“You damned island monkey! I hope you catch a disease on the way back!”

The door to the dining room of Sir Patrick William Downing’s mansion slammed shut. An awkward silence filled the room. The Boeselager brothers looked at each other before looking at their host. 

“Maybe you should have reduced this to your birthday party,” Karl Boeselager commented. “Also, I don’t think your request is reasonable.”

Sir Downing, the majority owner of the Philadelphia Brewers and birthday boy, snorted. “I expect you to fire him. I may have agreed not to interfere with personnel strategy, but I won’t tolerate an enemy of the crown.”

Before Sir Downing could go on, Walt Boeselager raised his hand to calm him down. “Did you forget that you’re talking with Prussians about a fellow Prussian who all emigrated because we didn’t want to live under the crown? So all Germans you find in the US fled from the monarchs. I also agree with my brother. Selling Gilling is dangerous.”

“If you sell him, you will significantly reduce your payroll and possibly generate more profit…”

“… if you can find a replacement,” Walt added. 

“It doesn’t matter. I want Gilling sold. I’m not only of royal blood, but I’m a businessman. I know what I’m doing. If you don’t trade him, I will cut some of the funding.”

The decision was final, and when the Boeselagers met again with their general manager, they explained the situation. It was the beginning of January 1904, and the sun set early. Electricity was out, and all three were busy lighting candles. 

“We’re not even a week into the year, and it’s the fifth time we lost power,” Walt mentioned. “You would think that things are getting better with every year.”

Usually, the Brewers staff meet in the German Corner Pub, but the owner was sick, and the pub closed. So today, they met at their general manager’s house. He was prepared and brought in a few bottles of beer from outside. 

“At least the beer is cold in the winter,” he said and brushed the snow off. 

The three sat down and opened their beers. Then, carefully, they poured the beer into their mugs and toasted to Annie’s honor. 

“You shouldn’t have called him an island monkey, although it was funny,” Walt chuckled. “He was furious and demanded that we fire you. We declined. Still, it would be best if you looked into trading Gilling. You did some preparations, but we didn’t think he was overly serious. Downing might shorten the cash flow if it doesn’t happen.”

Pitsch shook his head in disbelief. “He has an expensive contract, but he is worth it! What if Gilling has a .350/.400 season? What if he wins the cup for us? What if he single-handedly leads us to the playoffs?”

“And what if he doesn’t,” Carl leaned forward. “It doesn’t matter. We all know that Alfred is important, but you must look for alternatives. The same goes for Singleton, by the way.”

Pitsch rolled his eyes. Singleton has become the big let-down of the club. The future was Gilling and Singleton, and now the era might be over after just two seasons. “I doubt that we can trade him. We’ll have to retain a large chunk of his salary.”

The owners and their GM talked about the past season, notes Kirby Hocking left them, and his mission until the season begins.

Additions

The priority goals were replacements for the middle infield. It would be challenging to replace Gilling, but there was no rush. Maybe Gilling would play a significant role in the season, and Sir Downing would retreat from his plans.

The shortstop position was a different story. The only alternate shortstop is Alfred Gilling. A few months before Sir Downing ordered the trade of the Brewers’ prominent hitter, Pitsch signed a player who could fill both roles. Robert Dibb is a 29-year-old shortstop who played most of his life in Illinois. Primarily hired to give Singleton a challenger for his position, he might play a crucial role in the 1904 season.

Eddie Bankhead joined a month later. He is a second baseman from California and OSA listed him among the top ten rookies. 

A surprise signing happened in March 1904 when the Brewers announced Garrett wwDutler’s arrival in Philadelphia. The 40-year-old will be the backup for Moriarty Stapleton but will also improve the clubhouse atmosphere with his leadership capabilities. 

Joe Hawley completed the list of significant signings. A $7,500 signing bonus led him from Fresno to Philadelphia, where he will hopefully develop into a powerful reliever.

Possible starters

SP – Danny Edgerton

SP – Stephen Millington

SP – Lambert Holmes

RP – Leonard Kindall

RP – Seamus Maynard

C – Charles Ayscue

Rumors say that Ayscue may relieve Frank Stilgoe as an everyday catcher. Ayscue is the smarter catcher, but Stilgoe was the better hitter. 

1B – Leo McKenzie

McKenzie’s unreplaceable bat will push Lionel Lyon to the bench. 

2B – Alfred Gilling \ Eddie Bankhead*

As long as Gilling wears a Brewers jersey, he is the starter on second. But Bankhead is waiting for his chance. 

3B – Moriarty Stapleton

SS – George Singleton \ Robert Dibb*

It’s undecided what will happen in the shortstop position. Singleton’s talent declined, and his deteriorating work ethic made him unpopular among the staff. So the question is, how will he perform? Dibb won’t be more than a backup if Singleton plays well the first few games.

LF – Mose Rylance

Rylance was more of a backup in 1902 and 1903 but will start on the left field in 1904. McKenzie’s move to first base made it possible. 

CF – Enrique Johnson

RF – Rusty Hall \ John Walshaw*

The Walshaw\Hall rotation will continue. Although Hall is the better hitter by miles, Walshaw is the better fielder and has speed. Walshaw saw some time against righties, with a .406 batting average. 

Prediction

Two months later, the men sat together one last time before opening day. “The nice thing about traveling is the availability of newspapers. I just got back from New York, where I found this,” Walt handed Martin a newspaper, and Carl asked him where he sees Philadelphia while he was busy unfolding it. 

“After last season’s debacle, I’d say we’ll be fighting Richmond for the division title as usual. I’m just not sure if it will be enough.” He finally found the article.

“Winning the division by fifteen games?” Pitsch looked up. “I can hardly believe that, but we’ll see…”