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The Federal League was the last major attempt to establish an independent professional baseball league in baseball in the United States in direct competition with the established National and American Leagues in 1914 and 1915. Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League ( NL) is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League ( AL) is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in Champions World Series: Boston Braves over Philadelphia Athletics (4-0 Awards and honors Chalmers Champions World Series: Boston Red Sox over Philadelphia Phillies (4-1 Awards and honors There were a few attempts after this (notably the Mexican League in 1946–1947 and the proposed Continental League), but nothing as direct and serious as the Federal League. The Continental League (or formally the Continental League of Professional Baseball Clubs) was a proposed third major league for Baseball, announced in 1959 and scheduled

In 1968, a special baseball records committee retroactively gave Major League status to the Federal League. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Contents

History

The league started as an independent minor league in 1912 as the Columbia League, but changed its name to the Federal League at the start of the 1913 season, playing as what would now be known as an "independent" minor league, but was at that time thought of as an "outlaw" minor league. Part of the History of baseball series Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of Professional baseball leagues in North Baseball World Series - Chicago Cubs defeat New York Giants, 4 games to 3 with one tie April 20: The John T. Powers was president of the six-team league, but was replaced early in the season by James A. The Federal League was the last major attempt to establish an independent major Professional baseball league in the United States Gilmore, under whose leadership the league declared itself a major league for the 1914 season. Other financers of the League included oil baron Harry F. Sinclair, ice magnate Phil Ball, and George S. Harry Ford Sinclair ( July 6, 1876 - November 10, 1956) was an American Oil industrialist Ward of the Ward Baking Company. [1]

As a major circuit, the Federal League consisted of 8 teams each season. Four of the teams were placed in established Big League cities (Chicago, St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Brooklyn). The other four teams were placed in more marginal areas (Baltimore, Buffalo, Indianapolis and Kansas City). In the first year, 1914, some of the teams had official nicknames and some did not, but either way, sportswriters were inclined to invent their own nicknames: "ChiFeds", "BrookFeds", etc. By the second season, most of the teams had "official" nicknames, although many writers still called many of the teams "-Feds".

In order for the Federal League to succeed, it needed Big League players. Walter Johnson signed a three year contract with the Chicago team, but the Senators' Clark Griffith went personally to Johnson's home in Kansas and made a successful counter-offer. Walter Perry Johnson ( November 6, 1887 – December 10, 1946) nicknamed "The Big Train" was an American right-handed Clark Calvin Griffith ( November 20, 1869 - October 27, 1955) nicknamed "the Old Fox" was a Major League Baseball [2] Major League players that jumped to the Federal League included Bill McKechnie, Claude Hendrix, Jack Quinn, Russell Ford, Tom Seaton, Doc Crandall, Al Bridwell, Hy Myers and Hal Chase. William Boyd McKechnie ( August 7 1886 - October 29 1965) was an American Third baseman, manager and coach Claude Raymond Hendrix (born April 13, 1889 - March 22, 1944) born in Olathe Kansas, USA is a former professional baseball player John Quinn or Jack Quinn can refer to John Quinn (politician (1839-1903 Congressman from New York John Quinn (collector Russell William Ford (born April 25, 1883 in Brandon Manitoba, Canada &ndash died January 24, 1960 in Rockingham Tom Seaton was born on August 30, 1887, in Blair Nebraska. In, he was signed as a pitcher by the Portland Oregon baseball team in the James Otis "Doc" Crandall ( October 8, 1887 in Wadena Indiana - August 17, 1951 in Bell California) was a former Albert Henry Bridwell ( January 4, 1884 in Friendship Ohio - January 23, 1969 in Portsmouth Ohio) was an American Henry "Hy" Myers ( April 27, 1889 - May 1, 1965) is a former professional Baseball player. Chase defensively In his day Hal Chase was almost universally considered one of the best fielders in the game -- not just at first base but at any position even compared The Federal League also recruited Big League names to manage the new teams. Joe Tinker managed the Chicago team, Mordecai Brown managed the St. Joseph Bert Tinker ( July 27, 1880 - July 27, 1948) was a Major League Baseball player and manager. Mordecai Peter Centennial Brown ( October 19 1876 &ndash February 14 1948) nicknamed "Three Finger" or "Miner" was an Louis team and Bill Bradley managed the Brooklyn team. William Joseph Bradley ( February 13, 1878 - March 11, 1954) was a Third baseman in Major League Baseball.

The league had close pennant races both years. In 1914, Indianapolis beat out Chicago by 1 1/2 games. 1915 witnessed the tightest pennant race in Major League history, as five teams fought into the final week of the season. The eventual winner (Chicago) finished 0 (zero) games and . 001 percentage point ahead of second place, and a half-game and . 004 in front of the third place finisher.

During the 1914-15 offseason, Federal League owners brought an antitrust lawsuit against the American and National Leagues. The lawsuit ended up in the court of Federal Judge (and future Commissioner of Baseball) Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who allowed the case to languish while he urged both sides to negotiate. The Commissioner of Baseball is the chief executive of Major League Baseball. Kenesaw Mountain Landis ( November 20 1866 &ndash November 25 1944) was an American Jurist who served as a federal Swift action might have made a difference, but without the lawsuit going forward, the Federals found themselves in deepening financial straits.

