Additional Major Leagues

[Jntg4]

Koppett's Concise History of Major League Baseball says that there were major leagues other than the National Association, National League, American Association, Union Association, and Players' League that did not survive in name. However, I feel that there must be SOME info or a reference on SOME somewhere.

I read that it said that online, but have never actually read the book, so I wouldn't know for sure, but pg. 48 may list some.

Also, what about failed 20th century leagues?

Here is my list of major leagues I can confirm, so let's try to add on with more info:
National Association (1871-1875)
National League (1876-Present)
American Association (1882-1891)
Union Association (1884)
Players' League (1890)
American League (1901-Present)
United States Baseball League (1912)
Federal League (1914-1915)
Continental League (1921)
Mexican League (1946-1947)
Continental League (1962, Did Not Play)
Global League (1969)
United Baseball League (1996, Did Not Play)

Also, which Negro League could be considered major?

[Jntg4]

Continental League (1921) also.

[Beady]

There's a book by David Pietrusza called Major Leagues that has a lot of information about all or most of these organizations. Kind of a grabbaggy book, but worth reading if you're interested in the topic.

[Jntg4]

I ordered that book a couple days ago actually.

[Jntg4]

Have some more from reading, I'll update when I finish the book.

[Shivierie]

would the Negro league count? Or not because that was never equivalent to the majors?

[Gocardinals]

I've read that the Negro Leagues are not considered major leagues because of the inaccuracy/lack of statistics, despite the level of play being at or near the MLB level.

[Capital City Goofball]

Here is some interesting information about the proposed World Baseball Association...

http://www.birminghamprosports.com/otherteamswba.htm

[Auker]

If I'm not mistaken wasn't Dick Williams bandied about as commissioner for the WBA? That was the year(1974) the Yankees tried to hire him but were shot down when Charlie Finley pointed out he was still under contract to the A's.

[Auker]

Koppett's Concise History of Major League Baseball says that there were major leagues other than the National Association, National League, American Association, Union Association, and Players' League that did not survive in name. However, I feel that there must be SOME info or a reference on SOME somewhere.

I read that it said that online, but have never actually read the book, so I wouldn't know for sure, but pg. 48 may list some.

Also, what about failed 20th century leagues?

Here is my list of major leagues I can confirm, so let's try to add on with more info:
National Association (1871-1875)
National League (1876-Present)
American Association (1882-1891)
Union Association (1884)
Players' League (1890)
American League (1901-Present)
United States Baseball League (1912)
Federal League (1914-1915)
Continental League (1921)
Mexican League (1946-1947)
Continental League (1962, Did Not Play)
Global League (1969)
United Baseball League (1996, Did Not Play)

Also, which Negro League could be considered major?

I would argue that the Pacific Coast League when it went to "Open Classification" in the 1950s should merit some consideration.

[ziggy29]

I would argue that the Pacific Coast League when it went to "Open Classification" in the 1950s should merit some consideration.

I'd also argue that the Union Association doesn't merit the title "major league."

[Beady]

What is a major league?

[Auker]

It is a league that is major.

[Beady]

Surely we can do better than that. How about this approach?

A minor league provides talent to major leagues.

In his Historical Abstract article on the Union Association, Bill James proved that it was not a significant source of talent for contemporary major leagues.

Therefore, the Union Association wasn't a minor league.

If a league isn't major, then it's minor, and if it isn't minor, then it's major.

Therefore, James has proven that the Union Association was a major league.

[Capital City Goofball]

I'm not sure if this proposal is considered "major league..."

Pontiac, Michigan – Former MLB Montreal Expos player Nikco Riesgo, Director of Baseball Operations for Global Baseball Inc. (GBI), officially announced the proposed creation of a professional Global Baseball League (GBL) featuring teams representing approximately 10-12 countries. Beginning April 2009, teams will play over 810 games at the soon to be renamed Pontiac Silverdome. Countries targeted for the Global Baseball League include the Dominican Republic, Canada, Mexico, Japan, China, Africa, Australia, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Saudi Arabia. Other countries in consideration are Korea, England, Taiwan, Italy, Venezuela, Brazil, Germany, Israel, Russia, France and the United Arab Emirates. GBI expects the new league to replace Olympic baseball games that have been eliminated from Olympic sports.

Curtis Henderson, former Financial Manager for the City of Pontiac Treasury Department has partnered with GBI and will lead the company as President/CFO. He is a former resident of Pontiac, MI, a graduate of Pontiac Northern High School, with intimate knowledge of its history, infrastructure, and citizens. Curtis strongly believes that GBI will uplift and revitalize the City’s economy.

Henderson is an advocate for change when change is needed. His objective is to promote a financial industry within the City of Pontiac through upcoming GBI activities. These activities will improve and impact the economy. GBI will provide leadership that will inspire high standards of excellence in the delivery of revenue for city services, a spirit of cooperation, pride and responsibility to achieve strong, safe and healthy neighborhoods. This shared economic prosperity will enhance the quality of life for the City of Pontiac and its citizens.

