In Mexico City, the braintrust for the expansion of Major League Baseball met to
come to a final conclusion as to who the 4 new MLB expansion teams would be. One
was a given... the Kansas City Royals. The other 3 however provided some serious
consideration. San Diego announced that if they were to be given a new Major
League franchise that they would have their stadium ready in time for opening
day 1969, and the team would not need to temporarily play at Westgate . Though
not one of William A. Shea's initial considerations, San Diego was awarded a franchise.
Seattle was oddly enough awarded a franchise as well... perhaps the biggest
failure of the meeting as the Pilots would barely last a single year at
Sicks Stadium before fleeing to Milwaukee. In came Montreal's city councilman Gerry
Snyder to the meetings raving about how Montreal was a world class city just
primed for baseball. Being the "American Language" ambassador so to speak for
Canada, and councilman to the "American language" side of town, Snyder tried
to persuade the group that baseball could thrive tremendously by opening itself
to international play and to allow Montreal the opportunity to be the inaugural
team in this endeavor. On the panel was the man with perhaps the biggest reputation
in professional baseball and probably the greatest amount of persuasion...
Los Angeles Dodgers president Walter O'Malley. |