Baseball 1901-1919

[Wolf Hopper]

What are the most significant baseball stories - on the field and off - regular season, post-season, and off-season - for this period, in your opinion?

[sweaver]

1. American League begins play.
2. 1919 World Series scandal.
Christy Mathewson, Cy Young, Honus Wagner, Nap Lajoie, and the great Ty Cobb.

[tyruschen]

1. Battle between American & National
2. Big Train
3. Delahanty's death (really in Niagara Falls?)

[sweaver]

Not in the falls, but upstream in the river. Drowned while dead stinking drunk.

[SmedIndy]

The ease at which gambling on teams took place, and the inability for baseball to police itself from those elements. See Hal Chase.

The Federal League, and the impact it had on teams and players, notably the Athletics.

[KCBOOMER]

1. Modern ML's established
2. Legendary Players
3. Deadball

[Wolf Hopper]

My list - off the top of my head...........

American League
Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance
NL & AL "Peace Conference"
The World Series
Merkle's "Boner"
Fraternity of Professional Baseball Players
Federal League
1914 Boston Braves
Ernie Shore Perfect Game
1919 Black Sox Scandal

[manny tortolero]

At the end of that period this could be one of the most important story (from baseballlibrary):

"December 26, 1919: Although it will not be officially announced until January, the Yankees buy Babe Ruth from financially pressed Harry Frazee, paying $125,000 (one-fourth cash, plus $25,000 a year at six percent) plus guaranteeing a $300,000 loan with Fenway Park as collateral. "

BTW, baseballlibrary have this month a nice piture of a young Gerigh.

[Elmo]

At the end of that period this could be one of the most important story (from baseballlibrary):

"December 26, 1919: Although it will not be officially announced until January, the Yankees buy Babe Ruth from financially pressed Harry Frazee, paying $125,000 (one-fourth cash, plus $25,000 a year at six percent) plus guaranteeing a $300,000 loan with Fenway Park as collateral. "

BTW, baseballlibrary have this month a nice piture of a young Gerigh.


Babe who??? :D But I really loved No, No Nanette.

AL formed
WS
Federal League
Ruth Sold
Walter Johnson

I'd put the Black Sox into the decade where it was 'discovered' - since the impact was less that a few players got suspended but the subsequent actions of baseball, and the establishmnet of a commissioner and the rest.

[Throwback]

The 1903 World Series and Deacon Phillippe's amazing effort in a losing cause is a worthy story, also.

[UtterChaos]

I think WWI had an effect on the game in 1918. Due to travel restrictions about 25-30 games per team weren't played and the series was held in early September. At the time I'm sure baseball was put on the back burner.

Also, the start (and end) of the Federal League.

[pwdennis]

1 The Western League goes "big league" morphs itself into the American
League and invades NL cities
2 The first World Series in 1903 won by the AL
3 The Federal League causes intial unrest but ultimately results in owners
tightening the screws
4 Christie Mathewson, Mordecai Brown, etal dominate the early part of the
period as relatively few runs are scored
5 Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Honus Wagner, Eddie Collins