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Posts: 3868
08/17/14 10:30 AM
December 1, 1926
The Commissioner of the newly formed National Baseball League:
"We are extremely pleased to announce the structure of the new league. There will still be sixteen teams, divided into four divisions. Our schedule will be 162 games, with each team playing the teams in the same division 30 times each, and playing all teams in the other divisions six games each.
We can get to some other details later, but here is what you have all been waiting for - the franchises and divisions:
The Atlantic Division
Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
Montreal Royals
New York Mammoths
Great Lakes Division
Chicago Whales
Cincinnati Reds
Detroit Tigers
Pittsburgh Pirates
Plains Division
Colorado Rockies
Houston Buffaloes
St. Louis Cardinals
Texas Rangers
Pacific Division
Los Angeles Angels
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Seals
Seattle Pilots
Now I'll take a few questions.
Reporter: Isn't this just a complete ripoff of the Boothby Marsh universe?
Commissioner: I would not describe it as complete.
R: Aren't many of the franchise locations simply pandering to a group known as Fans of DMB?
C: You say pandering as if it's a bad thing. We have tried to work with long term supporters of this concept. In short, maybe.
C: I'll take more questions as they come up ...
Interact
08/17/14 1:21 PM
April 3, 1927
Montreal
Spos fans Royals fans are happy to have major league baseball here in Montreal, but they will have to wait another day at least to see a win. In fact, they'll have to wait another day to see a hit, as Jesse Haines of the New York Mammoths starts the season by tossing a no-hitter. Word is that team owners will reward him with a shiny new 1927 Moors.
4/3/1927, NY27-Mon27, Parc Jarry 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP1927 Mammoths 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 5 13 1 5 11927 Royals 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 Mammoths AB R H BI AVG Royals AB R H BI AVGNeun 1b 5 0 0 0 .000 Traynor ss 4 0 0 0 .000Gazella ss 4 1 1 0 .250 Ott cf 4 0 0 0 .000Dressen 3b 3 0 0 0 .000 Moore 2b 3 0 0 0 .000Hafey lf 4 2 3 1 .750 Fothergill lf 3 0 0 0 .000Miller,B cf 4 0 3 0 .750 Sisler 1b 2 0 0 0 .000Summa rf 4 1 1 0 .250 Welsh rf 2 0 0 0 .000Morehart 2b 4 1 3 2 .750 Tate c 3 0 0 0 .000 Ford 2b 0 0 0 0 .000 Reese 3b 3 0 0 0 .000Wilson c 4 0 2 1 .500 Moore p 2 0 0 0 .000 Perkins c 0 0 0 0 .000 Boone ph 1 0 0 0 .000Haines p 4 0 0 0 .000 27 0 0 0 36 5 13 4 Mammoths INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERAHaines W 1-0 9.0 0 0 0 2 4 113 69 0.00 9.0 0 0 0 2 4 113 69 Royals INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERAMoore L 0-1 9.0 13 5 5 0 2 136 91 5.00 9.0 13 5 5 0 2 136 91 NY : Ford inserted at 2b in the 9th Perkins inserted at c in the 9thMon: Boone batted for Moore in the 9th E-Morehart. 2B-Hafey(1), Miller,B(1), Morehart 2(2). RBI-Hafey(1), Morehart 2(2), Wilson(1). K-Neun, Hafey, Traynor 2, Fothergill, Welsh. BB-Sisler, Welsh. SH-Dressen. Temperature: 51, Sky: clear, Wind: out to left at 13 MPH.
Posts: 1205
08/18/14 12:28 PM
... the very 1st game in this new league is a no-hitter?
Hold on to your hats folks ... and buckle up while you're at it ....
Posts: 1025
08/18/14 7:58 PM
Posts: 3164
08/22/14 10:17 PM
The Epitome of InfiniteBenevolence and Humility
08/23/14 10:14 AM
From the Houston Post, April 7, 1927
Buffaloes Debut Major League Baseball in Houston
Houston celebrated the arrival of Major League Baseball on Wednesday afternoon by hosting their fellow Texans in the Buffaloes' home opener.
