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ericnease84 · 06-03-2024, 09:43 PM

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Best Record: 94-31 (1932)
Worst Record: 51-111 (1971)
Playoff Appearances: 42
Championships: 12 (1896, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1916, 1921, 1922, 1924, 1932, 1934, 1935, 1956)

The Virginia Beach Captains, located in one of the smaller markets when the league first started, quickly became one of the most successful franchises in league history. They won it all in the league's second year, taking down the initial defending champion Baltimore Browns. They returned to the World Series in 1899, losing to the Knights. They went to and won the next three series, and then in their fifth straight appearance they lost to Cincinnati. Then after not making it to the World Series in 1904, they made it to seven of the next ten, but lost all seven of them, including four in a row to the Baltimore Browns. They won their next championship in 1916 against the Ironmen, finished a single game out of first place in both 1917 and 1918, and then lost to Pittsburgh in 1919. They took down the Knights in both 1921 and 1922, and then beat Pittsburgh again in 1924. In both 1925 and 1926, they went to the World Series again but lost to the Knights both times. They did not make it in 1927 or 1928, but were competitive both times. But then the league threw a wrench into things. Prior to 1928, the Kentucky Kings and Cleveland Blue Sox had both relocated to Orlando and Atlanta respectively, and the league wanted to stay in the Ohio and Kentucky markets. They agreed to expand for the 1929 season by four teams, but they made the controversial decision to move two teams to the vacated markets and replace them with expansion teams. The Captains became one of those teams, as the league forced them to move to Louisville, Kentucky for the 1929 season, replacing them in eastern Virginia with the expansion Norfolk Destroyers.
Several Captains players, including star pitcher Chris Brubaker, fought the move but in the end had no choice: they had to go with the team. The Captains had never finished with a losing record in a single season in Virginia Beach (and would not suffer a losing season until 1942). They continued to win in Louisville while their replacement in their old home market struggled, adding to the wrath of the fans. After two third place finishes to open their time in Louisville, the Captains made it back to the World Series in 1931, losing to the Knights yet again. In 1932, they returned to the World Series and beat the Browns. They missed out in 1933, but then returned in both 1934 and 1935, beating the Knights twice. At that point, Brubaker and a few other players decided to request a trade to the Destroyers. They wanted to go back to their old home and help the struggling Destroyers to earn the goodwill of their old fans. The team allowed this and traded Brubaker, reliever Miguel Rodriguez and first baseman Adam Jones to Norfolk. They received seven players in return but the trade turned out to be a bust for the Captains. Not only did Brubaker help turn the Destroyers into a contender, but none of the seven players that the Captains got back made any meaningful contribution. A couple stuck around for a while in backup roles, but that was it. The Captains went 77-77 in 1936, narrowly avoiding their first ever losing record. They rebounded to remain competitive, but did not return to the World Series until 1955.
And about 1955…it was their first year in a new home, again. They had not been a bad team in Louisville, but after 1935 their relevance shrunk. They finally suffered their first losing season in 1942 and had several more following that, but no real bad ones, only eclipsing the 90-loss threshhold once. Despite their relative success on the field, they wanted a new stadium and were also enticed with the possibility of moving to a new market out west. The Orlando Seals were wanting to move out west but the league would not permit it unless another NBC team went with them. Seals owner Eric Enoch met with several teams in an attempt to persuade them to move out west, and he finally was able to get Captains owner Adam Rios on board. The Seals moved to San Francisco and the Captains moved to Los Angeles, effective for the 1955 season. Captains manager Kory Pritchard abruptly quit when the move was made official, citing his refusal to move to California. The Captains hired former Lions manager Aaron Jacobs as their new manager as they kicked off their time in Los Angeles.
1955 saw them not only begin their time out west, but they won their division. However, the Dragons bounced them in the NBC Championship Series. In 1956, the Captains won their division again and this time they returned to the World Series for the first time since 1935, ending a 20-year World Series drought (still to this day their longest in team history). They also ended their championship drought by defeating Cincinnati in the World Series, and to date that is their last World Series championship. They lost two more World Series in the 1950s, and then went to three straight in 1965, 1966 and 1967, losing all three to the Aaron Henry-led Atlanta Colonels. After that streak, they descended into one of the darkest periods of their history, which included their two worst seasons in team history, losing 109 games in 1970 and then 111 games in 1971. After five 7th place finishes in a row, they climbed back to the top and won their division for 5 straight years from 1975 through 1979, but did not make it to the World Series in any of those years. Then after four winning (but non-playoff) seasons, they ripped off four more division titles in a row. The fourth of those came in 1987, when they made it to the World Series to avoid a second 20-year World Series drought. They lost that series to the Knights, however. As of the 1990 season, their 34-year championship drought is the longest in team history--which is not all that bad considering that there are 13 other teams with an active drought as long or longer (including several expansion teams that have never won the World Series before).

