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Old 11-03-2013, 12:22 AM   #1
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The Saga of Baseball: Volume II-Fifty Cents A Head

Savage’s Baseball Guide, 1871 Edition

Letter from the Editor

To Our Readers,

We hope that this year’s edition of the Savage Baseball Guide finds you well disposed, in good health and the best of spirits after a long winter’s hibernation. We hope the only sickness that befalls our audience is a sort of landed scurvy, but rather than it being of the variety that sailors encounter, we trust that it is one that arises not from lack of nutritious fruit, but of a deprivation of the Grand American Pastime. Yes, it has been some months since we have seen the great game of baseball upon this country’s fair fields, but rest assured that deliverance is forthcoming. Just as our presses spring to life to bring you baseball in print form, the arms and bats of the nation’s finest athletic talent has begun its thaw from winter’s penetrating chill. In these pages, you will find what we know to be the most thorough recap of the action of the past year, and fearless prognostications about the upcoming season drawn from this extensive research.

We must begin our inquiry into the baseball world by noting that the landscape of competition will look significantly different to those previously acquainted with the diamond goings-on. Gone is the split between the “Elite” and “Open” divisions of the old National Association. Say what one will about the merits of “pay for play”, but the tide has at last proved irresistible. The five nines of whom the Elite division consisted have been joined by four newcomers, and this distinctive rank of clubs has formed its own Professional Association. It has ushered in controversy henceforth unimaginable, but we at the Guide hope that the new Association will display not but the finest qualities of good sportsmanship. We also believe to be indisputable the fact that the new arrangement will bring the man who loves the game the best showing, the finest display of athletics, he has seen to date. Never before have so many men attained such a level of baseball prowess, and never before has it been concentrated in the hands of but a few clubs.

We are thankful that you have joined us for an exciting season of baseball, dear reader, and we trust you will not be disappointed by neither the Savage Guide or the game of baseball itself in the year to come. Whether you are a newcomer to the Pastime, or a seasoned veteran long caught in its irresistible sway, we thank you.

W.P. Savage
Founder and Editor In Chief
Savage’s Baseball Guide


Detail of artwork on page 52 of 1871 Savage Guide

Volume I-The Birth of the Game

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Old 11-03-2013, 12:29 AM   #2
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Summary of Professional Association from 1871 Savage Guide

We will endeavor to bring you a detailed examination of each of the nine competitors in the new Professional Association in the pages ahead, but let us first take a summary view. First, the basics. Each club has agreed to play its rivals not less than five times apiece over the course of the season. These five games against each opponent will be considered a “league series”. The club which wins the most of these “league series” will be crowned champion and awarded the “whip pennant”. Gone are the cumbersome days of the challenge series, wherein an unfair champion was usually the result, and in is a system wherein the cream can rise to the top.

Who then is likely to be the cream of this new Association? Six of the member clubs hail from either Brooklyn or New York City, and it is there we find the team we believe will capture the pennant. Mystic was the victim of the shortcomings of the old system last season. They were an impressive 28-18 in 1870, and we expect that they will only expound upon that fine performance in 1871. They have the most potent lineup in the history of baseball in the four man combination of Kennedy, Thomas, Mireles, and Bonner. Together those luminaries have compiled nearly 700 base hits, and we expect that they will continue to abuse the orb this year. The Mystics also have an ace up their sleeve in C Gordon Anderson, who outhit those already mentioned at a .402 clip a season ago. When Anderson returns from an inflammation of the hip, likely in May, we expect the Mystics to be nigh unbeatable.

While teams from the around the mouth of the Hudson dominate the new Association in quantity, it may be the case that two nines from elsewhere pose the greatest threat to steal a championship. Cosmopolitan of Baltimore features solid hitters like “The Pride of Wicklow”, LF Donny Nunan, an Irishman who has walloped the sphere over 150 times in the past two seasons. The Cosmopolitans also, and perhaps even more importantly, feature a stout team defense. They make few mistakes in the field, and that could lead to many victories in the months ahead. Atlantic of Philadelphia also looks to be competitive after posting the second most victories (23) a season ago. CF Bob Mathis is an icon in Philadelphia, and worth noting nationally, he led all strikers by batting .423 in 1870.

Elsewhere, the hopes are just as bright, but perhaps the chances a bit slimmer. Niagara and Neptune of Brooklyn and Alert, Hudson, and Mutual of New York, constitute a mass of clubs from the metropolitan area that seem to be fair to middling. The Palmer Club, owned and operated by one Vincent Palmer, shortstop and former collegiate great at Michigan is a noble attempt at bringing baseball west of the Mississippi. However, the lads, like their leader at the tender age of 22, appear to be premature in their attempt to rise to the top of the baseball summit.


Code:
PROJECTED RESULTS

TEAM			SERIES WINS		
MYSTIC BKLYN		8				
CSMPTLN BLTM		7
ATLANTIC PHILA		6
NIAGARA BKLYN		5
ALERT NYC		4
HUDSON NYC		3
MUTUAL NYC		2
NPTUNE BKYLN		1
PLMR SL			0
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Old 11-03-2013, 12:33 AM   #3
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Further Excerpts From 1871 Savage Guide

National Association
The former Open division of the NAABP has styled itself simply the National Association in the wake of the professional defection. The six clubs here will soldier on as purely amateur clubs. The talent level is still strong, but questions have arisen given the amount of money changing hands in the upstart PA. Alert of Philadelphia hopes to ride the live arm of P J.C. Quintero to the amateur championship. Quintero was formerly of the esteemed but troubled Brooklyn B.C., and he doubtlessly brings a lot of talent to the hurler’s box. The amateurs will not scrimmage the professionals this season on moral grounds, so no true comparison can be made, but public sentiment widely holds these teams to be near the level of the PA nines.

College Baseball
In the collegiate ranks, it appears as if the balance may be shifting away from traditional powers in the South and West. The Virginia Military Institute and Northwestern University have played one another in the two most recent renditions of the collegiate Championship Game. VMI took the 1869 edition, and Northwestern last years tilt, but a heavy exodus of talent from both programs appears to have cast the hopes of many proud alumni at both institutions for a third and deciding game into doubt. Instead, a scan of the papers inclines one towards Rutgers’ and their newly returned nine for an early favorite. The New Jerseyans disbanded their club some years back, but the informal teams of RU have posted favorable results in lieu of a sponsored club. The Scarlet side was very competitive in a March slate of games against professional and amateur opponents. Junior RF Peter Center of Columbia is without a doubt the finest player in the college ranks, he cooled off a bit in his sophomore campaign but still hit at an above .400 rate. He’ll look to keep his club in the running this year, while the pros eagerly await his future arrival amongst their number.
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Old 11-03-2013, 12:58 AM   #4
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Author's Note

Welcome to the continuation of the Saga of Baseball. You can find the link to Volume I at the end of this post. In that inaugural thread I documented the rise of baseball from its humble beginnings in the mind of Abner Doubleday and through its amateur days right up to the establishment of the Professional Association that will be the initial subject of this thread. Here, we'll see how the upstart baseball industry fares in its opening moves.

