Federal Baseball League: Historical/Fictional Hybrid

[ericnease84]

A historical simulation with real players and fictional teams. Beginning in 1901, we will re-write baseball history. Each team has real players from 1901, but the teams have been renamed and a small minor league system has been added: each team has 3 farm teams: AAA, AA and A. There will likely be fictional players added in, as this league is likely to expand larger than in real life. But there will be many familiar names over the years.
An amateur draft is held each June, starting with 12 rounds. There is no draft lottery.
As for other initial rules and configurations:
There are two conferences: the American Baseball Conference (ABC) and National Baseball Conference (NBC). Each has 8 teams. The two first place teams will face off in a seven-game World Series for the championship. 140 regular season games are played. Right now, there is no All-Star game.
Active roster size is 25, expanding to 35 on September 1. July 31 is the trading deadline, and teams can trade draft picks. Veterans do not currently have 10-5 no-trade rights, and the Reserve-Clause era rules are in effect. This will change later, at some point.
There is a color barrier in place right now (only because there was one in real life). It will be lifted eventually, probably sooner than it was in real life.

The 16 original teams:
ABC
Baltimore Blackbirds
Boston Patriots
Buffalo Destroyers
Cleveland Blue Sox
Dover Green Sox
New York Knights
Pittsburgh Prowlers
Virginia Beach Captains

NBC
Chicago Outlaws
Hartford Lions
Kentucky Kings
Milwaukee Bucks
Philadelphia Yellow Jackets
St. Louis Browns
Toledo Ravens
Washington Eagles

[ericnease84]

The St. Louis Browns and Washington Eagles started off hot in the NBC, while the initial teams to beat in the ABC appeared to be the Baltimore Blackbirds, Boston Patriots and Pittsburgh Prowlers. In May, the Browns pulled away with another great month as the Eagles regressed. Meanwhile in the ABC, the Prowlers pulled ahead. For most of the rest of the season, the Browns and Prowlers continued to dominate. The Browns built and easily maintained a big lead, winning the first ever NBC pennant. The Prowlers held off challenges by the Blackbirds and the Virginia Beach Captains to win the ABC pennant. The first World Series began in Pittsburgh, where the Prowlers won the first two games. The next three games were held in St. Louis, where the Browns won all three. The teams took the train back to Pittsburgh, where the Browns needed one win on the road to win the first World Series. They could not, as the Prowlers won both of their home games to capture the FBL's first championship.
The Prowlers had the league MVP (Honus Wagner) and Pitcher of the Year (Jesse Tannehill) on their team. The league's first Rookie of the Year was pitcher Doc White of the Virginia Beach Captains.
The NBC's MVP was Jimmy Sheckard of the Hartford Lions. Pitcher of the Year was Bill Donovan, also of the Lions. Rookie of the Year was Washington Eagles second baseman John Farrell.

[ericnease84]

[ericnease84]

1902
In 1902, the Pittsburgh Prowlers defended their first championship by running away with the ABC pennant again. They spent most of the season in first place, and it was never a contest as they easily finished first again. The NBC was closer, as the Browns had a furious challenger in the Kentucky Kings. This race went down to the wire, but the Browns came out on top to win the NBC pennant again. They had their rematch with Pittsburgh in the World Series, but this time it was no contest. The Prowlers won the first three games, dropped Game 4 and then took Game 5 to win their second World Series in a row.

1903
In 1903, the Prowlers once again ran the table in the ABC, while the NBC had a four-team race. The Browns challenged for the title again, with the Kings in the hunt as well. The Chicago Outlaws and Hartford Lions were also in the race. The Outlaws took the NBC pennant, and went on to defeat the Prowlers in the World Series, denying Pittsburgh a three-peat.

1904
The Prowlers' run was over, as they slipped into the middle of the standings in 1904. The New York Knights challenged for the top spot in the ABC, but in the end the Virginia Beach Captains took it pretty decisively. The NBC featured a very exciting 3-team race between the defending champion Chicago Outlaws, the Hartford Lions and the Philadelphia Yellow Jackets. The Yellow Jackets won the pennant, but were swept by the Captains in the World Series.
In the first round of the draft in 1904, the Knights took some guy named Ty Cobb.

