MLB Alternate Universe: What If O'Malley Was Never Born? (1958-1979 so far)

[GraysonColtsBoy]

When you hear the word relocation,you think of the Sports Capital of the World,Indianapolis,Indiana.Sure,Indy has the minor league Indianapolis Indians,This sports wonderland has been dreaming of an MLB team.Last year,I tried to send a letter to the Oakland Athletics about coming to Indianapolis but then I lost the letter but a couple,three months ago,I found the letter and which I forgot to send. I could do another one,but long story short,Indianapolis needs a MLB team,in any universes there should be an Major league team,in Indianapolis.+Relocate the MiLB Indy Indians. I wish good luck! :-)

[Silent Wind of Doom]

When you hear the word relocation,you think of the Sports Capital of the World,Indianapolis,Indiana.Sure,Indy has the minor league Indianapolis Indians,This sports wonderland has been dreaming of an MLB team.Last year,I tried to send a letter to the Oakland Athletics about coming to Indianapolis but then I lost the letter but a couple,three months ago,I found the letter and which I forgot to send. I could do another one,but long story short,Indianapolis needs a MLB team,in any universes there should be an Major league team,in Indianapolis.+Relocate the MiLB Indy Indians. I wish good luck! :-)

We shall see how things go for Indy, although I wouldn't necessarily call it the sports capital of the world, especially living right outside of New York City, and while the cities of Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh also stand.

I'm finally able to get an update done in a week. The creation of the Grizzlies identity from whole cloth took me quite a while. But now, let's embark into the 80's, starting with the aforementioned team that didn't get relocated.

The year is 1980…

The 70's were a time of trouble in America. With a continually deepening sense of distrust and dissatisfaction with the government, the senate receives an approval rating of only 19%.

Meanwhile, in Washington, the Senators continue to be derided. It was once said that Washington was "first in war, first in peace, and last in the American League." Now that the original team has left and a new team was expanded in 1961, the saying is now "first in war, first in peace, and STILL last in the American League." In 1967, Bob Short had acquired the team, but found that making back the money he'd put in the team was difficult. He'd borrowed most of the money he'd paid for the team, and to be able to pay his bills he had to sell off players, ensuring more mediocrity. With the Orioles winning divisions and pennants up the street, the Senators were relegated to the second division even in their division.

After the 1970 season, Short issued an ultimatum. Unless someone paid $12 million, millions more than the Yankees would later be sold for, he would take the team elsewhere. Naturally, his offer was not taken, and so he shopped the Senators around. Many of the markets that had been looking in the past had already received a team, but Short found what he was looking for in the person of Ray Kroc. Kroc had been heretofore unsuccessful in his continuous lobbying for a team to come to San Diego. He was willing to pay any price Short asked of him, and so they made an agreement. Kroc even had a uniform created for the team, which he planned on calling the San Diego Mariners, pictures of which made front page on all the local papers.

Unfortunately, the deal had to be approved. Gene Autry and the joint owners of the Padres led the charge to deny the sale, claiming that San Diego was a part of their market. They appealed to a number of other owners, saying that together they had to protect each others' interests by keeping their markets from becoming to saturated, ironically the exact challenge the capital was facing. The owners agreed to deny the Sentators' move to San Diego, and Short was stuck with the team. He gave up on the team, selling off whatever little was left of their talent. He would eventually find a buyer in 1973, albeit for much less than his asking price.

In 1974, under new ownership, the Senators finished in third place. It was the best they'd done in their history, and citizens of the city hoped that it was the sign of a light at the end of the tunnel, but they would fall back to the bottom of the division again in the next few years. With the criticisms of congress and the team's bad reputation, ownership decides to rebrand the team, using the old Senators' alternate name: the Washington Nationals.

The Nationals update their look, mostly just scrubbing away the "Senators" name and adding modern striping to the shoulders and legs, and create a new logo to replace their old drawn one.

In the West, the Milwaukee Brewers win the division, and for a third time meet the Yankees in the ALCS. However, with the loss of their captain the previous year and advanced age, the Brewers are victorious this time winning their first pennant. They would fall in the series, though, to the New York Dodgers.

The year is 1981…

It is a time of labor strife in the majors. In May, this would come to a head with a full-out strike, stadiums across the United States and Canada closing their doors for the first time in the leagues' joint history. An agreement was reached and play began again in July, starting with the All-Star Game.

