1945 Portland team card, and a question

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Posted By: Eric

I just recieved this 1945 Portland team card in the mail, and noticed something odd on the front. Of course, this was after my wife pointed out the very large nickname..wfor hich she thought was the only reason I bought it:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=24441&item=5226499531

Anyways, the frontside has a won-lost record for the 1945 team, which was 112-68. Yep, that's 180 games!! My baseball knowledge may be a little off, but didn't the 154 game schedule for the najors last until the 50's/early 60's? So I was wondering why a minor league team played 180 games..that must have been one hell of a long summer!

E.

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Posted By: Kevin Cummings

I'm not sure that minor leagues have to follow the same rules as the majors as far as the number of games required for a regular season. The majors were playing a 154 game schedule in 1945.

I checked my Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball and there are a couple of other oddities about the Lucky Beavers' 1945 season:

#1 - Most teams in the PCL played more games than Portland's 180. Seattle, Oakland, San Diego, Hollywood and San Francisco played 183 and Los Angeles played 184!
#2 - Apparently, the pennant mentioned on the card was based on the regular season standings. Seattle beat Portland in the first round of the playoffs and the Lefty O'Doul coached San Francisco Seals beat Seattle in the finals.

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Posted By: Jeff Obermeyer

The PCL routinely played longer seasons than the majors - in some seasons teams actually broke the 200 games played mark. This, of course, led to some great individual stats. The league leaders in ABs during the 1920s would rack up over 820 at-bats and even hit totals in excess of 300 per season.

Those were the good ole days...

Jeff

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

Jeff O is right on... And some players prefered to play in the PCL rather than the majors. In the teens, twenties and thirties because in the majors they slept on trains across time zones, had to play in the heat of St. Louis, and played for 6 months... where in the PCL it was one time zone, the travel was on a consistant off day, and the season started a month sooner, lasted a month longer, with better weather. Some players could make more money in the PCL with the extra 2 months of play. Besides, lots of those guys lived out there, the stayed close to home and family, and played where they were known, instead of back east.

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Posted By: Eric

Thanks for the great info guys, I really appreciate it.
Also thanks to MM for the email..