European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 20, 1967, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 19 the stars and stripes Friday october 20, 1967 a s shift to Oakland expansion okd by Al Chicago a the Amer Corr pro to Nizich Frt flirt a Slit Isvet to i a it m __., the Amer ican league approved wednes Day night Transfer of the Kansa City athletics to Oakland Calif effective next year and adoptee an expansion plan aimed at in creasing membership to 12clubs by 1969, with new franchises going to Kansas City an Seattle Wash. After the Kansas City Dele gation objected strongly to prospects of a 1971 target for expansion the Al owner new club approved by Feeney Reno Nev. Up Charles Chub Feeney vice president of the National league s Sanfrancisco giants said wednes Day night that he hoped Bot the Oakland athletics and ourselves will be successful there certainly Are a lot of fans in the san Francisco Bay area and it is a growing sports area Feeney declared. I hop that the new Oakland team and the giants will be if he thought that the Advent of the athletics fran Chise to Oakland might Hurt the giants East Bay patronage Feeney said i Haven t thought about a s will be playing their Home games while we Are on the Road and vice versa. I think that giants fans will continue to support our no invasion involved Feeney added that there Wasno territorial invasion involved. Or. Finley is free to move into Oakland Feeney said of the City which is about As far from san Francisco As Brooklyn is from Manhattan. There Only would have been an infringe ment if he had sought to move into san the Oakland Tribune quoted continued on Page 22 agreed to push for the addition of the two new franchises As Early As 1969.the awards to the new fran Chise cities Are subject to applicable baseball rules and proce dures and in the Case of Seattle to that City being Able to provide suitable stadium facilities. The league statement which followed a Day Long hearing of presentations by Oakland Kan Sas City Seattle and Dallas fort Worth tex., said detail still remain to be worked out including coordination of the expansion plans with commissioner William Eckert and the National league. David Cohn head of the governor s stadium committee of Seattle said that he had his fingers crossed All Day Long and did not know that Seattle had been included in the plan until the press received the announcement. We Are highly gratified an now that we have the commit ment i Don t look for any prob lems in our Bond Issue Cohn said. But it is a nine inning Ball game and Well just have to Cohn said that Seattle will vote in february on a $40 Mil lion Bond Issue for a multiple domed stadium. Our Only request when remade our presentation before the owners was that we could. Home Here s an Aerial View of the50,000-seat Oakland coliseum where the athletics will be playing their Home games next season. The plan to move the club from Kan Sas City was approved wednesday by the Amer ican league. Associated press photo mrs mrs the stars and stripes Kaat claims Mele voting9 did t Cost twins Pennant Minneapolis a Minnesota Pitcher Jim Kaat labelled wednesday As totally untrue allegations that a player vote on world series Money share for former manager Sam Meledi video the twins and Cost them possible american league pen Nant this year. The twins took the vote on the Friday night before they played a two game season ending series in Boston. Minnesota needed Only a split in that series to Winthe Pennant but the red sox swept and went on to the world series. It is totally untrue that the vote on the Mele share Cost us the Pennant Kaat said in a interview with the associated press wednesday. The whole thing did t amount to that much but some people have tried to make it sound like the great debate. I think it is a very false statement to say that vote divided us and Cost us the players thought no Thielg of this vote during those two games in Boston. As far As i know there was no split feeling or hard feelings on the part of the players. There was to much Money at stake for each of them to let this thing affect them that Kaat also took Issue with published reports that a dozen of Meredith had pneumonia Dallas up the Dallas cowboys disclosed Here that quarterback Don Meredith suffered a touch of pneumonia last week during his stay in the Hospital for treatment of a rib injury and complications but that he doubtfully might be Able to play sunday against Pittsburgh. The players were prepared to dig into their own pockets to pay for Mele s share. Several of the Fellows whose names were mentioned As agreeing to dig into their own pockets said they knew nothing about continued Kaat it was just a overwhelming majority against him Mele. As far As Bob Alli son Ted Uhlaender and i being described As leading the opposition that too is completely false. Everybody had a fre Choice. How we voted was our own business. Nobody led an group. Each individual Man was Given a Chance to vote for him self. It was just like any other election. The majority had a 1-7 record under Mele the first two months of1967, then finished with a 16-13 record this year winning his last seven games in september. Leafs moved to Louisville Columbus Ohio a Louisville ky., is Back in professional baseball after four year absence. Louisville became the new eighth member of the International league when the directors in a meeting Here accepted a bid of $65,000 for the franchise relinquished by to buyer is Walter Dilbeck of Evansville ind., a realtor who has business interests in Louisville. Official next week Toronto which had been inthe International league 78 consecutive years offered its bal club for Sale earlier this week with an asking Price of $60,000.bob Hunter president of the Canadian club appointed har old Cooper general manager of the Columbus jets As auction Ier. Wednesday morning internal ional league directors agreed of accept Dilbeck s offer Al though official acceptance will not be made until Early next week. Louisville last participated i baseball As a member of the continued of Page s2 have some kind of a guarantee of being in the expansion plan if the Bond Issue passed coh said. They told me at thai time there would be no problem and i came away from the meeting thinking we had a gentleman s agreement that Seattle would Bein Cohn added. But we did t know for sure until the very vote to pass the Bond Charles o. Finley who was rebuffed in 1963 in an Effort to shift the athletics to Louisville,ky., joyfully greeted newsmen with the comment naturally i m very Happy Damn Happy to be accurate. I am most grateful for the consideration and deliberation Given by the league in approving the shift. Last but not least i am looking Forward to Oakland in1968." mule going with me Finley said his transplanted team would be called the Oak land athletics and added the mule is going with the reference was to Finley steam Mascot also named Char Ley expansion statement was made at the same time that Joe Cronin american league presi Dent was in an apparently hot huddle with Kansas City representatives who earlier in the Day had appealed for a continuation of the major league fran Chise in Kansas City without City reaction was one of anger. One spokesman said the american league has re warded the Man who has sabotaged baseball in Kansas City and has left the City without baseball until 1971." sen. Stuart Symington of mis Souri who was with the Kansas City delegation returned to his quarters in another hotel at Midnight and said he was draw ing up plans for a news Confer ence which he was to Call i Washington thursday afternoon outlining Kansas City s feeling sin the matter. He declined fur ther comment. Second switch it was the second Transfer of the original a s franchise which switched from the Mack family in Philadelphia to Kansas City in 1955 when the late Arnold Johnson bought the club. Finley purchased the club from the Johnson estate in 1961 and had a Stormy seven season stay in the Missouri City. It was the second time the american league beat the National league to the draw on expansion. In ,1961, the Ameri can league installed the Losangeles Angels and the Washington senators As new Mem Bers. The new Washington club replaced the franchise which was switched to Minnesota in 1961.the los Angeles Angels have since switched to Anaheim Andare known As the California an National league did not increase to a 10-club team until1962 when the new York mets and the Houston astros were accepted. Hunt on hand the Dallas fort Worth presentation last in the Day Long session by the club owners was made in a 15-minute appearance by Lamar Hunt in behalf of the Dallas fort Worth club of the Texas , owner of the Kansas City football chiefs and his Dallas fort Worth associates applied two years ago at the major league meetings in Miami for franchises in both the american and National leagues. The a s will play in the $30million Oakland Alameda county coliseum which seats 50,000for baseball
