Go West, Young Team – Browns Move to L.A. in ‘41

Part 19 – Toronto’s rise to prominence – 1982-1993

Two members of the last Giants’ team in Minnesota, Jack Clark and Greg Minton, played key parts in their first pennant in Toronto.

The Giants had floundered enough by 1975 that the owners felt it best to start from scratch. Hence, there was no trading for Darrell Evans or other players they thought might make them contend for a short while; the club had been fighting Montreal for last, and they’d have a honeymoon period in Toronto.

Jack Clark decided to stay for a while; he was the Giants’ only star for a few years. And, a good one at that. Still, there were rumblings that he’d prefer to go back to the states after a while.

For now, he had a contract that ran through 1985. Toronto really began their rise in 1982, with the Phillies winning the division, but the Giants only 9 games back. In fact, they knocked the Dodgers out on the last day of the season. It was an amazing year in which nine games separated first from last!

1983 saw the Giants take another major step forward. The difference was the Dodgers manhandling the Phillies in head to head play. Brooklyn wound up 2 games ahead of the Giants at seasons’ end, after both clubs fell back to earth in the final couple months, and 4 ahead of the Phillies. Motnreal, for all their promise, had only won one half division.

1984 saw the first World Series played in Canada, as the Blue Jays’ Dave Stieb outdueled Rick Sutcliffe 3-2 in game 1 of the NLCS, then after a Cub win in game 2, the Blue Jays won game 3. The Cubs won game 4 in 11 innings, but Stieb won game 5 in Wrigley to deny the Cubs their 2nd pennant since 1945; it had been a Cub team with plenty of veterans, much like 1969’s team. The fact Chicagoans had seen the World Series only 15 years earlier led Rick Sutcliffe to leave for Kansas City.

Once Toronto made the World Series, the Blue Jays lose game 1 to Jack Morris, but beat Dan Petry in game 2. However, they got no further, as Detroit swept them in Toronto, with Kirk Gibson’s long home run off Minton in game 5 putting the icing on the cake as the Tigers celebrated a World Series title.

The Giants needed to figure out what to do. They could try to sign Clark, but they’d had a tricky outfield rotation, with Lloyd Moseby leading off in center, and George Bell, Jesse Barfield, and Jack Clark at the corner outifled spots. Clark also played first base against lefties, replacing Willie Upshaw, who’d slipped from his great year last year; essentially, Upshaw and Barfield platooned. The Giants had an excellent farm system, so it was decided to trade Clark, as the Cardinals needed a first baseman after the trade of Keith Hernandez to L.A.. David Green looked like a star in the making, and a possible leadoff man; the Giants figured he could lead off, allowing one of the outfielders or Upshaw to be traded, as Green could play first or the outfield.

It didn’t work out. Amazingly, not only was Green not the star they expected, he still ended up platooning at first because after Upshaw’s excellent 1983, he fell fast.

The Cardinals beat the Blue Jays for the pennant in 1985 – after another thrilling race with the Dodgers, this one a Giants victory - before losing the World Series to the Royals. Then, the Giants lost to the Phillies by 2 games in 1986 – a pennant race where the Indians finished only 3 games back! Finally, they got the pennant race they’d hoped for with the Expos; it materialized unexpectedly in 1987.

Montreal, with Toronto in their division, had been losing fans for years, and the club was desperate enough to reclaim what they saw as their right to be Canada’s team. They had only finished 9 behind Toronto in 1986. SO, while they feared Andre Dawson’s back would hamper him, and let him go, they did sign Tim Raines before he had a chance to be out till May 1, with the collusion in place. This helped them a lot, and the lack of other good teams in the East that year meant the race was all Toronto and Montreal.

In the end, Toronto was up by 3.5 with 7 games to play, when injuries struck. The Clue Jays had swept 3 games at Montreal the previous weekend, then on the last weekend, the Expos took 3 straight from Toronto, to win by two games. They’d finally won a division, after falling short so many times.

The Dodgers won the division in 1988, and then in 1989, Toronto and Montreal had another good pennant race. This time, when the Expos traded for Mark Langston, most figured the young Expos would take it. However, they blew a lead and let the Giants take the pennant, although not in as heartbreaking a manner as the Giants had lost in 1987. However, Toronto lost the pennant to the Padres.

