The 1936 season will be the 45th in the history of the Federally Aligned Baseball Leagues but the history of the sport, and that of some of it's 16 teams, can be traced much further back. 1876 was the year professional baseball had it's birth courtesy of league founder William Whitney so this is actually the 61st season of pro ball. There has been recent talk in some circles for a shrine of some sort to be designed in order to honour the many greats of the game and odds are a "Hall of Fame" of sorts will likely be established sometime in the near future. But until then old Jiggs thought he would satisfy the needs of the hungry baseball historian by taking a look at the greatest player in the history of each of the 16 franchises. A "Face of the Franchise" if you will.
BALTIMORE CANNONS
The Cannons history can be traced back to just before the creation of FABL as they spent two seasons in the old Peerless League before the formation of FABL in 1892. The Cannons have not had much success of late but they have won 4 pennants and three World Championship Series with the last of each coming in 1914. The Face of the Cannons was a key piece of all four pennant winners and is the all-time hits leader with 4,144 including the first 3,951 of his career that came with Baltimore. Despite leaving Baltimore for Brooklyn in 1924 at the age of 37 and remaining in the Kings organization as a manager and later hitting coach, there is little doubt that The Ragland Ripper is the greatest player in Baltimore history. Perhaps some consideration could be given to Mike Marner, who won 309 games and 4 pennants alongside Slocum as a Cannon from 1907 to 1916.
BOSTON MINUTEMEN
The Minutemen, like the Cannons, got their birth in the Peerless League in 1890 but were called the Brahmins in their early days. Also like Baltimore there have been some lean times the past couple of decades as the Minutemen have not won a pennant since 1915. They were a dynasty a decade earlier, winning 5 straight pennants and a pair of World Championship Series. In all, Boston has 8 Federal Association Pennants and 4 World Championship Series wins.
Picking a Face of the Franchise in Boston is a much more difficult chore than the no-brainer of Slocum in Baltimore. One might consider Woody Trease, who was 178-92 as a Minutemen and played on the 5 straight pennant winning clubs before moving to Detroit but he was in Boston for only 6 and a half seasons. Another viable candidate could be manager George Theobald, who remains - at least at the moment- the winningest manager in FABL history and guided the Minutemen to all of their pennants and Series titles. But like Trease, Theobald left for Detroit, joining the Dynamos in 1919 and has been a part of that organization ever since. Bill McMurtrie or John Cook are a pair of offensive stars from the early part of this century that could also be considered. Cook's jersey along with Jim Dixon, a star pitcher in the 1890s, are both retired but the nod as Face of the Minutemen will go to the only other Boston player who's jersey has been retired. George Johnson won 311 FABL games between 1907 and 1926 including 258 in a Boston uniform. It is not a clear cut choice but Johnson's eight 20-plus win seasons earn him the nod.
BROOKLYN KINGS
The Kings, along with the Chicago Chiefs, Montreal Saints, Philadelphia Sailors and St Louis Pioneers, are the only FABL teams never to retire a players number. In Brooklyn's case it is due a large part to the fact that they really don't have a dominant franchise player. The Kings got their start in the old Border Association in 1884 and won a pair of pennants just before that loop folded with the creation of FABL in 1892. Since then Brooklyn has won just 3 Continental Association pennants and is the only one of the 16 teams yet to win a World Championship Series.
So who best epitomizes the Kings organization? The hits leader is Ira Williams with 2,022 as a King but while he was a solid player he is certainly not the face of a franchise. How about catcher Paul Tattersall, one of the first great homerun hitters in FABL? Tattersall hit 201 dingers in 14 years as a King but was dealt away at the age of 32. He has since returned to the organization as a minor league hitting coach. Danny Goff (124-116) and Phil Miller (160-166) each pitched on some bad Kings teams and combined to lead Brooklyn to a pennant in 1912 but both were traded away in their prime and went on to have success elsewhere. Speaking of cast aside in their prime the Kings all-time wins leader is Ferdinand Hawkins with 191 but he is best known now for the curse that some say is what has denied the Kings a World Championship all of these years.
That leaves Doug Lightbody. Lightbody is still just 32 years old and as long as he remains a King he should become the franchise's all-time leader in quite a few offensive categories as well as surpass the 2000 hit mark. He has won a pair of batting titles and his lifetime .358 batting average is the third highest of all-time at this point. He also was the first King to win a Whitney Award when he led the team to it's most recent pennant in 1927. Not to knock Lightbody as he is, when healthy, an exceptional player but it unfortunately does not speak well of a franchise when a current player who should still be in the prime of his career is the All-Time Face of the Franchise after over 50 years.
