History Never Repeats: An Alternative Baseball History

[NYY #23]

Weyhing wins 200th
May 1, 1899

Gus Weyhing of the Brooklyn Wonders won the 200th game of his career in an April 19th game against the Newark Bears on his way to a 5-1 month with a 1.50 ERA, earning himself Pitcher of the Month honors. Weyhing is just the fourth pitcher to win 200 games, and at 32 years old he is signed through the 1900 season.

Bill Dahlen of the Buffalo Bisons moved into the all-time hit lead and now has 1802 hits in his quest to become the first player ever to reach 2000 hits.

Milestone Watch
Bill Dahlen - Buffalo needs 198 hits to reach 2000
Duke Farrell - Chicago needs 36 runs to reach 1000
Ed Delahanty - Cleveland needs 41 runs to reach 1000
John McGraw - Chicago needs 48 runs to reach 1000
Hugh Duffy - Chicago needs 61 RBI to reach 1000
George Van Haltren - Syracuse needs 18 SB to reach 500
Jim Donnelly - Cleveland needs 37 SB to reach 500
Jersey Bakely - Washington needs 5 wins to reach 250
Pete Conway - St. Louis needs 3 wins to reach 200
George Stovey - Kansas City needs 4 wins to reach 200

[NYY #23]

Bakely first to 250 wins
June 1, 1899



Jersey Bakely of the Washington Capital picked up the 250th win of his career in a game against the Boston Americans on May 25th in a 5-3 win. The 35 year old Bakely has a career record of 250-148 and in his tenth year in the Players League, playing 6 years for the Cleveland Trolleys before moving on to the Washington Capitals.

Pete Conway of the St. Louis Browns earned the 200th victory of his career, the fifth person in the history of the Players League to do so, and second this season. Conway is now 201-128 in his career.

On the other end of the spectrum, John Weyhing of the Baltimore Terrapins lost his ninth straight decision, tieing the Players League record. For the year Weyhing is 3-10 with a 4.25 ERA.

Milestone Watch
Bill Dahlen - Buffalo needs 148 hits to reach 2000
Duke Farrell - Chicago needs 18 runs to reach 1000
Ed Delahanty - Cleveland needs 21 runs to reach 1000
John McGraw - Chicago needs 30 runs to reach 1000
Hugh Duffy - Chicago needs 56 RBI to reach 1000
George Van Haltren - Syracuse needs 10 SB to reach 500
Jim Donnelly - Cleveland needs 24 SB to reach 500
George Stovey - Kansas City needs 1 wins to reach 200
Amos Rusie - Syracuse needs 7 wins to reach 200

A look at the career win leaders -
Wins
MLB Leader:Cy Young - 511
1. Jersey Bakely - 250
2. Silver King - 230
3. Kid Nichols - 215
4. Gus Weyhing - 206
5. Pete Conway- 201
6. George Stovey - 199
7. Amos Rusie - 193
8. Bert Dorr - 189
9. John Sowders - 186
10. Toad Ramsey - 185
11. Ben Sanders - 185

[NYY #23]

I've really been struggling with the format of this dynasty, and unsure of how to continue. After tinkering around for a bit, I think I've finally got something that I like....

Stovey reaches 200 wins
July 1, 1899



News and Notes
Another month, another 200 game winner. This time the honor went to George Stovey of the Kansas City Blues, who is now 202-152 for his career with a 3.12 ERA. Stovey was considered to be the best African-American pitcher of the 19th century never got the opportunity to play in the majors in real life, prevented from joining the New York Giants in 1886 with the help of Cap Anson.

The 33 year old Stovey is in the ninth year in the Players League, following a one year stint with the Rochester Broncos in the American Association when he went 26-20.

The 500 club features 33 players in real life who have swiped more than 500 bags, led by Rickey Henderson and his 1406 steals, and includes George Van Haltren and his 548 stolen bases. I thought I'd point that out as we should see the first member of our 500 club very soon, with Van Haltren just 2 steals away.

