S59 - Franchise Glory Days

Jack Torrance - Contributing Reporter

We are nearing Season 60 of Cobbfather, let's take a look at how franchises stand compared to their glory days. 

• Anaheim Diablos
• Coming out of a rebuild, on pass for best season since S34. The franchise has had two good runs, S14-S21 and S29-37 for playoff runs with the former bringing more success and 3 World Series Titles including back to back S18 & 19. This would be the franchise's first time above .500 since S37; so props to Goldenbaer for getting the team out of the 'dreed'ed rut of its previous owner. 
• Glory Days: S14-21
• Atlanta Expos
• ekoontz took over ownership from slash (Chicago's current owner) in S5 and is on his 3rd playoff run with not much end in site. The franchise had 6 World Series appearances in the first 12 seasons of the league and took a small rebuild before their next run in S22-30 with 5 World Series appearances and 3 titles. A second rebuild from S33-47 before they launched back into top of the league where they've won 108+ games since S50; making 6 World Series appearances, winning 4 of them including back to back the last two seasons as they push for back to back to back. 
• Glory Days: Now
• Augusta Alcoholics
• Previous owner bjschumacher finally reached .500 in his last season before selling the team, it dates back to S30-34 when the team last saw multiple seasons above .500 but their glory days push back to even earlier. The franchise only has 3 seasons with 100+ Wins.
• Glory Days: S13-19
• Austin Son's of Odin
• In their 20th seasons under current ownership, the Son's have finished 2nd or higher in their division just twice. The solo World Series title comes in S16 during their glory days, but thanks to a weak division were able to claim the crown with as few as 87 wins in S23. The last winning season for the franchise comes the year before current ownership, S38. Time to bring Thor's hammer to the NL South, reclaim your thrown might Austin....and stay weird. 
• Glory Days: S15-26
• Boston Mass Hysteria
• Taking over for an original owner after 50 seasons is no easy task but CollegeBoy has been up for it. He immediately realized the team needed a refresh. While he plays against the mighty Atlanta Expos, the team has found success and .500 ball for 5 of the last 6 seasons and look to at least break even this season. The previous owner while only winning 100+ games three seasons, still found a way to have success into the playoffs, finally winning it all in their solo World Series in S38; their playoff runs prior were a little longer lasting. 
• Glory Days: S19-25
• Buffalo Bisons
• Another long time owner, who took over the franchise in S3; immediately turning a sub .500 team back into winners. The turn of the IFA market likely effected the team's ability to routinely push out new talent to the ML and to no one's surprise their glory days are those of Gregor Lopez and Alex Tarraga. Under current ownership the team won 100+ games 6 times in 9 seasons during their last big run; but only once winning 100+ in the years prior. Just goes to show you can have success like they did in S16-24 without winning 100+ by building the right team. 
• Glory Days: S39-53
• Charleston Offspring
• Current ownership took over for a team who finished 2nd in their division for 10 of their 12 seasons; never being able to get over the hump and only had 1 playoff series to show for it. That same playoff series came in their franchise best 97 win season. The Charleston fans need a hero and they continue to look to opie to be that man!
• Glory Days: S16-18
• Chicago Gunslingers
• Current ownership took over the franchise in S34 and have had two good runs including their first 5 seasons in the league where they won the division. And while their most recent S50-56 run was very solid with only 1 sub 100+ win season, I'd have to look back at the early years of the league under yanks21 where they had 6 straight 100+ win seasons with 3 World Series titles to their name. 
• Glory Days: S5-12
• Colorado Springs From My Loins
• Top took over a rebuilding franchise in lucky S13 and is working to rebuild for a solid 3rd playoff run with the most recent his more successful one. His first run was more about a weak division, winning it with just 73 wins in S22 and just 74 wins in S23. We look forward to seeing him on another run right around S62/63.
• Glory Days: S39-51
• Columbus Corgis
• mike took over a struggling team back in S40 and after some poor seasons turn the franchise around winning the division 7 of the last 10 seasons. Some think the NL East is one of the tougher divisions with division and arch rival Buffalo often competing for the title. There glory days were a short run and went no further than the NLCS but the team was fantastic and gave the recent run a shot in the arm after a quick fire sale / rebuild from S53-55.
• Glory Days: S49-52
• Dover Hazmats
• The franchise has struggled in recent years, finishing 4th the last 5 seasons and looking to make it 6 seasons with the #1 pick they are scheduled to pick up. drichter bought the franchise in S42 and had a small successful run S48-50 with three playoff appearances but unfortunately that's been the nature of this franchise; some success but very sporadic. The Glory Days have to be when they won back to back to back division titles, only one other time have they repeated as division champs. 
• Glory Days: S20-22
• Hartford Rising Stars
• jverrier took over for single season owner aenima who actually took over for current New Orleans franchise owner SenorPloppie. The franchise has had two solid runs, with one of them being the current one they are on. The other would be when they won 12 division titles in 14 seasons from S13-26 under three different owners. The current run while shorter is still on going and also includes two World Series visits unlike their previous the fell short. It seems the NL title is between Hartford and OKC this year with Sante Fe presenting an outside chance. 
