The Universal Baseball Association Official Archive

[BigCity]

The Universal Baseball Association 55-year replay is now complete. Based on Robert Coover's novel, published in 1968, the UBA Replay fills in all the details only hinted at in the Coover Novel. Complete player, team, and season stats from J. Henry Waugh's Official UBA Archives - replayed in OOTP - and reported at BigCityBaseball.com.

The archive will be divided into three volumes, Volume 1 - 1901-1925, Volume 2 - 1926-1950, and Volume 3 - 1951-1955.

I will document one-to-two seasons per week which should allow me to complete the 55-year span by the end of the year. At that time, I will make the entire history AND the OOTP league file, ready for play in the new OOTP7 version, available on two CDs for $20. for anyone that would like a copy to begin playing in the 1956 season.

For those of you who have read Robert Coover's book, let me clarify that I have made every attempt possible to follow the historical details provided there, and feel I have done very well. However, as you might expect, an "exact" historical document is not possible using a game with random outcomes to create a highlighted history already documented in the book. There will be some discrepancies, but none which should detract from the enjoyment of the replay. In addition, many other players, of course, not mentioned in the book, have risen to stardom and noteworthy performance.

I hope this dynasty thread proves popular, and that some of you will play out the future of the UBA once the league files are made available. I will likely provide my copy of the UBA as an online league - so those most active in following the replay will have the lead advantage to join that league if they are interested. I hope you enjoy this story !!

[BigCity]

Making it Real – Part 1

I don’t know what level of understanding Robert Coover had about baseball in 1968 when he wrote his novel, but a few glaring problems surfaced in my attempt to create the official UBA history in OOTP. This may have been due to a lack of statistical knowledge, a rudimentary understanding of the game, or more likely, the fact that the novel was a social commentary intended as a satire of Christian belief relative to Coover’s belief in man’s need for organization – and not about baseball.

Whatever the reason, some the statistics claimed in the novel either would be impossible – or would render the meaning of “possible” useless in J.Henry Waugh’s world. Given that J.Henry was an accountant, and gave every indication in his described personality as being a stickler for reality, I think the issues below were the result of Coover’s focus on the mainline story – and not on the accuracy of the baseball relationships.

In this installment, I have addressed the two most glaring issues, as I see them, and how I worked around them. To reconcile the UBA’s history with what is stated in the story; I’ve simply blamed most of the inaccuracies on J.Henry’s memory of events not documented – or an exaggeration of fact.

In future installments, I will address some of the less critical differences.

300 Career Wins
Six pitchers in the UBA apparently won 300 or more games in their career. Given the fact that (1) the UBA played an 80 game season, (2) pitchers relied on a 4 man rotation, and (3) a “long” pitching career would be about 20 years, the math easily shows these pitchers would have needed to win an average 15 games out of 21 starts each year (and that is assuming the pitcher was never injured). Assuming, in addition, that a pitcher can actually get 75% of his decisions, that would result in 20 straight years of a 15-1 record … easily enough to win 20 straight “best pitcher” awards.

Since the Hall of Fame qualifications for Wins was reduced from 300 to 150 for the half season adjustment, it seemed more reasonable to me that 200 wins (average of 10 per year) would be a significant feat. I thus “modified” the target of the six(6) 300 win pitchers to 200 wins. Only the few “best” pitchers in the UBA (who J.Henry obviously saw as “Gods”) were given ratings that would approach 300 wins.

300 Strikeouts per Season
A number of UBA pitchers also surpassed 300 strikeouts in the 80 game schedule per Coover’s novel. Again, the math exercise would show that these pitchers would have to average 14.3 strikeouts per game for the entire season to accomplish this.

Knowing the UBA existed in an assumed early 20^th century environment (1901-1955), I looked for the real-world strikeout leader between those years. Herb Score, in 1955, posted 9.7 strikeouts per game – or 203 season strikeouts across 21 starts (maximum). I therefore set 200 strikeouts as the “modified” target for the UBA historic replay. Again, however, I was generous to the few God-like pitchers in J.Henry’s eyes.

[BigCity]

Making it Real – Part 2


Creating Characters
Although many players were mentioned in the novel, there obviously wasn't any "all-time roster" from which to determine when to place these players in the 55 year UBA history.