[ericnease84]

At the end of the 1904 season, we had a team on the move for the first time. The Milwaukee Bucks had turned in four unsuccessful seasons, finishing in last place each season and their 54-86 record of 1904 being the best one they had posted yet. Their attendance was not good, and owner James Roosevelt (no relation to President Roosevelt) wanted to bolt for greener pastures. He moved his team to New York City to compete with the existing Knights. At first, he planned to keep the team name and call them the New York Bucks, but in the end the team was renamed, and would open 1905 as the New York Bears.

[nebben]

I'd love to see the logos/unis for these teams, if you're able to share. Following!

[ericnease84]

The 1910 season has now concluded, and the Federal Baseball League has been in its current existence for ten years now. Ten World Series champions have been crowned. 8 of the 16 teams have finished first in their conference at least once and played in the World Series. Of those 8 teams, 6 of them have won a championship.



Following will be a brief history of each team up until this point, and then we will move on to the 1910s.

[ericnease84]

BALTIMORE BLACKBIRDS
The Baltimore Blackbirds started off as one of the stronger teams in the league, challenging to win the initial ABC pennant before falling just short, finishing in second place. They were competitive the next two years, despite finishing in third place and not having had much of a real shot at the World Series. They have not been that much of a serious contender since then, finishing no higher than 4th place since 1903.


BOSTON PATRIOTS
The Boston Patriots started off strong in 1901 before a big losing streak pushed them toward the bottom of the standings. After a second place finish in 1902, they sunk toward the bottom of the ABC, finishing no higher than sixth place between 1904 and 1908. They did finish with winning records in 1909 and 1910, so it appears things are looking up for them.

BUFFALO DESTROYERS
For the first seven years of the league's existence, the Buffalo Destroyers were among the ABCs worst, finishing no higher than fifth place and never finishing with a winning record. In 1908, they emerged as a surprise contender for the ABC pennant. They were in first place at the beginning of September, but they ended the season with a 12-game losing streak that pushed them down to third place, although they did get their first ever winning record. In 1909, they edged out the Pittsburgh Prowlers by one game to win their first ever ABC pennant, but fell to the Washington Eagles in the World Series. They won the pennant again in 1910, and this time they were victorious, winning the World Series in five games over the Chicago Outlaws. They are the defending World Series champions at this point in time.

CLEVELAND BLUE SOX
The Cleveland Blue Sox are not very good. They have never been very good. They just finished with a 67-73 record, which is the best record they have ever posted (they also posted this record in 1904). They finished in 5th place in 1910 for the first time ever. Between 1901 and 1909, they only finished above seventh place twice, coming in sixth in 1903 and 1904. Attendance has been fairly low, although it has improved a little bit. The team has been rumored for several years to be looking around for a new home.
Leave a comment if you have any suggestions as to where this team can relocate to. Keep in mind that it is only 1910 at this point, so they will be staying east of the Mississippi River. If things don't improve in the next decade, we will look at your suggestions for possible places for this team to go.

DOVER GREEN SOX
This is another team that has not been that great in the past ten years. They have finished over .500 five times in the past ten years and attendance has been decent, so they are not as bad off as the Blue Sox. But they have finished dead last in the ABC in the past two seasons, so it's not like the immediate future is all that bright. Maybe if there are any good prospects that come along in the next several years, they could get a superstar to build around?

NEW YORK KNIGHTS
They were awful in 1901, finishing with the league's worst record. But they have been pretty good since then, finishing with a winning record in 8 of the next 9 seasons. They have not finished more than 9 games out of first place since 1903. They won the ABC pennant in 1905 and 1907, losing to Chicago in 1905 and winning it all in 1907 against Philadelphia. They most recently finished in fourth place.

PITTSBURGH PROWLERS
They started off as the dominant team in the ABC, winning the first three pennants in conference history as well as winning the World Series in 1901 and 1902. In 1904--their worst season to date--they finished in 4th place, 17 games out of first place and with a record of 71-69 (yes, this means they have yet to finish with a losing record). They won pennants again in 1906 and 1908, although they lost the World Series to Chicago both times. They looked bad for a while in 1910, but rebounded to finish at 77-63, in 2nd place and 6 games out of first.

