The Completely Fictional History of Baseball

[legendsport]

March 17, 1871 - Hotel Metropolitan, New York:

"OK, fellas, let's settle down and get this meeting started," said Ernie Biscan. The 32-year-old Biscan, star outfielder of the Cincinnati Red Stockings had called this meeting of top pros. It was time to leave the amateur association behind and strike out on their own. The fact that the Cincinnati club's backers, after turning a profit of a mere two dollars over the 1869 and 1870 seasons, had folded the club, had only spurred Biscan and his mates on.

He caught the eye of Rube Pitman and nodded. Pitman, the best-known and most popular of the professional base ballers, stood up. "Gentlemen, as you all know, the National Association has been making noises about the 'stain' of professionalism in its ranks. Since we here represent the cream of the crop of base ballers, the time has come to leave the Association to die on the vine."

There were some grumbles - the Association had been good to many of the men in this room. Biscan waved a hand. "Fellas, we haven't brought you here on a splendid St. Patty's Day to bicker about whether the Association is going to ban us for accepting payment. The simple fact is that we need a structure that is built for professionalism, and the Association is not it."

A third Red Stocking - Rit Withers - stood up. "Ernie's right. And I'm not just saying that because the Cincinnati club folded. We need to band together and form an organization that is completely professional - no more dealing with amateurs - except on our conditions."

Several heads were nodding. Biscan smiled. "I've got a telegraph here," he waved the paper in the air, "from some financiers in Boston. They are willing to back a Red Stocking club in that city." Withers and Pitman grinned. "The Red Stockings - the first avowed professional Club - will go on. The question is: how many of you will join us?"

In the end, ten clubs signed on to form the new 'National Association of Professional Base Ball Players' - which not only co-opted the name of the amateur Association, but also most of its rules (the old rules excluded were the ones dealing with amateurism). The ten clubs who signed up were:

The Philadelphia Athletics
The Washington Olympics
The Washington Nationals
The New York Mutuals
The Chicago White Stockings
The Cleveland Forest Citys
The Fort Wayne Kekiongas
The Troy Haymakers (nee Unions)
The Rockford Forest Citys
The Boston Red Stockings

The clubs agreed on a championship setup whereby the members would play each of the other clubs five times per season, the dates to be decided by the competing clubs. The membership dues were a mere $10, guaranteeing that enlarging the Association would not be difficult. Teams would still be permitted to play games against amateur clubs, but these matches would not count in the championship standings.

The NA (as it would become known) had been born.

[legendsport]

The Base Ball Intelligencer, Troy, NY - May 1, 1871:

The Season is upon us once again! The verdant fields of lush grass across this great land will resound with the sounds of balls proudly struck, of feet rushing around the bases and of cries of "Out!" and "Safe!"

Yes, dear reader, this dawning of another base ball season always causes this writer to wax poetic. But let us not get too far ahead of ourselves - the task at hand is to discuss the new amalgamation of base ball powers which have aligned themselves in a new organization, casting off the amateur shroud of the National Association of Base Ball Players. The nine member clubs (of the ten original signees, the Washington National Club has since struck its colors and headed for the hills) are embarking on the first purely professional campaign in base ball annals.

We'll start looking at the contenders by, as always, starting with our beloved Troy Club, which has cast off their title of 'Union Club' for the more earthy moniker 'Haymaker Club.'

TROY HAYMAKER CLUB
The Haymaker Club's pride is right outfielder Ernie Beall. Beall's large shadow continues to dominate the club despite his advanced age of 38 summers. Can he repeat on his 1870 performance which saw him lead the team in hits with 35 - ten of them two-basers - in a mere 92 times at bat?
ERNIE BEALL