Some were obvious - those mentioned in specific years. Coover lays out most of these in Year 1 (1901) and during the 20's. Most of the players, however, had only enough detail to place them either in the first 40 years, or the last 15.

From the small amount of data that was provided, I laid out all the players that did have enough details - then spread the remaining players across the decades, trying to make sure each team had a fair number of representatives, and that there were few "dead spots" in the schedule to introduce the main characters. The decade of the 20's was a bit heavy, as was the current year (1955) but this was due to the fact that Coover simply provided more details during these times for the benefit of the story.

In some cases, I was able to place players based on very small details. For example, if a player became a manager in a certain year - and had a certain statistic mentioned that I knew would take 10 years to accomplish - I placed him based on these details. The whole process took me about 3 months to get it right (or at least what I felt comfortable with). The worst of these players were the sons of previous players - trying to move both around so I wouldn't end up with a son being born to the father at age 12.

Once I had the player placed in their year of introduction, I let the game decide such things as lefty-righty (assuming that was unknown), month and day of their birthday, etc. I only changed the ratings to match what I thought their capabilities needed to be based on the novel, their name, set them to durable if necessary to reach career milestones, modified their speed when required (like Barney North), and sometimes changed their defensive ratings if the book suggested good or bad.

How did I do? Well, if I were to do it again, I would obviously fine tune a few ratings here and there, but I got really close and am happy with the results.

Obviously, it's impossible to have everything fall exactly as Coover described it, but I got close enough that I could blame the differences on Coover's lack of baseball experience and/or J.Henry's less than perfect memory.

[BigCity]

Making it Real – Part 3

The Trade AI in Version 5
Before I get started on the Trade AI, let me explain why I chose Version 5 to create and play out the UBA.

At the time I was beginning to put this all togther, V6 had just been released, but the player editors weren't working correctly (remember the "change one thing and something else changes" bug?). Well, that made it materially impossible for me to use V6 to create the UBA since I needed the player editor to add the book's characters. I didn't want to wait for a patch, so I dropped back to V5.

In addition to the editor issue, the V5 engine was a lot friendlier in terms of letting me define the players. Although I love the DIPS engine for the results it provides, it doesn't work well for manually creating players. Even had I used V6, I would have turned on the legacy engine.

On to the Trade AI...

In order to keep the configuration of the UBA as stable as possible, I set trading to "very low" and skiped Spring Training. The first decision was to insure the player characters stayed on their original teams as much as possible (didn't want Fancy Dan Casey pitching for anyone but the Keystones) and the second decision was to limit OOTP's need to modify ratings all the time. I thought, in this case anyway, things should stay the same as much as possible with only age and time adjusting capabilities.

From the above standpoint, things worked out well. A few "minor" player characters were involved in trades, I even forced the Melbourne Trench trade to the Pastime club to stay true to the book, and none of the major player characters lost significant abilities until age caught up to them. On a related note, I couldn't make the game keep Barney Bancroft around till 45 no matter what I did, but he did play to 40.

What did drive me crazy was the old V5 Trade AI problem... completing stupid trades. Luckily, these did not involve the main characters, but boy - can the V5 AI be blind sometimes.

Sure, I can (and did) write up a story about it that covered all the various opinions that would have occured if it was reality, but in my opinion some of them simply shouldn't have happened. In fact, had I caught a couple before I moved on to the next season, I would have replayed the year.

A few other similar occurances happened during the 55 seasons of the UBA, and I can say without hesitation that when I reran the UBA in Version 6 as a whimsical test, much of the trade AI experience I saw in V5 didn't occur. Not that it was perfect by any means, but it WAS better in terms of the trade AI.

All in all, here too, I am satisfied. A few "strange occurances" when writing up a history gives me a chance to wrap a story around the situation, making things more interesting.

[CubsLose]

I can't wait for this to get started - I loved the book and am already looking forward to seeing Brock Rutherford pitch in person! Good luck Big City, you have one avid fan already.

