The National Baseball League - An online historical dynasty

[Tiger Fan]

National Baseball League - A Tiger Fan multi-sport historical dynasty

Welcome to my latest multi-sport historical dynasty. Like others I have done in the past this dynasty will be told in newspaper-style and will cover most of the major North American sports.

NEW ONLINE LEAGUE WILL BE THE SOURCE OF BASEBALL REPLAY
However, the big difference from my previous dynasty's is the baseball game will not be simmed as a solo league. Instead the primary focus of this dynasty report will be on the National Baseball League - the newest online league from the creators of the MBBA.

Ideally, many of the team owners in this league will get involved in the dynasty by providing 'local' angle articles on their teams to go with the national sports coverage I will provide. Hopefully those not involved in the league will also find this an interesting read as we recreate North American sports history beginning in 1919.

If you want to be part of the online league fun you can find more information in this thread:
National Baseball League (historical 1919)


The National Baseball League will be front and center in this dynasty but we will also chronicle the other major sports of the era. I will solo sim out the other sports using a number of different games including:

College Football - using Bowl Bound College Football from Grey Dog
National Football League - beginning in 1950 using Second and Ten
Hockey - Using APBA cpu hockey
Boxing - using TBCB2
Golf - using Total Pro Golf2 from Wolverine Studios when released
College Basketball - using Total College Basketball from Wolverine Studios
Pro Basketball - using DDS: Pro Basketball from Wolverine Studios
Horse Racing - using a dice game called Down The Stretch
Indy 500 - using Thomas Mink's Indy500 DOS game
Nascar - beginning in 1949 using Mink's Nascar DOS game


Babe Ruth is certainly ready to take the sporting world by storm but he is not the only big star you will read about in these pages. Get ready for Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis, Walter Hagen and Ben Hogan, Howie Morenz and Gordie Howe. The Rose Bowl and the Run for the Roses will also get plenty of coverage.

Let's drift back in time. It is January 1st, 1919 and the top story is........

[Tiger Fan]

THURSDAY JANUARY 2, 1919
STANFORD BEATS MICHIGAN IN THE ROSE BOWL
The Stanford football squad scored 12 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to rally past Michigan 29-20 in The Rose Bowl. The victory completed an 11-1 campaign for the Cardinal and earned the school it's first National Championship. Michigan, which had led 10-0 at the end of the first quarter, finishes the season with a 10-2 record.

In other New Year's Day Bowl action LSU topped Missouri 29-23 in the Orange Bowl, Ohio State nipped Notre Dame 22-21 in the Fiesta Bowl and Ole Miss downed Kansas State 27-17 in the Sugar Bowl.

FINAL 1918 COACHES POLL RANKINGS
1- Stanford 11-1
2- Ohio State 11-1
3- UTEP 11-1
4- Ole Miss 10-2
5- Missouri 11-1
6- Georgia 9-3
7- LSU 10-2
8- Colorado 10-2
9- Michigan 10-2
10- USC 8-3

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS BY YEAR
1911 Tennessee	
1912 Auburn	
1913 Notre Dame
1914 Texas	
1915 Harvard	
1916 Colorado
1917 Tennessee	
1918 Stanford

THURSDAY JANUARY 16, 1919
WHITE SOX HAVE HIGHEST PAYROLL IN MAJORS
SPECIAL REPORT FROM RING LARDNER
Chicago White Sox owner Charles Comiskey, for years known as the most frugal owner in the major leagues, actually has the highest payroll in the major leaguers. The White Sox are committed to pay their players $508,583 for the upcoming season including a team high $97,000 to infielder Eddie Collins.

The Cleveland Indians are second in the league with a payroll of just over $466,000. At the other end of the spectrum sit the Philadelphia Athletics with a payroll of just $218,036.

Collins is not the highest paid player in the league, in fact he sits ninth on the list. The top salary belongs to none other than Cardinals star infielder Rogers Hornsby at $114,681.

Here are the top 15 paid players in the major leagues:
Rank Player Team 		Salary   
1 Rogers Hornsby St. Louis (N) 	$114,681   
2 Edd Roush Cincinnati 		$113,537   
3 Bobby Veach Detroit		$112,496   
4 Ty Cobb Detroit 		$111,941   
5 Gavvy Cravath Philadelphia(N) $104,843   
6 George Sisler St. Louis (A) 	$103,183   
7 Walter Johnson Washington 	$100,807   
8 Heinie Groh Cincinnati 	 $98,570   
9 Eddie Collins Chicago (A) 	 $97,000   
10 Tris Speaker Cleveland	 $95,849   
11 Babe Ruth Boston (A)		 $94,860   
12 Hippo Vaughn Chicago (N)	 $89,372   
13 Jack Tobin St. Louis (A)	 $86,331   
14 Max Carey Pittsburgh		 $84,905   
15 Harry Hooper Boston (A)	 $81,570

Many were shocked to hear that Comiskey had such a high payroll including his star pitcher Eddie Cicotte. "The old man must not have known what other owners were paying their players when he agreed to all the new deals this winter. Heck, he used to make us pay to launder our own uniforms. Hopefully, that will change this season as well."

Editors note: Some sources say it was the inevitably filthy uniforms that actually led to the team being known as the "Black Sox", the nickname existed well before the real life gambling scandal.

Cicotte had some rare praise for Comiskey. "I do have to give him credit. He has been quite generous this off-season. I think Branch Rickey must have something to do with that though."