Amateur Draft
1. Kansas City Blues: SP - Addie Joss
2. Newark Bears: SP - Cy Falkenberg
3. Minnesota Millers: SP - Charlie Smith
4. Washington Capitals: SP - Fred Beebe
5. New York Gothams: SP - George Mullin
6. St. Louis Browns: SP - Barney Peltry
7. Boston Americans: SP - Ambrose Puttmann
8. Syracuse Stars: SP - John Skopec
9. Milwaukee Broncos: LF - Harry Lumley
10. Denver Grizzlies: 2B - Heinie Wagner
11. Brooklyn Wonders: RF - Doc Gessler
12. Baltimore Terrapins: RF - Max Carey
13. Detroit Wolverines: 3B - Frank Laporte
14. Chicago Pirates: SP - Bill Burns
15. Pittsburgh Rebels: C - Chief Meyers
16. Indianapolis Indians: CF - Danny Hoffman
17. Philadelphia Blue Jays: LF - Matty McIntyre
18. Cleveland Trolleys: LF - Davy Jones
19. Cincinnati Cardinals: C - Paddy Livingston
20. Buffalo Bisons: SP - Bert Humphries

Milestone Watch
Bill Dahlen - Buffalo needs 112 hits to reach 2000
Duke Farrell - Chicago needs 2 runs to reach 1000
Ed Delahanty - Cleveland needs 12 runs to reach 1000
John McGraw - Chicago needs 12 runs to reach 1000
Hugh Duffy - Chicago needs 56 RBI to reach 1000
George Van Haltren - Syracuse needs 2 SB to reach 500
Jim Donnelly - Cleveland needs 18 SB to reach 500
Amos Rusie - Syracuse needs 4 wins to reach 200
George Stovey - Kansas City needs 181 strikeouts to reach 1500

Career Leader Check-in
Stolen Bases
MLB Leader:Rickey Henderson - 1406
1. George Van Haltren - 498
2. Jim Donnelly - 482
3. Bill Joyce - 431
4. Mike Tiernan - 412
5. Buck Ewing - 404
6. Jesse Burkett - 400
7. Fred Hartman - 392
8. Jake Beckley - 376
9. Hugh Duffy - 372
10. Ed Delahanty - 362

Hall of Fame Check in
With the Buffalo Bisons rolling along in first place, I thought I'd take a closer look at one of their best players, 'Wee Willie' Keeler. Keeler was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1939 following a 19 year career.

A look at some of Keeler's career stats:
.341/.388/.415, 33 HR, 810 RBI, 2932 H, 1719 R, 495 SB

How is Keeler doing so far in the Players League through 8 1/2 seasons:
.378/.412/.468, 26 HR, 805 RBI, 1800 H, 858 R, 300 SB

Keeler played to 38 in real life, so the 27 year old has a good chance to exceed many of his career stats. A future Players League Hall of Famer? It is too early to tell, but it looks likely at this point

[HGVoyager]

Rickey Henderson, the stolen base leader? Wow.

I like the updated format. Good work.

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by HGVoyager

Rickey Henderson, the stolen base leader? Wow.

I like the updated format. Good work.

Thanks. Yeah, I just added that there as a point of reference, but it looked a little confusing.

[HGVoyager]

Originally Posted by NYY #23

Thanks. Yeah, I just added that there as a point of reference, but it looked a little confusing.

Ah, I get it now. I was wondering if there was a Rickey Henderson back in the 1890s.

[NYY #23]

Van Haltren first to 500 steals
August 1, 1899



News and Notes
George Van Haltren of the Syracuse stars swiped the 500th base of his career and became the first player in the Players League to achieve that feat. For his career Van Haltren now has 510 stolen bases, against 406 times caught stealing.

1000 is the magic number this month, as three separate players scored the 1000th run of their career, doubling the 1000 run club. Teammates Duke Farrell and John McGraw of the Chicago Pirates both reached the milestone, along with Ed Delahanty of the Cleveland Trolleys.

