National Pastime owners ----BEWARE!

A thought occurred to me as I entered the National Pastime league. It keeps popping into my head along with the lyrics to the Credence Clearwater Revival song  Bad Moon Rising;

  “I see the bad moon arising.

 I see trouble on the way.

 I see earthquakes and lightnin'.

 I see bad times today.”

There are concerns in the league format. First; it has a three year existence, second; we have what virtually feels like unlimited funds (units), third; we can see the players seasons, fourth; many of the players very good or outstanding seasons are checked, fifth; there were lots of superstars available to draft, sixth: my OTF has six or so really good players (as I suspect other teams do).

All signs point to type 3 contracts and lots of OTF pick-ups. Why not get greedy with performance bonuses (all type three contracts)?  Why not carry close to 40 players? Why not have 10-11 starters rotating them weekly to keep them fresh? Why not have a left hand and right hand hitter at each position? Why not carry three catchers? Why not carry multiple relief pitchers? What the heck, why not carry mediocre players with great names-like Rocky Stone or Boom-Boom Beck, or Cookie Cuccurullo?  Money’s no object, right? Spend-Spend-Spend

When we formed the Cleveland Heartbreak League we kept the units high to familiarize new teams to NSB and not have to worry about units too much. This seems different. There are lots of seasoned veteran owners in the league.

Common sense tells me “Full Steam Ahead” but my gut tells me not so fast. As Peter Parker would say “my spidey sense is tingling”.

Why, you might ask? The answer is the Federal League of 1913-1915.

The Federal League was started in 1913 to compete with and be America’s Third League. It was started by prominent Midwestern Businessmen. These owners had deep pockets and posed a real threat to MLB owners. It gave players an option and bargaining chip they hadn’t had in the past. The Federal League soon signed players such as Joe Tinker, Three fingers Brown, Edd Rousch, Chief Bender and Eddie Plank. It was an eight team league with franchises in Chicago (Whales), Indianapolis (Federals, also called Hoosiers), St. Louis (terriers), Brooklyn (Tip Tops), Pittsburg (Rebels), Buffalo (BufFeds), Baltimore (Terrapins), and Kansas City (Packers).

The league was both entertaining and competitive. Legal battles over player contracts soon brought antitrust suites to the Federal District Judge in Chicago, The Honorable Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis. Does the name sound Familiar? He delayed the case until a settlement in 1915.

Money became tight with baseball fans in 1915. The war in Europe was pending, cost of living was increasing and the baseball bucks were spread thin, especially in cities like Chicago, St Louis, and Brooklyn where multiple teams were present. At the end of the 1915 season only two Federal League Teams were in the black. They settled there dispute with MLB and disbanded after the 1915 season. All owners except the Baltimore owner were compensated. He was jilted and responded with an antitrust suit. The suit made it all the way to the Supreme Court where Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes stated that baseball was exempt to antitrust regulations due to its peculiar nature.

The thought occurred to me….am I being baited. Plenty of units, big time players, three year league. Could the Commish be that maniacal?

Or, would he be teaching us a lesson….both in history and humility.  Think about it.

 There was a recent forum post which lingered on 5 pages about ranking and formulas to decide who the best owners are. A Professor of Theology might be reminded of the Apostles arguing with each other over which one of them was greater, while reading that forum post. Could this genius be setting us up for a fall? In another post he also encourages us to spend….saying we have 5000 units and “it’s nigh to impossible to break the bank”….and not even God can sink the Titanic!

Imagine signing numerous players to type three contracts, carrying close to forty players, amassing a payroll of say 3800 units. Imagine life is good for the first few months of the season. Then all of a sudden crowds of 500 to a 1000 people a night and negative unit balances for concessions and gate receipts. No worries though, until season two when investors pull out and we have negative new funds and have to field a team with leftover money from season one, hoping attendance will pick up. High profile players are dumped and we are fighting for OEB players who cost 10 units each. By season three most of us are in serious financial trouble, some have lost franchises or given up; some are in debt because of more negative beginning owner contributions. Last man standing after season three is the winner.

The National Pastime League would be like no other in NSB history but would be repeating baseball history!

I’m sure the Commish will get a chuckle out of this article…will play his cards close to the vest. We’ll have to see how it plays out. I’m also sure I’m suffering from NSB paranoia. But I’m also reminded of some other Biblical warnings to pay attention to what’s happening around you…(paraphrased)….Look for the signs, red sky at night- sailors delight, red sky in the mourn- sailors be warned. Also remember the parable of the Bridesmaids being prepared with trimmed wicks and full lanterns for the grooms return.

Pay close attention to attendance. Watch for frequent superstars popping up on the waiver wire and the OTF to draw out your units. Save some units for a rainy day! Be cautious and remember the SIM common sense that made you a successful owner. My intuition is on high alert but my competitiveness is making it virtually impossible to practice what I preach….ARHHH

Good Luck,

Ron

Big River Mudslingers

Reference:  http://research.sabr.org/journals/federal-league-a-major-league