Thriftlon Reports

[Syd Thrift]

June Swoon Targets Teams

National League Standings

Team			W  L   PCT   GB	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	Streak	Last10
Pittsburgh Pirates	44 20 .688    -	25-13	19-7	 5-1	13-7	W1	5-5
New York Giants		42 19 .689   .5	10-11	32-8	 2-2	10-9	L1	6-4
Cincinnati Reds		36 29 .554  8.5	20-20	16-9	 2-3	 5-9	W1	5-5
Boston Beaneaters	33 32 .508 11.5	14-14	19-18	 3-5	12-9	W1	6-4
Brooklyn Superbas	27 36 .429 16.5	15-25	12-11	 3-3	10-7	L1	5-5
Saint Louis Cardinals	25 36 .410 17.5	 9-13	16-23	 4-2	 8-10	L1	4-6
Philadelphia Phillies	24 39 .381 19.5	10-16	14-23	 5-7	 8-14	L1	5-5
Chicago Colts		22 42 .344 22.0	11-27	11-15	 1-2	 7-8	W1	4-6

American League Standings

Team			W  L   PCT   GB	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	Streak	Last10
New York Highlanders	44 23 .657    -	26-11	18-12	 4-2	13-11	L2	5-5
Washington Nationals	42 24 .636  1.5	18-9	24-15	 3-1	 8-9	L1	6-4
Louisville Colonels	41 26 .612  3.0	27-16	14-10	 6-6	 9-12	W1	7-3
Boston Red Stockings	34 33 .507 10.0	20-16	14-17	 3-2	 9-10	L1	6-4
Philadelphia Athletics	30 36 .455 13.5	16-12	14-24	 5-2	13-14	L1	2-8
Detroit Tigers		26 40 .394 17.5	12-18	14-22	 3-4	12-8	W3	7-3
Chicago White Stockings	25 42 .373 19.0	14-29	11-13	 2-4	 6-4	W1	5-5
Cleveland Blues		25 43 .368 19.5	 9-14	16-29	 3-8	13-15	W1	2-8

News From Around The League


Boston Beaneaters: We at the Thriftlon Reports figured it was time to clue all you sports fans in about the status

of 2B Lonzo Amill, he of the massive collection of picante sauces. A budding superstar at the age of 23, Amill has seen his average

drop in each of the last 3 seasons to the point where it is currently at .262. On the good side of things, he has appeared to reverse a

corresponding dip in power: he already has 21 extra base hits compared to 29 in 1902, and the year's not even halfway over yet.

Updates
CF Ernie Merwin .264 BA 11 2B 7 3B 2 HR 38 R 35 RBI 21 SB
LF Steven Corliss .287 BA, 8 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 30 R, 13 RBI, 24 SB
P Alan O'Heron 9-6 2.36 ERA, 137.1 IP, 50 BB, 75 K
P Jeremy McKinney 7-8 3.33 ERA 127 IP 35 BB 30 K


Boston Red Stockings:IF Jamie McAtasney was one of the first men signed by the Boston Red Stockings when they

inaugurated play in 1901. He has not, however, played much at all; coming into 1903 he had a grand total of 60 at-bats in the major leagues.

In June, however, the Sox were beset by injuries and called upon this man to fill in. And fill in he did. He hit .294 for the month and

plated 13 men en route to earning American League Rookie of the Month honors.

Updates
3B Ken Vine .390 BA 3 2B 1 3B 1 HR 45 R 17 RBI 27 SB
CF Flyboy Billy Mitchell .319, 6 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 33 R, 35 RBI
P Keith Gages 7-8. 2.67 ERA, 141.1 IP, 48 BB, 68 K
P Mike Green 8-6, 1.34 ERA, 127.2 IP, 23 BB, 85 K
OF Carmelo "Bones" Latini .287 6 2B 2 3B 2 HR 34 R 18 RBI 12 SB (9 in June)


Brooklyn Superbas: They aren't exactly in any danger of moving out of the second division but the Superbas are

enjoying their best season since 1897, when they finished 72-82. The club has had just 2 winning seasons in its entire existence. One reason

for the fine, or at least mediocre, play is 1B Fred Raber. "Raber is a gamer," said manager Ned Hanlon. "That means he plays to win."