CHICAGO WHITE STOCKING CLUB
The Association's best Club is probably that of the Chicagos. The White Stocking Club is a conglomeration of talent not seen since the hey day of the legendary Red Stocking Club of Cincinnati. The rich only got richer this off-season when the White Stocking backers secured the services of short fielder Clifford Campbell. The young Campbell (a Canadian hailing from the wintry fields of Alberta province), a mere slip of a lad of 21, has an abundance of speed, sure hands in the field - a must for someone plying his trade at the short 'stop' - and a determined clouter with the bat.
CLIFFORD CAMPBELL

BOSTON RED STOCKING CLUB
The standard-bearers for the former power in Cincinnati, these Red Stockings are not the old Club, but do bear a strong resemblance. Led by Ernie Biscan, the man who masterminded the creation of the professional circuit, the Red Stockings still feature the game's top player in Rube Pitman and another stalwart in Rit Withers. A trio of batsmen unequaled in any other nine, the Red Stockings could challenge Chicago for the crown this season.
ERNIE BISCAN

CLEVELAND FOREST CITY CLUB
The Forest City Club has not enjoyed the success of it's former in-state compatriots from the Queen City of Cincinnati. Not that the Club is bereft of talent - in the strangely monikered Orlander Pankovits the team has a top notch player - but a seemingly unending run of bad luck has anchored the team in mediocrity. Should their luck change, this could be the Forest City Club's year.
ORLANDER PANKOVITS

The other member clubs of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players:

Fort Wayne Kekiongas
New York Mutuals
Philadelphia Athletics
Rockford Forest Citys
Washington Olympics

[LFC1892]

Looking forward to this one....

[legendsport]

The Base Ball Intelligencer, Troy, NY - November 1, 1871:

RED STOCKINGS & MUTUALS TOP THE STANDINGS

Team			W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Boston Red Stockings	22	9	.710	-	19-12	3	13-4	9-5	3-0	7-3	-	L1	6-4
New York Mutuals	22	11	.667	1.0	20-13	2	15-4	7-7	1-2	6-5		W1	4-6
Cleveland Forest Citys	16	13	.552	5.0	17-12	-1	5-6	11-7	4-0	3-6		W1	6-4
Chicago White Stockings	14	12	.538	5.5	11-15	3	9-7	5-5	2-2	6-1		W1	3-7
Fort Wayne Kekiongas	10	9	.526	6.0	11-8	-1	4-5	6-4	0-3	2-4		L2	6-4
Troy Haymakers		14	14	.500	6.5	14-14	0	11-7	3-7	1-4	5-5		L2	6-4
Philadelphia Athletics	11	16	.407	9.0	12-15	-1	8-6	3-10	1-1	5-1		L1	7-3
Washington Olympics	10	22	.313	12.5	14-18	-4	5-9	5-13	0-1	2-9		L3	3-7
Rockford Forest Citys	6	19	.240	13.0	8-17	-2	2-5	4-14	2-1	1-3		W1	3-7

With 22 victories, both the Boston Red Stocking Club and the New York Mutual Club have staked a claim on the right to call themselves the 1871 world's champions. The Bostons are seen to have an edge in that they lost fewer contests than the New York nine did. This gives them a legitimate claim on the title, thought the controversy will never die down as neither club was willing to play a final game to settle the dispute. According to Rube Pitman, "The weather is just not warm enough for another contest." Someone suggested traveling to warmer environs in the southland. Pitman laughed it off as not worth the expense of rail travel into what he called "the former slaveocracy."

The Chicago White Stocking Club, an early season favorite, struggled mightily this summer and because of the Great Fire which ravaged their city just weeks ago, may not be able to participate in the 1872 championship season because their home - like that of 90,000 or so other Chicago denizens - was destroyed by the immense blaze. One bright spot in an otherwise dreary campaign for the Chicago nine was the play of rookie Clifford Campbell, who has earned a spot in the Club's plans for the future, wherever that may be, after recording 30 safeties in 99 times at the bat.

TOP BATSMAN
Boston's Rube Pitman was honored by the Association as its top batsman for the 1871 season. Pitman notched 61 base hits in just 31 games, a mark good for a Chadwick batting average of .421 this year. He added in eight two-basers for the Red Stocking Club and was a key ingredient in the Club's success.

