Alternate History Sports » The Association: America's Game

H-Town1141 · 5/14/2020 10:09 pm

Rugrat wrote:
Congrats to Cincy and all the fans who finally got to see a team form the city win something even though this is not real!

lmaooooooo

1901 Offseason:

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN CHICAGO?:

Pelletier entered the offseason looking to move forward with selling the team. The organization, although financially viable on the diamond, had killed the reputation of the second largest athletic club in the country, behind NYCA (the real-life New York Athletic Club existed early on but fizzled out; the organization of both fictional clubs drew inspiration from the initial NYAC are nearly identical to that club structure except for fielding a professional baseball team.) Because of the segmentation of the baseball team from the rest of the athletic club, many members didn’t truly feel like they represented SA Chicago, and coupled with the incident of Tom Viar, all board members had set their sights on selling the team.

At the last possible moment, team manager Rob De Jong stormed into the final voting session and petitioned his case to the board, and specifically to Pelleiter, who cared about the team more than anyone else, as it was the most public and wide-appealing as the club could possibly get.

Media reported that the meeting lasted several hours, with many talks back and forth between Pelletier, De Jong, and the board. The case was made for and against, wand they were reported as follows:
KEEP THE TEAM:

Chicago has won the most games in the history of the Association throughout its short lifespan, both single season and all-time.
Thad Fiefield, an initial amateur member of the club, had become the face of the franchise, and if properly endorsed by the wealthier men of the club, that he could replace Chicagoans’ memories of the other Chicago pitcher that had disgraced the team.
They’re making money hand over fist in a city starving for baseball. It’s hard to knock a team when they’re bringing in an insane amount of cash.
Pelletier specifically wondered about how it would look to fans if they sold the original Chicago team only to put a new one in their old ballpark, but instead of playing Frank Palmer’s St. Louis and Joe Watkins’ Cincinnati, it was Ft. Wayne and Des Moines.

SELL THE TEAM:

Pelletier and the club saw a large drop in members after the Tom Viar incident, as members believed that supporting Sporting Athletic was a direct contribution to supporting the corruption of sportsmanship. Last season, the team was only able to partially able to get some of their members back after Fiefield almost single-handedly dragged the Republics to a winning record.
The clubhouse had been volatile after the banning of Viar and the difficult season, and it might mean ditching stars to remedy the situation if things aren’t smoothed over by De Jong. He believes he can do it, but many of the board are unsure.
The team also had lost a considerable number of fans after Viar got kicked off of the team. He represented to many in the city that a hard-nosed, rugged street tough could end up playing ball in front of the entire city, state, and country. The rest of the starters were all put into a category of pampered college boys, thought to have been more marketable in Boston than in Chicago.
The board’s disdain for those same former amateur club members has increased as the team has gained notoriety in recent years, in the Association. Many said they would leave if Pelletier gave up what they called his “pet project”, and a major organizational shake-up around the turn of the century in Chicago might spell doom for the entire club.

Talks came down to the wire, with Pelletier and De Jong becoming a bloc standing against the board members. They finally settled on the worst kind of solution: an ultimatum.

Board members (who had already gathered the popular consensus of the club at large) declared that Chicago wins the pennant or they sell the team and expel their players from the club. After they sell the team, the board would decide as to whether they would form a Midwestern League club, although that too was uncertain.

AGGRESSION FROM MINOR LEAGUES:

In the years before the Association, the regional leagues had not posed much of a threat in competition with one another. They remained confined to their section of the country and only occasionally came into conflict over players, most notably a scramble for Western Pennsylvania players in the 1880’s helped formalize which Pittsburgh team would become dominant (Midwestern or Pennsylvania League), as well as Cincinnati diminishing Louisville’s stature by stealing away northern Kentucky players to dominate the Midwestern league for a short period of time. However, as the top teams from each league were plucked from their regional league and thrown into the Association, some of the northeastern leagues consolidated. The Colonial League exists because The Massachusetts/Rhode Island League, New York League, and Pennsylvania League needed enough stars scattered throughout the league. As they’ve grown in popularity and cultural importance of these cities over the last five years, these regional leagues (except for the Southeastern League, which remains it’s own interesting subject) have attempted to either steal star prospects from Major League teams or have tried to convince Brooklyn owner Alex Hirsch of a merger and relegation system. Despite multiple rejections from Hirsch and the rest of the league’s owners, consistent pressure put on the Association put upon them by the best teams in both the Midwestern and Colonial Leagues make it increasingly likely that at least *some* permanent agreement will work itself out.