[BigCity]

Making it Real – Part 4

The Presention
I knew from the beginning of this project how I "wanted" to present the UBA's history - in newspaper format. What I truly wanted was for the reader to feel he was reading the newspaper - then enhance the newspaper over the years from the early multi-column layouts to the more modern mixed format layouts, and see black and white photos replaced with color photos.

I tried a number of templates and formats, cutting-and-pasting the contents of the OOTP HTML files into the correct places, but ultimately relaized the amount of work to do this across 55 years was too extreme.

As you will see, I compromised. The seasonal reports are a combination of a newspaper layout and a sidebar menu that will take you to the more detailed OOTP reports. It still gives me the chance to look like a newspaper, but avoids me moving ALL the seasonal details into a new layout for each and every season.

The Logos
I struggled on this one. Early 1900 logos consisted of text, period. I wanted more, but I didn't want to ruin the "feel" of the early game with modern logos. After designing about 3-4 logos per team, I finally settled, again, into a compromise. The resulting logos give a feel for the 1900-1955 period without being "boring". All are my original designs, except for the Troy Haymakers logo which is the work of our friend Le Grande Orange. I simply couldn't come up with a better one than the one he did.

The Stories
Besides the typical "stat reporting" which you would expect in a daily sports page, I have developed various "stories" as the years progress that are intended to help generate and hold the reader's interest as the seasons unfold. Some are a bit "lame", but others, I think, may generate some discussion which would thrill me to no end if that happened. To me, following a baseball dynasty is much more compelling when wrapped in various stories that make the fictional world "real". This is what BigSix has done with his Patrick O'Farrell stories... making them real, and making us return to see what happens. If I can come anywhere close to what BigSix has done for Patrick, I'll be smiling ear-to-ear.

[BigCity]

It Begins

Henry opened another beer and sat down at his kitchen table, looking over the charts, forms, and various paraphernalia he had created and accumulated this past six months in preparation for this evening.

The Universal Baseball Association, Inc. J.Henry Waugh, Proprietor.

It had a ring to it, but more importantly it was his next great achievement. More than a hobby, a goal - to create a fictional world so real he could take part in it as a character - as its record keeper, its leader, no, its master.

For before him were all the tools to give life to this world, the Association. Give life to its characters, give color to its ballparks and other locations. Create personas worth remembering, both the great and the small. Create statistics worth recording, and insure that the life of his new fictional world was cared for.

He wasn't quite sure if he was creating a world or if the world he created was remodeling him - but one thing that was sure... he felt rejuvenated at this moment. Excited.

He reached across to pick up the three dice, rolled them in his palm, and looked over the lineups of the two teams which would go down in UBA history as the first game of the UBA. He imagined Chancellor and Excelsiors owner Abe Flint sitting behind, and to the home side of the 1st base dugout, watching the players take their position on the field. Abe looked across the infield to the Knickerbocker dugout and saw Vice Chancellor Williams sitting in an almost equal location.

What a team these Knickerbockers were, and what it had cost him to insure they joined the UBA. The best team in the league, he surmised - at least for now.

His eyes moved to the mound and saw Willie Loya throwing his warm-up pitches. Loya, pitcher of the decade as far as New Yorker's were concerned. Tearing up almost any team that dared face the Knicks. It would be interesting to see how he faired his first year of UBA play.

Abe looked to his right into the end of the Excelsior's dugout, and glanced over his players. Half of this team was new - many of his previous barnstorming players had decided not to stay with the team when the Association was created. It would be a tough challenge to get these boys playing to the same level the old barnstorming club was prior to this year.

At last he glanced at the crowd in this new Knickerbocker ballpark named Astoria Field. What a beauty. Built, in large part, by a personal loan by Judge (and Vice Chancellor) Williams. It was a beautiful place.

Abe wondered how the politics of the UBA would accept him as both Chancellor and Excelsior's owner. He also wondered if Judge Williams financial ties to the Knickerbockers would ultimately be a problem. He knew he had to insure the UBA was seen as "above board" in all aspects, which is what drove him to write a clause into the UBA constitution that required the other 7 teams to approve any trade involving the Excelsiors as long as he was both owner and Chancellor. He had to be sure there were no suspicions. He did wonder, however, if history would be kind enough to measure him favorably when it was over.

