The Completely Fictional History of Baseball

[lewis31lewis52]

Wow, that was a short career. Probably the shortest I've ever seen in a sign-up game before.

[legendsport]

The Base Ball Intelligencer, Troy, NY, April 10, 1875:

RHOADES "BOOKS" TICKET TO BOSTON

One of the bigger stories this past offseason was the retirement of long-time Red Stocking pitchman Robby Buse. Buse had long since cemented his spot among the best hurlers in the game, but at age 38, he decided to call it quits after the 1874 campaign had concluded. The Boston Club's "money man" - financier J. Harrison Winston - quickly settled upon Walker Rhoades as his choice to succeed Buse in the box for the Red Stocking Club. Unfortunately, Rhoades was employed by the Athletic Club of Philadelphia. This didn't stop Winston. He waved some of his greenbacks at Rhoades and "Book" packed his bags and headed north. Though Athletic Club protested, there has been no compensation, nor is any expected to find it's way to the city on the Delaware.

RED STOCKING CLUB LOOKS TO RECAPTURE PAST GLORIES

The Red Stocking Club of Boston (nee Cincinnati) is expected to be the class of the Association in 1875. Their signing (or theft, if you're a partisan of the Athletic Club of Phila.) of Walker Rhoades to replace the departed Robby Buse leads many prognosticators to take a shine to the Bostonians once again. Andy Sanford and the Mutual Club notwithstanding, the hiring of Rhoades makes the Red Stocking Club the most complete in the sport.

WALKER RHOADES

DOBBINS PREDICTS ATLANTIC CLUB WILL CONQUER ALL

The Atlantic Club of Brooklyn, says Clarence Dobbins, will overcome the odds (mainly stacked against them via the Mutual Club and Red Stocking Club) by conquering all comers in the 1875 Championship campaign. Dobbins, the Atlantic center fielder, is a star in his own right, though overshadowed by the brighter lights of the Mutuals and Red Stockings (among others). Dobbins' points out that the Atlantics have a superior hurler of their own in Bunker Theobald and acknowledged batsmen in Alamazoo Pons and himself, and a player he sees as a comer in shortstop Aaron Hogle.

CLARENCE DOBBINS

SLATE OF COMPETING CLUBS INCLUDES SEVERAL NEWCOMERS

Once again the lure of professional honor and spoils has coerced several formerly amateur clubs to put forth their ten dollar entry fee and join the National Association. This year's crop includes the Western Club of Keokuk (Iowa), the Elm City Club of New Haven (Connecticut), a reborn National Club of Washington, two entries from the city of St. Louis - the Brown Stocking Club and another Red Stocking Club, and a third entry from Philadelphia in the form of the Centennial Club. That array of base ball Clubs is the largest in the five-year history of the Association and it comes despite rumors of disenchantment by some of the more successful clubs - such as the Red Stocking Club of Boston and the Mutual Club of New York.

ORRIN RATLEY OF CENTENNIAL CLUB

[legendsport]

The Base Ball Intelligencer, Troy, NY, June 3, 1875:

RED STOCKING CLUB TOPS ASSOCIATION RANKS

Surprising? Not at all - the Red Stocking Club of Boston's play thus far this spring has not been surprising in the least. They were expected to win - frequently - and have done just that. With new chucker Walker Rhoades establishing himself as one of the circuit's top pitchmen, and their usually potent lineup of batsmen, the Red Stockings are winning regularly. Rhoades sports a 15-3 ledger and has allowed opponents just a 1.44 ERA thus far. Among the hitters, veteran Red Stocking first baseman Ron James has led the way with solid contributions from Rube Pitman and Rit Withers as usual. Club manager - and now part-time outfielder - Ernie Biscan is pleased with his club's play thus far. "But there are many contests remaining to be played," he points out.

RON JAMES

CHICAGOANS UNMARRED THUS FAR

The White Stocking Club of Chicago, in the second year of its second incarnation, is enjoying a superlative start to the 1875 campaign. The Chicago nine has won all twelve of the championship contests it has participated in thus far. Hurler Freddy Robinson has led the way, winning all eleven of his starts with an earned run average of below one run. But not everyone is impressed. Says Red Stocking manager Biscan, "When they've played someone other than the St. Louis Clubs or Keokuk - and beaten them - please let me know." Biscan's point is true, as neither of the St. Louis Clubs, nor Keokuk, were Association members in 1874 and all three have struggled thus far with the fast movers in the National Association ranks.

FREDDY ROBINSON

ARE SOME CLUBS SIMPLY 'TRY OUTS' FOR THE SUCCESSFUL CLUBS?

With the revolving door nature of the membership of the National Association, it has been speculated that some of these 'flash-in-the-pan' clubs who join the Association for the mere ten dollar fee, play out a partial schedule and then disappear back into amateur oblivion, are nothing more than proving grounds for young players trying to catch on with clubs such as Athletic, Mutual and Red Stocking. The latest rumor bruited about concerns a young player on the Brown Stockings of St. Louis. His name is Fred Morton and he is a mere slip of a lad of 19 summers. But he has already established himself the best of a somewhat motley collection of ball players, and is earning himself discerning glances from the operators of the 'big' clubs back east - and the Chicago White Stocking club, the biggest operator in the west. Should the Brown Stockings fall after the 1875 campaign, you can expect to see young Mr. Morton donning the duds of one of the 'big' clubs for 1876.

FRED MORTON

STANDINGS AS OF JUNE 1, 1875:

 Standings
Team				W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	Streak	Last10
Boston Red Stockings		19	6	.760	-	20-5	-1	8-5	11-1	1-0	4-1	L1	8-2
Philadelphia Athletics		17	4	.810	-	16-5	1	5-2	12-2	2-0	5-1	W2	7-3
Chicago White Stockings		12	0	1.000	.5	11-1	1	6-0	6-0	3-0	4-0	W12	10-0
New York Mutuals		11	6	.647	4.0	11-6	0	6-3	5-3	0-0	4-3	W2	6-4
Philadelphia White Stockings	11	9	.550	5.5	11-9	0	3-5	8-4	0-1	4-4	L3	4-6
Brooklyn Atlantics		6	8	.429	7.5	7-7	-1	3-6	3-2	1-2	1-2	W3	4-6
Keokuk Westerns			4	7	.364	8.0	2-9	2	3-3	1-4	1-1	1-1	W1	4-6
St. Louis Brown Stockings	3	6	.333	8.0	4-5	-1	1-3	2-3	0-1	1-2	W1	3-6
Hartford Dark Blues		9	13	.409	8.5	10-12	-1	4-7	5-6	0-0	2-5	L2	4-6
New Haven Elm Citys		5	11	.313	9.5	6-10	-1	3-7	2-4	1-0	2-1	W1	3-7
St. Louis Red Stockings		2	8	.200	9.5	4-6	-2	1-4	1-4	0-2	1-4	L2	2-8
Philadelphia Centennials	3	11	.214	10.5	5-9	-2	0-7	3-4	0-1	0-4	L7	3-7
Washington Nationals		2	15	.118	13.0	2-15	0	1-8	1-7	0-1	0-1	L1	2-8

[legendsport]

The Base Ball Intelligencer, August 3, 1875:

HEBRON TOILS IN VAIN

When the Canary Club of Baltimore packed up their yellow uniforms and decided to quit the Association, it left several good base ballers to seek employment elsewhere. While some elected to make their winter jobs a "full-time" job, others such as Cannonball Hebron signed with other Clubs to continue their base ball careers. Hebron was unfortunate in his choice however, electing to sign with the newly professional Elm City nine of New Haven. Now his ledger stands at 6-25, despite fairly solid marks in the other pitching categories. Though even he would admit his pitching is not up to the quality he had established in three seasons with the Canary Club.

CANNONBALL HEBRON

BARD'S TALE A GOOD ONE FOR ATHLETIC

Luther Bard has been a member of the Athletic Club of Philadelphia since 1870, toiling in the shadow of other, more famous players. But this season, his sixth with the club, he has shone brighter than any of his team mates, and is a big reason Athletic is enjoying a resurgent campaign. Bard has compiled the second-best batter's average in the Association with a .362 mark and is a mere nine base-hits shy of surpassing his career high of 76 set a season ago.

LUTHER BARD

IS IT SOMETHING IN THE WATER?

