One of the first minor leagues in history, the Western League (previously the Northwestern League) was founded by Ban Johnson in 1885 and was the predecessor of today’s American League. The Western League endured a season to season existence until Johnson created the American League and the Western continued to be a part of the minors, employing such future Hall of Famers as Charles Comiskey, Dizzy Dean, and Connie Mack. The league’s demise in the minors came in the 1950s, but it was revived in 1995 as an independent league on the West Coast with no relation to the majors. This work begins with an introduction to the Western League and documents the history of the Western and the American leagues from 1885 through 1999. Included are photographs of teams and players who participated in the league and in-depth team and individual player statistics.

W.C. Madden, former editor and journalism instructor, is a member of the White County Historical Society and Tippecanoe Historical Association, and the author of 44 books. He lives in Monticello, Indiana.
SABR member Patrick J. Stewart, is a mechanical designer living in Flat Rock, Indiana.

W.C. Madden and Patrick J. Stewart
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 330
Bibliographic Info: 99 photos, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2002
pISBN: 978-0-7864-1003-3
Imprint: McFarland

Preface     ix

Introduction     1

Abbreviations Used    3

1 The Inaugural Season     5

2 The Early Years (1886–1893)     13

3 The Johnson Years (1894–1899)     34

4 A New Century, A New League (1900–1937)     57

5 Class D Era (1939–1941)     200

6 After the War (1947–1958)     211

7 The Independent Phase (1995–Present)     270

8 League Records     293

9 League Officials     302

10 All-Time Players and Team     310

Bibliography     313

Index     315

“an engaging tale”—Choice; “Stewart knows a lot about the early history of baseball…excellent”—The Indianapolis Star.