If you're a new reader or if you need a refresher on how the Saga works (it's been a good three months since I finished Volume I!), in a nutshell I call this a "dynamic universe". In theory, that means the story is only a little bit sketched out, and even I don't know what direction things will go in. In practice, it means I have a whole bunch of charts that determine the storyline. For instance, I did not plan on 1871 being the start of the professional league because of the real life significance of the year 1871. It just worked out that way based on a bunch of die rolls. I do reserve the right to override anything the game or my supplementary charts spit out in the interests of the illusion of plausibility, but I haven't had to do that very often, yet.

The big thing to watch at first in Volume II will be the clubs themselves, and, as we move forward, the leagues in the universe. Will any of the clubs around for the first PA season find the formula for success and become cornerstone franchises (ala Braves, Cubs, etc)? Will the Professional Association fare better than the National Association of our world? Or, will the lawlessness and chaos of these early times give way to a new structure?

I plan on rolling through this Volume pretty fast, in terms of number of updates at least. I like the 19th century well enough, but I would like to get to baseball as we know it, home runs, and years that begin in "19", "20", and maybe even "21" at some point!

Volume I-The Birth of the Game

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Old 11-05-2013, 12:20 AM   #5
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E.B. Fields

E.B. Fields hit the last ball in the basket into the deserted outfield of the Polo Grounds. This was the third time he’d gone through the sizeable basket, and even the irrepressible Fields was starting to get annoyed. The balls weren’t supposed to be going to an empty field of course. If everything had gone to plan, there would have been some twenty men, the members of the Mutual Club of New York, honing their fielding skills at the end of E.B.’s strikes. He was certain he’d said 5 o’clock was the time for the practice. He pulled out his pocketwatch. A quarter till seven. Maybe he had said seven.

Anyone who had followed the New York baseball scene for any great length of time would have told you that E.B. Fields deserved better than the Mutual club. A carriage incident as a young boy had left him with a permanent limp and robbed him of the chance to play the game he loved. But, in one form or fashion, he’d always been involved. Scorekeeper, umpire, vendor, he’d done it all to stay part of the game. At times, others viewed his passion as an obsession, and there was no disputing that he was fanatical when it came to baseball. Over the years, he’d developed a certain expertise for the sport, and connections to put his knowledge to use. At first glance, his present gig as “Field President” for the Mutuals had looked promising. He’d been been brought on by the players after they found that trying to decide strategy amongst themselves was too divisive. For a (very) small cut of the gate, E.B. was the nominal head man of the Mutuals. Before he started, the team had been average in 1869 and bad in 1870. But things had really disintegrated in 1871, and the club was outright overmatched against its Professional Association foes.

At two minutes past seven, E.B. looked up from picking up the balls scattered across the outfield, and finally saw that someone had joined him upon the empty grounds.

“Dave! I knew I must have scheduled it wrong!,” Fields yelled.

Dave Hunt, the team captain and nearly the only player who’d ever had any success in a Mutual uniform, didn’t respond. He didn’t even wave as he walked over towards Fields. He had the gait of a man carrying a heavy burden.

“I’ve been out here for two hours,”Fields told the player when he had finished his walk,”meant to say five. Wish the rest of the boys would show up. We’ve got to get sure handed if we want to beat those college kids on Thursday!”

“About that,” Dave Hunt said.

“Why aren’t you wearing your uniform, Dave?,” Fields said,”is your hand bothering you again?”.

“My hand’s fine,” Hunt said, “but it doesn’t make much of a difference.”

Fields laughed and said, “I don’t know I think that hand's pretty important if we want to win a few more before the years out.”

“No,” Hunt said. He rolled his eyes and continued, “you don’t get it. You said five o’clock alright, but the boys are done. Old Ezra says there’s not a penny more to hand out, and the lads told me to let you know it’s over.”

“What?!,” Fields stammered after a long pause.

“We get paid when people watch us play, Fields, and if you’ve noticed, the number of people who pay is dwindling,” Hunt said.

“Yes, of course, but our luck is improving. If we can whip these Collegiate All-Stars, that’ll draw some interest, and then, well, more folks are bound to show up to watch Philadelphia and Baltimore when they come around in a few weeks,” Fields said, “and speaking of Mr. Bingham, he’s an accountant! Tell him to look at the books, lower the gate, do something. We just won one for god's sake, Dave, we can’t quit now.”

The Mutual Baseball Club of New York City was 1-11 against league opponents, and their one win came by a hair. They’d been outscored by a hundred runs in those twelve matches. They’d fared better against non-league challengers, to be sure, but the quality of that competition was suspect. In June they’d lost to the amateur state champions of Ohio by 4 runs. The Crimson club of Chillicothe was hardly a household name. When he spoke, Dave Hunt looked as hopeless as his now former team.

“He says its over, E. We all say its over.”

He turned and walked out the gate under the wooden risers on the third base side of the Polo Grounds.

E.B. Fields left the last few baseballs in the outfield, and went out the gate underneath the backstop stands. No one ever saw him at a game again.

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Old 11-05-2013, 08:52 PM   #6
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1871

For all the hype put out by the baseball media regarding the inaugural season of the Professional Association, its greatest achievement in 1871 turned out to be making it through the year alive. By the time the carnage settled in October, five of the nine teams that had started the year were gone. All four of the new clubs for the season (Alert, Hudson, Niagara, and Palmer) had folded before the halfway mark, and an established club, Mutual, joined them in August. A number of factors were to blame for the departures. Chief among them was the fact that all but two of the PA’s founding clubs were so-called “cooperatives”. This meant that rather than having a backer or a group of financiers, cooperative teams drew 100% of their income from gate receipts. When the take was not enough, these teams simply vanished and their players scattered to the wind. Exhibition games against non-league competition were still in vogue. Though teams would eventually realize these matches were not as profitable as a full slate of association games; they initially coveted the freedom scheduling such contests offered, to their financial determent. Also of note was the fact that the PA required a meager $10 entry fee per club, hardly a sum that could not afford to be forfeited if a team decided to fold. The truth was evident from the get go that the Professional Association was a chaotic environment, and survival was the goal much more so than prosperity.

The quality of play was not an issue, and Mystic of Brooklyn turned out to be the best of the bunch. Their powerful lineup lead the Association in virtually every offensive category; they had six hitters top .300. CF Clinton Nichols was the leadoff man for most of the season, and he did not disappoint. He hit at an unbelievable .445 clip and nearly doubled the second place total in stolen bases. His youth was also of note for Brooklyn, who was an older club on the whole. P Christian Watts (15-5, 3.72, .312 BA) was solid but not spectacular, but that was more than enough given his teammates and his own contribution as a hitter.


