If the Braves had never left Milwaukee...

[KevinWI]

How much does a team's location affect their on-field product? If the Braves had still played in Milwaukee all these years, would they be playing in Miller Park, with Chipper Jones and Tom Glavine - plus Bobby Cox managing? That '95 World Series banner wouldn't look bad hanging from Miller Park.

Arugably, some free agents may or may not have picked to play in Atlanta based on the location, but enough to make an impact?

[aqib]

Its hard to project anything beyond the first couple of years. You wouldn't have had the Turner ownership and the GM hires that they made etc. If you assume Selig winds up as owner of the Braves eventually then you probably would have from the mid 70s onwards the Braves doing what the Brewers did,

[PlayJay]

Atlanta surely would've gotten one of the 1969 expansion franchises. They might have gotten Finley, too. He was about as much a prize as winning a 1988 Yugo with an irreplaceable, rusted and busted tie rod.

With Selig at the forefront in a Braves ownership, I do think the club would've had an artistic and financial rebound in the '70s. The Milwaukee Braves would've had time to get some good grass growing under their feet in the market, enough to build a generational tradition. Their move to Atlanta destroyed all of that. Atlanta doesn't appreciate the Braves nearly as much as Milwaukee would have.

[Brownieand45sfan]

I always thought it was a shame that Henry Aaron's career was broken in two by a franchise shift. That would have been one big difference of their staying in Milwaukee.

Even if they had won nothing more than the '69 division, County Stadium becomes "the House that Aaron built", Aaron's name becomes synonymous with Milwaukee, Milwaukee becomes the #1 Baseball Town in America and scouting/recruitment improve in the late 60s and 70s.

E.G., if the Yankees had moved to Atlanta in 1926, Ruth wouldn't have been quite as big a name.

[pgsuperfan]

If the BRAVES had stayed in Boston there is no telling how many homers Aaron would have hit out of BRAVES FIELD

[CaliforniaCajun]

Atlanta surely would've gotten one of the 1969 expansion franchises. They might have gotten Finley, too. He was about as much a prize as winning a 1988 Yugo with an irreplaceable, rusted and busted tie rod.

With Selig at the forefront in a Braves ownership, I do think the club would've had an artistic and financial rebound in the '70s. The Milwaukee Braves would've had time to get some good grass growing under their feet in the market, enough to build a generational tradition. Their move to Atlanta destroyed all of that. Atlanta doesn't appreciate the Braves nearly as much as Milwaukee would have.

The Braves slipped into a period of winning, but mediocre baseball in the 60s after a fabulous decade in the 50s.

The Braves slipped into a period of winning, but mediocre baseball in the 00s after a fabulous decade in the 90s.

Fans pretty much respond the same way to a malaise in all cities.

[six4three]

With Selig at the forefront in a Braves ownership, I do think the club would've had an artistic and financial rebound in the '70s.

I don't think that can be in question. Under Selig's leadership, the Brewers were recognized as one of the best-run organizations in baseball.

The start of the Brewers' decline can be traced, with almost pinpoint precision, to September 7, 1992. Fay Vincent steps down as commissioner, Bud Selig takes the job and turns his club over to his daughter and her husband, who promptly run it into the ground.

[MSUlaxer27]

I don't think that can be in question. Under Selig's leadership, the Brewers were recognized as one of the best-run organizations in baseball.

The start of the Brewers' decline can be traced, with almost pinpoint precision, to September 7, 1992. Fay Vincent steps down as commissioner, Bud Selig takes the job and turns his club over to his daughter and her husband, who promptly run it into the ground.

Actually, that should probably read, Allan Selig and his great lakes cabal, force Vincent to resign: Selig heists the job.

[six4three]

No, it was closer the first time.

[MSUlaxer27]

No, it was closer the first time.

If you're a Selig apologist so be it, my statement is essentially how I remember it, and some might disagree with your viewpoint.

The full article is here: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_n12_v218/ai_15837588/

The relevant paragraphs are below.

" The current political era began with the ouster of former commissioner Fay Vincent in 1992. Vincent's firing resulted from several actions, among them his role in the 1990 labor negotiations, his proposed realignment plan and his criticism of superstation encroachment on local broadcasting markets.

The clubs opposing Vincent were led by Selig of the Brewers, Jerry Reinsdorf of the White Sox, Stanton Cook of the Cubs, William Bartholomay of the Braves and Carl Pohlad of the Twins. Their primary quest -- then as now -- was to curb players' salaries.

The 18-9-1 vote to dump Vincent was taken in Rosemont, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, at a meeting arranged by Reinsdorf. After Vincent was gone, the group installed Selig, chairman of the executive council, as acting commissioner."

It just seems kind of odd, a small group of owners whom the article suggests held a lot of power had a problem with the then commissioner, call a meeting where they give said commissioner a vote of no-confidence. No-confidence, firing; semantical difference. Immediately, after said removal, the ringleader of the group that wanted the commissioner removed is elevated to the prime position of power.

The commissioner is charged to "act in the best interest of baseball". Brokering a deal between the owners and the union would seem to serve that purpose. Reorganizing baseball to put teams on the east coast into the eastern division would not seem that controversial (especially since a similar plan was put in place after Vincent resigned). Owners have never been happy with Flood's suit and the Messersmith/McNally decision against them (See Collusion). Vincent took the middle ground which put him directly in the path of a group of owners who "claim poverty" and wanted to break the union.

Understandably, every commissioner after Landis serves at the pleasure of the owners, but I think it would be a mistake to suggest Vincent resigned "of his own accord".

Looks like a coup de tat, smells like a coup de tat...I don't know maybe it actually was a coup de tat?

[Honus Wagner Rules]

If the BRAVES had stayed in Boston there is no telling how many homers Aaron would have hit out of BRAVES FIELD

Good point. However, if the Braves stay in Milwaukee, Aaron probably doesn't break Ruth's 714 HRs.