Henry took another swig from his beer, took a final look around to make sure all of the Association was in place, heard the home plate umpire yell "Play Ball" and watched as Willie Loya wound up his first pitch to CF Ralph Fisher.

He raised his arm to the roar of the crowd, and let the dice fall onto the table.....

[seth70liz76]

Originally Posted by BigCity

It Begins

Henry opened another beer and sat down at his kitchen table, looking over the charts, forms, and various paraphernalia he had created and accumulated this past six months in preparation for this evening.

The Universal Baseball Association, Inc. J.Henry Waugh, Proprietor.

It had a ring to it, but more importantly it was his next great achievement. More than a hobby, a goal - to create a fictional world so real he could take part in it as a character - as its record keeper, its leader, no, its master.

For before him were all the tools to give life to this world, the Association. Give life to its characters, give color to its ballparks and other locations. Create personas worth remembering, both the great and the small. Create statistics worth recording, and insure that the life of his new fictional world was cared for.

He wasn't quite sure if he was creating a world or if the world he created was remodeling him - but one thing that was sure... he felt rejuvenated at this moment. Excited.

He reached across to pick up the three dice, rolled them in his palm, and looked over the lineups of the two teams which would go down in UBA history as the first game of the UBA. He imagined Chancellor and Excelsiors owner Abe Flint sitting behind, and to the home side of the 1st base dugout, watching the players take their position on the field. Abe looked across the infield to the Knickerbocker dugout and saw Vice Chancellor Williams sitting in an almost equal location.

What a team these Knickerbockers were, and what it had cost him to insure they joined the UBA. The best team in the league, he surmised - at least for now.

His eyes moved to the mound and saw the lanky Willie Loya throwing his warm-up pitches. Loya, pitcher of the decade as far as New Yorker's were concerned. Tearing up almost any team that dared face the Knicks. It would be interesting to see how he faired his first year of UBA play.

Abe looked to his right into the end of the Excelsior's dugout, and glanced over his players. Half of this team was new - many of his previous barnstorming players had decided not to stay with the team when the Association was created. It would be a tough challenge to get these boys playing to the same level the old barnstorming club was prior to this year.

At last he glanced at the crowd in this new Knickerbocker ballpark named Astoria Field. What a beauty. Built, in large part, by a personal loan by Judge (and Vice Chancellor) Williams. It was a beautiful place.

Abe wondered how the politics of the UBA would accept him as both Chancellor and Excelsior's owner. Ha also wondered if Judge Williams financial ties to the Knickerbockers would ultimately be a problem. He knew he had to insure the UBA was seen as "above board" in all aspects, which is what drove him to write a clause into the UBA constitution that required the other 7 teams to approve any trade involving the Excelsiors as long as he was both owner and Chancellor. He had to be sure there were no suspicions. He did wonder, however, if history would be kind enough to measure him favorably when it was over.

Henry took another swig from his beer, took a final look around to make sure all of the Association was in place, heard the home plate umpire yell "Play Ball" and watched as Willie Loya wound up his first pitch to CF Ralph Fisher.

He raised his arm to the roar of the crowd, and let the dice fall onto the table.....

Chills. It reads like an unwritten chapter of the book. We're both Coover and Waugh here.

[BigCity]

Association Introduction and 1901 now posted.

Official UBA Archive

[BigCity]

Association 1902 season now posted.

Official UBA Archive

[BigCity]

Winter of 1902

Henry sat back after finishing up the 1902 Archive. The ’02 season had been very interesting with the Keystones surging to the flag behind that young kid Casey. He wondered if the kid was a flash-in-the-pan or the real thing. He almost couldn’t wait to start the next season to find out.

But right now, another story from the season captured his imagination. Willie Loya. After his 1901 MVP season, he struggled through his first 7 starts and Henry had - no - manager Givens had decided to bench him. Marvin Givens and Loya had had a few words during that stretch. Loya had gotten somewhat aggressive in his responses and found himself sitting out the season. However, that wasn’t the end of the story…

"What’s the trouble Willie?", Givens asked.


Nothin’ that time won’t fix.", Loya responded.

"You know, Willie, there’s a lot of people counting on you, including the players".

