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Path: utzoo!decvax!tektronix!uw-beaver!cornell!rossiter
From: rossiter@cornell.UUCP (David G. Rossiter)
Newsgroups: net.sport.baseball
Subject: expansion
Message-ID: <3209@cornell.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 17-Jul-85 09:37:27 EDT
Article-I.D.: cornell.3209
Posted: Wed Jul 17 09:37:27 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 19-Jul-85 20:19:51 EDT
Reply-To: rossiter@cornell.UUCP (David G. Rossiter)
Distribution: na
Organization: Cornell Univ. CS Dept.
Lines: 32
Xref: tektronix net.sport.baseball:01622 


The current 26 major league teams are stretching the bounds of the major league
talent available.  With all due respect to Kelvin Chapman, what's he doing
playing in the major leagues, even on a part-time basis?  :-)  But there are
a lot of cities that `deserve' a major league team, like Denver and (yes)
Washington.  Then there are cities with large stadiums that are empty in the
summer, like New Orleans and Tampa.  There are probably 10 legitimate expansion
contenders, and when you consider cities that could give a team the same support
as Pittsburgh, maybe 30!

My suggestion is: leave the size of the leagues unchanged, but have the smaller
cities/markets share teams.  For example, Pittsburgh/Cleveland (I say keep the
Indians and send the Bucs to Denver), Denver/Phoenix, Louisville/Indianapolis,
Baltimore/Washington.  Comments?   This was tried in pro basketball at least
once (KC/Omaha), how did that work out?   And in football, the Green Bay Packers
are really the Wisconsin Packers, playing 4 of their 8 home games in County
Stadium, Milwaukee.

Since the baseball season is so long, it would seem to maximize exposure,
attendence, fan interest etc. to spread the 82 home games over two or even
four stadia.  And die-hard fans wouldn't have too far to drive to the other
cities.  Areas like Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse-Albany, which individually
can't support a major-league team, could do so by sharing.

I wonder, however, if this would hurt what is left of the minor-league system.
Some teams, like the Lousville Redbirds and Rochester Redwings, draw at least
reasonably.

Well, lets get this topic going!
David Rossiter / CS Dep't / Cornell University / Ithaca / NY / 14850 / USA
{uw-beaver,ihnp4,decvax,vax135}!cornell!rossiter (UUCP)
rossiter@Cornell.ARPA (ARPAnet) ; rossiter@CRNLCS (BITNET)