League salary information is being made public for the first time as part of new Commissioner Branch Rickey's plan to rid baseball of gamblers. Rickey's thinking was that making salaries public would force the owners to pay their players on par with other teams in the league and hopefully be generous enough to remove the temptation for the players to hook-up with gambling rings.







THURSDAY JANUARY 23, 1919
HEAVYWEIGHT FIGHT OF THE CENTURY PITS WILLS AGAINST DEMPSEY
Any boxing fan worth his salt has had January 31st marked on his calendar ever since it was announced that a pair of unbeaten pugilists would meet in what many say could be the greatest fight of all time.

Harry Wills has held the World Heavyweight Title for more than 2 years but he will face by far his biggest test a week from Friday when he puts his belt on the line against Jack Dempsey. The 23 year old challenger has been a rising force in the boxing scene and sports a perfect 29-0 record with 18 knockouts as a professional.

Wills has been a force throughout his professional career as well, going 39-0 since his pro debut in 1911. Wills scored an unanimous decision over Joe Jeannette in August 1916 to win the title and has made 9 successful defenses since then.

In real life Wills was a victim of the color line and never got a World Heavyweight title shot despite being considered the number one challenger for the throne for much of his 20 year career. Wills spent six years (1920-1926) trying to land a title fight with Jack Dempsey. Dempsey was willing to fight Wills and contracts for the bout were signed by both fighters. The fight, however, never took place, and Dempsey forfeited the $50,000.00 guarantee he posted for the match. Instead, Dempsey met Gene Tunney, and was outpointed by the ex-marine. The Dempsey-Tunney match was held in Philadelphia, as the bout could not be held in New York, due to litigation filed by Wills over Dempsey's breach of contract. Dempsey, known as 'The Manassa Mauler', held the World title between 1919 and 1926.

UPCOMING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTS
Feb 10, 1919 Lightweight champ Benny Leonard (23-0) defends his title against Willie Beecher(36-10-4)
Feb 17, 1919 Welterweight champ Art Magirl (33-7-2) defends his crown against Mysterious Billy Smith (51-6-1)
Feb 25, 1919 Philadelphia Jack O'Brien (52-8-5) and Bob Sweeney (56-4) meet for vacant World Lightheavyweight Title
Feb 25, 1919 Middleweight champ Johnny Wilson (37-2) defends his title against Les Darcy (40-4-2)

HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE HISTORY
1901-1902  Peter Jackson 	(3 defenses)
1902-1910  Jack Johnson 	(21 defenses)
1910-1910  Joe Jeannette 	(1 defense)
1910-1911  Sam Langford 	(2 defenses)
1911-1912  Jack Johnson 	(3 defenses)
1912-1912  Peter Jackson 	(2 defenses then retired)
1913-1915  Jack Johnson         (6 defenses)
1915       Jeff Clark		 (lost in first defense)
1915-1916  Joe Jeannette	(3 defenses)
1916-pres  Harry Wills		(9 defenses)

[Tiger Fan]

FEBRUARY 1, 1919
DEMPSEY OUTPOINTS WILLS FOR HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE
Jack Dempsey dominated the ring at Madison Square Garden as he scored an easy unanimous decision victory over Harry Wills to claim the World Heavyweight Title. Both fighters entered the bout having never lost as a professional. The 23 year old Dempsey improves to 30-0 while Wills drops to 39-1 and loses the title he had held since 1916.

The bout started slowly as each fighter was cautious in the opening round. Dempsey stunned Wills with an uppercut in the second to win that round and he also dominated the third. Wills recovered to win the fourth and fifth rounds but after a fairly even 6th the challenger went to work in the seventh. It was the most lobsided round of the bout as Dempsey scored several huge blows that would surely have floored a lesser man than Wills.

It was the seveth round that turned the bout into a rout. Wills was clearly hurting following the pounding he took and the champ was unable to mount any sort of an attack the rest of the way. The next 6 rounds were all Dempsey as the challenger did everything except knock down Wills. With the outcome secure, Dempsey played it safe the final two rounds and earned an easy unanimous decision victory.

The judges scored the bout 147-137, 146-138 and 149-138 in favour of the new Heavyweight Champion of the World --- Jack Dempsey.

[Tiger Fan]

February 2, 1919
DOES THE PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE HAVE MAJOR ASPIRATIONS?
By Ring Lardner
While West Coast baseball has been very entertaining over the past decade it certainly pales in comparison to the quality of play offered by the big league clubs in the East. However, that may be changing as many believe the Pacific Coast League teams could one day be on par with the National Baseball League squads.

In fact, some higher ups within the PCL have privately expressed an interest of going head to head with the American and National Leagues although the recent failure of the Federal League has dampened the enthusiasm of many PCL bosses. With nowhere near the revenue sources to match the eastern clubs it is highly unlikely the PCL will ever have eight owners with deep enough pockets to mount a serious bid to become a third major league and, at least in this writer's opinion, that is not necessarily a bad thing. The Pacific Coast League boasts some very good ballplayers and if they can't be the best league in the nation there is nothing wrong with being the best league west of the Mississippi.

Speaking of PCL talent here is a team by team look at some of the better players under contract to the league:

LOS ANGELES ANGELS
Starting pitcher Jeff Tesreau has won 115 games in the major leagues and, at age 30, is among the best pitchers in the PCL. Outfielder Tim Hendryx and third baseman John Kelleher should lead the offense.