Mystic Stats

The Mystics main rivals turned out to be their fellow Brooklynites Neptune, and Cosmopolitan of Baltimore. 2B Sidney Carr (.406, 3rd in XBH) and P Chris Strong (13-7, 2.98) were the leaders of a well-rounded ballclub, but luck was not on Neptune’s side. A pair of consecutive 7-6 losses to Mystic in mid-August cost them the season series between the two, and eliminated Neptune from championship consideration. Baltimore hung around until September, but they dropped their last five under suspicious circumstances. P Luke Ryan (8-4, 4.06) suffered a “hiking accident” that forced the team to turn to untested pitching at a crucial time. Modern researchers suspect that Ryan may have taken a bribe. SS Jarrod Johnson (.378) was a standout at the plate and in the field for the Cosmos.

The teams that did not complete their schedule were a mixed bag. Niagara and Alert were a combined 13-8, but the New York area proved too saturated to sustain all its teams. RF Mike Evans hit .450 in four games with Alert before their fold, and he went on to play for another club titled ‘Alert’ (this one in Philadelphia) in the amateur National Association, and hit a combined .396 for 1871. Mutual was flat out lousy. Opponents outscored them 84-184, and one New York paper said that, “if a mercy rule were to be proposed, it would be met with “Mutual Agreement”.

1871 Final Standings



Code:
League Leaders

BATTING AVERAGE
.445 Clinton Nichols, Mystic
.406 Sidney Carr, Neptune
.398 Bob Mathis, Atlantic

RUNS
35 Tim Dotson, Neptune
35 Clinton Nichols, Mystic
30 Sidney Carr, Neptune

EXTRA BASE HITS
15 Martin Mireles, Mystic
15 Clinton Nichols, Mystic
12 Sidney Carr, Neptune

STOLEN BASES
25 Clinton Nichols, Mystic
13 Herman Kinney, Atlantic
11 Tim Dotson, Neptune

WINS
15 Christian Watts, Mystic
13 Chris Strong, Neptune
 8 Luke Ryan, Cosmopolitan

ERA
2.98 Chris Strong, Neptune
3.23 Yrjana Tiainen, Cosmopolitan
3.72 Christian Watts, Mystic

Top Fielders
C Gordon Anderson, Mystic
3B Francisco Rodriguez, Neptune
1B Scotty Nicholson, Neptune

Clinton Nichols


Code:
Savage Guide’s Final 1871 National “Order of Merit”
1.) Mystic Brooklyn 		Professional Association	17-6
2.) Excelsior Saint Louis 	National Association		9-1
3.) Neptune Brooklyn		Professional Association	13-7
4.) Cosmopolitan Baltimore	Professional Association	12-9
5.) Mississippi St. Louis	National Association		7-3
6.) Rutgers			Collegiate			13-2
7.) Brown			Collegiate			9-7
8.) Northwestern 		Collegiate			8-7
9.) Atlantic Philadelphia	Professional Association	7-15
10.) Columbia 			Collegiate			7-7
Even the most ardent supporters of the early professionals did not regard them as having a monopoly on talent. Polls, like the one above, often appeared in print.

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Old 11-06-2013, 07:13 AM   #7
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Just finished reading Volume I and the opening of Volume II and have really enjoyed it. It's imaginative and well-written, well done so far!
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Old 11-11-2013, 12:04 AM   #8
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1872

The Professional Association continued to struggle in 1872. A clear distinction between fiscal haves and have-nots began to emerge, as once again, the same four teams, Mystic, Cosmopolitan, Neptune, and Atlantic, managed to be the only four to finish the season. Four more clubs had joined them, but by October, all the new clubs were gone. The Association did away with the flawed notion of determining the champion by the winners of the season series between teams, and replaced it with the equally flawed method of awarding the championship to the club with the most total wins. Mystic won, albeit by a much smaller margin than in 1871, and remained the sole titlist in the fledgling circuit.

Player defections were the rule of the day, and Mystic’s roster was a little bit of old and a lot of new in their title defense. Things became especially confused after half the league went under. The resulting diffusion of talent made for a very competitive finish to the season. Mystic was able to separate themselves only by winning their last 3 games of the year. CF Clinton Nichols (.339, 11 2B) and P Christian Watts (11-12, 4.27) were two key returnees, but a repeat would not have been possible without players like 1B Dusty Mueller (.403, 17 2B), who came over in the off season from Atlantic.

Atlantic, Cosmopolitan, and Neptune all finished with losing records in league play, but at least they would live on to fight another day. Atlantic was probably the best of the bunch. 3B Francisco Rodriguez (.307 and 3 HR plus solid defense at the hot corner) and Norwegian P Bernt Richardsen (12-12, 2.97) were exemplary, but a lack of team defense cost the Atlantics more than a few games. SS Vincent Palmer, a pricey addition in the offseason, might have helped matters, but Palmer was discovered to have been an associate of gamblers while in St. Louis the previous season. He was blacklisted by the Association and wouldn't return until 1873.

For the second year in a row, the PA season started with a team in New York, but finished without one. The story of the short-lived Metropolitan club that played there in 1872 was a microcosm of the PA’s ills. Metropolitan did well on the field, and at one point was 7-3 and looked to be a real contender for the championship. But the man behind the team, one Jonas Greathouse, was heavily indebted and abruptly ended the venture. Again, some players called for the league to raise the entry fees and take other measures to weed out people like Greathouse, but the PA lacked the leadership and organization to make any effective changes.

1872 FINAL STANDINGS


Code:
BATTING AVERAGE
.403 Dusty Mueller, Mystic
.376 P.J. Bonner, Neptune
.359 Bill Fitzgerald, Atlantic

RUNS
35 Bill Fitzgerald, Atlantic
33 Clinton Nichols, Mystic
29 Dusty Mueller, Mystic

EXTRA BASE HITS
17 Dusty Mueller, Mystic
14 Chris Jackson, Atlantic
12 Clinton Nichols, Mystic

STOLEN BASES
23 Clinton Nichols, Mystic
16 Julio Yarrito, Neptune
12 2 Tied

WINS
12 Bernt Richardsen, Atlantic
11 Christian Watts, Mystic
9  Luke Ryan, Cosmopolitan

ERA
2.57 Duane Taylor, Atlantic
2.97 Bernt Richardsen, Atlantic
3.36 Luke Ryan, Cosmopolitan

Top Fielders
1B Dusty Mueller, Atlantic
P  Luke Ryan, Cosmopolitan
LF John Jenkins, Cosmopolitan
Code:
Savage Guide’s 1872 National Order of Merit

1.) Chelsea Brooklyn		National Association		 7-3	
2.) Mystic Brooklyn		Professional Association	14-12	
3.) Washington Chicago          National Association		 6-4	
4.) Alert Philadelphia		National Association		 6-4	
5.) Cosmopolitan Baltimore	Professional Association	10-11	
6.) Rutgers			Collegiate			 9-3	
7.) Atlantic Philadelphia	Professional Association	13-14	
8.) Neptune Brooklyn		Professional Association	10-14	
9.) Virginia Military Institute	Collegiate			 7-5	
10.) Mutual Baltimore		National Association		 4-6

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Old 06-01-2014, 11:49 PM   #9
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1873

1873 was the brightest season baseball had seen since the emergence of the Professional Association. A record number of PA clubs finished the season, which included a higher number of league contests than ever before. The expanded schedule, of course, meant that nearly every “counting” stat had a new single season leader; the publicity directed at the chases for these spots in the league history was an early example of the power of the record book. Mystic failed to capture the title for the first time, and a new champion was crowned. If the Brooklynites had taken yet another crown, it might have undermined support for clubs elsewhere. They did not, and finally, at the conclusion of the third season of it’s existence, it appeared that the chaotic Professional Association might actually work after all.

Baltimore wrested the title away from Mystic in a more convincing fashion than the record indicates. They were an impressive 10-3 to start the season, and rode their lead all the way to the wire. 22 year old 3B Jim Wilson (.333, 10 3B, 20 SB, 2nd in FPCT at 3B) had been in Baltimore since 1870, but had never appeared in an association contest. He did not disappoint with the bat or the glove in his first season against top competition. RF Stanton McQueen (.335) was a key accomplice. A controversial late season pitching switch from veteran P Julian Avila (14-10, 3.60), in the midst of a breakout campaign, to untested P James Shelton (1-4, 5.21) nearly cost Cosmopolitan the race, but neither Mystic or Gordon of New York could take advantage of Baltimore’s questionable strategy.

Jim Wilson
The two time defending champions were not far behind, and could have tied if the schedule had been balanced. They got off to a slow 6-8 start, thanks to defections and unresolved position battles. Though the title run may have ended for Mystic, the cupboard was far from bare. P Christian Watts (23-16, 3.19) became the first twenty game winner and justified his extravagant $560 salary. The financial heavyweights also landed RF Peter Center (.318) upon his graduation from Columbia. Center hit .413 for his career with the Lions, and left the collegiate ranks as the all-time hits leader. A promising half-season in the pros seemed to have him poised for greatness at that level as well.

Christian Watts
Gordon (named for sponsor Ron Gordon) of New York finally broke the curse surrounding teams in the Metropolis, and like Mystic, could have tied Baltimore if not for playing two less games. Unlike previous PA clubs representing NYC, Gordon finally leveraged their huge market. They ended the season with an unprecedented payroll that approached $4,000. R. Gordon bought himself a very talented team, but on the flip side, the constant roster turnover prevented the club from coming together to make a title run.

The Professional Association had certainly experienced it’s best season yet, but there were enduring problems. Atlantic of Philadelphia, one of the PA’s founding members, finally succumbed to poor play and the ineffective “cooperative” business model. Anheuser of St. Louis went under even earlier in the year thanks to the difficulties of being the league’s only western club. Though the departed were not sorely missed from a quality standpoint, their failure to honor the schedule had clear implications on the pennant chase by unbalancing the schedule.

The shortcomings of the pros left room for the amateur National Association and top college programs to continue their notoriety. Mississippi at 8-2 in the NA was a successful St. Louis entry in that baseball mad town, and their high status may have hastened the fall of Anheuser in the PA. Northwestern, the titans of college baseball, reclaimed the title with an exciting 14-9 victory over VMI. All these clubs typified the western preference for amateur ball.

1873 FINAL STANDINGS


Code:
BATTING AVERAGE
.390 Vincent Palmer, Gordon
.377 Anthony Fox, Anheuser/Atlantic/Gordon
.368 Sidney Carr, Anheuser/Atlantic/Reds

RUNS
51 Greg Mitchell, Cosmopolitan
50 Bob Mathis, Gordon
49 Phil Wheeler, Gordon

EXTRA BASE HITS
16 Jim Wilson, Cosmopolitan
14 Four Tied

STOLEN BASES
31 Herman Kinney, Reds
29 Stephen Cantrell, Mystic
23 Oliver Ramos, Atlantic/Reds

WINS
23 Christian Watts, Mystics
19 Chris Strong, Neptune
14 Julian Avila, Cosmopolitan

ERA
2.28 Joe Needham, Anheuser/Gordon
2.44 Edward Sunter, Gordon
2.94 Yrjana Tiainen, Atlantic

Top Fielders
1B Travis Lewis, Gordon
 C Bob Metcalf, Neptune
CF Ronnie Frank, Atlantic

Code:
Savage Guide’s Final 1873 National Order of Merit

1.) Mississippi St. Louis	National Association		8-2
2.) Mystic Brooklyn		Professional Association	23-18
3.) Gordon New York		Professional Association	23-18
4.) Cosmopolitan Baltimore	Professional Association	25-18
5.) Alert Philadelphia		National Association		6-4
6.) Aetna Boston		National Association		6-4
7.) Reds Philadelphia		Professional Association	20-22
8.) Neptune Brooklyn		Professional Association	20-23
9.) Northwestern 		Collegiate			14-7
10.) VMI 			Collegiate			12-9

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Old 06-01-2014, 11:56 PM   #10
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Walk Off

Floyd Miller
Sporting Weekly
April 12, 1874

An Extended Match in Buffalo

Saint Louis and Buffalo are both new contestants in the Association, and the results of their Professional debut on April 4 suggests that due diligence may not have been provided by officials of said circuit. While their fees and paperwork were collected in good order, an explanation on the rules of baseball does not seem to have been provided in return. You see, dear reader, it seems to have escaped the unseasoned participants of both nines that a baseball game must end with a victor! The two sides played a full game and nearly a half of another before the thought occurred to them.

The affair was tumultuous through the prescribed nine innings. 12-12 was the count when head umpire Don Rogers informed both captains that play was to continue until one club proved superior. So shaken where they by this revelation, neither side could produce even a single tally for an additional three and a half innings! In so doing, they crafted the longest game ever played.

Finally, in the bottom of the 13th, yes 13th, inning, the hosts endeavored to end the marathon. Castellanos, who did not come on as Buffalo pitcher until inning eight, yet occupied the mound longer than his two predecessors, singled. Then Michael Dunn provided the long overdue deliverance with a triple to see the home side “walk-off” with the victory.


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Old 06-02-2014, 12:23 AM   #11
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1874

The continued expansion of the league schedule, and general improvement in the quality of play made outstanding individual performances one of the big stories of 1874. Baseball’s unofficial writers’ consortium sold the exploits of the game’s best players like never before. Some of the stars were old hands, but a return to nine clubs meant opportunities for new players to shine, and shine they did. Mystic had the most diverse and successful collection of men, and we’ll touch on their fantastic season in a moment, but elsewhere too, the talent was good, at least in the eyes of the contemporary media. 36 year old P Bernt Richardsen (23-23, 3.03, with Buffalo) adopted some of the new pitching techniques becoming prevalent into his game and sparked a renaissance for his career. Indeed, the widespread use of breaking balls and speed changes by pitchers served to decrease offense league wide. Players like CF Bob Mathis(.340 in Baltimore), who recorded the first cycle in professional history, and 3B Martin Mireles (19 2B’s, 3 HR’s, St. Louis) were top hitters with rate numbers that wouldn’t have inspired much praise in previous seasons.

Another big innovation was the increased use of gloves by fielders. Decried for years as ‘unmanly’ or even ‘impractical’, the Mystic Club decided to experiment with them in 1874, and the results ensured mitts would become a standard piece of baseball equipment in the years to come. The outstanding fielding of the Brooklynites was a key component of their amazing 43-15 campaign. 2B Jeremy Ryan (1.238 EFF) and SS Harvey Lakey (1.209 EFF) owned the middle of the diamond. Of course, to dominate the league so thoroughly, Mystic had to be solid everywhere. In addition to their slick fielding, Mystic touted a prototypical two-man staff of the new style, which featured a main pitcher and a second man capable of starting or reliving. When Christian Watts, the first man to win 20 games, defected to Buffalo before the season, Mystic brought in Chris Strong (32-13, 2.56), who ultimately outpitched Watts in 1874 for a fraction of the price it would have taken to resign the later. Luke Ryan (10-2, 2.09) was outstanding when Strong needed a day off. If there was a weakness to Mystic, it was hitting, but RF Peter Center (.348) took the batting title and did enough at the plate in his first fully professional season to hide holes elsewhere in the lineup.


1874 Mystic Championship Commemorative, Howell & Sons Printing

The sportswriting trust who, through the power of the presses, held such sway over the course of affairs in baseball was finally beginning to take note of the flaws of the Professional Association. Mystic had now claimed three of the four PA titles. Such a run could be called a dynasty in any era, but that it happened within the chaos of those early years makes it all the more remarkable. Their 1874 team included just 2 starters from the previous year, and none from their first title in 1871. Everywhere, players were essentially journeymen, following the money wherever it took them. The idea that a player was beholden to the club was largely scoffed at. Club stability suffered as a result. Teams dropping out of the PA midseason was an annual fixture, and, in 1874, Gordon of New York (highest payroll, horrible record) and the Reserves of Brooklyn (a joint venture between Mystic and Neptune, abandoned when the backups assigned there proved too competitive) quit before the halfway mark. The writers could pen as many idyllic stories and promote the Association as much as they pleased, but nothing could conceal the chaotic happenings of the young circuit from the general public. After two teams again failed to finish the schedule, and especially since they were from the ‘capital’ of baseball in New York and Brooklyn, some writers were alarmed. They would begin to push the players to make major reforms.

Outside the Association

1874 saw exciting play and historic firsts in the realms outside of the PA pennant race. At the immediate conclusion of the season, Mystic and Cosmopolitan headed across the Atlantic ocean and played two weeks worth of baseball and cricket across Great Britain. The matches were a big success in both short term money making for the Americans and long term baseball development for the British. In fact, thanks to the abolition of the color barrier and the anything goes character of the PA, baseball was developing quite an international character prior to the tour. A full ten percent of the Association was foreign born. The goodwill and excellent bottom line of the trip only confirmed the trend, and writers like Savage, Miller, and Simms all wrote articles advocating for expanded international exposure and competition.

At home, both the National Association and the Collegiate ranks provided exciting finishes. The old descendant of the amateur days (NA) was fading faster and faster into obscurity, but the conclusion of the 1874 slate still drew national attention. The new Red Stockings of Boston started the season 7-0, and seemed certain of joining the Beantown pantheon of amateur champions. But the Red Stockings dropped their final 3, and the right circumstances occurred elsewhere such that the NA title was split three ways.

The Collegians, with their famous Championship Game, would suffer no such anticlimax. The proud but recently woeful Michigan Wolverines proved to be a team of uncanny timing, and they finally brought a title back to Ann Arbor in ‘74. Behind SS Columbus Masson (.425), they won 9 of their final 11 games just to make it into the Championship. There, they faced VMI. In the early innings, it seemed that VMI would finally improve upon their abysmal Championship Game track record (1-4), but ultimately a 9th inning single by Masson tied the game. When Masson broke for second base, the Keydets catcher threw the ball into centerfield, and Masson took third. He scored the go ahead run on a sac fly, and Michigan would hold on for an 8-7 victory. It was a bitter pill to swallow for the VMI seniors, who would graduate with a 0-3 record in championships, but Michigan cared little; the victory promised to propel them back amongst the ranks of college powers.

1874 FINAL STANDINGS

Code:
BATTING AVERAGE
.348 Peter Center, Mystic
.345 Bryant Field, Brown Stockings
.340 Bob Mathis, Cosmopolitan

RUNS
76 Martin Mireles, Brown Stockings
68 Will Murray, Brown Stockings
67 Robert Walters, Cosmopolitan

EXTRA BASE HITS
25 Marin Mireles, Brown Stockings
20 Bill Jackson, Neptune
20 Jim Wilson, Union

STOLEN BASES
51 Oliver Ramos, Mystic
35 Herman Kinney, White Stockings
33 Tim Bentley, Gordon/Windy City

WINS
32 Chris Strong, Mystic
25 Yrjana Tiainen, Brown Stockings
23 Bernt Richardsen, Union

ERA
2.09 Luke Ryan, Mystic
2.15 Lynwood Ewing, Reserve/Union
2.56 Chris Strong, Mystic

Top Fielders
2B Jeremy Ryan, Mystic
SS Harvey Lakey, Mystic
C Dexter Middleton, Gorodn/Windy City
Code:
1874 Savage Guide Final Order of Merit

1.) Mystic Brooklyn			PA	43-15
2.) Union Buffalo			PA	31-27
3.) Red Stockings Boston		NA	7-3
4.) Alert Philadelphia			NA	7-3
5.) Mississippi St. Louis		NA	7-3
6.) Brown Stockings St. Louis	        PA	31-30
7.) Neptune Brooklyn			PA	24-34
8.) Windy City Chicago		        PA	29-29
9.) Cosmopolitan Baltimore		PA	26-31
10.) White Stockings Chicago	        PA	26-34
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Old 06-02-2014, 11:58 AM   #12
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Hey everyone, sorry upfront for the long layoff. Just think of it as the off-season.

We're picking up right where we left off, and while I may not have been posting here, everything is safe and sound with this dynasty. In fact, as you might have deduced from my signature, I've got a backlog of updates to post. I'm in the winter of 1878-1879 ingame, so expect about one update a week for the rest of this volume.

I don't want to divulge any spoilers, but I will say that I think there are some interesting divergences from our time line forthcoming. I'd like to encourage everyone to ask away concerning teams, players, or stories that catch their interest; I'd be more than happy to delve into the history index and find some good stories from the years gone by.
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Old 06-08-2014, 11:54 AM   #13
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1875

Everything wrong with the PA was evident on June 1, 1875. That was the date the Windy City Club of Chicago ceased operations. They did so with a 20-10 record, a stacked roster, and a legitimate chance to dethrone Mystic as champions. The players who made up Windy City cited high travel costs and the small capacity of their home grounds as the primary reasons for the abandonment of the collective venture. They would disperse themselves amongst the remaining teams, they said, so they could all actually make a few bucks. Their announcement soured the followers of the young circuit. Those who advocated for reform grew in both numbers and persuasiveness.

The departure of Chicago, to be followed by Boston, and finally Mutual of Baltimore (an ancient club, founded in 1866, unprepared for the conversion from amateur to pro), put a damper on the rest of the season, but there was still an interesting three-way battle for the Association title. St. Louis inherited the lead and several solid players after Chicago folded, and maintained it until August, and Cosmopolitan of Baltimore, the champs in ‘73, came on strong in the second half. When the dust settled though, Mystic was again on top. Their second consecutive title, and fourth in five years, came in much the same fashion as 1874. C Mike Deegan (1.240 EFF, 53.7% CS), an offseason addition, spearheaded a defense that again led the league. Chris Strong (24-10, 1.81) and Luke Ryan (11-4, 1.44) were even more effective in their second year together. 3B Oliver Ramos (16 3B’s, 38 SB’s) was the fastest man in baseball. Mystic had truly proved adept at navigating the turbulent waters of the PA; all their success had provided them with significant resources and they had used them to full effect in building a dynasty.

St. Louis and Cosmopolitan may not have dethroned the mighty Mystics, but their improvement had finally provided some much needed competition. The Brown Stockings led the league in R/G in their first season, and they did it again in 1875. LF Bryant “Iron Hands” Field (.297, 22 2B’s) may have been abysmal in the field, but the second year Brown Stocking led the slew of holdovers and recent acquisitions that comprised a thoroughly potent batting order. It looked as though one western club might finally be in for the long haul. Cosmopolitan recovered after a down year in 1874. Powerful RF Brent Jones (.315, 25 XBH, 14 SB) led an offensive attack nearly equal to the one in St. Louis. Cosmo took 5 of 7 against Baltimore rivals Mutual, and, by season’s end, at last had the city to themselves.


1875's Top Players

Outside of the top three competitors, PA entrants, as always, struggled to stay in business. The Association had retreated to its NYC-area citadel by the end of the year. Five of the eight survivors were within the environs of the metropolis. Here, clearly, was one area where even less successful clubs could last. Neptune of Brooklyn was the prime example. The “Tridents” were the Association’s longest lived cooperative, but despite their lack of an owner, and perpetual mediocrity, they managed to draw big crowds from a loyal fanbase. In upstate New York, Buffalo took a big step backwards after losing eight starters prior to their second year. SS Donald Bennett (.293, 1.126 EFF) was one of the only solid additions. The big money Union dropped on locking down the two highest paid players in the game, P’s Christian Watts (3-9, 3.78, $434 p/y) and Bernt Richardsen (19-22, 3.06, $428 p/y) turned out to be a big waste. Only the persistence of owner Brian Sherrell saw them through the year.

1875 FINAL STANDINGS



Code:
BATTING AVERAGE
.348 Hen-to Wang, Woonsocket
.342 Bruce Jackson, Mystic
.330 Claudio Arredondo, Brown Stockings

RUNS SCORED
61 Harry Toler, Union
59 Oliver Ramos, Mystic
2 tied at 57

EXTRA BASE HITS
28 Ken Wilkinson, Live Oaks/Mutual/Tilden
26 Bryant Field, Brown Stockings
2 tied at 24

STOLEN BASES
38 Oliver Ramos, Mystic
30 Ken Wilkinson, Live Oaks/Mutual/Tilden
27 Christopher Lowry, Woonsocket

WINS
24 Chris Strong, Mystic
23 Ash Franks, Windy City/Brown Stockings
21 Steven Small, Neptune

ERA
1.44 Luke Ryan, Mystic
1.81 Chris Strong, Mystic
2.24 Duane Taylor, Brown Stockings

Top Fielders
LF Henry Delvin, Domestics
1B Mario Garcia, Domestics
C Mike Deegan, Mystics
Code:
Savage Guide Final 1875 National Order of Merit

1) Mystic Brooklyn			PA	40-18
2) Brown Stockings St. Louis		PA	36-19
3) Alaska New York			NA	8-2
4) Cosmopolitan Baltimore		PA	34-25
5) Woonsocket New York		        PA	26-28
6) Alert Philadelphia			NA	6-4
7) Neptune Brooklyn			PA	23-29
8) Harvard Crimson			COL	17-8
9) Union Buffalo			PA	23-33
10) Domestics Newark		        PA	21-29
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Old 06-15-2014, 01:58 PM   #14
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Fateful Letters

After the 1875 season, W.P. “Patrick” Savage received two letters. Savage was the elder statesman amongst the unofficial writing fraternity which indirectly ruled the game in the Professional Association days. The scribes had come together to promote the PA into existence five years earlier, but now, after the flaws of the arrangement had become clear, there was a split within the members of the press. Some, like Nick Simms, wanted to reform the PA into a new organization, with stricter by-laws designed to stabilize the baseball industry. Others, like Floyd Miller, resisted the change. Savage himself had traditionally been hesitant to acknowledge the business aspect of the sport, though he had eventually relented to both the Elite-Open split in 1868, and the formation of the PA three years later. On this present debate, he had yet to take a side. His Savage’s Baseball Guide was a bestseller, and therefore each faction set about lobbying for his public support.

_______________________________________________

Letter to W.P. Savage from Nick Simms, Writer at the New York Morning Herald
November 9, 1875

To My Esteemed Colleague Patrick,

When one reflects on the growth our venerable pastime has undergone, since even I so recently came to be part of its story, one cannot help but be astonished. I did not endeavor to report on baseball until seven years prior, but even in my short time, the landscape has transformed. I cannot imagine the metamorphosis you have witnessed in your many seasons as “Godfather” of the Pastime. From a noble seed hath a mighty tree arisen.

I would daresay that this forward march is inevitable. The game shall always be on the move, for it is a good and natural thing, and like all that is subject to the laws of nature, it will assume new forms for its own aggrandizement and preservation. I believe that we are now at the cusp of another marker in the progress of the game. The shortcomings of our present Association are all too evident. The players of today are skilled like none before, this is certain, but their control of the baseball machine is chaotic and unnatural.

Let it be proposed then, that we advocate for a Professional League, with the following tenants:
1.) Financial backers are to be the cornerstone of stability. The power of the players’ mob must be curtailed.
2.) The practice of clubs’ folding in the midseason must be stopped. A substantial deposit should be taken upfront, and penalties levied against those who quit anyway.
3.) Intra-city competition should be avoided. Established clubs ought to be protected with territorial rights.

If these points were to be the basis of a new organization, I have no doubt that baseball would ascend to new heights of public renown. Yet, it is up to us to live up to our role as shepherds of the game. A player is nothing without us to announce him to the masses. An association is nothing without us to tell its story. Do not resist the inevitable, but rather, help shape the next era of the Pastime.
Your Humble Fellow,

Nick Simms

_______________________________________________

Letter to W.P. Savage from Floyd Miller, Editor at Sporting Weekly
November 16, 1875

To My Old Friend,

We have stood side by side on every major issue that has confronted the finest sport ever invented. I write you to say that once more our action is needed. An enemy is at the gates, and I ask you, will you stand with us in defending against them?

Simms and your naive assistant Runnels lead a faction that seeks to undermine the fabric of the game. How many times have we had to stand up and say, “slow down”? Do you recall Byrd and Kohler, and a convention long ago where you and I led the crusade against unchecked greed? How far would the game have fallen if we had not stood up to abate those foul influences? It’s clear to me that the wolves are once again in sheeps clothing. Let them have the reins, and see if the cart does not tumble off the cliff.

For, my dear friend, I’m not advocating against progress, but rather suggesting that it ought to be doled out in increments. What is the biggest grievance the other side has with the present Association? That teams fold too often? You and I both know that this has always been a feature of the game, and that attempts to change it will be in vain. If they succeed in their designs, clubs will still fail, and while they will have not accomplished their stated aim, they will have in pursuing it, subjected the players and the cranks to the tyranny of a few wealthy backers. Furthermore, I’d submit that what they seek is, if theoretically unadvisable, practically impossible. I have as a reliable ally, the reputable Don Rogers, who assures me that no umpire is in favor of a change of this magnitude.

I owe you an eternal debt of gratitude for the influence you wielded in landing me my current position. If you continue to think of me as a man who has the best interests of baseball in mind, I hope that you will cast your lot with me once more. Expose this ill-conceived scheme by a few for a few, and keep the game pure for the many.

With Sincere Affection,

Floyd Miller
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Old 06-23-2014, 12:33 PM   #15
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1876 Savage Guide, Letter From the Editor

Loyal Readers,

I begin The Guide this year by addressing those rumors which have become so prevalent lately. If one has been to their local grounds or read the hometown sports page recently, then it should be obvious as to what I am referring. Yes, the Professional Association, which has become one of the featured items in this annual, has come under fire recently. A number of complaints, which have been endlessly debated elsewhere, related to the Association led, in fact, to speculation that it may reform or face the end altogether. Fortunately, for those of us who see the merits and potential of the present arrangement, those challenges have not borne fruit.

This letter is the final piece to be added before the Guide heads to press, and we have no information indicating that the yearly competition between some of the top professional ballclubs will assume a new form, or heaven forbid, not take place at all. The rumors of backroom dealings, of the club backers mounting a coup, have amounted to not. I hope you’ll share our view that this is a great day for baseball! Let us not forget that the Professional Ass’n is in but its youth. Mystic has proven to be strong, but Cosmopolitan has bagged a number of luminaries this winter. Will they unseat the champions? Might Saint Louis continue to carry the banner of the West to still greater heights? Is one of this year’s new entrants primed to surprise everyone? With so many excellent questions set to be answered upon the field, it would have been a tremendous shame to let the machinations of a few leave them unanswered.

It also bears noting that at the height of the crisis, the very fabric of journalistic integrity was thrown into question. Some amongst the ranks of reporters seem to have forgotten that the job of the press is to cover events, not create them. For my part, I can say that I declined every invitation to participate in any scheme, and that I have launched an investigation to uncover and reprimand any misdeeds amongst my employ.

We thank you for picking up the Savage Guide again this year, and we pledge to bring you the best coverage of baseball, Professional Association and otherwise, for many years to come.

Your Humble Servant,

W.P. Savage
Founder and Editor-In-Chief
Savage’s Baseball Guide
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Old 06-23-2014, 10:05 PM   #16
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Ooh! A cliffhanger!
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Old 06-25-2014, 01:06 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by panelpatter View Post
Ooh! A cliffhanger!
Yes, whether the PA would continue or whether it would be replaced by a Professional League, or something more radical, was at stake in that winter of 1875-76.
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Old 07-04-2014, 03:34 PM   #18
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You've done a great job of capturing the essence and feel of 19th century baseball. It was an interesting time for the game.
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Old 07-06-2014, 09:55 PM   #19
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1876

W.P. Savage killed the reform movement with his public support for the Professional Association. He weighed in on the situation at the perfect time, and brought the fence sitting players and owners back into the fold. The season that followed made him look like a genius. The agitators, like Simms, lacked the time and the clout to organize a rival organization by opening day. In addition, the PA experienced a relatively quiet season, with just two of its members dropping out during the campaign.

Fairbanks of Chicago became the first western team to take home a title in what was a very close race. Owner Eric Ellsworth and veteran captain C Gordon Anderson (.315) compiled a squad that comprised not only big name jumpers like RF Claudio Arredondo (.275, 43 RS), but greenhorns such as P Paul Walker (31-21, 2.51), who had floated around for years unnoticed in the amaetur National Association, and 3B Bret Sumrall (.319, 1.132 EFF) a Columbia product who joined Chicago at the conclusion of the college season. Fairbanks owed a big part of their win total to their performance in important situations. They went 15-7 in one run games, and were occasionally referred to as the “Luckies”. Perhaps it was this perception of their success that led St. Louis to claim that it was in fact they who had won the title. The basis of their argument was that when subtracting wins earned against Woonsocket and Buffalo, who did not complete the season, they had an equal tally to Fairbanks, and that versus the “champions” they were a decisive 6-1. The sporting press quickly countered that the title should be awarded to the team who completed the season with the highest winning percentage. It was an agreeable solution to the majority of those concerned (minus St. Louis), and this method of determining a champion would become standard convention.