Mayor Holcombe was escorted onto the field by the Central High School marching band, where he gave a brief speech that was punctuated by train whistles from over the center-field wall. Mayor Holcombe praised the builders of the beautiful new Buff Stadium for having the ballpark complete and ready for use a full year ahead of the original schedule.
In a gracious gesture, former Major League Commissioner Judge Landis - who stepped down after the Supreme Court ruled that the league must be restructured - praised the new stadium at the corner of Calhoun and St. Bernard* as "the finest new stadium in the country."**
Unfortunately, the Buffaloes were unable to send the sell-out crowd home with a win. The Rangers' Pete Scott hit a three-run homer in the first inning, and Houston was unable to recover from that deficit, losing to their Texas rivals by a score of 6-4.
However, neither the loss nor the gray skies could stamp out the joy of seeing Major League Baseball in our great city.
4/6/1927, Tex27-Hou27, Buff Stadium 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP1927 Rangers 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 6 7 0 4 21927 Buffaloes 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 4 10 3 10 1 Rangers AB R H BI AVG Buffaloes AB R H BI AVGHaney 3b 4 0 0 0 .000 Wilson cf 4 2 3 0 .368 O'Rourke 3b 0 0 0 0 .167 Mokan lf 4 1 1 0 .333Manush lf 4 2 1 1 .222 Burrus 1b 4 1 1 0 .400Harris 1b 4 1 2 0 .313 Koenig ss 4 0 1 2 .412Collins 2b 3 1 1 0 .250 Heilmann rf 3 0 1 1 .357 Bishop 2b 0 0 0 0 .500 Cantwell p 0 0 0 0 .000Scott cf 3 1 2 5 .500 Lutzke ph 1 0 0 0 .167Hartnett c 4 0 0 0 .188 Moore c 2 0 0 0 .000Carey rf 4 0 0 0 .235 Snyder ph 1 0 1 0 1.000English ss 4 0 0 0 .250 Bell 3b 4 0 0 0 .333Underhill p 2 1 1 0 .500 Partridge 2b 2 0 1 0 .357 Falk p 0 0 0 0 .000 Bressler ph 1 0 0 0 .333 Carlyle ph 1 0 0 0 .000 Stewart 2b 0 0 0 0 .000 Zachary p 0 0 0 0 1.000 Ehmke p 3 0 0 0 .000 Rommel p 1 0 0 0 .000 Tyson rf 1 0 1 0 1.000 34 6 7 6 34 4 10 3 Rangers INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERAUnderhill 4.2 6 3 3 5 2 92 46 5.79Falk W 1-0 1.1 1 0 0 1 0 20 12 1.93Zachary H 1 1.2 2 0 0 0 1 23 16 0.00Rommel S 2 1.1 1 1 1 0 1 18 10 10.80 9.0 10 4 4 6 4 153 84 Buffaloes INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERAEhmke L 0-1 7.0 5 6 3 1 0 103 67 3.86Cantwell 2.0 2 0 0 0 0 30 22 0.00 9.0 7 6 3 1 0 133 89 Tex: Carlyle batted for Falk in the 7th Bishop inserted at 2b in the 8th O'Rourke inserted at 3b in the 9thHou: Tyson inserted at rf in the 8th Snyder batted for Moore in the 8th Bressler batted for Partridge in the 8th Stewart inserted at 2b in the 9th Snyder moved to c in the 9th Lutzke batted for Cantwell in the 9th E-Mokan, Bell, Ehmke. 2B-Underhill(1). 3B-Collins(1), Burrus(1). HR-Scott(1). RBI-Manush(1), Scott 5(5), Koenig 2(3), Heilmann(3). K-Wilson, Bell, Ehmke, Bressler. BB-Collins, Wilson, Mokan, Burrus, Heilmann, Moore, Partridge. SH-Haney. SF-Scott, Koenig. WP-Rommel. GWRBI: ScottTemperature: 89, Sky: threatening, Wind: left to right at 5 MPH, Rain Delays: 66 minutes.
