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Sctvman · 04-10-2021, 11:23 PM

July 9, 1947

The All-Star Game was at Chicago's Wrigley Field, so the owners decided to meet in downtown Chicago. With the separation between the National League and the American League, each set of 8 owners had their own separate meetings held, at different hotels in the city. The NL at the Stevens Hotel and the AL up the street at the Blackstone.

Each league's meetings lasted multiple hours. All 16 cities made presentations to the different committees as possible owners and important dignitaries from each of the participating cities were in town. Bob Rodenberg was in town for Baltimore. Kansas City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Milwaukee, and Montreal all had large contingents in town.

Each league deliberated in large convention rooms from morning until early evening waiting to make a decision. This had been discussed for months prior, as one of the major topics during the 1947 season. What cities, if any, are going to break the 44 year, more than 2 generation drought without a expansion franchise in the major leagues?

What is the decision that is going to be made? We have been waiting for months.

At 9pm on the 9th day of July, a bulletin came from the Blackstone Hotel, which surprised lots of people. The American League owners were at a deadlock after hours of debate. There was lots of chatter about Los Angeles and San Francisco getting in the league, but several of the poorer owners in the AL, like the Browns and Athletics owners, feared having to pay territorial fees to every PCL team.

The decision ended up being that the American League would NOT expand for the 1948 season. They would stay status quo at 8 teams a side. A decision would be made later about possible expansion later on. This was a bulletin on all major radio networks.

The National League though was not ready to make a decision. They deliberated over several cities, including LA and San Francisco. But with the NL having more "powerhouse" teams, they felt like it would be better to not have to worry about if teams were going to make it.

They waited on their decision until the next morning, July 10.

04-10-2021, 11:23 PM	#17
Sctvman Major Leagues Join Date: Apr 2018 Posts: 425	July 9, 1947 The All-Star Game was at Chicago's Wrigley Field, so the owners decided to meet in downtown Chicago. With the separation between the National League and the American League, each set of 8 owners had their own separate meetings held, at different hotels in the city. The NL at the Stevens Hotel and the AL up the street at the Blackstone. Each league's meetings lasted multiple hours. All 16 cities made presentations to the different committees as possible owners and important dignitaries from each of the participating cities were in town. Bob Rodenberg was in town for Baltimore. Kansas City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Milwaukee, and Montreal all had large contingents in town. Each league deliberated in large convention rooms from morning until early evening waiting to make a decision. This had been discussed for months prior, as one of the major topics during the 1947 season. What cities, if any, are going to break the 44 year, more than 2 generation drought without a expansion franchise in the major leagues? What is the decision that is going to be made? We have been waiting for months. At 9pm on the 9th day of July, a bulletin came from the Blackstone Hotel, which surprised lots of people. The American League owners were at a deadlock after hours of debate. There was lots of chatter about Los Angeles and San Francisco getting in the league, but several of the poorer owners in the AL, like the Browns and Athletics owners, feared having to pay territorial fees to every PCL team. The decision ended up being that the American League would NOT expand for the 1948 season. They would stay status quo at 8 teams a side. A decision would be made later about possible expansion later on. This was a bulletin on all major radio networks. The National League though was not ready to make a decision. They deliberated over several cities, including LA and San Francisco. But with the NL having more "powerhouse" teams, they felt like it would be better to not have to worry about if teams were going to make it. They waited on their decision until the next morning, July 10. Last edited by Sctvman; 04-10-2021 at 11:32 PM.