Hamilton EH’s - 2021-present
Ed Hebscher, GM
Franchise #1
History
Brief: This Franchise #1 team was
originally settled in Wilderness, playing before spirited crowds who called
the players Wraiths, partly due to their ghostly white uniforms. The team
stayed in the Wilderness until 1908, when the team was sold to Canadian
distiller Ed Hebscher, moving to London, Ontario. Following the 1919
season, the team disbanded. One year later, original Franchise #1 owner
Gary Sibley claimed “finders keepers,” snatching
the franchise from a garbage heap near Buffalo and racing back to the
Wilderness. The team stayed in the Wilderness until 1972, when they made a
sudden, and still unexplained, move to Ashburn. The Hot Rocks, despite a
very talented roster, did not draw well, and Sibley reluctantly released
control of the franchise to Dick Gorney in 1975. Gorney quickly became
legend, winning the league crown in the very next season, his first of
seven post season appearances with the Combers. However, in 1990, after a
contentious TCBA Rules battle, Gorney sold the franchise back to Sibley and
retired from active managing. Gary initially located the team in Birdsnest before moving the franchise to Rapidan in
1997, where the team celebrated the move to their new home with a league
championship. At the conclusion of the 2020 season, Gary announced his
retirement, releasing control of his Rapidan Rapids. League-wide response
was immediate, with well-wishes coming from all
quarters. Gary’s quiet, calm nature and sweet Sibley smile would surely be
missed.
One of the most valuable
franchises in all of TCBA, the team would not be
orphaned for long. Swooping down from the North Country to snatch the prize
was Ed Hebscher, a veteran of seven TCBA Today seasons as Franchise 14’s
Newmarket EH’s, who gathered up his Bit Coins and re-purchased Franchise #1
before a bidding war could begin. Hebscher quickly moved the team to
Hamilton, Ontario, renewing the EH’s presence across the border in Canada.
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