* For those inclined to look for this location on a map, you won't find it. That part of Calhoun is now IH 45, and St. Bernard has been renamed as Cullen Boulevard. The stadium site is now a (closed) furniture store. The railroad tracks are still there.
** Landis did attend the opening of Buff Stadium in 1928, and reportedly praised it.
Posts: 3254
08/23/14 11:28 AM
08/23/14 3:16 PM
Mammoths owner Lester T. Moors held his five-year-old daughter Patricia's hand while waving to the sell out crowd with his other, then threw out the first pitch for his newly minted team in a freshly re-painted and re-named stadium.
Meanwhile, a certain Henry Wiggen would not be born for another four years.
Mammoths starter Lil Stoner had no idea that sometime in distant generations his name would have suited him for an entirely different line of work ...
4/6/1927, Bos27-NY27, Moors Stadium 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP1927 Red Sox 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 1 10 11927 Mammoths 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 x 3 8 0 8 0 Red Sox AB R H BI AVG Mammoths AB R H BI AVGLindstrom 3b 5 0 2 0 .294 Neun 1b 3 2 2 0 .188Sewell,J ss 4 0 2 0 .300 Summa rf 4 1 2 0 .313Richbourg cf 3 0 0 0 .091 Dressen 3b 4 0 2 2 .214Bassler c 4 0 0 0 .077 Hafey lf 3 0 0 1 .438Meusel rf 4 0 1 0 .176 Miller,B cf 3 0 1 0 .467Barnhart lf 4 0 2 0 .333 Hunnefield 2b 3 0 0 0 .000Fonseca 1b 4 0 0 0 .125 Ford ss 4 0 1 0 .182Gautreau 2b 4 0 1 0 .385 Perkins c 4 0 0 0 .000Vangilder p 2 0 1 0 .500 Stoner p 3 0 0 0 .000 Todt ph 1 0 0 0 .300 31 3 8 3 Faber p 0 0 0 0 .000 Attreau ph 0 0 0 0 .000 35 0 9 0 Red Sox INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERAVangilder L 0-1 6.0 5 2 2 1 4 84 48 3.00Faber 2.0 3 1 1 0 0 22 15 4.50 8.0 8 3 3 1 4 106 63 Mammoths INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERAStoner W 1-0 9.0 9 0 0 1 3 119 80 0.00 9.0 9 0 0 1 3 119 80 Bos: Todt batted for Vangilder in the 7th Attreau batted for Faber in the 9th E-Gautreau. 2B-Gautreau(1), Summa(1). RBI-Dressen 2(2), Hafey(3). SB-Neun(1). K-Sewell,J, Fonseca, Vangilder, Neun, Hafey, Perkins 2. BB-Attreau, Hunnefield. SH-Richbourg. SF-Hafey. HBP-Neun, Miller,B. HB-Vangilder 2. GWRBI: DressenTemperature: 64, Sky: clear, Wind: right to left at 2 MPH.
08/24/14 5:11 PM
Current League Standings -- National Baseball League Regular season
Team W L Pct GB L10 Strk Recent RF RA Mgn Mgc AtlanticNew York Mammoths 5 2 .714 - 5-2 W2 wwlwwlw 23 12 11 155 Boston Red Sox 4 3 .571 1 4-3 W1 wlwlwwl 20 18 2 157 Montreal Royals 3 4 .429 2 3-4 L2 llwwlwl 17 24 -7 158 Baltimore Orioles 2 5 .286 3 2-5 L1 lwllllw 19 25 -6 159 Great LakesDetroit Tigers 6 1 .857 - 6-1 W1 wlwwwww 28 18 10 154 Chicago Whales 4 3 .571 2 4-3 W2 wwlllww 24 21 3 158 Cincinnati Reds 3 4 .429 3 3-4 L2 llwwwll 19 21 -2 159 Pittsburgh Pirates 1 6 .143 5 1-6 L1 lwlllll 16 27 -11 161 PlainsSt. Louis Cardinals 5 2 .714 - 5-2 W2 wwlwwwl 19 21 -2 155 Texas Rangers 4 3 .571 1 4-3 W2 wwlwllw 28 22 6 157 Houston Buffaloes 3 4 .429 2 3-4 L2 llwlwwl 25 31 -6 158 Colorado Rockies 2 5 .286 3 2-5 L2 llwlllw 24 22 2 159 PacificSeattle Pilots 6 1 .857 - 6-1 W1 wlwwwww 24 13 11 153 Los Angeles Angels 3 4 .429 3 3-4 L1 lwlwlwl 29 38 -9 159 San Diego Padres 3 4 .429 3 3-4 L1 lwllwlw 35 21 14 159 San Francisco Seals 2 5 .286 4 2-5 W1 wlwllll 14 30 -16 160
08/24/14 8:52 PM
08/24/14 9:26 PM
08/29/14 2:53 PM
08/29/14 3:03 PM
skunkle wrote: WHALE of decent start !!
08/30/14 1:46 PM
A bad - as in one win - week for the home team.
Team W L Pct GB L10 Strk Recent RF RA Mgn Mgc AtlanticBoston Red Sox 10 3 .769 - 8-2 W7 wwwwwwwlwl 56 28 28 147 New York Mammoths 7 6 .538 3 5-5 L3 lllwlwwwlw 37 32 5 153 Montreal Royals 5 8 .385 5 4-6 L1 lwwlllllww 28 52 -24 155 Baltimore Orioles 4 9 .308 6 3-7 W1 wlllwllwll 31 40 -9 156 Great LakesDetroit Tigers 10 3 .769 - 7-3 L1 lwwwlwwlww 51 37 14 147 Cincinnati Reds 7 6 .538 3 6-4 L1 lwwwwlllww 39 46 -7 153 Chicago Whales 6 7 .462 4 4-6 W1 wlllwlwwll 44 48 -4 154 Pittsburgh Pirates 3 10 .231 7 3-7 W1 wllllwlwll 46 49 -3 157 PlainsColorado Rockies 8 5 .615 - 7-3 W6 wwwwwwllwl 52 29 23 149 St. Louis Cardinals 7 6 .538 1 5-5 L1 lwllwlwwlw 29 33 -4 151 Texas Rangers 7 6 .538 1 6-4 W1 wlwwllwwlw 40 33 7 151 Houston Buffaloes 4 9 .308 4 2-8 L5 lllllwllwl 29 55 -26 154 PacificSeattle Pilots 10 3 .769 - 7-3 W2 wwllwwwlww 43 32 11 147 San Diego Padres 7 6 .538 3 5-5 L1 lwwwlwlwll 67 41 26 153 San Francisco Seals 6 7 .462 4 6-4 W1 wlwwwlwlwl 41 51 -10 154 Los Angeles Angels 3 10 .231 7 2-8 L7 lllllllwlw 40 67 -27 157
Posts: 1006
09/06/14 7:39 AM
Posts: 806
09/06/14 8:00 PM
09/09/14 9:52 PM
The Commissioner was staring blankly at the wall opposite his desk when the knock came.
"Yes, Joan - what is it?"
Something in his tone made stopped Joan from calling the Commissioner Damon; she simply said, "Sir, they keep calling. You can't put them off forever. Whatever is wrong, you're going to have to do something."
Deep sigh. "You are right, as usual. I've got no choice. Get MB on the line."
"Not Mo... not THAT strange man?"
"Yes. Him. Now."
The door closed. Seconds later a voice came through the intercom, not as alluring as in person: "The line is ringing, sir."