TOP CHUCKER
The best man in the box this season was the Mutual Club's Andy Sanford. Sanford recorded 21 of his Club's 22 victories, best among Association pitchers and also allowed just 86 runs in his 33 games with an "earned run average" of 2.73.

[legendsport]

CLIFFORD 'SCOT' CAMPBELL



Clifford spent the 1871 season with the White Stocking Club of Chicago and enjoyed a solid campaign (see stats below). However, the Great Chicago Fire has left the future of the White Stockings in jeopardy and rumor has it that Campbell and his mates may soon be looking for positions on other Clubs.

Career Batting Stats
Year/Team/League	Age	G	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	R	BB	HP	SF	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	VORP
1871 Chicago - NA	21	27	110	34	7	0	1	13	20	8	2	1	17	10	2	.309	.364	.400	.764	10.4
Total NA		1 yrs.	27	110	34	7	0	1	13	20	8	2	1	17	10	2	.309	.364	.400	.764	10.4

Career Fielding Stats
Year/Team/League	POS	G	GS	PO	A	DP	TC	E	PCT	INN	RANGE	PB	RSTA	RTO	RTO%
1871 Chicago - ML	SS	25	25	46	73	22	132	13	.902	222.0	4.82				
1871 Chicago - ML	3B	1	1	0	2	0	2	0	1.000	9.0	2.00

[metsgeek]

Looking great so far, Joe.

When my guy appears, I'd like to request that he have a huge set of muttonchops, please

[Syd Thrift]

<----- waiting with baited breath to see how the Middletown Mansfields perform

[legendsport]

The Base Ball Intelligencer, Troy, NY - April 10, 1872:

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION SET TO EMBARK ON SECOND CAMPAIGN

The National Association, as it has come to be known (for who would want to mouth all the words comprising it's oh-so-long moniker?) is ready to embark on another season of base ball antics on fields across the eastern half of this great nation. Gone are several of the Clubs who strove - in vain - for the Association crown in 1871. Coming on board are several new hopefuls, all seeking to attain that which the Boston Red Stocking Club (or for partisans within the environs of New York City, the Mutual Club) attained in '71 - the 'World's Championship.'

Gone are such mediocrities as the Rockford Club of Illinois, and the Fort Wayne Club of Indiana. Also gone is the White Stocking Club of Chicago. The latter was a strong Club, ultimately undone by the conflagration which destroyed their city on the shores of Lake Michigan in October last. Their players scattered to the four corners of the base ball world, the White Stocking Club will not operate this summer and it is unclear when or if they shall resume operations.

Joining the fray this summer is an interesting mix of entries - all familiar to those who have followed the amateur Association these past years. Two Brooklyn entries - the Atlantic and Eckford Clubs will represent that city in close proximity to the Mutuals of New York. Also joining the fray is a second entry from the nation's capital - the National Club, which faltered back in 1870, but is boldly stepping forward to again challenge the professionals. Another Baltimore Club has replaced the old Marylander Club, this one has been painted with the non-threatening moniker of 'Canary Club.' But the most interesting entry of all comes from a small hamlet in the state of Connecticut - the Mansfield Club of Middletown.

Operating in the amateur Association since 1866, the Mansfields found some financial backing and have gone professional for '72. Can they compete with the Boston Red Stocking Club - acknowledged as the best in the business? Well, they did sign short fielder Clifford Campbell, formerly of the White Stockings. They also pilfered hurler Emmitt Hoard from the Forest Citys of Cleveland and have a very promising young player in 18-year-old Klu Dolce, who spent the 1871 summer shining the bench for the White Stockings in Chicago, but is a talent that will likely be realized in the future. It is unclear whether the tiny town of Middletown will be able to keep up with the Bostons, New Yorks, Brooklyns and Philadelphias of the loop.