The revived National Club of Washington City is, to put it mildly, a disaster. The Club has a dismal record, but in this regard it is no different than the other Clubs to have called our National Capital home. Throughout the five-year history of the Association, several Clubs have called the District of Columbia home, and none of them have ever been a contender for the championship. Perhaps there's something in the water? Or - more likely - the backers of these clubs have not been astute enough to sign the quality players it would take to mount a challenge to the powers in the Association.

STANDINGS OF THE CLUBS ON AUGUST THE FIRST:

Team				W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	Streak	Last10
Boston Red Stockings		38	16	.704	-	38-16	0	17-11	21-5	2-0	8-3	W1	8-2
New York Mutuals		30	12	.714	2.0	30-12	0	15-5	15-7	1-1	8-6	W7	9-1
Philadelphia Athletics		30	15	.667	3.5	28-17	2	14-9	16-6	4-1	8-5	L2	2-8
Chicago White Stockings		26	14	.650	5.0	23-17	3	13-5	13-9	5-1	10-4	L3	4-6
Philadelphia White Stockings	27	17	.614	6.0	27-17	0	8-7	19-10	0-1	9-8	W1	4-6
Hartford Dark Blues		21	24	.467	12.5	23-22	-2	9-14	12-10	0-0	5-7	W2	3-7
Brooklyn Atlantics		13	18	.419	13.5	14-17	-1	7-11	6-7	2-4	5-6	W2	5-5
Keokuk Westerns			4	9	.308	13.5	3-10	1	3-5	1-4	1-1	1-1	L2	4-6
Philadelphia Centennials	3	11	.214	15.0	5-9	-2	0-7	3-4	0-1	0-4	L7	3-7
St. Louis Brown Stockings	5	14	.263	15.5	6-13	-1	3-11	2-3	0-1	2-2	W2	2-8
St. Louis Red Stockings		15	25	.375	16.0	17-23	-2	6-13	9-12	1-3	5-9	L1	5-5
New Haven Elm Citys		9	26	.257	19.5	12-23	-3	4-16	5-10	1-1	3-6	L3	1-9
Washington Nationals		4	24	.143	21.0	5-23	-1	1-11	3-13	0-2	0-3	L2	2-8

[Samuel Vimes]

14-14 for the Chicago WS club and 13-11 for the Athletics club since June...have they been playing Red Stockings club and the Mutuals a lot?

[legendsport]

The White Stockings are 0-6 against Boston, but 3-2 against Mutual. They've had some trouble with the Hartford Dark Blues and Brooklyn Atlantics though, going 2-4 against them so far.

The Athletics are 3-3 with Boston, but Chicago and New York own them: 0-6 vs the White Stockings and 0-5 against the Mutuals.

[legendsport]

The Base Ball Intelligencer, Troy, NY, November 5, 1875:

RED STOCKING CLUB ASSERTS SUPREMACY

With the addition of two top-notch players in third baseman John Mahoney and pitcher Walker Rhoades, the Red Stockings of Boston dominated (nearly) all opposition this season in the Association, and are crowned World's Champions. The Boston club finished with 59 victories, twelve more than their nearest competitor - Mutual of New York - could muster. The only team to post a winning ledger against the Red Stockings was the Brown Stocking Club of St. Louis which won 5 of their 9 meetings. Boston was even-up against Brooklyn (3-3) and New York (5-5) on the year. Against every other club, they were superior - including a 10-0 slate against the White Stockings of Chicago and 9-1 against their nearest geographical competition - the Dark Blue Club of Hartford (CT).

Team				W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	Streak	Last10
Boston Red Stockings		59	23	.720	-	56-26	3	23-14	36-9	3-0	10-4	W6	8-2
New York Mutuals		47	24	.662	6.5	45-26	2	27-9	20-15	2-3	15-9	W1	7-3
Chicago White Stockings		41	28	.594	11.5	38-31	3	21-12	20-16	5-4	11-10	W1	5-5
Philadelphia Athletics		43	34	.558	13.5	41-36	2	21-17	22-17	5-3	13-8	W1	2-8
Philadelphia White Stockings	37	33	.529	16.0	39-31	-2	14-19	23-14	1-1	12-11	L1	2-8
Hartford Dark Blues		43	43	.500	18.0	45-41	-2	19-20	24-23	1-3	8-13	L3	4-6
Brooklyn Atlantics		20	24	.455	20.0	20-24	0	12-15	8-9	3-5	8-8	L1	5-5
Keokuk Westerns			4	9	.308	20.5	3-10	1	3-5	1-4	1-1	1-1	L2	4-6
Philadelphia Centennials	3	11	.214	22.0	5-9	-2	0-7	3-4	0-1	0-4	L7	3-7
St. Louis Brown Stockings	5	14	.263	22.5	6-13	-1	3-11	2-3	0-1	2-2	W2	2-8
St. Louis Red Stockings		27	43	.386	26.0	27-43	0	13-21	14-22	6-4	11-14	L2	4-6
Washington Nationals		4	24	.143	28.0	5-23	-1	1-11	3-13	0-2	0-3	L2	2-8
New Haven Elm Citys		12	35	.255	29.5	16-31	-4	7-20	5-15	2-1	4-8	L1	3-7

CAMPBELL CONTINUES TO IMPROVE, DOMINATE

Clifford Campbell, the Canadian 'Scot' continues to improve his play each season and this year was clearly the best batsman in the Association. Campbell recorded 107 hits in 287 times at the bat, for a batting average of .373 (which was NOT tops in the Association, but was near the top). He clouted six four-baggers, 9 three-baggers and 16 two-baggers as well and tallied 68 runs for his club.

CLIFFORD CAMPBELL

RHOADES IS TOP HURLER

The Boston Red Stocking Club got value for its investment in Walker "Book" Rhoades this season. Rhoades, signed away from the Athletic Club of Philadelphia during the winter, won 49 games against just 16 losses and saw his "earned run average" decline from 2.5 runs to just 2.22 runs. He allowed less than one hit per inning pitched and was easily tops in victories in the circuit.

WALKER RHOADES

[legendsport]

CLIFFORD 'SCOT' CAMPBELL

Campbell was outstanding in 1875, winning the Batter of the Year Award for a season which saw his average climb to .373 and also saw him establish career bests in homers (6), hits (107), triples (9), stolen bases (44), RBI (52) and runs (68).

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
1873 Philadelphia - NA		23	52	202	60	6	0	2	23	37	31	0	1	8	24	10	.297	.389	.356	.745	14.9
1874 Philadelphia - NA		24	55	239	93	17	8	0	35	36	13	0	5	14	32	16	.389	.412	.527	.940	34.6
1875 Philadelphia - NA		25	70	287	107	16	9	6	52	68	23	3	5	9	44	20	.373	.418	.554	.972	44.2
Total NA			5 yrs.	221	911	308	46	18	9	127	167	78	5	12	48	116	52	.338	.389	.458	.846	99.6

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				
1873 Philadelphia - ML	3B	52	52	51	121	10	190	18	.905	467.0	3.31				
1873 Philadelphia - ML	SS	1	0	2	1	0	3	0	1.000	7.0	3.86				
1874 Philadelphia - ML	3B	55	55	59	132	7	219	28	.872	489.2	3.51				
1875 Philadelphia - ML	3B	67	67	55	175	11	270	40	.852	591.2	3.50				
1875 Philadelphia - ML	SS	3	3	3	5	1	8	0	1.000	27.0	2.67

WALKER 'BOOK' RHOADES

Rhoades was *the* key acquisition for the Boston Red Stockings in the offseason and proved his worth as he led the team to the championship with a tremendous season. He won 49 of his 67 starts and posted a 2.22 ERA for the league's best team.

