Diamonds are Forever- An Alternate History League

goroyals · 12-09-2005, 02:03 PM

Diamonds are Forever (2030) by Zack Hahn

Introduction

Hello, and thank you for purchasing (or at least picking up) what I hope you will find to be an interesting read. Throughout the following pages I hope the rich lore of the past 150 baseball seasons gives you a small fraction of the enjoyment the game has given me.

If you consider yourself only a casual fan, then my goal is merely to provide you with what I hope will be a basic knowledge of the historical seasons. It is beyond the capacity of any book, or any man for that matter, to give a detailed account of each and every year. As much as I would love to do such a thing, I fear my publisher’s concerns and my rising age will limit me to a much more condensed recaps. If it is a particular decade, player, or team you wish to study then I suggest you look elsewhere; Diamonds are Forever is meant to teach you a little about a lot, not the inverse.

For those hardcore fans reading, I salute and sympathize with you. It is an addiction. I’m sure you already know much of the information contained within, but I suspect you’d like to revisit it all anyway.

Though I never made it past little league as a player, I have come to know the game extremely well as a sportswriter, and more importantly a fan. My conclusion? Baseball was, is, and always will be a game that enthralls the American public with its competitive spirit and legacy.

goroyals · 12-09-2005, 02:10 PM

As the title suggests, this will dynasty will cover 150 years of baseball in an alternate universe (fictional players, teams not always true to life).

Updates will be in the form of yearly recaps, with a career leaders posts and that sort of thing thrown in once and awhile. While there will be off the field events, the main focus is going to rest on the on-field action.

Thanks to many people including Mark (cooleyvol), Jeff (ifspuds), Seth (seth70liz76), and Matt (Matt from TN)...hopefully I can see this through to the finish.

ifspuds · 12-09-2005, 07:29 PM

Looking forward to it! Best of luck.

goroyals · 12-14-2005, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ifspuds

Looking forward to it! Best of luck.

Thanks Jeff. I'm still reading and enjoying The Outposts...keep up the good work.

My apologies on a slow start, my schedule has been a busy one for the last week, but I'll have time to get the first "chapter"/season (1871) up tonight.

Just a little background:

The year is 1871 and the first professional alliance has been formed, thanks in large part to the success of the Reds tours of the previous summers. Eight clubs will play a 56 game slate this season, in pursuit of the World Championship Pennant.

Players will suit up for clubs in cities ranging in size from New York to Rochester. No teams will have a solid financil base, ensuring that franchise turnover is to be expected in the coming years.

The National Association of Base Ball Players (NA)
The Red Stockings of Boston
The Forest Citys of Cleveland
The Mutuals of New York
The Athletics of Philadelphia
The Allgehenys of Pittsburgh
The Hustler Base Ball Club of Rochester
The Brown Stockings of St. Louis
The Statesmen of Washington

goroyals · 12-18-2005, 02:19 PM

The first season of the National Association clearly exceeded expectations. Going into the year, there were very real concerns that the schedule would not be completed, or that fans would not be interested in following an all-professional league. But those fears never came to pass. Although the financial success of the clubs was limited (as was the stability of the NA), the game was undoubtedly popular.

On the field, the St. Louis Brown Stockings started 10-1 and maintained a large lead for most of the summer. However, pitching woes caused the team to slump over the last couple months; the Brown Stockings were 4-10 in their final fourteen contests. While St. Louis couldn’t seem to win; New York couldn’t seem to lose, and at the beginning of October the Mutuals stood just one game back. But there would be no great pennant race- the Mutuals spoiled the climax by losing their final three.

The champion Brown Stockings were owners of the league’s best offense at just over 7 runs a game. MVP and Manager of the Year 3B “Major” Abram Dearborn (so named because of his civil war service), wielded a powerful bat. The 34-year-old (discharged from active duty after a wound suffered at Richmond) hit .368 and drove in 48. He also scored a league leading 56 runs. Infield mate 2B Samuel Young led the team with a .372 average. The pitching staff nearly cost the club the pennant late in the year, but ace Joseph Coggin still had impressive yearly totals (16-8, 3.31).

