Total Baseball (1994 Edition)/Total_Baseball_1994_Edition_Creative_Multimedia_1994.iso/dp/0001/00013.txt

Text File | 1994-01-04 | 29KB | 466 lines

$Unique_ID{BAS00013}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Team Histories:  Part 5}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{
Ivor-Campbell, Frederick}
$Subject{Team Histories History teams Defunct Clubs National League NL
American Association AA National Association NA Union Association UA Players
League PL American League Federal League FL}
$Log{
Buffalo Bisons--International Champs*0002601.scf
Chicago White Stockings Players League*0002801.scf
1906-08 Cubs (A Yard of the National Game)*0001001.scf
1931 Philadelphia A's*0001601.scf
1977 Baltimore Orioles*0002201.scf
1980 Pittsburgh Pirates*0002301.scf
St. Louis Browns*0003301.scf}

Total Baseball:  The History


Team Histories:  Part 5

Frederick Ivor-Campbell


Defunct Clubs

     In addition to the many Negro League teams, some 110 ballclubs have
played in the major leagues since the first professional association was
formed in 1871. The twenty-eight that still do are described above; here are
the other eighty-two, listed according to the league and year in which they
first played major league ball. Official club names precede the name of the
city; nicknames follow.


National Association, 1871-1875

     Two of the twenty-three clubs that played at one time or another in
baseball's first professional league still play in the majors: the Atlanta
Braves (then the Boston Red Stockings) and the Chicago Cubs (then the White
Stockings). The other twenty-one:
     Athletic of Philadelphia: NA 1871-1875, NL 1876. Organized in 1860 as
an amateur club, the Athletics became one of the dominant teams of the decade.
As professionals they won the first NA pennant in 1871. After one year in the
NL, they were expelled for failing to make the final western trip of the
season.
     Forest City of Cleveland, NA 1871-1872. In the midst of a second losing
season, the club disbanded in August 1872.
     Forest City of Rockford, Ill., NA 1871. As an amateur club, Forest City
(with its sixteen-year-old pitcher Al Spalding) was the only team to defeat
the famous Washington Nationals on their pioneering midwestern tour of 1867.
As professionals, Forest City finished seventh of the nine NA teams in 1871.
     Kekionga of Fort Wayne, NA 1871. The Kekiongas won the first NA game
ever played, but dropped out of the association before the end of the season.
     Mutual of New York, NA 1871-1875, NL 1876. Organized as an amateur club
in 1857, the Mutuals were said to be backed financially by New York's
notorious William M. "Boss" Tweed. Frequently accused of corrupt practices,
the club was one of the leading eastern teams of the late 1860s. They were
declared national champions of 1868, and proclaimed themselves national
champions of 1870. On the demise of the NA the Mutuals entered the NL, but
were expelled after one season (along with the Athletics) for failing to play
their final games in the West.
     Olympic of Washington, D.C., NA 1871-1872. Unsuccessful in 1872 after
playing well the year before, the Olympics disbanded about midseason.
     Union of Troy, N.Y., NA 1871-1872. The Haymakers, as they were popularly
known, dropped out of the NA halfway through the 1872 season.
     Atlantic of Brooklyn, NA 1872-1875. One of the greatest of the amateur
clubs, the Atlantics (organized in 1855) went undefeated in 1864 and 1865, and
won three successive national championships, 1864-1866. But in four NA
seasons their combined won-lost record was only 49-139, including a dismal
2-42 in 1875.
     Eckford of Brooklyn, NA 1872. Another great early amateur club--like the
Atlantics, organized in 1855--they won the national championship in 1862, and
again (with an undefeated season of ten games) the next year. The Eckfords
actually joined the NA in August 1871, replacing Kekionga, but their 1871
games were later erased from the record because they had failed to enter the
association at the start of the season.
     Lord Baltimore of Baltimore, NA 1872-1874. After twice finishing third,
the Lord Baltimores (or "Canaries," for their yellow silk jerseys) disbanded
two games before the end of the 1874 season, while in last place.
     Mansfield of Middletown, Ct., NA 1872. Disbanded in late August.
     National of Washington, D.C., NA 1872-1873, 1875. Organized as amateurs
in 1859, the Nationals were the first eastern club to tour as far west as
Chicago and St. Louis. After skipping the 1874 race, the Nationals re-entered
the NA in 1875, but dropped out in July.
     Maryland of Baltimore, NA 1873. Dropped out after only six games.
     Philadelphia, NA 1873-1875. Known successively as the "White
Stockings," "Pearls," and "Phillies," the team finished a strong second to
Boston in their first season, but slipped to fourth and fifth the next two
years.
     Resolute of Elizabeth, N.J., NA 1873. Disbanded in August with a 2-21
record.
     Hartford Dark Blues, NA 1874-1875, NL 1876-1877. After a weak first
year, Hartford finished third in its next three seasons, as standings are
reckoned today. But by the 1876 guidelines (which used the number of games
won rather than winning percentage), Hartford that year placed second. In
1877 the club played its home games in Brooklyn, N.Y.
     Centennial of Philadelphia, NA 1875. Dropped out in late May.
     New Haven Elm Citys, NA 1875. Failed to play out their schedule.
     St. Louis Brown Stockings, NA 1875, NL 1876-1877. George Bradley pitched
all but 5 of the Browns' 39 wins in 1875, when they finished fourth, and all
45 victories in 1876, when they finished a strong third (in number of
victories; they were second in winning percentage). With Bradley lost to
Chicago the next year, St. Louis dropped below .500--and out of the league.
     St. Louis Red Stockings, NA 1875. A successful amateur club that decided
to take a fling at pro ball, the Red Stockings played only a few games in the
NA.
     Western of Keokuk, Iowa, NA 1875. Disbanded in mid-June.