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
1873 Philadelphia - NA		22	45	45	27	15	0	1.73	396.0	355	139	76	0	34	173	40	6	0.98	.266	94.3
1874 Philadelphia - NA		23	58	58	29	28	0	2.50	496.0	528	228	138	3	44	189	52	4	1.15	.297	88.0
1875 Boston - NA		24	67	67	49	16	0	2.22	566.1	541	273	140	7	41	234	55	8	1.03	.269	116.2
Total NA			4 yrs.	192	192	114	69	0	2.22	1649.1	1646	741	407	11	131	605	165	18	1.08	.279	329.0

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				
1873 Philadelphia - ML	P	45	45	27	114	3	160	19	.881	396.0	3.20				
1874 Philadelphia - ML	P	58	58	30	136	6	189	23	.878	496.0	3.01				
1875 Boston - ML	P	67	67	40	156	2	232	36	.845	566.1	3.11

CAVETANO BLANCO

After a subpar season in 1874, Blanco re-established himself as one of the top arms in the Association, winning 30 of his 55 starts for the Philadelphia White Stockings. He wasn't quite up to the sensational season he had in his first campaign with Philadelphia, but he's shown signs of improvement. Of course, how long he will remain in the U.S. with a Cuban league appearing to be on the near horizon, remains to be seen.

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
1873 Philadelphia - NA		23	50	50	35	15	0	1.95	458.0	375	157	99	4	76	340	50	11	0.98	.281	95.0
1874 Philadelphia - NA		24	52	52	25	24	0	3.71	451.1	505	256	186	7	141	192	48	2	1.43	.317	16.9
1875 Philadelphia - NA		25	55	55	30	24	0	2.37	460.1	439	232	121	7	148	270	43	3	1.28	.290	88.0
Total NA			4 yrs.	182	182	99	79	0	2.71	1587.1	1597	785	478	21	379	841	165	17	1.24	.300	223.8

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				
1873 Philadelphia - ML	P	50	50	19	100	6	140	21	.850	458.0	2.34				
1874 Philadelphia - ML	P	52	52	31	105	0	156	20	.872	451.1	2.71				
1875 Philadelphia - ML	P	55	55	26	113	3	157	18	.885	460.1	2.72

ARTURO VILLANUEVA

In his fourth season in professional baseball, Cuban infielder Arturo Villanueva appears to have established himself as a very good fielder and decent, though unspectacular, hitter. An ardent Cuban patriot, it is very likely that when a pro loop establishes a foothold on the island, Villanueva will hie himself back home to both agitate for Cuban independence, and continue his baseball career. He had a .272 average in 1875, slightly above his career average of .269, and continued to be a force at shortstop.

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
1873 Philadelphia - NA		23	52	209	51	10	8	0	10	32	8	9	2	9	4	1	.244	.298	.368	.667	8.0
1874 Philadelphia - NA		24	55	231	66	10	9	0	21	47	17	6	0	13	6	10	.286	.350	.407	.757	11.4
1875 Philadelphia - NA		25	70	309	84	15	7	1	24	59	14	3	2	6	17	12	.272	.308	.375	.683	5.5
Total NA			4 yrs.	202	847	228	39	24	1	68	150	41	19	6	28	29	26	.269	.315	.375	.691	23.7

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				
1873 Philadelphia - ML	SS	52	52	69	152	21	234	13	.944	469.0	4.24				
1874 Philadelphia - ML	SS	55	55	85	187	23	287	15	.948	488.2	5.01				
1875 Philadelphia - ML	SS	67	67	93	235	36	356	28	.921	591.2	4.99				
1875 Philadelphia - ML	3B	3	3	1	9	1	12	2	.833	27.0	3.33

JOHN MAHONEY

Like Walker Rhoades, John Mahoney joined the Red Stockings of Boston for the 1875 season. Unlike Rhoades, Mahoney did not abandon a team to do it as his former employers in Baltimore had closed up shop. Also unlike Rhoades, Mahoney struggled in his new surroundings. After having a very solid season for the Canaries in 1874, with a .322 average, Mahoney slipped to .246 in his first year in Boston. His defense at the hot corner also suffered and it's hoped (especially by Boston management) that this is just a one-time thing and the "old" Mahoney will be back in 1876. Since he's only 21, that seems likely.

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
1873 Baltimore - NA		18	37	125	41	4	1	0	11	17	6	3	0	16	0	0	.328	.373	.376	.749	8.8
1874 Baltimore - NA		19	47	199	64	8	2	1	40	30	13	2	1	14	0	0	.322	.367	.397	.764	10.5
1875 Boston - NA		20	82	317	78	16	4	1	55	54	50	2	8	18	2	8	.246	.345	.331	.676	-5.8
Total NA			3 yrs.	166	641	183	28	7	2	106	101	69	7	9	48	2	8	.285	.357	.360	.717	13.5

Career Fielding Stats
Year/Team/League	POS	G	GS	PO	A	DP	TC	E	PCT	INN	RANGE	PB	RSTA	RTO	RTO%
1873 Baltimore - ML	3B	27	27	13	83	5	109	13	.881	222.0	3.89				
1873 Baltimore - ML	SS	4	2	9	7	3	18	2	.889	28.0	5.14				
1873 Baltimore - ML	1B	6	4	50	3	6	56	3	.946	36.0	13.25				
1873 Baltimore - ML	P	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	4.2	0.00				
1874 Baltimore - ML	3B	47	47	37	142	8	201	22	.891	419.1	3.84				
1875 Boston - ML	3B	82	82	60	233	9	340	47	.862	730.0	3.61

JIM MCGREGOR

McGregor continue to be very much a project player for the Chicago White Stockings. In his second pro season, the 18-year-old continued a "watch and learn" process, only appearing in 26 games with a mere 20 at-bats to show for it. His defense is ahead of his bat, which is shown by his appearing at three infield positions without an error. Once his bat catches up, he should become a solid all-around player. He manaed a .250 average and recorded a pair of doubles among his five hits.

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
1874 Chicago - NA		17	10	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	-0.7
1875 Chicago - NA		18	26	20	5	2	0	0	7	4	2	0	2	4	0	0	.250	.292	.350	.642	-0.0
Total NA			2 yrs.	36	22	5	2	0	0	8	4	2	0	3	4	0	0	.227	.259	.318	.577	-0.7

Career Fielding Stats
Year/Team/League	POS	G	GS	PO	A	DP	TC	E	PCT	INN	RANGE	PB	RSTA	RTO	RTO%
1874 Chicago - ML	3B	4	0	1	2	0	3	0	1.000	4.0	6.75				
1874 Chicago - ML	1B	4	0	1	1	1	2	0	1.000	6.0	3.00				
1874 Chicago - ML	CF	1	0	0	0	0	2	2	.000	1.2	0.00				
1874 Chicago - ML	2B	1	0	0	1	0	1	0	1.000	1.1	6.75				
1875 Chicago - ML	2B	11	1	3	4	0	7	0	1.000	23.1	2.70				
1875 Chicago - ML	SS	3	0	2	1	0	3	0	1.000	6.2	4.05				
1875 Chicago - ML	3B	4	0	1	2	0	3	0	1.000	4.2	5.79				
1875 Chicago - ML	1B	2	2	11	1	0	12	0	1.000	15.0	7.20

FRED MORTON

19-year-old Fred Morton only saw sporadic action with the St. Louis Brown Stockings in his first professional season, but he looked impressive in that small bit of work. In 76 at-bats over 19 games, the fresh-faced left fielder recorded 23 hits, 4 doubles and 2 triples and stole 9 bases as well. With a .303 batting average, Morton was very impressive for one so young. With the future of the Brown Stockings in doubt, it's possible that Morton will be plying his trade elsewhere in 1876.

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
1875 St. Louis - NA		19	19	76	23	4	2	0	3	10	7	0	0	11	9	3	.303	.361	.408	.769	5.4
Total NA			1 yrs.	19	76	23	4	2	0	3	10	7	0	0	11	9	3	.303	.361	.408	.769	5.4

Career Fielding Stats
Year/Team/League	POS	G	GS	PO	A	DP	TC	E	PCT	INN	RANGE	PB	RSTA	RTO	RTO%
1875 St. Louis - ML	LF	19	19	49	2	0	55	4	.927	169.0	2.72

[CatKnight]

"Abandon" is such an ugly term. Book was just looking for a more solid back nine. The Athletics treated him well, but the Red Stockings are the best team in baseball...this year at least.

(On a personal note, anything I can do to help a Boston team beat up on its New York rivals makes me giddy inside. Die, Mutuals, die!)

So we're about to hit 1876 and the founding of the National League. I'm not familiar with this era, but I'm going to guess we're about to see some violent shifts.

Historically the Cuban League is founded in 1878 - you keep mentioning them when talking about Blanco and Villanueva. Are you going to "force" them to go home, or are you going to let nature take its course and see if the chance to play closer to their home towns appeals to them?