Hanlon did not answer when asked if there were members of the Superbas who did not play to win, but if playing to win means hitting .320,

nobody else on the team is doing that.

Updates
Duane "The Anvil" Bryant 6-8 3.23 ERA 111.1 IP 54 BB 62 K
Jonathan Gaines 7-6 2.13 ERA 110 IP 24 BB 55 K
3B Terrence Swarbrick (now with St. Louis) .237, 6 2B, 1 3B, 18 R, 10 RBI
SS Devlin Shaner .199 BA 8 2B 2 3B 25 R 11 RBI

[IMG]

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/thriftlon_reports/FrancisFord.png[/IMG]
Chicago Colts: You would think that when a young Turk bursts out onto the scene and wallops the ball at a .377 clip,

that would be enough to earn him the NL Rookie of the Month award, right? And if he didn't, his team would be hopping mad? You'd be wrong on

both counts. Vic Cote is the young darling who was perhaps robbed, but since he was pushed aside in favor of teammate Francis

Ford, the team is happy as a pack of clams.

Updates
P Martinez Bajana Out for the season
P Henry H. Laughlin 6-9 2.93 ERA (4-2, 2.08 in June), 123 IP, 46 BB, 31 K
SS Ettore Missaghi .304 BA 7 2B 7 3B 29 R 21 RBI
CF Herbert Chapin .238 BA 6 2B 2 3B 30 R 10 RBI 8 SB (4 in June)


Chicago White Stockings: On the strength of a strong hitting attack that generated at least 5 runs in 11 June games, the White

Stockings finished 13-14 last month. Leading the charge was SS Cormac Kersey, who hit .370 and narrowly missed out on being named the

AL Player of the Month. With their recent success, the White Stockings are beginning to win over the hearts and minds of Chicago sports

fans.

Updates
P Larry MacCaa 6-9 2.67 ERA 135 IP 48 BB 39 K
P Jim Cox 4-6 3.81 ERA 60 IP 27 BB 15 K
1B Dax Dickinson .288 BA 4 2B 5 3B 1 HR 25 R 12 RBI
CF Roy MacCodrum .257 BA 11 2B 9 3B 25 R 20 RBI 17 SB


Cincinnati Reds: We've been filling up the TRs with stories of men who are maybe playing way over their heads, but

sometimes it's important to note players who are not producing at the level they were at just a couple years ago. 1B Dowd Swanne is

one such man. In 1901 he hit .359 and scored 103 runs. Although his average was a little off from the year before and his steals way off (61

vs 28 from '00 to '01), it appeared that Swanne was going to be a real superstar. Then 1902 came and saw his average tumble almost 100

points to .287. Hoping it was just a season-long slump, the Reds put him back in the everyday lineup and to date he's hitting just .257.

Updates
P Joshua Williams 9-6 2.11 ERA 123.2 IP 48 BB 78 K
P Big Bill Copeland 9-8 2.29 ERA 161.1 IP 35 BB 70 K
1B Dowd Swanne
SS Drake Gates .273 BA 8 2B 3 3B 2 HR 28 R 20 RBI 14 SB
3B Mike Altmann is out of the lineup with a sprained ankle for a few more days. .298 BA 3 2B 2 3B 20 R 20 RBI


Cleveland Blues: A 2-11 stretch at the end of the month moved the Blues back to that cellar spot they are so fond of.

Part of the reason for that falling apart was losing CF Lynch Passager to an injury again. He tore a muscle in his hip on the last

day of spring training and then returned for just twelve games before breaking his nose on the 23rd of June. "Lynch, I would say, has a

tendency to get hurt a lot," said manager Louis Sockalexis. "I guess we should have seen this coming, but to be perfectly honest we were too

excited to learn we were receiving a player of Passager's caliber to check him for injury proneness."

Updates
P Bill Hawkins 8-5 2.53 ERA 124.1 IP, 51 BB, 78 K
P Sean Nickerson 4-10 (0-6 in June) 3.02 ERA 125 IP, 34 BB, 50 K
C Chad Werrett .266 10 2B 12 R 11 RBI
SS George "Krazy Kat" Herrimann .317 7 2B 4 3B 29 R 28 RBI
LF Kevin MacKeochan .257 BA (.240 for June) 9 2B 4 3B 1 HR 30 R 23 RBI


Detroit Tigers: "The Gay Slapper" was a real fan favorite in Detroit, but on June 23rd the New York Highlanders

simply offered too much for the Tigers brass to give up. In return for the 27 year old first baseman, they received SP Fionn Kempson (noted

in the Highlanders TR), SP Harry Herapeth, and future considerations. Herapeth has long been an intriguing player who pitches well

for the first 5 or 6 innings of a game, only to lose it late. He and Kempson instantly turn the pitching staff into something that

approaches the league average.

