The Federal League Provides Guidelines, Will Open for Business April, 1920

I've told this story a few times on my other blog, and to anyone who expresses a passing interest in games about baseball, but since this blog is dedicated to the Federal League it's only apt I start with a blog post I wrote over a decade ago to set the stage:

Many moons ago, when the closest thing to D&D was the Saturday morning cartoon, and the closest "wargaming" was a mish-mash of Star Wars and G.I. Joe figures fighting it out in the flower beds, there was baseball.

From an early age I've loved baseball in all forms. From the first warm day in the early Spring, to the kickoff of the first NFL game, we would be playing wiffleball in someone's backyard. My buddies and I  would pretend to be Mike Schmidt and Don Mattingly, trying to smack it over the maple trees in my backyard. Ultimately we moved to baseball cards, crunching and comparing stats between part-time starters and utility infielders. My friend Scott Riley then showed up one day with HIS OWN LEAGUE, a couple of ratty sheets with team names that would make the XFL look conservative, make-believe stats and imaginary players. Occasionally, our wiffleball games would decide these 'fake' games.

Pretty soon, envy of a friend's ingenious idea, and a love for The Natural created my own League of Imaginary Players, focusing primarily on the 1980's version of the New York Knights. I tried mixing up box scores for game results, I even tried mixing up cards from the AAPA Baseball game, with limited results.

Then my thirteenth birthday hit.

The only thing I remember from my thirteenth birthday is my Grandfather giving me his copy of The Second Fireside Book of Baseball. It was a collection of tales, comics, photos, and odd references to baseball. This where I gained my appreciation for "old school" baseball, from Cap Anson to a certain leggy blond doing "The Stance"

Hidden within the middle of the book was a three page article, aptly titled "Dice Baseball." It was very similar to what I've typed on my page, plus rules for tagging up, sacrifices, etc. If my Grandfather gave me a Bible of baseball, these three pages were the Sermon on the Mount.

All throughout Junior High and into High School, I played solo games of Dice Baseball whenever I had a chance. Snow days, rainy days, it didn't matter, I was chucking dice and filling in box scores. Since my mom was stingy with notebook paper and I swear prices were twice what the seem today, I had little opportunity to keep track of stats, just a few players, positions, and I'd fill in the blanks... usually with the NY Knights winning, A LOT.

When I joined the gaming club at NCC, Dice Baseball came out. I actually got another Scott (Birkner) into it and he set up a west coast league, a new team for my Federal League (The Baltimore Bees), and we even had a "World Series" which Scott won in 5 games.

With a renewed fervor and a word processor, I finally put down the stats, schedules, and on something I could save, update, and PRINT. I officially set up a 6-team, 50-game schedule, threw out all the imaginary records and started the 1995, one year ahead. Since then the seasons ebb and flow, but somewhere on my old computer is the 2016 season, about 2/3 of the way through.

The author in the article praised the 2d6 system for it's realism. I'll warn you, it's perfect for a Koufax/Gibson era. Twenty-one and a half seasons of the Federal League sets the Mendoza line at .180, home run leaders would normally average 30 in a regular 154-game season, and an ERA of 3.00? Number five starter, if not middle relief.

This mostly random game has even created the special events Baseball purists love so much. I've had a few guys hit for the cycle, one four-homer game, a bunch of no-hitters, and even a couple of perfect games (the first one was Thanksgiving 1987 up in Vermont.. All hail Wayne Edwards of the Boston Clippers!)

What frightens me at times, is that I tell stories about imaginary players and teams that are far more interesting (to me) than anything on Sportscenter. I've grown to love some of these players and believe it or not, wonder how some of them are still playing (a random free agency and injury system keeps some of the poorer players employed much longer than they deserve, just like the Major Leagues.)

Over thirteen years ago, I wrote that post on my gaming blog.  That fateful 2016 season was never finished.   That old computer stayed in the garage for a long time, eventually going into the garage when we moved.  I tried to recover as much off of the hard drive as I could during COVID, but my Federal League files were not a priority to pull off before it totally died. 