The Western League South features the most exciting pennant race in the league, with the St. Louis Browns leading the Denver Grizzlies by just a half game. The Grizzlies are the defending division champion, narrowly edging out the Milwaukee Broncos by one game last season.

Milestone Watch
Bill Dahlen - Buffalo needs 74 hits to reach 2000
Willie Keeler - Buffalo needs 113 hits to reach 2000
Otis Stocksdale - Chicago needs 19 runs to reach 1000
Hugh Duffy - Chicago needs 55 RBI to reach 1000
Jim Donnelly - Cleveland needs 3 SB to reach 500
Silver King - Chicago needs 12 wins to reach 250
Amos Rusie - Syracuse needs 3 wins to reach 200
Toad Ramsey - Pittsburgh needs 9 wins to reach 200
Ben Sanders - Philadelphia needs 9 wins to reach 200
George Stovey - Kansas City needs 181 strikeouts to reach 1500

RBI
Actual MLB Leader:Hank Aaron - 2297
1. Hugh Duffy - 945
2. Bill Dahlen - 912
3. Ed Delahanty - 901
4. Duke Farrell - 845
5. Hughie Jennings - 835
6. Willie Keeler - 816
7. Dan Brouthers - 815
8. Otis Stocksdale - 808
9. Bill Joyce - 807
10. George Davis - 801

Hall of Fame Check in
Hughie Jennings - Cleveland Trolleys



Jennings is 30 years old and in the prime of his career. Jennings is a 12 time player of the week, 5 time batter of the month, 2 time batter of the year, and one time gold glove winner. His 42 game hitting streak is second only to Hugh Duffy for the longest ever in the Players League, and Jennings has won four World Series as part of the Cleveland Trolleys.

Jennings was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1945 after an 18 year career as a player, and later as a manager of the Detroit Tigers and New York Giants.

A look at some of Jennings's career stats:
.312/.391/.406, 18 HR, 840 RBI, 1526 H, 992 R, 359 SB

How is Jenning doing so far in the Players League:
.354/.385/.457, 22 HR, 835 RBI, 1761 H, 837 R, 147 SB
Jenning's also played two seasons in my universe prior to the Players League:
.278/.329/.350, 3 HR, 117 RBI, 305 H, 160 R, 20 SB

[NYY #23]

Browns pull away in Western League South
September 1, 1899



News and Notes
The St. Louis Browns entered the month with a half game lead over the Denver Grizzlies, but after a 19-9 month took control of the division and now lead the Grizzlies by 9 1/2 games. In the Western League North the Cincinnati Cardinals closed the gap and now trail the Chicago Pirates by just 1 1/2 games.

Jim Donnelly of the Cleveland Trolleys collected his 500th stolen base of his career during the month, and now has 507 for his career. Donnelly trails George Van Haltren by 12 stolen bases for the all-time lead in the Players League.

At 28 years old Amos Rusie of the Syracuse Stars collected the 200th win of his career in a 7-6 win against the New York Gothams. Rusie is the 7th member of the 200 win club.

Milestone Watch
Bill Dahlen - Buffalo needs 38 hits to reach 2000
Willie Keeler - Buffalo needs 134 hits to reach 2000
Ed Delahanty - Cleveland needs 135 hits to reach 2000
Otis Stocksdale - Chicago needs 9 runs to reach 1000
Hugh Duffy - Chicago needs 54 RBI to reach 1000
Silver King - Chicago needs 7 wins to reach 250
Ben Sanders - Philadelphia needs 5 wins to reach 200
Toad Ramsey - Pittsburgh needs 7 wins to reach 200
Elton Chamberlain - New York needs 9 wins to reach 200
John Fitzgerald - Boston needs 9 wins to reach 200
George Stovey - Kansas City needs 139 strikeouts to reach 1500

Strikeouts
MLB Leader:Nolan Ryan - 5714
1. George Stovey - 1361
2. Toad Ramsey - 1315
3. Amos Rusie - 1225
4. John Fitzgerald - 1185
5. Kid Nichols - 1053
6. Doug Dickson - 986
7. Frank Killen - 952
8. Jocko Flynn - 933
9. Silver King - 930
10. Gus Weyhing - 916

Hall of Fame Check in
Hugh Duffy - Chicago Pirates



Duffy is in his 10th year with the Chicago Pirates, the only team in the Players League he has known. A right fielder with one gold glove, one Batter of the Year award, and five Batter of the Month awards. Duffy is one of only 10 players in the Players League to hit for the cycle, achieving the feat on 5/14/1898 with a 4-5 game against the Minnesota Millers.