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Look, I’ve had a few bad games, and a few good ones. I haven’t lost anything, just… having trouble concentrating.", Willie said.

"Something outside of the game bothering you?", queried Givens.

"Nothin’ I want to talk about".

"Look Willie. If you’re having other problems, I can understand that, but I have to think of the team…."

"Bull!!", cut in Willie. "The ‘team’ is ALL you’re interested in, and the guys know it. You think I’m the only one struggling here? This is a good bunch of players Mr. Givens, and your domineering approach to winning and upholding the "Knickerbocker’s name" is getting the team down."

Givens felt his neck getting warm and knew his anger was surfacing. He had coached this club for five years, and successfully. Yes, he wanted the Knickerbocker name to remain respected in the new league as it was before, but he wasn’t going to be criticized on how he did that. He had never agreed with Amos on the idea of joining this "Association" idea of Flint's. A crazy idea. Baseball was supposed to be played between Gentlemen, not Rowdy's.

"I will not accept my approach to running this ball club as an excuse for it’s poor performance of late.", he snapped back. We won the flag last year under my leadership!"

"We won the flag last year because I won 16 games!", Willie snapped back. "It had very little to do with YOUR leadership, ‘Marvin’."

Givens face felt like he had walked into a blowtorch. He hesitated long enough to assemble his next sentence carefully.

"I see, Mr. Loya. I also think it may be necessary to show you who gets paid to run this team. I would suggest to you that a player’s respect to his manager is paramount to team success, and to think that over during your next scheduled start - since you will be watching the game from the bench!"

Henry played out that exchange a couple times in his head, made a few notes so he could write it up later and add it to the Archive. As it turned out, Loya didn’t fold easily. He simply quit talking. He became the "silent one", and Givens continued to bench him every scheduled start, raising questions not only from the fans and media, but eventually from the Knickerbocker’s management - and ultimately from Judge Lawrence Williams, the teams primary financial support and Vice Chancellor of the UBA.

Weeks went by with Loya pitching batting practice and warming up every game. No one was aware of the altercation besides the two persons involved, so no one had any idea as to why Willie wasn’t being used. Catcher Mitchell Donalson was often to point out that Willie’s arm seemed as strong as ever, and this was also reflected in the newspaper stories, which coined the event as the "Willie Loya 1902 Mystery".

The season ended with Loya never again taking the mound, and the Knickerbockers fell to 5th place. The New York "Gentleman’s Club" was internally embroiled over the issue, and a meeting was finally set up between Givens, team owner Amos Bradley, and Judge Lawrence Williams on February 17th, 1902.

Article from the New York Times, February 18th, 1902

Knickerbocker Manager Marvin Givens Relieved of his duties.
In a letter to this newspaper received this morning from Amos Bradley, owner of the Knickerbockers, Manager Marvin Givens was relieved of his duties as of Midnight, February 17th, 1902. Coach Averill Huggins was given the position of Manager for the 1902 season. Mr. Bradley stated that the benching of Willie Loya early in the 1901 season resulted in an altercation between Loya and Givens which appeared to be insurmountable for both parties. It is owner’s opinion that Mr. Givens did not strive to resolve the issue, which was his duty, resulting in events that were not in the best interest of the club. Mr. Bradley wishes him well in the future, and also wishes Mr. Huggins good luck for the 1902 season.

Henry put down his pen and tried to picture Averill Huggins. Certainly in contrast to the quick-to-anger Marvin Givens. Huggins was about 58, thick gray hair, and rather laid back in his approach to the game. He would almost certainly invite Loya out for a fantastic dinner at one of New York's fabulous restaurants and patch things over. That was just the kind of person he was.

[Tiger Fan]

Great stuff, Al.

[Johnny99]

Really great work. I'm not sure if I admire or am scared by your dedication, but a great read either way.

[BigCity]

Baseball Before the UBA

No gloves. A fly ball caught on one bounce constitutes an out. Underhanded pitching. Three balls equal a walk. Foul balls aren't strikes.

So this is the way it was. The way baseball was meant to be played by the forefathers of the modern version.

