Best Record: 106-48 (1952)
Worst Record: 21-104 (1928)
Playoff Appearances: 13
Championships: 7 (1904, 1910, 1913, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955)
The New York Dragons have had varying degrees of success over the years. They have largely been defined by mediocrity, although they have had three stretches where they were competitive for several years in a row. The first came in the early 1900s, when they won the first three World Series they played in, winning it all in 1904 against the Green Sox, 1910 against the Browns and 1913 against the Browns again. They won the NBC pennant again in 1914, but this time lost to the Browns. They lost another World Series in 1917 to the Pittsburgh Ironmen. At that point, they had more pennants and championships than their cross-town rivals the Kinghts. That changed in the early 1920s, when the Knights became a super-team and the Dragons quickly (and permanently) became the "little brother" team of New York, never again achieving the success or popularity of the Knights. After years of playing second fiddle, they finally gave it up and relocated to Detroit, Michigan for the 1950 season.
The Detroit Dragons were very quick to get their revenge, as they faced off against their old rivals the New York Knights in the 1951, 1952 and 1953 World Series and defeated them three years in a row. When the playoffs expanded in 1954, the Dragons faced the Orlando Seals in the first ever NBC Championship Series and got swept. They returned to the playoffs in 1955, sweeping the Captains in the NBC Championship Series and then defeating the Cincinnati Silverbacks in a seven-game series. That is to date their last championship, as they soon slipped back into mediocrity and occasional awfulness. They made the playoffs three years in a row in the early 1980s, but they never made it back to the World Series.
Outlook for 1990:
Their window from the early 1980s appears to have firmly slammed shut, as they have just polished off back-to-back seasons with 90+ losses. Most likely, they will once again be irrelevant in 1990.
Current Manager:
The Dragons just hired a very familiar face, Bobby French, as their manager. French, a Hall of Fame pitcher who spent 13 years out of his 17-year career in Detroit, has managed two teams previously but not with much success: he managed the Dallas Coyotes from 1979 through 1983, and then the Kansas City Cyclones from 1984 through 1988. Their previous manager, Ray Solis, was not fired but opted to retire following two 90-loss seasons. He retired the day after the 1989 regular season ended, prompting rumors that he did so to avoid being fired. Neither Solis nor the team has confirmed or denied said rumors.
Hall of Famers:
Bobby French, P, 1960-1976
Bobby French, the team's current manager, is the only player in the Hall of Fame with a Dragons cap on his plaque. French originally signed with the Dragons but was traded as a minor leaguer, being sent to the San Diego Sharks in a seven-player deal in which most players involved never did anything significant in the Majors. French was called up to the Sharks in 1960, where he lost 20 games as a reliver in his rookie season. After two mediocre years in the bullpen, the Sharks made him a starter and he rewarded them with two great seasons. Then after the 1963 season, the Sharks traded him back to the Dragons for two players; second baseman Xavier Hudson who was a bench player in San Diego for several years, and outfielder Bruce Wampler who won many Gold Gloves for San Diego. French joined the Dragons' starting rotation alongside Chris Burks, one of the players that the Sharks traded to Detroit to get him back in 1957. The two of them anchored the Dragons' rotation through the 1973 season. Burks retired after 1974, and French went back to the bullpen that season. French pitched for two more seasons, retiring in 1976. He has since managed the Dallas Coyotes and Kansas City Cyclones, and is just this offseason returning to Detroit as their new manager. His son, Eric French, is currently an outfielder in the Los Angeles Captains' minor league system.