OAKLAND OAKS
The Oaks have the best collection of young talent in the league but will major league teams raid the squad before it has time to peak in Oakland? Infielder Sam Bohne, catcher Bubbles Hargrave and outfielder Hack Miller give the Oaks some offense but the pitching staff may be a huge problem.

PORTLAND BEAVERS
22 year old centerfielder Johnny Mostil has a huge upside. Beaver fans better enjoy watching Mostil while they can as it is a question of when, rather than if, the youngster will return to the major leagues. Mostil hit .273 in a 10 game tryout with his hometown White Sox last year.

SACRAMENTO SOLONS
After three seasons as a backup with the Detroit Tigers, 26 year old George Harper signed with the Solons so he could play every day. Many consider him to be the best pure-hitter in the PCL, although he batted just .220 in 160 career games with Detroit. Another player to watch is pitcher Chief Bender. The 34 year old was 212-127 in a 15 year major league career.

SALT LAKE CITY BEES
Corner infielders Jack Fournier and Runt Walsh will be the cornerstones of the Bees lineup. Both can hit and have plenty of major league experience. Dan Griner will likely be the number one starter although the Bees would love to see 32 year old Harry Covelski regain the form that saw him record 3-straight 20 victory seasons for the Detroit Tigers from 1914-16.

SAN FRANCISCO SEALS
Outfielders Windy Miller and Wilbur Good have plenty of major league experience. Bob Groom has won 119 major league games but may be no better than the 4th starter in this rotation. 24 year old Duster Mails is considered to be one of the best starters in the PCL while vets Ralph Comstock and Jimmy Lavender will also be counted on to shut down opposing hitters.

SEATTLE RAINIERS
25 year old Jesse Haines, who pitched 5 innings for the Reds last year, will be counted on heavily as the Rainiers do not appear to have a lot of offense. Veteran Vean Gregg should also be a reliable starter. 32 year old third baseman George Moriarty, a veteran of over 1000 major league games, should provide leadership.

VERNON TIGERS
The Tigers may be the best team in the PCL if a recent poll is any indication. Scribes in each of the 8 cities were asked to list the top 20 position players and the top 20 pitchers in the PCL. Vernon led all teams with 10 players (including 5 pitchers) on that list. Hey, any team that has Cliff Markle on the hill can't be all that bad.

The PCL season gets underway April 22nd.

[jtb]

Good to see a new dynasty from you Tigerfan. Do you have the PCL teams filled with mostly fictional players? And if so how do they rate in MLE?

[Tiger Fan]

Originally Posted by jtb

Good to see a new dynasty from you Tigerfan. Do you have the PCL teams filled with mostly fictional players? And if so how do they rate in MLE?

Thanks.
PCL teams are filled with real players that were unretired. Generally guys who retired in 1916-18 or did not play in 1919 but did play before and after that year.

[Recte44]

Good stuff on the PCL. Here's hoping Markle will be as good as in the HOB.

[Tiger Fan]

February 28, 1919
OTTAWA TO MEET MONTREAL FOR NHL TITLE
The second season of the National Hockey League came to a close this week with the Ottawa Senators dominating league play. Led by league scoring champion Frank Nighbor, the Sens won 14 of their 20 games during the regular season and will meet second place Montreal in a best of seven series to determine who will represent the league in the challenge for the Stanley Cup against the champion from the West.

FINAL1918-19 Standings	GP  W  L T Pts	GF  GA
Ottawa Senators		20 14  6 0 28	91  70
Montreal Canadiens	20  8 10 2 18	79  77
Toronto Arenas		20  6 12 2 14	61  84


REGULAR SEASON SCORING LEADERS
NAME		TM  GP   G  A PTS
Nighbor, Frank	OTT 20	19 25  44
Lalonde, Newsy	MON 20	22 21  43
Denneny, Cy	OTT 20	17 21  38
Cleghorn, Odie	MON 20	11 24  35
Darragh, Jack	OTT 20	13 17  30
Cameron, Harry	OTT 20	17 11  28
Pitre, Didier	MON 20	16 12  28
Denneny,Corbett TOA 20	11 14  25
Malone, Joe	MON 20	15 10  25
Randall, Ken	TOA 20	11 12  23

GOALTENDING
Name		Team	GP  GAA	   W  L	 T ShO
Benedict, Clint	OTT	20 3.41	  14  6	 0  0
Vezina, Georges	MON	20 3.82	   8 10	 2  0
Lindsay, Bert	TOA	19 4.12	   6 11	 2  0
Holmes, Harry	TOA	 1 5.08	   0  1	 0  0

February 28, 1919
BOXING ROUND UP
Here are the results from title fights in the first two months of 1919.

Feb 10 Lightweight champ Benny Leonard (24-0) scored an unanimous decision over journeyman Willie Beecher(36-11-4)

Feb 17, 1919 Welterweight champ Art Magirl (34-7-2) was successful in his second title defense since winning the title from Dixie Kid last July. Magirl was an easy winner by decision over Mysterious Billy Smith (51-7-1). It was the Canadian challenger's second title shot of his career.

Feb 25, 1919 27 year old Plymouth, Pa. native Bob Sweeney (57-4) claimed the vacant World Lightheavyweight title with an unanimous decision over Philadelphia Jack O'Brien (52-9-5). The title became vacant when Rough Thompson retired immediately after beating then champ Jack Dillon last April. Sweeney ko'd Kid Norfolk in October to earn the title shot.

