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    United States Baseball League

    From Wikipedia - Reading time: 7 min
    For the Negro baseball league, see United States League.

    United States Baseball League
    SportBaseball
    Founded1912
    First season1912
    Ceased1912
    CEOWilliam Abbott Witmann
    No. of teams8
    CountryUnited States
    Last
    champion(s)    		Pittsburgh Filipinos (1912) but only partial season

    The United States Baseball League was a short-lived prospective third major professional baseball league that was established in New York City in 1912 and lasted only one partial season.

    History

    [edit]

    In March 1912, organizers of the proposed league – described by members of the sports establishment as an "outlaw league" – met in New York's Hotel Imperial.[1] The U.S. Baseball League subsequently organized teams in Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, New York, Reading, Pennsylvania; Richmond, Virginia; and Washington, D.C.[2] The league president was William Witmann.[3]

    Sports historian Rudolf K. Haerle observed that the U.S. Baseball League "stressed the inherent 'good' of baseball for all individuals and communities, and indicated that it wished to conduct its business in the accepted capitalist style–free competition in the marketplace".[2] Despite these lofty ambitions, the league quickly incurred the scorn and hostility of the baseball establishment.[2] Additionally burdened with weak leadership, limited financing, poor attendance, and a lack of skillful players, the U.S. Baseball League "folded after about one month of action".[2]

    Legacy

    [edit]

    Many sports historians view the U.S. Baseball League as "a major precursor to the Federal League of 1914–1915".[2] The Federal League, which was the last independent major league, was financed by magnates including oil "baron" Harry F. Sinclair.[4]

    Teams

    [edit]
    United States Baseball League is located in USA Midwest and Northeast
    Green Sox
    Green Sox
    Pippins
    Pippins
    Forest City
    Forest City
    Knickerbockers
    Knickerbockers
    Filipinos
    Filipinos
    Reading
    Reading
    Rebels
    Rebels
    Senators
    Senators
    class=notpageimage|
    USBL teams
    • Chicago Green Sox
    • Cincinnati Cams/Pippins
    • Cleveland Forest City
    • New York Knickerbockers
    • Pittsburgh Filipinos
    • Reading
    • Richmond Rebels
    • Washington Senators

    Standings

    [edit]

    The league's regular season began May 1, 1912 and ended June 5.[2] The Richmond Times Dispatch released the intended 126-game USL schedule, to have run from April 8 through September 22.[5]

    Team Win Loss Pct
    Pittsburgh Filipinos 19 7 .731
    Richmond Rebels 15 11 .577
    Reading (no name) 12 9 .571
    Cincinnati Cams 12 10 .545
    Washington Senators 6 7 .462
    Chicago Green Sox 10 12 .455
    Cleveland Forest City 8 13 .381
    New York Knickerbockers 2 15 .118

    Ballparks

    [edit]
    • Bronx Oval – New York[6]
    • Exposition Park – Pittsburgh
    • The Fairgrounds – Lynchburg
    • Georgetown Park – Washington, D.C.
    • Hippodrome Park – Cincinnati, Ohio (also referred to as United States Park)
    • Gunther Park (Clark St and Leland Ave) – Chicago; now Chase Park [7]
    • National Association Grounds – Cleveland
    • Lee Park (Moore Street and North Boulevard) – Richmond; became Boulevard Field of the Richmond Climbers in 1917, and now The Diamond[8]

    Notes

    [edit]
    1. ^ "New York Not Yet Named In Outlaw League". The New York Times. March 16, 1912.
    2. ^ a b c d e f Haerle, Rudolf K. "The United States Baseball League of 1912: A Case Study of Organizational Failure" (PDF). LA84 Foundation. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 15, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
    3. ^ "The United States Baseball League". Seamheads.com. January 8, 2010. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
    4. ^ Suehsdorf (1978), p. 54.
    5. ^ "Schedule of the United States League, Season 1912". The Richmond Times Dispatch Press. April 8, 1912.
    6. ^ "NEW LEAGUE OPENS SEASON IN BRONX; New York and Reading Teams Play Ten-Inning Tie Game, Score 10 to 10". The New York Times. May 2, 1912. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
    7. ^ Wrigley Field: the unauthorized biography By Stuart Shea, George Castle, p. 8–9
    8. ^ Daniel, W. Harrison (2011). Baseball and Richmond: a history of the professional game, 1884–2000. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 61.

    References

    [edit]
    • Suehsdorf, A. D. (1978). The Great American Baseball Scrapbook. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-394-50253-1
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    Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United States Baseball League
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