GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN PART 3

They had Hugh Duffy and Wid Conroy and no one knew who they were. They resided as the Milwaukee Brewers and for one year played in Milwaukee, a city not ready for major league baseball, or anything else for that matter.

Here was another team that migrated form place to place, looking for their identity and the promise-land. It all began in the upstart American League, or junior circuit as it was known. The Brewers finished dead last in their inaugural year with a 48-89 record. So the Brewers set their sights toward the south and said: Meet me in St. Louie Louie.

St. Louis Browns 1902-1953

When the Brewers moved to St. Louis in the American League's second year of existence, they managed to lure away several key players from the city's other major League entrant, the National League’s Cardinals, including 1901 batting champ Jesse Burkett, shortstop Bobby Wallace, and their three best pitchers. They also took the Cardinals' old moniker, becoming the St. Louis Browns! The Browns would go to finish in second place with a record of 78-58.

But the years following bordered on low mediocrity at best, one losing season after another, except in 1922, when they almost stole the pennant form the mighty New York Yankees. Stocked with future Hall of Famer George Sisler and an outfield trio of Ken Williams, Baby Doll Jacobson, and Jack Tobin that batted .300 or better from 1919–23 and in 1925. In 1922, Williams became the first player in Major League history to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in a season, something that would not happen again in the Majors until 1956.

In 1926, the ballpark was expanded form 18,000 to over 30,000 seats in anticipation of a Browns World Series. When the series was played, it wasn’t the Browns but their tenants, the Cardinals who played and won the series and the city permanently from the Browns forn the last out on.

As they said in Brooklyn: “Wait till next year!”, and 1944 was that years, as the Browns won their first pennant. It was a war year, all the good players were away fighting and so the Browns won. Their opponents? The Browns tenants the Cardinals! 1945 was the last time the Browns posted a winning record, finishing six games out in third place.

When Veeck purchased the Browns, wild stunts were tried to bring interest to the clun, like sending a midget up to hit and signing an old Negroe league pitcher named Satchel Paige.

Baltimore Orioles 1954-present

The baseball world was coming apart. The Braves moved to Milwaukee, the Athletics moved to Kansas City and now the Browns moved to Baltimore and became the Orioles!

The Orioles became nothing better than the Browns with a name change. It wouldn’t be until the middle (1966) late 60’s and early 70’s that they became competitive. The pitching staff of Mike Cueller, Jim Palmer and the acquisition of Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson, Boog Powell and Davey Johnson with Paul Blair made them one of the best teams in that era.

That’s all I wrote, Folks!