The (English) Baseball League (est. 1888): A History

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Baseball League 1900
First Division Champions

Bolton Wanderers

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Baseball League 1900
First Division Final Table

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Baseball League 1900
First Division Team Batting and Pitching

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Baseball League 1900
First Division League Leaders

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Baseball League 1900
First Division Top Game Performances

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Baseball League 1900
First Division Top 20 Batsmen and Pitchers

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Baseball League 1900
First Division Financial Report

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Baseball League 1900
Second Division Results

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Baseball League 1900

Second Division Promoted Team: New Brighton Tower

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Baseball League 1900

Second Division Promoted Team: Middlesbrough

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Baseball League 1900
Second Division Final Table

Six non-league clubs challenged the three clubs needing to seek re-election to the Second Division in the vote for League membership. Voting (number of votes):

23      West Bromwich Albion   Re-elected to the League
23      Fulham                 Elected to the League
16	Stockport County       Re-elected (2nd Ballot)
16	Clapton Orient	       Not Elected (2nd Ballot)
7       Gainsborough Trinity   Not re-elected to the League
7       Rotherham County       Not elected to the League
5	Huddersfield town      Not elected to the League
0	Hull City              Not elected to the League
0	Tottenham Hotspur      Not elected to the League

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Baseball League 1900
Second Division Team Batting and Pitching

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Baseball League 1900
Second Division League Leaders

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Baseball League 1900
Second Division Top Game Performances

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Baseball League 1900
Second Division Top 20 Batsmen and Pitchers

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Baseball League 1900
Second Division Financial Report

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New Brighton Tower Resign, Wind Up

In a move that should probably shock no one but which reverberates through the English baseball world, the New Brighton Tower club resigned their position in the Baseball League and subsequently wound up operations this week after a confusing period of indecision regarding the general future of the company, who are embroiled in a lawsuit claiming non-payment for work performed on the Tower itself.

This action will have substantial effect on the other clubs. First of all, NBT cannot play in the First Division in 1901 since they will not have a club to field there. That means a second club from the lower level will have to take their place, and fortunately, there is a worthy candidate in the Robins of Bristol City, who finished with a form identical to that of Middlesbrough, at sixty four victories against thirty eight defeats. Secondly, since two clubs are vacating their positions in the Second Division, another club will have to step in to keep the division and League even, and that club will be Clapton Orient. Orient received as many votes to join the League as Fulham had, but lost out in a second ballot. In addition, the Central will have to fill a spot, and the talent at the bottom of that league is already quite thin.

One happy effect of these moves is that two clubs who had felt unjustly passed over given their respective records will now enjoy the desserts they feel they justly deserve. Bristol City were level with Middlesbrough for the second spot of the division, whilst Clapton Orient were level at the top of the Central League table with Fulham.

The third issue at hand is that of the Tower players, of which there are many fine ones, and quite high-priced as well. Included are slugging short stop Brian Kynman, who was on £6/2/- per week; speedy centre fielder Finley Hart, on £6 flat per week; and catcher Philip Bain on £5/17/- per week. All such contracts are how null and void, since the club has wound up. Beyond the mere expense, though, there were other fine players such as right fielder William Walters, third baseman Alfred Edwards, and pitcher Solomon John. All NBT players are freely available to the clubs who will step up and pay them, as many of them can help teams win games and contend for promotions and cups.

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Baseball League 1900
Second Division Final Table
REVISED

New Brighton Tower resigned from the Baseball League at the meeting of 1st October. Their position in the League for 1901 is to be taken by Clapton Orient.

In place of New Brighton Tower, Bristol City is to be promoted to the First Division.

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Baseball League 1900

Second Division Promoted Team: Bristol City
(as replacement for New Brighton Tower)

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Baseball Clubs Cry “Poverty”

Dramatic Changes in Wages, Gate Sharing for 1901

Another season has passed, and another dismal year at the gate has ensued for the clubs of the Baseball League. Annual gate fell yet again in 1900, down by five per cent in the First Division, and an even more dismal nine per cent in the Second Division.

Many more clubs are “in the red” this year than were last year. This is leading to great consternation among the chairmen of the various clubs, the very survival of their concerns becoming a more frequent source of discussion at League meetings in recent years.

Because of this, the Board of the League have made the decision to curtail players' wages, for the good of the League and its survival. Effective immediately, a maximum wage of £4 per week will be enforced. That will reduce wages of top players by some forty per cent versus last season, although average players’ wage will remain relative intact with a reduction of a relatively mere nine per cent.

In addition, the League has voted to implement gate sharing, much as they already do for football. In the future, twenty per cent of the gate of each match will go to the visiting club, not only to help defray expenses associated with travel, but also to shore up weaker clubs and help them maintain a sufficient level of competition on the pitch to maintain high interest among all baseball club supporters. This gate sharing decision goes squarely against the original wishes of Sir Francis Ley, chairman of the League Board and one of baseball’s old guard for over two decades, who believes that professional baseball should adhere to the principles of capital enterprise. In the end, Sir Francis was gently but firmly persuaded by nearly every other chairman, even those of the rich clubs, of the efficacy of the tactic, and in the end, the vote was unanimous.

The clubs are taking wage reduction steps for their football teams as well, and plan on weekly wages on par for both sports. However, the football season runs for thirty-four weeks, twice that of baseball, affording footballers a more comfortable salary for the year, whilst baseballers are left to scramble for eight winter months to fill the void in wages, while still staying fit enough to play when called upon in May. The better players, those who have not hied to America to try their luck in those more lucrative leagues, may find paying baseball work in Australasia, West Indies or British Africa, where the winter sun is warm and the game is nascent but growing; the remainder will be left to scour the offices, factories, mills and pits of their various home areas to fill the pay gap in between seasons.

Lest you be tempted to shed tears for the poor baseballers, cry not: their wages are still quite good when taken against the typical labourer, who while toiling does not also enjoy running about freely in the warm summer sun "working" a mere two hours each day; nor does the coal miner, textile operator or shipbuilder bask in the admiration of thousands of full-throated supporters every day while working at his job. Considering this and his better than average wages, the life of the professional baseballer is quite agreeable indeed.