CHICAGO CHIEFS
The original team founded by William Whitney in 1876 is without a doubt one of the most storied in FABL history. Despite that legacy, the Chiefs have never retired a players jersey. The club has won a lot of games and their .515 franchise winning percentage is 5th best all-time but despite that they have just two Federal Association pennants (1917 & 1928) to their name and just a single World Championship Series victory (1917).
Much like Brooklyn it is tough to pick a standout in the organization. If we go with an executive than clearly Whitney is the face of the franchise but let's stick with someone who wore the uniform. Denny Wren won 218 games as a Chief between 1915-26 before being dispatched to the Philadelphia Sailors. His 24-11 1917 season was a key reason the Chiefs won the title that year but I am going to go with another player who carried them to a pennant. Joe Masters enjoyed one of the greatest seasons in FABL history in 1928 when he narrowly missed the triple crown because teammate Jim Hampton also had a career year and hit .397. Masters was an easy choice to be the first and so far only Chief to win a Whitney Award after his .388,56,195 season in 1928. His 195 rbi's that season smashed a 33 year old record by 21 and remains the highest total ever recorded in a single season. He is also the only player not named Max Morris to enjoy a 50-homer season. That season for the ages cemented Masters position in Chiefs history and despite a trade to the Chicago Cougars in 1934 he remains the Chiefs all-time leader in each of the triple crown categories so Masters is the Face of the Chiefs.
CHICAGO COUGARS
Chicago's other team got it's start in the Border Association as primarily an effort to unnerve Chiefs owner William Whitney but they went on to be the more successful Chicago FABL team, at least in terms of titles. The Cougars have won 9 pennants and 5 World Championship Series including the 1931 title and a pennant two years later.
The choice for the Face of the Cougars is an easy one despite there being a number of quality candidates. John Dibblee spent his entire 26 year FABL career with the club, winning 3 World Championships and the very first Continental Association Whitney Award in 1911. His 3,913 career hits are second only to Powell Slocum and he is also second all-time in games played, runs, total bases, triples and top five in rbi's and doubles. Others worth considering included Jack Long, who was 253-188 as a Cougar between 1902-12 and Double Al, Al Allen, who won 206 of his record 514 games in Chicago before moving on to Toronto and later Cleveland to finish his career.
CLEVELAND FORESTERS
The Foresters joined the ranks of professional baseball in 1890, entering in the Border Association two seasons before FABL was created. There was not a lot of success early although they did win their first pennant in 1901 and followed that up with two more in 1917 and 1920. The 1917 team had a budding superstar in 22 year old Max Morris, just converted from a two-way player to a full-time outfielder and starting to show glimpses of the incredible slugger he would become. The 1920 Series was one in which Morris also starred, but it was for the rival St Louis Pioneers, who acquired him following the 1919 campaign and for whom he would go on to hit 474 homers. Morris, of course made a dramatic return to Cleveland in 1932 and would win his 8th Whitney Award the following season before helping Cleveland win it's first ever World Championship Series in 1934. Based on that one might make an argument that Morris could be the face of the Foresters, despite spending a decade in St Louis and a year and a half with the Gothams before the Youngstown native returned to his home state.
So if not Morris, then who? Mose Smith won 210 games over 14 seasons with Cleveland but also lost 215. Jim Cathey and Bob Lawrence each had a successful decade pitching for the club with Cathey in the 1900's and Lawrence in the twenties. Perhaps ironically, but the face of the franchise at this time has to be another player, who like Morris, left for St Louis. Jack Arabian was a 3-time Continental Association batting champ and one of a very select group of players to hit over .400 in a season (Morris, by the way was another member of that group). Arabian played 2517 games as a Forester between 1896 and 1909 before moving on to the Pioneers for his final 3 full seasons. His 2,011 games played and 2,812 hits are the most of anyone in a Cleveland uniform and, counting his time in St Louis, he is 6th all-time with 3,391 career hits. Morris, who I still very seriously considered as the face of the franchise (which would make him the only player to be the face of two different franchises) is presently fourth with 3,466 career hits.
DETROIT DYNAMOS
Like Baltimore and Boston, the Detroit Dynamos were born in the Peerless League two years before the creation of FABL in 1892. With two straight last place finishes in the Federal Association times are certainly tough right now in Detroit but the Dynamos have a rich history, winning 7 pennants and 5 World Championships and were a dominant club for decade starting in 1908 when they claimed 6 pennants and 4 World Titles over a 12 year period.