Pitcher Dilly Santibanez was the best player for the second place Mutuals. The 27-year-old hurler posted an 18-9 record along with a 3.11 ERA, totals which earned him the Pitcher of the Year honors. Santibanez might have won 20 had he not had the league’s third-worst lineup for run support. Second baseman Eddy Mackay (.369), was the only Mutual to have an OPS higher than .750.

Pittsburgh also finished three games back, but never really factored into the championship picture. August Clemmons (14-11, 3.16, 25 years old) and Edward Ayer (.347, 42 RBI, 44 RS, 26 years old) were the young leaders for the Allgehenys. Boston finished at .500 and took the final spot in the first division. The most popular Red Stocking was SS Herman Pusey. The 34 year-old player/captain hit .375.

The Forest City nine of Cleveland topped the second division. The Association’s worst offense made life difficult on Cleveland’s rotation. Rochester had been in second place for most of the early season, but a ten-game losing streak in September saw them finish sixth. 3B Gus Irwin hit .372, but the Hustlers gave up the most runs in the league. Philadelphia finished seventh despite having hitting sensation John Armor (.392, 37 RBI, 45 Runs). Washington was dismal in every almost every aspect and finished a distant eighth.

Code:

1871 National Association

St. Louis	35	21	.625	-
New York	32	24	.571	3
Pittsburgh	32	24	.571	3
Boston		28	28	.500	7
Cleveland	27	29	.482	8
Rochester	26	30	.464	9
Philadelphia	25	41	.446	10
Washington	19	37	.339	16

League Leaders

Batting Average
.394 John Armor, Athletics
.375 Herman Pusey, Red Stockings
.372 Samuel Young, Brown Stockings
.372 Gus Irwin, Hustlers

Runs Batted In
48 “Major” Abram Dearborn, Brown Stockings
48 Samuel Young, Brown Stockings
47 Victor Kennamer, Red Stockings

Runs Scored
56 Abram Dearborn, Brown Stockings
55 Andrew “Thoroughbred” Worthley, Statesmen
53 Samuel Young, Brown Stockings

Stolen Bases
33 “Thoroughbred” Worthley, Statesmen
31 Albert Varner, Brown Stockings
26 Martin Longacre, Allgehenys

ERA
2.47 Leon Spencer, Red Stockings
2.96 Patrick Saine, Athletics
3.11 Dilly Santibanez, Mutuals

Wins
18 Dilly Santibanez, Mutuals
16 Whizzo Robles, Red Stockings
16 Joseph Coggin, Brown Stockings

Award Winners

MVP: Abram Dearborn (STL)
POTY: Dilly Santibanez (NY)
MOTY: Abram Deaborn (STL)

goroyals · 12-23-2005, 02:10 PM

The calendar rolled over from 1871 and 1872, and surprisingly all of the clubs remained intact- there had been rumors of several teams folding during the off-season.

The pennant race was a heated contest that led to the first playoff series in professional history. The St. Louis Brown Stockings trailed the Rochester Hustlers going into the final game, a head-to-head match up on October 7. The defending champs prevailed 6-3, and the teams agreed to play a best of 3 series on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday of the following week to determine the champion (Rochester would host games 2 and 3 while St. Louis would have the opener). The series was exciting, but only two games were played-the Hustlers took the title with 5-2 and 2-1 decisions.

The champions had the National Association’s top offense, and it all got started with the top of the order. Leadoff hitter, and first-year Hustler, Andrew “Thoroughbred” Worthley (.364, 49 R, 30 SB) and #2 man Robert Backes (.390, 21) both had exceptional seasons. 23-year-old pitcher James Dasher’s breakout 16 win season was also an important part of the title run. The young ace proved his ability to win when it counted the most, posting an 8-1 record over the season’s final two and a half months.

