 | |
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1913 |
| Founder | John T. Powers |
| Ceased | 1915 |
| President | James A. Gilmore |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Country | United States |
| Last champion | Chicago Whales |
| Most titles | (2)Indianapolis Hoosiers |
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TheFederal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as theFederal League, was an American professionalbaseball league that played its first season as a minor league in 1913 and operated as a "thirdmajor league", in competition with the establishedNational andAmerican Leagues, from1914 to1915.
The Federal League came together in early 1913 through the work of John T. Powers, and immediately challenged the operations oforganized baseball as a minor league playing outside of the National Agreement. AfterJames A. Gilmore succeeded Powers as league president, the league declared itself to be a major league. Playing in what detractors called the "outlaw" league allowed players to avoid the restrictions of the organized leagues'reserve clause. The competition of another, better paying league caused players' salaries to skyrocket, demonstrating the bargaining potential offree agency for the first time since the war between the AL and NL.
Interference by the National and American Leagues in their operations caused the Federal League to fold after the 1915 season. This resulted in a landmark federal lawsuit,Federal Baseball Club v. National League, in which theU.S. Supreme Court ultimately ruled that theSherman Antitrust Act did not apply to Major League Baseball.[1] The Federal League left its mark on baseball history in the field now known asWrigley Field, which was originally built for theChicago Whales Federal League team. The league itself and many sports writers considered it a major league during its existence; organized baseball recognized its major league status in 1968.[2][3] Not including certain periods of theNegro leagues, it would be the last independent major league outside the established structure of professional baseball to make it to the playing field, and would be the last serious attempt to create a third major league until the abortiveContinental League of 1960.
In 1912, baseball promoter John T. Powers formed anindependent professional league known as theColumbian League. However, the withdrawal of one of the organization's primary investors caused the league to fail before ever playing a game. Undaunted, Powers tried again the following year, creating a new league with teams inChicago,Cleveland,Pittsburgh,Indianapolis,St. Louis, andCovington, Kentucky. He named the organization the Federal League, and served as its first president.[4]
Because it did not abide by the National Agreement on player payment in place inorganized baseball, the Federal League was called an "outlaw league" by its competitors. The Federal League's outlaw status allowed it to recruit players from established clubs, and it attracted many current and former players from the major as well as minor leagues. In 1913, the Federal League played as an independent six-team minor league. In its first season Powers initially served as president, but he was soon replaced byJames A. Gilmore, under whose leadership the league declared itself a major league for the 1914 season. Other financiers of the League included oil baronHarry F. Sinclair, ice magnatePhil Ball, andGeorge S. Ward of theWard Baking Company.[5]
As a major circuit, the Federal League consisted of eight teams each season. Four of the teams were placed in cities with existing major league baseball teams (Chicago, St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Brooklyn). The other four teams were placed in areas without a current major league club (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.[6] Major League players that jumped to the Federal League includedBill McKechnie,Claude Hendrix,Jack Quinn,Russell Ford,Tom Seaton,Doc Crandall,Al Bridwell, andHal Chase. The Federal League also recruited Big League names to manage the new teams.Joe Tinker managed the Chicago team,Mordecai Brown managed the St. Louis team andBill Bradley managed the Brooklyn team.
In 1914, theColonial League began to operate as aClass C level league based inSouthern New England.[7] In April,Alexander Bannwart drew notice by acquiringBig Jeff Pfeffer to manage the team inPawtucket, Rhode Island,[8] and by May, it was suspected that Bannwart was working as an agent of the Federal League, which Bannwart denied.[9] Upon these news reports, some of the founding members of the Colonial League resigned, fearing banishment by theNational Baseball Commission.[10][11]
At the April 1915 league meeting, Coppen was re-elected as president and Bannwart was elected secretary. Walter S. Ward, the treasurer of theBrooklyn Tip-Tops of the Federal League and George S. Ward's son, was elected as the league's treasurer.[12] The Colonial League reorganized itself as afarm system for the Federal League[13] and voluntarily withdrew itself from organized baseball.[14]
The Federal League had close pennant races both years. In 1914, Indianapolis beat out Chicago by 1½ games. 1915 witnessed the tightest pennant race in Major League history, as three teams (Chicago, St. Louis and Pittsburgh) fought into the last weekend of the season. On the season's final day, Sunday, October 3, Chicago split a doubleheader with Pittsburgh, winning the darkness-shortened seven-inning nightcap, 3-0; this combined with St. Louis' 6-2 win over Kansas City, knocked Pittsburgh back to third (albeit just a half-game behind), with Chicago and St. Louis in a virtual tie for first. But since the Whales (86-66) played two fewer games than the St. Louis Terriers (87-67), they were awarded the pennant based on their slightly better winning percentage (.566 to .565). Pittsburgh, with one game unplayed, ended up at 86-67 (.562).
