Finding Aid for BA MSS 105 (Joint Major League Meetings)

GUIDE TO JOINT MAJOR LEAGUE MEETINGS

National Baseball Hall of Fame Library

National Baseball Hall of Fame
25 Main Street
Cooperstown, NY 13326

www.baseballhall.org

This guide to the collection was prepared by Claudette Scrafford in September 2010 and revised October 2012.

Collection Number:
BA MSS 105
BL-377.2010
BL-583.2010

Title:
Joint Major League Meetings

Inclusive Dates:
1915 - 1970

Extent:
4 linear feet (9 archival boxes)

Repository:
National Baseball Hall of Fame Library
25 Main Street
Cooperstown, NY 13326

Abstract:
This is a collection of meeting minutes from meetings between the American, National and Minor leagues.

Acquisition Information:
This collection was donated by the Office of the Commissioner in 2004. A second donation by Peter O’Malley was received in 2010.

Preferred Citation:
Joint Major League Meetings, BA MSS 105, National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, NY.

Access Restrictions:
By appointment only during regular business hours.
A 65-year release restriction as set by the Office of the Commissioner. See content list below for release dates.

Copyright:
Property rights reside with the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library. For information about permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the library.

Processing Information:
This collection was processed by Claudette Burke in September 2010.

History:
Major League Baseball is an organization that operates two leagues – the American League and the National League. The National League has been in existence since 1876 and the American League was formed in 1901. In September of 1901, Patrick T. Powers, president of the Eastern League, announced the formation of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (NAPBL). After 1902, the three leagues—NL, AL and the NAPBL— signed a new National Agreement. This joint organizational structure has gradually developed since that time which included many committees.

Scope and Content
A collection of meeting minutes primarily between the American League and National League. The meeting of December 17th, 1915 includes the Federal League for readjustment of the existing baseball situation. The meeting of 1920 was held by the Drafting Committee regarding the National Agreement. The minutes of 1940 deal with night games and radio broadcast issues and 1943 has a statement by Landis regarding the hiring of Negro players. The death of Commissioner Landis and Leo Bondy are in the minutes of December 13th, 1944. This collection contain minutes from the Advisory Council and the Major League Executive Council.

Controlled Access Terms
These records are indexed under the following terms in the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Library catalog. Researchers wishing to find related materials may wish to search under these terms.

Corporate Names
National League
American League
Federal League

Personal Names
Landis, Kenesaw Mountain,
Chandler, Albert B.,
Frick, Ford,

Subject Headings
Meetings, minutes
Rules and regulations
Baseball players, African-American
Agreements
Collective labor agreements

Content List
AL = American League NL = National League
Box 1
Folder 1 December 14, 1915

Folder 2 December 17, 1915
- Meeting of the Special Committees representing the AL, NL and National Commission representing the Federal League

Folder 3 December 17, 1915
- Preliminary meeting of the Special Committee of the AL and NL and National Commission

Folder 4 October 18, 1920

Folder 5 November 7-8, 1920
- Official report of Special Meeting of the NL and Joint meetings between Chicago, New York and Boston clubs of the AL

Folder 6 December 11-12, 1920
- Drafting Committee meeting with delegates from the Minor League
- drafting National Agreement.

Box 2
Folder 1 January 10, 1921
- Major League Drafting Committee meeting
- New contract discussion

Folder 2 January 11, 1921
- Continuation of Drafting Committee meeting

Folder 3 January 12, 1921
- Official report of Joint Meeting

Folder 4 January 12, 1921
- Official report of Joint Meeting with Minor League Representatives

Folder 5 December 15-16, 1921

Folder 6 December 14, 1922
- Transcript of meeting (photocopy)

Folder 7 December 14, 1922
- Transcript of meeting (original)

Folder 8 December 14, 1922
- Minutes of Joint Meeting

Folder 9 December 11, 1924

Folder 10 December 17, 1924
- Memorandum of preliminary meeting of AL and NL

Folder 11 December 15, 1927

Folder 12 December 13, 1928

Folder 13 July 9, 1930
- minutes and resolutions

Box 3 Transcripts of meetings
Folder 1 December 12, 1929
-includes rule revisions

Folder 2 July 9, 1930
- Joint meeting minutes and resolution

Folder 3 December 10 - 11, 1930
- Special Joint Meeting of AL, NL and Minor Leagues
- Joint Meeting of AL and NL

Folder 4 December 10, 1931

Folder 5 December 15, 1932
- Redraft of Major League rules

Folder 6 December 14, 1933
- Landis contract extended seven years
- ML rule revisions

Folder 7 December 13, 1934

Folder 8 December 12, 1935
- Major-Minor league agreement amendments
- Playing rules and World Series rules amendments