Duffy began his career in 1888 for the Chicago White Stockings and retired in 1906 as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, going on to manage four separate teams. Duffy was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1945 by the Veteran's Committee.

At 32 Duffy appears to have lost a step or two, and despite his .300 batting average has gotten just 70 at bats.

A look at some of his career stats:
.313/.370/.438, 145 HR, 1620 RBI, 2867 H, 1907 R, 742 SB

A look at his Players League stats:
.329/.378/.460, 75 HR, 946 RBI, 1800 H, 1063 R, 372 SB

[NYY #23]

Playoff Matchups are set
October 3, 1899



News and Notes
With the regular season all wrapped up, the League Championship Series are set to begin.

In the Eastern Conference, the Buffalo Bisons captured their second straight North division title after a 92-70 season. The Bisons will be shooting for their second World Series title, and taking on the Washington Capitals, who finished with a 93-69 record to capture the South division. The Capitals are also trying to capture their second World Series.

Over in the Western Conference, the Cincinnati Cardinals will be heading to the playoffs for the second straight year after a 92-70 finish to win the North Division by six games over the Cleveland Trolleys. The St. Louis Browns will be making their first playoff appearance in the Players League after finishing 92-70.

Milestone Watch
Willie Keeler - Buffalo needs 93 hits to reach 2000
Ed Delahanty - Cleveland needs 101 hits to reach 2000
Socks Seybold - Brooklyn needs 17 runs to reach 1000
Hugh Duffy - Chicago needs 51 RBI to reach 1000
Silver King - Chicago needs 6 wins to reach 250
Ben Sanders - Philadelphia needs 1 wins to reach 200
Elton Chamberlain - New York needs 4 wins to reach 200
John Fitzgerald - Boston needs 4 wins to reach 200
Toad Ramsey - Pittsburgh needs 6 wins to reach 200
Frank Killen - Philadelphia needs 8 wins to reach 200
Bert Dorr - Washington needs 10 wins to reach 200
George Stovey - Kansas City needs 120 strikeouts to reach 1500

Career Leader Check-in
Doubles
Actual MLB Leader: Tris Speaker - 792
1. Bill Dahlen - 340
2. Bill Hassamaer - 284
3. Socks Seybold - 283
4. George Davis - 277
5. Otis Stocksdale - 257
6. John Lloyd - 252
7. Jake Beckley - 249
8. Hugh Duffy - 248
9. Jake Stenzel - 244
10. Dan Brouthers - 240

Hall of Fame Check in
Ed Delahanty - Cleveland Trolleys



Delahanty is in his 10th year with the Cleveland Trolleys and has been a key member of the early Trolley dynasty. Delahanty is an 8 time player of the week, 4 time Batter of the Month, and one time Gold Glove winner during his career, and just finished up his 31 year old season.

His 39 game hitting streak is the third longest in the Players League, and with 1899 hits, Delahanty is third on the all-time leaderboards.

Delahanty was elected by the Veterans committee in 1945 and played from 1888 to 1903.

A look at some of his career stats:
.344/.405/.506, 122 HR, 1555 RBI, 2772 H, 1697 R, 475 SB

A look at his Players League stats:
.321/.365/.442, 66 HR, 926 RBI, 1896 H, 1035 R, 380 SB

[NYY #23]

I haven't been intentionally ignoring this dynasty, but I haven't wanted to go too far until version 11 comes out. I expect that we'll finish up the 1899 season, convert to version 11, keep my fingers crossed, and resume with the turn of the century and the 1900 season.

