Philadelphia-An American League town?

[PlayJay]

Here's some logic:

By 1953, given the atrocious lack of success in the front office, and on the field, as well as the legendary success of the club that shared the ballpark with them, mostly in the years when the club was run by a legendary general manager who first left the Browns under a cloud, I can't imagine that same would've had any kind of devoted fan base that would've cared. They certainly couldn't be blamed for not caring.

I can't believe the Phillies survived...

[Brownieand45sfan]

But that's exactly what they *don't* want: somebody eating in to Gussie Busch's and Bob Carpenter's territory. Greedy MLB *wants* the fan to feel disenfranchised. You are supposed to support the team you're told, shut up and buy more souvenirs. Remember the fan comes last. Once they know they have you hooked, which MLB pretty much knew by 1950.

(whew. I feel like I'm catching donzblock flu! )

The timing may have been a little off, but I agree that the St Louis Browns should have moved to Kansas City, and the A's (if they had to move) should have gone to Baltimore. This way the fans of both teams could have kept some ties to the team. They would be able to sometimes travel to see their teams, always listen to the team on the radio, and probably watch them on TV. I know that the Royals and Cardinals are all over Missouri and surrounding states (KS,AR,OK,NE, etc). I recall going to a Royals vs Orioles game back in 1983 where there was a huge contingent of the "St Louis Browns" fan club sitting in the LF bleachers. Even when they won the '85 series, Royals Stadium was loaded with Cardinal fans. At least the Browns could have had some of their original fans.

[Steve Jeltz]

Maybe Bucky Harris unwittingly sealed the A's fate. In 1943, Willam Cox bought the Phils and hired Harris as manager. Harris had the Phils, losers of 100 plus games the previous 5 seasons, just 8 games sunder .500 in August when the meddling Cox canned him. A peeved Harris mentioned to a sportswriter after he was fired that Cox bet on Phils games. Commisioner Landis promptly barred Cox from baseball forever, paving the way for Carpenter to buy the Phillies.

Now, what if, Harris never opened his mouth about Cox's betting? It's conceivable that Cox would have continued to be the owner for a couple of more years before his wagering habits came to light. By then, maybe Carpenter would not have been interested in buying the Phils and the Phils, likely floundering under Cox, would have had to relocate. With the Phils gone, the AL would have found someone who would have kept the A's in Philly.

[oriolesmagic]

I believe that Baltimore was looking at either the Browns or the A's because both had been drawing so poorly.

[chicagowhitesox1173]

Maybe Bucky Harris unwittingly sealed the A's fate. In 1943, Willam Cox bought the Phils and hired Harris as manager. Harris had the Phils, losers of 100 plus games the previous 5 seasons, just 8 games sunder .500 in August when the meddling Cox canned him. A peeved Harris mentioned to a sportswriter after he was fired that Cox bet on Phils games. Commisioner Landis promptly barred Cox from baseball forever, paving the way for Carpenter to buy the Phillies.

Now, what if, Harris never opened his mouth about Cox's betting? It's conceivable that Cox would have continued to be the owner for a couple of more years before his wagering habits came to light. By then, maybe Carpenter would not have been interested in buying the Phils and the Phils, likely floundering under Cox, would have had to relocate. With the Phils gone, the AL would have found someone who would have kept the A's in Philly.

I gotta say this is something I wont forget and it probaly is true. This was a good thread. Made my top 10 list for bbf threads.