OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - Federal Baseball League: Historical/Fictional Hybrid

ericnease84 · 02-06-2023, 02:59 PM

With the nation reeling from the effects of the Great Depression, baseball continued on anyway in 1930. Games were sparsely attended at times, but they continued anyway. The Pittsburgh Prowlers continued their dominance over the ABC West division, jumping out to a huge lead that they would never relinquish. But in the ABC East, the New York Knights looked vulnerable for the first time in years. The Virginia Beach Captains and a Boston Patriots team that had not been relevant for years were challenging them for the top spot. The Knights fell behind early, but the second half surge that always would propel them to the top did not happen this time. The Virginia Beach Captains became the first ever division winner in the ABC East not named the New York Knights. The Knights missed the playoffs for the first time since 1915, although they did finish with a winning record at 77-63 (tying their lowest win total since that 1915 season, although their last losing season was 1913, when they finished 69-71).
In the NBC, the Atlanta Colonels continued their winning ways, racing to the top of the NBC West and holding on to win it again. Their only real challenger, the Chicago Cardinals, finished ten games behind them. And in the NBC East, the Washington Eagles won a close division race with the Philadelphia Yellow Jackets.
In the playoffs, the Prowlers dealt the Captains a quick 3-game sweep, while the Eagles did the same to the Colonels. The Eagles would face the Prowlers, both of whom were tied for second most championships with 4 (the Knights and Cardinals each have 7, tied for first). The Eagles quickly took care of the Prowlers, winning their 5th championship in team history in 5 games.

In 1931, the ABC East was a very competitive division, with everyone but the Buffalo Destroyers playing solid baseball and contending for the division--even the long suffering Dover Green Sox. But in the end, the Knights reclaimed division supremacy by winning the division, finishing 4 games ahead of the Captains. The ABC West was not competitive, as the Pittsburgh Prowlers continued their dominance, winning the division by 15 games. This was their 9th straight division title.
Over in the NBC, both divisions changed hands. The Eagles were contending to win the NBC East again in defense of their World Series championship, but they fell just short. The New York Bears returned to relevance and won the division by a single game over the defending champs. And in the NBC West, the Toledo Ravens finished with a solid 80-60 record to take the crown. The Chicago Cardinals finished second, only 3 games behind (since 1920, they have only finished lower than second one time, and that was a 3rd place finish in 1927 where they still won 79 games; they have not suffered a losing season since 1917). Speaking of losing seasons, the Atlanta Colonels finally suffered their first losing season, finishing in third place with a record of 68-72.
In the playoffs, the ABC Championship Series was back to its normal matchup of the Knights vs. the Prowlers. It was a hard fought series that went the distance, but the Knights prevailed in five games. And the NBC Championship Series went the distance as well. The Bears won it in five games, setting up another all-New York World Series. This time the Knights got their revenge for the last matchup, winning the World Series in six games. This also broke the tie for most championships won, giving the Knights 8 championships, over the 7 won by the Cardinals.

After the 1931 season, three all-time greats all announced their retirements.
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Name: 1931 Retirees.png
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TY COBB
Ty Cobb joined the New York Knights organization in 1904, making his Major League debut in 1905 at age 18. He quickly became a star, establishing himself as one of the Knights' best players. He played in the World Series as a rookie in 1905 when the Knights fell to the then-Chicago Outlaws. He won his first World Series championship in 1907 when the Knights downed the Yellow Jackets to capture their first championship. Cobb remained with the Knights through the 1920 season, winning four World Series in his final four seasons in New York. Following the 1920 season, the Knights were tired of Cobb's attitude and sometimes violent behavior, and they dealt him to the Toledo Ravens for pitcher Johnny Couch and outfielders Babe Twombley and Fred Snodgrass, along with a first round draft pick (which the Knights used on Bob "Fats" Fothergill).
Cobb spent seven seasons in Toledo, but his acquisition did not propel the Ravens to greatness as they thought it would. The Ravens continued to be mediocre, only posting two winning records in that stretch in 1922 and 1925. The Ravens did win their division in 1925--Cobb's only playoff appearance in a Toledo uniform--and they went to the World Series but promptly got swept by the Prowlers.
After the 1927 season, the Ravens traded Cobb. As his nickname was "The Georgia Peach," it seemed fitting that he was traded to the Atlanta Colonels. The Colonels sent young catcher Rollie Hemsley and veteran outfielder Frank Welch to Toledo in exchange for Cobb. Cobb played in Atlanta for four seasons. The Colonels narrowly missed the playoffs in 1928, went to the World Series in 1929 (losing to the Knights) and lost to the Eagles in the NBC Championship Series in 1930. They suffered their first losing season in 1931, and Cobb decided to retire. He retires with the all-time record in games played (3,402), at-bats (12,532), hits (4,205) and total bases (5,889). He also has the record for most times caught stealing with 516, but that is not really one to be proud of.