[legendsport]

Ben Harrell was fed up. As an original backer of the Chicago White Stockings, Harrell had kept the faith in the years after the fire, rebuilding the Club - of which he was now president - into the premier base ball force of the West. The problem was, the focus of the National Association was in the trio of powerful eastern clubs: Boston, New York and Philadelphia.

The flow of talent from west to east - without compensation - was a huge problem for Harrell. How could a team expect to compete with the eastern giants when its best players were up for bid after each and every season? And there was also the problem of the revolving door of clubs entering the Association, failing to complete the agreed-upon schedule and disappearing into the ether.

Well, Harrell decided, enough is enough. So he set in train a movement to establish a base ball organization where the power would sit with a centralized league and not with players or individual clubs.

Step one - reverse the tables on the eastern clubs. Walker Rhoades had proven himself a top pitcher - and on sale to the highest bidder - so why not sign him to the White Stockings? Clifford Campbell? Sign him too. He completed a trio of big-name signings by wooing batting titlist Geoffrey Jahn from Mutual. Let the easterners howl, the White Stockings were forming their own circuit.

Harrell enlisted the help of the St. Louis Brown Stockings backers and also approached the top pair of "amateur" clubs in the west - Cincinnati and Louisville to form the core of his new loop. And then, in the deep of winter, Harrell called for a meeting with the powers of the east. It would take place in the wolves' lair - New York City, at the Grand Central Hotel.

Attending the meeting were the backers of the Boston Red Stockings, New York Mutuals, Hartford Dark Blues and Philadelphia Athletics. Harrell, an astute businessman, knew this quartet was what he needed to round out his new circuit. With Rhoades along to provide a player's viewpoint, Harrell laid out his new scheme, after locking the door to keep out any of the other Association backers.

The plan was based on eight items Harrell felt were critical to success:

1) the league, and not the clubs, would be responsible for setting the schedule and the clubs would be required to complete the schedule. No more bailing out after playing a handful of games.

2) The sanctity of player contracts would have to be honored. No more pirating another club's players.

3) Exclusivity within markets. No city could be home to more than one club. No more three clubs in Philadelphia, for example.

4) Only larger cities would be allowed to participate. No city with less than 75,000 citizens could be permitted to join the league. Of the eight cities represented at the orignal meeting, Hartford did not qualify (with a population of only 40,000) but was "grandfathered" in.

5) The ridiculously low entry fee of $10 that had existed in the NA would go up to $100. This would theoretically keep the marginal clubs from even attempting to horn in.

6) There would be a "blacklist" which could be applied to players or clubs who operated in a way that compromised the "respectability" of the game. Fixing games - which had been rampant in the Association - would be a thing of the past (in theory at least), as would drunkeness and rowdy behavior.

7) No alcohol would be sold at games, and no games would be played on the Sabbath. Also, the umpires would be hired and assigned by the league, not the clubs.

8) The basic admission price would be 50 cents and a fixed percentage would go to the visiting club. An honest accounting would be kept.

Though the easterners were stinging from the defections of several of their best players, and angry with Harrell for instigating this, they also saw the writing on the wall. The Association was chaotic and unstable, what Harrell was proposing seemingly would be a vast improvement. So, putting personal prejudices aside, the eastern magnates agreed.

The National League was born.

[legendsport]

Originally Posted by CatKnight

Historically the Cuban League is founded in 1878 - you keep mentioning them when talking about Blanco and Villanueva. Are you going to "force" them to go home, or are you going to let nature take its course and see if the chance to play closer to their home towns appeals to them?

Well, I don't want to give anything away... but when the Cuban league does start up, *something* will happen.

[CatKnight]

Nothing much to add. That last interlude telling us about the birth of the NL was fascinating.

[legendsport]

The Base Ball Intelligencer, Troy, NY, April 10, 1876:

NATIONAL CENTENNIAL MARKED BY NEW BASE BALL CIRCUITS

In this, the 100th anniversary of the birth of our nation, not one but two base ball loops have been birthed. And a third has been born in the nation to the north, as the Canadian's have launched their own professional loop. The biggest of the new circuits is the National League, a phoenix risen from the ashes of the National Association, with fully six of its eight constituent clubs having been 1875 members of that old NA.

The New York State Association, a regional loop consisting of - you guessed it - clubs located within our very own state of New York, has also turned professional. And the Canadian Association, really more of an "Ontario" Association as all its clubs are located within that province, is also starting up this season.

The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs marks a departure from the National Association, which was a congress of professional players and not clubs. Benjamin H. Harrell, the de facto president of the NL, makes it a point to be clear that the National League is a league of Clubs and that those clubs are subservient to the league itself. Be that as it may, the NL is comprised of the following clubs:

Red Stockings of Boston - Last season's World's Titlists move into the NL somewhat weaker than that with which they finished 1875. Bloop Biron has moved into the starting pitcher role vacated by the defection of Walker Rhoades, who moved over to Chicago. But Rube Pitman, Rit Withers and John Mahoney remain with the Red Stockings, and they will be a force to contend with once again.

BLOOP BIRON

WHITE STOCKING CLUB OF CHICAGO - The man behind the National League, Ben Harrell, is also the man behind the White Stockings, and this club is probably the premier club in the new loop. With Walker Rhoades, Clifford Campbell and Geoffrey Jahn moving over to Chicago to join such stalwarts as Ken Swacina, Zane Guenther and Klu Dolce, this is the Club to beat in 1876.

KLU DOLCE

RED LEGS OF CINCINNATI - The Cincinnati Red Legs, one of the west's foremost amateur clubs of recent seasons, has made the jump into the new National League and signed some established professionals to help ensure success. Among the intriguing players signed to Cincinnati are venerable hurler Bunker Theobald, whose Brooklyn Atlantic club was left on the outs by the NL, and Emil Tsamis, whose St. Louis Red Stocking club was likewise abandoned. With little else to offer, it might be a long season for the Red Legs.

EMIL TSAMIS

DARK BLUES OF HARTFORD - This is a club which defies all explanation. A city too small to meet Harrell's recommended (and agreed upon) population qualification of 75,000, nevertheless Hartford is among the elite eight of the new circuit. This is likely due to a powerful friendship between Hartford owner Winston Jewett and Jasper Pitman, who has become the power behind the Boston Red Stockings now that Ernie Beall has left Boston for a lead role in the New York State Association. Not that Hartford is bereft of talent, but the odds of them winning the world's title are long indeed. Their top player, Hubert Janssen, is surrounded by mediocrities.

Hubert Janssen

GRAYS OF LOUISVILLE - Louisville has joined Cincinnati in stepping forward to balance East and West within the National League. Unlike the Red Legs, however, the Grays possess the talent to make a difference in the new loop. Orrin Ratley, the young and talented former pitcher of the Centennial club in Philadelphia, will head up a solid array of players. The top batsman of the club should prove out to be former Red Stocking Ethan Marcello, who will hold down second base and be the lineup's linchpin.

ETHAN MARCELLO

MUTUAL OF NEW YORK - The nation's largest city will once again field one of the nation's top base ball clubs. Mutual retains the hoary presence of Andy Sanford in the pitching box, and it is around Sanford that the New Yorkers will rally. The lineup is changed from recent seasons, but has proven sluggers in Marty Lipton and Logan Bathe with ample support from Dan Brown, Berry Bond and George Hooper.

LOGAN BATHE

ATHLETIC OF PHILADELPHIA - The third in the eastern triumvirate of base ball powers, Athletic is once again fit to challenge for supremacy. Aleck Mason, Bret Bloom, Ken Campbell and Lawrence Owen are among the game's best batsmen and the Athletics should score more than their fair share of runs. The weak link, should there be one, may well turn out to be pitcher Bob Singer who replaces Rick Brezeale as the club's top hurler, though Brezeale is on hand to step back in. Neither inspires much confidence.

ALECK MASON

BROWN STOCKING CLUB OF ST. LOUIS - The Brown Stockings were key ot the formation of the National League. Unfortunately, the club is not as talented as co-conspirator Chicago, and they will likely suffer through a long and unsuccessful season. Young Fred Morton is the club's top player, but the adjective "young" is the key when describing Morton. He is not yet ready to be the core player for his club.