National League, 1876-

     When the NL was founded to replace the ill-organized NA, it included six
of the stronger NA clubs plus independent clubs in Cincinnati and Louisville.
The league's composition was in continual flux to the end of the century as
clubs were dropped and added, shrinking the league to as few as six teams and
expanding it to as many as twelve. Two clubs that first played major league
ball in the NL still do: the Philadelphia Phillies and the San Francisco
(originally New York) Giants, both organized in 1883. (The Boston and Chicago
franchises--that continue to this day as the Atlanta Braves and Chicago
Cubs--had their starts in the National Association.)  Those that have not
survived:
     Cincinnati Red Stockings, NL 1876-1880. From last place in 1876 (and
1877, when their games were not counted because of the club's reorganization
and failure to pay its dues), the Reds--with seven new regulars--rose to
second in 1878, only to fall back to fifth in 1879, and last again in 1880.
That fall, when they refused to accept a new rule abolishing liquor sales and
Sunday baseball on club grounds, they were dropped from league membership.
     Louisville Grays, NL 1876-1877. The strong Louisville team led the
league in mid-August, but seven suspicious losses to chief rivals Boston and
Hartford dropped the Grays out of first place. After Boston clinched the
pennant, Louisville revived to secure second place, but four
players--including pitching ace Jim Devlin--were expelled from baseball for
throwing games. Their expulsion showed the NL's determination to wipe out
corruption, but it also caused the St. Louis Browns, who had planned to sign
three of the four Louisville players for 1878, to resign from the league.
Louisville, too, dropped out of the league before the next season, unable to
find adequate replacements for the four.
     Indianapolis Browns, NL 1878. Finished fifth of six teams.
     Milwaukee Grays (or Cream Citys), NL 1878. Finished a last-place sixth.
     Providence Grays, NL 1878-1885. One of the great teams in the NL's early
years, Providence won pennants in 1879 and 1884, finishing no lower than third
in seven of their eight seasons. In 1884, pitcher Charlie "Old Hoss" Radbourn
won a record 60 games, then pitched the Grays to victory in baseball's first
World Series with a three-game sweep of the American Association champion New
York Mets. But as they dropped to fourth place the next year, finishing for
the first time below .500, their fans deserted them. Late that autumn the
club was dissolved.
     Buffalo Bisons, NL 1879-1885. Buffalo moved up to the majors after
winning the International Association pennant in 1878. Jim "Pud" Galvin
pitched nearly 70 percent of Buffalo's victories as he led them to four
first-division finishes in seven big league seasons. First baseman Dan
Brouthers, in his five years with Buffalo, twice won the batting title and led
NL sluggers five times.
     Cleveland Blues, NL 1879-1884. Cleveland's fortunes rested in large
measure with pitcher Jim McCormick (who also managed the club their first two
seasons). In 1880, their best season, McCormick won a career-high 45 games to
bring the Blues in third. In 1883 Cleveland was in first place when
McCormick's injured arm put him out for the season after he had won
twenty-three games. The Blues dropped to fourth. The club folded after a
seventh-place finish in 1884, a season that saw McCormick and two other Blues
jump to the UA.
     Star of Syracuse, NL 1879. After finishing a close second to Buffalo in
the International League in 1878, the Stars moved up with the Bisons to the
NL, but disbanded after a single unsuccessful season.
     Troy, N.Y., Trojans, NL 1879-1882. After four losing seasons the
franchise was expelled to make room for a club in New York City.
     Worcester, Mass., Brown Stockings, NL 1880-1882. After a pair of losing
minor league seasons, Worcester was admitted to the NL to replace the defunct
Stars of Syracuse. After finishing a respectable fifth in 1880, Worcester
dropped into the cellar for two seasons before being ousted in 1883 for a new
Philadelphia club.
     Detroit Wolverines, NL 1881-1888. Buffalo's sale of its "big four" (Dan
Brouthers, Hardy Richardson, Jack Rowe, and Deacon White) to Detroit late in
1885 transformed a perennial also-ran into a contender. The club finished
second in 1886 and won the pennant in 1887. In a World Series played in ten
different cities, the Wolverines trounced St. Louis ten games to five. In
1888, after finishing fifth, they expired.
     Kansas City Cowboys, NL 1886. They finished seventh, 58 1/2 games out.
     Washington Senators, NL 1886-1889. In their four seasons, the Senators
finished out of the cellar only once: next to last in 1887.
     Indianapolis Hoosiers, NL 1887-1889. After dropping below Washington
into the cellar in 1887, the Hoosiers and Senators traded places for their
final two years.