"Ok, I'll take it from here."
A woman answered, her voice giving no hint as to her age: "Los Angeles Angels baseball club, how may I direct your call?"
"Mr. Berg, please."
"I am afraid Mr. Berg is busy with a game, sir, may I direct you to the club secretary?"
"With whom am I speaking?"
"This is Hilary Watkins, sir."
"Well, Mrs. Wat ..."
"Miss."
"Miss Watkins ... we both know Mr. Berg is not actually playing. Please get him on the line."
Flustered for perhaps the first time in her life, Miss Watkins meekly said "Yes, sir. Please hold."
Click, whirr, click ...
"Berg here, make it quick."
"Moe, I need your services."
"Hey, I might get into a game today, so can this wait?"
"Moe, you know I know better than that. First, let me ask you something. Is there any talk about ... offense?"
"Are you kidding? Everyone is going crazy. Frisch is about to break a bat over someone's head, and he's one of the calm ones."
Sigh. "That's what I'm calling about. I need you on a mission."
Long pause. "Go ahead."
"Not on this line. Call me from another phone, one away from the park. I think that switchboard operator may be listening."
"Hilary? She's harmless."
"Nonetheless, after this is done, I'm going to transfer her to another league. One in some other territory."
"Your decision, sir. I'll call shortly."
The line went dead.
09/27/14 8:36 AM
After a time that seemed much longer than it really was, the Commissioner's direct line - the one that bypassed Joan entirely - rang. Of course, the Commissioner knew who it would be.
"Berg?"
"Yes, sir. I'm on a safe line."
"Good. Now listen carefully, I can't afford to have to repeat this."
"Go ahead, sir."
"I'm going to need you to go into the organizer room and check the league settings."
"But sir, can't you just open the window at your desktop and do that?"
"What century do you think this is, Berg? Oh sure, maybe in some magical time like 2014 I could open some 'window' and 'click on a tab' or some foolishness like that. Sure, some day, but this is 1927, Berg, and don't you forget that."
"Understood."
"Ok, then. I need you to get into that room and look at the settings. Inside the room there is a phone - you'll see it - which rings directly here. Call me when you are there and I'll tell you what to do."
"On my way."
Both men hung up at the same time.
09/27/14 9:42 AM
New York Mammoths owner Lester Moors is publicly demanding an investigation into alleged impropriety in the draft, calling a press conference during which he stated: "It is simply not reasonable to believe that the Seattle franchise was able to draft both their first baseman AND right fielder in this draft, which was supposed to redistribute available talent in a fair and competitive way. The fact that the Commissioner has been documented as present in Seattle days before the draft cannot be a coincidence. This must be investigated for the good of baseball."
Seattle owner Emil Sick was reached at his brewery, and responded: "Lester must be breathing air from the tailpipes of his cars again - this was all above board. Did Les mention that he could have drafted either of them before we had our first pick? Heck, our FIRST pick wasn't either of those guys, it was Dazzy Vance, and even after we took Gehrig with our second pick, he had two more picks before we took Ruth. There are 14 other teams in the league, too, and they had their chances. Les will just have to explain to that darling daughter of his that he blew it."
The Commissioner was unavailable for comment. Reporters calling his office were rebuffed by his secretary in a way that made them feel dizzy in a good way.