FRED MORTON

NORTH OF THE BORDER: CANADA JOINS BASE BALL BROTHERHOOD

The brainchild of a group of Ontario businessmen, the Canadian Association will begin operations in just a scant few weeks. With five constituent clubs, the CA hopes to prove that base ball can succeed as a going business concern north of the border as well as south of the border in the United States. All of the teams will operate within the borders of the province of Ontario. They are the Tecumseh Club of London, the St. Lawrences of Kingston, the Maple Leaf Club of Guelph, the Toronto Clipper Club, and the Standard Club of Hamilton.

Among the top players to head north are Alamazoo Pons (formerly of Atlantic) who will play third base for Guelph, Rabbit Mulville (formerly of New Haven) who will toil in Toronto, and interestingly - former large disappointment for the old Canary Club of Baltimore, Mike Feldbush, who has come out of retirement to play short stop for Kingston.

MIKE FELDBUSH

NEW YORK STATE ASSOCIATION BEGINS OPERATION

Though Troy - sadly - has not elected to field a club, the New York State Association has generated a great deal of excitement for its inaugural campaign, set to begin later this month. With clubs in Auburn, Binghamton, Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, the NYSA is not short on talent. Many of the players left unemployed by the demise of the National Association have signed contracts to play in New York State. Of the five clubs however, Syracuse has signed the best talent of all - and that by a wide margin. The Cuban duo who performed to such heights in the NA have signed on with Syracuse. With Blanco pitching and Villanueva fielding, the Star club will be tough to score upon. As if that weren't enough, Syracuse also has contracted Frank Coolbaugh and Grant Conley, and has a young talent by the name of Frank McGrath as well.

CAVETANO BLANCO

[LFC1892]

....still reading!

[Brife71]

This is great..I will be following it. However I have a question. How do you get a league to have an odd number of teams in it? Every time I tried it will not let me.

[legendsport]

Originally Posted by Brife71

This is great..I will be following it. However I have a question. How do you get a league to have an odd number of teams in it? Every time I tried it will not let me.

It's true that you can't start a league with an odd number of teams, but what you can do is add or subtract a team after creating the league to get an odd number. The schedule creator will give you a funky schedule because it doesn't handle an odd number of teams very well. I edit all the schedules by hand anyway, but that's an extra step you'll need to keep in mind unless you're okay with teams not playing a full number of games or the same number of games against all opponents.

[legendsport]

The Base Ball Intelligencer, Troy, NY, June 2, 1876:

WHITE STOCKING ASSERTS SUPREMACY

The Chicago White Stocking Club, rebuilt over the winter by Benjamin Harrell with an eye towards dominating the newly formed National League of Base Ball Clubs, is doing just that: dominating. The club finished May with a 14-2 record in league play and boasting both the league's top hitter - Clifford Campbell - and top pitcher - Walker Rhoades. Last year's titlists in Boston? They're barely causing a ripple among the league's member clubs, with a mere six victories in sixteen contests. Mutual of New York is also struggling, winning just five of fifteen contests. The east is well represented by the other two eastern clubs as both Hartford (11-3) and Philadelphia (11-5) are performing well.

Team				W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Chicago White Stockings		14	2	.875	-	11-5	3	6-0	8-2	0-0	4-1	54	W1	8-2
Hartford Dark Blues		11	3	.786	2.0	8-6	3	6-2	5-1	1-0	5-1		W2	7-3
Philadelphia Athletics		11	5	.688	3.0	11-5	0	7-4	4-1	0-0	2-4		W1	6-4
Louisville Grays		8	9	.471	6.5	9-8	-1	3-3	5-6	0-0	2-1		L1	3-7
Boston Red Stockings		6	10	.375	8.0	6-10	0	6-4	0-6	0-1	2-2		L1	6-4
New York Mutuals		5	10	.333	8.5	7-8	-2	4-6	1-4	1-0	1-2		W1	4-6
St. Louis Brown Stockings	5	11	.313	9.0	7-9	-2	2-4	3-7	1-0	1-4		L1	4-6
Cincinnati Reds			3	13	.188	11.0	4-12	-1	1-5	2-8	0-2	1-3		L5	2-8

STAR CLUB OF SYRACUSE IS TOPS IN NEW YORK STATE ASSOC.
With Cavetano Blanco leading the way, Syracuse has won seven of the club's first eight games in the New York State Association. Blanco has a 1.90 earned run average and has allowed only 51 hits in 71 frames. Keystone player Bradly Shandley is finding life in the NYSA to his liking. A year ago in Washington, Shandley managed a mere .202 batting average. This season, he has a .500 batting average through the Star Club's first eight games. Arturo Villanueva (.424) is also one of the top batters in the loop, while continuing to play the famed defense which made him a National Association stalwart for several seasons.

Team			W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Syracuse Stars		7	1	.875	-	6-2	1	4-0	3-1	0-0	1-0	39	W4	7-1
Buffalo Bisons		5	3	.625	2.0	4-4	1	3-1	2-2	1-1	0-0		L2	5-3
Binghamton Crickets	4	4	.500	3.0	4-4	0	2-2	2-2	0-0	2-0		W1	4-4
Auburn Franklins	2	6	.250	5.0	2-6	0	1-3	1-3	0-1	0-0		W1	2-6
Rochester Flour Citys	2	6	.250	5.0	3-5	-1	1-3	1-3	1-0	0-3		L2	2-6

CANADIAN LOOP BEGINS PLAY

The Canadian Association has begun its modest schedule for 1876. The loop's schedule calls for a mere 16 games for each of its five constituent clubs, allowing plenty of room for that bread-and-butter of the professional base baller - exhibitions against local amateurs. Thus far, with a handful of games played, it appears that the Tecumseh club is strong, winning three of four matches.

Team			W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
London Tecumsehs	3	1	.750	-	2-2	1	3-0	0-1	0-0	1-1	12	W2	3-1
Kingston St. Lawrences	3	2	.600	.5	3-2	0	1-1	2-1	0-1	1-1		L2	3-2
Toronto Clippers	2	2	.500	1.0	2-2	0	2-0	0-2	1-0	1-1		W1	2-2
Guelph Maple Leafs	2	3	.400	1.5	2-3	0	1-1	1-2	1-1	2-2		W1	2-3
Hamilton Standards	1	3	.250	2.0	1-3	0	1-1	0-2	0-0	1-1		L1	1-3

[legendsport]

The Base Ball Intelligencer, Troy, NY, August 3, 1876:

AS TEMPERATURES RISE, SO DO DARK BLUES

The Hartford Dark Blues, a club nearly wiped out of existence at the formation of the National League this past winter, now stands atop the circuit ahead of such worthys as the Stockings (Red, White and Brown) and both Mutual and Athletic. How did such a thing come to pass? Certainly the superb stick of Taylor Pollock has been a key ingredient in the Hartford club's recipe of success. The 24-year-old Pollock is hitting a robust .353 (after a .299 percentage in his inauguaral season a year ago) and Steven Assenmacher is contributing a .348 mark. And young Rick Barney has supplanted Cannonball Hebron as the Dark Blue Club's hurler of choice - and his 2.61 earned run average proves that was a wise decision.

TAYLOR POLLOCK

Only a fool would count out the White Stockings, however. Four other clubs (Mutual, Athletic, Red Stocking and Gray) are clumped in the middle of the league's table, while the Brown Stockings and Red Legs are essentially out of the race for the title.

Team				W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Hartford Dark Blues		27	9	.750	-	24-12	3	11-5	16-4	2-1	8-2	30	W5	9-1
Chicago White Stockings		28	14	.667	2.0	24-18	4	18-6	10-8	1-1	12-3		W5	7-3
Philadelphia Athletics		21	17	.553	7.0	24-14	-3	13-8	8-9	0-2	3-11		L1	4-6
New York Mutuals		21	19	.525	8.0	22-18	-1	12-8	9-11	1-0	6-7		W3	6-4
Boston Red Stockings		21	20	.512	8.5	22-19	-1	12-9	9-11	0-1	4-7		L5	2-8
Louisville Grays		22	23	.489	9.5	23-22	-1	11-9	11-14	1-0	6-4		W2	6-4
St. Louis Brown Stockings	15	26	.366	14.5	18-23	-3	9-14	6-12	3-1	4-8		L2	4-6
Cincinnati Reds			7	34	.171	22.5	8-33	-1	3-14	4-20	0-2	3-4		L5	2-8

CANADIAN ASSOCIATION CLOSE KNIT GROUP

The standings table of the Canadian Association shows how tightly grouped the talent in the new circuit really is. Tecumseh (London) continues to head the victory tabulations, but by the barest of margins, keeping the loop's championship very much in question.