For now, however, the Association has come to a temporary agreement that they hope will stop regional leagues from stealing top prospects and signing them to long-term deals. On October 1st, 1900, it was officially announced that the formal process of buying and selling of players between leagues would become a sanctioned practice of the sports, alongside the more important aspect of the agreement: trading.

Trading was a big deal for a lot of Association owners specifically, because more often than not the midwestern leagues were willing to schill out large, long-term deals with the prospects the Association was going for, and in order to maintain a viable influx of prospects and players under team control, Association teams would have to vastly overpay prospects and risk alienating their core or valuable clubhouse veterans. However, with trades, the Association team can give up cash or unproductive but popular veterans in exchange for prospects, all at a reduced price for the Association.

Although seemingly a bad deal for the regional leagues, the main goal was to create formal, official talks with Association owners in hopes of expansion, merger, or relegation system.

FURTHER ASSOCIATION NEWS: THE FIVE-YEAR PLAN:

After the bombshell of expanded player trading made its ripples throughout the country, many players were immediately upset by the move. Powerful regional leagues independent of the Association and each other had helped players gain far more money than they would under the current system. They could scare the Association teams into giving them money if a big market minor league team was willing to give them more, and the league minimum rarely applied to talented rookies. The ten-year service requirement system created to manage this threat by the Association had now become obsolete, and could potentially lead the way towards an that was abandoned early on in the history of baseball: the reserve clause.

The Association’s five-year plan was a plan devised by owners to strip players of their rights as employees. The steps are as follows:

Year 1- Establish formal conversations with Regional Leagues, making them believe the idea of relegation or merger is possible, to eliminate the option of players leaving for higher contracts elsewhere.

Year 2- Extend the service time requirement to 11 years instead of 10. This establishes greater team control, and with less options to turn to, prospects are looking at minimum salaries across the country.

Year 3- create a long-term trade agreement between the Association and the regional leagues that can be punishable in court if the regional leagues back out of the deal.

Year 4- Officially declare the denial of expansion, merger, or relegation with any regional league to be infeasible, and that the Association would stay put for the time being. With the Colonial and Midwestern Leagues’ hands tied, there’s nothing they can do as retribution to the Association, as the previous year’s deal is a formal contract.

Year 5- establish the reserve clause, effectively tethering the rights of a player to a specific team for an indefinite amount of time, and can changes teams if he is traded.

We’ll see if this plan works as expected.

BIG MOVES IN NEW YORK AND MILWAUKEE:

Onto less depressing baseball news(?)

Chris Wester sees the writing on the wall. He knows that he has to take control of the New York City market, and with Brooklyn’s offensive production decreasing and their pitching staff aging out (with the exception of Lisiewicz and Hymel), He figured that he could swing some trades to formalize NYCA as the most dominant force in New York baseball. His and Chris Waters’ first trade simply a pitcher swap, dealing the overpriced contract of Darius Guinyard to Milwaukee in exchange for prospect and hopeful starter Nick Mullen. The second trade made much less sense, acquiring an aging and expensive right fielder Willie Burke in exchange for a younger and cheaper right fielder in John Malloy. This, however, doesn’t impact the on-field performance team, as both would’ve served as backups, but to the clubhouse. Burke is known around the league for his positive attitude, and can be shown to help out struggling leaders regain composure. The day after they traded for Burke, the Burrowers went out and made the first trades with regional league teams. Giving up just their backup centerfielder to Albany, the team secured Eddie Burns, the greatest shortstop prospect since St. Louis’ Jeremy Cunningham. The day after, they used all of the available cash allowed by the league to acquire Rochester pitcher Eric Manning, a 23-year-old that should turn into an ace.

However, with the increased expectations placed upon Waters, this year becomes make-or break. If the team fails to meet expectations, the Waters is gone.