• Glory Days: Now
• Helena Hot Dogs
• Alan took over the franchise S36 where he made some tweaks to the 13 yr rebuild that was going on before him. Was it Alan? Maybe it's Steve! The franchise had some success in the early years, S7-16 under dirtyhill with 10 straight playoff appearances, winning the division 8 times but only 1 World Series appearance has us question if Alan's run S42-48, while shorter was actually better because it ended with a World Series title. The records say yes. 
• Glory Days: S42-48
• Houston Space Cowboys
• Similar to Atlanta with the exception of - AI hates Houston, proven fact! One of the best things about this franchise is it's only been owned by rawdk from the inaugural season. He's on his 3rd big run; but which is the best? Hard to say considering this one is on-going. I might consider the current run the best because it feels like the top of the league is better than ever but the 100+ win seasons have only been the last 5; that's nothing in comparison to S26-41 where he won 100+ all but 3 times and one of those was a 99 win season and includes 2 of his World Series titles. If we are just counting titles, his initial run S1-11 the franchise took home three titles but also a 122 win season in S2. But consider that's the Juiced Ball era in Cobbfather (anything pre S13) we'll give that one a pass. 
• Glory Days: S26-35
• Huntington Tropics
• This franchise has a solid run with current New Orleans owner Ploppie was running it in S5-14 with a few 100+ win seasons but only one the division twice and only once making it past the first round. Many would argue the current tandem of WYW and Weiss is the best they've ever had. Their 122 win season last season shows it as they claimed the division from the hated Houston franchise last year. It's a tight race this year, so let's see what happens the rest of the way. 
• Glory Days: Now
• Jacksonville Lizard Kings
• rwings became only the 5th owner of the storied franchise whose had 3 small runs that ended with 2 of them earning 3 titles. Just his 4th season in, Jacksonville hovers around .500. The best run of the bunch was likely S17-22 under rbf_4 which was also the last time the franchise won 100+ in a season. That run started off with a World Series Title but they never made it past the first round after that. 
• Glory Days: S17-22
• Mexico City Starring Frogs
• dakar took over the struggling franchise from current New Orleans owner Ploppie - side note, what franchise has that guy not owned? The franchise's best run spanned two different owners, jibe and sermonauthor. Jibe won a title in S36, stuck around for two more and handed off a decent team to sermon in S39 where he won another title in S41, 43, & 44. But at what cost...everything! Ploppie tried rebuilding what sermon drove off the edge and he then passed the rebuild off to dakar who seems to have finally turned the corner with his first .500+ winning season last year and they  are fighting for a wildcard spot this year in what many consider the toughest division in Cobbfather - the AL South with both Houston and Huntington. 
• Glory Days: S36-47
• Milwaukee Metronomes
• Another blog favorite owner, who took over in S29. Since taking over the franchise has had it's ups and downs, generally finishing in 2nd or 3rd in the division but did have a solid run in S39 where they went to the World Series, even if they lost it. The big days were the early years under domissgod, claiming quite a few division titles and winning the franchise's only title in S5. Crazy enough, this franchise has never won 100+ games in a season. 
• Glory Days: 1-10
• Minnesota North Stars
• Yet another long term owner who took over in S36. I imagine the rivalry between Minnesota and Milwaukee is strong having faced each other for the division every since cmchristians took over Minny. Prior to cmc, the franchise only had one other big run S14-16. They won the division in S16 with 103 but also won S17 division with only 78 Ws. The franchise is still hoping for their first World Series appearance in Cobbfather and we know they can do it. The highlight years have been S43-47 even if they've struggled in the playoffs. 
• Glory Days: 43-47
• Montreal Fighting Poutine Plates
• This franchise has ran in short spurts, though current owner FW_K took over in S45. He's fair MUCH better than the early years S2-21 of hatton at the helm, where they finished below .500 for for all but three seasons. Even in a rebuild the current franchise is a .500+ ballclub. That might not be good for their draft picks but this Canadian team is doing better than the ones on the West coast. 
• Glory Days: S45-50
• New Orleans Hurricane Dodgers
• Are the glory days for this franchise now behind us? Winning it all in S54 & 56 under two separate owners and a third world series appearance in S58; they also won 100+ 7 or 8 seasons...until this year. It's rebuild time in New Orleans! S27-35 were strong years under the leadership of hst1 and jake72 but the more recent run under minihouston and senorploppie had more titles and stronger winning seasons. But let's not forget about the early years before klown took ownership of OKC, he owned this franchise S3-11. 22 division titles in 58 seasons for this franchise. One of the most winningest franchises in Cobbfather history, but not the winninginst! 
• Glory Days: 51-58
• New York Empire
• Currently under another one of their "rebuilds" that has seem them yet to win 50 games in a season. With 28 games left this season, they are 2 Ws away from their 50th! alex took over in S28 and flirted with mediocracy before deciding the bottom out and rebuild what became their best run in franchise history, S40-49. If you call that bottoming out, do we call S39 topping out? The went from a combined 116 Ws in S37 & 38 to 90 Ws in S39 and then 10 straight seasons with 100+ Ws.  