A few years from now we might have been talking about Al Wheeler as the greatest Dynamo ever but the 28 year old was dispatched to Brooklyn last year as the Dynamos began a complete rebuild. Part of that rebuild saw long-time catcher Dick York retire as a player and step into a teaching role where he will begin as manager of Class A Terre Haute next season. York, who is one of the best catchers of all-time, spent 17 years with Detroit and deserves mention when discussing the face of the franchise. However, that honour will instead be bestowed on Jim Godlen. Like York, Golden spent his entire big league career as a Dynamo, but it was one that was tragically cut short at the age of 31 due to injury. Golden did manage to win 269 career games between 1909 and 1920 along with 4 World Championship Series and a pair of Whitney Awards. He likely would have had a handful of Allen Awards as well had the top pitcher trophy been around then. Golden's #12 is the only jersey the Dynamos have ever retired but I suspect York's #27 won't be far behind.
MONTREAL SAINTS
One of the Border Association's flagship Canadian teams (along with long-time rival Toronto) the Saints have been around since 1882, there has been very little to cheer about over the years in Montreal. The Saints .467 franchise winning percentage is the lowest of any of the 16 FABL teams but they did have some glory years between 1915 and 1921, winning 4 Continental Association pennants and bookended that period with a pair of World Championship Series titles, which accounts for all of the hardware the organization owns.
It comes as little surprise then that the face of the Saints had the zenith of his career during that run. Joe Ward debuted with the Saints as a 19 year old in 1908 and aside from 12 games with the Chicago Cougars in 1925 would be a Saint for life. He played in 2,534 big league games and all but one of his 3,127 hits came as a Saint. Ward's 574 triples are a FABL best and he won a pair of Whitney Awards to go with his two World Championship Series rings. Ward is still active in the game, working as the hitting coach for the Chicago Chiefs after spending 7 seasons as the Saints manager.
NEW YORK GOTHAMS
Quite possibly the easiest choice is Ed Ziehl as the Face of the Gothams. He has managed the club since 1928, leading them to four pennants and a World Championship Series this past October. Prior to that he played 3,025 games over 24 seasons, amassing 3,496 hits and 4 Whitney Awards.
As for the team, which goes back to 1883, they were an early FABL power win 3 World Championship Series in the first 5 years of the league but endured a pennant drought that did not end until 1926 when they won their first Federal Association Pennant in 30 years. Ziehl was around for that one and would continue as a player thru the 1929 season while also taking over managerial duties beginning with the 1928 campaign. While he did not get back to another series as a player, Ziehl the manager would guide the Gothams to 4 more pennants and on that most recent attempt the Gothams finally got their World Championship, as they beat Cleveland last year for their fourth World Tittle in franchise history. There have been plenty of other very good players in New York - the Gothams lead FABL with 8 retired numbers - but when you think of the Gothams no name comes to mind quicker than Ed Ziehl.
NEW YORK STARS
One of the inaugural group of Border Association teams the Stars have been around since 1882. There certainly have been some lean stretches but the Stars had two different glory periods: 1902-06 when they won 4 pennants and 3 World Championship Series in a five year stretch and 1924-26 when they won three straight World Championship Series titles - a feat duplicated by no other club. The Stars are the oldest New York team, forming 1 year before the Gothams joined the Century Association.
Like Ed Ziehl with the rival Gothams, the Stars have a clearly superstar to be the face of their franchise. John Waggoner spent 16 of his 18 FABL seasons with the Stars, although fans of the club do not like to acknowledge it Waggoner ended his career at the Bigsby Oval with the rival Gothams. As a Star he played in 2,240 games and notched 3,035 hits while playing a key role on the 3 championship teams shortly after the the turn of the century. Outfielder Bill Craigen, who was a key piece of the title teams with Waggoner also deserves some consideration and before his career is over 36 year old Pete Layton will also garner some support as he is sure to surpass the 2,000 hit plateau and also owns 3 World Championship rings. Alvin Hensley, who won 220 games and 3 World Championship Series along with Waggoner is the only player besides Waggoner to have his number retired by the club. All are very memorable Stars, but only Waggoner is the Face of the Franchise.
PHILADELPHIA KEYSTONES
The Keystones are one of the charter members of professional baseball, tracing their routes back to 1876 as the Philadelphia Centennials. They were an early force, winning 3 titles prior to the birth of FABL and finishing first in the Federal Association in FABL's inaugural 1892 campaign, but there was no championship series that season. After that there were some hard times, including 14 last place finishes in a 22 year stretch starting in 1903. As a result the Keystones did not play in their first World Championship Series until 1927. They won that one and added another in 1933.