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 futureCommissioner of Baseball)Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who allowed the case to languish while he urged both sides to negotiate. 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 theSt. Louis Terriers, was allowed to buy theSt. Louis Browns of the AL, andCharles Weeghman, owner of theChicago Whales, bought theChicago Cubs. 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.
One of baseball's most famous ballparks was originally built for a Federal League team:Wrigley Field, the home of theChicago Cubs, began its long life as Weeghman Park, the home of theChicago Whales. Marc Okkonen, in his book on the Federal League, referred to Wrigley as a "silent monument" to the failed Federal League experiment. Otherwise, few visible remnants were left by the short-lived Federal League. The Baltimore entry sold their facility to theBaltimore Orioles of theInternational League, who renamed itOriole Park and played there for nearly 30 years before it was destroyed by fire. The Newark ballpark was also used for minor league ball for a short time.
Washington Park III in Brooklyn, completed after the 1915 season was underway, resembled Chicago's Weeghman Park. It was used for various sports until the end of 1917 and then for storage until Brooklyn Edison Electric bought the property in 1925 and shortly thereafter tore it down. One wall still stands.[15]
The other Federal League ballparks were demolished quickly, including the home of thePittsburgh Rebels,Exposition Park, which had been the home of thePittsburgh Pirates of the National League until they moved intoForbes Field in 1909.[16]
The other "silent monument" to the Federal League is a famous legal decision. In 1922, theSupreme Court ruled inFederal 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 theSherman Antitrust Act;[1] MLB remains the only North American sports league with such a status, and it has not faced any competitor leagues since unlike the other pro sports leagues because of this exemption.[17][18] Though significantly weakened in the 1970s, this exemption remains intact 103 years later; however, it has been eroded by subsequent court rulings and legislation regarding issues specific to Major League Baseball.
Of the locations of teams in the Federal League, five currently have major league teams. Those are Baltimore, Chicago, Kansas City, Pittsburgh and St. Louis. Brooklyn has aminor league team, theBrooklyn Cyclones. (The major leagueBrooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958, although theNew York Mets, the Cyclones' parent club, have been located in the adjacent borough ofQueens since 1964.) Buffalo and Indianapolis haveInternational League teams, theBuffalo Bisons andIndianapolis Indians, respectively. Newark had a team, theBears, in the independentCan-Am League, which folded after the 2012 season.
There is at least one achievement of note that happened in Federal League play.Eddie Plank, pitching for theSt. Louis Terriers, won hismilestone 300th game on September 11, 1915, at St. Louis'Handlan's Park, becoming the first 300-game winning left-hander in the history of major league baseball and one of only six as of 2018. However, that milestone was not acknowledged by Major League Baseball until 1968.
The Federal League was the last serious attempt at creating a "third major league" outside the established structure of professional baseball in the U.S. There was one further attempt at creating a third league – theContinental League in 1959 – but its founders had hoped to find their place within the purview oforganized baseball. The Continental League disbanded in 1960 without ever playing a game, making the Federal League the last such league to ever take to the field.