4/25/1927, SF27-Sea27, Sicks Stadium 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP1927 Seals 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 2 5 10 0 8 21927 Pilots 0 0 3 1 6 0 0 0 x 10 16 1 7 1 Seals AB R H BI AVG Pilots AB R H BI AVGGoslin cf 5 0 2 1 .279 Heathcote cf 4 0 0 0 .139Cobb rf 3 1 1 1 .321 Jackson ss 5 2 4 0 .279Neis lf 5 1 3 3 .306 Gehrig 1b 5 1 2 3 .329Kress ss 5 0 0 0 .000 Ruth rf 4 0 2 1 .278Hargrave c 4 0 0 0 .182 McManus 2b 4 1 1 1 .171Thompson 2b 4 0 1 0 .225 Leach lf 4 1 1 0 .282Kamm 3b 4 1 1 0 .320 Rogell 3b 4 2 3 0 .253Clancy 1b 3 1 1 0 .200 Smith c 2 1 1 0 .222Kremer p 2 0 0 0 .143 Taylor c 0 0 0 0 .222 Goldsmith p 0 0 0 0 .000 Lucas p 4 2 2 5 .261 Toporcer ph 0 0 0 0 .241 36 10 16 10 Mills p 0 0 0 0 .000 O'Farrell ph 1 1 1 0 .409 36 5 10 5 Seals INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERAKremer L 4-1 4.0 10 6 6 0 2 85 55 1.80Goldsmith 2.0 5 4 4 3 0 56 30 5.02Mills 2.0 1 0 0 0 0 20 14 0.00 8.0 16 10 10 3 2 161 99 Pilots INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERALucas W 5-1 9.0 10 5 5 4 3 138 85 2.72 9.0 10 5 5 4 3 138 85 SF : Toporcer batted for Goldsmith in the 7th O'Farrell batted for Mills in the 9thSea: Taylor inserted at c in the 8th E-McManus. 2B-Clancy(2), Jackson(2), Rogell(5). HR-Neis(1), Gehrig(4), McManus(1), Lucas(1). RBI-Goslin(13), Cobb(5), Neis 3(6), Gehrig 3(12), Ruth(9), McManus(6), Lucas 5(6). K-Kress 2, Kamm, Heathcote, McManus. BB-Cobb 2, Clancy, Toporcer, Heathcote, Ruth, McManus. SH-Smith 2. GWRBI: LucasTemperature: 59, Sky: clear, Wind: in from right at 5 MPH.
09/27/14 11:10 AM
Moe Berg knew how to get into places he - or anyone else - was not supposed to be. The time he had orders. How he managed to get into the League control room he would never reveal, even to the Commissioner who sent him there. Using only a flashlight, he found a large desk with a phone in the middle. Immediately next to the desk was a series of switches with labels partially obscured by dust. Above one column of these labels a small sign with it's own light glowed: "1927." Certain that he'd found what he was looking for, he picked up the phone.
In the Commissioner's office, a phone that no one - not even Joan - other than the Commissioner himself had ever used began to ring. He grabbed it before the second ring.
"Yes, it's me, I'm in."
"Good. Do you see the column for 1927?"
"Looking right at it."
"Ok. Below that are a series of switches with dials next to them. Find the group of switches labeled 'playing time limits' and tell me what you see."
"There's a lot of dust here, so this will take a minute. Ok, the first switch says "activate playing time limits" and it's on. What does that mean, anyway?"
"I'm not paying you to ask questions. What's the next one?"
"You're the boss. Next there's one that says "total plate appearances, and it's on as well."
"Good so far - what is the dial setting?"
"That dial is set at 160%."
"That's right. What's next?"
"There's a lot of grime on this one. Ok, I can read it now. It says "plate appearance splits" and it's on."
"WHAT???? That one shouldn't be on for many years!"
"Sir?"
A long silence. What Berg couldn't see, but sensed by the sound of the breathing on the line, was that the Commissioner was struggling to compose himself.
After what seemed an eternity of only labored breathing, Berg finally heard the Commissioner say "Moe, I need you to turn that one off."
"Ok, but what is going to happen?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but it's our only chance to prevent this league going back to the dead-ball era, or worse."
"I wish I knew what you were talking about, sir."
"You don't need to know, Berg. Just do it."
Click. "Done. Oh, and sir? There's another board that's lit in here. It says '1981.' Do I need to do anything with that?"
"Berg, leave that one alone. Don't even look at it. And Moe, none of this ever happened. Understand?"
The line went dead in Moe Berg's hand.
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