American Association, 1882-1891

     Three of the six clubs that formed the AA in 1882 still represent their
cities in the majors today: Allegheny (Pittsburgh), Cincinnati, and St.
Louis. Brooklyn, which entered the AA two years later, today represents Los
Angeles. The others:
     Athletic of Philadelphia, AA 1882-1890. After finishing a distant second
in the AA's first season, the Athletics in 1883 took the pennant from St.
Louis by a single game. First baseman Harry Stovey, who led AA batters in
most offensive categories that year, was even more productive in 1884. But
the A's dropped to seventh and never again challenged for the crown. Expelled
from the AA after the 1890 season for financial reasons, they were replaced by
the Philadelphia club from the defunct Players League.
     Baltimore Orioles, AA 1882-1889, 1890-1891, NL 1892-1899. After eight
seasons out of pennant contention (including four in last place), the Orioles
dropped out of the AA to play minor league ball in 1890. But toward the end
of the season, when Brooklyn's new franchise went under, the Orioles returned
to complete Brooklyn's season (finishing a combined last). After rising to
third in 1891, the AA's final year, the Orioles were invited into the
expanding NL, where they dropped to a twelfth-place last (54 1/2 games out) in
1892.
     Ned Hanlon, hired to manage Baltimore early in the 1892 season, set about
building a championship club. By 1894, with a lineup that included six future
Hall of Famers, Hanlon led his club to a narrow pennant victory over New York,
though the Giants swept the Orioles in the first Temple Cup World Series, 4-0.
     For five years Hanlon's brand of scrappy, hustling play made the Orioles
the terror of the NL. Led by shortstop Hughie Jennings and outfielders Willie
Keeler and Joe Kelley, the club repeated as NL champions in 1895 and 1896, and
finished second to Boston the next two years. They lost the Temple Cup to
Cleveland (1-4) in 1895, but swept the Spiders the next year 4-0, and took the
cup again in 1897, defeating Boston 4-1 in what turned out to be the Series
swan song.
     Baltimore owners Hanlon and Harry Von der Horst purchased a half-interest
in the Brooklyn club in 1899 (retaining a half-interest in Baltimore), and
switched Jennings, Kelley, and Keeler to Brooklyn. Hanlon also went over as
manager, leaving third baseman John McGraw in charge of the Orioles. McGraw
hit .391 and rookie pitcher Joe McGinnity won 28 games to bring the team in
fourth. But Hanlon's Superbas won the pennant, and when the NL cut back to
eight teams after the season, Baltimore got the ax.
     Eclipse of Louisville/Louisville Colonels (or Cyclones), AA 1882-1891, NL
1892-1899. The club, which changed its official name from Eclipse to
Louisville after the 1883 season, was one of only two teams to play all ten
seasons of the major league AA. (St. Louis--the present Cardinals--was the
other.)  Louisville finished above .500 in five of its first six years, but
only once in that time closed within ten games of the top--in 1884, when Guy
Hecker's 52 wins brought the team in third. Slugger Pete Browning paced the
Colonel offense in their early years, winning batting titles in 1882 (his
rookie season), 1885 and 1886, and hammering a second-best .402 in 1887. (A
bat made for him by woodworker John Hillerich inspired the creation of the
Louisville Slugger.)
     By 1889, though, the club had sunk to last place, finishing 66 1/2 games
out of first, with 111 losses. The next year, although Hecker and Browning
defected to the outlaw PL, the club was less affected by deserters than other
AA teams. The Colonels (paced by the league's best hitter, William "Chicken"
Wolf, and its best pitcher, Scott Stratton) made one of the greatest
turnarounds in big league history, winning the pennant by 10 games over
second-place Columbus. In the World Series against Brooklyn, poor weather and
small crowds ended play after the teams had tied once and won three apiece.
     Even though the Colonels finished next to last in 1891, they were one of
four clubs taken into the NL after the AA folded. They never finished higher
than ninth in the NL, and for three straight years (1894-1896) they occupied
the cellar. When the league cut back from twelve teams to eight after the
1899 season, Louisville merged with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