Off-season acquisition Patrick Saine won the pitcher of the year award for the Brown Stockings. The 31-year-old was 16-8 with a league-leading 2.46 ERA. A second-place finish for St. Louis was surprising considering that star hitters Abram “Major” Dearborn and Samuel Young both put up outstanding numbers. Dearborn hit .433 (and had a 33 game hitting streak), which earned him MVP honors once again. Young hit .393, which was the third best average in the NA.

Cleveland and Washington were both 28-28, good for a distant third. Forest Citys’ backstop Francis Rosner had the second best average in the league at .403. Crow Lamarre hit .362 for the Statesmen and was arguably the Association’s elite second baseman defensively. Both of these clubs entered 1873 on shaky financial ground.

Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and Pittsburgh made up the bottom half of the standings. Some of the best individual performers from the second division included Jose Salem (15-8, 2.92) of the Athletics and Felix Mendonca (.391, 46 R) of the Mutuals.

Code:

1872 National Association

Rochester	36	22	.621	-
St. Louis	34	24	.586	2		
Cleveland	28	28	.500	7
Washington	28	28	.500	7
New York	27	29	.482	8
Philadelphia	27	29	.482	8
Boston		24	32	.429	11
Pittsburgh	22	34	.393	13

League Leaders

Batting Average
.433 Major Dearborn, Brown Stockings*
.403 Francis Rosner, Forest Citys
.393 Samuel Young, Brown Stockings

Runs Batted In
50 Samuel Young, Brown Stockings*
43 Bryant Secor, Forest Citys
43 Jackson Viola, Hustlers

Runs Scored
60 Major Dearborn, Brown Stockings*
53 Edwin Romans, Statesmen
49 “Thoroughbred” Worthley, Hustlers

Stolen Bases
30 “Thoroughbred” Worthley, Hustlers
23 Thomas Levan, Forest Citys
22 Edwin Romans, Statesmen

ERA
2.46 Patrick Saine, Brown Stockings
2.91 James Dasher, Hustlers
2.92 Jose Salem, Athletics

Wins
16 Patrick Saine, Brown Stockings
16 James Dasher, Hustlers
15 Jose Salem, Athletics
15 Dilly Santibanez, Mutuals

*- New Single Season Record

Award Winners

MVP: Abram “Major” Dearborn (STL)
POTY: Patrick Saine (STL)
MOTY: Robert Backes (ROC)
Newcomer of the Year: C Fatty Drews (STL)- .320, with 44 R and 28 RBI

12-09-2005, 02:03 PM	#1 (permalink)
goroyals All Star Reserve Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Nicholasville, KY Posts: 728	Diamonds are Forever- An Alternate History League Diamonds are Forever (2030) by Zack Hahn Introduction Hello, and thank you for purchasing (or at least picking up) what I hope you will find to be an interesting read. Throughout the following pages I hope the rich lore of the past 150 baseball seasons gives you a small fraction of the enjoyment the game has given me. If you consider yourself only a casual fan, then my goal is merely to provide you with what I hope will be a basic knowledge of the historical seasons. It is beyond the capacity of any book, or any man for that matter, to give a detailed account of each and every year. As much as I would love to do such a thing, I fear my publisher’s concerns and my rising age will limit me to a much more condensed recaps. If it is a particular decade, player, or team you wish to study then I suggest you look elsewhere; Diamonds are Forever is meant to teach you a little about a lot, not the inverse. For those hardcore fans reading, I salute and sympathize with you. It is an addiction. I’m sure you already know much of the information contained within, but I suspect you’d like to revisit it all anyway. Though I never made it past little league as a player, I have come to know the game extremely well as a sportswriter, and more importantly a fan. My conclusion? Baseball was, is, and always will be a game that enthralls the American public with its competitive spirit and legacy.

12-09-2005, 07:29 PM	#3 (permalink)
ifspuds Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 2,092	Looking forward to it! Best of luck. __________________ 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!)