It was decided to change the playoff structure for the interrupted season. The divisional leaders during the first half and during the second half would play each other in an extra best-of-five round of the playoffs, the winners then going to the Championship Series. This extra round would return a decade and a half later as the Divisional Series.

In the American League East, the Yankees took on the Boston Red Sox for the first time in an actual playoff series, triumphing in five. In the American League West, the Athletics defeated the Pilots. In the National League East, the Dodgers defeated the Reds. In the National League West, the Cardinals beat the Astros.

The Yankees and Dodgers met for a second Subway Series, with the first five games going to the home team. When the two returned to Yankee Stadium for game six, however, the Dodgers were able to win a fourth game in a row to reverse the outcome from the last meeting and defend their championship.

The year is 1982…

Seattle is all abuzz. The Pilots have edged out the perpetually also-ran Angels and won the American League West. They face the Orioles in the ALCS, who take the first two games at Memorial Stadium. When the action shifts to the Kingdome, however, the Pilots sweep the last three games, winning their first pennant. They would take come to within one game of a championship, taking a 3-2 lead after winning Game 5 in Seattle, but the Cardinals would win the last two games at Busch Stadium to take away the win.

The year is 1984…

In Los Angeles, the Angels are their original team, a team of tradition and the big player in the market, despite never making the playoffs. The Padres are the little brother. However, in 1984, the Padres take the city by storm. In 1981, they were in the cellar, but in '84, they jump up to first place, eventually winning the National League West.

In 1980, the Los Angeles Rams moved out of the Coliseum and into Anaheim Stadium with the Padres. Renovations to the stadium for football completely enclosed the field. Despite the number of additional seats, there wasn't an empty seat in the house as people came to see LA's first baseball postseason, even though the Cubs took the first two games of the NLCS in Chicago. They were not disappointed, as the Padres swept the Cubs at home, winning the pennant and going on to the World Series against the Tigers. They were able to win a game in Anaheim, but it would be their only win, as the Tigers would win the series in Detroit.

The year is 1985…

In their relatively short history, the Milwaukee Brewers have been a great success. In their first year, they took second place in a weak American League West, something that an expansion team had never done before. Since then, they'd won four divisions and one pennant. In 1985, they win their fifth division championship, and take on a new foe, the new-to-the-playoffs Toronto Blue Jays. While newcomers to postseason baseball, the Blue Jays put up quite a fight and it takes the full amount of games for the Brewers to win the pennant.

In the National League, the Cardinals beat the Dodgers, and get the chance to meet the Brewers. This is another hard-fought series, and in County Stadium, Game 6 goes into the ninth inning 1-0. The Cardinals are three outs away from winning the Series, when an infield grounder looks like the first out. Then, in a moment that would infamously become known as "The Call" in St. Louis, umpire Don Denkinger misses the call at first, calling the batter safe. Much like many such moments in baseball the wheels fall off, the the Brewers come from behind to win the game.

The loss would cause a fight at the start of Game 7, but the Cardinals were deflated and the Brewers pumped up. The Milwaukee Brewers would run away with it and win their first championship.

The year is 1986…

After the Remarkable Royals won their championship, the Royals have had their fortunes rise and fall. In the late 80's, though, they've become a force to be reckoned with. They win the National League West in 1986, and take on the Phillies in the NLCS. The two teams fight hard, and it takes 16 innings on a cold October night in Veterans Stadium for the Royals to take the series.

Their opponents in the World Series are the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox had faced highs and lows of their own. This is their first pennant since being swept by the Reds, and they look to finally get their first championship in over half a century. They traded blows, the Red Sox taking the first two games at Kauffman and the Royals taking two at Fenway. They returned to Kauffman Stadium with the Red Sox one game away from glory.

The game is tied in the ninth and goes to extra innings. In the top of the tenth, the Red Sox take a two-run lead, and the KC crowd's hopes are dashed. The outcome is so assured that a congratulations message to the Red Sox for winning the Series is queued up and accidentally played prematurely on the video board.

However, with two outs in the bottom of the tenth, the floodgates break open, as the Royals get hit after hit after hit. It comes to a dramatic climax as a wild pitch with the bases loaded brings in the tying run. A slow rolling ball hit up the first base line seems like easy pickings, but Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner's momentum as he gets into position causes his hand to close the glove and allows the ball to skip through his legs and into the outfield. The Royals win the game, and much like the Brewers the year before would win Game 7 handily, breaking hearts across New England and winning their second championship.