• Glory Days: Definitely not now.
• Oklahoma City Barons
• Speaking of klown earlier in the blog, he came back to Cobbfather in S35 claiming a franchise once owned by SenorPloppie (under different name) and FW_K. The early seasons 1-8 were very successful, winning the division each of the league's first 8 seasons, with two world series appearances. But I think we all know it's the elite pitching that klown had in the S36-47 that everybody remembers. After a three season rebuild, the franchise is back to their winning ways at the top of the division. They top NOHD with 23 division titles in 58 seasons. 
• Glory Days: S36-47
• Philadelphia Harpers
• On pace for their worst season since EVER. ManUtley took over S43 and after refreshing the franchise had a solid run S50-58 that saw them won a World Series in S52 and 3 seasons with 100+ Ws. The only other run the franchise had was S31-37 but with 95/96 Ws and once winning the division with 85 Ws, those appear more about the division being weak. I guess we'll see next year if this year was just a complete fluke or the start of their tan.....rebuild years. 
• Glory Days: S50-58
• Pittsburgh Yinzers
• angryduck must be...well angry at the fanbase; though during majority of his years in the league the division and National League was being dominated by Columbus and Buffalo; so can't blame them. He was also a first time owner, feeling the system out. But the big years obviously come S19-23 where they went ALL out and won back to back to back titles. They also had a successful run S7-12 but never ended with a W on the last game of the year. wylie who took over for jiml60 in S23 but never really saw success the next 12 seasons. duck saw some small success with a few division titles but ultimately decided to enter rebuild mode. 
• Glory Days: S19-23
• Salem Bourbon Makers
• The current owner has made great strides with the franchise, with the last three seasons being above .500 and competing for a playoff spot. However in the middle of their true glory days came the franchises only title, S13. Did winning the S13 title jinx that franchise? Good possibility. They missed the playoffs the following year, however they made it back to The Series in S15
• Glory Days: S9-17
• Salt Lake City Punk!
• foolsgold has run the team for 6 seasons and while he started off with a 3rd place finish he quickly found himself winning the division the next 3 straight seasons. Appears the team may be going into a rebuild, which should be exciting to see what he does with the franchise who is 1-1 in World Series appearances. Unfortunately the previous owner, coach34, wasn't able to get much going which makes foolsgold's run a little more impressive. But the heyday was really a few owners before coach with wvwc9092 who picked up the team in S21 and turned in a few 75-80 win seasons before kicking it into high gear and upwards of 111 wins in S33; which happens to be the year before they World Series win. 
• Glordy Days: S27-35
• Santa Fe Surf Riders VIII
• How the tides have turned in the NL South, Santa Fe regains their division crown after 8 years of seeing New Orleans at the top. Finding the true glory days of this franchise is a struggle, the only time they've made it out of the LCS is S1 when they won it all. Ty Cobb said the franchise gets the first title but will never get another one again! We put their glory days window at S34-40 when Pokeysan won 103 games and found the most success in the playoffs in his early build years. We listed the 50 because he still technically won the division, though a few years the team was barely over .500 when they won it. In fact, S43 they weren't even .500. 
• Glory Days: S34-40 (50)
• Tacoma Aroma
• Tacoma is still trying to get rid of that Aroma and finally posted their first .500+ winning season since S49 under the ownership of mikewcu. The early years of the franchise was bleak but mathias04 turned it around in S38 with mike following up a few seasons battling for first in the division. Another franchise who has never won 100+ games in a season. With the most being 95 in S40.
• Glory Days: S38-45
• Tokyo Nomo
• fosterdj3 took over a division champ and held a few strong years before hitting some turbulence of a couple 4th place finishes in the division. He's recently turned things around with back to back Wildcard  appearances though they are still working on a World Series title. The franchise has only one 100+ games twice back in the late tonicawf days of the mid-40s. We'd say their glory days span three different owners but saw the most playoff success in their history. 
• Glory Days: S46-50
• Vancouver Canucks
• Currently commissioner and Canadian lover, daubs2334 has owned the team since S41, winning 2 division titles in the early 50s; even tying a franchise high of 101 wins in S55. That's the season after blog editor minihouston sold the franchise, could that be related? Nah. They entered another semi-rebuild, so we'll be interested to see what they end up doing. 
• Glory Days: Any season the franchise was back in America. 
• Washington DC Nationals
• We've covered the "rebuild" of phlsfan between S43-54; which many consider the darkest time of the franchise, but keltic is working on a true rebuild and turning the franchise around. Give the glory days span the late 20s and most of the 30s, which is only a handful of seasons before phlsfan took over, you want to wonder if then owner, dodgersrays ran the franchise thin but he did secure 14 straight division titles and 6 World Series appearances....winning none. 
• Glory Days: 25-38

Sidenote, it's amusing that a player practically has to be a power hitter to get into the Cobbfather Hall of Fame...a league named after Ty Cobb who had 2 seasons with more than 10 home runs; often times only hitting 3-6 of them.