The Federal League features prominently inRing Lardner's sports humor bookYou Know Me Al (1916), in which the protagonist pitches for theChicago White Sox and repeatedly threatens to jump to the Federal League whenever he feels underappreciated or underpaid.[19]
Players in theBaseball Hall of Fame who played in the Federal League are listed below. Each of these players was elected via theVeterans Committee. In addition,Cy Young managed the 1913Cleveland Green Sox.
| Player | Position | Team(s) | Induction year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Bender | Pitcher | Baltimore Terrapins (1915) | 1953 |
| Mordecai Brown | Pitcher | St. Louis Terriers, Brooklyn Tip-Tops (1914); Chicago Whales (1915) | 1949 |
| Bill McKechnie | Third baseman | Indianapolis Hoosiers (1914); Newark Peppers (1915) | 1962 |
| Eddie Plank | Pitcher | St. Louis Terriers (1915) | 1946 |
| Edd Roush | Center fielder | Indianapolis Hoosiers (1914); Newark Peppers (1915) | 1962 |
| Joe Tinker | Shortstop | Chicago Whales (1914–1915) | 1946 |
| Team | Seasons | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Terrapins | 1914–15 | |
| Brooklyn Tip-Tops | 1914–15 | |
| Buffalo Blues | 1914–15 | Initially known as the Buffeds |
| Chicago Whales | 1913–15 | Initially known as the Federals or Keeleys |
| Cleveland Green Sox | 1913 | |
| Covington Blue Sox | 1913 | Also known as the Colonels. Transferred to Kansas City, mid-season 1913 |
| Indianapolis Hoosiers | 1913–14 | Moved to Newark in 1915 |
| Kansas City Packers | 1913–15 | Had been in Covington until mid-season 1913 |
| Newark Peppers | 1915 | Moved from Indianapolis following the 1914 season |
| Pittsburgh Rebels | 1913–15 | Known as the Filipinos in 1913, and initially as the Stogies in 1914 |
| St. Louis Terriers | 1913–15 |
Per final regular season standings, as there was no postseason.
| Year | Team | Record | Manager | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 | Indianapolis Hoosiers | 75–45 | Bill Phillips | Minor league |
| 1914 | Indianapolis Hoosiers | 88–65 | Major league | |
| 1915 | Chicago Whales | 86–66 | Joe Tinker |
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| Federal League | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Hoosiers | 75 | 45 | 0.625 | — |
| Cleveland Green Sox | 64 | 54 | 0.542 | 10 |
| St. Louis Terriers | 59 | 60 | 0.496 | 15½ |
| Chicago Keeleys | 57 | 62 | 0.479 | 17½ |
| Covington Blue Sox /Kansas City Packers | 53 | 65 | 0.449 | 21 |
| Pittsburgh Stogies | 49 | 71 | 0.408 | 26 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Hoosiers | 88 | 65 | .575 | — | 53–23 | 35–42 |
| Chicago Federals | 87 | 67 | .565 | 1½ | 43–34 | 44–33 |
| Baltimore Terrapins | 84 | 70 | .545 | 4½ | 53–26 | 31–44 |
| Buffalo Buffeds | 80 | 71 | .530 | 7 | 47–29 | 33–42 |
| Brooklyn Tip-Tops | 77 | 77 | .500 | 11½ | 47–32 | 30–45 |
| Kansas City Packers | 67 | 84 | .444 | 20 | 37–36 | 30–48 |
| Pittsburgh Rebels | 64 | 86 | .427 | 22½ | 37–37 | 27–49 |
| St. Louis Terriers | 62 | 89 | .411 | 25 | 32–43 | 30–46 |
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| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Whales | 86 | 66 | .566 | — | 44–32 | 42–34 |
| St. Louis Terriers | 87 | 67 | .565 | — | 43–34 | 44–33 |
| Pittsburgh Rebels | 86 | 67 | .562 | ½ | 45–31 | 41–36 |
| Kansas City Packers | 81 | 72 | .529 | 5½ | 46–31 | 35–41 |
| Newark Peppers | 80 | 72 | .526 | 6 | 40–39 | 40–33 |
| Buffalo Blues | 74 | 78 | .487 | 12 | 37–40 | 37–38 |
| Brooklyn Tip-Tops | 70 | 82 | .461 | 16 | 34–40 | 36–42 |
| Baltimore Terrapins | 47 | 107 | .305 | 40 | 24–51 | 23–56 |
Baseball is the only major sport that has an exemption from antitrust law.
What is still in place, firmly, is Major League Baseball's ability to work to thwart competitors, if any ever arise, and its ability to carve out protected geographic territories for its clubs and anti-competitive contract rights for its clubs.
