Post by Darryl on Apr 10, 2016 13:45:40 GMT -5
Seattle Times October 13, 1969.
By all accounts it was a successful first season when compared to past MLB expansion teams for the Seattle Pilots. While that would normally be cause for optimism going forward for a teams future the case isn't so for the young franchise as instead if finds its future looking cloudy due to off field issues.
The causes of this malady can be traced back to two key points: Sick's Stadium and the early launch of the franchise. Had expansion plans held to their original terms the Pilots would be taking the field in 1971 with an upgraded Sick's Stadium that could seat over 30,000 instead of the 25,000 it does today. As well ground would have been broken on a new state of the art baseball field to be built near the Seattle Center. This was all tossed up in the air however when the MLB commissioners office asked Pilots ownership to launch their franchise early as the Kansas City expansion team wanted to strike quickly as to maintain momentum from the previous Athletics franchise. The Pilots were needed to keep the American League balanced with an even number of teams and avoid a scheduling nightmare.
All is not lost however Pilot fans as an unnamed source in the front office has told the Times that team owner Darryl Lierman has been meeting regularly with Seattle city leadership in order to press for some financial relief while waiting for much needed upgrades to Sick's Stadium. This news should help calm the nerves of many fans who had heard rumours that the team owner had been in touch with some of his old contacts in Milwaukee from his days as owner of the Braves.
By all accounts it was a successful first season when compared to past MLB expansion teams for the Seattle Pilots. While that would normally be cause for optimism going forward for a teams future the case isn't so for the young franchise as instead if finds its future looking cloudy due to off field issues.
The causes of this malady can be traced back to two key points: Sick's Stadium and the early launch of the franchise. Had expansion plans held to their original terms the Pilots would be taking the field in 1971 with an upgraded Sick's Stadium that could seat over 30,000 instead of the 25,000 it does today. As well ground would have been broken on a new state of the art baseball field to be built near the Seattle Center. This was all tossed up in the air however when the MLB commissioners office asked Pilots ownership to launch their franchise early as the Kansas City expansion team wanted to strike quickly as to maintain momentum from the previous Athletics franchise. The Pilots were needed to keep the American League balanced with an even number of teams and avoid a scheduling nightmare.
All is not lost however Pilot fans as an unnamed source in the front office has told the Times that team owner Darryl Lierman has been meeting regularly with Seattle city leadership in order to press for some financial relief while waiting for much needed upgrades to Sick's Stadium. This news should help calm the nerves of many fans who had heard rumours that the team owner had been in touch with some of his old contacts in Milwaukee from his days as owner of the Braves.
