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ericnease84 · 06-03-2024, 11:39 PM

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Best Record: 107-18 (1911)
Worst Record: 49-105 (1942)
Playoff Appearances: 10
Championships: 5 (1911, 1912, 1917, 1918, 1919)

The Pittsburgh Ironmen have had some good players and successful teams in their history, but most of that success came early on. They won back to back World Series in 1911 and 1912, both over the Virginia Beach Captains. Then in their return to the World Series in 1916, the Captains got their revenge by defeating them. The Ironmen then returned to--and won--the next three World Series, defeating the New York Dragons, the Hartford Lions and finally the Captains again. That victory in 1919 was, to date, their last championship as it has now been 71 years since they have won it all. They got one more run at glory with this core in 1924, but they once again met up with and were defeated by the Captains. With the Knights dominating the ABC during the 1920s and 1930s, the Ironmen were consistently competitive but just could not finish first and get back to the playoffs. From 1923 through 1929, they had three of their five Hall of Famers on their team at the same time (Eric Blueberry, Tyrese Sims and Julian Wolf). Their other two (Joshua Inglis and Paul Gottlieb) were still active during those years as well, but they had left the team after 1918 and 1919 respectively, and were now playing with the Ironmen's two biggest rivals in the Virginia Beach Captains and the New York Knights.
Wolf, Inglis and Gottlieb fueled the Ironmen as they won their championships, except that Inglis was traded to Virginia Beach following the 1918 season. When Gottlieb was traded to New York following the 1919 season, Sims was one of the players that the Ironmen got back in exchange. Blueberry came up in the 1920s and teamed up with Wolf and Sims, along with future Hall of Famer Perry Kozel who was acquired in a separate trade, to make up the core that kept the team competitive, but they just could not win another championship. Long after those three were gone, the Ironmen finally made it to another World Series in 1960, but lost it to their in-state rivals the Philadelphia Hornets. The Ironmen have not been back to the World Series since then. Their only subsequent playoff appearances were in 1980 and 1983, but they failed to make it to the World Series either time.

Outlook for 1990:
They just had back-to-back 90-loss seasons and do not look like they will be much better in 1990.

Current Manager:
Eric Dowds is the new manager for the Ironmen. They fired Calvin Cunningham mid-season in 1989 when they were sitting with an 18-36 record. Interim manager Bill Shelton came up from AAA (where he had been the pitching coach) and guided them to a respectable 52-56 finish, but it was not enough to get him the job, as Pittsburgh went with Dowds instead. Dowds previously has managed the Chicago Cardinals from 1982 through 1984. He was a pitcher for the Ironmen in 1960, appearing on the mound in the Ironmen's last World Series appearance to date, and was traded to the Knights following that season where he spent the rest of his career, retiring in 1975.

Hall of Famers:
Julian Wolf, 3B, 1913-1937
Julian Wolf has a long 24-year career in the NBL and spent it all with the Ironmen. He has been teammates with every other Hall of Famer credited to Pittsburgh, but is the only one of the five who spent his entire career in Pittsburgh. He retired in 1937, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1944, his second year on the ballot. Wolf died in the summer of 1960, just missing out on seeing the Ironmen return to the World Series. The Ironmen wore patches on their sleeves with his initials for the remainder of the 1960 season and dedicated their playoff run to his memory.

Tyrese Sims, P, 1919-1934
Tyrese Sims broke into the league with the New York Knights in 1919. After his rookie year, he was one of five players who the Knights sent to Pittsburgh to acquire star pitcher Paul Gottlieb. While he never was able to lead the team to a World Series championship, Sims single-handedly saved that trade as three of the other four players (C Corey Wilson, SS Jonah Walker and 2B Adam Wall) only served in backup roles, and the fourth (OF Jose Rivera) never played a game for Pittsburgh. Sims, however, put together a stellar career where he went 239-90 with a 2.20 ERA through the 1934 season. He and Gottlieb pretty much offset each other's stats, and the other four players were largely irrelevant. Sims retired following the 1934 season, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in his second year on the ballot in 1944. He died in 1972.

Joshua Inglis, OF, 1907-1929
Joshua Inglis was the most popular position player the Pittsburgh Ironmen had until Eric Blueberry came along. Inglis won four World Series with the team, although most of his 1918 season was lost due to injury. Believing his career to be winding down, the Ironmen released him in one of the worst moves in franchise history. The trade of Gottlieb a year later at least brought back Tyrese Sims, but the Ironmen very likely would have made it to--and probably won--a couple more World Series had they hung on to Inglis. As it stands, they got absolutely nothing for Inglis. He signed with the Virginia Beach Captains, who lost to Pittsburgh in the 1919 World Series. But then Inglis helped the Captains win three championships of their own in 1921, 1922 and 1924. Then he was traded to the New York Knights in 1927, reuniting with his old buddy Paul Gottlieb and winning two more World Series, before both of them retired after the 1929 season. Inglis was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1944, his second year on the ballot. He became a Baptist minister after playing days were over and did that until he died in 1970. Inglis' granddaughter is married to Edgar Phillips, a mid-level executive for the Baltimore Blackbirds and son of Roy Lee Phillips, who pitched for the Blackbirds and Cardinals in the 1960s.