Each year the City of Pontiac spends much more than it receives in annual revenues. The revitalization of Pontiac will be enhanced by the inclusion of GBI. Riesgo and Henderson strongly believe their partnership and mission is to help uplift and revitalize Pontiac’s economy. They strongly believe with the support of the Mayor and community leaders, economic prosperity will re-occur by way of re-opening the Pontiac Silverdome to generate revenues from Global Baseball League games and activities. Both Riesgo and Henderson support the current City of Pontiac’s administration agenda.

GBI will share all revenues, less expenses, with the City of Pontiac, producing a viable daily revenue stream for many years to come. GBI’s major funding vehicle for the new league will be a historic Stadium Naming Rights Agreement to rename the Pontiac Silverdome.

[Auker]

Surely we can do better than that. How about this approach?

A minor league provides talent to major leagues.

In his Historical Abstract article on the Union Association, Bill James proved that it was not a significant source of talent for contemporary major leagues.

Therefore, the Union Association wasn't a minor league.

If a league isn't major, then it's minor, and if it isn't minor, then it's major.

Therefore, James has proven that the Union Association was a major league.

Meh, that would make the Can-Am League a major league.

I like my definition better.

[rrhersh]

According to its website, there are two current major leaguers who formerly played in the Can-Am League.

[rrhersh]

But seriously, I suspect that Beady with "If a league isn't major, then it's minor, and if it isn't minor, then it's major." is hinting that perhaps this view of the possibilities is overly limited. Taking the modern example of the Can-Am League, in some respects it resembles a minor league. In other respects it does not. (It is not, for example, limited by territorial restrictions or the draft.) It is something other than major or minor: it is independent. It tends to get classified as a minor because those aspects where it resembles a minor league (particularly the level of play) are more readily apparent and of more general interest than those aspects where it does not resemble a minor league, which are more organizational and of little interest to the casual onlooker.

Moving backwards to 1884, things are even murkier. The system of major and minor leagues was still developing. The UA self consciously opted not to fit itself into this nascent system. The best answer to the question "Was the UA a major or a minor league" is "none of the above".

[Frank_reilly]

The United Staes Baseball League played in 1913

[Rickwmc1982]

[

Although the USBL (1912), CL (1921 which did not play), Mexican League (1946-47 which did not have enough major league players to be classified as major league), CL (1959-61, did not play), Global League (not enough major league players to be classified as major league), and the USBL (did not play) are not major leagues. I've done research for two books I'm writing and which I hope to have published this fall with McFarland Publishing about some hidden maor leagues of the 19th Century. These "major leagues" are as follows: 1) New England Association (1877), 2) International Association (1877-80. actually renamed the National Assn. 1879-80), 3) the Major League Alliance (1877), and 4) the Eastern Championship Association (1881). My first book is BASEBALL IN 1877: THE YEAR THEY HAVE FIVE MAJOR LEAGUES, and my secdond book is THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION of 1877-1880: BASEBALL'S HIDDEN MAJOR LEAGUE. As for the Negro Leagues the Negro National League 1920-30, Eastern Colored League 1923-28, East-West League 1933-34, Negro National League 1934-48, and Negro American League 1937-48 were all bona fide major leagues according to most baseball historians. There are numerous books about these leagues that have been published since Robert Peterson's pioneering 1970 book "Only the Ball Was White."

[rrhersh]

The status of the IA comes up from time to time on the SABR 19th century list. The argument for its being major is weak. I mostly consists of pointing to the results of exhibition games between IA and NL teams, where the IA did very well. But this misunderstands the character of these games. For the NL teams they were meaningless exhibition games played (almost always on the IA field) to bring in a bit of extra revenue. For the IA teams they were a big deal, used to establish credibility. For the IA players they were de facto tryouts. Winning these games meant far more for the IA teams than for the NL teams. The NL drew from the IA through the late 1870s for replacement clubs (which in turn was a product of the depressed economy). When the formerly IA clubs found themselves playing NL clubs in games that mattered, their winning percentage suddenly plummeted. The only IA-to-NL transfer which had any immediate success was the Buffalo Bisons, who were the IA champions in 1878 and came in a very respectable third place in the NL in 1879. They were the exception. The Syracuse Stars, who made the transfer at the same time, were far more typical: they crashed and burned.

I have never seen anyone try to make a similar argument for the other organizations you name. (Misnamed, in one case: there was no "Major League Alliance". They were simply the "League Alliance".) I imagine the argument is along the same grounds, but the same problems exist. The League Alliance wasn't even recognizable as a league in the modern sense of the word. It was an umbrella agreement regarding player contracts, with a decidedly half-hearted championship tacked on. The claim that the New England Association was a major league is, um..., remarkable. As for the Eastern Championship Association of 1881 (which you seem to be including in your total for 1877), it is an interesting organization that deserves more attention than it has received, but it was nothing like a major league. The two top teams, the Metropolitans and the Athletics, were arguably of near-major quality. The quality of competition dropped off rapidly after them. In any case, it lacked entirely the other attributes of a major league.