Most Football fans can remember the United States Football League of the mid 1980s. Alot of Basketball fans maybe aware their was a recent Basketball that played a spring to Summer Schedule called the United States Basketball League. Big Hockey fans that follow the sport down to the lowest levels are aware there is a junior hockey league called the United States Hockey League. I can guarantee there is not a Baseball fan reading this blog that can remember a professional baseball league called the United States League.
As we learned in yesterdays bonus blog, there were several leagues that tried to be third major leagues and they folded after a season or two. Many of these leagues was never recogized as major leagues. Among these leagues was the United States League of 1912-13.
On January 20, 1912 the United States League announced itself. The eight clubs were awarded to Chicago, Illinois; Cincinnati, Ohio; Cleveland, OH; New York, NY; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Reading, Pennsylvania; Richmond, Virginia and Washington, DC. With 9 major league competing against them for the fans dollar, the odds against the league lasting were very long right from the start. Although the leagues clubs had mostly unique nicknames, it did not help at the gate fast enough. The Chicago Club was called the Green Sox, The Cincinnati Club was the Pippins, The Cleveland Club was the Forest Citys, The New York Club was the Knickerbockers, the Pittsburgh Club was the Filipinos, the Reading Club did not have a name, the Richmond Club was called the Rebels and the Washington Club was called the Senators.
The League struggled to make it to the end of their first month. After opening play on May 1, the lost the New York and Washington Clubs and early June the Cleveland and Reading Clubs. The four survivors tried to play, but were forced to give up the ghost by the end of June. League organizers were not ready to give it forever. They worked tirerlessly through the summer and into the offseason to lay plans to revive the league. A second season opened with 8 clubs, after the opening games, two clubs withdrew. After each of the surviving six clubs played their second game, the league collapsed for good.
The name United States League as a baseball league was revived in 1945 when a Negro League was set up with that name. I hope you learned something by reading this. Tomorrow we will look at the Amateur Athletic Union. Some many sports, some little time, pity I have to work for a living.
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FOR ANYONE INTERESTED in knowing more about BOTH SEASONS of the UNITED STATES LEAGUE 1912-1913, here are some ACCURATE DETAILS taken directly from contemporary local newspapers:
ReplyDeleteThe NEW YORK team wore cream-colored uniforms, also white with gray sweaters bearing left-sleeve NY in black; the READING team wore blue-gray with red-and-blue sleeve shields bearing a white letter R (somewhat like our Interstate highway shields); the RICHMOND team wore steel-gray, with white sweaters bearing black letter R. All three of these teams listed BLACK as the color of the caps worn. Among the second-year teams (1913) were the LYNCHBURG Shoemakers who played at the Fairgrounds in Lynchburg, and a WASHINGTON team that played at Georgetown Park (presumably called the Senators, although the Washington Post dubbed them the Bandits). In the 1913 Season openers, the Bandits lost an exciting extra inning game at Georgetown Park, to the visiting Brooklyn team. The Shoemakers also dropped their home opener to Baltimore.
UPDATE and additional info (as well as a CORRECTION): In the 1913 opener between Brooklyn and Washington, it was the BROOKLYN team who were known as the BANDITS. But the 1912 New York, Reading, & Richmond uniform details as provided above are ACCURATE. The CINCINNATI team (usually referred to in the record books as the "Pippins") were actually known locally as the "Cams"" Their white & blue uniforms, which featured an interlocked U.S. on the right sleeves, were recycled and adapted for use by the Covington Blue Sox of the FL in 1913. There is a photo of the WASHINGTON team for 1912 online, but will have to post the address separately after this comment, as it is cumbersome and long. (Btw the U.S.L. teams make for great fantasy baseball, even if your approach is as simple as a dartboard league!)
ReplyDeletePICTURE ENLARGES NICELY (CLICK ON IT). http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045433/1912-04-28/ed-1/seq-40/#date1=1912&sort=date&date2=1912&words=BASEBALL+baseball+WASHINGTON+Washington&searchType=basic&sequence=0&index=17&state=&rows=50&proxtext=Washington+baseball&y=16&x=7&dateFilterType=yearRang
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