Paul Gottlieb, P, 1907-1929
Paul Gottlieb is the most popular pitcher in Ironmen history, and is one of the greatest of all time. He won 437 games over his career, a record that still stands today (although current Toronto Giants pitcher Will Newman is within reach of the record if he can make it a couple more seasons). Gottlieb is the only one of the five Pittsburgh Hall of Famers to have been present for every one of their World Series championships. After the 1919 season, the Ironmen made a shocking trade, sending Gottlieb to the New York Knights for five players: pitcher Tyrese Sims, catcher Corey Wilson, infielders Jonah Walker and Adam Wall and outfielder Jose Rivera. RIvera never played a game for the Ironmen, and Wilson, Walker and Wall all served in backup roles during the 1920s. However, Sims blossomed into a star pitcher and Hall of Famer in his own right, saving this trade from being a disaster. Gottlieb starred on a New York team that played in every World Series in the 1920s except one, winning five of them. Gottlieb retired in 1929 as a ten-time World Series champion and the all-time wins leader. He somehow was not elected to the Hall of Fame with its initial class of 1943, but he was elected in 1944. He died in 1963.

Eric Blueberry, OF, 1923-1944
Eric Blueberry joined the Ironmen in 1923 and to this day is the most popular position player in Ironmen history, aside from possibly Inglis. Blueberry was the main star at the plate in the 1920s and 1930s as Pittsburgh tried and tried to get to the World Series, but only succeeded once and promptly lost the series. Following the 1940 season, Blueberry was traded to the Knights in exchange for infielder Nate New, who gave Pittsburgh some good production through the 1940s. Blueberry joined the Knights and finally got to win a World Series, playing on the Knights' championship team in 1942. He spent two more seasons in New York before retiring following the 1944 season. He first appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 1950, and was elected nearly unanimously. He was a hitting coach in the minor leagues by then, which he did until 1963 when he retired. Blueberry is still alive today at age 86 and still lives in the Pittsburgh area.

