Sure that the growing popularity of baseball could support a third major league, John T. Powers of Chicago brought together a group of entrepeneurs in 1913 and founded the Federal League. In its first year of existence the six-team circuit made no pretentions to major league status and respected major league contracts. Only a few faded major leaguers were in the league that season, although all six managers were former players of note, including Cy Young, who piloted Cleveland. Following the season, in which only one team folded, the owners ousted the cautious Powers and replaced him as president with James Gilmore, one of the Chicago owners.

RELATED LINKS » 1914: The Miracle in Boston

The league expanded to eight teams and put franchises in Eastern cities for 1914, posing more direct competition to the major leagues. Some prominent players were signed, including Three Finger Brown and Joe Tinker. Officially, the FL was still respecting contracts, but as the majors began to play tough following some contract disputes with players who played the leagues against each other, open warfare erupted in the signing of players and in court. Walter Johnson almost signed with the upstart league, but Senators owner Clark Griffith convinced the AL to pay for Johnson's salary increase for the good of the league.

A close pennant race gave the FL fair attendance figures in most of its cities, but large financial losses were suffered due to extensive litigation. Even though the Feds won most of the cases, the NL and AL continued to file suits in an attempt to drain the coffers of the Federal backers. In January 1915 the Federal League filed an antitrust suit against major league baseball, hoping for a ruling against the reserve clause that would give the FL protection against further such harassment. They chose to enter their case before Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who was known for his hard line against monopolies. But Landis felt differently about baseball, and put off a decision. After a season of declining attendance despite having signed more stars and another close pennant race, talk of a "peace settlement" became common. The major leagues had also suffered, but were better able to sustain themselves.

That winter, the "peace treaty" was announced. The majors partially compensated the debt-ridden Federal League owners; the FL withdrew its lawsuit, still being sat on by Judge Landis; and FL owners Phil Ball and Charles Weeghman bought, respectively, the Browns and the Cubs. The'wh)''@@grateful major leagues appointed Judge Landis to the new office of Commissioner five years later. (SH)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » May 30, 1912: Three doubleheader sweeps—Chicago Green Sox over Richmond, Virginia Rebels; Cincinnati over Reading, Pennsylvania, and Pittsburgh Filipinos over Cleveland—end a short, futile season of the would-be ML competitor, the United States League. Poorly organized and financed, the season began May 1st and collapsed largely through the failure of New York franchise to attract fans. The Filipinos, so named because old Pittsburgh favorite Deacon Phillippe was manager, had the best record: 16–8. Players and fields were barely above semipro level, but promoters will be heard from again with the advent of the Federal League. » March 8, 1913: The Federal League is organized as a 6-team "outlaw" circuit and elects John T. Powers president. It will play 120 games at a level equivalent to the lower minor leagues, but will enhance its status considerably in 1914 to challenge the MLs. » April 30, 1913: Chicago's Al Bridwell ends a drought of 3,246 at bats without a homer by slugging his first ML homer, off George Suggs. He'll hit another next year in the Federal League. Al's dry spell stretches back to 1905. » May 6, 1913: Better organized and financed than other aspiring circuits, the Federal League opens modestly and quietly, with clubs in Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Covington, KY. No attempt is made to sign established ML players. Cy Young manages Cleveland, Deacon Phillippe manages Pittsburgh. After a 6-week season, the pennant winner is Indianapolis. » August 2, 1913: The Federal League takes a big step toward another baseball war, voting to expand into the East. » November 2, 