Milwaukee saw what NYCA was doing and offered to do them one better. Owner Nick McCormick has been buying up properties across the street from his brewery, but many say that the reason why not because of business expansion, but instead area for a new ballpark. Looking for new faces to turn over a new leaf with the ballclub, Milwaukee made 6 trades in a single month. Those trades brought in new, exciting pieces, but also included two separate instances of trading a player away and then receiving that player in a package back to them for a different player. They went out on a limb and snagged Buffalo’s dynamic middle infield duo of second baseman Rusty Rittersdorf and shortstop Joe Keen. They’re known as the odd couple around the baseball world because of their play on the field working beautifully in tandem, but their personalities off of it are polar opposites. Keen looks to be their new franchise cornerstone to help George Rogers in the future, while Rittersdorf is seen as a trading asset for any team willing to take his toxic personality. Adding to the future star potential, the team stole away pitcher Ben Crane, who has looked promising in his experience in relief for St. Louis and is expected to be in the starting rotation. They also made some win-now moves by trading for St. Louis’ star centerfielder Chase Johnson and grabbing infielder Carlos Bachicha from a rebuilding Cleveland. The talent is there with a killer outfield in offensive power Mike Barlow, Johnson, and defensive wizard John Figueroa.

UNIFORM CHANGES:

We got a few to go through here.

Brooklyn has officially retired their “CHAMPS” jerseys until they achieve another one, although they intend on keeping the only colored uniform in baseball.

Philadelphia, with their moniker wiped off of the uniform, has a new color: red. Before everyone gets upset in the comments, please note that this wasn’t uncommon to change colors so frequently, and it’s possible that they’ll change back in the future. The cut of the uniform was markedly different from others at the time, with a thin placket and military-style collar. The team has also asked newspapers in the Philadelphia area to put out a vote to help decide the nickname of the team. The Bulletin has asked its readers (you guys) to send in further name suggestions, which it will deliver to team offices. Until then, the team will still be called the Philas.

Coming off of an Eastern pennant run, Baltimore has some extra cash to get new uniforms, and they got the Brooklyn/Detroit cut with no collar, however they also added a thinner placket and smaller buttons, making 4 different uniforms cuts across the 12 teams. Owner Samuel Cogburn is looking closely at the Philadelphia branding situation, as he believes that if it yields positive results then his team might run a similar promotion.

Boston got a new B. Owner Robert Payne was finally fed up with the look on the field and got the new duds because he felt the need to represent the city on the road, and he had the option to get a new home set with it. Payne wants to be a trendsetter in the East, not just with his team but with style as well. He might roll out something more radical the next year, depending on the team’s 1901 success.

TL;DR

SA Chicago will be sold if they don’t win the pennant and sporting club membership will be revoked from its players.

Association teams, looking for regional leagues to stop stealing all the good prospects, have agreed to trade for regional league players and buy/sell players to regional league teams. This is actually part of a long-term plot by owners to implement a reserve clause into Association contracts.

New York swung for the fences by trading a bunch of people, and so did Milwaukee. Look to see them compete if not next year, then the one after that.

Some teams got new threads. I’ll do pants and socks at some point.

I hope I spaced this out alright. I know there’s a lot to get through, but this was a big offseason in terms of both foundation and content, but I think I integrated story elements into the deal pretty well.

Quick edit: I feel like I'm getting back into "unnecessarily deep for the turn of the century", and please feel free to let me know how you're enjoying the series and what I might need to focus on more. In other words, how can I make the reading experience more engaging?

Last edited by H-Town1141 (5/15/2020 1:58 am)

Section30 · 5/14/2020 11:22 pm

The updates look great, red works well with Philly, the P in red looks really nice and has a mean feel to it.

Baltimore and Boston both look good as well. I love both nicknames for Boston as well, Bees is good but I don't think red when I hear that name. Billys is a really fun name that sounds good for the time period, does it have any particular meaning?7.0.1

H-Town1141 · 5/14/2020 11:46 pm

Section30 wrote:
The updates look great, red works well with Philly, the P in red looks really nice and has a mean feel to it.