The established clubs all made a good run at Fairbanks. The dejected Brown Stockings once again led the league in runs per game, though that figure was down more than ever as pitchers continued to hone their stuff. St. Louis lost Arredondo to Fairbanks and LF “Iron Hands” Field (.310 career) to Philadelphia, but a trio of newcomers headlined by 1B Martin Morrow (.328, 22 2B) topped .300 and kept the runs coming. Mystic failed to capture the flag for the first time since 1873, and many blamed their slide on their preference to start strikeout P Ash Franks (23-26, 1.92, 80 K) more often than the first 100 game winner, Chris Strong (10-2, 1.67). In hindsight, both were excellent, and Mystic’s finish was better explained by holes in the lineup and a decline in the vaunted defense that had been so key on past championship teams. While one Brooklyn club may have been disappointed with its 1876 finish, the other was ecstatic. Neptune claimed just their second winning season in PA history, and first since the league’s inaugural year. The papers attributed some of their improvement to the departure of some old hands who, “ran the club like a college fraternity, filling out their line-up cards based on politics and seniority, rather than merit.”


1876 FINAL STANDINGS


Code:
BATTING AVERAGE
.328 Martin Morrow, Brown Stockings
.324 Redmond Luken, Brown Stockings
.323 Tom Brown, Brown Stockings

RUNS SCORED
58 Tim Bentley, Fairbanks
58 Tom Brown, Brown Stockings
2 tied at 56

EXTRA BASE HITS
30 Martin Morrow, Brown Stockings
21 Harvey Lakey, Diamond
3 tied at 19

STOLEN BASES
43 Tom Brown, Brown Stockings
39 Oliver Ramos, Mystic
39 Austin Thorne, Babies

WINS
31 Paul Walker, Fairbanks
4 tied at 25

ERA
1.67 Chris Strong, Mystic
1.85 Morgan Barnes, Diamond
1.92 Ash Franks, Mystic

Top Fielders
C Eric Simmons, Diamond
1B Allen Christensen, Cosmopolitan
SS Wilber Flynn, Neptune
Code:
Savage Guide’s 1876 National Order of Merit

1) Alert Philadelphia			NA	8-2
2) Neptune Brooklyn			PA	34-28
3) Brown Stockings St. Louis		PA	36-32
4) Mystic Brooklyn			PA	35-29
5) Tilden New York			PA	30-35
6) Fairbanks Chicago			PA	37-30
7) Babies Philadelphia         		PA	32-33
8) Defiance Brooklyn			NA	6-4
9) Cosmopolitan Baltimore		PA	33-31
10) Lane Washington			NA	6-4
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Old 07-07-2014, 12:45 PM   #20
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1876 World's Tournament

The schism between the PA’s supporters and detractors amongst the writing establishment threatened to create lasting feuds and ruin long standing personal relationships. In effort to find common ground amidst a difficult time, the writers turned looked to promote a noble cause for the betterment of the game. To that end, in the spring of 1876 they established the Baseball Association. They had taken note of the spread of the game outside American borders, and they founded the BA in order to further stimulate that growth and to cement the United States’ role as the home of baseball.

The writer-administrators of the BA hoped to host a “World’s Tournament” between the leading baseball nations at the end of the 1876 season. Buoyed by promises from the various foreigners within the PA that their countrymen would flock to America for an international tournament, they rounded up enough funds to lease the lavish Polo Grounds and provide living expenses for a week long tournament. But, their optimism proved premature. The rumors of baseball’s prominence overseas turned out to be overstated, and other nations certainly lacked the framework to create national teams. Therefore, in order to salvage something from the situation, the BA announced that the first “World’s Tournament” would consist of a competition between teams representing eight American states.

The tournament was held over six days and divided into two phases. The first three days would feature the eight teams divided into two groups of four. Each state would play the other states in its group once. The second phase would be a single elimination tournament with the teams seeded based on their performance in the group round.

Recap
(All stats are for the entire tournament)

First Round
New York and Connecticut came in as two of the big favorites, and they both emerged from their first three games undefeated. New York, the expected champion, rolled over the warm weather baseball enclaves of Texas and California behind the big bat of 3B Jim Wilson (9-16), while Ash Franks (3-0, 8K) outpitched his Mystic teammate, and Bay Stater Chris Strong, in an exciting 2-1 victory over Massachusetts. Connecticut shut out the Floridians, before claiming close 4-3 victories over fellow eastern powers Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

STANDINGS AFTER FIRST ROUND


Quaterfinals
Connecticut 13, Massachusetts 11- Each position in the Connecticut lineup recorded at least one hit, and the live wood was enough to outlast Massachusetts, who went home winless.

Pennsylvania 5, California 1- The Pennsylvanians proved too much for the westerners, who couldn’t match the depth of PA dominated Keystone squad.

New Jersey 9, New York 6- The heavy favorites went home early at the hands of New Jersey. The New Yorkers outhit Jersey, but surrendered 6 unearned, which proved the difference.

Texas 4, Florida 1 (11)- Texas won a thriller in the matchup of warm weather “baseball oases”. Amaetur hurler Rick Stewart (1-1, 2.25) scattered 6 hits over 11 innings, struck out three, and provided a single and double of his own at the plate.

Semifinals
Connecticut 4, Pennsylvania 2- Veteran Cosmopolitan pitcher Brian Randall (2-0, 2.81) gave Watts a day off and propelled Connecticut into the finals with a fine performance.

New Jersey 9, Texas 7- Martin Mireles went 2 for 4 and scored twice, while Roberto Lopez went 3 for 5 and added two runs of his own, and the Jerseyan professionals undercut a cinderella bid of the largely semi-pro Texans.

Finals
Connecticut 7, New Jersey 1- Christian Watts was impossible to figure out all afternoon, and Zhi-gang Zeng provided a rare homerun to complete Connecticut’s unbeaten championship run.



Code:
All-Tournament Team

  POS		PLAYER		     TOURNAMENT TEAM	     REGULAR CLUB
   P        CHRISTIAN WATTS            Connecticut	   Philadelphia Babies (PA)
   C	    CHRIS JACKSON	       Connecticut         Philadelphia Babies (PA)
  1B        CHARLIE MCCROY	       California          Tilden New York (PA)
  2B	    JOHN DANIELS               Connecticut	   Mystic Brooklyn (PA)
  3B	    JIM WILSON		       New York		   Philadelphia Babies (PA)
  SS	    DON SUITER		       New York		   Columbia Lions (COL)
  LF        JOE GREATHOUSE             Pennsylvania	   Mystic Brooklyn (PA)
  CF	    HARLEY JOHNSON	       Massachusetts       Eclipse New York (PA)
  RF	    BILL FITZGERALD	       Connecticut	   Fairbanks Chicago (PA)

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