Feb 25, 1919 Johnny Wilson (37-2-1) has been World Middleweight Champ since January of 1916 but he nearly lost the belt in fight with Australian Les Darcy (40-4-3). It was scored a majority draw but in Wilson's defense the American judge had the champ winning 146-141 while the other judge and the referee, both Australian, scored it 143-143. Wilson, who beat Darcy easily in 1917, has said he will not give the Australian a rematch.

[Tiger Fan]

MARCH 2, 1919
"I'LL HIT 40," CLAIMS RUTH
By Ring Lardner with quotes borrowed from The Sporting News
Boston Red Sox pitcher/outfielder Babe Ruth made that bold assertion as he reported to the club's Florida spring training complex. Despite going 13-7 with a 2.22 era for the World Champions a year ago, Ruth has told the Red Sox brass that he wants to play exclusively in the outfield this season.

"I hit 11 homers last year and that was playing only half the games and while concentrating on pitching. Let me play everyday this season and I'll hit 40 homers guaranteed," boasted Ruth.

Red Sox manager Johnny Hicks was quoted over the winter as saying he had some concerns about Ruth as a hitter. "While (Ruth) did some wonderful hitting last season," said Hicks, "it is a cinch that every pitcher in the league will be looking for his weakness at bat this season, and if he has a weakness they will be sure to find it, and every mother's son of them will pitch to it."

Hicks added "Every player has a weakness at bat, and while Babe is a natural, free hitter they are sure to get to his weakness sooner or later."

While Hicks has never said so officially, it is quite clear he would prefer to have Ruth continue as a pitcher and be available as a pinch-hitter. However, the final decision will rest with new General Manager Mike Lynch and most experts expect Lynch to tell Hicks that Ruth is an outfielder.

The Red Sox have some depth in the rotation led by Herb Pennock, Waite Hoyt and Sam Mays so Ruth's arm can be replaced. However, just like every other team in the league Boston does not have another player capable of hitting 30-plus homers. It is this writer's opinion that Ruth will break Ned Williamson's mark of 27 homeruns in a season by September 1st and he may just get the 40 he predicts.

**Note: Most comments and quotes in this article were copied from the actual April 10, 1919 issue of The Sporting News. I did change the names of the managers and executives involved to be consistant with the NBL Red Sox' brass.


MARCH 6, 1919
OTTAWA WINS NHL TITLE
SENATORS TO FACE SEATTLE FOR STANLEY CUP
After losing the opening game of the best-of-seven final, the Ottawa Senators roared back with 4 straight victories to win the National Hockey League playoffs over the Montreal Canadiens. The Senators will now make the long trip to the Pacific to face Western champion Seattle for the Stanley Cup.

In real life after winning the regular season crown the Senators dropped the playoff series in 5 games to Montreal. The Canadiens would face Seattle for the Stanley Cup but the series would be cancelled due to an influenza outbreak with each club having 2 victories.


OTTAWA- MONTREAL PLAYOFF RECAPS
GAME 1 - Montreal scores 3 times in the third period including Newsy Lalonde's powerplay marker with 1 minute remaining to give the Habs a 5-4 victory.

GAME 2 - After losing on home ice in the opener, the Senators rebound on the road with a 5-3 victory to even the series. Defenseman George 'Buck' Boucher, who scored just 3 goals all season, had 2 goals and an assist to lead Ottawa.

GAME 3 - Thanks to 3 unanswered third period goals Ottawa doubled Montreal 6-3. Harry Cameron led the way with 3 goals and an assist.

GAME 4 - Ottawa built a 5-0 lead after two periods and withstood a late Montreal rally to win 5-3 and take a 3 games to one series lead. Jack Darragh was the hero for Ottawa with a 4 point night.

GAME 5 - Harry Cameron scored three times while Darragh and Cy Denneny had 2 each as the Senators won the league playoff title with a 7-2 victory on home ice. Denneny also had 3 assists to vault him into a tie with Darragh for the playoff scoring lead.

PLAYOFF SCORING LEADERS
NAME		TEAM	GP G  A PTS
Darragh, Jack	OTT	5  6  6	 12
Denneny, Cy	OTT	5  4  8	 12
Cameron, Harry	OTT	5  7  3	 10
Cleghorn, Odie	MON	5  4  5	  9
Gerard, Eddie	OTT	5  1  6   7
Nighbor, Frank	OTT	5  4  2	  6
Hall, Joe	MON	5  2  4	  6
Lalonde, Newsy	MON	5  2  4	  6
Malone, Joe	MON	5  2  4	  6

[Tiger Fan]

MARCH 25, 1919
SUNDAY BALL HAS WON IN NEW YORK
Assembly Passed Bill and It's supporters confident that Governor Smith will sign it
Albany NY - Sunday ball has won out in the New York legistlature after a fight that has extended over ten years between the liberal element and the so-called 'reformers.' The lower house of the legislature late Monday night passed the bill by a vote of 82-60, a majority bigger than even the most hopeful friends of the measure had expected. The bill passed the seante last week by a vote of 27 to 21. Now it goes to Governor Smith for signature and he is expected to sign it.