Picking the face of the franchise gives us our biggest debate between old-timers and the young fans who support the Keystones. On one hand we have Zebulon Banks, the greatest hitter of the 19th century and leader of the Keystones Century League powerhouse. Banks is the franchise leader in hits (and fifth all-time) with 3,307 in a Philadelphia uniform. He played all but the final one of his 23 year career with the organization and no one has played more than Banks' 2,397 games with the club.
However, it is hard to argue with younger fans, most of whom never saw Banks play, when they say the greatest Keystone has to be Rankin Kellogg. Still just 32 years old and with 11 seasons under his belt, all Kellogg has done is register 2,280 hits and a franchise record (plus second all-time) 407 homeruns. He has won the Triple Crown three times, along with 2 Whitney Awards and a pair of World Championship Series titles. Before his career his over there is a very good chance my opinion will change but at the moment the face of the Keystones franchise remains Zebulon Banks.
PHILADELPHIA SAILORS
The Sailors were Philadelphia's second team, joining the Border Association in 1889, three years before FABL was created. They enjoyed success early, winning three Continental Association pennants in the first six years of the league and the 1897 World Championship Series. Then baseball hit a bleak period in the City of Brotherly Love as the Sailors, much like the Keystones, endured a couple of very lean decades before finally putting things together late in the 1920s. It started with a second place finish in 1924- their highest showing since 1898 - and after another second place finish, and just a game out two years later, the Sailors won the first of three straight pennants in 1928. They would claim World Championship Titles in the first and last of the three appearances.
Known recently for their terrific pitching the Sailors do not possess a hurler worthy of the moniker "Face of the Franchise." Rube Smith, who won 189 games between 1915-28 would like be the closest. Actually picking one player who stands out for this time is a bit of a chore. Maybe Bill Brady, a turn of the century catcher who leads the franchise in games played (2302),hits (2,592) and several other categories while hitting .413 in his 3 World Championship Series appearances might be the one but I am more likely to leaning to one of the stars of the 1928-30 team.
Right now I am giving the distinction to David Merchant, a 1920 first overall draft pick out of Chicago Poly, who has spent the past 14 season with the Sailors, winning a pair of titles and 2 Whitney Awards. Merchant is still active, however he is showing signs of rapidly slowing down at age 36 so I think it may just be a matter of time before Jack Cleaves, a first round pick who was part of arguably the greatest top of the draft class in FABL history in 1925, takes the baton. Cleaves has spent the past 9 seasons with the Sailors and if he stays healthy he will likely surpass Merchant as the ultimate Sailor. However, his health is certainly not guaranteed with significant injuries costing him 40-50 games each of the past two seasons.
PITSBURGH MINERS
There has not been a lot to celebrate as a Miners fan this century, with just two pennants (1907 & 1924) since 1901. It was not always like that though as the Miners were a Federal Association powerhouse to close out the 1800's, winning 4 straight pennants culminating in their only World Championship Series title in 1901. Since the 1924 pennant the Miners have finished no higher than fourth and never within 10 games of the leader.
The Face of the Franchise comes from those glory days and it is pitcher Ike Bell, who along with teammate Aaron Wright were the co-aces of the 1901 championship club and are the only two players to have their jersey numbers retired by the Miners. However, both left Pittsburgh at a relatively young age. Bell was a very impressive 202-99 before falling off the face of the planet in 1906. He won all 202 of his games as a Miner before turning 27 years old but would never pitch in the big leagues again after an 0-4 start to the 1906 season. No injury was ever noted, Bell just inexplicably suddenly stopped being an effective pitcher and after 7 straight seasons of at least 27 wins his days as a Miner were over. He did spend another decade in the minor leagues but with very little success.
Wright, also left the Miners in 1907, at the age of 30 but he was traded to Toronto following 7 seasons and 184-112 record in Pittsburgh. It is a fairly sparse group to choose from as the Face of the Franchise with Chick Hamm being the only position player worthy of consideration. Hamm was more a beneficiary of his longevity that outstanding talent as he spent 16 years with the team and leads the Miners with 2,161 career hits.
