Baseball History -- February 15

Complete entry for February 15 is at BaseballLibrary.com is HERE.

Highlighted entries:

1999
The Cincinnati Reds announce that they are dropping their long-standing policy of no facial hair for players. The change is the result of a talk between owner Marge Schott and newly-acquired OF Greg Vaughn.

See! Marge Schott was reasonable!

1994
Ila Borders becomes the first woman to pitch in a college game. Appearing for Southern California College of Cosa Mesa, she 5-hits Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 12-1.

Ila's web page isn't out there anymore and her Wikipedia page had about three errors that I saw just skimming the article. She was inducted into The Baseball Reliquary and details are HERE -- just scroll.

1910
Both major leagues adopt resolutions banning syndicate baseball, which allowed owners to have financial interests in more than one team. The National League votes for a 154-game schedule to open on April 12th, which the American League has already adopted. Other rules: umpires must announce all team changes to spectators; batting orders must be delivered to the umpire at home plate before the game; a batter is out if he crosses the plate from one batter's box to the other while the pitcher is in position to pitch; a base runner is out if he passes another runner before the latter has been put out.

Doesn't it seem a bit late to be making rule changes?

1900
Unable to get backers in Philadelphia, John McGraw withdraws Baltimore from American League, ending prospects for the league as a rival to the National League. Two weeks later McGraw will sign to manage Baltimore (NL).

This answers the question about why John McGraw hated the American League.