The bill as passed lifts the lid on various Sunday sports, but it was on ball games the fight was made. If a municipality decides by vote of it's citizens to permit Sunday games they must be played between the hours of 2 and 6 o'clock whether admission is charged or not. It was the local option feature that killed the opposition to the bill. It is expected that all New York State cities that have league teams will at once take steps for a local option vote.

In Greater New York, as soon as a decision is reached by the voters the three major league clubs will arrange for Sunday games, slight changes in the playing schedule being necessary.


MARCH 29, 1919
OTTAWA BEATS SEATTLE IN 4 GAMES TO WIN STANLEY CUP
The long train ride west did little to slow down the speedy Ottawa Senators as the NHL champ disposed of Pacific Coast Hockey Association Champ Seattle in 4 games. The victory marks second straight series win over the west for the National Hockey League. Last year, in the NHL's inagural season the Toronto Arenas beat the Vancouver Millionaires.

Ottawa jumped in front quickly in the best-of-5 series with an 8-4 victory in Game One. Punch Broadbent scored three times in the second period. He also had 2 assists in the game while linemate Cy Denneny chipped in with 4 helpers.

Bernie Morris, who scored 14 of Seattle's 19 goals in winning the 1917 Stanley Cup, scored three times in Game Two as the Metropolitans evened the series with a 6-4 victory.

Game Three belonged to Ottawa goaltender Clint Benedict, who turned aside 35 shots in a 4-2 Senators victory. Cy Denneny led the way offensively for Ottawa with a goal and two assists.

The Senators wrapped up the series with a 5-4 victory in Game Four. Denneny scored once and added two assists as Ottawa took a 3-0 lead before the game was 6 minutes old. Seattle fought back and eventually tied it at 4 early in the third period before Harry Cameron potted the series winner with just over 3 minutes remaining in regulation time.

Cy Denneny led all scorers in the series with 11 points including 9 assists. It was the Senators first Stanley Cup victory since 1911.

In real life the Montreal Canadiens met Seattle for the 1919 Stanley Cup but no winner was declared as the best-of-5 series was tied at 2 games apiece when it was cancelled due to an influenza epidemic which would eventually claim the life of Canadiens star Joe Hall.

STANLEY CUP WINNERS
1918-19 - Ottawa Senators
1917-18 - Toronto Arenas
1916-17 - Seattle Metropolitians
1915-16 - Montreal Canadiens
1914-15 - Vancouver Millionaires
1913-14 - Toronto Blueshirts
1912-23 - Quebec Bulldogs
1911-12 - Quebec Bulldogs
1910-11 - Ottawa Senators
1909-10 - Montreal Wanderers
1908-09 - Ottawa Senators
1907-08 - Montreal Wanderers
1906-07 - Montreal Wanderers
1906-07 - Kenora Thistles
1905-06 - Montreal Wanderers
1905-06 - Ottawa Senators
1904-05 - Ottawa Senators
1903-04 - Ottawa Senators
1902-03 - Ottawa Senators
1902-03 - Montreal Amateur Athletic Association (AAA)
1901-02 - Montreal AAA
1901-02 - Winnipeg Victoria
1900-01 - Winnipeg Victoria
1899-1900 - Montreal Shamrocks
1898-99 - Montreal Shamrocks
1897-98 - Montreal Victorias
1896-97 - Montreal Victorias
1895-96 - Winnipeg Victorias
1895-96 - Montreal Victorias
1894-95 - Montreal Victorias
1893-94 - Montreal AAA
1892-93 - Montreal AAA

[Tiger Fan]

April 3, 1919
NORTH CAROLINA CLAIMS COLLEGE HOOPS CHAMPIONSHIP
For the second year in a row the University of North Carolina is the top college basketball team in the nation. The Tar Heels beat Oklahoma A&M 66-60 in the title game of the NCAA tournament two days after disposing of Holy Cross 73-66 in the semi-finals. Oklahoma A&M upset Kansas 66-52 in the other semi-final. It was the first loss of the season for the Jayhawks after 35 straight victories.

It was a relatively easy road to the championship for the Tar Heels, who won the Atlantic Coast Conference title with a 14-2 record. Overall, North Carolina finished 35-3. The top seed in the East Region beat North Florida 77-57 in round one and followed that up with a 64-57 win over Davidson. North Carolina's only close call came in their next tourney game when they edged Santa Clara 82-81 but the Tar Heels reached final four with an easy 72-43 win over Notre Dame.

Holy Cross senior guard Dwayne McDuffie was named the College Player of the year. McDuffie averaged 24.4 ppg. McDuffie was joined on the All-America team by guard Andy Milton of UCLA, forwards Chris Eyles of Kansas and Travis White of Oklahoma A&M, along with center Brian Hawkins of Southern California.


Note: The real NCAA tournament did not debut until the late 1930's but since college basketball was alive and well in this era I wanted to include it in the replay. Most players will be fictional but as we get closer to the NBA's debut in the late 40's I will begin to add some real life players into the mix.

[TheeeeeeeeeYankeesWin]

Tiger- you da man. I loved your golf courses on TPG! You've even got NASCAR and Indy too!

[Tiger Fan]

APRIL 5, 1919
PLAY BALL!
NEW ERA FULL OF NEW HOPES FOR BASEBALL
It is still professional baseball but so much has changed as the 1919 season prepares to begin. What is new? Well let's start with a new name for the league. They are still the American and National Leagues and will play seperate schedules but the two organizations have officially united and are billing themselves as the National Baseball League. That in itself is more of a cosmetic change but it is the newly appointed Commissioner of the NBL that is expected to bring about a new golden era of the game.