The Toronto Giants lost the next two division to the Pirates, but came close to winning in 1991. Then, they signed Jack Morris from the world champion Twins, and tried to trade for a centerfielder and/or a leadoff man. The Seals had gotten quite old in 1991, as they fell below .500 and into 6th, and despite Dennis Eckersley they didn’t look capable of making it to the playoffs in ’92 (they finished 85-77, in 4th, just behind Texas and Denver). They knew Rickey Henderson wasn’t as good in center anymore, yet thought another team could get another year out of him there. Yet, they had Kevin Mitchell, and also planned to go aggressively after Barry Bonds in the offseason.

So, the Seals sent Henderson to the Toronto Giants for several young players, where he played Center and led off. He led the Giants to their first world title since 1965. Toronto had also signed Jack Morris as a free agent from the Twins, and made several other moves – such as getting Devon White from Houston as the trade deadline, to help fix a crowded Astro outfield. They won in a great pennant race with the Pirates. Even then, some said it might not have been enough, except the Pirates weren’t quite as determined, having already won the pennant in 1991, as they might have been. The Giants finished with 96 wins, the Pirates with 94. Toronto beat Minnesota in the Series.

Toronto finished this great run with another great pennant race the following year, too. They, the Expos, and the Phillies matched up in a great year that many said was the “last true pennant race” with the wild card coming in ext season. The winner was worn out, and lost the pennant to the Houston Astros, winners of 88. The Astros lost that year’s World Series to the Atlanta Athletics.
 
Part 20 – Minnesota, Milwaukee, and Great Northern Baseball

With the selection of Dwight (Doc) Gooden by the 1977 expansion Twins in the first round of the 1982 draft, and Calvin Griffith’s decision to go with all youth on the Brewers, the stage was set for some very memorable baseball in the two regions, including numerous division titles in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Gooden was rushed to the bigs to open the 1984 season, and he put on a great show for the Twins. He was Rookie of the Year, then the Cy Young winner in 1985, leading an otherwise lackluster Twins team almost single-handedly to within 4 games of the eventual World Champion Royals. All that at only age 20.

He later said his biography, “I was the kind who could really be tempted to party. If I’d played in New York or Los Angeles, at that age I might have had some serious problems. Thankfully, I didn’t, but…I pitched way too much for my age….I helped guide our club to a division win over the Seals and Bears in a very good pennant race in ‘88, and I didn’t want to say anything – I was sill seen as the ace of the club – but I was already feeling the effects of the arm injury that would keep me out for a good portion of 1989, when we fell to fifth. So, we lost to the Brewers that year.”

That Brewers club had finished 20 games behind the Tigers in 1984, the year Calvin Griffith sold them to Bud Selig. Selig thanked a somber Griffith then for giving Milwaukee “the baseball club it deserves” back in 1961, when they moved from Washington. He reminisced about how excited he’d been when the club won back to back pennants in 1965 and 1966, including the 1966 Series, and said he hoped that the club he’d started to rebuild could provide even more thrills.

However, in ‘85 they just barely escaped last, finishing only ahead of Ricky Henderson – signed by Ted Turner to a big contract extension – and the Atlanta Athletics, at 77-85. The A.L. East was incredibly tough for years.

The Yankees won the division with only 91 wins. New York lost to Kansas City in 7 in the ALCS, and along the way, made a trade with the Reds at the deadline for a second starter, sending them – among others – Jose Rijo, who would be the 1990 Series MVP. Still, New York had finished only 14 games ahead of the Brewers, so they weren’t too unhappy; maybe things could turn around, they figured

They were wrong. Phil Niekro of the Seals won his 14th game of the season - and 308th of his career - against them on the last day of the 1985 season by pitching a complete game shutout, at age 46. It was a harbinger of things to come, as the team fell to last place in 1986. The 1987 season saw the Brewers improve to 87-75, as Atlanta traded Rickey Henderson to the eventual league champion Seals – who made some other big trades, too. Baltimore had been in last, Atlanta and Chicago tied for 5th, as Turner’s Athletics went with a youth movement, and sent Henderson to a club where they were one great player away from a title. He’d lead them to pennants in 1987 and 1989. Turner remarked that Henderson’s injury problems in ‘8 and ’87 had hurt. “We can’t promote a guy who can’t play, and we need lots of help otherwise,” Turner reportedly aid once.

But, third and ten games back wasn’t what Selig had in mind when he bought what seemed to be a really good young club.