Which brings us to our own Troy Club. Like Middletown, Troy is a small burg, with limited financial resources. Unlike Middletown, Troy has a fine history of solid base ballers and it is upon this fundament that the Haymaker Club hopes to build a winning team. The Haymaker Club added a pair of interesting characters to the squad for the 1872 campaign. The duo consists of a pitcher and a short fielder, and both hail from Havana on the island of Cuba by way of Columbia University.
The pitcher is Cavetano Blanco and though his English is marked with a discernable accent, the english he places on his pitched ball is loudly understandable - and difficult to deal with - for batsmen.

His friend, Arturo Villanueva, is small, fast and a wizard in the field. Though his bat is considered to be somewhat of a liability, Villanueva is expected to man the roving position for the Haymaker Club with alacrity this season.

One other team with reason for excitement is the Cleveland Forest City Club. With several desertions this past winter, the Club found a much needed reinforcement in young pitcher Walker Rhoades.

Rhoades, a left-hander, hails from Worcester and grew up playing the spirited New England style of base ball. An intelligent and well-read young man, Rhoades has earned a nickname of "Book" from his new team mates. The 20-year-old Rhoades is expected to anchor a very solid Forest City Club this season.

But the prime question, as always, is: who will succeed this season as the champions of the world? The answer, in this reporter's opinion: the Red Stocking Club (again). Robby Buse, Rube Pitman, Rit Withers and company, under the playing tutelage of Ernie Biscan, are base ballers non pareil and it would be a miracle for any other Club to claim their title this summer.

But for now, the sun is shining, the fields are green, and a full summer of base ball awaits - and everyone has a hope of success. Even Middletown.

[canadiancreed]

Lookin sweet.

DO you have the settings that your'e using to repliate 19th century ball at all? If so, could you PM me them?

[legendsport]

The Base Ball Intelligencer, Troy, NY, November 1, 1872:

MUTUAL CLAIMS WORLD'S TITLE - RED STOCKING CLUB DISPUTES

The Mutual Club of New York, citing their 35 victorious matches this season, has staked their claim to the World's Title, but - as usual - that claim is being disputed. It seems the Red Stocking Club of Boston, disputees of anon, are now the disputers, saying that since their club won a greater percentage of contests, they should retain the World's Title. Boston won 31 of 48 contests, a victory "percentage" of 64.6 whereas the Mutuals, by dint of playing more contests, were winners in 35 of 58 contests, a percentage of 62.5. A third player, the surprising Canary Club of Baltimore, won 33 of 58 games, but stakes no claim on the title.

As the standard practice has always been to award the "title" to the team with the most victories, this publication is throwing its weight behind the claim on the Mutual Club.

Team			W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	Streak	Last10
Boston Red Stockings	31	17	.646	-	28-20	3	17-5	14-12	4-3	7-5	W1	5-5
New York Mutuals	35	21	.625	-	34-22	1	16-13	19-8	6-3	10-5	L4	4-6
Baltimore Canaries	33	25	.569	3.0	34-24	-1	18-11	15-14	6-8	7-10	L1	6-4
Philadelphia Athletics	24	23	.511	6.5	24-23	0	16-11	8-12	4-3	5-7	W2	5-5
Washington Olympics	4	5	.444	7.5	5-4	-1	2-5	2-0	1-0	0-0	W3	4-5
Cleveland Forest Citys	10	12	.455	8.0	10-12	0	1-6	9-6	2-4	4-5	L3	3-7
Brooklyn Eckfords	17	20	.459	8.5	18-19	-1	9-9	8-11	3-5	4-6	W3	5-5
Washington Nationals	3	8	.273	9.5	3-8	0	3-4	0-4	0-0	1-0	L2	3-7
Troy Haymakers		9	16	.360	10.5	10-15	-1	5-7	4-9	1-2	1-3	L4	2-8
Brooklyn Atlantics	10	19	.345	11.5	10-19	0	6-8	4-11	2-2	4-4	L2	2-8
Middletown Mansfields	7	17	.292	12.0	7-17	0	3-8	4-9	2-1	4-2	L1	4-6

WITHERS OF RED STOCKING IS TOP BAT FOR '72

Boston Red Stocking stalwart Rit Withers has copped the honors as the Association's top bat for the just completed 1872 campaign. Withers recorded 71 hits, with 9 two-baggers and 4 three-baggers and touched the home base 41 times. He recorded 201 times at the bat and the Chadwick average for him was .348 this year.

