| American Association (19th Century) |
Article Index for American Association |
Website Links For American Association |
Information AboutAmerican Association (19th Century) |
The American Association ('''AA''') was a Baseball major league from 1882 to 1891 . During that time, it challenged the National League for dominance of professional baseball. Together with the National League , the American Association participated in an early version of the World Series seven times during their ten-year coexistence. The National League won most of those encounters, while some ended in ties due to disputes or other issues. The only victory for the American Association came in 1886 when the St. Louis Browns (now Cardinals) defeated the Chicago White Stockings (now Cubs). Over its lifetime, the AA was weakened by several factors. One was the tendency of some of its teams to jump to the NL. The consistently stronger NL also put it in better position to survive adverse conditions. The most significant blow to the AA was dealt by the Players' League , a third major league formed in 1890 , which siphoned off talent and gate receipts. In a unique historical oddity, Brooklyn represented the AA in the 1889 World's Series, switched leagues in the off-season, and represented the NL in 1890. Brooklyn lost the 1889 Series, and the 1890 Series ended in a 3-3-1 draw, left unresolved due to growing animosity between the leagues. The living legacy of the old Association is the teams that came over to the National League to stay, the teams now known as the Pittsburgh Pirates , Cincinnati Reds , Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals . "BEER AND WHISKEY LEAGUE" The American Association offered cheaper ticket prices and more liberal libations to its patrons, and became known as "The Beer and Whiskey League", especially by supporters of the National League, in reference to the fact that many of its biggest backers were breweries and distilleries. The NL at that time prohibited the sale of alcohol on its grounds. Coincidentally, and also ironically given the Association's derisive nickname, "AA" is now more widely known as the abbreviation for Alcoholics Anonymous . PENNANT WINNERS OF THE AA
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FRANCHISES
TIMELINE
AA PRESIDENTS
REFERENCES AND EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|