The league was never recognized as an official league by
the National Association
Opens with teams in: Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis,
St. Louis, Kansas City, and Covington
The Covington team relocated to Kansas City in June, 1913
The inaugural FL game was played on April 13, 1914. Baltimore
defeated Buffalo 3-2
On May 6, 1914, Ed Lennox recorded the only cycle in FL
history
The league filed an anti-trust case
against major league baseball hoping that the courts would
reverse the “reserve
clause.” Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis presided over
the case. A “peace treaty” was agreed upon; the
FL withdrew its lawsuit.
The league folded on December 22, 1915. All of the FL players
were evenly disbursed throughout the major leagues. Owners
of the FL teams received compensation (to share) in the sum
of $600,000.
FEDERAL
LEAGUE - TEAMS
Baltimore Terrapins:
- the team hosted
the FL's
inaugural game on April 13, 1914
- home ballpark: Terrapin Park
Brooklyn Tip Tops:
- owner:
Robert B Ward (owner of the Tip Top Bakery)
- home ballpark: Washington Park
Buffalo
Blues:
- the franchise sold public shares of its company
via newspaper ads at a cost of $10 per
share.
- home ballpark: Federal League Park
Chicago
Whales:
- owner: Charles Weeghman (future owner of the
Chicago Cubs)
- home ballpark: Weeghman Park (known now as
Wrigley Field)
- manager: Joe Tinker
Kansas
City Packers:
- home ballpark: Gordon & Koppel Field
Indianapolis:
- home ballpark: West Washington Street Park
- won the FL championship in 1914
- relocated to Newark, NJ for the start of the
1915 season
Newark
Peppers:
- formerly of Indianapolis
- home ballpark: Harrison Park
Pittsburgh
Rebels:
- home ballpark: Exposition Park
St. Louis
Terriers:
- home ballpark: Handlan's Park
- owned by Otto Stifel and E.A. Steininger;
prior to the 1914 season Stifel's shares were purchased
by Philip De Catesby Hall
- originally managed by Three Finger Brown (1913);
Fielder Jones (1914)
