Over the winter of 1896-97, baseball fans were in open revolt. Cranks in smaller big-league towns were particularly incensed: why should Elizabeth, NJ, Fall River, Mass, and Fort Wayne, Indiana be permanently relegated to the lower divisions, when they've proven they can win professional championships? In fact, teams in these cities were seriously discussing creating an alternate league or folding their clubs altogether.
Only one man could fix the fix: Jim Creighton. In February, he called a news conference in Hoboken and announced the formation of a new league: the National American Baseball Union, in which all 60 clubs in the National, American and Union loops were allowed to join. In short order, they all did, and the new NABU was constituted into six divisions of ten teams each:
With the stroke of a pen, the American and Union Associations (and their Cup competitions) were consigned to history. Play ball!
(EDITOR'S NOTE: Sorry it too so long for me to return to this universe, guys. I was genuinely stuck about how to bring baseball into the 20th century, and I tried to find a way to ensure that the biggest cities would float naturally to the top of the ladder. That would've required [1] fiddling with the individual team's finances and/or [2] literally pushing smaller cities down and pulling big cities up. Either one would've required way too much work, so I just tossed all 60 clubs in the Churn-O-Matic and let the Pringles hit the carpet. IRL, all pro sports slowly pushed the smaller cities out of the big leagues, and I think that is what's gonna happen here eventually. But for now, any of the 60 clubs can still win the Centennial Cup! Play ball!)