[NYY #23]

Bisons and Cardinals to meet in World Series
October 12, 1897

In the Eastern League the Buffalo Bisons proved to be too much for the Washington Capitals, who didn't have much trouble winning in five games. The Bisons return to the World Series for just the second time and will try to capture their second championship.

Game 1:
Capitals 2, Bisons 0
W: Pink Hawley (1-0)
L : Chick Fraser (0-1)
HR: None

Game 2:
Bisons 5, Capitals 3
W: Bill Day (1-0)
L : John Taylor (0-1)
HR: None

Game 3:
Bisons 7, Capitals 1
W: Chick Fraser (1-1)
L : Pink Hawley (1-1)

Game 4:
Bisons 11, Capitals 7
W: Bill Day (2-0)
L : John Taylor (0-2)

Game 5:
Bisons 4, Capitals 0
W: Chick Fraser (2-1)
L : Pink Hawley (1-2)

The Browns looked as if they were going to run away with the series, but the Cardinals quickly came back to even up the series, which eventually came down to the seventh game. In the end the Browns were victorious, scoring the go ahead run in the bottom of the eighth to advance to the World Series, their first.

Game 1:
Browns 5, Cardinals 3
W: Kid Nichols (1-0)
L : Bill Dineen (0-1)

Game 2:
Browns 5, Cardinals 2
W: Pete Conway (1-0)
L : Tully Sparks (0-1)
HR: CIN - Bill Niles (1)

Game 3:
Cardinals 3, Browns 0
W: Bill Dineen (1-1)
L : Kid Nichols (1-1)

Game 4:
Cardinals 5, Grizzlies 4
W: Tully Sparks (1-1)
L : Pete Conway (1-1)
HR: STL - Fred Tenney (1)

Game 5:
Browns 4, Cardinals 0
W: Charlie Getzein (1-0)
L : Bill Dineen (1-2)

Game 6:
Cardinals 3, Browns 0
W: Tully Sparks (2-1)
L : Kid Nichols (1-2)
HR: CIN - Dick Johnston (1)

Game 7:
Browns 3, Cardinals 2
W: Pete Conway (2-1)
L : Bill Dineen (1-3)

[NYY #23]

Bisons win World Series in 6
October 21, 1899

The Buffalo Bisons knocked off the St. Louis Browns 4 games to 2 to capture their second World Series Championship and first since 1892. Chick Fraser picked up 2 wins for the Bisons in the World Series.

Game 1:
Browns 6, Bisons 4
W: Kid Nichols (2-2)
L : Chick Fraser (2-2)
HR: STL - Henry Youngman (1)

Game 2:
Bisons 11, Browns 7
W: Bill Day (3-0)
L : Pete Conway (2-2)
HR: None

Game 3:
Bisons 2, Browns 1
W: Chick Fraser (3-2)
L : Kid Nichols (2-3)
HR: None

Game 4:
Browns 5, Bisons 1
W: Phil Knell (1-0)
L : Charlie Getzein (1-1)

Game 5:
Bisons 8, Browns 5
W: Don Casey (1-0)
L : Clark Griffith (0-1)

Game 6:
Bisons 9, Browns 7
W: Chick Fraser (4-2)
L : Kid Nichols (2-4)
HR: BUF - Bill Dahlen (1), Patsy Flaherty (1)

Players League - World Series Winners
1899 - Buffalo Bisons (92-70) defeated the St. Louis Browns (92-70) 4 games to 2
1898 - Philadelphia Blue Jays (90-72) defeated the Cincinnati Cardinals (95-68) 4 games to 3
1897 - Washington Capitals (107-55) defeated the Cleveland Trolleys (101-61) 4 games to 3
1896 - Cleveland Trolleys (109-53) defeated the Buffalo Bisons (98-64) 4 games to 1
1895 - Cleveland Trolleys (124-38) defeated the Washington Capitals (99-63) 4 games to 1
1894 - Cleveland Trolleys (123-39) defeated the Washington Capitals (96-67) 4 games to 1
1893 - Cleveland Infants (94-56) defeated the New York Giants (82-68) 4 games to 1
1892 - Buffalo Bisons (86-64) defeated the Chicago Pirates (92-58) 4 games to 1
1891 - Baltimore Terrapins (91-59) defeated the Columbus Solons (90-61) 4 games to 3
1890 - Pittsburgh Burghers (82-58) defeated the Brooklyn Ward Wonders (90-50) 2 games to 0

