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Mystery Team !
I know that most of us where not around in 1899 but heres a tid-bit for your viewing pleasure that will enlighten your Tiger`s outlook.
Cleveland Spiders 1899 :
They do not get thier proper due in history because of the ole 1900 rule , they where the worst ever !
They let go of a future hall of famer in SS Bobby Wallace , another one in .345 hitting Jesse Burkett , and if thats not enough for Tiger fans they also got rid of some guy named Cy Young that previous year. Wallace , Burkett , and Young all played for the 1898 Spiders , before the owners of that club transfered them to the ailing St. Louis club in a effort to boost attendance there. The results : St. Louis made a nice leap from 39-111 in 1889 to 84-67 in 1899 but still finished a distant 5th in a 12 team league , the Spiders meanwhile fell from 81-68 in 1889 to 20-134 in 1899. When the league contracted from 12 teams to 8 , guess who was the first to get the axe ? So why do we hear about the 62 Mets and nothing about the 89 Spiders ?....... no ones left alive or to interview.
Take the starting rotation : Coldwater Jim Hughey , the ace who finished at 4-40 , and Charley Knepper 4-22 in his only year in the majors . There was no difference between the year 1899 & 1900 , except that they change a few rules about strikes and foulballs & and moved the mound around a wee-bit. Thus Matt Kilroys 513 strikeouts in 1886 are not compared to Nolan Ryans 383 in 1973 , but wins are wins and losses are losses .
So while the 62 Mets are indeed a benchmark , they are not the ultimate barometer , Relax , Tiger players and fans. Dimitri Young may lose more games than Marvelous Marv Throneberry . Bt Mike Maroth is no Coldwater Jim Hughey!
: Steve Hirdt
G.L.
***MMM***
:cool: :cool: :cool:
Cleveland Spiders 1899 :
They do not get thier proper due in history because of the ole 1900 rule , they where the worst ever !
They let go of a future hall of famer in SS Bobby Wallace , another one in .345 hitting Jesse Burkett , and if thats not enough for Tiger fans they also got rid of some guy named Cy Young that previous year. Wallace , Burkett , and Young all played for the 1898 Spiders , before the owners of that club transfered them to the ailing St. Louis club in a effort to boost attendance there. The results : St. Louis made a nice leap from 39-111 in 1889 to 84-67 in 1899 but still finished a distant 5th in a 12 team league , the Spiders meanwhile fell from 81-68 in 1889 to 20-134 in 1899. When the league contracted from 12 teams to 8 , guess who was the first to get the axe ? So why do we hear about the 62 Mets and nothing about the 89 Spiders ?....... no ones left alive or to interview.
Take the starting rotation : Coldwater Jim Hughey , the ace who finished at 4-40 , and Charley Knepper 4-22 in his only year in the majors . There was no difference between the year 1899 & 1900 , except that they change a few rules about strikes and foulballs & and moved the mound around a wee-bit. Thus Matt Kilroys 513 strikeouts in 1886 are not compared to Nolan Ryans 383 in 1973 , but wins are wins and losses are losses .
So while the 62 Mets are indeed a benchmark , they are not the ultimate barometer , Relax , Tiger players and fans. Dimitri Young may lose more games than Marvelous Marv Throneberry . Bt Mike Maroth is no Coldwater Jim Hughey!
: Steve Hirdt
G.L.
***MMM***
:cool: :cool: :cool:
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