Will Birmingham play in the World Baseball Association?
April 3, 1974
The formation of the World Baseball Association is
formally announced at a news conference in Washington DC. Franchises have
already been awarded to Birmingham, Columbus, Jersey City, Memphis, Tampa-St.
Petersburg, Washington DC, and Mexico City.
Play is to begin in late January of 1975.
The WBA will play games in the United States, Mexico, Central America, South
America, and Asia. Plans are to quickly expand to Central America, the
Caribbean, Hawaii, Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines since baseball is very
popular in both Latin America and the Orient, and both regions produce many
talented ballplayers.
Sean Morton Downey, Jr., president and one of the
league's founders, said the WBA has plenty of money and will go after
established, front line ballplayers. "We'll better the American and National
League salaries, yet our players will have to play less than half the number of
games the current major league teams expect of their players. I do not expect
any trouble signing good players. We will attract them with the same sort of
salaries that brought players into the new football, basketball, and hockey
leagues. And we feel sure the courts will permit players to make moves when
their current contracts expire. We do not believe baseball players can be bound
for life any more than football players can. More than 70 established players
have been in touch with us already, including six members of the World Champion
Oakland A's. They are definitely interested."
Each franchise will cost $150,000 and 2.5% of all gross revenues annually. "But
that's only the minimum. Some have, and will, pay more. The price is subject to
supply and demand, just like oil," Downey said. All
money collected will go to the WBA, a profit-making corporation that will direct
all activities of the league, including the hiring of players, coaches,
managers, and umpires.
Downey said only financial heavy-hitters that could offer players multimillion
dollar contracts should apply for franchises. "If an owner cannot afford to pay
that kind of salary then he will not be accepted as an owner."
A player and manager draft is scheduled for the middle of June in an American
city to be decided later.
The league will consist of 32 teams that will be split into four divisions.
Birmingham will be in the Mid-American division. A 72 to 84 game schedule is planned, compared to the 164 game schedule of Major League
Baseball.
Rule changes will include the use of five designated hitters to replace defensive
players who will remain in the game, the use of one designated runner per game,
the pitcher will be required to throw a pitch within 20 seconds, three balls instead
of four for a walk, and stealing home after the sixth inning will count two runs.
"Baseball as presently played and structured is a bore. We will
introduce innovations which will breathe new life into the game. We're going to
help the American public fall in love with the game all over again," Downey
said.
Another change rumored for consideration is a fluorescent orange ball for
night games. "We'll use the orange baseball at night anyway but we're still
experimenting to see what color we'll use in the daytime. We experimented with
red, white, and blue balls but when I saw them spinning through the air it made me
dizzy. A real stomach-turner," Downey said.
Downey was involved early on with the American Basketball Association in 1967,
which later merged with the National Basketball Association in 1976. Downey
doesn't plan to stop with the WBA. "I'm also considering a team boxing league. I
have big plans on many fronts."
Glynn West, general manager of the
Birmingham Athletics, said he has not heard of anyone who might be
interested in bringing major professional baseball to Birmingham. "If someone
(other than the A's) is interested in playing at Rickwood I don't know anything
about it."
It is also rumored at this time that Gary Davidson, founder and president of the
World Football League, is planning to organize his own baseball league, the
World Baseball League.
April 5, 1974
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Dick Williams |
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Former Oakland A's manager Dick Williams says he has been approached by the WBA
to be their first commissioner.
"I feel honored that my name has been brought up
in connection with the new league. I'm going to listen to what they have to
say," Williams said.
Williams managed the A's to two World Series victories but
was sued by A's owner Charles O. Finley when he left the team to join the New
York Yankees. As a result of the lawsuit, Williams dropped out of baseball and
went into private business. Williams says he is content, but would be happier
back in baseball. "I've had three short conversations with those people. I have no
idea what the job would entail. It's got every bit of a chance to go. I think
the WBA will put a lot of pressure on the rest of baseball."
Epilogue
The World Baseball Association never made it past the planning stages.
In a related note, Sean Downey, Jr.'s World Team Boxing actually made it off the
ground, but only for one match. The season opened on January 17, 1975 with four
teams. Four other teams were set to debut in later months. The first, and only,
league match featured the Portland Nor'easters versus the Montreal 76'ers with
Portland winning handily 13-4. The next day three franchises were suspended for
alleged financial mismanagement; Portland, Providence, and Boston, all of which
were owned by Frank Opie. The league's future was in the air for a week before
folding for good.
Downey was also one of the owners of the American Basketball Association's New
Orleans Buccaneers, although he did not remain so through their first season in
1967.
Ultimately Downey did all right for himself. He eventually worked his way
into broadcasting, where he went by the name Morton Downey, Jr. and had a talk
show in New York and has since appeared in numerous motion pictures.
Contact Gene Crowley
Last update: November 20, 2020
