OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - The Simplest Beginnings: From Amateurism in 1857, to Pro Ball (1870), Int'l Ball, & More

tm1681 · 08-19-2023, 05:42 PM

A BRAND-NEW LEAGUE! WITH EIGHT NEW TEAMS! DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS!

(Yes, I know that Deep in the Heart of Texas wasn’t written until the World War II years, but again this is a fictional universe so we get to suspend disbelief…)

In December of 1900, a group of players and management members from high-level amateur clubs in Arkansas, Louisiana, & Texas met in Austin to create an elite competition similar to those found in other regions of the United States. On December 29th, the anniversary of Texas being admitted to the United States, the Southern League of Professional Baseball, commonly shortened to the Southern League (SL), was formed. The competition would contain eight clubs:

• Austin Texans – founded June 29th, 1869
• Dallas Lone Stars – founded July 4th, 1874
• Fort Worth Panthers – founded June 1873
• Gulf Coast Pelicans – founded in New Orleans during November of 1874
• Houston 36ers – founded April 11th, 1861
• Little Rock Hilltoppers – founded May 1st, 1867
• New Orleans Gators – founded May 22nd, 1870
• San Antonio Riflemen – founded April 17th, 1867

New Orleans was a big-league city (287,104 people at the 1900 Census) but the sizes of the emerging markets in the rest of the league meant that it wasn’t yet ready for fully professional baseball. The league looked to the National Baseball Organization for an organizational home at the start of its life and was gladly accepted early in January of 1901.

With the Southern League officially up and going, it was time to reveal itself to the broader public:

Since the Southern League joined up with the National Baseball Organization, roster rules & regulations were the same as those of the other NBBO leagues. The schedule would be 112 games, with teams playing each other 16 times. The league only had eight teams, so there would be a single division with no playoffs – regular season record decided the champion.

One might wonder why the two teams in the much larger market of New Orleans didn't apply to play in the Southeastern & Atlantic League, and sooner, but it was a simple matter of geography. Before Birmingham and Norfolk joined the SEAL the closest team to either New Orleans side was roughly 400 miles away in Memphis, with Richmond being almost a thousand miles away by ground. Travel for games in neighboring Arkansas and Texas would be easier and put the New Orleans teams at less of an away team disadvantage.

With the logistics out of the way, it was now just a matter of waiting for the start of play in the second week of April…

08-19-2023, 05:42 PM	#90
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,428	A BRAND-NEW LEAGUE! WITH EIGHT NEW TEAMS! DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS! (Yes, I know that Deep in the Heart of Texas wasn’t written until the World War II years, but again this is a fictional universe so we get to suspend disbelief…) In December of 1900, a group of players and management members from high-level amateur clubs in Arkansas, Louisiana, & Texas met in Austin to create an elite competition similar to those found in other regions of the United States. On December 29th, the anniversary of Texas being admitted to the United States, the Southern League of Professional Baseball, commonly shortened to the Southern League (SL), was formed. The competition would contain eight clubs: • Austin Texans – founded June 29th, 1869 • Dallas Lone Stars – founded July 4th, 1874 • Fort Worth Panthers – founded June 1873 • Gulf Coast Pelicans – founded in New Orleans during November of 1874 • Houston 36ers – founded April 11th, 1861 • Little Rock Hilltoppers – founded May 1st, 1867 • New Orleans Gators – founded May 22nd, 1870 • San Antonio Riflemen – founded April 17th, 1867 New Orleans was a big-league city (287,104 people at the 1900 Census) but the sizes of the emerging markets in the rest of the league meant that it wasn’t yet ready for fully professional baseball. The league looked to the National Baseball Organization for an organizational home at the start of its life and was gladly accepted early in January of 1901. With the Southern League officially up and going, it was time to reveal itself to the broader public: Since the Southern League joined up with the National Baseball Organization, roster rules & regulations were the same as those of the other NBBO leagues. The schedule would be 112 games, with teams playing each other 16 times. The league only had eight teams, so there would be a single division with no playoffs – regular season record decided the champion. One might wonder why the two teams in the much larger market of New Orleans didn't apply to play in the Southeastern & Atlantic League, and sooner, but it was a simple matter of geography. Before Birmingham and Norfolk joined the SEAL the closest team to either New Orleans side was roughly 400 miles away in Memphis, with Richmond being almost a thousand miles away by ground. Travel for games in neighboring Arkansas and Texas would be easier and put the New Orleans teams at less of an away team disadvantage. With the logistics out of the way, it was now just a matter of waiting for the start of play in the second week of April… Last edited by tm1681; 09-02-2023 at 09:54 PM.