Baltimore Terrapins
Encyclopedia
The Baltimore Terrapins were one of the most successful teams in the short-lived Federal League
of professional baseball
from to , but their brief existence led to litigation that led to an important legal precedent
in baseball. The team played its home games at Terrapin Park.
bird. There was already a minor league Baltimore Orioles, and the new Federal League club built their ballpark directly across the street from the Orioles park. The new club chose to call itself the Baltimore Terrapins, after the diamondback terrapin
, the state reptile of Maryland. That nickname would later become primarily associated with the University of Maryland, College Park
sports teams called the Maryland Terrapins
.
While the team posted a respectable 84–70 record and finished only 4½ games out of first place under player-manager Otto Knabe
, the team was far less than successful than expected at the box office, even though four of the eight teams in the league (Chicago
, Brooklyn
, Pittsburgh
, and St. Louis
) were competing with one and even two (Chicago and St. Louis) other major league teams in the same cities.
In an attempt to turn this situation around and attract a marquee player to help them at the box office, the team recruited Chief Bender
of the American League
champion Philadelphia Athletics
. The Athletics had sold off several future Hall-of-Famers like Eddie Plank
, Eddie Collins
and Frank "Home Run" Baker after being swept by the surprising Boston Braves
in the 1914 World Series
.
Bender had come off an impressive 17–3 season where he compiled seven shutout
s and a 2.26 ERA
in 1914. However, his 1915 season at Baltimore was a low point of his Hall of Fame
career when he slumped to a 4–16 record, no shutouts, and a 3.99 ERA. Baltimore's collapse to a 47–107 record, 40 games out of first, was overshadowed only by the collapse of Bender's former team who went from a 99–53 league championship season to a dismal 43–109 record, 58½ games out of first in 1915. Bender and the Baltimore Terrapins never made a full recovery from 1915.
The incident did show the Federal League could compete seriously with the National League
and American League
on a professional baseball level and led to the buy-out truce which ended the Federal League for good. However, the Baltimore team's owners were not offered a part in this buyout.
' attendance, causing financial problems for the owner. As a result, several players, including the young left-handed pitcher Babe Ruth
, were offered for sale to major league teams. Ruth's contract was purchased by the Boston Red Sox
, after being turned down by Connie Mack and the Philadelphia Athletics. In 1914, the Babe begin his career with the Red Sox of the rival American League
. After the demise of the Federal League and the Terrapins, Baltimore would not see major league baseball again until , when the former St. Louis Browns
moved into town and became the current-day Baltimore Orioles
.
As the Terrapins' owners were not offered any part of the buyout offer made to most Federal League teams by the American and National Leagues, they decided to sue alleging that the buyout was in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act
. The resulting case led to the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court
that the scheduling and playing of "base ball games" did not constitute "interstate commerce" in any sense envisioned by the Framers of the United States Constitution
and therefore the Sherman Act and other federal laws and regulations did not apply to baseball. The case, Federal Baseball Club v. National League
, was not ultimately decided until 1922.
The minor league Orioles moved into Terrapin Park, a wooden ballpark. This move began a chain of events which would eventually lead to the return of major league baseball to Baltimore.
Federal League
The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as the Federal League, was an American professional baseball league that operated as a "third major league", in competition with the established National and American Leagues, from to...
of professional baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
from to , but their brief existence led to litigation that led to an important legal precedent
Precedent
In common law legal systems, a precedent or authority is a principle or rule established in a legal case that a court or other judicial body may apply when deciding subsequent cases with similar issues or facts...
in baseball. The team played its home games at Terrapin Park.
Team history
Most of the professional baseball teams in Baltimore have been called the Orioles, in reference to the Baltimore OrioleBaltimore Oriole
The Baltimore Oriole is a small icterid blackbird that averages 18 cm long and weighs 34 g. This bird received its name from the fact that the male's colors resemble those on the coat-of-arms of Lord Baltimore...
bird. There was already a minor league Baltimore Orioles, and the new Federal League club built their ballpark directly across the street from the Orioles park. The new club chose to call itself the Baltimore Terrapins, after the diamondback terrapin
Diamondback terrapin
The diamondback terrapin or simply terrapin, is a species of turtle native to the brackish coastal swamps of the eastern and southern United States. It belongs to the monotypic genus, Malaclemys...
, the state reptile of Maryland. That nickname would later become primarily associated with the University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
sports teams called the Maryland Terrapins
Maryland Terrapins
The Maryland Terrapins, commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 27 men's and women's athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, College Park in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I competition...
.
While the team posted a respectable 84–70 record and finished only 4½ games out of first place under player-manager Otto Knabe
Otto Knabe
Franz Otto Knabe , also known as "Dutch", was an American Major league second baseman from Carrick, Pennsylvania, who played for four different teams...
, the team was far less than successful than expected at the box office, even though four of the eight teams in the league (Chicago
Chicago Whales
The Chicago Whales were a professional baseball team based in Chicago. They played in the Federal League, a short-lived "third Major League", in 1914 and 1915. They originally lacked a formal nickname, and were known simply as the "Chicago Federals" to distinguish them from the Chicago Cubs and...
