I humbly submit the Revisionist History of Baseball for your review.
http://rhob.freewebpage.org/index.htm
Have you ever thought about all the "what ifs" or "what might have beens" of baseball. What if Babe Ruth had remained a pitcher all of his career? What if Boston never made the deal that started "the curse"? What if Satchel Paige had been the first black in baseball? What if Bill Buckner had caught the ball in Game 6? What if Pete never bet on baseball? If you have, then this revisionist historical simulation of baseball is for you. Each year, the Revisionist will reach down from his perch above and revise history in some form or fashion. Stay tuned to see what happens.
Here is what the Revisionist has done in the first five years.
1901
In his first history-altering act, the Revisionist has decreed that the NL and AL champions will meet for the first ever World Series. In MLB history, the World Series did not begin until 1903. The MLB World Series was also not held in the years 1904 and 1994 (Strike). The 1901 RHOB World Series sees the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago White Sox four games to one.
1902
The Revisionist has declared that the RHOB will not wait for the courage of Curt Flood and will institute free agency and arbitration into the RHOB from the beginning.
1903
At Cincinnati peace talks, the National League proposes a consolidated 12-team league, which the American League rejects. An agreement is reached to coexist peacefully if the AL promises to stay out of Pittsburgh. In the awarding of disputed contracts, the most hotly contested case is that of Sam Crawford, Reds OF who batted .333 and led the NL with 23 triples in 1902. The future Hall of Famer, signed for 1903 by both Detroit and the Reds, is awarded to the Tigers, having signed with them first. The Revisionist has decreed that Crawford will remain with the Reds. The move pays off handomely for the Reds as Crawford bats .343 and puts up 176 hits, 83 runs, 58 RBIs, and 43 SBs.
1903
Detroit pitcher Win Mercer, winner of 15 games in 1902, commits suicide by inhaling gas in San Francisco's Occidental Hotel. The Revisionist has reversed history and restored Mercer to life to see what type of pitching career he could have had. The move turns out to be brillant by the Revisionist as Mercer wins 32 games with a 2.05 ERA and takes home the AL Pitcher of the Year and MVP awards.
1904
Major League Baseball adopted a 154 game schedule in 1904, increasing the season by 14 games. In an effort to make debates between the comparison of 154 versus 162 game seasons a moot point, the Revisionist will make all seasons from 1904 on 162 games in length.
The Revisionist also declares that there will be a World Series in 1904. In MLB history, the 1904 season ended with New York Giants and the Boston Pilgrims winning the NL and AL titles respectively. However, when asked about playing the AL winner, the manager of the Giants said that his team had already won the championship of the only real major league. The Revisionist will not put up with such nonsense and decrees that both league winners will square off in a World Series to determine the true winner.
The Giants don't even figure into the 1904 RHOB World Series as they finish 44 games behind the NL and WS winning Cardinals. The Cards beat the White Sox in the World Series 4 games to 0.
1905
Ty Cobb, "the Georgia Peach" made his MLB debut in 1905 with the Detroit Tigers and played in Detroit for 23 of his 24 major league seasons. The Revisionist has never cared for Cobb, so he has decided to place Cobb with the NY Giants instead of the Tigers. The Giants have finished 45, 42, 40, and 44 games back each of the first four RHOB seasons. This seems to the Revisionist to be a fitting team for Cobb.