Westward the A's

Ev'rythin's up to date in Kansas City. They've gone about as far as they c'n go! . . . With ev'ry kind o' comfort ev'ry house all complete, You c'n walk to priviesin the rain an' never wet yer feet . . .

This year Kansas City replaced its last gas street lamps with electric lights. For beauty as well as to advertise its cattle industry, it acquired a monumental bull, perched atop a 90-ft tower and equipped with neon innards. Last week came the biggest innovations for the first time since 1886,* Kansas City had a major-league ball club. The news came after three months of nerve-racking suspense for Kansas Citians: the Philadelphia A's westward move was considerably slower than a walk to the privy in the rain.

Last summer, Chicago's Arnold Johnson, a vending-machine tycoon, thought he could simply put $3,375,000 in the slot and get himself a ball team. Millionaire Johnson happened to own the stadium of the minor league Kansas City Blues, the town's only big ballpark (he is also part owner of New York's Yankee Stadium). The nearest major-league town, St. Louis, was more than 250 miles away, he argued, and Kansas City was full of potential fans. Even the A's Connie Mack, 91, Grand Old Man of Baseball, agreed that the move was a good idea. But Connie's two squabbling sons and co-owners, Roy and Earle, could not agree to sell. The silliest wrangle since Seward bought Alaska followed. But last week Connie Mack, his failing health shaken by months of bickering, sold his team to Johnson with a shaking hand. The price: $3,500,000--with Connie Mack Stadium and $800,000 in debts thrown in.

Meanwhile, Johnson got ready to enlarge the Blues Stadium, started to look around for a manager and players. Said he: "My associates and I have a million dollars to spend." Everything would be up to date in Kansas City.

*When the Kansas City club became a member of the National League, replacing Providence. The team finished seventh in the eight-club league and went bankrupt.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.