| After the Giants and Dodgers abandoned New | | | | invalidate the entire 162-game season and that |
| York City and moved to California in 1958, the | | | | several teams in one division might have better |
| changes in Major League baseball accelerated. In | | | | records than the top team in the other division. |
| 1961 the original Washington Senators moved to | | | | Instead of a World Series between the two best |
| Minneapolis, took the name "Twins," and a | | | | teams, that could lead to two second-rate teams |
| replacement team that became known as the | | | | sneaking into the World Series. However, the |
| "Senators II" started up in Washington. The | | | | owners, contemplating the additional revenues |
| Senators II lost two out of three games just as | | | | from two pre-World Series division championships, |
| the original Senators had done, and after a | | | | plus television rights, all at premium prices, |
| decade of perpetuating the "Washington-first in | | | | pooh-poohed the protests of the purists. |
| War, first in Peace, last in the American League," | | | | The first couple of years the teams with the best |
| tradition, they moved to Dallas in 1972 and | | | | records happened to win the playoffs, but in |
| became the Texas Rangers. | | | | 1972, although Pittsburgh had a better season-long |
| Another new American League team started-up | | | | record, Cincinnati won the playoffs. In 1973, the |
| in Los Angeles in 1961, took the name Angels, | | | | Mets limped to the head of the National League's |
| played in Wrigley Field-not the one in Chicago, the | | | | eastern division with the fourth best record in the |
| one in Los Angeles-and in 1965, seeking to identify | | | | league. Instead of a first rate Cincinnati team, |
| with the entire state rather than just L.A., | | | | which won seventeen more games than the |
| changed their name to the California Angels. In | | | | Mets, playing a first-rate Oakland team, Oakland |
| 1997, after purchase by Disney, seeking to | | | | played a tarnished anti-climax of a World Series |
| identify with Disneyland, they changed their name | | | | against the team with the ninth best record in |
| to the "Anaheim Angels." In 2005, after being sold | | | | baseball. The predictions of the purists had come |
| by Disney and seeking to identify with the entire | | | | true. |
| Greater Los Angeles Metro Area, they changed | | | | The fourth and most damaging of 1969's three |
| their name to the "Los Angeles Angels at | | | | damaging events began with the St Louis |
| Anaheim." | | | | Cardinals trading Curt Flood, their Golden Glove |
| In 1962, the National League expanded to ten | | | | centerfielder and perennial .300 hitter, to |
| teams, adding the Houston Colt .45s (after the | | | | Philadelphia. Flood refused to go and, with the |
| gun that won the West) and the New York Mets | | | | support of the player's union, filed a million dollar |
| who, in their first season, lost 120 games--the | | | | Sherman anti-trust suit against the Major Leagues |
| twentieth century single season record. Cynical | | | | seeking triple damages and abolition of the |
| New Yorkers, still mourning the loss of the Giants | | | | reserve clause. The reserve clause, part of all |
| and Dodgers, claimed that "Mets" was a | | | | organized baseball contracts, forbade ballplayers to |
| shortening of the medical term for the sudden | | | | leave the team with which they'd signed without |
| and rapid spread of a malignant growth. | | | | that team's approval even after the term of the |
| In baseball, just as in the stock market, every | | | | contract ended. |
| decline is interrupted by occasional spirited rallies, | | | | If dissatisfied, a player's only recourse was to |
| which convince the gullible that all will soon be well. | | | | "hold out" and refuse to play. Holdouts' salaries |
| After losing 737 games in their first seven | | | | were suspended and they were not permitted to |
| seasons and finishing tenth five times and ninth | | | | play for any other team. The original idea had |
| twice, in 1969 the metastasizing Mets became the | | | | been to prevent financially strong teams from |
| Miracle Mets. With Tom Seaver and Jerry | | | | buying championships by cherry-picking star |
| Koosman pitching, Ed Kranepool and Bud Harrelson | | | | players from financially weak teams. Owners, |
| in the infield, Cleon Jones and Tommy Agee in the | | | | however, used the clause for their own rather |
| outfield, they won the National League pennant | | | | than Major League Baseball's benefit by keeping |
| and beat the Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, | | | | salaries unfairly low. |
| Boog Powell, Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, Mike | | | | Although the Supreme Court, decided against |
| Cuellar Baltimore Orioles four games to one in the | | | | Flood five to three, the players' union persisted |
| World Series. | | | | and in 1975 got the reserve clause nullified on |
| In spite of the Miracle Met, four damaging 1969 | | | | other grounds. Leverage in salary negotiations |
| events re-accelerated baseball's decline: | | | | immediately shifted to the players and salaries |
| First, four new teams were added, the Montreal | | | | exploded. |
| Expos and San Diego Padres in the National | | | | Haupert's The Economic History of Major League |
| League, the Seattle Pilots and Kansas City Royals | | | | Baseball reports that average salaries went from |
| in the American League. Expansion from sixteen | | | | $45,000 in 1975 to $289,000 in 1983 and to $1.2 |
| teams to twenty-four in eight years brought in | | | | million in 2002. To put the scope of the change |
| more money, but diluted the supply of top-level | | | | into perspective, the $100,000 Joe DiMaggio and |
| players by adding two hundred newcomers to the | | | | Ted Williams were paid in the 1940s and 50s, |
| four hundred Major Leaguers. | | | | adjusted for inflation, would have been $700,000 |
| Although the leagues initiated a draft system | | | | in 2008. In that year, the Yankees paid Alex |
| under which each of the existing teams supplied a | | | | Rodriguez $28 million, twenty times what Williams |
| list of players they were willing to have taken | | | | and DiMaggio combined were paid in their primes |
| away by the four new teams, most of the two | | | | and $6 million more than the combined salaries of |
| hundred newcomers ended up on the new teams | | | | the entire Florida Marlins team whose won-lost |
| along with players the existing teams were willing | | | | record of 84-77 was close to the Rodriguez/ |
| to sacrifice. The Pilots and Padres each lost one | | | | Yankee record of 88-74. |
| hundred ten games in their first year and it | | | | Once top players became able to switch teams |
| became common for six or eight teams to lose | | | | at will, the fears that had led to establishing the |
| ninety or a hundred games a season. That | | | | reserve clause were realized. Rich teams raided |
| lowered the overall quality of play, set up many | | | | poor teams for players and cut the longevity and |
| one-sided games, and compromised the | | | | identification of individual players with individual |
| comparability of sixty years of religiously compiled | | | | teams. That ended the Golden Years feeling of |
| and studied Major League statistics. | | | | closeness and shared responsibility among players, |
| Again in 1969, the two Major Leagues were | | | | owners, fans and sportswriters. Players went on |
| divided into eastern and western divisions of six | | | | strike, owners conducted lockouts and the |
| teams each. To determine the league | | | | economics changed. Baseball, for fifty years |
| championships and decide who played in the World | | | | America's secular religion, became just one more |
| Series the leagues began holding five game post | | | | big business whose owners had fallen out of |
| season playoffs. Purists protested that that would | | | | touch with their customers. |