Outlook for 1990:
The Captains have a rich history, but their more recent history has been a bit more meager. They are a fringe contender for 1990, and if they do make the playoffs they do not look like a team that can make a deep run. Most likely, they miss the playoffs again in 1990.

Current Manager:
C.J. Lefebvre is going into his second season as the Captains' manager. He was a minor league relief pitcher in the early 1950s, but his career never took off. He coached college ball for several years before becoming LA's manager. He had not managed at the professional level before this past season.

Hall of Famers:
Ed Coats, P, 1916-1928
Ed Coats played for the Virginia Beach Captains from 1916 through 1928. He was a consistent winner on the mound and a leader in the clubhouse. He won 184 games over an 11-year career. He retired in 1928 out of proteset of the league forcing the Captains to move. After fighting to stop the forced move, he refused to go with them and decided instead to retire. He attempted to come out of retirement in Spring Training 1929 to sign with the expansion Norfolk Destroyers, but he injured his shoulder during conditioning and ultimately opted to stay retired. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1944, his second year on the ballot. He and his wife adopted two boys, both of whom grew up to be involved in professional baseball. His older son Dwayne never played, but was the general manager of the Minnesota Lakers and San Diego Sharks from 1967 through 1984. His younger son, Alex Coats, played minor league ball from 1946 to 1962 but never made it to the Majors. His grandson Chris Coats (Alex's son), was an outfielder in the Pittsburgh Ironmen organization from 1983 to 1985. He retired when the Ironmen released him, but after four years out of the game is attempting a comeback and currently looking for a team to sign him for 1990.

Chris Brubaker, P, 1922-1940
Chris Brubaker is one of the most popular Captains players in their history. He joined the team in 1922 at age 23 and was instantly a top pitcher for them as he helped them win two World Series in his first three seasons. He teamed up with Ed Coats and several other players to fight the team's forced move to Louisville in 1929, but when they lost the fight he agreed to go to Louisville with the team. Brubaker led the league in wins in his first three seasons in Louisville, and the Captains won two more championships with him on the team. Then after the 1934 season, Brubaker requested the team to trade him to the Norfolk Destroyers, sending him back to his old home. He wanted to help the struggling Destroyers win, so they could win over the fans that Brubaker had played for previously. The team was at first unwilling to do so, but they agreed to the move after Brubaker threatened to retire if they did not trade him. They sent him, along with reliever Miguel Rodriguez and first baseman Adam Jones, to Norfolk for a packagae of seven players that turned out to be a huge disappointment. Brubaker stepped in as a team leader in Norfolk and helped the Destroyers end their culture of losing. His efforts were rewarded when he was part of the Destroyers' first championship team in 1940. Having been hampered by injuries for most of the year, Brubaker retired after 1940. He was a first ballot Hall of Famer in 1946, an easy choice as he won 307 games over his career and is beloved by two different fan bases. He then worked as a first base coach and bench coach for the Rebels, Green Sox and Silverbacks from 1947 through 1960. The Captains retired his number after he retired in 1940, and the Destroyers retired his number as well in 1978, wanting to honor him in person after it was announced that he had a terminal illness. He died in 1980. His son, Allen Brubaker, pitched in the minors from 1967 to 1961, but drug problems ended his career before he reached the Majors and he died of an overdose in 1963.

Victor Gecaj, P, 1921-1931
Victor Gecaj was a late bloomer, joining the Captains in 1921 at age 28. He was sensational on the mound, pitching for 11 seasons and never posting an ERA over 3.00 in any of them. He went 19-3 with a 2.09 ERA in 1931 and planned to come back for 1932, but he had an accident chopping wood during the winter of 1931, slicing open his leg and developing an infection. He eventually made a complete recovery, but had to retire from playing as a result of the injury. Despite his stellar play and his final career numbers (174-82, 1.96 ERA), he was not inducted into the Hall of Fame until his fourth year on the ballot, in 1946. Gecaj was the Seals' manager from 1951 through 1960, which included their move from Orlando to San Francisco. As of the beginning of the 1990 season, he is still alive at age 96.