The first step to understanding pre-1900 baseball is to appreciate how the sport evolved from year to year with almost constant rule changes. Along the way, some curious rules came into being. For example, pitchers were allowed a nine-ball count and hitters were entitled to state their preference for high or low pitches in 1876. In earlier years, umpires didn't call balls or strikes at all, and a "striker" could wait as long as he wanted for a pitch to his liking.

Etiquette has also changed. It was once deemed improper for a player to dive for a ball (gentlemen, you see, don't do that).

The Knickerbockers of New York formed the first baseball club and wrote down the first rules in 1845. They elected a first nine, second nine, third nine, junior nine (a farm club, of sorts) and a muffin nine. The "muffins" were the players who were just terrible.

The following year, the first recorded baseball game was played in Hoboken, N.J., between the Knickerbockers and the New York Nine.

Baseball started out as a "gentleman's game," somewhat elitist, with an emphasis on sportsmanship. But that didn't last.

Before long, money got in the game. Clubs got involved in big-time gambling. Entrepreneurs realized they could make profits by fencing in fields and charging admission. Even before the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first to acknowledge being a professional club in 1871, the better players went to the highest-paying clubs.

The sport's popularity grew. It wasn't unusual for crowds of 15,000 to attend games, accounts of which were carried in newspapers.

Even the Civil War didn't stop baseball. Soldiers played games between battles to keep up morale and fight off boredom. By the end of the war, over 200 clubs were in existence, many of them barnstorming the country.

Baseball grew up alongside America and changed with it, which might account for the interest in its history. It's just such a part of the soul of America. It's seen us through all the hard times.

Although there were no recognized world champions during the 1860s, the Atlantics were essentially that when they won five National Association of Base Ball championships during that decade.

Gloves didn't come into use until the 1870s, when a Boston Red Sox player wore a flesh-colored glove in the hope it wouldn't be noticed. He was, nonetheless, subjected to considerable abuse. Playing without a glove presented a challenge. Jammed and broken fingers come with the territory.

One of the oddities of vintage baseball was the homerun. When a player slugged a tremendous shot high over any physical limitation, like a fense or a hedge, it was not an automatic homerun. It was a race between the batter and the fielder as to whether the runner or ball got to home plate first.

In 1900, however, everything changed. The concept of money changed baseball from "the Gentleman's game" into a business, and Abe Flint got an idea.

[BigCity]

(double post)

[gbmoore121]

Great Work! You've captured the spirit very well!

[BigCity]

Preface to 1903

Henry bounded up the stairs to his apartment two steps at a time. Not bad for a 50ish accountant. The 1903 season was about to begin, and he wanted to make sure everything was in order.

He unlocked the door to the Association's office, imagining the bold Times Roman font claiming this as the entry to the "Universal Baseball Association, J. Henry Waugh, Proprietor". He opened the door, and immediately heard a conversation in the Chancellor's office. He recognized Flint's voice, and a second later, Judge Lawrence Williams.

"Lawrence, we all get a bit older, and slower, and our health faulters a bit. But we continue to press forward with grand ideas because the ideas are bigger than we are, and they must be completed."

"I understand Abe, and I agree. but I don't know if my health will allow me to put forth the effort your going to need to keep this idea of yours going", said Williams.

"I need you friend.", Abe said directly looking into Williams eyes. "This may have been my idea, and the early details may have been solidified by me and Dean, but it wasn't until I saw the spark of understanding in your eyes that I knew it was a 'good' idea. I don't care if we have to wheel you around from meeting to meeting Lawrence, I need your thoughts and comments as we insure the Association survives whatever gets strewn in our path."

Williams coughed, then smiled and sighed deeply.

"Ah Abe, if you promise to let me spend more time at home with Wilma I will stay on till the end of your term in 1904. I can't promise my health will hold out that long, but I'll be here for you as long as I can."

"Thank you Lawrence, I won't make you sorry for this decision and will do anything I can to ease things for you."

Henry was saddened at hearing Judge Williams health was failing him. He wondered what it was. Lawrence was always with a cigar in his mouth, and Henry had noticed recently that his gruff cough was getting even more gruff than normal. It was probably that.

