The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs - by Robert Peyton Wiggins (Paperback)

About the Book

The last independent major league ended its brief run in 1915, after only two seasons at the national pastime's top level. But no competitor to establishment baseball ever exerted so much influence on its rival, with some of the most recognizable elements of the game today--including the commissioner system, competition for free agents, baseball's antitrust exemption, and even the beloved Wrigley Field--traceable to the so-called outlaw organization known as the Federal League of Base Ball Clubs.

Book Synopsis

The last independent major league ended its brief run in 1915, after only two seasons at the national pastime's top level. But no competitor to establishment baseball ever exerted so much influence on its rival, with some of the most recognizable elements of the game today--including the commissioner system, competition for free agents, baseball's antitrust exemption, and even the beloved Wrigley Field--traceable to the so-called outlaw organization known as the Federal League of Base Ball Clubs.

This comprehensive history covers the league from its formation in 1913 through its buyout, dissolution, and legal battles with the National and American leagues. The day-to-day operation of the franchises, the pennant races and outstanding players, the two-year competitive battle for fans and players, and the short- and long-term impact on the game are covered in detail.

Review Quotes

"At last. We now have a definitive history of that infamous and somewhat esoteric subject that haunts baseball trivia contests--the Federal League...well researched"-The Inside Game (SABR Deadball Era Committee Newsletter); "an extensively researched and thorough examination of the origins of the Federal League."-Society for American Baseball Research; "valuable...stands alone as the 'major' history of the Federal League"-Journal of Sport History; "comprehensive history"-Sports Collectors Digest; "A stunning scholarly undertaking...[Robert Wiggins] has gotten his arms around a complex subject. He captures the story and its key participants from beginning to end...so the reader has an understanding of the players and issues of the different teams, as well as the league as a whole."-Steve Steinberg, author (with Lyle Spatz) of 1921: The Yankees, the Giants and the Battle for Baseball Supremacy in New York (Nebraska); "Robert Peyton Wiggins' The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs...is just as meaty and satisfying as the food served up at one of Charley Weeghman's 24-hour lunchrooms. [It] should satiate any Deadballer's hunger for knowledge about the great rival league that failed."-Tom Simon, founder, SABR's Deadball Era Committee.

About the Author

Robert Peyton Wiggins, a member of the Society for American Baseball Research, works in the University of Virginia Health System. The author of several books, he won the 2010 SABR Larry Ritter Award for the Society for American Baseball Research for his book, The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs (McFarland, 2009). He lives in Virginia.