This was the first year of operation for the American League, a new rival to the National League. Other leagues had sprung up to challenge the NL, only to disappear a short while later. The AL, however, would be very successful, and in a short time merged with the NL to form Major League Baseball.
        The National League had turned rather violent in recent years. Players would abuse each other during the games, then occasionally turn on umpires or fans. Not exactly a family atmosphere. The AL's founder, Ban Johnson, made sure that violence would not be permitted in his league. Though the NL players and management initially sneered at the new "sissy" league, they changed their tune when the AL started taking away many of the NL's fans.

        Of course, the new American League also needed some good players. Though the AL had existed for several years (as the Western League), the talent level was still far below that of the NL. In only a couple of years, however, the AL did a remarkable job of signing up some of the NL's biggest stars. The first two stars to jump to the new league were Nap Lajoie and pitcher Cy Young.
        If you can imagine Roberto Alomar leaving the majors to go play in the Northern League or something, and the type of numbers he would put up...well, it would be just about what Nap Lajoie did this year. Lajoie was a great second baseman, and could have been the MVP of any league. But this year, against inferior competition, he was incredibly dominant. His .426 batting average was the highest of the century.
        Lajoie's numbers came back down to earth as more quality players filtered into the league. But he did remain among the best players in the league for another decade. Lajoie played for 21 years, won three batting titles and three RBI titles. He was a career .338 hitter, smacked out 3242 hits, and also stole 380 bases. He was also the best defensive second baseman of the era. I don't think he was quite as good a player as Eddie Collins, who entered the league a few years later. But Lajoie still ranks among the top ten second basemen ever, and is in the Hall Of Fame.
        Buck Freeman was a minor star who jumped leagues. Freeman was a good power hitter; in 1899, he hit 25 home runs in a season, one of the best totals ever from the dead ball era. Freeman's career was not long, but he was the AL's top power hitter in its early years, and won two RBI titles. He also established a record by playing in 5341 consecutive innings; that record lasted until 1985, when it was broken by Cal Ripken Jr.