VIRGINIA BEACH CAPTAINS
The Captains contended for the first ABC pennant before falling short, finishing in third place and 5 games out of first. They won the ABC pennant--and the World Series--in 1904, but have not made it back to the playoffs. They have finished under .500 in the past three seasons, a shell of their once proud selves. Attendance remains high, however.

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CHICAGO OUTLAWS
The Chicago Outlaws were not that good in their first two seasons, but they have since become the most successful team in the league. They finished in first place in 1903, winning their first pennant and World Series, defeating the Pittsburgh Prowlers and denying them a third straight championship. After narrowly missing the playoffs in 1904, the Outlaws returned to the World Series in 1905, 1906 and 1908, winning it all in all three seasons. The 1908 team currently holds the FBL record for most wins in a season with 95. After a down year in 1909 with a 70-70 record, the Outlaws returned to the World Series in 1910, tying the Pittsburgh Prowlers for the most pennants won with five. However, the Outlaws suffered their first World Series defeat at the hands of the Buffalo Destroyers.

HARTFORD LIONS
The Lions have been consistently in the middle of the pack. They have finished at .500 or better six times, but have yet to finish in first and capture a pennant. The closest they came was in 1904, when they finished a single game out of first place. They have finished in fifth place each of the last 5 seasons.

KENTUCKY KINGS
Based out of Louisville, Kentucky, the Kings have been your classic "always the bridesmaid, never the bride" team. In the past 10 years they have finished at .500 or better 8 times. Their 6th place finish in 1909 (with a 70-70 record) is the lowest they have ever finished. Their 66-74 record in 1908, while not that bad, is the worst in their history. They have finished in 2nd place five times, including in 1910 when they finished 3 games out of first place.

NEW YORK BEARS
Founded as the Milwaukee Bucks, they had a rough start. They were awful for the first four years of their existence, finishing in 8th place all four times. After 1904, they moved to New York City to become the Bears, and they have been better--although not great--since. They finished at 70-70 in 1905. In 1907, they posted their best record to date: 71-69, 4th place and 10 games out of first. They may be in a bigger market than they were as the Bucks, but they are clearly the "little brother" to the Knights in New York. Rumors have circulated that they may be thinking of giving up and moving again, but they are unconfirmed.

PHILADELPHIA YELLOW JACKETS
The Yellow Jackets have had a good margin of success so far, although they are one of two teams (along with the Browns) to have played in a World Series but never won one. They lost to the Captains in 1904, and the Knights in 1907. Their 61-79 finish in 1910 is the worst record in their history.

ST. LOUIS BROWNS
The team that is located the farthest west, the Browns dominated the NBC from the start, winning the NBC pennant in both 1901 and 1902, although the Prowlers beat them in the World Series both times. After finishing with a respectable 78-62 record in 1903, they have been a losing team ever since. They have finished in 8th place in three of the past four seasons, bottoming out with an awful 46-94 record in 1910. That set a new FBL record for most losses in a season, breaking the previous record of 92 losses held by the 1901 Milwaukee Bucks and the 1902 Buffalo Destroyers.

TOLEDO RAVENS
Like their close neighbors in Cleveland, the Toledo Ravens have yet to win a pennant. However, the Ravens have finished with a winning record three times, including the past two seasons. Their best record yet is the 79-61 record they just posted in 1910, finishing in third place only 3 games out of first. They would not at all mind seeing the rumors of the Blue Sox moving come true, so they want to remind you to post suggestions for new homes for the Cleveland Blue Sox. The Ravens want northern Ohio for themselves (and would always vote against Detroit as well).

WASHINGTON EAGLES
Aside from their 1902 team, the Eagles were largely irrelevant for the first seven years of their existence. Then in 1909, they rode the right arm of rising star pitcher Walter Johnson to win a surprise NBC pennant, defeating another long-suffering team in the Buffalo Destroyers in the World Series that year. They were solid in 1910, although they only came in fourth place with a record of 79-61, finishing four games out in a crowded pennant race.