ST LOUIS PIONEERS
While the Pioneers lineage can be traced back to the initial season of 1876, the club is only recognized as playing since 1882 when they rejoined the Border Association. They were founding members of the Century League, along with the Chicago Chiefs and Philadelphia Keystones in 1876 but the club, then known as the St Louis Brewers, but they left the league to play an amateur barnstorming circuit before rejoining organized baseball in 1882 with the Border Association. The Pioneers won 4 titles prior to the birth of FABL n 1982 but have won only one since. That came in 1920 when Max Morris, freshly arrived from a trade with Cleveland, helped the Pioneers to a Championship win over his former club. Morris would lead the Pioneers to another pennant the following season but despite Morris' elevation into the greatest power hitter in history, the Pioneers failed to win another pennant. There were lean times in the late 1920's leading to Morris being traded to the New York Gothams (and later back to Cleveland) but it wasn't until two years ago that the Pioneers, with young superstars Freddie Jones and Frank McCormick leading the way, that the Pioneers returned to contender status.
Fifteen years from know there is a possibility we will be talking about Freddie Jones as the greatest Pioneer of all-time but it will need an incredible career from the now 26 year old Jones to overtake Max Morris' legacy. 474 homeruns and 2,001 hits as a Pioneer in just 11 seasons. 5 of his 8 Whitney Awards came as a Pioneer and 5 times he hit at least 50 homers in a season. In my mind Morris is always a Cleveland Forester but that fact is he has played nearly 400 more games in St Louis than for Cleveland. You can talk about Jimmy Clinch, Willie Wynder, Roger Landry and even someday perhaps Freddie Jones, but it is hard to see any of them replacing Morris as the Face of the Pioneers.
TORONTO WOLVES
The Wolves got their start in organized baseball along with fellow Canadian entry Montreal in 1882. They won a FABL World Championship Series in 1898 and a second one in 1911 but aside from finishing a game out of first place in a thrilling 1927 Continental Association pennant race the Wolves have seldom been relevant since that second title.
The Wolves legacy is that two of the greatest pitchers in FABL history - and numbers 1 and 2 all-time in career wins - both spent substantial time in Toronto. Al Allen, who also received some consideration as Face of the Chicago Cougars, won 251 of his record 514 FABL victories as a member of the Wolves despite spending just 9 and a half seasons with Toronto. He also won 206 in six and a half seasons with the Cougars and finished his career wth 57 victories in 3 years for Cleveland. However, Allen loses out as Face of the Wolves to Charlie Sis. It is likely the only time Sis, who is second to Allen all-time with 395 career wins, finished ahead of Double Al. Sis started his career in St Louis, going 74-50 for the Pioneers as a 19-21 year old before leaving the game. He returned with Toronto as a 25 year old in 1909 and would post a 321-198 record over 13 seasons while leading Toronto to two pennants and the 1911 World Championship.
WASHINGTON EAGLES
Born as the Baltimore Bannermen in 1880, the club moved to Washington five years later. Their first FABL pennant came in 1897 and they would win 3 more Federal Association pennants in the 1910s and three in the twenties along with one World Championship in each of those two decades. They have been a second division club since 1928 but there are signs pointing towards a resurgence of baseball in the nation's capital.
I came very close to calling catcher T.R. Goins the face of the franchise despite the fact Goins played just 10 and a half seasons as an Eagle before being shipped to Cleveland two and a half years ago at the age of 32. Goins won a Whitney Award and a World Championship as an Eagle and is the franchises all time leader in homers and rbi's while boasting a .346 career batting average. His 1,863 hits as an Eagle are more than any other player with the exception of turn of the century stars Ira Phillips and George Melvin.
Another season or two as an Eagle and it would have been Goins and not pitcher Bill West who gets the nod. The fact the Goins has been such a leader in Cleveland also takes away from our memory of him as the face of the Washington club. West, however, was a life long Eagle, pitching 14 seasons in the league beginning in 1904 and posting a 291-215 career record. That mark is even more impressive considering he went 8-26 is his final season in the league at age 36 after trying to return from an elbow injury that cost him nearly all of the previous season. West was 3-3 in three years of post-season play but was a perfect 2-0 with a 2.12 era in the 1913 championship winning season.
Code:
FACE OF THE FRANCHISE
BALTIMORE POWELL SLOCUM
BOSTON GEORGE JOHNSON
BROOKLYN DOUG LIGHTBODY
CHIEFS JOE MASTERS
COUGARS JOHN DIBBLEE
CLEVELAND JACK ARABIAN
DETROIT JIM GOLDEN
MONTREAL JOE WARD
NY GOTHAMS ED ZIEHL
NY STARS JOHN WAGGONER
KEYSTONES ZEBULON BANKS
SAILORS DAVID MERCHANT
PITTSBURGH IKE BELL
ST LOUIS MAX MORRIS
TORONTO CHARLIE SIS
WASHINGTON BILL WEST