TRIS SPEAKER
Tris Speaker was drafted #1 overall by the Boston Patriots in 1906. He made his Major League debut in 1908 and played seven seasons in Boston. The Patriots were not that good for most of this time, but they did go to their first (and so far only) World Series with Speaker on the team in 1912, but they lost to the Eagles. After the 1914 season, Speaker was traded to the New York Knights, along with pitcher Tom Hughes. In exchange, the Patriots acquired pitcher Pol Perritt, pitcher Weldon Wyckoff, pitcher Dutch Hinrichs, outfielder Amos Strunk and two draft picks: a second round pick and a 3rd round pick. The Patriots used those picks on pitchersTim McCabe and Jing Johnson. Amos Strunk was a starter in the outfield for several years for the Patriots, but none of the pitchers (including the two they drafted with the Knights' picks) contributed much at all.
As for Speaker, he joined the Knights and won four World Series with them, playing in New York through the 1922 season. After the 1922 season, the Knights traded him to the Cleveland Blue Sox for outfielder Sam Rice and pitcher Sad Sam Jones. The two teams also swapped first round draft picks, allowing the Knights to pick earlier in the first round (and the Knights used that pick on a first baseman named Lou Gehrig).
Speaker played the final nine seasons of his career in Cleveland. He briefly retired after the 1929 season before changing his mind and coming back. The Blue Sox never made the playoffs with Speaker on the team. Speaker retired holding the all-time record for doubles with 808.

WALTER JOHNSON
Walter Johnson was drafted by the Washington Eagles in 1906, making his Major League debut late that season. He played his entire career in Washington, being part of all five of their World Series winning teams. There were rumors in the early 1920s that the Knights were trying to trade for him (and it almost happened in 1922, as the Eagles later admitted), but no deal was ever made. Johnson retires as one of the best pitchers to ever pitch, holding the following career records: wins (472), games pitched (1,077), shutouts (73), innings pitched (7,263) and strikeouts (3,439). He also holds some records he may rather not have: losses (353), hits allowed (6,912) and home runs allowed (255; at least he did not face Babe Ruth much, as they played in opposite conferences and only faced off in the World Series one time, the only time Ruth ever batted against Johnson).