Update
P Chris Langdon is still deceased.
P Reardon O'Mullany 3-10 3.27 ERA 113 IP 31 BB 43 K
CF/1B Gary O'Larkin .254 BA, 6 2B 5 3B 1 HR 18 R 17 RBI 6 SB
LF Henry "Fireman" Hosler .323 BA 11 2B 28 R 16 RBI


Louisville Colonels: The American League named the least recognizeable member of the Colonels' pitching staff as the

Pitcher of the Month for June. Kent Sanders snuck past hitters with a 6-1 record and a 1.38 ERA. He struck out 24 men and walked just

6 in 65 innings for the month. On the year. he's 9-3 with a 1.32 ERA that's inches behind league leading teammate Johnny Gruelle's.

Update
Jerry "Magoo" Watson 11-5 2.07 ERA 156.2 IP 33 BB 113 K
Johnny Gruelle 11-5 1.25 ERA, 150.2 IP, 15 BB, 108 K
2B Fergus McKnight .303 BA 10 2B 5 3B 1 HR 25 R 26 RBI
OF Paul Bump .336 BA 7 2B 5 3B 3 HR 37 R, 23 RBI, 12 SB


New York Giants: Dolan Packard's ears are so aerodynamically sound that he is hitting .350 amidst a Giants team

that's otherwise all but forgotten how to hit. Snoopy Haddon, by the way, was named the Pitcher of the Month for the NL, but we've already

talked about him enough. No, let's get into Packard. The New York third sacker was one of the men shuffled off the old Orioles and onto

these Giants. His .367 career batting average is the highest of all time.

Update
SP Snoopy Haddon 14-4 1.44 ERA 162 IP 11 BB 101 K
SP John "Big Six" Pearson 12-6 1.70 ERA 159 IP 12 BB 91 K
1B Cody Plummer .259 BA, 10 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 30 R, 31 RBI
OF Ray Pearl .170 BA, 2 2B, 4 3B, 4 R, 10 RBI


New York Highlanders: It seems like he's been around forever and he has the girth of a 40 year old man, but CF Bobby Winchell

is in actuality a 23-year-old speed demon who is really coming into his own with the Highlanders. In two previous cups of coffee with the

club (then the Orioles) Winchell did not steal a single base in 103 at-bats and 5 tries, but this year he's 12 for 17 in base swipes. He's

also hitting with a ton of power; his 29 extra base hits lead the team by a huge margin.

Update
P Fionn Kempson is now a Tiger. 9-5 2.15 ERA 117.1 IP 25 BB 68 K
C Von Craufurd .281 BA, 19 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 21 R, 23 RBI
3B Pablo Picasso .310 BA 5 2B 2 3B 1 HR 53 R 33 RBI
LF Bob Donley .336 BA 19 2B 2 HR 37 R 35 RBI


Philadelphia Phillies: Second-year LF Nate Ketcham is already an integral part of the Phillies' offense and

may even turn into a solid member of a contending ballclub. Will that be the Phillies? Ha ha, we are just kidding. Ketcham, though, is just

a shade off of .300 (.298) and leads his team with 45 runs batted in. He's got a mess of power for someone so young: 11 doubles, 7 triples,

and a homerun, the 2nd largest extra-base total on the team.

Update
P Jim Baker 8-6 2.69 ERA 120.2 IP 19 BB 29 K
C Stephen Getchell .308 BA 8 2B 2 3B 4 HR 27 R 29 RBI
1B George Darbyshire .342 BA 15 2B 5 3B 3 HR 31 R 29 RBI 1 SB
C/OF Lou Mawhinney .265 9 2B 1 3B 19 R 17 RBI and is joking with his teammates once more. Apparently all he needed was a full-time gig.


