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TCBA Yearbook |
The Great Schism 1989 |
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INDEX Seasons 1911 1912 1913 1921 1922 1923 1930 1931 1932 1940 1941 1942 1950 1951 1952 1960 1961 1962 1970 1971 1972 1980 1981 1982 1990 1991 1992 2000 2001 2002 2010 2011 2012 2020 2021 2022 Miscellaneous |
During the 1989 season, TCBA’s American and National Leagues peacefully went their own ways, remaining on friendly, but separate terms. An overall TCBA championship had not been played since 1987. In a letter to the 1990 Rules Committee in January, Bob Braun wrote: “We chose to secede because we felt held back in our progress toward a more equitable position for computer players. There were other reasons, for sure, but that in truth is the main tenet of inspiration.” Bob Braun - Plans for separating from the National League began in February of 1989. Tremendous tension existed during the Winter Meeting between the two leagues, especially during a widely attended business meeting chaired by league Commissioner Jim McEneaney. Bickering between members and a myriad of proposals designed to prevent cheating were prevalent. A few months later I headed out on a business trip that took me to Gloucester and Vienna, Virginia, where I met with Dan Warren and Don Mahley. Those early visits gave form to the idea that had surfaced in the halls of the Howard Johnson - that is, a separate and independent TCBA/AL. Once our goal was clear, we set out sending letters to all the American League managers, asking if they would join us in the new venture. At one point, David Brown caught wind of the movement. He called Marty Fiehl and attempted to head off the secession to no avail. We were determined to rid ourselves of the pettiness that had been a part of TCBA since the very early days, confident that we could put together a more equitable league with a strong dose of social responsibility. The ride to independence was not smooth. A vicious rules discussion and ballot published in the league newsletter during the fall of 1989 ripped apart what was left of any camaraderie between the two leagues, and among American League members themselves. At one time, Don Mahley resigned in frustration, rejoining after a long discussion with other league members. In the confusion of what was to be the last joint rules vote for the two TCBA leagues, a 40% Usage Rule was past. That proposal set off a firestorm of protest in the fledgling TCBA/AL which threatened its very existence. Eventually, in a move of questionable legality that was done to preserve the new organization, Marty Fiehl ruled as acting-President to overturn the vote and repealed the 40% Rule. Response from the league ran from outrage expressed by Stu McCorkindale to sighs of relief. Controversy continued to mount heading into the 1990 Lancaster meeting. Tempers were frayed, emotions were laid right out on the table, and the rules discussions at that meeting got nasty at times. Fortunately, we were all in Lancaster to try and salvage what we knew was inherently good. We all cared very much; we all wanted to get back to playing the games and enjoying it; we all wanted to put the tension to rest and get back to being friends again. The result of those discussions led to a new awareness of what TCBA meant, of how important TCBA was to us all, of how much we really cared for each other. TCBA Today came out of Lancaster in one piece. Looking back now, it seems a miracle. It is a credit to the depth of friendships we have developed over the years that we are still together. There can be no other explanation why we all would have arbitrarily let ourselves go through such trauma.
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