They broke the 2 million mark in 1954, and when the Braves won the World Series in 1957, Walter O'Malley was paying attention. He owned the Brooklyn Dodgers and he worried about competing with the Braves. The Packers, with Selig on their board, discontinued playing some games here a few years ago, a maneuver that helped his quest for a baseball-only facility. It wasn't easy, but Selig got his wish. He has many wonderful ideas and numerous pressing problems as commissioner.
Small markets have no chance without shiny modern facilities.
Warren Spahn, the winningest left-hander in history, tossed out the first ball Thursday. Ben Sheets, a Brewers prospect who pitched the U.S. to an Olympic gold medal in Sydney, also received an ovation. Then, many heroes took turns, in uniform, from Aaron to Willie Davis to Robin Yount. Great stuff, and not surprisingly, the fans came early to tailgate and left late to take it all in. That's a better scenario than existed here in 1965, and that's why everybody in this passionate city is smiling along with Uecker.