History of the Newark Eagles of the TCBA
The franchise which is now known as the Newark Eagles was not a part of
the original TCBA
in 1975, but was added as an expansion team in 1978, when the TCBA
leagues went from 18 to 19 teams. 
Manager
(and then TCBA president) Jim Lafargue had relocated
from Massachusetts to New Jersey, and reassigned himself from the TCBA/NL
to TCBA/AL to maximize face-to-face possibilities and meet the AL managers.
At that time, Mark Glim, manager of the powerful Mt. Greenwood Foresters
resigned from TCBA/AL, leaving a team too strong to reassign to a new member.
The solution was to pool the players from Mt. Greenwood with those from
the expansion draft to form two new teams, the Meadowlands Marauders managed
by Jim Lafargue, and the Santa Barbara Iron Dukes of new manager Jake Whidbee.
The pool of players was divided by Jake and Jim in a telephone draft. Jake
(apparently the TCBA's first and only African-American manager) lasted
only one year in TCBA, but the Meadowlands franchise (renamed Meadowlands
Spartans in 1980 and Newark Eagles in 1989) continues to date. That franchise
won one championship in 1986 and finished first in the powerful Metro Division
in 1984, 1988, 1992 and 1997 as well.
Although presumably schooled in the intricacies of TCBA managing as
the founder of the organization and the author of its constitution, Jim
Lafargue has nonetheless managed only 8 winning seasons out of 20 since
joining TCBA/AL in 1978. Curiously, the franchise still has a winning AL
lifetime record despite the 12 losing seasons. The winning record is explained
by the fact that the franchise won 100 games or more in seven of the eight
winning seasons, and won 70 or more in 10 of the 12 losing years. Playing
all 20 years in gruelling Metro Division competition has meant, though,
that only four of the seven 100-victory seasons were good enough to win
the division (four of nine including the TCBA/NL years); anything less
than a .650 winning percentage (105 wins) fell short! Never to be forgotten
was the infamous 1991 Metro race, in which the Eagles won 102 games and
finished far out of the playoffs, in fourth place, nine games out
of third. The lone championship came in 1986, after a team-best 117-45
season. After winning the TCBA/AL playoffs that year, the Spartans went
on to defeat the TCBA/NL champs in a dramatic 7-game all-night-long come-from-behind
World Series.
Key players in the history of the Eagles include, first and foremost, Ozzie
Smith. Ozzie was drafted in 1979 and played continuously for the Eagles
through 1994, a total of 16 seasons. Ozzie is shown at the farewell ceremony
retiring his number "1." Most of the time, Ozzie played next to Willie
Randolph, forming an intact Eagle DP combination for 11 seasons. Included
in the championship infield of the mid-1980's was Wade Boggs (drafted as
a rookie), who holds the team single-season batting record, and Don Mattingly,
acquired from Norfolk for seven players in 1986. This all-star infield
anchored the Eagle defense for five years.
The Eagle star of the 1990's has been Barry
Bonds. Acquired for David West and a lot of cash, Bonds has repaid
the investment many times over. He has been the team MVP for last seven
years, and is expected to repeat in 1997. In 1996, Bonds hit 67 home runs,
which would have set a TCBA record if Jeff Bagwell hadn't hit 72 that year.
Late in his career, Bonds' father Bobby contributed speed and power to
the Eagles as well, as did another Eagle outfielder of long standing, Jose
Cruz, whose son will enter the TCBA in 1998.
| Year |
Team Name |
W-L Record |
Divisional Finish |
| 1974 |
Norwood Naturals (TCBA-Y) |
99-63 |
1st/4 |
| 1975 |
Norwood Naturals (TCBA-NL) |
71-55 |
2nd/7 |
| 1976 |
Norwood Naturals (TCBA-NL) |
102-52 |
2nd/6 |
| 1977 |
Norwood Naturals (TCBA-NL) |
108-46 |
2nd/6 |
| 1978 |
Meadowlands Marauders |
77-85 |
4th/7 |
| 1979 |
Meadowlands Marauders |
70-92 |
5th/6 |
| 1980 |
Meadowlands Spartans |
72-90 |
5th/6 |
| 1981 |
Meadowlands Spartans |
103-59 |
2nd/5 |
| 1982 |
Meadowlands Spartans |
78-83 |
2nd/5 |
| 1983 |
Meadowlands Spartans |
74-87 |
4th/5 |
| 1984 |
Meadowlands Spartans |
92-49 |
1st/5 |
| 1985 |
Meadowlands Spartans |
73-89 |
4th/5 |
| 1986 |
Meadowlands Spartans |
117-45 |
1st/5--TCBA championship |
| 1987 |
Meadowlands Spartans |
102-60 |
2nd/5 |
| 1988 |
Meadowlands Spartans |
119-43 |
1st/5 |
| 1989 |
Newark Eagles |
57-105 |
5th/5 |
| 1990 |
Newark Eagles |
72-90 |
4th/5 |
| 1991 |
Newark Eagles |
102-60 |
4th/5 |
| 1992 |
Newark Eagles |
105-56 |
1st/5 |
| 1993 |
Newark Eagles |
69-93 |
5th/5 |
| 1994 |
Newark Eagles |
74-88 |
4th/5 |
| 1995 |
Newark Eagles |
74-87 |
3rd/5 |
| 1996 |
Newark Eagles |
71-90 |
4th/5 |
| 1997 |
Newark Eagles |
112-49 |
1st/5 |
| 20 yr. |
TCBA/AL career record |
1713-1500 |
.533 |
| 24 yr. |
Overall TCBA record |
2093-1716 |
.549 |
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