     Columbus Colts (or Senators), AA 1883-1884. From sixth place in 1883,
Columbus climbed to second in 1884 behind the 34-13 pitching of rookie Ed
Morris. But when the AA dropped back from twelve clubs to eight in 1885,
Columbus was out.
     Metropolitan of New York, AA 1883-1887. After success in minor league
and independent play since 1880, the Mets entered the AA in 1883 as the
association expanded from six clubs to eight. With 41 victories from pitcher
Tim Keefe (who was picked up from disbanded Troy), the Mets finished fourth.
The next season, with first baseman Dave Orr hitting .354 in his first full
major league season and pitcher Jack Lynch matching Keefe with 37 wins apiece,
the Mets won the AA pennant handily. But they lost baseball's first World
Series to the Providence Grays. When manager Jim Mutrie, third baseman Dude
Esterbrook, and pitcher Keefe were transferred in 1885 to the New York Giants
(the two clubs had the same owner), the Mets sank to seventh place, where they
finished in their final three seasons.
     Indianapolis Blues, AA 1884. Finished eleventh of twelve clubs, 46 games
behind.
     Toledo Blue Stockings, AA 1884. Catcher Fleet Walker (who played in 42
games) and his brother Welday (5 games) were the major leagues' first black
players--and the only blacks until Jackie Robinson broke the color bar for
good in 1947.
     Washington, D.C., AA 1884. The popularity of the city's UA Nationals
proved too much for this inept AA club, which went under in early August.
     Virginia of Richmond, AA 1884. When Washington disbanded in August, the
Wilmington club of the Eastern League was invited to join the AA as its
replacement. Wilmington declined (and later jumped to the UA), but
Virginia--also a member of the EL--accepted the invitation and took over
Washington's remaining games. Washington-Virginia finished a combined 24-81,
in last place.
     Cleveland Spiders, AA 1887-1888, NL 1889-1899. After two losing seasons
in the AA, the Spiders moved to the NL, where they continued below .500 for
three more years. But in 1892 Cy Young's league-leading pitching brought them
the second-half championship of the league's experimental split season.
Cleveland lost the World Series to first-half winner Boston, losing five after
tying the first game.
     Second-place finishes in 1895 and 1896 qualified the Spiders for the
Temple Cup series against champion Baltimore. In 1895 they beat the Orioles
for the world title four games to one, but were swept the next year 0-4.
     In 1899, when owner Frank Robison transferred all the team's best players
to St. Louis (which he also owned), Cleveland suffered the worst season in
major league history, winning only 20 games while losing a record 134. They
finished 35 games behind eleventh-place Washington and 84 games out of first.
After the season the Spiders died, as the NL cut back from twelve teams to
eight.
     Kansas City Blues, AA 1888-1889. Finished last in 1888, next to last in
1889.
     Columbus Colts (or Solons), AA 1889-1891. In 1890, with the AA weakened
by the replacement of half its franchises with new clubs and by defections to
the outlaw PL, Columbus (which retained several of its regulars) rose from its
1889 sixth-place finish to second behind Louisville. When the PL folded and
the defectors returned in 1891, Columbus dropped back to sixth.
     Brooklyn Gladiators, AA 1890. Formed as a replacement for the Brooklyn
club that forsook the AA for the NL in 1890, the Gladiators floundered and
were replaced by Baltimore late in the season.
     Rochesters, AA 1890. Played .500 ball, finishing fifth.
     Syracuse Stars, AA 1890. Finished sixth.
     Toledo Maumees, AA 1890. Finished fourth.
     Cincinnati Porkers, AA 1891. Also known as "Kelly's Killers" for their
manager Mike "King" Kelly, the club went bankrupt in August and was replaced
by Milwaukee.
     Milwaukee Brewers, AA 1891. This Western League club moved up to the AA
in August. Taking five players and the 43-57 record from the defunct
Cincinnati club, Milwaukee went 21-15 the rest of the way to lift the
Cincinnati-Milwaukee combination from seventh to fifth by season's end.
     Washington Senators, AA 1891, NL 1892-1899. Despite a cellar finish in
the AA's final year, the Senators were taken into the expanding NL. Of its
nine losing seasons, the best was a tie for sixth in the twelve-team NL of
1897.