02-06-2023, 02:59 PM	#43
ericnease84 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jul 2019 Posts: 144	1930-1931: Playing in the Depression, and 3 retiring greats With the nation reeling from the effects of the Great Depression, baseball continued on anyway in 1930. Games were sparsely attended at times, but they continued anyway. The Pittsburgh Prowlers continued their dominance over the ABC West division, jumping out to a huge lead that they would never relinquish. But in the ABC East, the New York Knights looked vulnerable for the first time in years. The Virginia Beach Captains and a Boston Patriots team that had not been relevant for years were challenging them for the top spot. The Knights fell behind early, but the second half surge that always would propel them to the top did not happen this time. The Virginia Beach Captains became the first ever division winner in the ABC East not named the New York Knights. The Knights missed the playoffs for the first time since 1915, although they did finish with a winning record at 77-63 (tying their lowest win total since that 1915 season, although their last losing season was 1913, when they finished 69-71). In the NBC, the Atlanta Colonels continued their winning ways, racing to the top of the NBC West and holding on to win it again. Their only real challenger, the Chicago Cardinals, finished ten games behind them. And in the NBC East, the Washington Eagles won a close division race with the Philadelphia Yellow Jackets. In the playoffs, the Prowlers dealt the Captains a quick 3-game sweep, while the Eagles did the same to the Colonels. The Eagles would face the Prowlers, both of whom were tied for second most championships with 4 (the Knights and Cardinals each have 7, tied for first). The Eagles quickly took care of the Prowlers, winning their 5th championship in team history in 5 games. In 1931, the ABC East was a very competitive division, with everyone but the Buffalo Destroyers playing solid baseball and contending for the division--even the long suffering Dover Green Sox. But in the end, the Knights reclaimed division supremacy by winning the division, finishing 4 games ahead of the Captains. The ABC West was not competitive, as the Pittsburgh Prowlers continued their dominance, winning the division by 15 games. This was their 9th straight division title. Over in the NBC, both divisions changed hands. The Eagles were contending to win the NBC East again in defense of their World Series championship, but they fell just short. The New York Bears returned to relevance and won the division by a single game over the defending champs. And in the NBC West, the Toledo Ravens finished with a solid 80-60 record to take the crown. The Chicago Cardinals finished second, only 3 games behind (since 1920, they have only finished lower than second one time, and that was a 3rd place finish in 1927 where they still won 79 games; they have not suffered a losing season since 1917). Speaking of losing seasons, the Atlanta Colonels finally suffered their first losing season, finishing in third place with a record of 68-72. In the playoffs, the ABC Championship Series was back to its normal matchup of the Knights vs. the Prowlers. It was a hard fought series that went the distance, but the Knights prevailed in five games. And the NBC Championship Series went the distance as well. The Bears won it in five games, setting up another all-New York World Series. This time the Knights got their revenge for the last matchup, winning the World Series in six games. This also broke the tie for most championships won, giving the Knights 8 championships, over the 7 won by the Cardinals. After the 1931 season, three all-time greats all announced their retirements. TY COBB Ty Cobb joined the New York Knights organization in 1904, making his Major League debut in 1905 at age 18. He quickly became a star, establishing himself as one of the Knights' best players. He played in the World Series as a rookie in 1905 when the Knights fell to the then-Chicago Outlaws. He won his first World Series championship in 1907 when the Knights downed the Yellow Jackets to capture their first championship. Cobb remained with the Knights through the 1920 season, winning four World Series in his final four seasons in New York. Following the 1920 season, the Knights were tired of Cobb's attitude and sometimes violent behavior, and they dealt him to the Toledo Ravens for pitcher Johnny Couch and outfielders Babe Twombley and Fred Snodgrass, along with a first round draft pick (which the Knights used on Bob "Fats" Fothergill). Cobb spent seven seasons in Toledo, but his acquisition did not propel the Ravens to greatness as they thought it would. The Ravens continued to be mediocre, only posting two winning records in that stretch in 1922 and 1925. The Ravens did win their division in 1925--Cobb's only playoff appearance in a Toledo uniform--and they went to the World Series but promptly got swept by the Prowlers. After the 1927 season, the Ravens traded Cobb. As his nickname was "The Georgia Peach," it seemed fitting that he was traded to the Atlanta Colonels. The Colonels sent young catcher Rollie Hemsley and veteran outfielder Frank Welch to Toledo in exchange for Cobb. Cobb played in Atlanta for four seasons. The Colonels narrowly missed the playoffs in 1928, went to the World Series in 1929 (losing to the Knights) and lost to the Eagles in the NBC Championship Series in 1930. They suffered their first losing season in 1931, and Cobb decided to retire. He retires with the all-time record in games played (3,402), at-bats (12,532), hits (4,205) and total bases (5,889). He also has the record for most times caught stealing with 516, but that is not really one to be proud of. TRIS SPEAKER Tris Speaker was drafted #1 overall by the Boston Patriots in 1906. He made his Major League debut in 1908 and played seven seasons in Boston. The Patriots were not that good for most of this time, but they did go to their first (and so far only) World Series with Speaker on the team in 1912, but they lost to the Eagles. After the 1914 season, Speaker was traded to the New York Knights, along with pitcher Tom Hughes. In exchange, the Patriots acquired pitcher Pol Perritt, pitcher Weldon Wyckoff, pitcher Dutch Hinrichs, outfielder Amos Strunk and two draft picks: a second round pick and a 3rd round pick. The Patriots used those picks on pitchersTim McCabe and Jing Johnson. Amos Strunk was a starter in the outfield for several years for the Patriots, but none of the pitchers (including the two they drafted with the Knights' picks) contributed much at all. As for Speaker, he joined the Knights and won four World Series with them, playing in New York through the 1922 season. After the 1922 season, the Knights traded him to the Cleveland Blue Sox for outfielder Sam Rice and pitcher Sad Sam Jones. The two teams also swapped first round draft picks, allowing the Knights to pick earlier in the first round (and the Knights used that pick on a first baseman named Lou Gehrig). Speaker played the final nine seasons of his career in Cleveland. He briefly retired after the 1929 season before changing his mind and coming back. The Blue Sox never made the playoffs with Speaker on the team. Speaker retired holding the all-time record for doubles with 808. WALTER JOHNSON Walter Johnson was drafted by the Washington Eagles in 1906, making his Major League debut late that season. He played his entire career in Washington, being part of all five of their World Series winning teams. There were rumors in the early 1920s that the Knights were trying to trade for him (and it almost happened in 1922, as the Eagles later admitted), but no deal was ever made. Johnson retires as one of the best pitchers to ever pitch, holding the following career records: wins (472), games pitched (1,077), shutouts (73), innings pitched (7,263) and strikeouts (3,439). He also holds some records he may rather not have: losses (353), hits allowed (6,912) and home runs allowed (255; at least he did not face Babe Ruth much, as they played in opposite conferences and only faced off in the World Series one time, the only time Ruth ever batted against Johnson).