[ericnease84]

The 1919 season has just concluded, and we will soon have an update posted for how each team did this past decade, as well as some of the top players on their current roster (as of the 1919-20 offseason).
I did not create all of the team names/logos myself. A few I have, but most of them I got from other threads on this forum, as well as from www.sportslogos.net. I am willing to post logos and uniforms; just don't want to get in trouble for stealing anyone else's work (not that posting what I am using would benefit me at all, though).
If you're following: I don't plan on continuing to rush through multiple seasons at once as I am now. I am just not as familiar with the early era as I am the more modern eras. Plus, I am trying to stay somewhat historically accurate (although I will be removing the color barrier early, as I would like to see players like Josh Gibson on a team). That is why we still only have 8 teams per league. I will be expanding and moving earlier than the 1950s, though.

[ericnease84]

The Baltimore Blackbirds didn't do much in their first decade of existence, and they stayed largely irrelevant in the 1910s. They had some good teams, as they finished above .500 in 1911 and 1912, narrowly losing out on the ABC pennant to Boston in 1912. Following two losing seasons, they came out of nowhere to win the ABC pennant in 1915, advancing to their first ever World Series, where they defeated their neighbor the Washington Eagles. In 1916, they "defended" their title by finishing under .500. They have been a mediocre team ever since, finishing at or slightly above .500.
Below is their history up until this point, as well as a couple top players that are currently on their roster as of the end of the 1919 season.

[ericnease84]

The Boston Patriots are another team that has been, for the most part, irrelevant. They did make it to the World Series in 1912, although the Washington Eagles promptly swept them. They have not returned since, making them one of the 8 teams (out of 16) that has yet to win a championship. At least they have been in one, though. There are still four teams that have yet to even make it into a World Series.
Since their pennant-winning season in 1912, the Patriots have not done all that much. They were contenders in 1913 and 1914, falling short both times. Since 1915, they have been a non-contender that has finished under .500 for five years in a row now, not finishing any higher than fourth place. Below is their history since 1901, along with pictures of a few of their top players. There were rumors this offseason that the Patriots were attempting to sell a couple of their regulars (Zach Wheat, for one) to the Knights to help with their dwindling finances, but ultimately no deal was able to be made. Ownership reportedly was disappointed, but maybe it will be for the best in the long run that nothing happened.

[ericnease84]

The Buffalo Destroyers continued their trend of being an all-or-nothing team, who seems to be either really good, or really bad. After a decent 1911 season in which they finished third a year after winning the World Series, they bottomed out in 1912. Then in 1913, they went from worst to first, winning the pennant and advancing to the World Series, where they were defeated by the Washington Eagles. They returned to the World Series in 1914. This time they were facing the St. Louis Browns, and the Destroyers captured their second championship by defeating the Browns in five games. They defended that title in 1915 by falling to fifth place and have not been a factor in a pennant race ever since. Ownership is a little concerned, since the team lost an alarming amount of money this past season while finishing in 7th place.

[ericnease84]

The Blue Sox are not long for Cleveland, as the rumor mill goes. Attendance is down again, the team is losing money fast, and honestly they have not been much of a factor for the majority of their history. They remain one of the four teams to have never played in a World Series. They did finish in 2nd place in 1916, holding first place in the ABC into mid August, until the Knights overtook them to win the division. That second place finish was the best in their history, and the 1914 team went 75-66 for the best record in team history. 1912 was their only other winning season--also their first--when they went 71-69 and finished in fourth place. They were considering leaving Cleveland a decade ago until they began to improve a little and attendance went up, but now the relocation rumors are flying again.

[ericnease84]

Another one of the four teams to have never played in a World Series before, the Dover Green Sox did not make much noise in the 1910s. Aside from a couple seasons where they finished in third place with a winning record, they have not been very good. Between their smaller market and their lack of winning, they are one of the more irrelevant teams in the league. They are also losing money, which a lot of teams are these days. But this is another team that is dealing with a lot of relocation rumors.