The year is 1987…

The Pilots had faced the Cardinals five years earlier and been defeated. In 1987, the two teams returned to the World Series, getting past the Tigers and Reds to get there. They open in the Kingdome, and Seattle comes out swinging with two home wins. When action moves to Busch Stadium, however, the Cardinals sweep their three games. When play returns to Seattle, the Cards take an early lead, and it looks like it's going to be all over, but the Pilots scratch their ways back into it with two four-run innings that lead to a win. In Game 7, St. Louis again takes an early lead, but Seattle would come through in the end. The Kingdome rocks and people dance in the streets of Seattle. After years of mediocrity and near-bankruptcy, the Seattle Pilots are the 1987 World Champions of baseball.

The year is 1989…

The San Francisco Athletics beat the Blue Jays to win what would be the second of three straight AL pennants. They take on the Minnesota Giants, who have beaten the Cubs to win only their second pennant since moving. The Athletics won the two games at Candlestick Park, and then flew to Minneapolis to prepare for Game 3. The anthem is sung, but soon afterward Al Michaels brings his hand up to his earpiece and is visibly disturbed as he announces to the audience at home that he's just received news that a large earthquake has hit the Bay Area. There is much damage, including collapsed sections of the Bay Bridge, and Interstate 880.

The Athletics leave the Metrodome, hurrying back home to their families and their city. The decision is made to put the series on hold for a week. Fortunately, casualties are relatively few, something that is oft attributed to people being at home to watch the game. On October 27th, play resumes. The Athletics, carrying the banner of the Bay, complete the sweep in Minnesota.

So, the 80's end with a bang. The decade saw numerous expansion franchises reaching new heights, blown calls, and dramatic comebacks. However, the next decade would be even more dramatic. Join me next time as we dive into the 90's. For now, here's where the league stands...

[SFGiants58]

I really like this update, especially the reverse of the "Washington Padres" incident! So, how will you handle the Trop and the threatened relocations associated with it?

[Moser316]

Amazing how quiet the 1980s were in terms of franchise upheaval in baseball. Surprised not to hear any mention of the Pittsburgh cocaine trials in the mid-1980s. Around the same time, there were rumors that the Pirates would relocate to Denver as a result of all the controversy. Obviously, that couldn't happen in your universe because Denver already has a team, but may have been another opportunity to get one in San Diego.

Great job again, and great to see a universe where the Brewers are World Champions for once (if only).

[GraysonColtsBoy]

Silent Wind saved my life for posting a comment on my controversial topic.

[Dalcowboyfan92]

With no Montreal Expos, I wonder who takes on the role Montreal had as the NL's best-record team in the strike shortened 1994 season.

Will the strike still happen? Probably. Will the Toronto Blue Jays still be '92 and '93 (and technically '94 due to being defending champs) World Series champions?

Can't wait to find out what happens to the league in the 90s.

[newyorker]

When will the next part be posted?

[fillies08]

Hmm. I had a dream last night this updated, and there was another team in New York, called the Battleaxes. I don't know what I was thinking.

[kwmoore]

Would like to see what the 80's era Pilots look like, the LA Padres look significantly better than the California Padres....that CP logo just doesn't work but they had to have some logo.

[Raymie]

A suggestion/note:

If you put a team in Arizona between 1990 and 1992, the ballpark probably would have been named Valley National Ballpark or Valley Ballpark. Valley National Bank was a really big local bank that Bank One bought out in 1992/93 (and it's how Bank One, later Chase, became big in Phoenix).

[newyorker]

Will another part be posted?

[neo_prankster]

By the time Disney buys the Friars in this alternate MLB, can fans expect a name change?

I have a few suggestions:

Stars

Moguls

Blockbusters

Directors

Magicians

Mages

Wizards

Sorcerers

Barracudas

Cruisers

Valiants

Mustangs

Express

Waves

[The Mojo Maniac]

I really want to see the next installment of this! Do the 90s finally bring more expansion? Does San Diego and/or Florida get a team? I've enjoyed following this so far, especially the Pilots winning the '87 Series

[GraysonColtsBoy]

I really want to see the next installment of this! Do the 90s finally bring more expansion? Does San Diego and/or Florida get a team? I've enjoyed following this so far, especially the Pilots winning the '87 Series

Agreed. Silent Wind told me that there will be a third league with one confirmed city:Indianapolis.

What about the Florida White Sox? In 1990,Chicago was going to Florida but never happened.