RIT WITHERS

SANFORD OF MUTUAL IS TOP HURLER

Mutual Club's Andy Sanford was the top hurler of 1872, winning 35 games against 20 defeats, piling up 509 innings in the pitcher's box. He allowed opposing batsmen to gather 524 hits and according to Chadwick, his "earned run average" was 2.03 this year.

ANDY SANFORD

FAST COMPANY SINKS MIDDLETOWN

As had been bruited by various pundits (including those here at the Intelligencer) the "fast company" of the Association's professionals proved more than the Middletown Club could handle. The Mansfields competed in 24 Association contests before packing it in, winning a mere seven contests. Things looked bad all season; the team's best-known player, former White Stocking Clifford Campbell had a horrid season, batting - according to Chadwick - a mere .192. The Middletown backers have already confirmed that the club will not return to the Association for 1873, leaving such talented base ballers as Campbell and first-baseman Larry Mizeur looking for a spot.

MIDDLETOWN'S LARRY MIZEUR

"FERROTYPES"

This edition of "Ferrotypes" puts the lens on Mutual Club's backstop, Ohioan Juice Dedrick. The 32-year-old Dedrick has been with the Mutual Club for a decade, dating back to the Club's amateur days. Dedrick's steadfast play behind the home base has earned him a reputation as a rough-and-ready customer as well as accolades for his defensive play. At the bat, he is no easy mark, as Chadwick's statistics show his career batting average (accounting only for his professional play in the years 1869 thru 72) as being .303 - with a .298 mark in the 1872 season. The son of a steamship captain, whose father plies the Ohio Canal towing cargo, Juice earned his nickname for a boyhood spent creating various beverages from squeezed fruits and vegetables. Among the "juices" he claims to have pushed on friends and family are tomato, grape, apple and orange. Why anyone would squeeze a perfectly good - and rare in Ohio - orange is beyond comprehension. But Juice himself is beyond comprehension.

[legendsport]

CLIFFORD 'SCOT' CAMPBELL

1872 was a down season for Mr. Campbell. He signed on with the Middletown Mansfields and saw his season shortened twice - once by a hyperextended elbow injury which shelved him for six weeks, and again when the Mansfields folded on August 9th after a 4-2 loss to the Eckford Club dropped their record to 7-17 on the season. After hitting .192, Mr. Campbell will attempt to bounce back elsewhere in '73.

Career Batting Stats
Year/Team/League	Age	G	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	R	BB	HP	SF	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	VORP
1871 Chicago - NA	21	27	110	34	7	0	1	13	20	8	2	1	17	10	2	.309	.364	.400	.764	10.4
1872 Middletown - NA	22	17	73	14	0	1	0	4	6	3	0	0	0	6	4	.192	.224	.219	.443	-4.5
Total NA	2 yrs.		44	183	48	7	1	1	17	26	11	2	1	17	16	6	.262	.310	.328	.638	5.9

Career Fielding Stats
Year/Team/League	POS	G	GS	PO	A	DP	TC	E	PCT	INN	RANGE	PB	RSTA	RTO	RTO%
1871 Chicago - ML	SS	25	25	46	73	22	132	13	.902	222.0	4.82				
1871 Chicago - ML	3B	1	1	0	2	0	2	0	1.000	9.0	2.00				
1872 Middletown - ML	3B	11	11	10	27	1	42	5	.881	86.0	3.87				
1872 Middletown - ML	SS	6	6	12	27	6	44	5	.886	54.0	6.50

WALKER 'BOOK' RHOADES

'Book' had a solid debut campaign in the NA in 1872, as he was the main pitcher for the Cleveland Forest City Club and posted a ledger of 9-10 with an earned run average of 2.50 and was Pitcher of the Month for May when he won 7 of 10 games.