Box 4
Folder 1 December 10, 1936
- Major-Minor rule amendments
- Robert Feller

Folder 2 December 8, 1937
- Player contract

Folder 3 July 5, 1938

Folder 4 December 15, 1938
- Major League rule amendments

Folder 5 December 8, 1939
- Major League rule amendments

Folder 6 December 11, 1940
- Joint Meeting of AL, NL and their constituent clubs
- Major League rule amendments – night games & radio broadcast issues

Folder 7 March 19, 1941
- Major-Minor League executives
- Revision of Major-Minor League Agreement

Folder 8 December 11, 1941
- Major League rule amendments – Sunday doubleheaders, - Book of rules

Folder 9 July 6, 1942
- Playing of night games – Clark Griffith
- Motion to permit Washington Club to schedule remaining 1942 games, except Sunday and holidays, at night

Box 5
Folder 1 December 3, 1942
- Major-Minor League rule amendments
- Discussion re: transportation of players, war program projects
- Negro – C.I.O.
- 1942 World Series, war program

Folder 2 January 5, 1943
- Special Joint Meeting of AL and NL
- Spring training & transportation reduce passenger mileage
- Night game issue

Folder 3 December 3, 1943
- Negro ballplayer issue, rule revisions
- Commissioner Landis: “…Whereupon, I gave out an announcement a year ago last summer that nay club was perfectly at liberty to hire one or twenty or twenty-five Negro players.”

Folder 4 February 5-6, 1944
- Joint Meeting of Major-Minor Post-War Planning Committees

Folder 5 February 5, 1944 – copy of folder 4
Folder 6 February 6, 1944 – copy of folder 4

Folder 7 July 11, 1944
- Night baseball
- Major-Minor League agreement extended to Jan 12, 1946
- USO visits

Box 6
Folder 1 December 13, 1944
- Judge Landis & Leo Bondy (NY Giants) deaths, page 5
- Major League Agreement, executed, 12 Dec 1944

Folder 2 February 3, 1945
- Major League agreement unanimously adopted

Folder 3 April 24, 1945
- Report of Joint Meeting of AL and NL
- Election of commissioner
- Negro ball players
- Voluntary retired list

Folder 4 July 12, 1945
- Report of Joint Meeting of AL and NL
- Lease for commissioner’s office, move from Chicago to Cincinnati
- Signing high school players

Folder 5 December 10, 1945
- Major-Minor League agreement and Major-Minor League rules extended for one year by both Major Leagues

Folder 6 December 12, 1945
- Report of Joint Meeting of AL and NL
- Major League rule 10(j) and Major-Minor League
rule 14(d)
- Night baseball and twilight games

Folder 7 February 2, 1946
- Bonuses
- National Defense players
- High school committee

Folder 8 July 8 and Aug 28, 1946

Folder 9 December 7, 1946
- Action Taken
- Pension plan
- Major League rule revisions
- Broadcasting regulations
- Major-Minor League agreement adoption

Folder 10 July 7, 1947
- Meeting agenda

Folder 11 December 14, 1948
- Joint Meeting of AL, NL and their constituent clubs
- Major and Major-Minor League rule revisions
- Note – Commissioner cast deciding vote on items 28-29

Folder 12 July 11, 1949 – Restricted to July 12, 2014
- Broadcasting “home territory”
- Major League rule revisions

Folder 13 December 14, 1949 – Restricted to Dec 15, 2014
- Agenda, Action taken
- Jackie Robinson tribute – George Washington Carver Award
- Major League rules amendments

Folder 14 July 10, 1950 – July 11, 2015
- Agenda, Action taken
- Major League rule revisions

Folder 15 December 11 - 12, 1950 – Dec 12, 2015
- Special Joint Meeting of AL and NL
- Commissioner Chandler failed to be re-elected, decided to finish term
- Decision to select and elect new commissioner ASAP
- Major League rule revisions
- National Association amendments

Folder 16 September 20, 1951 – Sept 21, 2016
- Ford Frick elected commissioner
- Major League agreement revisions

Folder 17 October 8, 1951 – Oct 9, 2016
- Special Joint Meeting of AL and NL
- Major League rule 1(d) revision

Folder 18 December 9 – 10, 1951 – Dec 11, 2016
- Minutes, agenda, proposed amendments

Box 7 Joint Meeting Minutes
Folder 1 July 7, 1952 – July 8, 2017
Dec 7, 1952 – Dec 8, 2017
- agenda

Folder 2 Jan 31, 1953 – Feb 1, 2018
Jul 13, 1953 – July 14, 2018
Dec 9, 1953 – Dec 10, 2018
Jul 26, 1954 – July 27, 2019
Dec 7, 1954 – Dec 8, 2019
Dec 6, 1955 – Dec 7, 2020

Folder 3 July 13, 1953 - July 14, 2018
- Agenda, proposed amendments
- Proceedings, minutes

Folder 4 Dec 9, 1953 - Dec 10, 2018
- Agenda, Player Requests

Folder 5 July 26, 1954 - July 27, 2019
- Harold G. Roettger’s agenda, notes

Folder 6 Feb 4, 1956 – Feb 5, 2021
May 25, 1956 – May 26, 2021
Aug 2, 1956 – Aug 3, 2021
- agenda (3 copies)
Oct 2, 1956 – Oct 3, 2021
Dec 11, 1956 – Dec 12, 2021

Folder 7 Feb 2, 1957 – Feb 3, 2022
Mar 22, 1957 – Mar 23, 2022
Jul 8, 1957 – July 9, 2022
Oct 1, 1957 – Oct 2, 2022
Dec 6, 1957 – Dec 7, 2022

Folder 8 Jan 25, 1958 – Jan 26, 2023
Dec 4, 1958 – Dec 5, 2023

Folder 9 July 10, 1958 – July 11, 2023
- Steve Hannagan’s Baseball Jubilee proposal
- 32 pages, read at Joint Meeting

Folder 10 Jan 31, 1959 – Feb 1, 2024
May 21, 1959 – May 22, 2024
- Columbus Resolution re: expansion
Jul 10, 1959 – July 11, 2024
Dec 8, 1959 - Dec 9, 2024
- Agenda
Dec 6, 1959, Major League Executive Council meeting

Folder 11 June 27, 1961 – Jun 28, 2026
- Agenda
- “5-Year Plan”, Commissioner & Executive Council

Folder 12 Dec 1, 1962 – Dec 2, 2027
Dec 6, 1963 – Dec 7, 2028
Jan 15, 1964 – Jan 15, 2029
Aug 11, 1964 – Aug 12, 2029
Dec 4, 1964 – Dec 5, 2029
Mar 29, 1965 – Mar 30, 2030
Jul 21, 1965 – July 22, 2030
Oct 19, 1965 – Oct 20, 2030
Nov 17, 1965 – Nov 18, 2030
Dec 3, 1965 – Dec 4, 2030

Folder 13 May & Dec 1962 – Jan 1, 2028
- Agenda, notes, proposals

Folder 14 Jan & May 1964 – Jun 1, 2029
- Agenda, notes, proposals

Folder 15 Dec 1964 – Jan 1, 2030
- Agenda, notes, proposals

Box 8
Folder 1 May 3, 1966 – May 4, 2031
Aug 25, 1966 – Aug 26, 2031
Dec 2, 1966 – Dec 3, 2031
Aug 3, 1967 – Aug 4, 2032
Nov 30, 1967 – Dec 1, 2032
Dec 1, 1967 – Dec 2, 2032

Folder 2 May 28, 1968 – May 29, 2033
Jul 10, 1968 – July 11, 2033
Dec 6, 1968 – Dec 7, 2033
Dec 20 – 21, 1968 – Dec 22, 2033
Feb 4, 1969 – Feb 5, 2034
Aug 12, 1969 – Aug 13, 2034
Oct 21, 1969 – Oct 22, 2034
May 15, 1970 – May 16, 2035
July 29, 1970 – July 30, 2035

Folders 3 – 11 Correspondence related to the Joint Meetings

Folder 3 Oct 1924 – World Series compensation

Folder 4 1930 – Draft Agreement, Class AA

Folder 5 Jan – Jun 1931 – Draft Agreement, Class AA

Folder 6 1945 – 1946 – Gen Sebree, Public Relations Officer
- Army Ground Forces

Folder 7 September 1946 – Lee MacPhail’s resignation

Folder 8 1948-1951, 1954 – High School Baseball Program – Jan 2020

Folder 9 1956 – 1958 – Jan 2024

Folder 10 Dec 1958 – Jan 1959 – Formation of committee to study
“Problems of Baseball” Feb 2024

Folder 11 1961 – 1964 Jan 2030

Box 9
Folder 1 May 10, 1921
- Major-Minor League Advisory Council

Folder 2 January 6, 1937
- Major Leagues Advisory Council (two copies)

Folder 3 July 23, 1945
- Major-Minor Committee of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues

Folder 4 February 1, 1947
-Major-Minor League Executive Council

Folder 5 July 7, 1947
- Major League Executive Council

Folder 6 July 12, 1948 – July 13, 2013
- Major League Executive Council (two copies)

Folder 7 July 11, 1949 – July 12, 2014
- Major League Executive Council

Folder 8 July 10, 1950 – July 11, 2015
- Major League Executive Council

Folder 9 December 7, 1952 – Dec 8, 2017
- Report to the Major-Minor League Executive Council