1913: Former St. Louis Browns manager George Stovall is the first ML player to jump to the Federal League, signing to manage Kansas City. With glib salesman Jim Gilmore as its president, and backed by several millionaires, including oil magnate Harry Sinclair and Brooklyn baker Robert Ward, the Feds declare open war two weeks later by announcing they will not honor the ML's reserve clause. It will prove a long, costly struggle, similar to the American League's beginnings, but with more losers than winners. » April 13, 1914: After building eight new ballparks in three months, the Federal League opens with the Baltimore Terrapins beating Buffalo 3–2 before 27,140. Winning P Jack Quinn will win 26 and lose 14. Indianapolis will win the pennant, led by rookie Benny Kauff's league-leading .370 batting average. Ex-Pirate Claude Hendrix will be 29–11. » April 17, 1914: In the Federal League, Buffalo's Ed Porray makes his debut with a 4–3 win over Baltimore. Porray, born "somewhere on the Atlantic Ocean," will have one more decision, a loss, before being set adrift. » May 6, 1914: Pittfed's Ed Lennox collects the only Federal League cycle in a 10–4 win over Kansas City. » June 29, 1914: With attendance down in the Federal League, Robert Ward, president of the Brooklyn Tip Tops, announces that ticket prices at Washington Park will be reduced from 50 cents to 25 cents. The Pittsburgh Filipinos will soon follow suit. » July 7, 1914: Suffering heavy losses from Federal League competition in Baltimore, the Orioles' (IL) owner Jack Dunn offers Babe Ruth (plus Ernie Shore and C Ben Egan) for $10,000 to old friend Connie Mack, who refuses, pleading poverty. Cincinnati, which has a working agreement giving them the choice of two players, ignores Ruth and takes OF George Twombley and SS Claud Derrick. Dunn finally peddles his threesome to new owner Joe Lannin of the Red Sox for a reported $25,000. » October 6, 1914: In the Federal League, the Chicago Whales lose to Kansas City while the Indianapolis Hoosiers beat St. Louis, giving Indianapolis a one 1/2 game pennant margin. Five .300 hitters, led by Benny Kauff's .370, pace the winners. For the Whales, Claude Hendrix is the FL's top pitcher at 29–11. » November 1, 1914: Connie Mack begins cleaning house, asks waivers on Jack Coombs, Eddie Plank, and Chief Bender. Colby Jack goes to Brooklyn (National League). Plank and Bender escape Mack's maneuvering by jumping tfo the Federal League. Although all have some life left in their soupbones, they are near their careers' end, and departure is more sentimental than serious. Mack's excuse: retrenchment. Despite the pennant, Philadelphia fans did not support the A's and the club lost $50,000. » December 7, 1914: Chief Bender signs a 2-year deal with the Federal League; he will be assigned to Baltimore. » January 2, 1915: The Cardinals try to prevent OF Lee Magee, 25, from playing for the Brooklyn Tip-Tops. Like most such suits, it will fail. Magee will play and manage in the Federal League. » February 16, 1915: Home Run Baker, 28, announces retirement following a contract dispute with Connie Mack. He will sit out the 1915 season. Mack will also have salary problems with Chief Bender, Eddie Plank, and Jack Coombs, and rather than compete with the Federal League, he releases the stars. » April 29, 1915: Federal League star Benny Kauff jumps from the Brookfeds to the New York Giants. When Boston refuses to play if Kauff is in the Giants' lineup, ump Ernie Quigley forfeits the game to New York. The two teams agree to play an exhibition game. The other ump, Mal Eason, telephones NL president John Tener, who declares Kauff ineligible until reinstated and orders Eason to forfeit the game to Boston. Meanwhile, the Braves win the exhibition game, 13–8. The next day Tener rules this to be an official game, and both forfeits are canceled. Kauff goes back to Brooklyn where he leads the FL at .342, and John McGraw has to wait until next year to sign him. » December 22, 1915: Organized baseball and the Federal League sign a peace treaty at Cincinnati, ending their 2-year war. Feds agree to go out of existence, but the ML pay an enormous price: $600,000 for distribution to FL owners; amalgamation of two Fed franchises, one each into National League and American League; recognition of Fed