[NYY #23]

End of Season Awards and Changes
October 31, 1899


First I wanted to recap the awards for the 1899 season -

Bill Dineen of the Cincinnati Cardinals captured the Western League Pitcher of the Year award after going 28-9 with a 2.57 ERA in 346 2/3 innings pitched. Dineen struck out 139 and walked 66.

In the Eastern League, Roy Patterson of the Pittsburgh Rebels captured the Pitcher of the Year award. Patterson was 24-16 with a 2.61 ERA, and held opponents to a .272 batting average in 354 2/3 innings.

Frank Smith of the Indianapolis Indians won Rookie of the Year in the Western League by going 19-15 with a 2.43 ERA in 40 starts. Sam Crawford of the Pittsburgh Rebels won Eastern League Rookie of the Year after hitting .300 with 89 RBI and 88 runs scored.

Brooklyn's Gene Demontreville won the Eastern League Hitter of the Year award after hitting .377 with 30 doubles, 11 triples, 8 home runs, and 114 RBI. John McGraw of the Chicago Pirates was named Batter of the Year in the Western League. McGraw hit .348 with 20 doubles, 7 triples, 6 home runs, and 96 RBI.
-------------
And now for the changes. With version 11 now out, and the 1900 season about to begin, I wanted to both take advantage of some of the new features, and once again change up the format, for about the tenth time. I've gone too many different directions, and want to try and move things along a little bit faster.

So we'll put OOTP in control of running the league, and enable the dynamically evolving league options, for everything except schedule length. Something about a uniform 162 game schedule throughout history is appealing to me. We'll let everything happen by chance, and see where it takes us.

I'm going to step into the GM's role, take control of a team, and report things from his perspective, and be a pawn in the game. I'll still report on some league wide news, such as the World Series and things like that. We'll see how things work out, and adjust accordingly.

[NYY #23]

Silver King picks up career win number 250
June 1, 1900




Around the League
Silver King of the Chicago Pirates won game number 250 of his career in a 5-2 victory over the Kansas City Blues. King now has 250 wins and 177 losses for his career, and has posted a 2.95 ERA.

Toad Ramsey of the Pittsburgh Rebels picked up the 200th win of his career in a 2-1 victory over the Washington Capitals. The 35 year old improved to 200-171 in his career to go along with a 3.02 ERA.

John Fitzgerald of the Boston Americans also notched the 200th win of his career in an 8-4 victory over the defending champion Buffalo Bisons. In his career Fitzgerald has pitched 3802 1/3 innings and has 235 losses to go with his 200 wins.

Earlier this year Ben Sanders of the Philadelphia Blue Jays won the 200th game of his career. Elton Chamberlain of the New York Gothams also recorded the 200th win of his career.

Gus Weyhing of the Brooklyn Wonders became the first pitcher since 1896 to pitch a no-hitter, picking up the win and achieving the feat against the Washington Capitals

Milestone Watch
Willie Keeler - Buffalo needs 31 hits to reach 2000
Ed Delahanty - Cleveland needs 40 hits to reach 2000
Jesse Burkett - Baltimore needs 5 runs to reach 1000
Bill Dahlen - Buffalo needs 37 RBI to reach 1000
Kid Nichols - St. Louis needs 18 wins to reach 250
Bert Dorr - Washington needs 7 wins to reach 200
John Sowders - Cleveland needs 9 wins to reach 200
George Stovey - Kansas City needs 84 strikeouts to reach 1500

Manager Notes
I've created a new manager in the game, Bob Doyle, who is sitting around waiting for his chance to take over a team. We'll wait for offers to arrive, and see who offers him a chance.