Baltimore and Boston both look good as well. I love both nicknames for Boston as well, Bees is good but I don't think red when I hear that name. Billys is a really fun name that sounds good for the time period, does it have any particular meaning?7.0.1

It's funny you mention the Bees nickname and how it doesn't have a correlation to the color red. The nickname actually came out of a combination when of the team's best players in 1899, a couple of dudes named Billy (West and Epp), were overshadowed by shortstop Chad Georgi and second baseman Jamie Brueck in 1900 and the emphasis of the "B" branding on the uniforms, which was included on the hats and uniforms both home and away. Seeing as the Billys, although still a fine name for the team, didn't represent their best players for the year, reporters started to use "B's" in the papers, but it became hard to distinguish between them and Baltimore/Brooklyn, and so "Bees" was a nickname born out of an inability to call their team the "B's". (this was explained in the 1899/1900 summaries a little bit, but I feel like I should label the teams as well as separate them into paragraphs so it's easier to go back and find that stuff)

Rugrat · 5/15/2020 11:43 am

Dang, Chicago could maybe even fold at this point

H-Town1141 · 5/15/2020 11:56 pm

Rugrat wrote:
Dang, Chicago could maybe even fold at this point

I don’t really know about folding. The thing is that despite this entire saga, the team is extremely popular to the city, and the only reason the athletic club is looking to sell is because the Viar situation ruined the reputation of the whole organization in the eyes of the affluent individuals who otherwise would want to be part of the club. It’s not like they’re losing money or anything, either. Hell, the team came in second in the West last year!

The closest thing to folding would be the relocation of the franchise and claiming it’s a “new team”, that would just have a different owner and name. However, relocation would be possibly a worse media sh-t than game 144. More importantly, where would they even move to? (If you have suggestions, I’m all ears)

H-Town1141 · 6/05/2020 1:18 am

1901 Season

East:
Federal Athletic:
By all accounts, 1901 looked to be a dream season for Federal Athletic. After years of struggling to gain relevancy even within their own region, the Miracles were able to put all the pieces together for a season little in the way of opposition. Jamie Rodak exploded into a superstar, leading the Association in total bases with 282 and playing out of his mind in the clutch to become the headliner this team has needed, while Justin Bader led the league in OBP with .406. The key to keeping this hot start, however, was the trade for Baltimore ace Brandon Harden at the deadline. Harden, although ending the season with a 2.58 ERA, was very hot and cold after a very rough ACS the year prior and was on the final year of his contract, and Baltimore was looking to infuse young blood into the clubhouse to prevent a second half slide. The trade seemed to work out better for DC, with the Miracles extending their lead over the rest of the league. Harden and breakout starter/eventual ace Scott Worthington led the league’s best pitching staff on their way to their first Eastern crown, one that no one expected.

BC Boston:
Boston’s year was in many ways a success. After a slow start to the year, the team rebounded in the second half. Outfielder Mark Burrow leapt out and became the team’s MVP this year. He led the team in stolen bases, OBP, and AVG while finishing second on the team in RBI. This team has a weird thing of having one-year wonders; first Bill West, then Brueck last year (who has since been benched), and now Burrow is predicted to be the same. The pitching was once again superb, led by Danny Ostrowski taking a back seat this year to 27-year-old Ben Stevens, who finished 18-15 with a 2.91 ERA. Boston, still loaded, looks to be threatening for the East next year. Without strong production from West, Bees has become the popular term for Boston.

BC Baltimore:
Baltimore, although in the hunt for the East as late as August, fell flat in big moments and had a horrible second half slide. Bryan Taubenfeld remained a vital part of the team, and his popularity is one of the cornerstones of the East. Centerfielder Joey Plows was the closest thing this team had to a leader after the Harden trade, as second baseman Frank Dering nor Taubenfeld have the leadership abilities to match their on-field production. The pitching corps got no help from the trade either, as middling reliever Eric Boudreau was slotted into the otherwise strong rotation of Dave Waldner, Charles Liquet, and Joe Choquette. The pieces are there for another run, although the trade has left many in the baseball world unsure of Baltimore’s future plans.

New York City Athletic:
In the team’s make-it-or-break-it year for Chris Waters, the Burrowers fell flat. Half of their new acquisitions didn’t play this year, and the ones that did underperformed. Eric Manning, foretold to become the next Asher Lisiewicz, failed to live up to the first-year hype and was only slotted into the starting rotation in August. Chris Meier and Ryan Kuklinski each offered solid starting options, with neither looking to slow down in 1902, while a poor performing Jon Mosher stayed in a rotation badly hurt by poor front office decisions. The most egregious act of management was the trading of fan favorite and one of the first non-whites in pro baseball, starting pitcher Cesar de la Parra, to Chicago (where Pelletier and De Jong were trying to save the team). The offense did little to produce any star power, although third baseman Kurt Dahms was able to steal 97 bases and bat .300 in the team’s lead-off spot, while Dan Richmond and first baseman Manuel Rojas once again played at a top level. Despite Waters’ firing at the end of the year, the Burrowers expectations remain extremely high heading into 1902.