Team			W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
London Tecumsehs	8	5	.615	-	7-6	1	4-3	4-2	1-1	3-2	3	L3	6-4
Kingston St. Lawrences	7	6	.538	1.0	7-6	0	3-3	4-3	0-2	3-2		W1	4-6
Toronto Clippers	6	6	.500	1.5	6-6	0	5-1	1-5	2-0	2-2		W2	5-5
Guelph Maple Leafs	6	7	.462	2.0	7-6	-1	3-3	3-4	1-1	3-4		L1	5-5
Hamilton Standards	5	8	.385	3.0	6-7	-1	3-4	2-4	0-0	1-2		W1	4-6

STAR OF SYRACUSE NEW YORK'S BRIGHTEST LIGHT

The Star Club of Syracuse is dominating the New York State Association in this inaugural campaign. With sixteen victories against a mere two losses, the Star Club is in firm control of the NYSA's championship race. Buffalo and Binghamton are the only clubs to have dented the Syracuse nine's armor. Among the other four clubs, only Binghamton has garned more victories than losses.

Team			W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Syracuse Stars		16	2	.889	-	14-4	2	9-0	7-2	2-0	3-1	25	W9	9-1
Binghamton Crickets	10	8	.556	6.0	11-7	-1	6-3	4-5	0-2	3-1		L3	6-4
Buffalo Bisons		9	9	.500	7.0	7-11	2	7-3	2-6	2-1	3-1		W2	4-6
Rochester Flour Citys	6	11	.353	9.5	8-9	-2	4-4	2-7	1-0	0-5		L1	4-6
Auburn Franklins	4	15	.211	12.5	5-14	-1	3-6	1-9	0-2	1-2		L2	2-8

[legendsport]

The Base Ball Intelligencer, Troy, NY, October 30, 1876:

DARK BLUE IS COLOR OF CHAMPIONS

The Hartford Club laid claim to the World's Championship with 47 victories this season in the National League, six more than the Chicago White Stocking Club could muster. Controversy was sparked however when Mutual and Athletic both elected not to take their final trips west. Both clubs, realizing they could not surpass the victory total of Hartford, declined to travel citing the cost of the trip. As this violated one of the basic tenets of the agreement which formed the National League, this caused consternation among the other member Clubs and drew the ire of de factor league president Benjamin Harrell. It remains to be seen whether anything will come of this, however.

Team				W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	Streak	Last10
Hartford Dark Blues		47	22	.681	-	46-23	1	21-11	26-11	3-3	12-8	L1	7-3
Chicago White Stockings		41	25	.621	4.5	39-27	2	23-8	18-17	2-2	13-5	W1	6-4
Philadelphia Athletics		33	27	.550	9.5	37-23	-4	24-11	9-16	1-2	6-16	W1	8-2
New York Mutuals		31	26	.544	10.0	32-25	-1	21-12	10-14	4-1	11-10	W2	8-2
Louisville Grays		36	33	.522	11.0	39-30	-3	19-14	17-19	1-2	7-7	W1	5-5
Boston Red Stockings		33	37	.471	14.5	30-40	3	18-18	15-19	0-3	10-9	W1	3-7
St. Louis Brown Stockings	24	40	.375	20.5	28-36	-4	13-17	11-23	4-1	7-12	W2	5-5
Cincinnati Reds			15	50	.231	30.0	14-51	1	9-21	6-29	1-2	6-5	L4	2-8

CAMPBELL COPS BAT AWARD... AGAIN

Clifford 'Scot' Campbell has once again taken the crown as the league's top batter. Campbell won the Bat Award for the last season of the National Association and has now won the Bat Award for the first season of the National League. His batting average of .406 was the best in the circuit, and he also led the loop in triples with 14 and in four baggers with 6. He was third in driving home runs, his 67 a mere three behind Hartford's Steven Assenmacher.

CLIFFORD CAMPBELL

NO ONE CHUCKS 'EM LIKE RATLEY

Orrin Ratley of the Louisville club has earned the kudos of the base ball world by being named the Top Pitcher for 1876. Ratley won 36 games against 29 losses, with the win total being tops in the loop. His earned run average was 2.99, good for third overall and his strikeout total of 269 was 120 more than his nearest competitor.

ORRIN RATLEY

LONDON, KINGSTON SHARE CANADIAN TITLE

In the short championship season of the Canadian Association, it all ended with both London and Kingston notching eight victories. Tecumseh (London) had five losses, while Kingston had six, so London has a bare edge in that regard. Calling the season a success, the backers of the CA are promising an elongated schedule for 1877.

Team			W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	Streak	Last10
London Tecumsehs	8	5	.615	-	7-6	1	4-3	4-2	1-1	3-2	L3	6-4
Kingston St. Lawrences	8	6	.571	.5	7-7	1	4-3	4-3	0-2	4-2	W2	5-5
Toronto Clippers	7	7	.500	1.5	7-7	0	5-1	2-6	2-0	2-3	L1	5-5
Guelph Maple Leafs	6	8	.429	2.5	8-6	-2	3-4	3-4	1-1	3-4	L2	5-5
Hamilton Standards	5	8	.385	3.0	6-7	-1	3-4	2-4	0-0	1-2	W1	4-6

NA VET PONS IS TOP BAT

Alamazoo Pons took his strange name and steady bat north of the border this past winter, electing to sign a contract with the Guelph club of the Canadian Association. A veteran of all five National Association campaigns, the third baseman was the best of the bunch in Canada this season, posting a .371 batting average to lead the loop. The question now becomes whether Pons will remain in Canada or take his bat to the National League. Another former NA player, Bob Persons (formerly of Elm City club) took the pitching award for his performance this season with Tecumseh.

ALAMAZOO PONS

STAR RISES OVER NYSA

The Star Club of Syracuse copped thirty victories against eight losses this season to top the New York State Association to the surprise of no one. The Syracuse club spent lavishly in the winter to build the top club of the NYSA, so this result was expected. The surprise was the play of Binghamton, which won 24 of 38 contests and was consistently strong. Auburn on the other hand, aside from the surprisingly strong play of the league's lone non-Caucasian player in Solomon Cuffey, was dismal, winning 10 of 39 contests. Cuffey led the loop in four-baggers and would have a shot at playing in the National League were his skin of a less dusky hue.

Team			W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	Streak	Last10
Syracuse Stars		30	8	.789	-	29-9	1	15-4	15-4	2-1	4-4	W1	7-3
Binghamton Crickets	24	14	.632	6.0	23-15	1	13-6	11-8	2-2	8-2	W2	7-3
Buffalo Bisons		18	21	.462	12.5	17-22	1	12-8	6-13	2-1	5-4	W1	3-7
Rochester Flour Citys	14	24	.368	16.0	18-20	-4	7-11	7-13	2-1	2-9	L2	5-5
Auburn Franklins	10	29	.256	20.5	11-28	-1	5-15	5-14	0-3	3-3	L1	3-7

BLANCO & SHANDLEY: 'STARS' OF THE LOOP

In naming the top pitcher and batter of the 1876 New York State Association season, it is no surprise that both plied their trade for Star, the loop's most successful club. Cavetano Blanco, who proved during his years in the NA that he was an accomplished spinner of the pill, was named the top chucker for the 1876 NYSA campaign. Blanco led the league in victories (30), earned run average (2.13) and strikeouts (191), making him the unquestioned winner. The hitting award went to Bradly Shandley, who led the loop in batting average with a .397 mark - a vast improvement over the .202 he posted with National of Washington in the 1875 NA season.

CAVETANO BLANCO

[legendsport]

CLIFFORD 'SCOT' CAMPBELL

Campbell was outstanding again in 1876, following up his 1875 Batter of the Year award by winning it again, this time back in Chicago for the (National) League's White Stockings. Campbell hit a robust .406 as he continues to refine and perfect his swing. Now 26 years old, he looks like he'll hit his prime years with a finely-honed set of skills.

