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Old 06-03-2024, 11:29 PM   #26
ericnease84
Minors (Double A)
 
Join Date: Jul 2019
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Philadelphia Hornets

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Best Record: 107-55 (1987)
Worst Record: 35-119 (1934)
Playoff Appearances: 21
Championships: 4 (1960, 1964, 1968, 1983)

The Philadelphia Hornets did not have a good start to their history, but they did better than their counterparts, the Philadelphia Yellow Jackets. The Hornets made the playoffs in1915 for the first time, losing in the World Series to the Baltimore Browns. However, that would be their last playoff appearance until 1956. Since then, they have had much more success. After going 60 years with only a single playoff appearance, the Hornets have not gone more than five seasons in a row without making the playoffs (and they only went that long one time). They have had only two losing seasons (1970 and 1975) since 1956, and they have won four World Series titles: they defeated the Ironmen in 1960, the Blackbirds in 1964 and the Fireflies in 1968, and most recently they took down the Sharks in the 1983 World Series.

Outlook for 1990:
They are a solid team and have been for some time. They have been one of the most successful teams overall in the past thirty years, and they should be a strong candidate to win it all in 1990.

Current Manager:
Rory Fennel just finished his second season as the Hornets' manager. He previously managed the Oakland Panthers in 1984 and 1985. He was a minor league outfielder from 1959 through 1961 but never reached the Majors.

Hall of Famers:
Nick Meuer, OF, 1946-1963
Nick Meuer joined the U.S. Army at age 18 and fought in World War II, and he signed with the Philadelphia Hornets when he came home. He made his debut for the 1946 season and soon established himself in the middle of their lineup. He won the MVP award in 1949, and helped the Hornets win their first championship in 1960. His production fell off after that season, and he retired following the 1963 season. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1973, his fifth year on the ballot.

Aaron Knight, P, 1949-1967
Aaron Knight debuted with the Brimingham Bobcats in 1949 and quickly became a mainstay in their starting rotation. However, due to facing racial prejudice from fans in that era, Knight requested a trade to a team in the north during the 1956 season. In that offseason, he was dealt to the Philadelphia Hornets for five players. Of those five players, only two of them (pitcher Brian Houston and outfielder Jimmy Smith) ever made the Majors, and both disappeared in the 1961 expansion draft (Houston had yet to make the Majors at the time; Smith had, but his production for the Bobcats was very limited). Knight, meanwhile, continued to excel on the mound for Philadelphia. He was part of two World Series champion teams in 1960 and 1964, and was the NBC Championship Series MVP in 1964. He retired after the 1967 season, just missing out on a third Philadelphia championship. He was elected to the Hall of Fame on his first try in 1973.

Willie Solis, OF, 1959-1974
Willie Solis spent the first two years of his career with the St. Louis Tigers, and then after a 1961 trade he spent the rest of his career with the Philadelphia Hornets. He won back to back MVP awards in 1964 and 1965, and was part of two World Series champions in 1964 and 1968. Solis got 2,558 hits over his 16-year career. He retired in 1974, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1981, his second year on the ballot. Solis has spent the last three seasons as the bench coach for the Indiana Fireflies and aspires to be a manager someday.

Bobby Selvage, P, 1958-1976
Bobby Selvage began his career in 1958 with the Pittsburgh Ironmen. He spent seven years in Pittsburgh and was a consistent presence on the mound, making at least 30 starts each season except for his rookie year in which he spent part of the year coming out of the bullpen. Then after the 1964 season, the Ironmen swapped him to Philadelphia for five players. Pittsburgh got decent production out of 3 of the 5 players, but Selvage got better and better during his time in Philadelphia. He won two pitching awards and helped them win the World Series in 1968. He retired after the 1976 season, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot in 1982. Selvage was just hired as the Hornets' new pitching coach for 1990.
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