Brooklyn Baseball Club:
While NYCA improved on their previous year’s campaign by reaching .500, Brooklyn sputtered their way into 5th in the East. The team had to deal with multiple serious injuries to their stars, with Lisiewicz only pitching 16 games due to lingering issues from his mysterious injury and workhorse Warner Buckman tearing his UCL, rendering his career effectively over in Brooklyn. The offense wasn’t able to cover for the emergency starters, with no one making headlines other than manager Moishe Lipp, who has become more combative with reporters over the last two years. Hirsch hopes that this team has its pieces in place for a run next year, especially because of the team across the river.

Philadelphia Baseball Club:
The Philas sucked. Starter Scott Sulka once again pitched well, but the rest of the rotation was poor. The team was last in the East in runs scored, with no real star or stat machine like years prior. Ownership realized that putting it in park was a poor idea, and identified a culture problem in Jon Needham, who was in the midst of another down season. In late May, the team traded Needham in a signal to the world that this team, red P and all, was looking for a shift in image. The final team name ideas should be suggested and given as soon as possible.

West:
Cincinnati Reds:
I mean it seriously when I say Cincinnati might be in the midst of a dynasty. The team is flooded with position and pitching superstars, and after this season, have shown that they have the fortitude to overcome the West’s top challengers. Chicago was on this team’s heels all year long, but Cincinnati was able to pull away in a crucial mid-July series that solidified the Reds over the Republics for the rest of the season. They are heavily favored over the Miracles, but the team isn’t going in with the mentality that they’ve already won.

Sporting Athletic Chicago:
Chicago played their heart out. Every single game, the Republics fought and clawed their way all the way through nine innings or more, and it was a testament to the team that they finished just 2 games out of first place. Thad Fiefield was only a complimentary piece to the pitching staff this year, as former Brooklyn pitcher Wilbur Penn took home the West’s best pitcher award in his first full year in the starting rotation since 1897. However, no individual performance was enough. SA CHICAGO WILL BE SOLD. The Athletic Club is asking for any information on willing and able buyers of the club, as they explore options for a Midwestern league team in the city.

St. Louis Baseball Club:
St. Louis was a team with a lot to like on paper, and entered August within striking distance of Cincinnati. However, the leadership aspect of the team continues lacking. The trio of Farmer, Palmer, and Cunningham failed to lead the team one again off the field, and fans fear that the team may never get over the hump again with the current core in place.

Milwaukee Brewers:
The Brewers are in the same situation as Athletic, but the brass in Milwaukee understands that no one needs to be axed right away. Milwaukee was able to institute a culture shift away from greed and infighting to one of togetherness, with many bench players understanding their roles as prospects that should bear fruit in a few seasons time. New acquisitions also started, with Chase Johnson from St. Louis and Carlos Bachicha from Cleveland both becoming centerpieces on both sides of the ball to help out ace George Rogers. Things are looking up in Milwaukee, so much so that a new stadium is set to be constructed across from owner Nick McCormick’s brewery.

Baseball Detroit and Cleveland Baseball Club:
Neither of these teams is important in any way, shape, or form other than Cleveland first baseman Ron Bazinet. Bazinet might become the league’s first true power hitter, finishing the year with a post-1897 record of 13 home runs and leading the Association in OBP at .424. Other than that, not much time should be spared on either of these teams.

TL;DR EASTERN LEAGUE: Federal Athletic wins the East crown after trading for Baltimore pitcher Brandon Harden at the deadline. Boston remains relevant with Georgi and Epp shining, but Mark Burrow is the team’s one-year wonder. Chris Waters is fired from Athletic after the disappointing year leaves them at .500, and they trade away fan favorite Cesar de la Parra to Chicago. Next year is do-or-die for this core of Dan Richmond, Manuel Rojas, and Kurt Dahms. Philadelphia is still looking for entries in the name-the-team contest. Please submit names.