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
1873 Philadelphia - NA		23	52	202	60	6	0	2	23	37	31	0	1	8	24	10	.297	.389	.356	.745	14.9
1874 Philadelphia - NA		24	55	239	93	17	8	0	35	36	13	0	5	14	32	16	.389	.412	.527	.940	34.6
1875 Philadelphia - NA		25	70	287	107	16	9	6	52	68	23	3	5	9	44	20	.373	.418	.554	.972	44.2
1876 Chicago - MLB		26	66	310	126	17	14	6	67	87	16	3	7	6	44	11	.406	.432	.610	1.041	52.6
Total 				6 yrs.	221	911	308	46	18	9	127	167	78	5	12	48	116	52	.338	.389	.458	.846	99.6

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				
1873 Philadelphia - ML	3B	52	52	51	121	10	190	18	.905	467.0	3.31				
1873 Philadelphia - ML	SS	1	0	2	1	0	3	0	1.000	7.0	3.86				
1874 Philadelphia - ML	3B	55	55	59	132	7	219	28	.872	489.2	3.51				
1875 Philadelphia - ML	3B	67	67	55	175	11	270	40	.852	591.2	3.50				
1875 Philadelphia - ML	SS	3	3	3	5	1	8	0	1.000	27.0	2.67	
1876 Chicago - ML	3B	49	49	28	170	9	249	51	.795	436.0	4.09				
1876 Chicago - ML	SS	17	17	31	66	10	108	11	.898	144.0	6.06

WALKER 'BOOK' RHOADES

Rhoades packed his bags again and this time headed west for a lucrative deal with the White Stockings. Unfortunately no one could have foreseen that the Hartford club would arise as the League's best, which Chicago seemed ready to take by acclamation. None of that can be laid at Rhoades' feet however. He was superb again. At age 25 he is firmly entrenched as one of, if not THE, best pitchers in the game. He went 49-16 and posted a 2.22 ERA for the White Stockings. Scariest of all is the fact that he's probably not finished improving.

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
1873 Philadelphia - NA		22	45	45	27	15	0	1.73	396.0	355	139	76	0	34	173	40	6	0.98	.266	94.3
1874 Philadelphia - NA		23	58	58	29	28	0	2.50	496.0	528	228	138	3	44	189	52	4	1.15	.297	88.0
1875 Boston - NA		24	67	67	49	16	0	2.22	566.1	541	273	140	7	41	234	55	8	1.03	.269	116.2
1876 Chicago - MLB		25	61	61	34	20	0	3.09	493.0	611	388	169	7	57	130	38	0	1.35	.298	97.6
Total 			5 yrs.	192	192	114	69	0	2.22	1649.1	1646	741	407	11	131	605	165	18	1.08	.279	329.0

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				
1873 Philadelphia - ML	P	45	45	27	114	3	160	19	.881	396.0	3.20				
1874 Philadelphia - ML	P	58	58	30	136	6	189	23	.878	496.0	3.01				
1875 Boston - ML	P	67	67	40	156	2	232	36	.845	566.1	3.11			
1876 Chicago - ML	P	61	61	36	100	6	172	36	.791	493.0	2.48

CAVETANO BLANCO

With the White Stockings of Philadelphia left on the outside of the formation of the League, Blanco took his golden arm and entered the employ of the Star club of Syracuse, an organization with clear designs on entering the League itself. And Blanco did not disappoint as his pitching was as solid as ever with a 30-24 ledger and a solid 2.37 ERA. Should Syracuse join the NL, Blanco will fit right in with the League's top arms.

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
1873 Philadelphia - NA		23	50	50	35	15	0	1.95	458.0	375	157	99	4	76	340	50	11	0.98	.281	95.0
1874 Philadelphia - NA		24	52	52	25	24	0	3.71	451.1	505	256	186	7	141	192	48	2	1.43	.317	16.9
1875 Philadelphia - NA		25	55	55	30	24	0	2.37	460.1	439	232	121	7	148	270	43	3	1.28	.290	88.0
Total NA			4 yrs.	182	182	99	79	0	2.71	1587.1	1597	785	478	21	379	841	165	17	1.24	.300	223.8

Career Minor League Pitching Stats
Year/Team/League	Age	G	GS	W	L	SV	ERA	IP	HA	R	ER	HR	BB	K	CG	SHO	WHIP	BABIP	VORP
1876 Syracuse - AAA	26	37	37	30	7	0	2.13	329.1	289	140	78	7	52	191	35	3	1.04	.256	92.8
Total 		NYSA		37	37	30	7	0	2.13	329.1	289	140	78	7	52	191	35	3	1.04	.256	92.8

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				
1873 Philadelphia - ML	P	50	50	19	100	6	140	21	.850	458.0	2.34				
1874 Philadelphia - ML	P	52	52	31	105	0	156	20	.872	451.1	2.71				
1875 Philadelphia - ML	P	55	55	26	113	3	157	18	.885	460.1	2.72	
1876 Syracuse - AAA	P	37	37	19	47	1	90	24	.733	329.1	1.80

ARTURO VILLANUEVA

Villanueva and Blanco continued to be inseperable in 1876 as both signed with Syracuse of the New York State Association. Villanueva's progression from an all-field, no-hit player to all-around adept continued apace in 1876. He established a career-best in batting average at .342 and his fielding prowess was undiminished.

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
1873 Philadelphia - NA		23	52	209	51	10	8	0	10	32	8	9	2	9	4	1	.244	.298	.368	.667	8.0
1874 Philadelphia - NA		24	55	231	66	10	9	0	21	47	17	6	0	13	6	10	.286	.350	.407	.757	11.4
1875 Philadelphia - NA		25	70	309	84	15	7	1	24	59	14	3	2	6	17	12	.272	.308	.375	.683	5.5
Total NA			4 yrs.	202	847	228	39	24	1	68	150	41	19	6	28	29	26	.269	.315	.375	.691	23.7

Career Minor League 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
1876 Syracuse - AAA	26	38	161	55	6	5	4	35	38	13	4	6	2	11	2	.342	.391	.516	.907	17.2
Total 		NYSA		38	161	55	6	5	4	35	38	13	4	6	2	11	2	.342	.391	.516	.907	17.2

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				
1873 Philadelphia - ML	SS	52	52	69	152	21	234	13	.944	469.0	4.24				
1874 Philadelphia - ML	SS	55	55	85	187	23	287	15	.948	488.2	5.01				
1875 Philadelphia - ML	SS	67	67	93	235	36	356	28	.921	591.2	4.99				
1875 Philadelphia - ML	3B	3	3	1	9	1	12	2	.833	27.0	3.33
1876 Syracuse - AAA	SS	38	38	52	126	27	189	11	.942	341.2	4.69

MIKE 'HITMAN' FELDBUSH

After two seasons out of the game, Feldbush returned in 1876 to take a spot in the fledgling Canadian Association. He secured a spot at second base for Kingston a few games into the campaign and proved to have a useful bat, hitting .333 in ten games. It remains to be seen what will happen with the still young (he's 23) Feldbush and the 1877 season.

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
1873 Baltimore - NA	19	32	78	19	2	1	1	11	8	3	1	1	4	1	2	.244	.277	.333	.610	-0.3
1873 Baltimore - NA	19	32	78	19	2	1	1	11	8	3	1	1	4	1	2	.244	.277	.333	.610	-0.3
1873 Total - NA		19	64	156	38	4	2	2	22	16	6	2	2	8	2	4	.244	.277	.333	.610	-0.5
Total NA	1 yrs.	64	156	38	4	2	2	22	16	6	2	2	8	2	4	.244	.277	.333	.610	-0.5

Career Minor League 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
1876 Kingston - AAA	22	10	30	10	3	0	0	8	9	10	0	1	0	0	0	.333	.488	.433	.921	3.7
Total 		CA		10	30	10	3	0	0	8	9	10	0	1	0	0	0	.333	.488	.433	.921	3.7

Career Fielding Stats
Year/Team/League	POS	G	GS	PO	A	DP	TC	E	PCT	INN	RANGE	PB	RSTA	RTO	RTO%
1873 Baltimore - ML	2B	17	14	52	52	10	109	5	.954	124.0	7.55				
1873 Baltimore - ML	3B	8	6	5	20	2	31	6	.806	51.2	4.35				
1873 Baltimore - ML	P	1	0	0	1	0	2	1	.500	3.1	2.70				
1873 Baltimore - ML	2B	17	14	52	52	10	109	5	.954	124.0	7.55				
1873 Baltimore - ML	3B	8	6	5	20	2	31	6	.806	51.2	4.35				
1873 Baltimore - ML	P	1	0	0	1	0	2	1	.500	3.1	2.70				
1876 Kingston - AAA	2B	9	8	31	20	3	53	2	.962	76.0	6.04

JOHN MAHONEY

The defection of several players - most notably Walker Rhoades - left the Red Stockings with a disappointing number of victories this season, despite a superb season from third baseman John Mahoney. Mahoney saw his batting average rise nearly one hundred points as hit .343 and was 2nd in the NL in RBIs with 69. Teaming with shortstop Rube Pitman, Mahoney gives the Boston nine the League's top left-side infield.

