The American Association Playoffs: Team Performance Profiles, 1933-1962

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The American Association Almanac
Vol. 19, No. 2
Fall 2023
 
Team Performance Profiles for the
American Association Playoffs, 1933-1962
 
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     When the first spreadsheets for the American Association playoffs were developed six years ago, little did I know that the project covering the 30-year span of postseason play would still be continuing today. And yet, with the fall 2023 issue of the American Association Almanac, it does in fact continue, and with it brings even more exciting discoveries and conclusions for fans of baseball history.
    While the American Association appeals mainly to the regional fan, that is, for those who may have grown up in the area where a team could be followed, it has the  same appeal that many fans derive from following the major leagues. We all develop an affinity for something specific and we follow that affinity as far as it will take us. With respect to the American Association, as a league in the high  minors, many players were in their prime, perhaps after a stint in the majors, others flourished in the league, others were itinerants who took the opportunities that came to them and moved on.
    In this latest print version of the Almanac, the focus is on the teams that outlasted the best in the league by making it into the postseason, then took that opportunity to a "make or break" conclusion. In this sense the cream rose to the top, putting the spotlight on the one single team that could truly outlast the remaining contenders. Often the clashes were classics, lasting the full seven games before a champion could be declared. In the Almanac's pages for the Fall of 2023 a statistical summary of those clashes is presented for the purpose of bringing the story to light, the story of a highly competitive league with all the thrills and chills of any major league, a story that continues to captivate and grab our attention these several decades later.
    The process of bringing this story to light is described in the Almanac's pages. The pages below offer samples of how that description unfolds.
 
    The cover of this issue features an aerial view of Fairgrounds Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky where the final playoff game was played between the Louisville Colonels and Denver Bears.
 
    Significant detail was paid to the research process behind this work, as described in the Methodology section of which this sample page is a part.
 
 

    The table of contents is provided here in order to show the range of topics covered in this issue of the Almanac.
 
    To provide context for the history of the playoffs, the spotlight on the 1902 Indianapolis Indians and their hard-fought battle for the championship illuminates the inside back cover.
 

     And finally, in order to show a range of writing samples for the prospective subscriber, the following pages are provided. Please note they are not in sequence; page numbers are visible at the bottom of each page.
 




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Copies Available!
 
If you wish to order a copy of Vol. 19, No. 2, or any of the issues of the American Association Almanac from the list of back issues found below, please contact:
 
Rex Hamann
rex457@gmail.com
 
Cost per issue: $15.00
 
For those interested in subscribing the rates are:
 
1 year (2 issues): $26.00
2 years (4 issues): $44.00
 
For Institutions:
 
1 year: $64.00
2 years: $110.00
 
 
Subscribe to the Almanac ... today!
 
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Back Issues of the American Association Almanac
 
 
 
 
A subscription to the Almanac 
makes a great gift for the
baseball history buff in your life! 
 
 
 
 The
 

 Almanac


 
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 page redone: 12-12-23

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