Career Pitching Stats
Year/Team/League	Age	G	GS	W	L	SV	ERA	IP	HA	R	ER	HR	BB	K	CG	SHO	WHIP	BABIP	VORP
1872 Cleveland - NA	21	22	22	9	10	0	2.50	191.0	222	101	53	1	12	9	18	0	1.23	.286	30.5
Total NA	1 yrs.		22	22	9	10	0	2.50	191.0	222	101	53	1	12	9	18	0	1.23	.286	30.5

Career Fielding Stats
Year/Team/League	POS	G	GS	PO	A	DP	TC	E	PCT	INN	RANGE	PB	RSTA	RTO	RTO%
1872 Cleveland - ML	P	22	22	15	52	3	75	8	.893	191.0	3.16

CAVETANO BLANCO

The Cuban pitcher plied his trade with the Troy Haymaker Club in 1872. Unfortunately for Blanco, the team behind him was not very good, though he did an admirable job out of the pitcher's box. He won 9 of 25 games and his ERA was 2.98, allowing 278 hits in 217 and two-thirds innings pitched.

Career Pitching Stats
Year/Team/League	Age	G	GS	W	L	SV	ERA	IP	HA	R	ER	HR	BB	K	CG	SHO	WHIP	BABIP	VORP
1872 Troy - NA		22	25	25	9	16	0	2.98	217.2	278	140	72	3	14	39	24	1	1.34	.310	23.8
Total NA	1 yrs.		25	25	9	16	0	2.98	217.2	278	140	72	3	14	39	24	1	1.34	.310	23.8

Career Fielding Stats
Year/Team/League	POS	G	GS	PO	A	DP	TC	E	PCT	INN	RANGE	PB	RSTA	RTO	RTO%
1872 Troy - ML	P	25	25	12	56	1	80	12	.850	217.2	2.81

ARTURO VILLANUEVA

Blanco's Cuban compadre, shortstop Arturo Villanueva also played for the Troy Club in his first season of 1872. Like Blanco, Villanueva had a solid debut, posting a batting average of .276 for the Haymaker Club (far behind Ernie Beall's .402 which led the team). With 27 hits in 98 at-bats, Villanueva averaged better than a hit per game (the team played 25 contests). He also banged out four two-baggers. Villanueva was impressive afield, though his speed was mitigated by his inexperience as he was thrown out on 3 of his 5 stolen-base attempts.

Career Batting Stats
Year/Team/League	Age	G	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	R	BB	HP	SF	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	VORP
1872 Troy - NA		22	25	98	27	4	0	0	13	12	2	1	2	0	2	3	.276	.291	.316	.608	-1.1
Total NA	1 yrs.		25	98	27	4	0	0	13	12	2	1	2	0	2	3	.276	.291	.316	.608	-1.1

Career Fielding Stats
Year/Team/League	POS	G	GS	PO	A	DP	TC	E	PCT	INN	RANGE	PB	RSTA	RTO	RTO%
1872 Troy - ML	SS	25	25	36	84	9	130	10	.923	222.1	4.86

[canadiancreed]

Nice touch on the created players section. I beleive I'll have to "borrow" it

[legendsport]

THE BASE BALL INTELLIGENCER, TROY, NY, April 10, 1873:

HAYMAKER CLUB DISBANDS, ASSOCIATION SOLDIERS ON

The local backers here in Troy have decided to no longer stake the Haymaker Club and that worthy competitor has been disbanded. The National Association, however, soldiers on as usual, with nine Clubs vying for the World's Title in this year's base ball campaigning season.

The Haymaker Club was not the only competitor of seasons past to give up the ghost this past winter. The Cleveland Forest City Club, a serious contender for the championship as recently as last summer, has also folded due to a lack of pecuniary success. Also departed are both of the nation's capital's entries - the Olympic Club and the National Club as well as one of Brooklyn's clubs - the Eckfords. And, of course, the Middletown Mansfield Club, which did not manage to finish the season, is no more.

