The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-06-20
Big LEAGUE BASEBALL MAP
ITS EXPANSION AND CONTRAC-
TON IN THIRTY YEARS.

dEo Ek<h4 "
TON IN THTRTY YEARS.
Nine or the Eieven Critics q the Old
National AssociAtien Of the Early
Seventies Are stiil IN Major Organi.
zations-National Gsrne Geography.
The geographical SCOPE OF big league
baseball has undergone AZ many changes
~ the playing rules. Circuits have ex-
banded and contracted and otherwise
been e~errymandered greatly since the first
days Of organised baseball. Railroad
jumps-the convenience Of . dity's loOa-
tomas well % population have TO be
oopsidered in making up . circuit. They
~ the two most important factors In the
makeup Of the present big league circuits.
circuits which are compact and take In
practically all Of the desirable cities
within reach. Five Of the cities-New
York, Boston. Philadelphia. Chicago and
81. Louis-are 10 desirable that they are
In both OF the leagues. At least three
other oities-Cincinnati, Cleveland and
Pittsburg-probably could support two
clubs and would have them but for the
structures Of the peace compact.
The FIVE cities Of the first olaas, as they
might be oa!led, had . combined popula-
ton Of 1885, o4 according to the Official
census Of 1900, Little wonder that they
figure IN both leagues. st. Louis Wal the
smallest Of the lot with SIS. 900, not much
bigger than Baltimore with its 5os. 900;
yet 81. Louis is a first GLASS ball town with
two big league teams. while Baltimore
has only one team, and that in q minor
league. That IL n OF the odd things
about the geographical phase OF the
national game. Cincinnati, Detroit. Cleve-
land and Washington all have smaller
populations than Baltimore.
The history Of professional baseball in
America, the history Of the most scientific
and most entertaining game to be found
anywhere In the world, bristles with
interest, and some day an adequate history
may be compiled. What history We have
now Is but ~frasmentary. In what there
ia this geographical feature has been but
little touched upon.
However, the survival OF the httost
In big league members fnds only eleven
OF over thirty cities which at various
times have been In the major leagues.
The eleven present major league MEM
beers are Boston. New York. Brooklyn.
Philadelphia, Washington. PittsburE.
Cleveland. Cincinnati. Detroit. Chicago
and st. Louis. What changes there were
before the final sitting was made which
narrowed the circuit down to these elevenl
What reaching out and drawing back
what experimenting
The first big league was the old National
Association. which aourished from 1871
to 1875 inclusive and gave way to the
National League In 1910. Other big
lea u have been OF are the American
Association, the American League and
the short lived Players League and Union
Association. Cities in them have been
Boston, New York. Brooklyn. Philadel-
phia, Pittsburg. Cincinnati, Chicago
Cleveland. st. Louis, Detroit. Baltimore
Providence. Worcester, Hartford, Mil
vaukee. Buffalo. Columbus. Troy. Wash
ineton, Toledo. Richmond. Louisville,
Fort Wayne. Rockford, Mansfield. New
Haven, Syracuse, Kansas City. Indian
apotis. Minneapolis, Altoona and maybe
! one or two others. In the oIden days
there we're the Haymskers OF Troy. Eek
fords OF Williamsburg, Mutuals Of New
York and others similarly named whose
headquarters are not given In the
baseball guides.
Big league geography ID bounded on the
west BY the Kaw Rivss. Kansas City being
furthest west in the ramifoations. Kan
Gas City, like Milwaukee and Minneapolis.
wa In the American League in 1900, but
wal dropped by that organization In
order that 1t might expand and make its
circuit a more ambitious affair. In the
present American Association all three
have found O more natural level. Troy,
with its little rs ,OoO-fguree Of io00-was
once a big league city, but has long since
been dsfunct as q major league town.
Worcester, Hartford, Providence, Buf
falo. Louisville, indianapolis and numer-
ii others have through the spread OF the
rame and readjustment Of its circuits
passed through varying experiences and
fetched up in other thar major leagues.
The individual members OF the big
leagues are self identifying nowadays,
hut II wasn't always so. The National
Association Of 1871 look in these clubs:
Athletics (Philadelphia), q name which
has endured right through t the present;
! Rostop. Chicago, Mutuals New York;,
Oiympics Washington), Haymakers
| throw Cleveland, Kekiongas Fort Wayne)
and Rockford. In 1872 the circuit con-
slated Of Boston, Baltimore, Mutuals,
athletics. Troy, Atlantics (Brooklyn),
Cleveland, Mansfield, Eckfords (Wiliams-
bureI, and Olympics and Nationals, both
Of Washington. There were two clubs
| in one town even in those days.
The Resolutes. from Jersey and Mary
lands were In the National Association
circuit in 1878, the Hartfords in 1874, while
in rs the circuit included New Haven, the
| Red Stockings Of Cincinnati. the Centen-
nials and the Westerns. in addition to the
other cities. The National League sprang
| into existence In 1919 with the Chicagos,
Hartfords, St. Louis, Boetons, Louisvilles,
Mutuals, Athletics and Cincinnatis al
nembers, and before the combination
| HAT now comprises the old league was
finally hit upon many were the changes.
There was q five club circuit In 1875
Boston, Louisville, Hartford, 81. Louis
and Chicago. New York and Phlladel.
phia-where were theyf 1t was Boston,
Cincinnati, Providence, Chicago, Indian.
apolis and Milwaukee In 1873 and Provi.
denoe, Boston, Chicago, buffalo, Cincin.
natl, Cleveland, Troy and Syracuse In
1879. A. q sample o. he different com.
pany in which cities have found Themselves
Milwaukee has since bean In the North.
western League, the Western League,
the American League and the American
Association.
in 1880 with Syracuse out. and In 1881
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