, Brooklyn
Brooklyn Tip-Tops
The Brooklyn Tip-Tops were a team in the short-lived Federal League of professional baseball from 1914 to 1915. The team was named by owner Robert Ward, who owned the Tip Top Bakery. They were sometimes informally called the Brooklyn Feds or BrookFeds due to being the Brooklyn team of the Federal...
, Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Rebels
The Pittsburgh Rebels were a professional baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team was a member of the short-lived Federal League, which was a minor league in 1913 but a full-fledged outlaw major league the next two years...
, and St. Louis
St. Louis Terriers
The St. Louis Terriers were a baseball club that played in the short-lived Federal League in and . They played their home games at Handlan's Park. The St. Louis Chapter of SABR placed a marker at the site of Handland's Park, now on the campus of St. Louis University, on October 17, 2007. The team...
) were competing with one and even two (Chicago and St. Louis) other major league teams in the same cities.
In an attempt to turn this situation around and attract a marquee player to help them at the box office, the team recruited Chief Bender
Chief Bender
Charles Albert "Chief" Bender was a pitcher in Major League Baseball during the first two decades of the 20th century...
of the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
champion Philadelphia Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
. The Athletics had sold off several future Hall-of-Famers like Eddie Plank
Eddie Plank
Edward Stewart Plank , nicknamed "Gettysburg Eddie", was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He is the first left-handed pitcher to win 200 games and then 300 games, and now ranks third in all-time wins among left-handers with 326 career victories and first all-time in career shutouts by a...
, Eddie Collins
Eddie Collins
Edward Trowbridge Collins, Sr. , nicknamed "Cocky", was an American Major League Baseball second baseman, manager and executive...
and Frank "Home Run" Baker after being swept by the surprising Boston Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
in the 1914 World Series
1914 World Series
In the 1914 World Series, the Boston Braves beat the Philadelphia Athletics in a four-game sweep.A contender for greatest upset of all time, the "Miracle Braves" were in last place on July 4, then roared on to win the National League pennant by games and sweep the stunned Athletics...
.
Bender had come off an impressive 17–3 season where he compiled seven shutout
Shutout
In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....
s and a 2.26 ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
in 1914. However, his 1915 season at Baltimore was a low point of his Hall of Fame
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...
career when he slumped to a 4–16 record, no shutouts, and a 3.99 ERA. Baltimore's collapse to a 47–107 record, 40 games out of first, was overshadowed only by the collapse of Bender's former team who went from a 99–53 league championship season to a dismal 43–109 record, 58½ games out of first in 1915. Bender and the Baltimore Terrapins never made a full recovery from 1915.
The incident did show the Federal League could compete seriously with the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
and American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
on a professional baseball level and led to the buy-out truce which ended the Federal League for good. However, the Baltimore team's owners were not offered a part in this buyout.
Impact
When the Federal League started, the Terrapins severely cut into the minor league Baltimore OriolesBaltimore Orioles (minor league)
The city of Baltimore, Maryland has been home to two minor league baseball teams called the Baltimore Orioles.-Name history:"Orioles" is a traditional name for baseball clubs in Baltimore . It was used by major league teams from 1882 through 1899 in the American Association/National League and by...
' attendance, causing financial problems for the owner. As a result, several players, including the young left-handed pitcher Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
, were offered for sale to major league teams. Ruth's contract was purchased by the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, after being turned down by Connie Mack and the Philadelphia Athletics. In 1914, the Babe begin his career with the Red Sox of the rival American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
. After the demise of the Federal League and the Terrapins, Baltimore would not see major league baseball again until , when the former St. Louis Browns
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
moved into town and became the current-day Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
.
As the Terrapins' owners were not offered any part of the buyout offer made to most Federal League teams by the American and National Leagues, they decided to sue alleging that the buyout was in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act
Sherman Antitrust Act
The Sherman Antitrust Act requires the United States federal government to investigate and pursue trusts, companies, and organizations suspected of violating the Act. It was the first Federal statute to limit cartels and monopolies, and today still forms the basis for most antitrust litigation by...
. The resulting case led to the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
that the scheduling and playing of "base ball games" did not constitute "interstate commerce" in any sense envisioned by the Framers of the United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
and therefore the Sherman Act and other federal laws and regulations did not apply to baseball. The case, Federal Baseball Club v. National League
Federal Baseball Club v. National League
Federal Baseball Club v. National League, , is a case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Sherman Antitrust Act did not apply to Major League Baseball.-Background:...
, was not ultimately decided until 1922.
The minor league Orioles moved into Terrapin Park, a wooden ballpark. This move began a chain of events which would eventually lead to the return of major league baseball to Baltimore.
See also
- 1914 Baltimore Terrapins season1914 Baltimore Terrapins seasonThe Baltimore Terrapins season was a season in American baseball. They finished in third place in the Federal League, 4½ games behind the Indianapolis Hoosiers.- Offseason :* Prior to 1914 season...
- 1915 Baltimore Terrapins season1915 Baltimore Terrapins seasonThe 1915 Baltimore Terrapins season was a season in American baseball. The Terrapins finished in 8th place in the Federal League, 40 games behind the Chicago Whales. After the season, both the team and the league folded.- Roster :- Starters by position :...