Baseball's "Big Switch"

Baltimore baseball fans were agog; Milwaukeans, often roused by false alarms, vowed they would believe it when they saw it. Boston was conservatively glum over the loss of a not-so-cherished institution. St. Louisans in general shrugged--though a hard core of St. Louis Browns fans was outraged, and Mayor Joseph M. Darst filed an injunction against the chief instigator of it all, Browns Owner Bill Veeck. In such fashion last week, the cities most concerned reacted to the possibility of the first major-league franchise shifts in 50 years--the scheme to move the St. Louis Browns to Baltimore, the Boston Braves to Milwaukee.

The argument for the moves was simple: the Browns and the Braves have long been technically and economically sick, and a change of climate might help them get well. The floundering Browns have long run a poor second in attendance to St. Louis' colorful Cardinals. In Boston the Braves went $500,000 in the red last year, competing for loyalty and patronage with the more glamorous Red Sox.

There was just one hitch: under the rules, both moves had to be approved by the other club owners of the American and National Leagues. The American League owners struck first. After a long, wrangling meeting in Tampa, Fla. this week, they announced their decision: Veeck's plan to switch the Browns to Baltimore was "hasty and haphazard."

One big consideration was the gnashing of teeth of the minor leagues, who would have faced the problem of resettling the displaced Baltimore and Milwaukee clubs between now and the opening of the season next month. The turndown was final for 1953, but it left the door open for 1954.

The news--even with a glimmer of hope for 1954--left Baltimoreans completely deflated. Ever since the black day in 1903 when their franchise was shifted to the New York Highlanders (now the Yankees), Baltimore fans have yearned for a return to the big leagues. The older fans could still recall the heyday of the old big-league Orioles, who won three straight pennants--1894-96--and boasted such baseball immortals as Third Baseman John ("Muggsy") McGraw, Shortstop Hughie Jennings, Catcher Wilbert Robinson and Outfielder Wee Willie ("Hit 'em where they ain't") Keeler. Baltimore's return to the big leagues, it appeared, would have to wait a while.

Early this week, the National League club owners were to vote on the Boston-Milwaukee shift. But Milwaukee's hopes of inheriting the Boston Braves seemed considerably dimmed by the American League decision.

Asked whether he had abandoned his attempt to move to Baltimore, Bill Veeck, who claims the Browns lost $400,000 last year, snapped back: "I haven't abandoned anything. I've been abandoned."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.