Union Association, 1884

     Formed in opposition to the reserve rule that governed players in the NL
and AA, the UA struggled through one season. The first eight clubs listed
here began the season. The other five are listed according to the month they
entered the UA as replacement teams. All thirteen--like the UA itself--are
long extinct:
     Altoona, Pa., Unions, UA 1884. The first of several UA clubs to drop out
of competition during the season, Altoona disbanded on May 31, but reorganized
as an independent club two days later with many of the same players.
     Baltimore Unions, UA 1884. Bill Sweeney's league-leading 40 wins
accounted for 70 percent of third-place Baltimore's victories.
     Boston Unions, UA 1884. Outfielder Tom McCarthy, the UA's only Hall of
Famer, hit .215 in this, his rookie big league season. Boston finished
fourth.
     Chicago Browns/Pittsburgh Stogies, UA 1884. Financial woes caused the
Chicago Browns to relocate in Pittsburgh in late August, but the club quit
altogether less than a month later.
     Cincinnati Outlaw Reds, UA 1884. With three 20-game winners--including
Jim McCormick, who won 21 after defecting from the NL in midseason--Cincinnati
compiled a strong 69-36 record, but still finished 21 games behind champion
St. Louis.
     Keystone of Philadelphia, UA 1884. In early August Keystone dropped out
of the league and reorganized as an independent semipro club.
     National of Washington, D.C., UA 1884. Finished sixth, 46 1/2 games
back.
     St. Louis Maroons, UA 1884, NL 1885-1886. Batting 47 points above the
league average, the Maroons scored 184 runs more than the next-best club to
run away with the pennant. They were the only UA club to survive 1884 as a
major league team, but in the NL they were unable to fashion a winning season
or finish higher than sixth.
     Kansas City Unions, UA 1884. Formed to replace Altoona, Kansas City went
16-63 in its partial season.
     Wilmington, Del., UA 1884. After Wilmington had gone 51-12 to sew up the
Eastern League championship, they jumped to the UA in August to replace
Philadelphia's Keystones. But as several players failed to make the jump with
them, the move was a disaster on the field (2-16) and financially. They
failed in mid-September.
     Milwaukee Grays, UA 1884. One of only two teams left in the
deteriorating Northwestern League, Milwaukee moved up to the UA in September
to complete the schedule of dropout Wilmington.
     St. Paul White Caps, UA 1884. With the disbanding of the Northwestern
League in September, St. Paul joined the UA to take over Pittsburgh's
remaining games.


Players League, 1890

     Formed in rebellion against the Brush classification plan, a scheme to
limit players' pay, the PL drew many of the finest players from the NL and AA,
and proved the most popular league with the fans. But when only one club
turned a profit, the clubs' financial backers deserted and the league died.
Two clubs were admitted to the AA, and many of the rest merged with their
National League counterparts:
     Boston Red Stockings, PL 1890, AA 1891. Boston won the PL pennant with
such stars as Dan Brouthers, Old Hoss Radbourne, Hardy Richardson, and manager
King Kelly. The only PL club to make money, Boston joined the AA the next
year and won another pennant. But when the popular Kelly defected to Boston's
NL Beaneaters (who also won a pennant for the city in 1891), the fans defected
too, and the Red Stockings died along with the AA at the end of the season.
     Brooklyn Wonders, PL 1890. At the end of a season in which they edged
New York for second place, the Wonders merged with Brooklyn's NL
pennant-winners.
     Buffalo Bisons, PL 1890. After a last-place finish 20 games back of
their nearest competitor, the Bisons simply went out of business.
     Chicago Pirates, PL 1890. Mark Baldwin, with a league-high 34 wins, and
Charles "Silver" King, with 30, pitched Chicago into fourth place. Both went
to Pittsburgh the next year, although the franchise was absorbed by Chicago's
NL Colts.
     Cleveland Infants, PL 1890. Like Cleveland's NL Spiders of 1890, the
Infants finished next to last. But one of their three managers, infielder
Oliver Wendell "Patsy" Tebeau, would go on to lead the Spiders to their finest
seasons.
     Philadelphia Quakers, PL 1890, Athletic AA 1891. Although they finished
sixth in their PL season, the Quakers compiled a winning record. When the
Athletics of the AA were expelled following the 1890 season, the Quakers were
admitted in their place and awarded the name "Athletic."  The team finished
fourth in 1891, but was not among the four clubs taken into the NL when the AA
folded, because Philadelphia already had an NL team (the Phillies).
     New York Giants, PL 1890. Paced by the hitting of first baseman Roger
Connor and outfielder Jim O'Rourke, New York's PL Giants finished third. In
November the club merged with the city's NL Giants.
     Pittsburgh Burghers, PL 1890. After a sixth-place finish, the Pittsburgh
PL club and the NL Allegheny Club combined to form the new Pittsburgh Athletic
Club, which still represents Pittsburgh in the NL.