A look at the possibilities -

Baltimore Terrapins - owner Fletcher Armstrong is both unmerciful and controlling, and with the Terrapins struggling at 16-37 could be ready for a change.

Detroit Wolverines - Steve DeMowbray is described as demanding and an economizer. The 15-36 Wolverines could be looking for a change soon.

Kansas City Blues - Bob Jones is lenient, but keeps tight control over the finances. He expects a close to .500 team, and at 21-31 the Blues aren't quite meeting his expectations.

Washington Capitals - Gene Whittier expects to win a championship, doesn't have any patience, and is willing to spend the money it takes to win. At 21-31 the Capitals are far from his goal.

Minnesota Millers - Raul Pacheco it the laid back owner of the underachieving Millers, who are 22-31. He is tolerant and charitable though, and doesn't have high expectations.

[NYY #23]

Keeler picks up 2000th hit of his career
July 1, 1900


Around the League
'Wee Willie' Keeler of the Buffalo Bisons went 2-4 in a 7-3 victory over the Washington Capitals, and finished the game with his 2000th hit of his career. At 28 years old Keeler continues to be one of the better hitters in the league, and is second on the Players League hit list.

Jesse Burkett of the Baltimore Terrapins scored the 1000th run of his career.

A look at the first round draft picks:



Milestone Watch
Ed Delahanty - Cleveland needs 7 hits to reach 2000
Fred Hartman - Newark needs 40 hits to reach 2000
Jake Stenzel - Washington needs 45 runs to reach 1000
John Carney - Syracuse needs 48 runs to reach 1000
Bill Dahlen - Buffalo needs 24 RBI to reach 1000
Ed Delahanty - Cleveland needs 34 RBI to reach 1000
Kid Nichols - St. Louis needs 14 wins to reach 250
Gus Weyhing - Brooklyn needs 17 wins to reach 250
Bert Dorr - Washington needs 7 wins to reach 200
John Sowders - Cleveland needs 7 wins to reach 200
Doug Dickson - Buffalo needs 8 wins to reach 200
George Stovey - Kansas City needs 70 strikeouts to reach 1500

Manager Notes
Bob Doyle is still waiting in the wings to get his shot. I should have created him right after the offseason, but wanted to make sure the draft worked after the upgrade.

[NYY #23]

Delahanty collects hit number 2000 of his career
August 1, 1900




Around the League
Big Ed Delahanty of the Cleveland Trolleys collected the 2000th hit of his career in a 5-4 win against the Cincinnati Cardinals. For the day Delahanty was 1-3 and is now hitting .320 for his career.

Bill Duggleby of the Philadelphia Blue Jays pitched the second no-hitter of the season in a 5-1 victory against the Syracuse Stars. Just one week later Jack Stivetts of the Baltimore Terrapins no-hit the Washington Capitals, again in a 5-1 victory.

Milestone Watch
Fred Hartman - Newark needs 14 hits to reach 2000
Hughie Jennings - Cleveland needs 18 hits to reach 2000
John Carney - Syracuse needs 25 runs to reach 1000
Jake Stenzel - Washington needs 36 runs to reach 1000
Willie Keeler - Buffalo needs 39 runs to reach 1000
Fred Hartman - Newark needs 40 runs to reach 1000
Bill Dahlen - Buffalo needs 6 RBI to reach 1000
Ed Delahanty - Cleveland needs 21 RBI to reach 1000
Kid Nichols - St. Louis needs 9 wins to reach 250
Gus Weyhing - Brooklyn needs 14 wins to reach 250
Pete Conway - St. Louis needs 18 wins to reach 250
Doug Dickson - Buffalo needs 5 wins to reach 200
Emil Geis - Cincinnati needs 6 wins to reach 200
Bert Dorr - Washington needs 7 wins to reach 200
John Sowders - Cleveland needs 7 wins to reach 200
George Stovey - Kansas City needs 61 strikeouts to reach 1500

Manager Notes
I received my first news story, the Newark Bears owner Adam Mullen passed away after a lengthy illness. Control of the team will pass to his son, Adam Mullen Jr.

