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It’s the forgotten move. And, except for the original Browns of the Nfl Jerseys stiff-arming decades of loyalty from those throughout northern Ohio, it’s the worst move of all. I’m writing this as a public service to those with amnesia or who just don’t know the Braves threw an ugly knockdown pitch to the entire state of Wisconsin 45 years ago by bolting Milwaukee for Atlanta. The Braves left a city that once featured the most wired fan base the game had ever seen back then.
Afterward, with their beloved heroes operating deep in the heart of Dixie, the Cheeseheads became Jiltedheads. To them, the only thing lacking a kick more than a stale bottle of Schlitz was anything involving Major League Baseball. "You still see highlights of the (Milwaukee Brewers) at Miller Park (in Milwaukee), and then you have Hank (Aaron). Everybody knows Hank, so it’s hard to forget about them," said Prince Fielder, a prolific slugger on the Milwaukee Brewers, who replaced the Braves in 1970. Let’s just say the Brewers tried to replace the Braves. Added Fielder, "For me, personally, and if you follow baseball, it’s definitely hard to forget about the Milwaukee Braves."
Still, when it comes to the relocation of pro sports franchises for the shallowest of reasons (as in money, money, money), folks have a tendency to emphasize those other examples. During the latter 1950s, for instance, there was that popular ditty called "Let’s keep the Dodgers in Brooklyn." It didn’t happen, and nearly everybody who knows the difference between Sandy Koufax and a batting helmet can tell you that, while the Dodgers landed in Los Angeles Dodgers, the Giants left New York for San Francisco.