[BYU 14]

A new Century begins, and a new era dawns for the still young game of Professional Baseball. Despite emerging as the one of the leading pastimes in America, the game has already encountered its share of Turmoil. The landscape of previous Seasons is littered with the rubble of drawn out battles with now defunct Leagues such as the American Association, the Players League and the Union Association.

With clubs based in New York, Brooklyn, St Louis, Boston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Chicago and Cincinnati, the National League now holds a grip on the East Coast, and the only Midwestern towns its owners deem important. Across the land scores of other “professional” Leagues dot the American Landscape, among them, the Pacific Coast League, the Southern League, the Texas League and the Western Association. While most are content with their place in the shadow of the National League, the Western Association, led by an industrious Sportsman named Ban Johnson is determined to take its place alongside the National Teams as a second Major League.

Announcing plans to expand into the National Leagues territory for the beginning of the 1900 Season, Johnson is promptly slapped with an injunction by the National League owners alleging that these plans pose a threat to their “territorial rights.” The National League Owners call for operating impunity within their established regions and ask that no Western League Team be allowed to conduct games within a 200 mile radius of any National League club. With great flair the National’s Attorneys argue that the matter must be delayed until a proper hearing can be scheduled in the off Season and that failure to do so could “rip the very foundation from beneath our great game, scattering the remnants of the beloved pastime across a desolate landscape financial ruin”

Despite arguments that any impact felt by the National League owners, would also be felt by Johnson, who also had a League to run, the Judge, a supposed friend of Brush, accepted the motion to delay proceedings until the completion of 1900 Baseball Season, when a proper hearing could be scheduled. Content that they had weathered the storm, the Elite Eight as they now called themselves, returned to their respective cities and prepared to play the 1900 Season…..As the only Game in town.