Ban Johnson | |
|---|---|
 Johnson in 1921 | |
| Born | (1864-01-05)January 5, 1864 Norwalk, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | March 28, 1931(1931-03-28) (aged 67) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Occupations | American Leaguepresident |
Baseball player Baseball career | |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1937 |
| Election method | Centennial Commission |
Byron Bancroft "Ban"Johnson (January 5, 1864 – March 28, 1931) was an American executive inprofessional baseball who served as the founder and first president of theAmerican League (AL).
Johnson developed the AL—a descendant of the minor leagueWestern League—into a "clean" alternative to theNational League, which had become notorious for its rough-and-tumble atmosphere.[1] To encourage a more orderly environment, Johnson strongly supported the new league's umpires, which eventually included Hall of FamerBilly Evans.[2]
With the help of league owners and managers such asCharles Comiskey,Charles Somers andJimmy McAleer, Johnson lured top talent to the AL, which soon rivaled the more established National League. Johnson dominated the AL until the mid-1920s, when a public dispute with baseball commissionerKenesaw Mountain Landis culminated in his forced resignation as league president.
Born inNorwalk, Ohio, Johnson went on to study law atMarietta College, although he did not take his degree. He subsequently became the sports editor of a newspaper inCincinnati.[1] During this time, Johnson befriendedCharles Comiskey, who was then manager of theCincinnati Reds.[1] At the urging of Comiskey and Reds ownerJohn T. Brush, Johnson was elected as president of the Western League, a falteringminor league, at a reorganization meeting held in 1894.[1]
Johnson had criticized the National League for its rowdy atmosphere, which was driving away families and women.[1] He set about making baseball more friendly to both. Contrary to the practice of the time, Johnson gave hisumpires unqualified support and had little tolerance for players or managers who failed to show them due respect.[3] Johnson also fined and suspended players who used foul language on the field. Soon, the Western League was recognized as not only the strongest minor league, but also as the most effectively managed league in all of baseball.[3]
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Johnson, however, had a bigger plan—another major league. With the help of Comiskey, who had purchased theSioux City franchise and moved it toSt. Paul in 1894 after leaving the Reds, Johnson initiated an ambitious plan of expansion. He got his chance after the 1899 season, when the National League dropped teams inBaltimore,Cleveland,Louisville and Washington, D.C.[1] Johnson moved theGrand Rapids franchise to Cleveland, where they would eventually become theIndians.[1] He also had Comiskey move his Saint Paul team toChicago, where they eventually became theWhite Sox.[1] The latter move was made with the blessing of the NL, which saw Comiskey's team as a way to head off any attempt to revive theAmerican Association.[1] For the 1900 season, the Western League was renamed as the American League, although it remained a minor league.[1]
The 1900 season was an unequivocal success, and Johnson received a 10-year contract extension.[1] In October, he withdrew the AL from the National Agreement (the formal understanding between the NL and the minor leagues). The final step came on January 28, 1901, when he declared the AL would operate as a major league. He then placed teams in Baltimore,Boston,Philadelphia and Washington.[1]
TheBuffalo Bisons were to be a member of the new American League and their manager Franklin was told right up to January 29, 1901, that "Buffalo was in the league and not to worry." Johnson then unceremoniously dumped Buffalo and placed the franchise in Boston. It was later revealed that he not only had been negotiating surreptitiously with Boston people for several months, but also that he had money invested in the Boston franchise.[citation needed] Johnson also had a large stake in the Washington franchise, which he kept until 1903.
The NL then made a critical blunder by limiting salaries to $2,400 – a low sum even by 1901 standards. Johnson, Comiskey and the other AL owners responded by raiding NL rosters, promising disgruntled players much higher salaries. Over 100 players "jumped" to the new league. After a two-year war in which the AL trounced the NL in attendance both seasons, the NL sued for peace.[1] Under a new National Agreement, the AL was formally recognized as the second major league. A three-manNational Commission was set up, composed of both league presidents and Reds ownerGarry Herrmann. Although Herrmann was nominal president of the commission, Johnson soon dominated the body.[1]
Johnson did not tolerate criticism, and made it very difficult for men he didn't like to buy into the league. For instance, whenHarry Frazee bought theBoston Red Sox in 1917, Johnson tried almost from the start to drive him out because Frazee had not been hand-picked by Johnson.[4] At one point, Johnson even had ownership interests in the Cleveland andWashington teams.
