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ericnease84 · 06-03-2024, 10:03 PM

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Best Record: 101-61 (1985)
Worst Record: 19-106 (1913)
Playoff Appearances: 4
Championships: 0

The Washington Generals, like several other teams, had a good first season in 1895 but sank toward the bottom of the league soon after. They were fringe contenders for a while, finally breaking through in 1906 and winning their first NBC pennant, although they lost the World Series taht year to the Browns. They quickly reverted back to mediocrity and eventually sank down to posting what is still the worst record in NBL history. In 1913, they went 19-106. That team still holds two dubious records: lowest winning percentage ever (.152), and the only team in history to fail to win 20 games in a season. Chances are, neither of those records will ever be broken. They had a team batting averagea of .225 that year, and a team ERA of 7.35. Manager Dan Jeremiah was fired after the season and while he was the Kings' third base coach from 1916 to 1919, he never managed again.
The Generals were never that bad again, but they were a team defined by mediocrity and irrelevance. They were one of the least popular teams in the league and only finished within 10 games of first place one time for the rest of their time in Washington, never being a serious contender for more than a couple months. When Orlando Seals owner Eric Enoch was trying to find a second NBC team to move to California with him, he spent a lot of time with Generals owner Jerry LaPlante trying to convince him to move the team. LaPlante worked with Enoch to get the deal done, but he could not come up with the money to make the move, and the Louisville Captains ended up moving with them instead. Once word got out that LaPlante had tried to move the team to California, the fans turned on him. Five years later, LaPlante found a home and enough money and moved the team to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the Washington Generals became the Minnesota Lakers. LaPlante died five years later, passing the team on to his grandson Thomas Heywood, the son of LaPlante's oldest daughter. The Lakers made it back to the World Series in 1970 but were defeated by the Colonels. They have made the playoffs twice since then, but have still never won a World Series, as one of the three original teams (the others being the Boston Rebels and the Trenton/St. Louis Tigers) who still have yet to win a championship. When the league expanded to 32 teams with the addition of the Miami Gators and Arizona Wolves in 1984, each conference went to four 4-team divisions. To make that alignment make more sense geographically, the Lakers were moved from the NBC to the ABC, with the New Orleans Bobcats going the other direction to join the NBC.

Outlook for 1990:
The Lakers have looked like a solid team as of late, but just don’t seem to have what it takes to get over the top. They are a fringe contender for 1990 but probably not a big threat to win it all.

Current Manager:
George O'Farrell is taking over as the Lakers' manager in 1990, replacing Ryan Kramer who was just fired after 9 seasons at the helm. O'Farrell was a good and productive first baseman from 1960 to 1978, spending most of those years with the Kansas City Cyclones. He managed the California Stars from 1986 to 1988, but was fired after a 95-loss season where he had numerous fights with his own players and was ejected from 32 games during the season.

Hall of Famers:
Mike Siefkas, P, 1914-1933
Mike Siefkas joined the Washington Generals for the 1914 season, just after they had finished their historically awful season. Siefkas was 19 years old in 1914, and he went 1-26 with an ERA of 5.99 that year. 1915 went a little better, as he went 7-19 with a 4.42 ERA. Having led the league in losses for the first two years of his career, Siefkas barely looked like he would stick around at all, much less become a Hall of Famer. But as time went on, he improved. He never led the league in losses again, he led the league in wins twice, and won 20 games in 1923. He pitched for the Generals until 1933, retiring at age 39 having never pitched in the World Series. In 1943, he was among the first five players to be elected to the Hall of Fame. Siefkas went on to be a pitching coach in the minor leagues from 1949 until 1956. He died in 1969.

06-03-2024, 10:03 PM	#20
ericnease84 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jul 2019 Posts: 144	Minnesota Lakers Best Record: 101-61 (1985) Worst Record: 19-106 (1913) Playoff Appearances: 4 Championships: 0 The Washington Generals, like several other teams, had a good first season in 1895 but sank toward the bottom of the league soon after. They were fringe contenders for a while, finally breaking through in 1906 and winning their first NBC pennant, although they lost the World Series taht year to the Browns. They quickly reverted back to mediocrity and eventually sank down to posting what is still the worst record in NBL history. In 1913, they went 19-106. That team still holds two dubious records: lowest winning percentage ever (.152), and the only team in history to fail to win 20 games in a season. Chances are, neither of those records will ever be broken. They had a team batting averagea of .225 that year, and a team ERA of 7.35. Manager Dan Jeremiah was fired after the season and while he was the Kings' third base coach from 1916 to 1919, he never managed again. The Generals were never that bad again, but they were a team defined by mediocrity and irrelevance. They were one of the least popular teams in the league and only finished within 10 games of first place one time for the rest of their time in Washington, never being a serious contender for more than a couple months. When Orlando Seals owner Eric Enoch was trying to find a second NBC team to move to California with him, he spent a lot of time with Generals owner Jerry LaPlante trying to convince him to move the team. LaPlante worked with Enoch to get the deal done, but he could not come up with the money to make the move, and the Louisville Captains ended up moving with them instead. Once word got out that LaPlante had tried to move the team to California, the fans turned on him. Five years later, LaPlante found a home and enough money and moved the team to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the Washington Generals became the Minnesota Lakers. LaPlante died five years later, passing the team on to his grandson Thomas Heywood, the son of LaPlante's oldest daughter. The Lakers made it back to the World Series in 1970 but were defeated by the Colonels. They have made the playoffs twice since then, but have still never won a World Series, as one of the three original teams (the others being the Boston Rebels and the Trenton/St. Louis Tigers) who still have yet to win a championship. When the league expanded to 32 teams with the addition of the Miami Gators and Arizona Wolves in 1984, each conference went to four 4-team divisions. To make that alignment make more sense geographically, the Lakers were moved from the NBC to the ABC, with the New Orleans Bobcats going the other direction to join the NBC. Outlook for 1990: The Lakers have looked like a solid team as of late, but just don’t seem to have what it takes to get over the top. They are a fringe contender for 1990 but probably not a big threat to win it all. Current Manager: George O'Farrell is taking over as the Lakers' manager in 1990, replacing Ryan Kramer who was just fired after 9 seasons at the helm. O'Farrell was a good and productive first baseman from 1960 to 1978, spending most of those years with the Kansas City Cyclones. He managed the California Stars from 1986 to 1988, but was fired after a 95-loss season where he had numerous fights with his own players and was ejected from 32 games during the season. Hall of Famers: Mike Siefkas, P, 1914-1933 Mike Siefkas joined the Washington Generals for the 1914 season, just after they had finished their historically awful season. Siefkas was 19 years old in 1914, and he went 1-26 with an ERA of 5.99 that year. 1915 went a little better, as he went 7-19 with a 4.42 ERA. Having led the league in losses for the first two years of his career, Siefkas barely looked like he would stick around at all, much less become a Hall of Famer. But as time went on, he improved. He never led the league in losses again, he led the league in wins twice, and won 20 games in 1923. He pitched for the Generals until 1933, retiring at age 39 having never pitched in the World Series. In 1943, he was among the first five players to be elected to the Hall of Fame. Siefkas went on to be a pitching coach in the minor leagues from 1949 until 1956. He died in 1969.