After they were promoted to the National League in the spring, fans of the two-time Dauvray Cup-winning St. Paul Saints (and the Milwaukee Brewers) were eager to prove that they could play with the big boys and contend for the NL pennant.
Oops.
The only Saint proving to be one of the National's top batters was, of course, "Big Ed" Delahanty -- and this was despite the abuse he suffered at the hands of fans (especially in Philadelphia!) who called him a "traitor" and much, much worse.
And over in the AL, an even more shocking thing was occurring: the Cleveland Spiders had a shot at the pennant and a Temple Cup Playoffs berth:
The Spiders had improved, certainly; Cy Seymour and Willie Keeler -- now the club's manager -- were hitting well, and the pitching staff -- led by Malarkey and Henry -- was second-best in the AL:
But the four teams that had switched leagues in 1904 looked like they would switch right back again in 1905! Clearly, some tweaking of the rules would be required...