06-03-2024, 11:39 PM	#27
ericnease84 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jul 2019 Posts: 144	Pittsburgh Ironmen Best Record: 107-18 (1911) Worst Record: 49-105 (1942) Playoff Appearances: 10 Championships: 5 (1911, 1912, 1917, 1918, 1919) The Pittsburgh Ironmen have had some good players and successful teams in their history, but most of that success came early on. They won back to back World Series in 1911 and 1912, both over the Virginia Beach Captains. Then in their return to the World Series in 1916, the Captains got their revenge by defeating them. The Ironmen then returned to--and won--the next three World Series, defeating the New York Dragons, the Hartford Lions and finally the Captains again. That victory in 1919 was, to date, their last championship as it has now been 71 years since they have won it all. They got one more run at glory with this core in 1924, but they once again met up with and were defeated by the Captains. With the Knights dominating the ABC during the 1920s and 1930s, the Ironmen were consistently competitive but just could not finish first and get back to the playoffs. From 1923 through 1929, they had three of their five Hall of Famers on their team at the same time (Eric Blueberry, Tyrese Sims and Julian Wolf). Their other two (Joshua Inglis and Paul Gottlieb) were still active during those years as well, but they had left the team after 1918 and 1919 respectively, and were now playing with the Ironmen's two biggest rivals in the Virginia Beach Captains and the New York Knights. Wolf, Inglis and Gottlieb fueled the Ironmen as they won their championships, except that Inglis was traded to Virginia Beach following the 1918 season. When Gottlieb was traded to New York following the 1919 season, Sims was one of the players that the Ironmen got back in exchange. Blueberry came up in the 1920s and teamed up with Wolf and Sims, along with future Hall of Famer Perry Kozel who was acquired in a separate trade, to make up the core that kept the team competitive, but they just could not win another championship. Long after those three were gone, the Ironmen finally made it to another World Series in 1960, but lost it to their in-state rivals the Philadelphia Hornets. The Ironmen have not been back to the World Series since then. Their only subsequent playoff appearances were in 1980 and 1983, but they failed to make it to the World Series either time. Outlook for 1990: They just had back-to-back 90-loss seasons and do not look like they will be much better in 1990. Current Manager: Eric Dowds is the new manager for the Ironmen. They fired Calvin Cunningham mid-season in 1989 when they were sitting with an 18-36 record. Interim manager Bill Shelton came up from AAA (where he had been the pitching coach) and guided them to a respectable 52-56 finish, but it was not enough to get him the job, as Pittsburgh went with Dowds instead. Dowds previously has managed the Chicago Cardinals from 1982 through 1984. He was a pitcher for the Ironmen in 1960, appearing on the mound in the Ironmen's last World Series appearance to date, and was traded to the Knights following that season where he spent the rest of his career, retiring in 1975. Hall of Famers: Julian Wolf, 3B, 1913-1937 Julian Wolf has a long 24-year career in the NBL and spent it all with the Ironmen. He has been teammates with every other Hall of Famer credited to Pittsburgh, but is the only one of the five who spent his entire career in Pittsburgh. He retired in 1937, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1944, his second year on the ballot. Wolf died in the summer of 1960, just missing out on seeing the Ironmen return to the World Series. The Ironmen wore patches on their sleeves with his initials for the remainder of the 1960 season and dedicated their playoff run to his memory. Tyrese Sims, P, 1919-1934 Tyrese Sims broke into the league with the New York Knights in 1919. After his rookie year, he was one of five players who the Knights sent to Pittsburgh to acquire star pitcher Paul Gottlieb. While he never was able to lead the team to a World Series championship, Sims single-handedly saved that trade as three of the other four players (C Corey Wilson, SS Jonah Walker and 2B Adam Wall) only served in backup roles, and the fourth (OF Jose Rivera) never played a game for Pittsburgh. Sims, however, put together a stellar career where he went 239-90 with a 2.20 ERA through the 1934 season. He and Gottlieb pretty much offset each other's stats, and the other four players were largely irrelevant. Sims retired following the 1934 season, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in his second year on the ballot in 1944. He died in 1972. Joshua Inglis, OF, 1907-1929 Joshua Inglis was the most popular position player the Pittsburgh Ironmen had until Eric Blueberry came along. Inglis won four World Series with the team, although most of his 1918 season was lost due to injury. Believing his career to be winding down, the Ironmen released him in one of the worst moves in franchise history. The trade of Gottlieb a year later at least brought back Tyrese Sims, but the Ironmen very likely would have made it to--and probably won--a couple more World Series had they hung on to Inglis. As it stands, they got absolutely nothing for Inglis. He signed with the Virginia Beach Captains, who lost to Pittsburgh in the 1919 World Series. But then Inglis helped the Captains win three championships of their own in 1921, 1922 and 1924. Then he was traded to the New York Knights in 1927, reuniting with his old buddy Paul Gottlieb and winning two more World Series, before both of them retired after the 1929 season. Inglis was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1944, his second year on the ballot. He became a Baptist minister after playing days were over and did that until he died in 1970. Inglis' granddaughter is married to Edgar Phillips, a mid-level executive for the Baltimore Blackbirds and son of Roy Lee Phillips, who pitched for the Blackbirds and Cardinals in the 1960s. Paul Gottlieb, P, 1907-1929 Paul Gottlieb is the most popular pitcher in Ironmen history, and is one of the greatest of all time. He won 437 games over his career, a record that still stands today (although current Toronto Giants pitcher Will Newman is within reach of the record if he can make it a couple more seasons). Gottlieb is the only one of the five Pittsburgh Hall of Famers to have been present for every one of their World Series championships. After the 1919 season, the Ironmen made a shocking trade, sending Gottlieb to the New York Knights for five players: pitcher Tyrese Sims, catcher Corey Wilson, infielders Jonah Walker and Adam Wall and outfielder Jose Rivera. RIvera never played a game for the Ironmen, and Wilson, Walker and Wall all served in backup roles during the 1920s. However, Sims blossomed into a star pitcher and Hall of Famer in his own right, saving this trade from being a disaster. Gottlieb starred on a New York team that played in every World Series in the 1920s except one, winning five of them. Gottlieb retired in 1929 as a ten-time World Series champion and the all-time wins leader. He somehow was not elected to the Hall of Fame with its initial class of 1943, but he was elected in 1944. He died in 1963. Eric Blueberry, OF, 1923-1944 Eric Blueberry joined the Ironmen in 1923 and to this day is the most popular position player in Ironmen history, aside from possibly Inglis. Blueberry was the main star at the plate in the 1920s and 1930s as Pittsburgh tried and tried to get to the World Series, but only succeeded once and promptly lost the series. Following the 1940 season, Blueberry was traded to the Knights in exchange for infielder Nate New, who gave Pittsburgh some good production through the 1940s. Blueberry joined the Knights and finally got to win a World Series, playing on the Knights' championship team in 1942. He spent two more seasons in New York before retiring following the 1944 season. He first appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 1950, and was elected nearly unanimously. He was a hitting coach in the minor leagues by then, which he did until 1963 when he retired. Blueberry is still alive today at age 86 and still lives in the Pittsburgh area.