Joining the fray in 1873 are several new hopefuls. A new entry for the nation's capital has arisen in the Blue Leg Club of Washington City. Not much hope is held out for this new entry as the only base baller of note to sign on with the Blue Legs is catcher Gustav Schultz, who toiled for the defunct Brooklyn Eckford Club last season.

GUSTAV SCHULTZ

Another new entry - and likely successor to the dubious role filled last by Middletown, is the Resolute Club of Elizabeth, New Jersey. Resolute they may prove to be, talented they most certainly are not. Only the arm of Freddy Robinson will keep them respectable.

FREDDY ROBINSON

The most interesting new Club is the second entry from the City of Brotherly Love. Rising from the ashes - literal and figurative - of the Chicago White Stocking Club is a club of the same name which will share the Jefferson Street Grounds with the Athletic Club of Philadelphia. This White Stocking Club bears a strong resemblance to the old Chicago nine, with Clifford Campbell and Ernie Beall among the former Chicagoans plying their trade for the Philadelphia entry.

Of course, the favorites to tangle for the title remain those age-old enemies the Mutual Club of New York and the Red Stocking Club of Boston. The familiar faces return for another spirited season of base ball.

[legendsport]

The Base Ball Intelligencer, Troy, NY, June 1, 1873:

National Association Standings as of June 1, 1873:

Team				W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Philadelphia White Stockings	9	2	.818	-	8-3	1	6-0	3-2	0-0	2-1	51	W3	8-2
Baltimore Marylands		2	1	.667	3.0	2-1	0	1-0	1-1	0-0	0-0		L1	2-1
Boston Red Stockings		4	3	.571	3.0	4-3	0	4-3	0-0	0-0	0-0		W1	4-3
Brooklyn Atlantics		4	3	.571	3.0	5-2	-1	2-1	2-2	0-0	0-1		L1	4-3
Elizabeth Resolutes		3	2	.600	3.0	3-2	0	2-2	1-0	0-1	2-1		L1	3-2
New York Mutuals		6	5	.545	3.0	7-4	-1	2-1	4-4	0-0	1-2		L1	5-5
Baltimore Canaries		9	9	.500	3.5	8-10	1	5-1	4-8	1-0	2-1		W1	6-4
Philadelphia Athletics		5	8	.385	5.0	6-7	-1	2-4	3-4	0-0	2-3		W1	4-6
Washington Blue Legs		0	9	.000	8.0	1-8	-1	0-6	0-3	0-0	0-0		L9	0-9

CANARIES' NEW BIRDS
The Baltimore Canaries picked up two of the most promising players to move up from the amateur ranks, signing keystone man Mike Feldbush and third sacker John Mahoney. Feldbush began the season on the reserve, but has recently begun to see some action, appearing in nine matches with 21 times at the bat and 5 hits. Mahoney has also seen light play, appearing in just eight of the Club's 18 matches, with identical batting marks to his young mate Feldbush - 21 at-bats and 5 hits. That's a .238 average for adherents of Chadwick's "statistical" base ball.
. . .
MIKE FELDBUSH | JOHN MAHONEY

RE-BORN WHITE STOCKING CLUB SOARING
The Philadelphia White Stocking Club, born of the ashes of the Chicago club of the same name which had been so successful in the season of 1871, are again proving to be a tough match for any competitor in the National Association. With young Cuban chucker Cavetano Blanco holding the opposition's batsmen in check and a hitters' corps centered on first sacker Greg Dixon and outfielders Ernie Beall and Orlander Pankovits, the White Stockings have won nine of their first eleven contests. Only the lackluster play of short stop Clifford Campbell has put a damper on the Club's spirits. Campbell, a highly touted player, has just seven safeties in 38 times at the bat. Yes, Chadwickers, that's a .184 "batting average."

