The National Pastime: An Alternate TL of Modern Baseball

CABLE AT THE BAT

The late 1970's and 1980's saw major changes in MLB. Cable television and home video were becoming more popular, and the sport needed to embrace these new technologies to stay relevant.

While NBC and ABC carried MLB games on weekend afternoons, the USA Network, launched in 1979, would carry baseball on select weeknights through 1985.

The Brooklyn Dodgers followed the lead of the NHL New York Islanders by signing a lucrative local television contract with SportsChannel New York after decades and decades on WOR-TV. The New York Yankees would sign their own cable deal with the Madison Square Garden Network.

The Philadelphia Athletics entered the cable era on local premium channel PRISM. Home Team Sports (HTS) would bring the Baltimore Orioles to homes in the Charm City, as well as Washington, DC.

Superstation WTBS brought the Atlanta Firebirds to a national audience, and WGN did the same for both the Cubs and White Sox.

On the west coast, SportsChannel Bay Area began an alliance with the San Francisco Seals after decades on KGO-TV.

In Southern California, the Hollywood Stars were telecast on KCAL and the Los Angeles Angels on KTTV. As cable caught on, the Stars signed on to SportsChannel SOCAL, reaching south to San Diego. For a short while, the Angels experimented with a short-lived premium channel called AngelVision. Then in 1985, Lakers owner Dr Jerry Buss formed the original Prime Ticket, and the Angels signed on starting in 1986.

MLB Alignment in the Eighties

AL EAST: Atlanta Firebirds, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Athletics

AL WEST: Chicago White Sox, Denver Zephyrs, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco Seals, Texas Rangers

NL EAST: Baltimore Orioles, Brooklyn Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Giants, Montreal Expos, Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays

NL WEST: Chicago Cubs, Hollywood Stars, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Braves, Portland Beavers, Seattle Pilots, St Louis Cardinals
 
World Series winners 1981-90

1981 Brooklyn Dodgers 4 Los Angeles Angels 3
1982 Seattle Pilots 4 Atlanta Firebirds 2
1983 Baltimore Orioles 4 Philadelphia Athletics 2
1984 Detroit Tigers 4 Hollywood Stars 2
1985 Kansas City Royals 4 St Louis Cardinals 3
1986 Hollywood Stars 4 Boston Red Sox 3
1987 Los Angeles Angels 4 St Louis Cardinals 2
1988 Los Angeles Angels 4 Brooklyn Dodgers 0
1989 Seattle Pilots 4 San Francisco Seals 1
1990 San Francisco Seals 4 Minnesota Giants 2
 
I don't want to know how the sox lost in 86. But I feel we might be close to another round of expansion or movement. I'm loving this time line
 
Expansion in the Nineties

In 1987, the Miami Dolphins completed Joe Robbie Stadium, intending to be exclusively used for football. In the 1988 preseason, the Los Angeles Angels and the Brooklyn Dodgers played an exhibition game to a standing room only crowd and a tall net in left field. Soon after, plans were set to retrofit the football arena to allow the lower level seats behind the visitor sideline to be folded up for ideal baseball dimensions. A group led by Blockbuster Video boss Wayne Huizenga would eventually receive an expansion franchise from the American League.

Thus, the Florida Marlins were born for the 1993 season.

In 1990, the state of Arizona voted against making Martin Luther King Day a national holiday. Almost immediately, the state was ridiculed by national news anchors and late night talk show hosts alike. The very next year the state reversed this disastrous decision, paving the way for the state's entry into MLB.

Already the home of NBA Phoenix Suns and the NFL Phoenix Cardinals, the state briefly considered building a ballpark village in Glendale, but that idea was shelved for being too far away from Phoenix proper. Maricopa County finally settled on a site in downtown Phoenix for a retractable roof ballpark. However, construction did not begin until after the American League granted an expansion franchise to Suns president Jerry Colangelo. The newly minted Arizona Diamondbacks would have to play the first two years of their existence at Phoenix Municipal Stadium in 1993 and 1994, and move in to Bank One Ballpark for the 1995 season.

MLB Alignment for 1993
American League East
Atlanta Firebirds
Boston Red Sox
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
Florida Marlins
New York Yankees
Philadelphia Athletics

American League West
Arizona Diamondbacks
Chicago White Sox
Denver Zephyrs
Kansas City Royals
Los Angeles Angels
San Francisco Seals
Texas Rangers

National League East
Baltimore Orioles
Brooklyn Dodgers
Cincinnati Reds
Minnesota Giants
Montreal Expos
Pittsburgh Pirates
Toronto Blue Jays

National League West
Chicago Cubs
Hollywood Stars
Houston Astros
Milwaukee Braves
Portland Beavers
Seattle Pilots
St Louis Cardinals
 
World Series Winners 1991-2000
1991 Minnesota Giants 4 Atlanta Firebirds 3
1992 Toronto Blue Jays 4 Denver Zephyrs 3
1993 Toronto Blue Jays 4 Philadelphia Athletics 2
1994 Montreal Expos 4 Cleveland Indians 3
1995 Cleveland Indians 4 Seattle Pilots 3
1996 Baltimore Orioles 4 New York Yankees 3
1997 Florida Marlins 4 Brooklyn Dodgers 3
1998 New York Yankees 4 Portland Beavers 0
1999 Brooklyn Dodgers 4 New York Yankees 2
2000 Los Angeles Angels 4 Hollywood Stars 2
 
Expansion in the Late Nineties

In the mid 1990's the major league owners breathed a sigh of relief when the expansion Marlins and Diamondbacks began to enjoy success at the gate despite enduring the typical expansion blues.