players' eligibility, and agreement to bid for them in a Fed-controlled auction. Baltimore, hoping to get the Cardinals, balks, but conferees, eager for settlement, defer its claims—a decision they will repent at leisure. » January 4, 1916: The St. Louis Browns are the first of two ML franchises awarded to Federal League owners. Philip de Catesby Ball, ice-manufacturing tycoon and principal stockholder of the Feds' St. Louis Terriers, pays a reported $525,000 for the Browns and replaces manager Branch Rickey with his own Fielder Jones. » January 19, 1916: A list of 123 Federal League players with free-agent status under the terms of the peace agreement is released by the National Association. » January 20, 1916: The Giants buy Edd Roush from the Newark Tip Tops (Federal League) for $7,500. Roush will hit just .188 in New York before being packaged to Cincinnati, where he will blossom into a Hall of Famer. Along with Roush come the contracts of C Bill Rariden from the Peps, infielder Bill McKecknie, spitballer Fred Anderson from the Buffalo Bufffeds (AKA the Blues), and Federal League star, the colorful Benny Kauf. The total proce is $65,000. » February 7, 1916: The Federal League's year-old suit charging antitrust violations by organized baseball is dismissed by mutual consent in U.S. District Court in Chicago by Judge Kenesaw M. Landis. No appellate decision is written and it will not be until 1922 when the courts rule on antitrust. » February 10, 1916: In a sweet deal, the Cubs send cash to the sinking Chicago Whales (Federal League) and bring back Three Finger Brown, Clem Clemens, Mickey Doolan, Bill Fischer, Max Flack, Claude Hendrix, Les Mann, Dykes Potter, Joe Tinker, Rollie Zeider, and George McConnell. » February 11, 1916: After playing wo seasons in Cleveland, the American Association Toledo Mud Hens transfer back to Toledo. The franchise spent two seasons in Cleveland to block a Federal League team from moving in there. » April 12, 1916: Phils righty Pete Alexander tops the Giants, 5–4. Benny Kauff, the star acquisition from the Federal League, goes hitless for New York. » April 20, 1916: The Cubs play their first game in the newly built Federal League park that will soon have its name changed to Wrigley Field. The stadium, minus the upper deck added later, seats 14,000, but 20,000 fans are on hand. Greeting fans on the Addison Street side is JOA, a bear cub owned by Cub's (partial) owner J. Ogden Armour. Everyone goes home happy as Vic Saier's 11th inning sac fly gives the Cubs 7–6 a win over the Reds. » May 26, 1916: Despite outfielder Benny Kauff's base running blunders. The New York Giants cruise to 14th straight road win, 12–1 over Boston. Kauff, the Federal League's "Ty Cobb", sets a NL record when he is picked off first base three times, the only 20th century player to do this. Lefty Tyler picks Benny off three times. Sailor Stroud is the winner, picking up his last ML victory. » May 30, 1916: The Phillies' Al Demaree, an ex-Giant, finally stops the Giants, 5–1, handing New York its first loss in 18 games. Giant 3B Bill McKecknie, obtained from Newark (Federal League) in April, is caught stealing three times. » September 20, 1917: Baltimore (Federal League) files suit against the NL. » December 6, 1920: A 5-year-old lawsuit that awarded $264,000 damages to the Baltimore Federal League club on April 12, 1919, is reversed by a court of appeals, which upholds the reserve clause and holds that baseball is not interstate commerce nor subject to antitrust laws. The original was initiated because the Baltimore Feds were not included in the settlement of the Federal League war. They wanted a ML team in Baltimore and did not get it. This ruling will be upheld in 1922 by the U.S. Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice William Howard Taft, brother of Cubs former owner, Charles Taft. » May 25, 1922: The U.S. Supreme Court, in a resounding 9–0 decision, rule that baseball is not an interstate business. The suit had been brought by the Federal League's Baltimore franchise. » July 4, 1944: Baltimore's Oriole Park, erected in 1914 for the Federal League, burns down. The team moves to the city's unroofed Municipal Stadium. It will be used this way until a second tier is added when the St. Louis Browns move in for the 1954 season.