American League, 1901-

     When Western League president Ban Johnson renamed the circuit in 1900 and
proclaimed it a major league the next year, he little knew how stable it would
be. For over half a century (1903-1953) the same eight clubs represented the
same eight cities. Even today, although the league has expanded and several
clubs have moved to new cities, not one franchise has perished.


Federal League, 1914-1915

     After an inaugural season as a six-team minor league in 1913, the FL
expanded to eight teams and declared war on the NL and AL for their players.
After two big league seasons, and despite two of the game's most exciting
pennant races ever, the league died for lack of patronage, and with it went
its eight franchises:
     Baltimore Terrapins, FL 1914-1915. Jack Quinn and George Suggs, with 26
and 25 wins, pitched Baltimore to third place in 1914. But when Quinn and
Suggs lost their stuff the next year, the club sank out of sight, 24 games
behind seventh-place Brooklyn.
     Brooklyn Tip-Tops (or Brookfeds), FL 1914-1915. Not even the acquisition
of batting and base-stealing champ Benny Kauff could stop Brooklyn from
slipping from fifth in 1914 to seventh the next year.
     Buffalo Buffeds, FL 1914-1915. Finished fourth in 1914, sixth the next
year.
     Chicago Chifeds (or Whales), FL 1914-1915. After leading the league
through July and much of August in 1914, only to lose out after a late-season
struggle with Indianapolis, the Whales came back in 1915 to triumph in an even
tighter race that saw the three top teams separated at the finish by only half
a game. Owner Charles Weeghman was permitted to buy the NL Cubs in 1916, and
many Whales joined the Cubs in play at what was then Weeghman Park and now is
known as Wrigley Field.
     Indianapolis Federals (or Hoosiers), FL 1914; Newark Peps, FL 1915. Five
regulars hit over .300 (paced by Benny Kauff's league-leading .370) in 1914,
and the team as a whole hit twenty-two points above the league average. From
fourth place in August the Hoosiers fought back to capture the flag from
Chicago by 1 1/2 games, with seven consecutive wins at the end. The only
major league pennant-winner to move to a new city the next year, the Hoosiers
became the Peps in 1915. Though they remained competitive into September, an
eight-game losing streak dropped them out of the race and they finished fifth.
     Kansas City Packers, FL 1914-1915. After a sixth-place finish in 1914,
the Packers competed in a five-way race through much of 1915. But from first
place on August 21 they dropped to fifth a week later and finished fourth.
     Pittsburgh Rebels, FL 1914-1915. After avoiding last place in 1914 only
by St. Louis' late-season nosedive, Pittsburgh turned itself around the next
year, luring first baseman Ed Konetchy from their NL rival Pirates, and
pitcher Frank Allen from the NL Brooklyn Robins. Both enjoyed the best season
of their careers to lead the Rebels into first place in late August, where
they remained until they were dropped to third by losing three out of four at
the end to the champion Whales.
     St. Louis Terriers, FL 1914-1915. After finishing last in 1914, St.
Louis added veteran pitcher Eddie Plank to its roster. From a club with two
20-game losers, the Terriers became in 1915 a team with three 20-game winners
(including Plank), pulling up from fifth late in August to catch the leaders
with a nine-game winning streak. At the finish, though, they ranked
second--by less than one percentage point, the narrowest big league pennant
margin ever. For 1916, Terriers' owner Phil Ball took over the AL St. Louis
Browns.