[ericnease84]

The New York Knights are quickly becoming one of the star-studded dominant teams in the league. The decade started out with some promise, but also a lot of disappointment. In 1911, they returned to the World Series, although they were defeated by the Hartford Lions. 1912 and 1913 were not good years for them, as they finished under .500 in both years. In 1914, they posted a winning record but finished in 4th place in a wide-open ABC. In 1915, they contended for the ABC pennant but finished second to the Baltimore Blackbirds.
In 1916, they overcame a surprisingly competitive Cleveland Blue Sox team to win the ABC, although they once again lost in the World Series, getting swept by the Washington Eagles. Ever since then, they have been the dominant team in not only the ABC, but the entire league, having now won the past three World Series.
In 1917, they swept the Toledo Ravens for their second World Series championship in five tries. Then in 1918, they repeated as champions by taking down the Chicago Outlaws in five games, becoming the third team to repeat as champions (the Chicago Outlaws and Washington Eagles have previously done it). Then in 1919, they became the first ever 3-time World Series champion with a sweep of the Philadelphia Yellow Jackets. Their fourth pennant in a row also broke the previous record, which had been set by the Pittsburgh Prowlers in the first three years of the league's existence.
The Knights have a lot of potential future Hall of Famers on their roster, some of whom are pictured below. Rumor has it that they are attempting to get Washington Eagles pitcher Walter Johnson on their team somehow. Their attempt to purchase Zach Wheat from the Boston Patriots fell through this offseason as well. Even without those two, the Knights are clear favorites to win the World Series again in 1920.

[ericnease84]

After starting off the league's history as a dominant force that won the first two World Series, and did not finish out of first place until Year 4, the Pittsburgh Prowlers followed up a dominant decade with a mediocre one. They did finish over .500 four times, and finished at an even .500 once. But their four losing records produced two 7th place finishes and two 8th place finishes, and three of those have come in the past four years. They also do not have much star power on their roster right now. They had Honus Wagner until 1916, but he is now retired. Their attendance is still strong, so they are hoping to bounce back very soon.

[ericnease84]

The Virginia Beach Captains have not had a good decade. After narrowly missing out on their second pennant in 1907, they did not post another winning record until 1918. After a decade of futility, they have posted two straight second place finishes with a winning record, so they appear to be on the rise. Still, this small market team has not done well lately, and they also do not have a lot of star power at the moment.

[ericnease84]

After winning four championships in six years, and then suffering their first World Series loss in 1910, the Outlaws entered into a time of mediocrity and irrelevance. After finishing in second place in 1911, the Outlaws sunk to the bottom of the NBC for three years. They came close in 1915 and 1916, finishing in second place both times. After a losing season in 1917, the Outlaws finally made it back to the World Series in 1918. However, they fell to the powerful New York Knights in five games. They contended for the pennant in 1919 in a wide open NBC where all 8 teams were within 5 games of first place on July 1. As teams began to fall away, the Outlaws hung in there. However, they lost out to the Yellow Jackets, finishing in third place behind them and the Eagles.
The Outlaws remain tied with the Eagles and Knights for the most championships won, with four. However, all is not well with this organization. The team is for sale, and while a move out of Chicago is highly unlikely, it cannot be ruled out. The team's owner has also gone public with allegations that several of his players conspired with gamblers to lose the pennant on purpose. They did lose several key games to Philadelphia late in the season, and several high profile gamblers did win big money when the Yellow Jackets won the pennant. However, several of them lost it all when Philadelphia fell in the World Series. As for the Outlaws' participation in this whole thing, it is unlikely that anything will be proven. Ownership's comments, however, are not helping.
There are also rumors that the team is being pressured to change its name, citing a concern that America's youth should not be idolizing a mascot known as the "outlaws," which some claim would influence young people to become criminals. More than likely, a new owner will make that decision.
Below is the Outlaws' history, and baseball cards of some of their key players from this season. Ever heard of these guys?

[ericnease84]

Coming off five straight fifth place finishes, the Lions shocked the baseball world by winning the NBC pennant in 1911. They went on to defeat the New York Knights, winning it all in their only World Series appearance to date. They spent most of the rest of the decade in a state of mediocrity. They were never terrible, but they were only serious pennant contenders again in 1918, when they narrowly lost the pennant to the Outlaws. They were within striking distance of the pennant in 1919, as was the entire NBC, but they were the unfortunate ones to finish in last place. Their record of 64-76 at least was respectable, though.