The Chicago Cubs (1901 - 1913)

Shortly after the formation of the American League, owner Al Spalding sold the team to John Hart in 1902, to concentrate on promoting his sporting goods company while touring the country. The team that Spalding put together would end up being one of his greatest accomplishments.

The Chicago Cubs consisted of three Hall-of-Fame infielders: Joe Tinker (SS), Johnny Evers (2B) and Frank Chance (1B), who played together from 1903 to 1912. They would form one of the greatest infields of all-time along with 3B - Harry Steinfeldt and catcher Johnny Kling. The Cubs (like in the past) relied on stellar pitching during these years, featuring Mordecai "Three-Finger" Brown, Jack Taylor, Ed Reulbach, Jack Pfiester, and Orval Overall.

The team became the first team in the either league to reach the World Series three consecutive seasons, and the first team to win two titles -- but have yet to do it since 1908, making it the longest championship drought in North American sports. Some historians believe that Johnny Kling's absence from the 1909 season (who momentarily retired to become a professional pockets billiard) prevented the team from the chance to win three straight championships, since the team ended the season only 6 games back from the league pennant. Kling would return in 1910, and the Cubs would return to the World Series, but would end up losing this time to the 1910 Philadelphia Athletics.

Interesting Observations

While I had to make changes to my APBA Tournament of Champions bracket, I had came up with the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays as the replacement for the 1969 Atlanta Braves, noting that there was no team from Florida that was represented... which made me think of APBA not having the 1997 Florida Marlins team for their Greatest Teams of the Past volumes. While I felt that was an interesting observation, I couldn't help notice some other obvious absences so far from the 3 Greatest Teams volumes (that each consist of 20 teams), so here's some ideas for Volume 4.

20 years ago, the Jays were on top of baseball.

• The (1992 or) 1993 Toronto Blue Jays - The only franchise not named the New York Yankees to at least repeat since 1976 has no team in any of the GTOP volumes for APBA... but for some odd reason they have the 1985 Toronto Blue Jays. Sure, those Jays were good with that trio of outfielders in Jesse Barfield, George Bell, and Lloyd Moseby... plus the first group of really good Jays and fan favorites are well represented with Jim Clancy, Jimmy Key, Tom Henke, Tony Fernandez, Willie Upshaw & Ernie Whitt. The 85' Jays were also managed by the great Bobby Cox, before he would take the Braves on one of the most impressive runs in MLB history. But let's also not forget that this group can be considered major "choke artists", this 85' team would lose a 3-1 series lead to the eventual World Champion Kansas City Royals (who by the way, do not have the 85' KC team in the GOTP volumes, but the 1980 team that lost to the Phillies in the World Series). This group of Jays also choked in 1987 when they lost the division to the Detroit Tigers, yet there is no love for Joe Carter, Devon White, Roberto Alomar, and John Olerud!

• 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks - The D-Backs of 2001 that derailed the New York Yankees dynasty and won the World Series is not represented; A Yankees dynasty that won 4 World titles in 5 years and was on the verge of a four-peat, but yet it's the 1999 Arizona team that gets love from APBA? Sure, they made the playoffs in only it's second year of existence, winning a surprising 100 games... but this team also lost in the Divisional Series 3-1 to the New York Mets.

• The 1923 New York Yankees & 1941 New York Yankees - Before Gehrig would join them in 1923, the Babe Ruth-led Yankees were a dominant bunch with Ruth having 12 more HRs than other player in the game (led the league with 40 HRs), the 1941 Joe DiMaggio-led team is one of the less-heralded Yankees teams of the past, and happened to only be forgotten because of the more recognizable teams such as the 1927, 1937, 1953, 1961 & 1998 teams. Then again, do we really need more Yankees teams added to the GTOP for APBA, when there is 6 teams among the 3 volumes?!