After the 1915 season the owners of the American and National Leagues bought out half of the owners (Pittsburgh, Newark, Buffalo, and Brooklyn) of the Federal League teams. Two Federal League owners were allowed to buy struggling franchises in the established leagues: Phil Ball, owner of the St. Louis Terriers, was allowed to buy the St. Louis Browns of the AL, and Charlie Weeghman, owner of the Chicago Whales, bought the Chicago Cubs. The St Louis Terriers were a Baseball club that played in the short-lived Federal League in 1914 and 1915. The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Chicago Whales were a Federal League Baseball club in Chicago from 1914 to 1915 The Chicago Cubs are a Professional Baseball franchise based in Chicago, Illinois. Both owners merged their teams into the established ones. The Kansas City franchise had been declared bankrupt and taken over by the league office after the close of the regular season, and the Baltimore owners rejected the offer made to them. They had sought to buy and move an existing franchise to their city, but were rebuffed, and sued unsuccessfully.

Legacy

The short-lived nature of the Federal League left few visible remnants. The Baltimore entry sold their facility to the Baltimore Orioles of the International League, who renamed it Oriole Park and played there for nearly 30 years before it was destroyed by fire in 1944, a seemingly disastrous event that would actually begin the path toward Baltimore's return to the major leagues 10 years afterward. The city of Baltimore Maryland has been home to two Minor league baseball teams called the Baltimore Orioles. The International League ( IL) is a Minor league baseball league which operates in the eastern United States. Oriole Park is the name of several former major league and minor league Baseball parks in Baltimore Maryland. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Newark ballpark was also used for minor league ball for a short time. The other Federal League ballparks were demolished quickly, with the exception of Chicago's Weeghman Park, which became the home of the Chicago Cubs and was eventually renamed Wrigley Field. The Chicago Cubs are a Professional Baseball franchise based in Chicago, Illinois. Wrigley Field is a Baseball Stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Marc Okkonen, in his book on the Federal League, referred to Wrigley as a "silent monument" to the failed Federal League experiment.

The other "silent monument" to the Federal League is a famous legal decision. In 1922, the Supreme Court ruled in Federal Baseball Club v. National League (brought by the Terrapins, one of the teams which had not been bought out), that Major League Baseball and its constituent leagues were primarily entertainment, not conventional interstate commerce, and thus were exempt from the Sherman Antitrust Act. The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the federal judiciary. Federal Baseball Club v National League,, is a case in which the U The Sherman Antitrust Act ( Sherman Act, July 2, 1890, ch 647,) was the first United States Federal statute to limit Cartels and This exemption remains intact over 80 years later, although it has been eroded somewhat by subsequent court rulings and legislation regarding specific issues.

Of the locations of teams in the Federal League, five currently have MLB teams. Those are Baltimore, Chicago, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, & St. Louis. Brooklyn has a New York-Penn League team, known as the Brooklyn Cyclones (the major league Brooklyn Dodgers had moved to Los Angeles in 1958). The New York - Penn League is a Minor league baseball league which operates in the northeastern United States. The Brooklyn Cyclones are a minor league Baseball team in the Short-Season A classification New York - Penn League, affiliated with the New York The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA Buffalo has an International League team, known as the Buffalo Bisons. This article is about the minor league baseball franchise for other teams named Buffalo Bisons see Buffalo Bisons (disambiguation. Indianapolis also has an International League team, known as the Indianapolis Indians. The International League ( IL) is a Minor league baseball league which operates in the eastern United States. The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor league baseball team based in Indianapolis Indiana. Newark has a team, the Bears, in the independent Atlantic League. The Newark Bears are a professional baseball team based in Newark New Jersey, in the United States This article refers to the modern Atlantic League. For the original incarnations of the Atlantic League which operated between 1896 and 1915 see Atlantic League

There is at least one achievement of note that happened in Federal League play. Eddie Plank, pitching for the St. Louis Terriers, won his milestone 300th game on September 14, 1915 at St. Edward Stewart Plank ( August 31 1875 - February 24 1926) nicknamed "Gettysburg Eddie" was a Major League Baseball The St Louis Terriers were a Baseball club that played in the short-lived Federal League in 1914 and 1915. Louis' Handlan Park, becoming the first 300-game winning lefthander in the history of major league baseball and one of only five as of 2008. However, that milestone was not acknowledged by Major League Baseball until 1968.

Baseball Hall of Famers

Players in the Baseball Hall of Fame who played in the Federal League:

Federal League Champions

Federal League Teams

References

  1. ^ Suehsdorf, A. D. (1978). The Great American Baseball Scrapbook, p. 54. Random House. ISBN 0-394-50253-1.
  2. ^ Suehsdorf, A. D. (1978). The Great American Baseball Scrapbook, p. 56. Random House. ISBN 0-394-50253-1.

External links

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