Milwaukee won the 1988 pennant, beating the Twins in the ALCS. However, Jeff Reardon surrendered a home run to pinch-hitter Kirk Gibson, Orel Hershiser pitched two great games, and only Mark McGwire’s home run to win game 3 prevented a sweep, as the Dodgers got revenge for 1966.

McGwire was a third baseman his first 2 years, of course, but better suited to play first. When the Brewers floundered again in 1989, in a division they should have been able to take easily (it was won by Baltimore, last place in 1988! Boston was a close 2nd, 2 games back), they traded Kent Hrbek to the Twins, who also signed Kirby Puckett from the Brewers as a free agent and traded for Minnesota native Dave Winfield from the Yankees after the 1989 season, hoping he could help draw fans. Jose Canseco was moved to DH, spelling Winfield in left at times with Shane Mack moving to right. The outfield of Mack, Puckett, and Dave Winfield led the Twins to challenge the division winning Seals most of the way in 1990, before falling short.

Minnesota had started to develop a great team. They traded for the Bears’ Paul Molitor, also a Minnesota native, part of the way through 1990, and inserted him at second, his original position. They signed free agents such as Steve Brdrosian and Jeff Reardon – who had struggled, some said because of the Gibson home run, but who was part of the world titlists here. The Twins also signed Jack Morris after the 1990 season. They won the last 2 in Minnesota in 1991 over Pittsburgh, and were world champs.

When it seemed he’d have to move to DH early in ’92, they traded Canseco for infield help. Rumors swirled that Canseco had introduced Gooden to performance enhancers after his 1991 injury, but they were never proven. The Twins lost to the Giants in 1992, before settling down to mediocrity once more.

As for the Brewers, they also suffered quite a bit, as Selig and Pohlad both had trouble putting decent teams on the field at times. It was hoped that a new division setup in 1994 would help them, as it seemed that richer teams were able to sign everyone. That included Atlanta, despite a trade of Rickey Henderson to the Seals, once they started to build a dynasty in the early 1990s. It also included the Seals, who would sign the Pirates’ Barry Bonds for a huge amount, as he came home to where his father had played. The Seals had won pennants in 1987 and 1989, and come close in 1990, as the entire Bay Area cheered for a team that in 1985 lost 100 games.
 
Part 21 – Worst to First, and Last Gasps; 1989-1990

Carlton Fisk considered retirement after a poor ALCS in 1986, in which the Red Sox lost to the Angels in 5. He finally decided to come back; one, two at the most seasons would get him over 300 home runs, and if he wasn’t a lock before for Cooperstown, he would be then, people said. Plus, there were more young pitchers to groom, Oil Can Boyd was erratic and needed a guy like Fisk behind the plate, and the Red Sox had only won pennants in 1967 and 1977 despite an incredibly rich farm system over a 20-year stretch. It was through that after the slide into mediocrity from the half division in 1981 to their 6th place finish in 1983, they had blown their chance, but now, maybe they could win another pennant.

Fisk ended up, from 1988-1990, with one of the best three-year periods of any player after he turned 40. The Red Sox couldn’t quite win in 1988, losing to the league champion Brewers. However, they were part of two amazing stories in 1989 and 1990.

In baseball’s long, storied history, no team had ever finished last one year, and first the next. It happened in 1990, and almost in 1989. The Baltimore Orioles finished 54-108 in 1988 – even behind the woeful Atlatna Athletics, who at least got a few decent players from the Seals in their trade of Rickey Henderson. Incredibly, they won 33 more games than they did the previous year. Fisk led the Red Sox in a great race with the Orioles, as he managed to reach .300 on the dot, and got some consideration for MVP.

Instead, the 1989 MVP went to a Seal for the 1st of 2 straight years. Kevin Mitchell was moved from third to left, with Rickey Henderson moving from left to center so Matt Williams could play third; Mitchell was DH in about 30 games, too. Mitchell responded with 43 home runs. (Henderson won the MVP award in 1990.) The Seals’ Dave Stewart won 20 for the 3rd of 4 years in a row in '89, and the Seals were way too much for the Red Sox, who had just gotten past the Orioles, thanks to Fisk’s leading of the pitching staff, in 1989.