Philadelphia Athletics: LF Ray Cable was the centerpiece of what is already looking like a great trade for

the Athletics. Given that Doonan Elmes is now watching games in street clothes thanks to a bad muscle in his nether regions, all the men he

was traded for have to do is not fall over in order for the deal to look lopsided. Cable's doing a lot more than that. The career .307

hitter has 22 hits in 65 at-bats for the A's. 8 of those hits have gone for extra bases. On top of that, the Original Oriole provides heaps

of leadership to an otherwise young ballclub.

Update
P Rube Lindsley 12-7 1.63 ERA 160.1 IP 30 BB 141 K (on pace for 299)
2B George Marshall .343 BA (.242 for June, but what a turnaround!) 2 2B 1 3B 42 R 7 RBI 18 SB
OF US Grant III .284 1 2B 2 3B 3 R 11 RBI
RF Doonan Elmes is now a Colonel and, like all good Colonels, is on the disabled list. .359 BA 8 2B 1 3B 1 HR 31 R 33 RBI


Pittsburgh Pirates: Up until this year, former 33-game winner Erik Pritchitt had been seeing his win totals drop every season, and he was apparently turning into a 2nd-line pitcher. Last season he lost more games than he won (though he did manage to win 20) and at age 27 there were even whispers that Pritchitt was washed up. This year, though, the man known to his teammates as "The Rebel" has won 11 of 16 decisions and sports a neat 2.22 ERA. He has struck out 110 men, tops in the NL.

Update
P Ken Cudlip 10-6, 2.71 ERA, 143 IP, 25 BB, 76 K
1B Jon Choate .301 BA, 13 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 34 R, 49 RBI, 5 SB
CF Johnston "Captain Kid" Long .316 BA 10 2B 11 3B 1 HR 46 R 29 RBI 26 SB
RF Ned Kelly Jr. .311 BA 23 2B 8 3B 4 HR 54 R 31 RBI 7 SB


St. Louis Cardinals: The Cards, who just last year had an outside shot at grabbing the NL title, struggled through another sub-.500 month in June. Part of the problem: right-handed pitcher Dan Hanson. Dan was only 15-17 last season but the Cardinals were encouraged by his miniscule 2.38 earned run average. Perhaps they should have put a larger onus on the victories, because so far Hanson has been even worse at coaxing Ws out of the box scores. He has won just 5 of his 15 decisions on the year.

Update
P Teh-Huai Wang 4-4 2.38 ERA 79.1 IP 26 BB 46 K
1B Paul Woolcock .308 BA 4 2B 3 3B 32 R 12 RBI, 12 SB
IF Woody Randles .243 BA 4 2B 2 3B 1 HR 22 R 15 RBI 4 SB
RF Toby Mudd .299 BA 9 2B 5 3B 2 HR 27 R 28 RBI 7 SB


Washington Senators: We can't completely get around this man's name, but C Raphael "The Vowel" Pollaiuolo can sure get around on a fastball. Although this is his 4th season in the league, this scrappy backstop is only 23 years of age and he is a monster of a hitter. His one deficiency is a less-than-stellar throwing arm, which has caused the Nats to try him out a little bit in left field.

Update
P Brian Pike 11-4, 2.40 ERA, 131.1 IP, 27 BB, 89 K
1B Matt Barlow .309 BA, 7 2B 5 3B 46 R 28 RBI 16 SB
2B/SS Kayne McMartin .327 BA, 19 2B, 3 3B, 45 R, 21 RBI, 9 SB
OF Behellagh Pennefather is out 3 more weeks with a torn hip muscle. .328 BA 8 2B 8 3B 5 HR 39 R 45 RBI 15 SB[/QUOTE]

[Syd Thrift]

Behellagh Pennefather Missing
Last Seen Near Trestle Over Niagara Falls

Washington Nationals outfielder Behellagh Pennefather, laid up with a bad back, skipped the team and is nowhere to be found. He was last seen near Niagara Falls, where he was thrown off of a train for drunkenness. "We hope for the best," said manager Rooney O'Merry. "This is a real blow to the team. Behellagh is a very popular and a real team leader. I can't think of life without him."

Pennefather finally seemed to shake the malaise that had plagued his career this season and that some wags had asserted was caused by his tendency to imbibe. We at the Thriftlon Reports dispute those claims, as many of us are what some may call "hard drinkers" and not one of us has ever gone missing for more than a couple weeks, and even then that was only because the circus was in town. Pennefather was hitting .327 and leading the team in RBI at the time of his injury.

