[Painmantle]

Baseball Heads West: An Alternate History


The Year 1958, the US economy is booming, something that cannot be said about baseball. The defection of Brooklyn and NY Giants to the West Coast had the Big Apple in an uproar. Talks of moving Cleveland ran amuck. But the talks of moving the Senators out of Washington DC had congress calling for congressional hearings. Baseball answered with 48 year baseball guru Casey Stengel as their spokesperson and The Mighty Casey did NOT Strike out on this day. He rambled on enough to get baseball a reprieve from talks of a Monopoly and elimination of the reserve clause, dodging the proverbial “bean Ball” from Congress.


The sudden and immediate resignation of Commissioner Ford Frick (which followed the resignation of AL President, William Harridge) Sent shockwaves through Baseball and rattled the Owners dramatically.

Here is Frick’s announcement from St Andrews Golf Club:

"What I am about to say is not the result of a sudden decision. It has nothing to do with any of the events of recent months. I have been thinking about this matter for some years. I have now come to the considered conclusion that I can no longer defer giving my whole attention to a project which has been occupying me at odd moments for a long time. This project is the writing of a book on the game of curling. As most of you gentlemen of press, radio and television know, I have been playing this grand old Scottish game here at the St. Andrews Club for many, many years. Baseball has always been my first love, true, but curling is a game to which I am also deeply devoted. In this book of mine, I think I may have something to say. Therefore, effective immediately, I am resigning as baseball commissioner to give all my time to the completion of my manuscript. Thank you, one and all.”
"And now, fellows, I think there are some refreshments and light luncheon snacks waiting for us in the club bar."

Baseball owners fearing that not having a commissioner would escalate animosity towards the owners and the game which seemed to be in disarray and cause a total abolishment of the Baseball economic system that had been so profitable for it’s owners for so long. The baseball owners frantically searched and nominated possible replacements for Frick but after several candidates failed to get the required votes. Then one guy made the cut….Fels Napier!


While Napier knew very little about Baseball he knew about business and he wanted to capitalize on the excitement on the West Coast that had developed very quickly with the relocation of two of Baseballs most storied franchises… the Giants and Dodgers.


Napier came up with a very ambitious plan to expand baseball 4 years before the scheduled date in 1962, He didn’t want to wait 4 years or 2 years he wanted expansion NOW! The owners were helpless, Firing Napier would surely raise red flag to congress and America that Baseball is a dying game and they could ill afford for this to happen.


It was Do or Die for Baseball. Failure would mean the collapse of baseball as we knew it, the end of the Monopoly and cost the owners Millions of dollars! They had no choice to go along with this ruthless plan and pretend like they liked it!





Comming soon, The announcment of the Expansion teams for Major League Baseball 1958! To Be Continued.....