Fisk hit .291 in 1990, but they had a problem. Jim Rice retired, Dwight Evans looked best at DH, and they needed a right fielder. Lee Smith was doing quite well for the Red Sox in late April. Without another reliever, as they were too reluctant to sign Reardon, they couldn’t get Tom Brunansky – who ended up as a part-timer on the Toronto Giants’ 1992 Series winners. Instead, they learned Willie McGee might leave as a a free agent, and the Cardinals had done quite poorly in 1988 and 1989. They were below .500 in ’88, and though they finished 83-79 in ’89, it was only good enough fro 5th place. With a poor start in 1990, fighting Houston for last, they talked trade.

Boston’s “May Day” trades netted them Larry Andersen (for Jeff bagwell) and Willie McGee (for a couple prospects). McGee led off and played right field, and flourished, nearly winning the batting title, as he had just enough at bats. Boston withstood a hard charge by the White Sox – who would win the division in ’91 before losing to the Twins in the ALCS. The 1990 Red Sox won 94 games, to Chicago’s 92. They lost the first game to the Seals in extra innings, but won game 2 as the Seals’ Rick Reuschel couldn’t hold a lead, and also won game 3. After losing game 4, Clemens won game 5, 3-2 over Reuschel, and the Sox won game 6 behidn Mike Boddicker to keep from facing Strewart again. They had finally reached another World Series.

Once there, they weren’t even the sentimental favorites, though. They faced the Reds, the only N.L. West team with a losing record the year before. Cincinnati had gone from worst to first.

The Reds won the first game over Roger Clemens, as Jose Rijo tossed a shutout and Clemens was ejected for arguing with the umpire. They won Game 2 in extra innings, with a home run off Lee Smith by Mike Greenwell. Boston managed to win game 3, but Rijo won game 4 2-1 over Clemens. The Red Sox’ Mike Boddicker took game 5, but Cincinnati won Game 6 in Cincinnati to take the World Series. Although, as one Sox player noted, “The way Rijo was pitching, when we lost game 2, it was over. We had a decent offense, but it wasn’t nearly like that ’77 title team, and pitchers like Stewart and Rijo could shut us down.”

The Red Sox would have to wait till 2004 for another pennant, and there, they would win a World Series title.

1990 was Fisk’s last really good year. He would play through 1992, setting the record for games caught because Boston was out of contention halfway through 1992, and with a month or so to go in 1991, allowing him to catch quite a few games. He retired after the 1992 season with the most games caught of anyone, a lifelong Red Sox player whose home run to win in 1977 still overshadows a remarkable career.
 
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Part 22 – Hollywood’s Team – Los Angeles Stars, 1983-1993

If ever there was a Los Angeles team that could have matched the Angels’ dynasty of 1959-1964 (and, really through 1966, when they contended to the end), it was the Stars of this era. They’d acquired plenty of home grown talent, gotten a very good veteran first baseman in Chris Chambliss in 1980, and slowly risen till they finished 83-79 and tied for 2nd with the Padres in 1982, then won the 1983 pennant. They also made some smart free agent pickups along the way; Mike LaCoss in 1986, for instance. Their trades were smart, like getting Atlee Hammaker, who won the ERA crown in ’83, Bob Ojeda for a couple hurlers, Keith Hernandez for a reliever, Ron Darling and Walt Terrell (and, thus, Howard Johnson) for Lee Mazzilli and the Gary Carter deal. They drafted men like Darryl Strawberry, Dale Murphy, and Bob Horner, and signed Kevin Mitchell.

So, what happened?

“Hollywood got to them,” one writer said candidly. “The Angels weren’t as glamorous, except for Nolan Ryan and his strikeouts, in the 1970s. Los Angeles was looking for a big splash, they’d had enough of the failed free agents, so by the time the Angels got them in 1982, and won a pennant, sure, they were applauded, but the Stars were up and coming. They were the Naturals.”

Two men symbolized that. One was Dale Murphy - the clean-cut leading man who had won an MVP in ‘82, as he’d been almost solely responsible for the Stars’ contending status, as they won 12 of their first 13, and were ahead of the Cardinals till a slump in mid-August dropped them back, and they couldn’t quite get back into contention. Another was Darryl Strawberry – the Natural. Unfairly compared to Willie Mays, especially with his similar start (0 for 21, then a home run), he came up in early May, pushing Claudell Washington to left. The acquisition of Keith Hernandez at the trade deadline, from a Cardinals team with some concerns about him, helped them win a weak division over the Astros. When they won the pennant, too, it was bedlam.