[Syd Thrift]

Pennefather's Body Found
Worst Fears Confirmed

Behellagh Pennefather's body was found some miles downriver of the Niagara Falls train trestle. There is not much more news at this time, save conflicting reports that he fell off or was pushed off the trestle.

[Syd Thrift]

Rawhide Resplendent
Jesse MacLagan Wins 300th

BOSTON - Louisville Colonels ace Rawhide MacLagan became the first major leaguer ever to top 300 victories with a 6-5 squeaker over the Boston Red Stockings. MacLagan appeared to tire in the final frames, giving up 2 runs apiece in the 8th and 9th, but by then his Colonels had built up too much of a lead for him. The losing pitcher, Keith Gages (10-13), had doled out 6 runs in the first four innings to give the Louisville nine all the runs they needed.

It has been an epic career for MacLagan. In addition to being the first man to achieve 300 career victories, the 33-year-old hurler also holds the league records for innings pitched (4608.1, more than 200 innings than runner-up Nathan Woombill) and is second in strikeouts (1804, behind teammate Jerry "Magoo" Watson's 2046) and games started (554, behind Joshua Williams' 563). The best ever? There is no doubt.

[Syd Thrift]

Fire In The Baker Bowl
Twelve Die; All Home Games Moved To Columbia Park

[Jamee999]

I have a geeky question. Is it Thriftlon Reports as a noun - the Thriftlon Reports, or is as a verb, Thriftlon Reports! As in that Thriftlon is reporting. I read it as the latter, but I think it may be supposed to be the first

[Syd Thrift]

And the Pennant Race Is... Here?

National League Standings

Team			W  L   PCT   GB	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
New York Giants		86 28 .754    -	33-18	53-10	10-4	23-12	13	W2	9-1
Pittsburgh Pirates	76 42 .644 12.0	40-22	36-20	 9-5	20-16		W8	8-2
Cincinnati Reds		61 56 .521 26.5	32-34	29-22	 4-5	11-14		L2	5-5
Boston Beaneaters	58 58 .500 29.0	24-26	34-32	 9-8	21-17		L1	5-5
Saint Louis Cardinals	55 59 .482 31.0	27-24	28-35	 5-5	18-18		W1	4-6
Brooklyn Superbas	51 67 .432 37.0	26-40	25-27	 5-4	16-12		W2	4-6
Philadelphia Phillies	39 77 .336 48.0	18-36	21-41	 7-12	12-24		L4	2-8
Chicago Colts		38 77 .330 48.5	19-45	19-32	 3-9	 9-17		L6	4-6

American League Standings

Team			W   L  PCT   GB	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Louisville Colonels	80 39 .672    -	45-21	35-18	 9-8	20-17	15	W2	7-3
Washington Nationals	72 46 .610  7.5	35-19	37-27	 5-4	13-19		W1	6-4
New York Highlanders	66 53 .555 14.0	38-27	28-26	 7-6	21-21		L3	4-6
Boston Red Stockings	65 54 .546 15.0	37-29	28-25	 6-2	18-15		W1	4-6
Philadelphia Athletics	50 68 .424 29.5	24-25	26-43	 8-6	23-24		L1	5-5
Cleveland Blues		49 70 .412 31.0	26-28	23-42	 9-14	24-24		L1	4-6
Chicago White Stockings	47 73 .392 33.5	27-39	20-34	 4-8	12-11		L1	4-6
Detroit Tigers		46 72 .390 33.5	20-35	26-37	 7-7	16-16		W1	6-4

A Tale Of One City

Charles Dickens' magnum opus A Tale of Two Cities concerns the plight of London and its continental rival Paris. The 1903 baseball season, on the other hand, can be said to have come down to one single town that outshines both of its European counterparts: New York, the Big Apple, the City That Never Sleeps (do I have that last one right? Oh bother. If I am wrong, I'll just edit that part out). In the National, the Giants rode away with the pennant in August by constructing an amazing 24-2 record that included, at one point, 18 consecutive victories. It's hard not to win games when your rotation consists of Snoopy Haddon (30-6, 1.53 ERA), John "Big Six" Pearson (26-8, 1.86), and Nathan "Pretty Bird" Woombill (23-9, 1.94). The major league record of 103 wins is within striking distance: the Jints will need to take 17 of their last 26, which is slightly behind the mark they've achieved so far this year.

