The same people who wanted to get rid of Steve Carlton. St. Louis Cardinals management succeeded in unloading the greatest pitcher of his day, but their evil designs on a classic old ballpark were quashed by the management of the Arkansas Travelers. Given a choice between building a new stadium or losing their Cardinal contract, the Travelers said Bye Bye, Redbird. The Travs quickly entered a new relationship, with the Anaheim Angels. Angel fans are fewer than Cardinal fans in these parts, but that won't matter if the Angels field winning teams here, as they have promised, and as the Cardinals have failed to do for years.
Affections come and go in the minor leagues.
Fans were attending Traveler games in what used to be called Travelers Field long before the Cardinal connection. Sports profiteers have popularized the belief that stadiums should be changed like sheets, and the even nastier notion that public funds should be used for the purpose. More cities ought to resist, just as more ballparks ought to resist recorded music and have a live organist instead, like Winder Field. An American League club, the Angels will mandate use of the designated hitter. But that's the only downside to the new arrangement.