Alan Jacobs, 3B, 1928-1944
Allen Jacobs was a third baseman whose rookie season was 1928, the Captains' last year in Virginia Beach. He played for the team in Louisville through the 1944 season, getting 2,135 hits in 17 seasons. He dealt with injuries toward the end of his career, retiring in 1944. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1950, his first year on the ballot. He worked in the front office for several teams in his post-playing career, including spending one year as the Indiana Fireflies' general manager in 1966 before retiring. His son, Bryan Jacobs, pitched for the Birmingham Bobcats from 1956 through 1961. Alan Jacobs is still living today, at 85 years old.

Devon Neece, P, 1939-1963
Devon Neece had a long Major League career as a pitcher. He came up with the Orlando Seals in 1939 and pitched for them through the 1950 season. That offseason, he was dealt to the Louisville Captains in exchange for 5 players, two of whom (Cesar Lopez and Matt Williams) spent a good number of years on the Seals' pitching staff (the other three never made the Majors). Neece continued to excel for the Captains and was on the team when they moved to Los Angeles and became the main rival of his old team, the Seals. Neece retired in 1963, having won one championship with each of his teams, and he won 340 games in his career. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1969, a near unanimous choice in his first year on the ballot. He was given a choice between going in as a Seal or a Captain, and he chose the Captains. Today he is 69 years old, retired and traveling around the world with his wife every chance he gets. He is an avid golfer, and his goal is to play a round of golf in all 50 states. He is currently up to 42.

William Chrisman, P, 1951-1969
William Chrisman is the most recent Hall of Fame inductee to go in as a Captain. Like Devon Neece, he originally came up with the Seals. He came up in 1951 and moved with them to San Francisco in 1955. Also like Neece, Chrisman was traded to the Captains for five players in a trade that the Seals later came to regret. Chrisman was traded to the Captains in the middle of the 1959 season, and remained with Los Angeles until he retired in 1969. He won 266 games over his career, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975, his first year on the ballot. Chrisman is currently the bench coach for the Wisconsin Bears.