ERNIE BEALL

BLUE LEG CLUB STRUGGLES IN NATIONAL CAPITAL
The newly professional Washington Blue Leg Club is finding the going rough in the Association thus far. Their ledger stands at zero wins and nine losses and most of their batsmen are unable to succeed against the Association's superior pitchmen. The Club's leading batsman is Sadie Corbett who has recorded just seven safeties in 33 times at bat. The pitching has been subpar as well, as Charlie Kostka has pitched 7 times and has allowed 63 runs (only 29 of those earned).

CHARLIE KOSTKA

[CatKnight]

Hm. With Cleveland dead, where did poor Rhoades end up?

[legendsport]

Originally Posted by CatKnight

Hm. With Cleveland dead, where did poor Rhoades end up?

"Book" signed with the Philadelphia Athletics and is their starting pitcher. Through June 1 he's looking good - 5 starts, 4-1 record with a 1.26 ERA, so he's supplanted the other candidates (two other guys made a start or two) and settled in as the pitcher for the Athletic Club.

[legendsport]

The Base Ball Intelligencer, Troy, NY, August 1, 1873:

National Association Standings as of August 1, 1873:

Team				W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Philadelphia White Stockings	18	9	.667	-	17-10	1	12-1	6-8	1-2	7-6	26	W3	5-5
Baltimore Canaries		22	17	.564	2.0	20-19	2	14-5	8-12	2-0	9-2		L2	6-4
Boston Red Stockings		17	12	.586	2.0	17-12	0	8-8	9-4	1-3	3-1		W2	5-5
Philadelphia Athletics		18	13	.581	2.0	18-13	0	10-5	8-8	2-1	6-5		L1	7-3
New York Mutuals		16	13	.552	3.0	18-11	-2	9-7	7-6	1-2	3-6		W1	7-3
Brooklyn Atlantics		14	13	.519	4.0	14-13	0	10-5	4-8	1-0	6-3		W1	5-5
Baltimore Marylands		2	4	.333	5.5	3-3	-1	1-0	1-4	0-0	0-2		L4	2-4
Elizabeth Resolutes		6	15	.286	9.0	9-12	-3	2-6	4-9	2-2	2-9		L4	2-8
Washington Blue Legs		1	18	.053	13.0	3-16	-2	0-11	1-7	0-0	0-2		L9	1-9

BLANCO HAS WHITE STOCKING CLUB IN FINE FETTLE
Pitcher extraordinaire Cavetano Blanco is leading the reborn White Stocking Club to success in its new environs in Philadelphia. The Cuban-born Blanco has won 16 of his 25 starts, and has accumulated more strikeouts than any other denizen of the hurler's box, 181 of them in all. His next nearest competitor, Andy Sanford of Mutual has 115. The White Stockings have won two-thirds of their games, the best "percentage" in the Association, but have four fewer wins than the Baltimore Canaries.

CAVETANO BLANCO

TWO OUT OF THREE NOT BAD FOR BALTIMORE CLUB
The Canary Club of Baltimore features three fresh-faced youngsters among its starting infielders, and two of those three have been instrumental in the team's piling up of victories this season. Third sacker John Mahoney was outstanding in June, accumulating ten hits in 21 at-bats. In July, short fielder Marty Lipton took over, with 15 hits in 34 at-bats. Only the second baseman, Mike Feldbush, has struggled thus far, with 8 hits in 35 at-bats over the last two months.

MARTY LIPTON

RHOADES PITCHES ATHLETIC INTO RACE
With the White Stocking Club asserting its dominance in not only the city they share with the Athletic Club, but also the Association, it's been an up and down campaign for the older Club. Only the outstanding performance of Walker "Book" Rhoades, late of the Forest Citys of Cleveland, has kept the Athletic Club's backers in the pink. According to Chadwick, Rhoades has the best "earned run average" in the Association, with a 1.50 mark through August 1 and has won 16 of his 22 contests since taking over as Athletic's top pitchman.

WALKER RHOADES