TL:DR WESTERN LEAGUE: Cincinnati is really damn good, and might sweep the Miracles from the East. CHICAGO WILL BE SOLD after finishing 2 games short of the pennant, and SA Chicago is looking for buyers. SUGGEST PEOPLE TO BUY THE CLUB, REAL AND FAKE IDC. Milwaukee, although in a similar situation to Athletic, is a lot more positive about the next few years due to a culture shift and a patient owner.

To suggest an buyer for SA Chicago, submit the following:

Name:
Age:
Bio:
Favorite Team:
Owner personality/managerial style:
Team Identity Ideas: (Colors, Logo Ideas, and Names)

C&C appreciated

Last edited by H-Town1141 (6/05/2020 2:34 pm)

Thehealthiestscratch · 6/05/2020 3:15 am

I know I throw some off speed name suggestions (ha see what I did there), but for some reason I feel that Philadelphia Ferrets sounds so good. Don’t dismiss it, Baseball at the time was a game of extreme excitement that captivates the audience. A ferret is an animal thats shares the same characteristics, but also has a high intelligence that is not often known about, like baseball does. The animal is common in the wild at the point in history this league is at, but they are still not entirely known by many today, when they can be considered a pet. Philadelphia is an uncommon team in a game that’s very common. They are worried about an identity when they can’t even win. They need to embrace their brand and baseball as a whole. The sport is spontaneous, unpredictable, fun to look at on the surface but complicated when given a deeper look, it is mischievous (especially recently in this league) and it is held closer to some than an actual life. Sooo yea Philadelphia Ferrets (This explanation was made up on the spot because I like the sound of the name, I’ve never interacted with the animal)

.... Philadelphia seems to have a hard time being confident in themselves. Maybe embrace a mascot that shows no fear to send a message that the focus is on baseball and nothing else matters after this identity shift. Maybe a honey badger? Or take an animal that is loyal yet confident like a wolf? Philadelphia Wolfpack hits the double P but might be a mouthful... I still vote ferret.

Last edited by Thehealthiestscratch (6/05/2020 3:22 am)

H-Town1141 · 8/14/2020 2:43 pm

Sorry about the delay everyone! I have had this typed up for two months but never got around to posting it because, idk, I'm lazy? I never finished games 5 and 6 and burnt myself out on it very quick. Game recaps are hard! I hope I can capture each team's season in a better, shorter paragraph moving forward.

Thehealthiestscratch wrote:
I know I throw some off speed name suggestions (ha see what I did there), but for some reason I feel that Philadelphia Ferrets sounds so good. Don’t dismiss it, Baseball at the time was a game of extreme excitement that captivates the audience. A ferret is an animal thats shares the same characteristics, but also has a high intelligence that is not often known about, like baseball does. The animal is common in the wild at the point in history this league is at, but they are still not entirely known by many today, when they can be considered a pet. Philadelphia is an uncommon team in a game that’s very common. They are worried about an identity when they can’t even win. They need to embrace their brand and baseball as a whole. The sport is spontaneous, unpredictable, fun to look at on the surface but complicated when given a deeper look, it is mischievous (especially recently in this league) and it is held closer to some than an actual life. Sooo yea Philadelphia Ferrets (This explanation was made up on the spot because I like the sound of the name, I’ve never interacted with the animal)

.... Philadelphia seems to have a hard time being confident in themselves. Maybe embrace a mascot that shows no fear to send a message that the focus is on baseball and nothing else matters after this identity shift. Maybe a honey badger? Or take an animal that is loyal yet confident like a wolf? Philadelphia Wolfpack hits the double P but might be a mouthful... I still vote ferret.

I love the idea of a fluffy snake! They're super smelly but honestly adorable and the nicest little things. However, ferrets weren't commonly known at all in the US until I think until the 1980's. Badger would be a good idea, but they aren't indigenous to Pennsylvania. I like wolfpack, it sounds cartoony but also super serious (like Highlanders or Naps in our timeline) and could definitely work for a team that was a lot more ferocious than the relatively laid back Philly clubhouse. Maybe it could be an ironic nickname that just sticks? I think that could work.