06-03-2024, 09:43 PM	#18
ericnease84 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jul 2019 Posts: 144	Los Angeles Captains Best Record: 94-31 (1932) Worst Record: 51-111 (1971) Playoff Appearances: 42 Championships: 12 (1896, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1916, 1921, 1922, 1924, 1932, 1934, 1935, 1956) The Virginia Beach Captains, located in one of the smaller markets when the league first started, quickly became one of the most successful franchises in league history. They won it all in the league's second year, taking down the initial defending champion Baltimore Browns. They returned to the World Series in 1899, losing to the Knights. They went to and won the next three series, and then in their fifth straight appearance they lost to Cincinnati. Then after not making it to the World Series in 1904, they made it to seven of the next ten, but lost all seven of them, including four in a row to the Baltimore Browns. They won their next championship in 1916 against the Ironmen, finished a single game out of first place in both 1917 and 1918, and then lost to Pittsburgh in 1919. They took down the Knights in both 1921 and 1922, and then beat Pittsburgh again in 1924. In both 1925 and 1926, they went to the World Series again but lost to the Knights both times. They did not make it in 1927 or 1928, but were competitive both times. But then the league threw a wrench into things. Prior to 1928, the Kentucky Kings and Cleveland Blue Sox had both relocated to Orlando and Atlanta respectively, and the league wanted to stay in the Ohio and Kentucky markets. They agreed to expand for the 1929 season by four teams, but they made the controversial decision to move two teams to the vacated markets and replace them with expansion teams. The Captains became one of those teams, as the league forced them to move to Louisville, Kentucky for the 1929 season, replacing them in eastern Virginia with the expansion Norfolk Destroyers. Several Captains players, including star pitcher Chris Brubaker, fought the move but in the end had no choice: they had to go with the team. The Captains had never finished with a losing record in a single season in Virginia Beach (and would not suffer a losing season until 1942). They continued to win in Louisville while their replacement in their old home market struggled, adding to the wrath of the fans. After two third place finishes to open their time in Louisville, the Captains made it back to the World Series in 1931, losing to the Knights yet again. In 1932, they returned to the World Series and beat the Browns. They missed out in 1933, but then returned in both 1934 and 1935, beating the Knights twice. At that point, Brubaker and a few other players decided to request a trade to the Destroyers. They wanted to go back to their old home and help the struggling Destroyers to earn the goodwill of their old fans. The team allowed this and traded Brubaker, reliever Miguel Rodriguez and first baseman Adam Jones to Norfolk. They received seven players in return but the trade turned out to be a bust for the Captains. Not only did Brubaker help turn the Destroyers into a contender, but none of the seven players that the Captains got back made any meaningful contribution. A couple stuck around for a while in backup roles, but that was it. The Captains went 77-77 in 1936, narrowly avoiding their first ever losing record. They rebounded to remain competitive, but did not return to the World Series until 1955. And about 1955…it was their first year in a new home, again. They had not been a bad team in Louisville, but after 1935 their relevance shrunk. They finally suffered their first losing season in 1942 and had several more following that, but no real bad ones, only eclipsing the 90-loss threshhold once. Despite their relative success on the field, they wanted a new stadium and were also enticed with the possibility of moving to a new market out west. The Orlando Seals were wanting to move out west but the league would not permit it unless another NBC team went with them. Seals owner Eric Enoch met with several teams in an attempt to persuade them to move out west, and he finally was able to get Captains owner Adam Rios on board. The Seals moved to San Francisco and the Captains moved to Los Angeles, effective for the 1955 season. Captains manager Kory Pritchard abruptly quit when the move was made official, citing his refusal to move to California. The Captains hired former Lions manager Aaron Jacobs as their new manager as they kicked off their time in Los Angeles. 1955 saw them not only begin their time out west, but they won their division. However, the Dragons bounced them in the NBC Championship Series. In 1956, the Captains won their division again and this time they returned to the World Series for the first time since 1935, ending a 20-year World Series drought (still to this day their longest in team history). They also ended their championship drought by defeating Cincinnati in the World Series, and to date that is their last World Series championship. They lost two more World Series in the 1950s, and then went to three straight in 1965, 1966 and 1967, losing all three to the Aaron Henry-led Atlanta Colonels. After that streak, they descended into one of the darkest periods of their history, which included their two worst seasons in team history, losing 109 games in 1970 and then 111 games in 1971. After five 7th place finishes in a row, they climbed back to the top and won their division for 5 straight years from 1975 through 1979, but did not make it to the World Series in any of those years. Then after four winning (but non-playoff) seasons, they ripped off four more division titles in a row. The fourth of those came in 1987, when they made it to the World Series to avoid a second 20-year World Series drought. They lost that series to the Knights, however. As of the 1990 season, their 34-year championship drought is the longest in team history--which is not all that bad considering that there are 13 other teams with an active drought as long or longer (including several expansion teams that have never won the World Series before). Outlook for 1990: The Captains have a rich history, but their more recent history has been a bit more meager. They are a fringe contender for 1990, and if they do make the playoffs they do not look like a team that can make a deep run. Most likely, they miss the playoffs again in 1990. Current Manager: C.J. Lefebvre is going into his second season as the Captains' manager. He was a minor league relief pitcher in the early 1950s, but his career never took off. He coached college ball for several years before becoming LA's manager. He had not managed at the professional level before this past season. Hall of Famers: Ed Coats, P, 1916-1928 Ed Coats played for the Virginia Beach Captains from 1916 through 1928. He was a consistent winner on the mound and a leader in the clubhouse. He won 184 games over an 11-year career. He retired in 1928 out of proteset of the league forcing the Captains to move. After fighting to stop the forced move, he refused to go with them and decided instead to retire. He attempted to come out of retirement in Spring Training 1929 to sign with the expansion Norfolk Destroyers, but he injured his shoulder during conditioning and ultimately opted to stay retired. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1944, his second year on the ballot. He and his wife adopted two boys, both of whom grew up to be involved in professional baseball. His older son Dwayne never played, but was the general manager of the Minnesota Lakers and San Diego Sharks from 1967 through 1984. His younger son, Alex Coats, played minor league ball from 1946 to 1962 but never made it to the Majors. His grandson Chris Coats (Alex's son), was an outfielder in the Pittsburgh Ironmen organization from 1983 to 1985. He retired when the Ironmen released him, but after four years out of the game is attempting a comeback and currently looking for a team to sign him for 1990. Chris Brubaker, P, 1922-1940 Chris Brubaker is one of the most popular Captains players in their history. He joined the team in 1922 at age 23 and was instantly a top pitcher for them as he helped them win two World Series in his first three seasons. He teamed up with Ed Coats and several other players to fight the team's forced move to Louisville in 1929, but when they lost the fight he agreed to go to Louisville with the team. Brubaker led the league in wins in his first three seasons in Louisville, and the Captains won two more championships with him on the team. Then after the 1934 season, Brubaker requested the team to trade him to the Norfolk Destroyers, sending him back to his old home. He wanted to help the struggling Destroyers win, so they could win over the fans that Brubaker had played for previously. The team was at first unwilling to do so, but they agreed to the move after Brubaker threatened to retire if they did not trade him. They sent him, along with reliever Miguel Rodriguez and first baseman Adam Jones, to Norfolk for a packagae of seven players that turned out to be a huge disappointment. Brubaker stepped in as a team leader in Norfolk and helped the Destroyers end their culture of losing. His efforts were rewarded when he was part of the Destroyers' first championship team in 1940. Having been hampered by injuries for most of the year, Brubaker retired after 1940. He was a first ballot Hall of Famer in 1946, an easy choice as he won 307 games over his career and is beloved by two different fan bases. He then worked as a first base coach and bench coach for the Rebels, Green Sox and Silverbacks from 1947 through 1960. The Captains retired his number after he retired in 1940, and the Destroyers retired his number as well in 1978, wanting to honor him in person after it was announced that he had a terminal illness. He died in 1980. His son, Allen Brubaker, pitched in the minors from 1967 to 1961, but drug problems ended his career before he reached the Majors and he died of an overdose in 1963. Victor Gecaj, P, 1921-1931 Victor Gecaj was a late bloomer, joining the Captains in 1921 at age 28. He was sensational on the mound, pitching for 11 seasons and never posting an ERA over 3.00 in any of them. He went 19-3 with a 2.09 ERA in 1931 and planned to come back for 1932, but he had an accident chopping wood during the winter of 1931, slicing open his leg and developing an infection. He eventually made a complete recovery, but had to retire from playing as a result of the injury. Despite his stellar play and his final career numbers (174-82, 1.96 ERA), he was not inducted into the Hall of Fame until his fourth year on the ballot, in 1946. Gecaj was the Seals' manager from 1951 through 1960, which included their move from Orlando to San Francisco. As of the beginning of the 1990 season, he is still alive at age 96. Alan Jacobs, 3B, 1928-1944 Allen Jacobs was a third baseman whose rookie season was 1928, the Captains' last year in Virginia Beach. He played for the team in Louisville through the 1944 season, getting 2,135 hits in 17 seasons. He dealt with injuries toward the end of his career, retiring in 1944. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1950, his first year on the ballot. He worked in the front office for several teams in his post-playing career, including spending one year as the Indiana Fireflies' general manager in 1966 before retiring. His son, Bryan Jacobs, pitched for the Birmingham Bobcats from 1956 through 1961. Alan Jacobs is still living today, at 85 years old. Devon Neece, P, 1939-1963 Devon Neece had a long Major League career as a pitcher. He came up with the Orlando Seals in 1939 and pitched for them through the 1950 season. That offseason, he was dealt to the Louisville Captains in exchange for 5 players, two of whom (Cesar Lopez and Matt Williams) spent a good number of years on the Seals' pitching staff (the other three never made the Majors). Neece continued to excel for the Captains and was on the team when they moved to Los Angeles and became the main rival of his old team, the Seals. Neece retired in 1963, having won one championship with each of his teams, and he won 340 games in his career. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1969, a near unanimous choice in his first year on the ballot. He was given a choice between going in as a Seal or a Captain, and he chose the Captains. Today he is 69 years old, retired and traveling around the world with his wife every chance he gets. He is an avid golfer, and his goal is to play a round of golf in all 50 states. He is currently up to 42. William Chrisman, P, 1951-1969 William Chrisman is the most recent Hall of Fame inductee to go in as a Captain. Like Devon Neece, he originally came up with the Seals. He came up in 1951 and moved with them to San Francisco in 1955. Also like Neece, Chrisman was traded to the Captains for five players in a trade that the Seals later came to regret. Chrisman was traded to the Captains in the middle of the 1959 season, and remained with Los Angeles until he retired in 1969. He won 266 games over his career, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975, his first year on the ballot. Chrisman is currently the bench coach for the Wisconsin Bears.