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The Frazee dispute planted the seed for Johnson's downfall. Eventually, the league divided into two factions, with the Red Sox, White Sox andNew York Yankees on one side (commonly known as "The Insurrectos") and the other five clubs (the Indians,Philadelphia Athletics,St. Louis Browns,Detroit Tigers andWashington Senators, known as the "Loyal Five") on the other. By this time, Comiskey had become a bitter enemy of Johnson; the two men's once warm friendship had strained considerably. Johnson's authority eroded further that year when the Red Sox tradedCarl Mays to the Yankees in defiance of a Johnson order to suspend him after Mays had jumped the club. The Yankees went to court and received an injunction to allow Mays to play, as Johnson had demonstrated throughout the proceedings that his investment in theCleveland Indians hindered his ability to be impartial.
The final nail in Johnson's coffin proved to be theBlack Sox Scandal. Johnson paid no attention to Comiskey's claims that his White Sox may have been on the take from gamblers. However, when the scandal broke after the 1920 season, the White Sox, Red Sox and Yankees threatened to pull out of the AL and join a new 12-team National League. The enlarged league would include a new team in Detroit unrelated to the Tigers, who were owned by Johnson loyalistFrank Navin. However, Navin was in no mood for another war and persuaded the other five clubs to agree to appoint a new National Commission of non-baseball men. Federal District Court JudgeKenesaw Mountain Landis was appointed as chairman. However, Landis would accept an appointment only as soleCommissioner of Baseball, with unlimited power over the game. The owners were still reeling from the damage to baseball's reputation due to the Black Sox Scandal, and readily agreed to Landis' demands.
Under the circumstances, a clash between the iron-willed Johnson and the iron-willed Landis was inevitable, and it happened prior to the1924 World Series. Landis banned twoNew York Giants from the Series for attempting to bribe members of thePhiladelphia Phillies late in the season. AfterFrankie Frisch and two other Giants stars were implicated, only to be cleared by Landis, Johnson demanded that the Series be canceled. He publicly criticized Landis for his handling of the affair, and Landis threatened to resign if the AL owners didn't rein Johnson in. After the Series, the AL owners promised to remove Johnson from office if he stepped out of line again. Johnson remained on good behavior for two years, even getting an extension of his contract to 1935 and a raise to $40,000 (he had previously made $25,000).
However, in 1926, Johnson criticized Landis for grantingTy Cobb andTris Speaker an amnesty after evidence surfaced that they had fixed a game in 1919. Landis demanded that the AL choose between him and Johnson. The AL owners were prepared to remove Johnson from office at their annual meeting in January 1927. Because Johnson was in ill health at the time, the owners decided to put him on an indefinite sabbatical instead. Johnson tried to return in the spring and acted as if nothing had changed. However, the situation had become untenable, and Johnson was forced to resign at the end of the season. Frank Navin served as acting president of the American League until the owners selected Indians general managerErnest Barnard as president.
Johnson died on March 28, 1931, at age 67, inSt. Louis, Missouri,[5] just a few hours after his successor, Ernest Barnard. Johnson was elected to theBaseball Hall of Fame in1937 as one of its charter members. The athletic fieldhouse atMarietta College is named in his honor. He was laid to rest at Riverside Cemetery inSpencer, Indiana.
Will Harridge, who succeeded to the AL presidency in 1931, summed up Johnson's legacy: "He was the most brilliant man the game has ever known. He was more responsible for making baseball the national game than anyone in the history of the sport".[5]
TheJayhawk Collegiate League'sLiberal Bee Jays are named in Johnson's honor.[6]
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