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
1873 Baltimore - NA		18	37	125	41	4	1	0	11	17	6	3	0	16	0	0	.328	.373	.376	.749	8.8
1874 Baltimore - NA		19	47	199	64	8	2	1	40	30	13	2	1	14	0	0	.322	.367	.397	.764	10.5
1875 Boston - NA		20	82	317	78	16	4	1	55	54	50	2	8	18	2	8	.246	.345	.331	.676	-5.8
1876 Boston - MLB		21	70	280	96	32	5	2	69	49	34	3	7	14	1	0	.343	.410	.514	.925	28.1
Total NA 			4 yrs.	166	641	183	28	7	2	106	101	69	7	9	48	2	8	.285	.357	.360	.717	13.5
Total MLB			4 yrs.	70	280	96	32	5	2	69	49	34	3	7	14	1	0	.343	.410	.514	.925	28.1

Career Fielding Stats
Year/Team/League	POS	G	GS	PO	A	DP	TC	E	PCT	INN	RANGE	PB	RSTA	RTO	RTO%
1873 Baltimore - ML	3B	27	27	13	83	5	109	13	.881	222.0	3.89				
1873 Baltimore - ML	SS	4	2	9	7	3	18	2	.889	28.0	5.14				
1873 Baltimore - ML	1B	6	4	50	3	6	56	3	.946	36.0	13.25				
1873 Baltimore - ML	P	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	4.2	0.00				
1874 Baltimore - ML	3B	47	47	37	142	8	201	22	.891	419.1	3.84				
1875 Boston - ML	3B	82	82	60	233	9	340	47	.862	730.0	3.61			
1876 Boston - ML	3B	70	70	60	212	11	318	46	.855	610.1	4.01

JIM MCGREGOR

Buried behind a ton of more finished talent in Chicago, McGregor failed to play at all in 1876 and rumors abound that the disgruntled 19-year-old may head for Canada to garner some much desired playing time.

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
1874 Chicago - NA		17	10	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	-0.7
1875 Chicago - NA		18	26	20	5	2	0	0	7	4	2	0	2	4	0	0	.250	.292	.350	.642	-0.0
Total NA			2 yrs.	36	22	5	2	0	0	8	4	2	0	3	4	0	0	.227	.259	.318	.577	-0.7

Career Fielding Stats
Year/Team/League	POS	G	GS	PO	A	DP	TC	E	PCT	INN	RANGE	PB	RSTA	RTO	RTO%
1874 Chicago - ML	3B	4	0	1	2	0	3	0	1.000	4.0	6.75				
1874 Chicago - ML	1B	4	0	1	1	1	2	0	1.000	6.0	3.00				
1874 Chicago - ML	CF	1	0	0	0	0	2	2	.000	1.2	0.00				
1874 Chicago - ML	2B	1	0	0	1	0	1	0	1.000	1.1	6.75				
1875 Chicago - ML	2B	11	1	3	4	0	7	0	1.000	23.1	2.70				
1875 Chicago - ML	SS	3	0	2	1	0	3	0	1.000	6.2	4.05				
1875 Chicago - ML	3B	4	0	1	2	0	3	0	1.000	4.2	5.79				
1875 Chicago - ML	1B	2	2	11	1	0	12	0	1.000	15.0	7.20

FRED MORTON

At just 20 years of age Fred Morton established his bona fides in 1876. Already considered to be the best player on the St. Louis Brown Stocking roster, Morton's name is now bruited about with the likes of Clifford Campbell and Rube Pitman as one of the game's best. This comes as a result of his .393 batting average, 18 triples and 64 RBIs. It is frightening to think that there is still room for improvement in Morton's game with the conclusion that he could end up being one of the game's immortals.

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
1875 St. Louis - NA		19	19	76	23	4	2	0	3	10	7	0	0	11	9	3	.303	.361	.408	.769	5.4
1876 St. Louis - MLB		20	64	290	114	20	18	3	64	78	17	1	6	13	31	11	.393	.420	.617	1.038	48.6
Total NA			2 yrs.	19	76	23	4	2	0	3	10	7	0	0	11	9	3	.303	.361	.408	.769	5.4
Total MLB			2 yrs.	64	290	114	20	18	3	64	78	17	1	6	13	31	11	.393	.420	.617	1.038	48.6

Career Fielding Stats
Year/Team/League	POS	G	GS	PO	A	DP	TC	E	PCT	INN	RANGE	PB	RSTA	RTO	RTO%
1875 St. Louis - ML	LF	19	19	49	2	0	55	4	.927	169.0	2.72
1876 St. Louis - ML	CF	64	64	211	5	1	222	6	.973	566.1	3.43

MAHON O'FAOLAN

The 17-year-old two-way phenom Mahon O'Faolan made just a couple of appearances for the top Canadian club Tecumseh. He failed to impress with results, but the talent is there and a larger role looms for him in 1877.

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

Career Minor League Pitching Stats
Year/Team/League	Age	G	GS	W	L	SV	ERA	IP	HA	R	ER	HR	BB	K	CG	SHO	WHIP	BABIP	VORP
1876 London - AAA	17	2	0	0	1	0	4.91	3.2	8	10	2	0	1	1	0	0	2.45	.364	-0.1
Total CA			2	0	0	1	0	4.91	3.2	8	10	2	0	1	1	0	0	2.45	.364	-0.1

Career Fielding Stats
Year/Team/League	POS	G	GS	PO	A	DP	TC	E	PCT	INN	RANGE	PB	RSTA	RTO	RTO%
1876 London - AAA	P	2	0	0	2	0	3	1	.667	3.2	4.91

FRANK MCGRATH

19-year-old Frank McGrath signed on with the Star club in the NYSA and quickly proved that he is a player to watch. McGrath recorded a solid .313 average while playing in all of the Star club's games in centerfield. He had a five-hit game against Auburn perhaps a harbinger of things to come.

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

Career Minor League 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
1876 Syracuse - AAA	19	38	182	57	6	3	2	40	32	8	1	2	15	11	4	.313	.342	.412	.754	10.4
Total NYSA			38	182	57	6	3	2	40	32	8	1	2	15	11	4	.313	.342	.412	.754	10.4

Career Fielding Stats
Year/Team/League	POS	G	GS	PO	A	DP	TC	E	PCT	INN	RANGE	PB	RSTA	RTO	RTO%
1876 Syracuse - AAA	CF	38	38	104	1	1	111	6	.946	337.2	2.80

SOLOMON CUFFEY

The first African-American player to play professionally, Cuffey had a decent year for the NYSA's weakest club, the Auburn Franklins. He hit just .252 but led the loop in home runs with 5 and showed a strong arm behind the plate. Should he be given a chance, he could prove to be a dependable, workmanlike player.

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

Career Minor League 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
1876 Auburn - AAA	19	39	163	41	2	1	5	26	30	18	0	0	9	0	2	.252	.326	.368	.694	6.1
Total NYSA			39	163	41	2	1	5	26	30	18	0	0	9	0	2	.252	.326	.368	.694	6.1

Career Fielding Stats
Year/Team/League	POS	G	GS	PO	A	DP	TC	E	PCT	INN	RANGE	PB	RSTA	RTO	RTO%
1876 Auburn - AAA	C	39	39	96	14	1	117	7	.940	341.0	2.90	2	16	6	37.5