That left me with a low-priority dilemma?  Do I recreate those six or seven seasons and try to catch up?  Family and my other hobbies threw Dice Baseball back onto the high shelf where it had been hiding.  

However, with a new situation, new laptop, Google Docs, and a disdain for watching current baseball, I've resurrected my Federal League... to its origins that have been stuck in my head since I was thirteen.

The real Federal League that I obviously stole the name from ran from 1913-15.  Feel free to read the Wikipedia article, because I stole very little else but the name.  

I've recreated the original league that I had in my head for 1920.  Mostly young guys who couldn't break into the Major Leagues, although some of the fellows who jumped ship back in the pre-war league would probably do it again if the money was right, so some familiar names are listed.  

Federal League Guidelines

• I play all games solo, using the Dice Baseball rules.  I use the basic two-dice play matrix, stolen bases, and advancing a runner from third on an outfield fly.  For the sake of time and efficiency, I avoid most other rules. 
• There are eight teams for 1920:
• Baltimore Canaries
• Boston Clippers
• New York Knights
• Newark Eagles
• Philadelphia Yellowjackets
• Pittsburgh Hornets
• Providence Commodores
• Washington Statesmen

Some commentary on the names.  Some teams have the same name as the clubs I played my 1995-2016 seasons.   I had a lot of teams fold, reform, and relocate in it's lore, so I did have some flexibility setting up the name.  The Knights, Clippers, and Commodores were existing teams (although Providence had moved back after a stint as the Baltimore Bees in the 90's.  It was a crazy time). While I did use the Philadelphia Athletics in the modern league, I figured a proper nod to the NFL's Frankford Yellowjackets, an indirect predecessor to the Philadelphia Eagles, was in order.  While there are references to Chicago and St Louis in The Natural, the nickname-less Pittsburgh team in the one-game playoff  needed a nod, and will probably survive in the league until right before WW2, where they would join the Great Lakes or Ohio River Valley leagues.  

For a fictional league I'm playing solo, the Newark Eagles are a touchy subject.  As team names go, it's  awesome, but I am appropriating it from the Negro League team.  I'll admit that the 1920 season I have in my head is pretty freakin' white, with the closest minorities being Italians and Poles.   New signings for the '21 season will be open to players of all types, but outside of a Spanish-sounding surname, I'll let the dear reader picture in their own head what most of the players look like.  The only demographics I keep are age and what side of the plate they bat on (or how they throw).   In the Post-War lore, I had Newark as home of the Bears, who were snatched up by Donald Trump and moved... to Atlantic City to be the Gulls.  It was 1988, cut 14-year-old me some slack.  Ultimately he was force to sell, and with the Washington Senators moving to Brooklyn, the struggling franchise found a home as the Hartford Blue Sox.

• Teams will play a 50-game season.   Reports would be spread out over a 154-game season.
• Teams will have a 21-Man Active Roster.  There is a nebulous farm system where teams pull replacement players up, due to injuries or non-performance, so the total roster might be as high as 30. 
• Pitchers will bat.
• Statistical anachronism: I will track Saves, even though they were not a thing until the Post-War era.  My modern Federal league had traditional long and short relief, plus closers, but I will see how the '20s sensibilities work. I sense there will be more saves qualifying under 9.19.4.3  "The finishing pitcher shall be credited with a save if he pitches for a least three innings."
• Fun fact: MLB adopted the RBI in 1920, so there's no issue there.
• More anachronism:  There will be an All-Star Game.  Top All-Stars will be selected, however there will be no additional exhibition games on the schedule.
• Injuries, trades, waivers, and promotions will occur every 5 games.  Injuries are determined by random dice rolls. Trades, waivers, and promotions will at my discretion.
• No Reserve Clause, so we'll be experiencing Free Agency in the Roaring '20s.   Each contract is only for one year, but the current team is allowed to match the terms of any contract negotiated with a different team.