Fictional Baseball Teams in The House of Daniel

These are the professional and semi-pro baseball teams that appear in The House of Daniel. Most are fictional analogs of teams that really existed.

=Professional=

New York Hilltoppers
The New York Hilltoppers were a professional baseball team from New York City. They were probably the best major league team. The House of Daniel were the equivalent of the New York Hilltoppers of the semi-pros.

Literary comment
The Hilltoppers are analogs of the New York Yankees. The Yankees were originally called the New York Highlanders.

St. Louis Archdeacons
The St. Louis Archdeacons were a professional baseball team in St. Louis. The semi-pro barnstorming team the House of Daniel actually beat the Archdeacons once.

Literary comment
The Archdeacons are analogs of the St. Louis Cardinals.

=Semi-Pro=

Alpine Cats
The Alpine Cats were the semi-pro team of Alpine, Texas A local rancher named Kokernot had invested heavily in the Cats, even recruiting and paying for good players. The House of Daniel played the Cats in May, 1934. The game proved interesting, as it became rough in short order. Moreover, it was tied 3-3 at the ninth, and so had to go into extra innings. By the 19th inning, the game was called on account of darkness.

Amarillo Metros
The Amarillo Metros were a semi-pro team based in Amarillo, Texas. Prior to the Big Bubble bursting, they'd been in Western League for a few years. By May, 1934, they were out of that league, but still a pretty good team for that level. Metro Park was a professional ballyard.

During their game with the House of Daniel, they used a conjure man to improve their playing. However, players from the House spotted the conjure man, and their manager, Harv Watrous, cited verses from the Book of Daniel to neutralize him, first by giving the conjure man diarrhea, and then finally rendering him unconscious. The House won, 9-4. When the Metros' manager grudgingly congratulated them, Watrous commented on the presence of the conjure man.

Amarillo Grays
The Amarillo Grays had been the premiere semi-pro team of Amarillo before the Metros. They were brawlers on the field, and engaged in animal cruelty to celebrate afterwards.

Amarillo Sandys
The Amarillo Sandys was a Negro semi-pro team that played in Amarillo. Like the Metros, they weren't better than other teams in their league, but still pretty good.

Big Spring Cowboys
The Cowboys were the semi-pro team for Big Spring, Texas. Like a number of teams in Texas, the Cowboys had been part of a professional league before the Big Bubble burst. The House of Daniel played the Cowboys second in a two game day; the House played the Sweetwater Swatters in the morning. The House and the Cowboys were scheduled to play the day before, but rains in Lubbock made that impossible.

While the Cowboys had a good young pitcher, the House won 15-11.

Enid Eagles
The Enid Eagles were the semi-pro team of Enid, Oklahoma. Their manager was Rod Graver. Jack Spivey was able to earn some money playing at center for the team. It was the fact that the Eagles were playing the Ponca City Greasemen in Ponca City that prompted Enid's major crime boss, Big Stu Kesselring, to hire Spivey to strong arm Mich Carstairs, who lived in Ponca City.

The Eagles won the game, 5-3, with Spivey making some crucial catches. The next morning, Spivey opted to stay in Ponca City.

Fort Stockton Panthers
The Panthers were the semi-pro team for Fort Stockton, Texas. Unlike some of the other semi-pro teams in the state, the Panthers had players of Mexican descent in their ranks.

In May, 1934, the House of Daniel beat the Panthers, 8-6, in a close game.

Lubbock Black Hubbers
The Lubbock Black Hubbers was a Negro semi-pro team. They were affiliated with the white Hubbers. The white team provided the black team with cast-off equipment and uniforms. Members of the Black Hubbers watched the white Hubbers play the House of Daniel.

Lubbock Hubbers
The Hubbers were the semi-pro team for Lubbock, Texas. They'd been in the West Texas League before the Big Bubble popped, and managed to keep some of their pro players afterward. They also had a colored affiliate team, the Black Hubbers.

The Hubbers played the House of Daniel in May, 1934. Their pitcher, a rotund fellow, proved to have an unpredictable knuckle-ball. The House of Daniel won, but only after a bunt and sacrifice run. The final score was 1-0.

Odessa Coyotes
The Coyotes were the semipro team in Odessa, Texas. Northerners called them the "Kye-oh-tees". Locals called them "Kye-oats". The House of Daniel played the Coyotes in Odessa city park; House of Daniel manager Harv Watrous was not happy, as there were fewer paying customers. He resolved that next year, the team would play in Midland, which had a ball field.

Moreover, the Coyotes beat the House, 7-2. The Coyotes' manager was gracious in victory, noting that the House had been on the road quite a bit in the last couple of days. Harv Watrous acknowledged this was true, but instead said that the Coyotes had several good player.

Pampa All Stars
The Pampa All Stars were one of three semi-pro teams in Pampa, Texas. The first game Jack Spivey played with the House of Daniel was in Pampa against the All Stars.

Pampa Oilers
The Pampa Oilers were one of three semi-pro teams in Pampa, Texas. Their name derived from the oil operation in the town.

Pampa Plainsmen
The Pampa Plainsmen were one of three semi-pro teams in Pampa, Texas. Their name derived from the second most important part of Pampa's economy: cattle.

Pecos Peccaries
The House of Daniel played the Pecos Peccaries in May, 1934. Jack Spivey was disappointed that they weren't the "Pecos Bills"; Harv Watrous ignored Spivey's attempt at a joke by explaining that another team had that name, but that the Peccaries were better, and had agreed to giving the House a bigger share of the money collected.

The Peccaries were good sports, playing clean even after the House pulled ahead and won 11-3. In fact, the Peccaries were quite excited to be playing the House; one player got the autographs of the entire House. After the game, the Peccaries congratulated Harv Watrous by saying that the House had "Pecosed" the Peccaries. The manager went on to explain that "Pecosing" was a method of disposing of the body of a murder victim by filling the corpse full of rocks and throwing it in the river. Watrous was glad to hear that the Peccaries weren't going to "Pecos" the House of Daniel.

Ponca City Greasemen
The Ponca City Greasemen were the semi-pro team of Ponca City. They got their name from Ponca City's sizable oil industry. As the Enid Eagles were playing the Greasemen Ponca City in May, 1934, Enid's major crime boss, Big Stu Kesselring, decided to hire Jack Spivey, the Eagles' center, to strong arm Mich Carstairs, who lived in Ponca City.

The Greasemen lost the game, 5-3. The next day, the Greasemen played the barnstorming House of Daniel. While it proved to be a brutal game, with two members of the House being seriously injured, the House of Daniel won 8-6.

Sweetwater Swatters
The Swatters were a semi-pro team in Sweetwater, Texas. They'd been part of the pros prior to the Big Bubble popping. The House of Daniel played the Swatters in a morning game after losing two days travel time to torrential rains. The House won, 8-3.

Tulia Ravens
The Tulia Ravens were semi-pro team of tiny Tulia, Texas. Despite their name, their uniforms were green. They'd mixed it up with the Amarillo Grays in the past. The Ravens beat the House of Daniel in May, 1934, the first Texas team to do so in three games. Much of their victory was credited to their pitcher, Sidd. Even the House of Daniel's manager, Harv Watrous, congratulated him and hoped that he had a future in the majors.