Commissioner Branch Rickey has vowed, among other things, to create in his words "a league of truly the greatest ballplayers in the world, and that will include welcoming in any player of any race or creed." As of opening day 1919 no NBL team has decided to break the color barrier but it is just a matter of time. One of Rickey's other objectives has already been realized in that the International League and American Association have agreed to become feeder teams for the NBL clubs. The Pacific Coast League declined an invitation to work as part of the NBL feeder-league system so PCL teams will continue to operate as independants although the PCL did borrow from Rickey's book and contracted the Western League to act as it's own affiliate.


AMERICAN LEAGUE PREVIEW

BOSTON RED SOX - With Babe Ruth shifting to the outfield full-time there is no question the defending World Champions will lead the league in homers. The outfield is decent, good enough that Ruth may even be shifted to first base but aside from veteran corner-infielder Stuffy McInnis the infielders will contribute little offensively. Catcher Wally Schang is solid and the pitching rotation is acceptable.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX - Very good pitching led by Eddie Cicotte, Dickey Kerr and Lefty Williams. With outfielder Joe Jackson and 2B Eddie Collins leading the way the White Sox have the most consistant starting lineup in either league.

CLEVELAND INDIANS - The Indians will go only as far as hurlers Stan Covelski and Jim Bagby take them. Tris Speaker is the best of an average group of hitters.

DETROIT TIGERS - With Ty Cobb, Bobby Veach and Ira Flagstead Detroit has 3 of the best hitters in the game. Add in Chick Shorten and a young Harry Heilmann and this team could surprise. The big question mark in Tiger Town is the pitching staff led by Dutch Leonard.

NEW YORK YANKEES - Yankees boss Ross Grooters feels his club can compete with any team in the AL. If so, Grooters must have some moves planned because the present group seems clearly to be a step below the top clubs in the league. Wally Pipp, Roger Peckinpaugh and Frank Baker lead the offense. Allen Russell goes to the top of the rotation by default.

PHILADELPHIA ATHLETICS - The A's hold the distinction of being the only team not to place a single player in the list of the top 20 pitchers and top 20 position players. That's the bad news in Philly. The good news is the A's do have the best collection of young talent in the majors. A's GM Kirk Medlin vows to give his youngsters time to develop. "We have the lowest payroll in the league, and the team is full of young talent. It's our intention to put a competitive team on the field, but we're not going to rush our prospects to the majors."

ST LOUIS BROWNS - With the likes of Jack Tobin, George Sisler, Ken Williams and Baby Doll Jacobson the Browns have the bats to make a lot of noise. While a pennant seems very unlikely there is a decent chance the Browns can contend if the pitching staff is up to the challenge.

WASHINGTON SENATORS - You can never count out a team that has Walter Johnson anchoring the rotation but it will be a small miracle of the Sens escape the lower division. Sam Rice, Mike Menosky and Joe Judge are the top hitters.

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
1- Chicago
2- Detroit
3- Boston
4- St Louis
5- New York
6- Cleveland
7- Washington
8- Philadelphia

NATIONAL LEAGUE PREVIEW

BROOKLYN ROBINS - With Leon Cadore and Burliegh Grimes the Robins pitching looks good. The offense might be hard to come by and that has GM Joshua Gottesman concerned. "I have no idea. I see to have decent pitching and a decent infield. However, my outfield makes the Baby Jesus cry."

BOSTON BRAVES - To be honest there is not a whole lot here. Maybe pitchers Dana Fillingim and Dick Rudolph warrant mention because none of the hitters do. Only the Phillies are saving the Braves from the NL basement.

CHICAGO CUBS - One of the few teams in the NBL with more than enough pitching. Despite a pair of potential Cy Young Award winners on his staff in Pete Alexander and Hippo Vaughn, Cubs GM Mike Giovacchini is worried about his team's chances. "We are not at all impressed with the offense and don't see much in the FA market, at least that we are willing to pay, to help this club. End result is that we finish around the 70 win mark."

CINCINNATI REDS - The Reds have one of the better hitting teams in the National League and should challenge the Cubs and Cardinals for the pennant.

NEW YORK GIANTS - The Giants have some offensive depth and certainly the best pure-athlete in the game in former Olympic gold medalist Jim Thorpe. The first division is not out of reach but thoughts of a pennant may be too much to ask for.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES - The Pirates improved by 15 games last year after hitting rock bottom in 1917. There is some talent on this team but likely scenario is they battle the Giants for 4th place and leave the pennant dreams to the big 3.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES - 37 year old Gavvy Cravath may be the first big name player to go on the trading block. Expect that to happen when the Phillies fall out of contention by June.

ST LOUIS CARDINALS - Rogers Hornsby is the league's highest paid player and if he proves worth the money then the Cardinals will be battling with the Reds and Cubs for the pennant. The offense is balanced but the pitching staff may not have enough to deal the Cards into the postseason.


PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
1- St Louis
2- Chicago
3- Cincinnati
4- Brooklyn
5- Pittsburgh
6- New York
7- Boston
8- Philadelphia

TOP 20 MAJOR LEAGUE HITTERS
# Name 			Team 	 	Age Pos  
1 Babe Ruth 		Boston(A) 	 23 CF 
2 Gavvy Cravath 	Philadelphia (N) 37 RF 
3 Ty Cobb 		Detroit 	 32 CF  
4 Bobby Veach 		Detroit 	 30 LF  
5 Joe Jackson 		Chicago (A) 	 29 LF  
6 George Sisler 	St. Louis (A)    25 1B  
7 Edd Roush 		Cincinnati 	 25 CF 
8 Wally Schang 		Boston (A) 	 29 C  
9 Ira Flagstead 	Detroit 	 25 SS  
10 Ken Williams 	St. Louis (A) 	 28 LF  
11 Tris Speaker 	Cleveland 	 30 CF  
12 Rogers Hornsby 	St. Louis (N) 	 22 SS  
13 Eddie Collins 	Chicago (A) 	 31 2B
14 Sam Rice 		Washington 	 28 RF 
15 Jack Tobin 		St. Louis (A) 	 26 RF 
16 Heinie Groh 		Cincinnati 	 29 3B 
17 Ross Youngs 		New York (N) 	 21 RF 
18 Mike Menosky 	Washington 	 24 LF 
19 Roger Peckinpaugh 	New York (A) 	 27 SS 
20 Max Carey		Pittsburgh 	 28 CF 

TOP 20 MAJOR LEAGUE PITCHERS
#  NAME			TEAM		AGE
1 Walter Johnson	Washington 	31  
2 Pete Alexander 	Chicago (N)	31  
3 Babe Adams 		Pittsburgh 	36  
4 Hippo Vaughn 		Chicago (N) 	30  
5 Hod Eller 		Cincinnati 	24  
6 Eddie Cicotte 	Chicago (A) 	34  
7 Leon Cadore 		Brooklyn 	28  
8 Phil Douglas 		Chicago (N) 	28  
9 Jesse Barnes 		New York (N) 	26  
10 Stan Coveleski 	Cleveland 	29 
11 Clarence Mitchell 	Brooklyn 	27  
12 Lefty Williams 	Chicago (A) 	25 
13 Burleigh Grimes 	Brooklyn 	25  
14 Waite Hoyt 		Boston (A) 	19 
15 Dana Fillingim 	Boston (N) 	25 
16 Jim Bagby 		Cleveland 	29  
17 Dickey Kerr 		Chicago (A) 	25  
18 Allen Russell	New York (A) 	25 
19 Dick Rudolph 	Boston (N) 	31 
20 Herb Pennock 	Boston (A) 	24

[fifthbetle]

I'll throw my pre-season feature on here...but before I get to that, many thanks to Tiger Fan for joining us in this league. It promises to be a unique experience (although I'll probably lose 100+ games and get fired in two years ).

---------------------------------------------------------------------

(Editor's note: seeing as how I am taking over the Philadelphia Athletics from Connie Mack, I decided to write him a letter to introduce myself. His reply is below.)

January 8, 1919

Mr. Medlin:

It was with much interest I received and read your letter of December 30th. It is nice to be remembered, even if I have left you with players somewhat lacking in base ball ability.

You do not have to apologize to me for my departure from the game. I assume you are well aware of the troubles we had during the Federal League days. Our decision to dismantle the team after 1914, although partly based on sound business practices, was also somewhat dictated by our inability to match the salaries of the time. Your assurance that you have the necessary backing is good to hear, although I do encourage you to exercise frugality whenever possible. In many ways, I am happy to be free of the responsibility. I recently turned 56, and I doubt I would have managed the team past the age of 70. After all, three score and ten is all we are promised in the Bible.

I regret the current situation of the team, although I am happy to say that expenses are low and the players are young enough to improve. We won 52 games despite the shortened season, which is almost as many as we won in 1917 when we played 25 more games. I have no illusions that the team is ready for the first division, but I see brighter days ahead for the boys.

Also, I would like to thank you for your promise to keep the "white elephant" as the mascot of the franchise. It meant a tremendous amount to me when I chose it in response to Mr. McGraw's comments at the turn of the century, and it means a great deal to me to this day.

In closing, it would be my honor to accept your invitation to the home opener. I assure you that even though I will have a scorecard, I will resist the temptation to wave it around to adjust the defense.

Best wishes to you and the team,

Connie Mack

[Righteous_Halo]

PCL Preseason Notes: Halos Have High Hopes for 1919 PCL Season

Hopes are high on Hill and Eighth Street for the coming Pacific Coast League season. Acting Mayor Frederick Woodman is expected to throw out the first pitch for the Angels for the home opener of their 1919 campaign. The Halos have already sold out their 15,000 Washington Park Stadium and expect a standing-room only crowd at “the Wash. ”

When told that the prognosticators had already picked either Vernon or San Francisco to take the PCL crown, General Manager Darren “Moose” Bouwmeester, snorted derisively, “Don’t put much stock in what the so-called experts say. We’re going to surprise some people. Pitching wins games and we’ve got it.”

Led by Dazzy Vance, Herm Pillette and spitballer Jeff Tesreau the Angels’ pitching staff undoubtedly has the arms to keep them in the PCL race, however the question remains whether Angel hitters can put enough runs on the board. Much of the focus will be on talented newcomer Tim Hendryx, who has already been slated by Bouwmeester to take the leadoff slot. Hendryx has taken his move to the top spot with aplomb, “I’ll do whatever the team and Moose needs.” The move of Hendryx to the leadoff spot may have surprised some, but clearly Bouwmeester wanted someone who could get on base. While Halo third-baseman Fritz Maisel formerly of the American League Yankees had swiped an impressive 74 bases during the 1914 season, his inability to get on base makes him better suited at a spot lower in the order.