1901 Postseason

Game 1: The Federal Athletic Club took out the Cincinnati Reds’ homefield advantage behind the arm of one of the biggest disappointments of last year’s ACS, taking the series lead 1-0. Brandon Harden was the star of the show, outdueling Western League nemesis, and reigning Pitcher of the Year, Mike Rouse in a 6-1 victory that saw the ferocious Cincinnati lineup fall silent. In the scoring bonanza, the Miracles showed up to play. The entire effort was the team’s, with 5 different players driving in runs.

Game 2: The game was extremely tight up until the very end, with Scott Worthington facing off against Rick Emmer in the confines of Cincinnati’s ballpark. The Reds jumped out on top first with a 1-run double by Weldon Hill, but DC wasn’t going down without a fight. A series of erros by both teams left the game at 3-3 entering the final inning. Jamie Rodak stepped up and proved himself as the franchise cornerstone when in the top of the 9th with the game tied, he lined a ball into the left field gap that sent himself to 3rd and the winning run home. The Reds couldn’t answer in their half of the inning, and the series looks to be in control for DC’s ballclub.

Game 3: This game was boring. A defensive battle broke out in Washington, as Caleb Anderson returned a 2-hit affair on the mound for DC, while Preston Ingram let his infield do all the work by giving up eleven hits. It remained low-scoring throughout however, with DC jumping out 1-0 in the first and only scoring one more run after that. That’s all they needed however, as back-to-back Joe Watkins’ solo home run in the 3rd was all Cincinnati could muster. In Washington for at least one game, the defending champs are on the brink of being swept.

Game 4: On the brink of elimination, Cincinnati looked almost lifeless for most of the day. Brandon Harden was pitching lights out, while Rouse was once again struggling on the mound, and after 6 innings DC was up 4-0. However, with only 7 outs between Federal Athletic and the Association title, the Reds put together a 2-out rally in the seventh to put themselves on the board, and the inning ended 4-2. They followed it up in the 8th, with Weldon Hill’s 2-out, two-run triple putting the Reds ahead. They added one more on for good measure, and Cincinnati lives to fight another day.

GAMES 5 AND 6: I’m too lazy to write the sh-t for games 5 and 6, but the Miracles win the championship! The victors’ strong core hopes to stay together in the offseason, as Cincinnati, considered the dominant team by many, is left dazed and confused by the eastern title team.

Last edited by H-Town1141 (8/14/2020 2:44 pm)

Rugrat · 8/14/2020 4:24 pm

Hey just caught up with this. Congrats to Washington on a miracle season! Btw are you still taking applications for a new Chicago Owner?

Thehealthiestscratch · 8/14/2020 5:13 pm

I think 1980s was more when they became popular as pets rather than a work animal who kept pests off farms and out of stores before chemicals relieved them of those duties. Think there was even a native ferret of the USA... completely wrong geographically but I learned a lot for no reason on this naming journey! Happy to see you’re back and great job on the series!

(Oh, forgot to mention your profile picture. I like it.)

Last edited by Thehealthiestscratch (8/14/2020 5:14 pm)

Index
» Baseball
» The Association: America's Game - 1902 Championship Series

5/14/2020 10:09 pm #41

Re: The Association: America's Game - 1902 Championship Series

Rugrat wrote:

5/14/2020 11:22 pm #42

Re: The Association: America's Game - 1902 Championship Series

5/14/2020 11:46 pm #43

Re: The Association: America's Game - 1902 Championship Series

Section30 wrote:

5/15/2020 11:43 am #44

Re: The Association: America's Game - 1902 Championship Series

5/15/2020 11:56 pm #45

Re: The Association: America's Game - 1902 Championship Series

Rugrat wrote:

6/05/2020 1:18 am #46

Re: The Association: America's Game - 1902 Championship Series

6/05/2020 3:15 am #47

Re: The Association: America's Game - 1902 Championship Series

8/14/2020 2:43 pm #48

Re: The Association: America's Game - 1902 Championship Series

Thehealthiestscratch wrote:

8/14/2020 4:24 pm #49

Re: The Association: America's Game - 1902 Championship Series

8/14/2020 5:13 pm #50

Re: The Association: America's Game - 1902 Championship Series

Index
» Baseball
» The Association: America's Game - 1902 Championship Series

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