In the junior circuit, though, the New York Highlanders performed a swoon nearly as awesome as the Giants' skyward rise. Battling injury and a general breakdown of their own starting pitching, these boys - who captured the hearts of so many with their strong second half last year - dipped to a 9-17 record in August and have overall been under .500 since the first of June. As their losses piled up, the Louisville Colonels jumped back into the #1 slot with pitching and defense, although the Senators have shown that a good offense can take you far as well.

Players of the Month Announced

Although Fred Raber's month and season did not end the way he wanted it to, the National League still saw fit to name the New York Giants first baseman as the Player of the Month. Raber is with the team but is not suiting up due to a back injury that leaves him barely able to walk. "My mama didn't raise no wussy boy," Raber told us. "I expect to be back by the beginning of next year." Sources tell us that July or August is a more realistic target. Before he got hurt, Raber hit .412 with 9 extra-base hits (including 4 home runs!) and 22 RBIs.

Rick Harpham is Fred Raber's counterpart on the league-leading Louisville Colonels and he shares Raber's personal confidence. "Not only did my mama not raise no wuss, she didn't raise any wusses either! Including me!" Our Louisville sources were so confused by the double negatives that they could not ask him another question. Anyway, Raber let his bat do the talking in August, hitting .363. He's currently 2nd on the team and 3rd in the AL in RBIs with 60. He also ranks among the class of the AL in average, hits, doubles, home runs scored, and steals. If you want it, Harpham can do it.

It should be no surprise to anybody that Bill "Snoopy" Haddon was named the best pitcher of the month for the 14th time in his career. The wily veteran is zeroing in on the league record of 34 victories in a season, a title he currently co-holds with Jesse "Rawhide" MacLagan. Haddon was a perfect 8-0 in August. Although his winning streak of 12 games officially ended with a 1-inning stint in relief on the 20th of August, we consider Snoopy to be in the midst of a 15-victory stretch that goes all the way back to July 10th.

And who should be named the American's best pitcher for August but the prime rival for Snoopy Haddon's dominance but Jesse "Rawhide" MacLagan? It could be said that Rawhide's best years are behind him, but make sure you are out of earshot when you say that. The inveterate cowman was 6-1 and became the first major leaguer to win 300 games. "Pretty Bird" Woombill of the Giants will probably join that club soon but that's almost the same as being exclusive.

The Phillies are having a long, rough season, but they have to be happy about one thing: obtaining OF Bryan Goose from the Pirates in midseason as part of the deal that saw them trade away both C/OF Lou Mawhinney and RF Shawn McGilvray. We have to admit, we thought it was a horrible, horrible trade of the sort that owners of struggling ballclubs make to avoid having to pay salaries of good veterans. As it turns out, the 21-year-old center fielder hit a solid .314 while holding down the #3 slot in the order for the Phighting Phils. Now if they can only get 7 more men like him... and 4 pitchers...

Speaking of bright spots on bad teams, Arthur Altichioro hit .338 for the cellar-dwelling Detroit Tigers in August. We have to say that these boys remind us a little bit of the Pittsburgh Pirates of 4 years ago: no, they aren't very good right now, but they have a lot of building blocks in place to be good one day. Henry Hosler is a future MVP in right field, Montrell "Sandman" Liotta seems to have resurrected his career at short stop, Dave Wilson is hitting only .218 but has shown a pretty fair bit of speed and defense for this ballclub, the Gay Slapper deal netted them the man that might have been the Highlanders' best pitcher in Fionn Kempson... we're not saying these folks are first division material yet, but give them a couple years and they'll be right in there.

[Syd Thrift]

Originally Posted by Jamee999

I have a geeky question. Is it Thriftlon Reports as a noun - the Thriftlon Reports, or is as a verb, Thriftlon Reports! As in that Thriftlon is reporting. I read it as the latter, but I think it may be supposed to be the first

It was the original word used by Franklin P. Adams in the famous poem "Baseball's Sad Lexicon". Adams was trying to portray the New York image as one of Scottish thrift - "ruthlessly pricking our thriftlon bubble" - but in the end it just didn't work out so he made up the word gonfalon instead.

Actually, it's a play on my screen name and the Athlon sports annuals series.