50 Years ago today was a very sad day for Wash., DC, baseball

[The Detroit Collector]

Interesting to think how things would be different in the MLB today if they moved to DC. Did you have a favorite team during those 30 years without one?

[ValKehl]

Originally Posted by The Detroit Collector

Interesting to think how things would be different in the MLB today if they moved to DC. Did you have a favorite team during those 30 years without one?

Eric, many local baseball fans began rooting for the Baltimore Orioles, but I couldn't bring myself to do this, as the Orioles were a major adversary of the Senators when I was growing up. I became a fan pf the Cincinnati Redlegs and "The Big Red Machine."

[GeoPoto]

I think Bob Hope was going to be one of the new owners. As he would have said after a round: Shanks for the memories!

[butchie_t]

I remember that oh too well. May Bob Short rot for eternity. I'm not bitter......

Never picked up another team. Baltimore?? Nah, just could not do it. I ended up being a Rockies fan when we moved to Colorado Springs and could follow the Sky Sox.

I never, EVER thought I would see Washington win a World Series, much less a Stanley Cup. THEN BOOM! It happened. I got to see all 4. Bullets, Redskins, Capitals, and Nationals.

I'm good.......

[JustinD]

My favorite story about the Kroc Padres purchase is when he told his wife Joan that he was considering buying the team.

She knew so little about baseball she just replied "Why would you buy a monastery?"

[Steve D]

Conversely, it was a great day for San Diego baseball !

Steve

[Fred]

Originally Posted by Steve D

Conversely, it was a great day for San Diego baseball !

Steve

Yup!

[Leon]

Sometimes things work out in the long run. (for you too, Val!)

Originally Posted by butchie_t

I remember that oh too well. May Bob Short rot for eternity. I'm not bitter......

Never picked up another team. Baltimore?? Nah, just could not do it. I ended up being a Rockies fan when we moved to Colorado Springs and could follow the Sky Sox.

I never, EVER thought I would see Washington win a World Series, much less a Stanley Cup. THEN BOOM! It happened. I got to see all 4. Bullets, Redskins, Capitals, and Nationals.

I'm good.......

[Hankphenom]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the much sadder days in 1960 and 1971 when our teams left town. For me, the departure of my Senators to Minnesota after the 1960 season was nothing less than traumatic. My first three seasons as an active fan, 1957-1959, they finished in the cellar, but then things began to happen after back-to-back rookies of the year, multiple home run champs, The great Cuban pitching duo of Pascual and Ramos, submarine relievers Hyde and Terwilliger, etc., and lo and behold they finished fifth in 1960 and attendance shot up by 25%. We also had perhaps the greatest broadcasting team ever of Chuck Thompson and Bob Wolff to listen to. Then they were gone to Minneapolis, where they would finish SECOND in the ten-team American League in 1962,take the pennant in 1965, and have the best record in the league for the decade of the 1960s. They were replaced by an expansion team of has-beens and never-would-bes that finished last for another three seasons in a row from 1961-1963. They also took away my ballpark, Griffith Stadium, and replaced it with a soulless monstrosity none of us kids could get to. I gave up, and probably didn't go to ten games in the following decade before they moved again and left D.C without any team at all for 34 years. I did come back to baseball with those terrific Baltimore teams of the late 70s/early 80s, but never with the same affection of a home town team.

[toppcat]

Dave Freisleben models the Washington Stars road uniform in this shot. I can't find an image of the home uni, anyone have one?

More background at my blog:
https://www.thetoppsarchives.com/202...ng-spaces.html