But still, the owners wanted to line their pockets even further, clearing the way for expansion in the later part of the decade.

San Diego's name came up once more, but again, the Hollywood Stars were not about to give up their territorial rights to the city. Oakland was another city rumored for expansion, but the San Francisco Seals were unwilling to give up Oakland. This would lead to the unlikely choice of San Jose, with the promise of a new ballpark in the Diridon district, just a couple blocks from the home of the NHL Sharks.

Washington DC wanted a franchise too, but given the failures of two Senator teams, one becoming the Angels, the other becoming Firebirds, the MLB owners had instead used Washington as leverage to get new ballparks in their current cities. The tactic worked 99% of the time.

Another challenge Washington DC faced was trying to convince the Oriole fans in the area to warm up to a franchise in Washington. This task would prove to be extremely difficult.

Nevertheless, MLB awarded expansion franchises to San Jose and Washington DC to begin play in the 1998 season. San Jose's team would be christened as the Stingrays, winner of a name-the-team contest. The ballpark, which would be named Hewlett Packard Field, was completed with just a month to spare. Washington would be called the Nationals, as to not recycle the Senators name for fear of another relocation, and as an indirect nod to the NFL Redskins' rebirth as the Americans. The Nationals would play at RFK Stadium while a new ballpark is being built.

MLB Alignment for 1998
AL East
Boston Red Sox
Florida Marlins
New York Yankees
Philadelphia Athletics
Washington Nationals

AL Central
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals

AL West
Arizona Diamondbacks
Denver Zephyrs
Los Angeles Angels
San Francisco Seals
Texas Rangers

NL East
Atlanta Firebirds (Switched from AL)
Baltimore Orioles
Brooklyn Dodgers
Montreal Expos
Pittsburgh Pirates
Toronto Blue Jays

NL Central
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Milwaukee Braves
Minnesota Giants
St Louis Cardinals

NL West
Hollywood Stars
Houston Astros
Portland Beavers
San Jose Stingrays
Seattle Pilots
 
World Series Winners 2001-2010

2001 Arizona Diamondbacks 4 Brooklyn Dodgers 3
2002 Portland Beavers 4 Philadelphia Athletics 1
2003 Florida Marlins 4 Brooklyn Dodgers 3
2004 Boston Red Sox 4 St Louis Cardinals 2
2005 Chicago White Sox 4 Houston Astros 0
2006 St Louis Cardinals 4 Detroit Tigers 2
2007 Boston Red Sox 4 Hollywood Stars 0
2008 San Francisco Seals 4 San Jose Stingrays 0
2009 Los Angeles Angels 4 Brooklyn Dodgers 3
2010 Boston Red Sox 4 Minnesota Giants 1
 
If this is Alternate History, why are my Texas Rangers still waiting? :confused:

The wait is over....

2011 Texas Rangers 4 Brooklyn Dodgers 3
2012 Texas Rangers 4 Baltimore Orioles 2
2013 Boston Red Sox 4 St Louis Cardinals 2
2014 Kansas City Royals 4 Baltimore Orioles 3
 
With world series championship teams in Canada (back to back to back no less!) baseball in Canada is going to be waaaay more popular. The Pacific Coast League might be able to hang on to the Edmonton Trappers and Calgary Cannons. Maybe Vancouver could get its own MLB team one day (dare to dream, dare to dream :rolleyes:)
 
Really like this timeline, but I have a couple questions:

- Would the Dodgers really keep the Brooklyn name if they were to move to Flushing Meadows in Queens?
- Same question about the Hollywood Stars playing in Anaheim.
- Is there interleague play or the DH?
- Any desire to even up the divisions so that they all have 5 teams?
- What current stars are on what teams?
 
Really like this timeline, but I have a couple questions:

- Would the Dodgers really keep the Brooklyn name if they were to move to Flushing Meadows in Queens?
- Same question about the Hollywood Stars playing in Anaheim.
- Is there interleague play or the DH?
- Any desire to even up the divisions so that they all have 5 teams?
- What current stars are on what teams?

- My guess is that a name change to "New York Dodgers" at the time of the Flushing Meadows move would probably be received negatively.

- The Hollywood Stars probably toyed with a name change to Anaheim right after Disney bought the team, but probably drew criticism before the change could take effect.

- Interleague and the DH are a way of life since the late nineties.

- The Firebirds decide the National League isn't for them and go back to the AL by 2010.

Current Stars:

- Matt Kemp is with the Pilots
- Adrian Gonzalez is with the Stars
- Giancarlo Stanton is with the Marlins
- Mike Trout is with the Beavers
- Adam Jones is with the Orioles
- James Shields is with the Firebirds
- Tim Lincecum is with the Seals
- Paul Goldschmidt is with the Diamondbacks
- Mark Trumbo is with the Angels
- Justin Upton is with the Pilots
- Starlin Castro is with the Cubs
- Brian Wilson is with the Indians
- Jedd Gyorko is with the Pirates
- Clayton Kershaw is with the Angels
- Robinson Cano is with the Braves
- Buster Posey is with the Giants
- Miguel Cabrera is with the Tigers
- Troy Tulowitzki is with the Cardinals
 
I imagine Atlanta would be placed in the AL Central?

Also the Cubs and Cardinals don't force their way into the east during the first Divisional split in the 60's like OTL?
 
What about the Tampa bay area? St Pete built the sun dome, almost got the White sox. Got the Rays when they sued MLB for blocking the White Sox move.
 
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