“Murphy won his 2nd straight MVP, but this time he had help. Hammaker won 15, and took some votes from him – finished 2nd in Cy Young voting, too - Strawberry was Rookie of the Year, and they had a great young farm system,” this same person wrote. “They beat the Dodgers – who rumor has it might have considered Los Angeles if the old Browns weren’t doing so poorly in the mid-50s in attendance. It was their first World Series, and people even talked upset. It wasn’t to be, but they pledged to be back.”

In 1984, Strawberry had his sophomore slump, and Bob Horner got hurt. This forced the Stars to trade claudell Washington and others for Ray Knight and a couple others. Keith Hernandez led the team much of the way, though Murphy helped, drawing some MVP numbers away from him. Ryne Sandberg probably would have won, anyway. The Stars finished a few games above .500, in a 3rd place tie with the Cardinals, 11 games back. In 1985, though, they traded for another “leading man” – Gary Carter. This is where things started to get crazy.

According to one source, “Their manager, Joe Torre, had noticed a bit too much partying by the end of ‘84. That’s one reason he insisted on a trade for Carter, he figured the star catcher, a fine citizen who never got caught up in such things, would join Murphy as a stabilizing force. They had problems, of course – Bob Horner’s arm was bad enough he could no longer play third. So, they sent him to Brooklyn for Sid Fernandez and a couple relievers. They’d bat Hernandez, Murphy, Carter, and Strawberry 3-6, and they could power their way to the top. However, they also traded Walt Terrell for Howard Johnson to replace him, and the rest of the starting pitching was bad, behind Darling and some rookies, Fernandez and Aguilera. They muddled around 2nd place, several games behind the Padres, early on, then slipped badly enough, they were in last on June 30th. They were only a couple games under .500, but this was supposed to be a team of All-Stars, and they wouldn’t settle for that. Torre was fired. The only good thing is, the experienced helped with the Yankees after their manager for the ’94 Series got fired early in ’97 after they got off to such a slow start. Torre won three pennants and a World Series with them.”

Davey Johnson took over, and the Stars passed the other clubs, finishing 2nd, a game ahead of the Reds but 10 behind the Cardinals. Still, they had the talent, and they used their farm system to trade Kevin Mitchell, then Kevin McReynolds – whom they’d acquired – and several others. They rebuilt their pitching staff, and in ’86, fielded a rotation of Darling, Ojeda, LaCoss, Aguilera, and Fernandez; Hammaker was injured all of ‘86. They battled the Astros till the last few weeks, and became the first Los Angeles team to win 100 in a regular season. They bested the N.L. East champs easily, and played in the Freeway Series. It was the moment all Los Angeles had come to expect.

A classic book on that season said, “It was a great Series. They’d lost in 1982 and 1983, respectively. The Angeles had more free agents, though numerous home grown players by now, the Stars were almost all home grown players or ones they’d traded for. Gene Mauch had won his pennant in 1982, but now, could he go further? Could Reggie Jackson have more heroics? Would Darryl Strawberry be the new Reggie? Was Devon White, the Angels’ young centerfielder, or Dale Murphy better defensively?

The Stars split the first two at home, then took only game 4 in Anaheim, where the Angels played by that time. However, they came back and won the final two in Los Angeles, to take the Series. They repeated at pennant winners in 1987, beating the Blue Jays, but lost the World Series to the powerful Seals, as their pitching wasn’t very good. They were expected to win in 1988, and took the division, but lost to Brooklyn in the playoffs. The Dodgers ended up beating the Brewers in the Series.

“That was a weird year, as Dale Murphy hit a big slump, and while some of their hurlers were good, they weren’t quite the same. They brought Gregg Jefferies up in June when they saw they’d have trouble shaking the Reds, and he was okay, but they tried to market him like they had Strawberry, and the pressure was tremendous. Strawberry slumped, too. In 1989,” one scribe noted, “they expected to win another division, but this time, they found Murphy wouldn’t return to form, everyone else was old except for Johnson and Strawberry, and their batting average plummeted. They wound up fighting the Cubs for third, never quite in the race, at 86-76, in 4th place. Then, when everyone expected the team to win because a few other clubs were older, the Reds had their worst to first season, and they wound up in 2nd, 8 games back. You could almost see the wheels coming off, but yet, they seemed more interested in having fun than they did in tryng to win anymore. Maybe in the rough and tumble world of New York, it wouldn’t have been any different, but these guys were just so laid back. They were built for Los Angeles, but maybe built a little too much for Los Angeles.”