However, even if Hendryx performs in the top spot, much of the season will ultimately turn on whether outfielders John Kelleher and Mike Fitzgerald can deliver in the clutch. Overall, with their pitching and their young talent, both Moose Bouwmeester and Angels fans may have reason to be optimistic. However, many outstanding questions remain. Will the Angels respond to the aggressive playing style embraced by Bouwmeester? Will the Halos lack of pitching depth catch up to them in the dog days of summer? Will the Angels get any production out of the bottom half of their batting order? Time will ultimately answer these questions and tell us whether all of this early season optimism was misplaced.

[Tiger Fan]

April 8, 1919
PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE SEASON PREVIEW
If you have been listening to anyone who follows baseball on western coast this spring I am sure you are apt to say 'just cancel the season and give the trophy to the Vernon Tigers.' Here is some of the evidence to support doing just that:

-National Baseball League commissioner Branch Rickey was quoted the other day commenting on how 'tough' the Vernon lineup looked.
-A recent ranking of the top 40 players in the PCL (see below) contained no less than 1/4 Vernon players
-San Francisco General Manager Michael Josephson says "the PCL should come down to a fight between the Seals and the Tigers."
-Nearly every major daily paper in California has predicted the Tigers will win the league crown.

While most other PCL clubs have remained silent, only the Los Angeles Angels' Darren Bouwmeester has decided to attack the critics head-on. "Don't put much stock in what the so-called experts say," the Angels General Manager stated in a local daily. "We're going to surprise some people. Pitching wins games and we've got it."

At the risk of giving Bouwmeester more ammunition to feed to his team about how they are being slighted by the press it is this writer's opinion that, based on their current rosters, the champions of the Pacific Coast League will hail from Vernon. However, this is minor league baseball and even at this high a level of minors rosters can change quite drastically between April and September.

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH IN THE PCL
1- Vernon
2- Oakland
3- San Francisco
4- Los Angeles
5- Sacramento
6- Portland
7- Seattle
8- Salt Lake City

TOP 20 PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE HITTERS
# Name 			Team 	 	Age Pos  
1 George Harper 	Sacramento 	26 RF  
2 Johnny Mostil 	Portland 	22 CF  
3 Hack Miller 		Oakland 	25 LF  
4 Tim Hendryx 		Los Angeles 	27 CF  
5 Eddie Eayrs 		Vernon 		28 LF   
6 Jack Fournier 	Salt Lake City 	29 1B   
7 Sam Bohne 		Oakland 	22 3B  
8 Zip Collins 		Oakland 	26 CF  
9 Elmer Miller 		San Francisco 	28 CF   
10 Jimmy Walsh 		Salt Lake City 	28 3B   
11 Guy Zinn 		Sacramento 	30 CF  
12 John Kelleher 	Los Angeles 	25 3B  
13 Ike McAuley 		Vernon 		27 SS  
14 Ernie R Johnson 	Sacramento 	30 SS  
15 Marty Krug 		Vernon 		29 2B 
16 Beals Becker 	Seattle 	31 RF 
17 Jimmy Esmond 	Los Angeles 	28 SS  
18 Jim Kelly 		Portland 	34 RF 
19 George Cochran 	Vernon 		29 3B  
20 Fred Snodgrass 	Vernon 		31 CF 

TOP 20 PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE PITCHERS
#  NAME			TEAM		AGE
1 Jeff Tesreau 		Los Angeles 	30 
2 Duster Mails 		San Francisco 	24
3 Lynn Brenton 		Vernon 		29 
4 Bob Harmon 		Portland 	31 
5 Dan Griner 		Salt Lake City 	30 
6 Jesse Haines 		Seattle 	25 
7 Johnny Miljus 	Sacramento 	23
8 Vean Gregg 		Seattle 	33
9 Buddy Napier 		Portland 	29 
10 Dazzy Vance 		Los Angeles 	27 
11 Jim Scott 		Vernon 		30
12 Cliff Markle 	Vernon 		23 
13 Cy Slapnicka 	Sacramento 	32 
14 Vic Aldridge 	Vernon 		25
15 Ralph Comstock 	San Francisco 	28 
16 Jimmy Lavender 	San Francisco 	34  
17 Jack Bentley 	Oakland 	23  
18 Garland Buckeye 	Vernon 		21 
19 Johnny Couch 	Salt Lake City 	27 
20 Red Oldham 		Los Angeles 	25

[Tiger Fan]

APRIL 12, 1919
COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUND-UP
THE RICH GET RICHER
The top two teams in college basketball look even stronger for next season if the list of new recruits is any indication. Defending back-to-back National Champion North Carolina and Kansas, which lost just 1 game all season, are ranked 1-2 in recruiting for the 1919-20 campaign.

Kansas landed 5 players in the national top 100 including 6'10" forward George Hancock. The Eastsound, Washington native was widely considered to be the best recruit available. North Carolina added a pair of top 10 recruits in forward Darrell Sanders and guard Jarrod Riggs.

Rounding out the top ten recruiting classes are:

3- Indiana
4- UCLA
5- New York University
6- Georgia
7- Holy Cross
8- Oklahoma A&M
9- San Francisco
10- Alabama