He must have wanted to resign his Vice Chancellor position to someone who could help Abe out more, someone younger and more energetic, but Abe wasn't hearing any of it. Lawrence was the driving force of Abe's idea, and Abe knew the Association was too young to chance lossing Williams' voice. He was already thinking about the second term in 1904, and at this point, wasn't willing to consider handing over the reigns of his creation to anyone else. He needed the Judge now, and if at all possible, to help him retain the Chancellorship for another term.

The Judge and Abe droned onto something about the Loya situation while Henry opened his deli sandwich and popped open a beer. He wondered himself how Willie Loya would do this year under Averill Huggins, and for that matter how the Knickerbockers would do as a team. He also wondered if Abe's Excelsiors could lift themselves out of last place - an environment that Abe wasn't used to.

Finishing up his sandwich, he cleared the end of the kitchen table and again looked over his Association. Spring 1903 and another 80 game schedule. He had to get to day two tonight, since the Keystones, and their star pitcher Dan Casey, weren't playing on opening day.

Henry took a deep breath, thought a second more about Judge Williams coughing, which he heard again from the other room, and started setting up the opening day rosters.

[The Professor]

Outstanding stuff!!

[BigCity]

As I think through the seasons of the UBA Replay, certain ideas come to mind as to how Robert Coover would have written a story around these ideas. I usually start up Word and throw something together, half of which never gets done, but some of which I am happy with becasue it captures Coover's style. Here is one such short story. In time, all of these "pieces and parts" will be organized into the final UBA Archives - but for now I post them just for fun. I hope you enjoy them.

--------------------------------------------------
Henry ducked under the awning of the SameTime Lounge & Grill and folded his umbrella. These New York rains were an experience. Winds whipping up and down streets and alleys made much of the rain move sideways, so you got wet even with an umbrella. He wondered why he bothered with one.

Pulling open the door, he was immediately engulfed in a country western tune from the jukebox, one of those that told the story of a lost love. Mixing with that tune were the sounds of conversation. The "SameTime" was a regular stop for Henry on Saturday afternoon. He got a bit tired of the daily menu of deli sandwiches by the weekends, and came here to get a hot sandwich and a few drinks.

Henry hung his coat and umbrella by the door, and found a table at the far end of the bar, waving to the bartender as he passed him. Sitting down, he grabbed a menu, picked out the hot roast beef sandwich and placed his order - along with a bourbon on the rocks.

When his drink arrived, he took a sip and reached into his pocket for the 1904 UBA starting rosters.

After he had gone through the list a few times, he ended up focusing on the Philadelphia Keystones, last year's champions. The Keystones were a pretty average club for the most part. Without Dan Casey, this team would be lucky to break .500. The only position highlights were Lee Lanctot at 3B who, in 1902 had a career year hitting .375. Greg Knopf (C) and Ed Landers (RF) were the only other bona fide offensive threats.

But the team was dominated by Dan Casey, pitcher extraordinaire. In three seasons, Dan had accumulated a 36-13 record and showed signs on getting even better at the end of 1903.

Henry's thought's roamed over to the Boston Beaneaters manager's office where Dean Sullivan was also mulling over the 1904 rosters.

"How in the world do you counter someone like Casey?", Sullivan said verbally to the empty office. How can you make up for a single guy on your opponent's team that can win 15 out of 80 games by himself? This kid had to be slowed down somehow - but how?

Dean looked at his own roster again. Jones (C), Gallo (RF), and Sorrentino (OF) were all .300 hitters, but failed miserably when facing Casey. Everyone else looked even worse when facing "Fancy", as he was called. As far as his pitching staff, only Callazo was in the same ballpark, and he was out in left field somewhere with Casey on the mound.

The Beaneater manager sighed and sat back in his chair. It was almost dinner time, and sitting here looking at these rosters wasn't going to magically provide a solution.


Henry was brought back to the environment of the SameTime as his hot sandwich with mashed potatoes and green beans was placed in front of him. He ordered another drink, and looked at his watch. If he could get home within the hour, he could play the opening games of the 1904 season and see if Casey was going to repeat yet again his successes of the past three seasons.

Little did Henry or Dean know that "Fancy Dan" was going to get even better.

[BigCity]

Association 1903 season now posted.

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