* In writing this article I did in fact
take some liberties in simplifying the process which lead to the formation
of the American League. We'll try to address some of this in later articles.
If you have not seen other articles in the What Every Fan Should Know
series, we have covered a number of topics and they can be found in our
archives. - Jonathan
The American League did not spring forth fully-grown from the head of
Zeus, but it could be said that it sprung forth from the head a man by
the name of Ban Johnson. Johnson is a name that almost every baseball
fan should recognize as he was the President of the American League from
its inception until he retired in 1927. Up until the appointment of the
first commissioner, Kennesaw Mountain Landis, Johnson was the most powerful
man in the world of Major League Baseball.
Johnson’s career started inauspiciously enough as a catcher with
a great fondness for baseball. Despite his family’s advice that he
become a minister, Johnson decided to go into law at the University of
Cincinnati. Subsequent to school he followed his heart and returned to
his love of sports ending up as the sports editor and writer for the Cincinnati
Commercial-Gazette.
His opinions made him friends and foes in the local baseball community,
as he blasted Reds owner John T. Brush who he felt was only interested
in making money at the cost of the good of the game. Strangely enough
despite this he became good friends with Charles Comiskey - who worked
for the Cincinnati Reds at the time. That friendship with Comiskey would
serve them both in good stead as time went by.
In 1894 a newly formed minor league, the Western league was looking for
a president. Based upon a recommendation by Charles Comiskey, John Brush
made sure Ban Johnson was hired by the Western League. Brush hoped that
if Johnson were busy administrating a league he would not be writing opinions
for the Cincinnati papers which targeted Brush as the brunt of his criticism.
The Western League had eight teams including Grand Rapids, Sioux City,
Milwaukee, Detroit, Kansas City, Toledo, Indianapolis and Minneapolis
- the core of which would turn into the American League. Johnson took
to the job like a duck to water and he ruled with an iron fist. He was
not going to allow the Western League to take any of the worst aspects
of baseball as a part of the game.
Perhaps the most important of these negative issues was the lack of respect
for the umpires and the dirty or rowdy play and language. The National
League was truly plagued by this at the time and cheating such as hiding
extra balls in the infield grass and using them when needed, verbal and
physical abuse of the single umpire (there was only one for the game at
the time) was rampant. Because of this the environment was so bad that
many fans, particularly families and ladies, would not often attend games
– causing a serious decline of attendance and revenues. Johnson realized
that management in the NL was not going to crack down in their league
- so he did.
Soon the Western League was recognized as the best run league in baseball,
not just the minors. More than that - it was family entertainment without
the violence or objectionable language that was present in the Majors.
Women and children began attending the Western League games in greater
numbers. As attendance soared so did Johnson’s prestige.
Comiskey, Johnson’s biggest supporter was not out of the picture
either. After his contract with the Reds ended Johnson rushed to the Western
League and purchased the Sioux City team. He moved them to St. Paul. He
spoke extensively with Johnson and helped him plan for expansion.
The team owners in the Western League were ecstatic. They were making
money, the fan base was growing, and they credited it all to Johnson giving
him a free hand in the running of the league. However there was one owner
who had problems with Johnson - Cincinnati Reds owner John Brush –
the one who had gotten Johnson the job.
Brush owned part of the Indianapolis team and had been used to playing
one league against the other. He would draft players to play for the team
in one league - then transfer them to the other - before selling off their
contracts to another team at a profit. Johnson was irate and with the
help of owners managed to drive Brush to sell his stock in the Indianapolis
franchise.
Johnson’s power in the Western League was enormous. He moved franchises,
made schedules and signed players to his league. With a group of happy
owners supporting him Johnson waited for an opportunity to take the Western
League to the next level.
The chance came in 1899, when the National League contracted, dumping
the franchises in Baltimore, Washington, Louisville and Cleveland. Johnson
did not hesitate; at a special meeting of the League he changed the name
to the American League and shifted Comiskey’s franchise to Chicago
and added another to Cleveland.
The National League could have thwarted the American League there in Chicago,
but the NL feared the recently defunct American Association would make
a comeback which was more disconcerting than the birth of the American
League, which they saw as nothing more than another minor league. So the
National League and the Chicago Orphans decided to give the south side
of Chicago to the American League.
The popularity of the American League continued to grow while the National
League slid. By the time the NL realized that the AL was a threat to their
dominance it was too late. Still they turned a blind eye to many things
that should have been obvious and like the kings of old pretended the
problems did not exist.
In 1901 Ban Johnson’s contract was renewed for 10 years. With that
security he made some of his boldest moves of franchises, including the
plan to move the Baltimore Orioles to New York (where they became the
Highlanders and eventually the NY Yankees) and moving the Milwaukee franchise
to St. Louis (where they became the Browns).
The NL tried to crush the new league but Johnson was ready for them. He
shored up weak franchises with strong financial backers and shifted players
to non-competing teams to strengthen them and keep interest high. It was
then that the NL made its biggest mistake.
The NL capped salaries. The lords of baseball decided that they would
not pay any player more than $2,400. They believed that the reserve clause
which, protected them from raiding each other, would prevent the AL from
chasing their players.
They were wrong - Johnson and the AL ignored the reserve clause since
they were not party to it in their contracts. They offered salaries higher
than the NL did and stole much of the best talent from the NL. Players
like Cy Young, Nap LaJoie, “Wee” Willie Keeler and roughly 100
others switched leagues.
For two years a war between the leagues raged with the NL losing far more
than they gained. The AL was being touted as a superior brand of baseball
and with its clean and fair play the fans agreed. The AL outdrew the NL
by over half a million fans in 1902.
In 1903, bruised and battered the National League was ready to compromise
rather than continue the head to head battles with the AL. In the National
Agreement (we’ll discuss this in a later piece) The AL was recognized
as a separate but equal Major League.
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