| Twilight Teams-The Unthinkable
by Max Silberman
For over 50 years no major league franchise had moved, so
it came as quite a shock when the 1952 Boston Braves moved
to Milwaukee. The following season, the 1953 St.Louis Browns
moved to Baltimore so it was not a complete surprise when
our beloved Philadelphia Athletics transferred to Kansas City
after the 1954 campaign. By 1958 the Brooklyn Dodgers and
the New York Giants also made moves reflecting the changing
demographics of America.
Jeff Stuart, the author of "Twilight Teams"
explores the various teams that moved to other cities from
1952-1971. The histories of the teams and reasons for their
moves make for fascinating reading, especially the more than
50 pages dealing with the Philadelphia A's. A brief but thorough
team history with anecdotal information is followed by a complete
look at the 1954 team and its final season in Philadelphia.
A month by month look at the 1954 season complete with all
the "back room" maneuvers made in an attempt to keep the team
in town is followed by a game by game recap of that last sad
season.
To be sure, there are factual errors that
will be easily spotted by A's historians but rare is the book
which doesn't contain a mistake or two. Just reading through
every detail of that 1954 season brings a few smiles and a
few tears to those of us who lived through the agony of wondering
whether or not the team would actually leave. We were "teased"
more than once with the hope that a local group of investors
would actually be successful in preventing the move. Particularly
moving is the account of some of the "tiny" crowds that last
year some of which were smaller than a good sized wedding.
Those of us who cherish Athletics history and remember the
turbulence of the 1950's and all the moves from cities which
had more than one team will enjoy Stuart's book.
My father assured me in August of 1954 that
the Athetics would never leave us. Since then, I trust no
one.
The book is available at the Philadelphia Athletics
Historical Society Gift Shoppe.
(Note: we met Jeff Stuart during
our participation in the Washington Senators Historical
Society "Nats Fest" last February. After talking with
Jeff for just a few minutes, you come away with the
assurance that this book was a labor of love written
by a true fan who loves the game and its history. You
won't be disappointed.)
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BACK COVER
1957
Brooklyn Dodgers team photo
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