[NYY #23]

Two more reach 2000 hits
September 1, 1900




Around the League
August 13th was a big day in the Players League, as not one, but two players reached the 2000 hit milestone for their career. Fred Hartman of the Newark Bears was the first to do it, collecting 3 hits in 7 at-bats in a 8-7 win over the Washington Capitals.

Just minutes later Hughie Jennings collected a hit in his final at bat of the game to reach hit number 2000 in his career. Jennings was 1-5 for the day, and the Trolleys lost the game 7-3 to the Indianapolis Indians. Jennings is the second member of the Cleveland Trolleys this season to collect the 2000th hit of his career, as Ed Delahanty did so last month.

Jack McCarthy of the St. Louis Browns hit for the cycle in a 15-2 win over the Chicago Pirates. McCarthy doubled in the first, tripled in the second, singled in the third, and homered in the fifth, while going 4-5 with 4 Rbi and scoring 4 runs.

Bill Dahlen of the Buffalo Bisons and Ed Delahanty of the Trolleys each collected the 1000th RBI of their career.

Milestone Watch
Tuck Turner - Boston needs 31 hits to reach 2000
John Carney - Syracuse needs 6 runs to reach 1000
Fred Hartman - Newark needs 23 runs to reach 1000
Willie Keeler - Buffalo needs 23 runs to reach 1000
Jake Stenzel - Washington needs 24 runs to reach 1000
Billy Hamilton - Boston needs 36 runs to reach 1000
George Van Haltren - Syracuse needs 25 stolen bases to reach 600
Bill Joyce - Brooklyn needs 1 stolen base to reach 500
Jersey Bakely - Washington needs 19 wins to reach 300
Kid Nichols - St. Louis needs 5 wins to reach 250
Pete Conway - St. Louis needs 13 wins to reach 250
Gus Weyhing - Brooklyn needs 13 wins to reach 250
Doug Dickson - Buffalo needs 3 wins to reach 200
Emil Geis - Cincinnati needs 4 wins to reach 200
John Sowders - Cleveland needs 4 wins to reach 200
Bert Dorr - Washington needs 7 wins to reach 200
Clark Griffith - Washington needs 7 wins to reach 200
Toad Ramsey - Pittsburgh needs 46 strikeouts to reach 1500
George Stovey - Kansas City needs 48 strikeouts to reach 1500

Manager Notes
It looks like teams are going to wait until the offseason before making a decision and firing their managers. For now, Bill Doyle will continue to wait on the sidelines.

[NYY #23]

All things must come to an end
October 31, 1900

First the good news, at least for Buffalo Bisons fans - the Bisons captured their second straight World Series sweeping the St. Louis Browns 4-0. The Bisons won 93 games for the season, and were led by Willie Keeler and Bill Dahlen offensively, and Chick Fraser, who was 5-0 in the postseason. As for a more in depth recap, well, let's just get to point number two.

For the bad news, I feel like The Players League must come to an end. I had a lot of fun with this, and learned quite a bit about the early days of baseball that I never knew before, but I've run into some issues that I just don't feel comfortable proceeding.

First with the draft pool - I was using a custom database, which changed from version 10 to 11. I had the hardest time getting the game to use the new database, and I think its working, but I'm not 100% sure.

Now I'm getting weird things in the offseason - no teams would hire managers or coaches. I kept simming forward and hoping, but short of manually putting coaches on each team, which it did, nobody would hire a coach.

Now every team is in the red, and I don't know how much I want to monkey around with the finances. I'd love to turn off finances, but with free agency one of the gimmicks, I don't know how well that will work either.

So I've just reached a point where the amount of work that I'm putting into it just isn't making it any fun. I actually started this league in version 8, fine tuned it in 9, and finally started playing in 10. It was a lot of fun while it lasted, but like the real life Players League, it just wasn't meant to be.


I'm tempted to restart it, and I may offline, but I won't be doing another dynasty report on the league. Thanks for following along.