• 1995 Atlanta Braves - I'm an Atlanta Braves fan (as well as a Detroit Tigers fan), so when I noticed that the 1998 Atlanta Braves was represented (instead of the World Champs of 1995), it's going to naturally make me scratch my head. The 98' bunch would get upset by Kevin Brown & the 1998 San Diego Padres, who the Padres would get swept by the Yankees. Those same Yankees in 1999 would sweep the Atlanta Braves of 99', relatively the same bunch of 1998 that is in the GTOP for APBA. While the 1995 Braves defeated a loaded Cleveland Indians team that won 100 games in a shortened 144 game season, finally breaking through for their only Atlanta title to date. Plus not to mention, Greg Maddux's dominating 19-2 record with a ridiculous 1.63 ERA!

The first Philly dynasty under manager Connie Mack, the 1910 Athletics.

• 1910 Philadelphia Athletics - Led by Frank "Home Run" Baker (remember this is the "Deadball Era") and anchored by their two aces Jack Coombs & Chief Bender, the team would win the American League by 14.5 games over the New York Highlanders, and would win the World Series over the Chicago Cubs 4 games to 1. The Chicago Cubs, were a team that won 3 of the last 4 National League Pennants (including World Titles in 1907 & 1908 over Detroit). The 1910 Philadelphia A's were part of the franchise's first dynasty that won 6 American League Pennants (1902, 1905, 1910, 1911, 1913 & 1914) while winning the World Series in 1910, 1911 & 1914. The teams during this stretch also featured Eddie Collins (second base), and Rube Waddell (starting pitcher) in the early 1900's. The 1910 A's are considered one of the best teams of all-time, but at the moment are not part of the GTOP volumes.

• 1966 Baltimore Orioles - The 1969 Baltimore Orioles that would be upset by the "Amazing" New York Mets is represented, but not the 1966 bunch that would go on to win their first American League Pennant since 1944 (when they were known as the St.Louis Browns), and it's first World Title in franchise history, as they swept the pitching-rich 1966 Los Angeles Dodgers!

One of the stars for Baltimore in the late 1890's.

• 1894 - 1896 Baltimore Orioles - The Orioles of the National League (before they moved to Milwaukee) and formerly of the American Association, dominated with three consecutive titles! The team was considered one of the dirtiest teams on the field, with the most colorful players the game has ever seen. The team sported John McGraw, Hugh Jennings, Willie Keeler, Wilbert Robinson & slugger Dan Brouthers. Now I won't blast APBA for forgetting this team, because they actually weren't considered a MLB team, but APBA has used players from the 1890's such as Hugh Duffy, Kid Nichols, Billy Hamilton & Jake Beckley for the all-time franchise sets, so I think it would be pretty cool if they surprised baseball fans with a pre-1900 team for the GTOP sets. Another team to consider, Cap Anson & the Chicago White Stockings.

A Few Quick Changes to the Tourney

The 2008 Rays will be the lone representative of Florida in the tournament.

So when I ordered the Greatest Teams of the Past, Vol.2 and a couple other side teams, it turns out that APBA no longer sells the 1969 Atlanta Braves, so I had to make some quick adjustments to the rankings and brackets. It took me a little bit to come up with a replacement for the Braves, the choices were from my complete season sets of 2007 & 2008, and out of four teams: the 2007 Colorado Rockies, 2007 Boston Red Sox, 2008 Tampa Bay Rays & 2008 Philadelphia Phillies. Even though the 2007 Boston Red Sox and 2008 Philadelphia Phillies seem like better choices (plus they both won the World Series), I felt that Boston (who has 4 teams, 3 Red Sox/1 Braves) and Philadelphia (who has 4 teams, 3 Phillies/ 1 Athletics) had enough teams representing, so I went with the Tampa Bay Rays of 2008, due to the fact that there are no representatives from the state of Florida.

APBA still has not made a Florida Marlins team for their Greatest Teams of the Past volumes, I feel if they do put together a set that the 1997 Florida Marlins would be produced.