By 1993, the Stars had hit rock bottom. They fought the Padres for the worst record in the majors, which meant the new Phoenix team, the Arizona Diamondbacks, finished 5th! The Indians were 4th, at 74-88, and almost closer to the lead (14 games) than to the Diamondbacks (10 games).

The 1993 expansion saw some politicking, but while Tampa Bay got shut out, they wouldn’t be denied a team. Because when the time came for Carl Pohlad to sell, he found a quick and ready buyer. Minnesota, sadly, would see their second team leave.
 
Part 23 – 1993 Expansion, 1994 Strike, and Commissioner Bush’s Plan

Expansion in 1993 was to Miami and Phoenix, a dark horse after Tampa was seen as a favorite. One reason – National League President Bill White disliked it. Also, the stadium was in a bad place, wasn’t the best park, and didn’t seem ready to draw many fans.

Tampa had vied for a team a few times, but when Bud Selig offered quickly to buy the Brewers if Calvin Griffith couldn’t make any money, and the White Sox’ attempt at moving was turned away, things became very quiet. The Astros looked at northern Virginia, not Tampa, when they considered moving. Arizona had a ballpark plan, a good, growing fan base, and richer ownership.

The 1994 final standings looked like this – note that the season ended at the All-Star break, for reasons which will be explained in a moment:
*=wild card
A.L. East: New York, Atlanta*, Baltimore, Boston,
A.L. Central: Chicago, Kansas City, Detroit, Minnesota, Milwaukee
A.L. West: San Francisco, Texas, Denver, Seattle, Los Angeles
N.L. East: Montreal, Brooklyn, Toronto, Philadelphia, Florida
N.L. Central: Cincinnati, Cleveland*, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Chicago
N.L. West: Houston, Los Angeles, San Diego, Arizona

George W. Bush, owner of the Rangers, had been chosen as baseball commissioner, when the owners decided Bud Selig wouldn’t work out as acting commissioner; he’d been an owner for less than 9 years, and Bush was heavily into politics, so he had an edge on Selig, who would have been Acting commissioner only. Though he would resign to enter Texas politics soon, he did help set up the wild card system, and also helped the game out of a massive predicament when it came to the strike.

Bush simply ordered the season to stop at the All-Star break, so the playoffs could be squeezed in, when – in late June – it looked like the sides would rather cancel everything than come to an agreement.

This let Frank Thomas win the Triple Crown, with .383, 30 home runs, and 87 RBIs. The Athletics were the wild card, and lost to the White Sox, as the Yankees had the best record among division winners, so the Athletics couldn’t play them. Chicago had the 2nd best record. The Yankees easily beat the Seals, and then beat the White Sox. Meanwhile, the Indians lost in 3 straight to the Expos, as the Reds beat Houston. Jose Rijo again tried to cominate a postseason, but the Expos were just two strong for the Reds, and won in 7. However, this posted a problem.

The Yankees had been able to set their rotation; the Expos hadn’t. Plus, Jimmy Key and the entire yankee pitching staff did a great job of scuttling the Expos’ vaunted running attack. Finally, Don mattingly got to shine in a postseason. In the end, New York beat Montreal, but it took the full 7 games. Bush was hailed as a hero for saving baseball, but there was still much to be done.

The Pirates had had to get rid of their high priced talent. So had the Padres. The Twins had traded Dave Winfield to the Indians in late June, once Bush made the announcement, and Dwight Gooden to the Yankees. They would keep Paul Molitor, but sell lots of other players, as well. Bob Lurie sold his Seals to Walter Hass, and they became more of a small market type of team, till the Moneyball concept, as it became known, became prominent, and the team moved to a ballpark on the bay in 2000. they kept barry bonds, but only because he was a great draw.

Poor teams were in trouble. The strike ended in time to play a full, 162-game schedule in 1995, but just barely.

Bush had also sought to deal with a growing steroid problem in baseball. This meant that, when the probe of that was finished, the game’s popularity took a hit, anyway.

Still, by late 1995, when he left to enter politics, Bush had a reputation as having done a great job handling some very tricky situations. It would propel him into the White House in 2000, where he wouldn’t be seen to have done as well. Meanwhile, his handpicked successor for the post of Commissioner did a decent job, though not a great one. Still, given how indecisive Selig has been on a few things, just with the Brewers, many feel that the people who ran baseball in this time period did rather well.
 
