1864: Born in Ohio
1893: Sportswriter Johnson elected president of the faltering Western League
1899: Expanded the Western League following the National League’s contraction and moved other franchises to fill the void left behind. Grand Rapids moved to Cleveland and St. Paul moved to Chicago.
1900: Renamed the Western League, the American League. The AL remained a minor league.
1901: Moved the Buffalo franchise to Boston
1901: NL cut salaries, so Johnson raided their rosters. The AL became a major league.
1917: Harry Frazee bought the Red Sox leading to a clash with Johnson. Johnson did not handpick Frazee and tried to drive him out. The league split into factions. Some supported Johnson while others Frazee. The controversy led to a break with Charles Comiskey.
1919: The Black Sox throw the World Series. Johnson ignores Comiskey’s complaints about the series.
1920: The Black Sox scandal breaks. The owners agree to an independent commission to investigate undercutting Johnson’s authority. Kenesaw Mountain Landis is appointed commissioner with absolute power.
1924: Johnson demanded the World Series be cancelled after allegations surfaced that players accepted bribes. Landis refused and threatened to resign if Johnson did not shut up.
1927: The AL owners forced Johnson out rather than lose Landis.
1931: Died
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment