Take Me Out to the Courthouse · The Commissioner's Office
The Shuffled Outfielder
Milwaukee American Ass'n v. Landis (1931)
Charge: Suit to enjoin the commissioner's order freeing a player and voiding his transfers (claim that the commissioner exceeded his powers)Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of IllinoisDocket: The Commissioner's Office
Could the commissioner void transactions that broke no specific written rule but undermined the spirit of baseball's agreements?
The facts
One man secretly controlled a big-league club and several minor-league clubs. A promising outfielder was moved back and forth among those clubs, which kept him off the market and got around a limit on how long a player could be optioned. When yet another transfer came up for approval, the commissioner investigated and found the common ownership. He refused to approve the deal and declared the player a free agent. The minor-league club sued, saying no written rule barred what it had done.
You have the facts the court had. Guilty or not guilty? Call it in the game with your friends, then see what the court actually decided. Wrong call, you drink.
Citation: Milwaukee American Ass'n v. Landis, 49 F.2d 298 (N.D. Ill. 1931)
Read more at lexplug.com. The source reveals the outcome.