12-18-2005, 02:19 PM	#5 (permalink)
goroyals All Star Reserve Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Nicholasville, KY Posts: 728	1871 The first season of the National Association clearly exceeded expectations. Going into the year, there were very real concerns that the schedule would not be completed, or that fans would not be interested in following an all-professional league. But those fears never came to pass. Although the financial success of the clubs was limited (as was the stability of the NA), the game was undoubtedly popular. On the field, the St. Louis Brown Stockings started 10-1 and maintained a large lead for most of the summer. However, pitching woes caused the team to slump over the last couple months; the Brown Stockings were 4-10 in their final fourteen contests. While St. Louis couldn’t seem to win; New York couldn’t seem to lose, and at the beginning of October the Mutuals stood just one game back. But there would be no great pennant race- the Mutuals spoiled the climax by losing their final three. The champion Brown Stockings were owners of the league’s best offense at just over 7 runs a game. MVP and Manager of the Year 3B “Major” Abram Dearborn (so named because of his civil war service), wielded a powerful bat. The 34-year-old (discharged from active duty after a wound suffered at Richmond) hit .368 and drove in 48. He also scored a league leading 56 runs. Infield mate 2B Samuel Young led the team with a .372 average. The pitching staff nearly cost the club the pennant late in the year, but ace Joseph Coggin still had impressive yearly totals (16-8, 3.31). Pitcher Dilly Santibanez was the best player for the second place Mutuals. The 27-year-old hurler posted an 18-9 record along with a 3.11 ERA, totals which earned him the Pitcher of the Year honors. Santibanez might have won 20 had he not had the league’s third-worst lineup for run support. Second baseman Eddy Mackay (.369), was the only Mutual to have an OPS higher than .750. Pittsburgh also finished three games back, but never really factored into the championship picture. August Clemmons (14-11, 3.16, 25 years old) and Edward Ayer (.347, 42 RBI, 44 RS, 26 years old) were the young leaders for the Allgehenys. Boston finished at .500 and took the final spot in the first division. The most popular Red Stocking was SS Herman Pusey. The 34 year-old player/captain hit .375. The Forest City nine of Cleveland topped the second division. The Association’s worst offense made life difficult on Cleveland’s rotation. Rochester had been in second place for most of the early season, but a ten-game losing streak in September saw them finish sixth. 3B Gus Irwin hit .372, but the Hustlers gave up the most runs in the league. Philadelphia finished seventh despite having hitting sensation John Armor (.392, 37 RBI, 45 Runs). Washington was dismal in every almost every aspect and finished a distant eighth. Code: 1871 National Association St. Louis 35 21 .625 - New York 32 24 .571 3 Pittsburgh 32 24 .571 3 Boston 28 28 .500 7 Cleveland 27 29 .482 8 Rochester 26 30 .464 9 Philadelphia 25 41 .446 10 Washington 19 37 .339 16 League Leaders Batting Average .394 John Armor, Athletics .375 Herman Pusey, Red Stockings .372 Samuel Young, Brown Stockings .372 Gus Irwin, Hustlers Runs Batted In 48 “Major” Abram Dearborn, Brown Stockings 48 Samuel Young, Brown Stockings 47 Victor Kennamer, Red Stockings Runs Scored 56 Abram Dearborn, Brown Stockings 55 Andrew “Thoroughbred” Worthley, Statesmen 53 Samuel Young, Brown Stockings Stolen Bases 33 “Thoroughbred” Worthley, Statesmen 31 Albert Varner, Brown Stockings 26 Martin Longacre, Allgehenys ERA 2.47 Leon Spencer, Red Stockings 2.96 Patrick Saine, Athletics 3.11 Dilly Santibanez, Mutuals Wins 18 Dilly Santibanez, Mutuals 16 Whizzo Robles, Red Stockings 16 Joseph Coggin, Brown Stockings Award Winners MVP: Abram Dearborn (STL) POTY: Dilly Santibanez (NY) MOTY: Abram Deaborn (STL) Attached Images

12-23-2005, 02:10 PM	#6 (permalink)
goroyals All Star Reserve Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Nicholasville, KY Posts: 728	1872 The calendar rolled over from 1871 and 1872, and surprisingly all of the clubs remained intact- there had been rumors of several teams folding during the off-season. The pennant race was a heated contest that led to the first playoff series in professional history. The St. Louis Brown Stockings trailed the Rochester Hustlers going into the final game, a head-to-head match up on October 7. The defending champs prevailed 6-3, and the teams agreed to play a best of 3 series on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday of the following week to determine the champion (Rochester would host games 2 and 3 while St. Louis would have the opener). The series was exciting, but only two games were played-the Hustlers took the title with 5-2 and 2-1 decisions. The champions had the National Association’s top offense, and it all got started with the top of the order. Leadoff hitter, and first-year Hustler, Andrew “Thoroughbred” Worthley (.364, 49 R, 30 SB) and #2 man Robert Backes (.390, 21) both had exceptional seasons. 23-year-old pitcher James Dasher’s breakout 16 win season was also an important part of the title run. The young ace proved his ability to win when it counted the most, posting an 8-1 record over the season’s final two and a half months. Off-season acquisition Patrick Saine won the pitcher of the year award for the Brown Stockings. The 31-year-old was 16-8 with a league-leading 2.46 ERA. A second-place finish for St. Louis was surprising considering that star hitters Abram “Major” Dearborn and Samuel Young both put up outstanding numbers. Dearborn hit .433 (and had a 33 game hitting streak), which earned him MVP honors once again. Young hit .393, which was the third best average in the NA. Cleveland and Washington were both 28-28, good for a distant third. Forest Citys’ backstop Francis Rosner had the second best average in the league at .403. Crow Lamarre hit .362 for the Statesmen and was arguably the Association’s elite second baseman defensively. Both of these clubs entered 1873 on shaky financial ground. Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and Pittsburgh made up the bottom half of the standings. Some of the best individual performers from the second division included Jose Salem (15-8, 2.92) of the Athletics and Felix Mendonca (.391, 46 R) of the Mutuals. Code: 1872 National Association Rochester 36 22 .621 - St. Louis 34 24 .586 2 Cleveland 28 28 .500 7 Washington 28 28 .500 7 New York 27 29 .482 8 Philadelphia 27 29 .482 8 Boston 24 32 .429 11 Pittsburgh 22 34 .393 13 League Leaders Batting Average .433 Major Dearborn, Brown Stockings* .403 Francis Rosner, Forest Citys .393 Samuel Young, Brown Stockings Runs Batted In 50 Samuel Young, Brown Stockings* 43 Bryant Secor, Forest Citys 43 Jackson Viola, Hustlers Runs Scored 60 Major Dearborn, Brown Stockings* 53 Edwin Romans, Statesmen 49 “Thoroughbred” Worthley, Hustlers Stolen Bases 30 “Thoroughbred” Worthley, Hustlers 23 Thomas Levan, Forest Citys 22 Edwin Romans, Statesmen ERA 2.46 Patrick Saine, Brown Stockings 2.91 James Dasher, Hustlers 2.92 Jose Salem, Athletics Wins 16 Patrick Saine, Brown Stockings 16 James Dasher, Hustlers 15 Jose Salem, Athletics 15 Dilly Santibanez, Mutuals - New Single Season Record Award Winners* MVP: Abram “Major” Dearborn (STL) POTY: Patrick Saine (STL) MOTY: Robert Backes (ROC) Newcomer of the Year: C Fatty Drews (STL)- .320, with 44 R and 28 RBI Attached Images

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12-09-2005, 02:10 PM	#2 (permalink)
goroyals All Star Reserve Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Nicholasville, KY Posts: 728	As the title suggests, this will dynasty will cover 150 years of baseball in an alternate universe (fictional players, teams not always true to life). Updates will be in the form of yearly recaps, with a career leaders posts and that sort of thing thrown in once and awhile. While there will be off the field events, the main focus is going to rest on the on-field action. Thanks to many people including Mark (cooleyvol), Jeff (ifspuds), Seth (seth70liz76), and Matt (Matt from TN)...hopefully I can see this through to the finish.