose Delgado incident--Lowe was a big believer in baseball being America's game. He did not deny that one day that there should be professional teams in other countries however until that time he felt baseball should be played by Americans. At the start of the inagural 1995 season Lowe grandfathers in all foreigners but states that teams should no longer sign players who are not United States citizens. However, he does not officially ban them and states that he wants to work with owners on how best to proceed. Regardless, Brice Harrison and the Memphis Legends scout foreign players and on July 19th 1995 signs 22 y.o. Dominican catcher Jose Delgado. Lowe comes out with a foreign player ban the following day on July 20th. There was an outcry from the media and fans as many believed that Harrison had inside information that the ban was coming and also went against the unwritten rule of not signing foreign players. He was the only GM to break this rule during this period. It was particularly troubling to many other GM's and owners as Delgado was scouted as a very athletic and remarkable 5 tool catcher.

Due to the scrutiny Lowe lifted the ban during the off season of 1996 only and publically chided his grandson for skirting the rules. With the ban back in place at the start of the 1996 season Delgado was promoted from AAA to the ML roster. He proceeded to be the first Legend to hit for the cycle in April and found himself playing the outfield as Jim "Ranger" Walker was the everyday catcher and viewed by many to be a mainstay at that position. Harrison and the Legends were still continuously and heavily criticized and on July 18 1996, Delgado was traded along with LF Will Martin and P Dewey Parker to the Tacoma Burners for P Keith Raines, P Allan Dodson and two minor leaguers. The foreign player ban would stay in place until 2004 until it was completely lifted with the only stipulation that American players only are eligible for the draft and foregin players are allowed to be signed as FA's.

When Harrison traded Delgado he stated "He is the most athletic catcher I have ever seen, he may be one of the greatest catchers in league history by the time his career his over".

Many years later, Lowe stated that he proceeded with the ban in reaction to his grandsons signing of Delgado and that the ban was suppose to go in place as it did at the start of the 1996 season. That while his grandson errored in breaking a gentlemans agreement between the teams and the league that the issue was made worse by the ban as the public and media saw it differently than how it actually played out.

Up Next
We will pick up the league in the middle of the 2005 season. A lot has happened between 1995 and 2005, along the way I may revisit those seasons.

12-02-2008, 11:24 AM	#1 (permalink)
toxicavenger74 Major Leagues Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 427 Thanked 2x in 1 post	USBL and the Memphis Legends League Premise The United States Baseball League starts in 1995. Currently the league is in 2005. The league is started by Charlie Lowe who starts the league to bring baseball back from the scandles that caused is to fold under a cloud of corruption at the end of the 1994 season. None of the players from MLB are allowed to play in the league. In 1995 12 teams started with the USBL. Initially, Lowe did not know whether to name the league the USBL or the IBL for International Baseball League. He didn't yet have the infrastructure in place for a team in Mexico or Canada but he was sure that someday he would. Regardless, he goes with the name USBL and will change it if the league is successful and he desires for it to expand outside of the US. The Characters Charlie Lowe--Commissioner of the USBL. He is a successful businessman and family man. He made is forturne from the trucking and long haul transportation industry. He owns a company headquartered in Lebanon, MO called Lowe Trucking. He is well known for getting things down throughout Southern Missouri and he is a man you don't want on your bad side. He is a man who would be at his ideal weight if he were 6'5" but alas he is only 5'8". He was a major follower of highschool sports...particularly basketball. He loved the team and fan camraderie and especially the intense holiday tournaments. He started the Midwest Womems Softball League (MWSL) in the early 80's which folded after 2 years and in the early 90's the Missouri Governors League (MGL) which was a professional mens baseball league based soley in Missouri. The MGL would fold after 3 years but it layed inroads and created infrastrucure for the USBL to take over when a baseball void was left by corruption and folding of MLB. Brice Harrison--Charlie Lowe's grandson who is the GM of the Memphis Legends. Often times is chided because many believe he is given special treatment. Hub Capps--Writer for the The Baseball Network which is headquarted in Memphis. In addition he is assigned to cover the Memphis Legends. The Baseball Network--A Multimedia network that produces both a 24 hr. baseball network and daily columns focusing on each team in the USBL. TBN has assigned writers to cover each team and their columns are published in the local newspapers for each of the teams. The Memphis Legends--Often times called "The First Team of Baseball" by Lowe and later picked up by Capps in his columns due to the fact that this was the first team established in the USBL. The Legends get their roots from the Lebanon Yellow Jackets of the MGL. The Jose Delgado incident--Lowe was a big believer in baseball being America's game. He did not deny that one day that there should be professional teams in other countries however until that time he felt baseball should be played by Americans. At the start of the inagural 1995 season Lowe grandfathers in all foreigners but states that teams should no longer sign players who are not United States citizens. However, he does not officially ban them and states that he wants to work with owners on how best to proceed. Regardless, Brice Harrison and the Memphis Legends scout foreign players and on July 19th 1995 signs 22 y.o. Dominican catcher Jose Delgado. Lowe comes out with a foreign player ban the following day on July 20th. There was an outcry from the media and fans as many believed that Harrison had inside information that the ban was coming and also went against the unwritten rule of not signing foreign players. He was the only GM to break this rule during this period. It was particularly troubling to many other GM's and owners as Delgado was scouted as a very athletic and remarkable 5 tool catcher. Due to the scrutiny Lowe lifted the ban during the off season of 1996 only and publically chided his grandson for skirting the rules. With the ban back in place at the start of the 1996 season Delgado was promoted from AAA to the ML roster. He proceeded to be the first Legend to hit for the cycle in April and found himself playing the outfield as Jim "Ranger" Walker was the everyday catcher and viewed by many to be a mainstay at that position. Harrison and the Legends were still continuously and heavily criticized and on July 18 1996, Delgado was traded along with LF Will Martin and P Dewey Parker to the Tacoma Burners for P Keith Raines, P Allan Dodson and two minor leaguers. The foreign player ban would stay in place until 2004 until it was completely lifted with the only stipulation that American players only are eligible for the draft and foregin players are allowed to be signed as FA's. When Harrison traded Delgado he stated "He is the most athletic catcher I have ever seen, he may be one of the greatest catchers in league history by the time his career his over". Many years later, Lowe stated that he proceeded with the ban in reaction to his grandsons signing of Delgado and that the ban was suppose to go in place as it did at the start of the 1996 season. That while his grandson errored in breaking a gentlemans agreement between the teams and the league that the issue was made worse by the ban as the public and media saw it differently than how it actually played out. Up Next We will pick up the league in the middle of the 2005 season. A lot has happened between 1995 and 2005, along the way I may revisit those seasons.