Part 24 – One More Move, Indians, White Sox winning, and Into the Future

Atlanta’s Athletics won only 4 pennants in the 1990s, and only two World Series; not unexpected with the Yankees’ dominance in their division. They won in 1993 and 1995, losing to the Indains – who faced them back to back years, 1995 and 1996 – in 1996 and to the Dodgers in 1999. Brooklyn kept their tradition of winning a pennant or two every decade; they ladt lost a Series in 1978, winning the last 4 they were in.

As mentioned, though, small market teams haven’t fared as well; the Twins had to move in 1998, as Carl Pohlad found a buyer in tampa. They club rebuilt and, after many woeful years, won the pennant in 2008, only to lost in the Series to the Phillies in 6 games. They won2 in Tampa, luckily while the weather was bad in Philadelphia. The Phillies had good weather otherwise, however, in their games.

When the Twins moved, they also changed divisions. They moved into the East, and Texas got their wish to move from the West into the Central.

New York’s Yankees won the Series in 1994 and 1998, only to lose in 2001 and 2003. Florida had somehow managed to win 2 World Series despite looking like Connie Mack’s old Athletics all the time, getting lots of good players and selling them off.

On the other hand, the Royals have won a division (2003), and other small market teams have done adequately, as witnessed by the Indians’ resurgence, where they went up 3-1 in the Series only to lose to the Red Sox in 7. Detroit lost to the Dodgers, and the Cardinals have made it to 3 World Series since 1994, winning in 2000 and losing in 2004 and 2005. In fact, the White Sox won their first World Series since 1917 in the latter one.

San Francisco has only seen one pennant, but they have enjoyed success. They’ve won several divisions, and had great battles with the Angels – who tied with them in 2002, Barry bonds’ last season (he finished with 539 home runs), and had a great ALCS with them. They lost the 20000 World Series to the Cardinals and Albert Pujols, who came up in July. The Angels finally won their first World Series since 1962, beating Arizona in 7.

Ken Griffey Jr., with the benefit of a slightly more balanced schedule and some poor teams in 1998, beat Roger Maris’ home run mark with 63 home runs. Hank Aaron continues to hold the all-time record, though many say even with performance enhancers, someone like Bonds – who would have been tempted – would not have passed his 771 home runs.

The state of baseball is pretty good in 2008, especially with three of the biggest spenders, the Yankees, Red Sox, and Athletics, all in one division. Many teams are in contention every year, it seems. The Dodgers and Giants continue to have good pennant races. And, the Expos have struggled – they’re probably the best candidates for a move, if anyone is – but most teams are in decent shape financially.

All in all, the move of the Browns to Los Angeles in 1941 has given California fans what they wanted, and more. Los Angeles has had 10 World Series, 7 in the A.L, and the Braves/Seals have given the Bay Area 7 pennants, plus the all-time home run king.
 
Part 25 - World series participants since the Point of Departure:

1940 Cincinnati over Detroit in 7
1941: New York (A) over Brooklyn in 5
1942: St. Louis over New York (A) in 6
1943: New York (A) over St. Louis in 6
1944: St. Louis over Los Angeles (A) in 7 (in 5 if all forced to play in St. Louis)
1945: Detroit over Chicago (N) in 7
1946: St. Louis over Boston in 6
1947: New York (A) over Brooklyn in 7
1948: Cleveland (now N) over San Francisco Braves (now A) in 6
1949: Brooklyn over New York (A) in 5 (First 2 games Dodgers wins in Yankee Stadium in close games)
1950: New York (A) over Cleveland in 7 (Reynolds, after big win to clinch in ’48, loses close one in ’50 finale)
1951: New York (A) over New York (N) in 6
1952: New York (A) over Philadelphia (N) in 7 (Minoso leads Phillie charge, but Yankees win close game 7 in Phiadelphia)
1953: Brooklyn over New York (A) in 7 (Dodgers overcome 2-0 Yankee lead)
1954: New York (N) over Chicago (A) in 6 (Al Lopez’ managerial strategy, several trades pay off with White Sox pennant)
1955: Brooklyn over New York (A) in 7
1956: New York (A) Brooklyn over in 6
1957: San Francisco over St. Louis in 7
1958: San Francisco over Pittsburgh in 6
1959: Los Angeles (A) over Cleveland in 5 (Indians trade Maris to Yankees for pitching prospects after losing Series)
1960: Pittsburgh over New York (A) in 7
1961: New York (A) over Cincinnati in 5
1962: Los Angeles (A) over Minnesota in 7 (Rookie McNally gets final out after Drysdale, bullpen almost blow lead)
1963: Brooklyn over New York (A) in 4
1964: St. Louis over Los Angeles (A) in 7 (Gibson outduels Drysdale in game 7, knocks in one of the runs himself)
1965: Minnesota over Milwaukee in 7 (Giants overcome 2-0 deficit)
1966: Milwaukee over Brooklyn in 5
1967: St. Louis over Boston in 7
1968: Detroit over St. Louis in 7
1969: Baltimore over Chicago (N) in 5
1970: Baltimore over Cincinnati in 5
1971: Pittsburgh over Atlanta in 7
1972: Atlanta over Cincinnati in 5
1973: Cincinnati over Baltimore in 7
1974: Brooklyn over San Francisco/Oakland in 5
1975: Cincinnati over Atlanta in 6
1976: Cincinnati over New York (A) or Kansas City in 4
1977: Boston over Philadelphia in 7 (Seaver outduels Carlton 2-1 in 10, Fisk hits game winner in game 7)
1978: New York (A) over Brooklyn in 6
1979: Pittsburgh over Baltimore in 7
1980: Philadelphia over Kansas City in 6
1981: Brooklyn over Denver in 6
1982: St. Louis over Los Angeles (A) in 6 (No Don Baylor trade, because the Yankees keep Tommy John, as they are still in the race in late August)
1983: Baltimore over Los Angeles (N) in 5 (Stars have Murphy, etc.; Dodgers beat Phillies handily in head to head in N.L. East)
1984: Detroit over Toronto Giants in 5
1985: Kansas City over St. Louis in 7 (Tudor must pitch game 7 of NLCS, thus game 3 of WS; K.C. wins game 2 w/Sutcliffe helping in relief, Saberhagen outduels Tudor 1-0 in game 3, Cards win game 4, Tudor wins game 6 1-0, but Royals win game 7)
1986: L.A. (N) over L.A. (A) in 7
1987: San Francisco over L.A. (N) in 7
1988: Brooklyn over Milwaukee in 5
1989: San Francisco over San Diego in 5
1990: Cincinnati over Boston in 6
1991: Minnesota over Pittsburgh in 7 (Twins win last 2 in Minnesota to take Series; Jack Morris is key in winning pennant versus Athletics; Winfield DH for Twins here, Molitor also here at second, as two native Minnesotans star, Winfield in the field half the time. Dwight Gooden hurts his arm and is sidelined after July, due to arm problems, leaving Morris and Erickson as the main starters. Kirby Puckett from Brewers as free agent)
1992: Toronto over Minnesota in 6
1993: Atlanta over Houston in 7
1994: New York (A) over Montreal in 7 (season stopped after All-Star break by Commissioner Bush to fit playoffs in, Frank Thomas wins Triple Crown)
1995: Atlanta over Cleveland in 6
1996: Cleveland over Atlanta in 7 (Andruw Jones’ great ALCS downs Yankees, as Atlanta pitchers and offense overwhelm them. However, Mark Wohlers can’t quite overcome explosive Indians offense to nail down games.)
1997: Florida over Baltimore in 7 (Orioles’ pitching as wild card team stuns Athletics; Marlins win division by a game over wild card Dodgers, beat Indians in divisional round, Dodgers for pennant, then win Series)
1998: New York (A) over San Diego in 4
1999: Brooklyn over Atlanta in 5
2000: St. Louis over San Francisco in 6 (With McGwire only a part-time player, Albert Pujols up in July, gets Series ring & a few Rookie of the Year votes)
2001: Arizona over New York (A) in 7
2002: Los Angeles (A) over Arizona in 7
2003: Florida over New York (A) in 6 (Athleticswin their division, but Yankees a wild card, beat Athletics for pennant)
2004: Boston over St. Louis in 6 (Red Sox a wild card, just ahead of Athletics, come from 3-0 back to beat Yankees for pennant
2005: Chicago (A) over St. Louis in 5
2006: Brooklyn over Detroit in 5
2007: Boston over Cleveland in 7 (Red Sox come back from 3-1 down to win)
2008: Philadelphia over Tampa in 6
 
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