So the changes brought a new matchup to the Ruth Bracket, instead of the 1998 Houston Astros and the 1999 Arizona Diamondbacks going head to head, I have the Arizona Diamondbacks (#8) vs. 1941 Brooklyn Dodgers (#9) instead. This was the first Dodgers team to win a pennant in 21 years for the franchise, and would be the start of their great Brooklyn run, with vets Joe Medwick, Billy Herman & Dixie Walker. The team also had a young Pee Wee Reese, and was paced by a career year for starting pitcher Whit Wyatt (22-10, 2.34 ERA) and other 22-game winner Kirby Higbe.

APBA Tournament: Ruth Bracket Preview (Part 1)

The Ruth Bracket, named after the "Great Bambino" Babe Ruth, will actually consist of Ruth and the 1927 New York Yankees, the #1 overall team in the entire tournament, and top-seed in the bracket. The 27' Yankees are considered among nearly all baseball fans as the greatest team of all-time, with hardly any argument... so it was a no-brainer!

Let's look at the match-ups for the Ruth Bracket.

RUTH BRACKET

Opposing pitchers' worst nightmare: Ruth and Gehrig.

1927 New York Yankees (1)

Vs.

1944 St. Louis Browns (16)

The good news for the St.Louis Browns, that the pain will come quick and easy! There is really no chance for this World War II team that had success during the war, in which many of the team's superstars were out serving the country. This Browns team would go on to lose the 1944 World Series to the 44' Cardinals in the first all St.Louis series, labeled the "Streetcar Series" -- It was also the first series in which all the games of the World Series was played west of the Mississippi River. The team is led by it's only legitimate star in Vern Stephens, a 23-year-old who, with 20 homers and 109 RBI, was the best power-hitting shortstop in all of baseball.

The 1927 New York Yankees, on the other hand are loaded, led by Babe Ruth's 60 HRs, and a 110-44 record to sport (compared to St.Louis's 1944 record of 89-65 record!). Lou Gehrig turned in one of the greatest years of his career with an astounding 117 extra-base hits: 52 doubles, 18 triples & 47 homeruns! The team also had stars Tony Lazzeri, Bob Meusel, and Earle Combs with a pitching staff that had consistent, productive hurlers even though they didn't sport any superstars. The team's only weakness may be it's bullpen, in which Wilcy Moore (APBA Grade: A-YZ) will get the nod for the closer job.

PREDICTION: The Yankees will sweep the St.Louis Browns, it would be a complete shocker if the Browns are even able to get a victory in this series.

Jeff Bagwell and the "Killer B's" face off against Arizona.

1998 Houston Astros (8)

Vs.

1999 Arizona Diamondbacks (9)

Why the 1999 Arizona D-Backs, and not the World Champion 2001 version? That was my question as well, the deal is that APBA Baseball decided to make the 1999 D-Backs as a representative of their Greatest Teams of the Past, Vol.3 (Maybe we'll see the 2001 team in the Vol.4, if they get around to it).

I had a tough decision where to rank these two ball-clubs, I placed them in the middle of the list of 64 teams. They have high OPS's for ball-clubs, due to the fact they played during a period of OPS's (The "Steroid Era"), part of me is regretting not having them in a different area of the lists, because I think either one of these teams may be a tougher second-round team than they should be to face the highly-probable 27' Yankees. The Yankees in 27' are from an era, where bullpens aren't really the forte of the league, in which these two ball-clubs come from an era, where bullpens are everything; in which roles are clearly defined. I'm pretty sure that the Yankees will hold up against either one -- we'll see what happens when one of these teams move on to the second round.

Arizona would go on to win their division and 100 games (in only it's second year of existence) while the Houston Astros would win their division in 98' with 102 games. The D-Backs sported a .806 OPS to Houston's .792.; the Yankees of 1927's OPS was .872!

