Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
May 20, 1922: The Supreme Court of the United States
rules in Federal Baseball Club v. National League. The Federal League ceased to
exist after the 1915 season, but this ruling still has an effect on the game
today.
The FL had sued, calling the collective formed by the National League and
the American League – apparently not officially called "Major League Baseball" until 1969 – a monopoly that was restricting the chances of other would-be "major
leagues" to compete.
It was always going to be a difficult decision to make. Especially since two former FL owners had been allowed to buy established teams: Charles Weeghman of the Chicago Whales bought the NL's Chicago Cubs (and moved them into his Weeghman Park, which became Wrigley Field), and Phil Ball of the St. Louis Terriers bought the AL's St. Louis Browns.
But Ned Hanlon, former manager of the NL's Baltimore Orioles, was the owner of the FL's Baltimore Terrapins, and wasn't permitted to buy into an NL or an AL team. And so, his was the "Federal Baseball Club" that was the plaintiff in this case. He argued that baseball was a monopoly, restricting competition, and thus subject to the Sherman Antitrust Act.
Instead, in a unanimous 9-0 decision, written by Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes
Jr., and presided over by Chief Justice William Howard Taft – a former catcher
at Yale University, and the only President to have also served on the Supreme
Court, the President who began the tradition of throwing out the first ball on
Opening Day – the Supreme Court ruled that baseball did not qualify as "interstate
commerce," and was thus not bound by the provisions of the Sherman Act.
MLB was relieved at this decision. There have been a few minor
challenges to it since, including a lawsuit on behalf of players who "jumped" to the Mexican League in 1946, and the proposed Continental League that would
have started play in 1960. On those occasions, the AL and NL chose to
compromise rather than get their special exemption challenged.
In 2005,
during the debate over performance-enhancing drugs, Congress told MLB officials
that if they did not cooperate with hearings, the exemption might be revisited.
MLB caved in, and the exemption is still in place.
Ned Hanlon died in 1937. In 1954, the Browns, having been mismanaged by Ball, leaving his successors to struggle to keep the team afloat, moved to become a new version of the Baltimore Orioles. In 1996, Hanlon was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame for winning 5 Pennants as a manager. (He had also won 1 as a player.)
James McReynolds was the last Justice from this case still serving on the Court, until 1941. He was also the last surviving Justice from the case, living until 1946.
*
May 29, 1922 was a Monday. Football, basketball and hockey were out of season. These baseball games were played:
* The New York Yankees beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 7-4 at the Polo Grounds. Carl Mays went the distance, and Babe Ruth went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
* The New York Giants lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-3 at Baker Bowl in Philadelphia.
* The Brooklyn Robins (as the Dodgers were known from 1914 to 1931) lost to the Boston Braves, 5-4 at Ebbets Field.
* A doubleheader was split at Fenway Park in Boston. The Washington Senators won the opener, 2-0. Eric Erickson pitched a 2-hit shutout. The Boston Red Sox won the nightcap, 9-8 in 11 innings.
* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds, 5-2 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.
* The Cleveland Indians beat the Chicago White Sox, 8-5 at League Park in Cleveland. Tris Speaker went 1-for-3 with an RBI double, in support of fellow Hall-of-Famer Stan Coveleski.
* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs, 5-4 in 10 innings at Cubs Park. (It was renamed Wrigley Field in 1926.)
* And the St. Louis Browns beat the Detroit Tigers, 9-6 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. For the Browns, Ken Williams hit a grand slam home run, and George Sisler went 2-for-4 with an RBI. For the Tigers, Ty Cobb went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.
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