PREDICTION: This could be a toss-up, and likely will go all 5 games. Houston had the edge on the list, ranking #32 to Arizona's #33, but Arizona has the most dangerous ace in "The Big Unit" Randy Johnson, oh wait! So does the 98' Astros.... interesting.

The 86' Mets look to bring their magic to the tourney!

1986 New York Mets (5)

Vs.

1967 St. Louis Cardinals (12)

The 1986 New York Mets carried a lot of swagger and won 108 games, they are very well-balanced team that makes the most out of their offense, a scrappy team, led by a solid rotation (a team ERA of 3.11) and a good reliable bullpen. They will face off against the 1967 St.Louis Cardinals, who had a similar team ERA of 3.05, but a more unreliable offense (.704 OPS to New York's .742), plus the Mets had more HRs and stolen bases, while the Mets had a far more superior run differential (205 to 138). The Cards offense is led by 67' N.L. Most Valuable Player - Orlando Cepeda (.325 AVG, 25 HR & 11 RBI) and Lou Brock, while their rotation was led by Steve Carlton and Bob Gibson. The Mets are led by a cast of colorful characters, including young phenoms Dwight Gooden and Daryl Strawberry.

Bob Gibson vs. Dwight Gooden, could become quite the dream match-up!

PREDICTION: This will be a close one, but I'm going to go with the Mets in five. The Mets get a little more out of their infield and overall lineup. The Mets also have some interesting interweaving pieces in players like Howard Johnson and Kevin Mitchell, who are just starting to show glimpses of their promising production.

McGraw will not be able to refuse playing L.A.

1904 New York Giants (4)

Vs.

1962 Los Angeles Dodgers (13)

Both teams in a weird sense are non-playoff teams. The 1962 Los Angeles Dodgers lost a "tie-breaker" playoff series to the San Francisco Giants, 2 games-to-1 that determined the National League Pennant, while the 1904 New York Giants won the National League, but due to Manager John McGraw and their owner John T. Brush, they refused to play the American League Champion Boston Americans, expressing that the A.L. (the Junior Circuit) was the inferior league. Both franchises have a long rivalry while both were in New York, and now are in California. Plus both of these two teams are anchored by a two-headed monster in their starting rotations; the Giants have Christy Mathewson and Joe McGinnity, while the Dodgers have Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax -- both teams' #3 and #4 starting pitchers drop off considerably compared to their top 2 starters.

The difference between these clubs may be that one team (the Giants) are from the "Deadball Era" while the Dodgers are from the "Expansion Era". 

PREDICTION: With the Dodgers' ERA of 3.62, compared to the Giants 2.17 -- the Dodgers can only hope they can get to Mathewson & McGinnity early in the series to make it a series. The Dodgers offense isn't one to marvel at, but excels over the dead-ball Giants lineup -- for example, the Dodgers' Frank Howard alone matches the Giants team total of 31 HRs. The Giants' two-headed monster with it's speed and execution should win this series, 3-1.

*** To be continued / Part 2 of the Ruth Bracket Preview ***

The APBA Tournament of Champions: PREVIEW

Fans gather outside Old Comiskey Park to buy tickets for the Tournament of Champions.

So I am playing APBA Baseball with 64 great teams of the past, and decided to start a tournament, to find out who is actually the best of the best? I did my analysis and rankings, and then filled up the brackets in the form of the NCAA Basketball tournament.

From the first round until the Final Four, the tournament match-ups will be a best-of-five series, with the team with the best ranking hosting Games 1 & 2, and Game 5, if necessary. The lower ranking team would host Game 3 & Game 4, if necessary. Once in the Final Four, the team with the best ranking will be hosting Games 1 & 2, and Games 6 & 7, if necessary. In the circumstances, the teams in the Final Four have the same ranking from their individual brackets, the team with the better overall ranking on the list that helped determine the brackets will get home-field advantage.

I named the brackets after four of the game's greatest players: Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, and Hank Aaron.