Denver Yankees?

Over the years, we've seen many teams change locations due to issues with stadiums or owners being very greedy. What about a team that is synonymous with where it plays Today, we go back to nineteen eighty three when George Steinbreder, owner of the Yankees, was trying to possibly move the Yankees. Here's the story behind this iconic event. Welcome to Daily Sports History. I'm Ethan Reeese, your guide to a quick deep dive into sports history. Every day, when you think of the Yankees, you think of New York. But in April twelfth, nineteen eighty three, the Yankees were preparing for their home open in their iconic pinstripes. There is a twist to this story. The Yankees aren't playing in New York. In fact, they are eighteen thousand miles away in Denver, Colorado. The house that Ruth built stands empty. How did this surreal situation come to be? Well, it all started with George Steinberger, legendary owner of the New York Yankees, in his grand plan to take the Yankees team national. But why? The story begins in the city of New York. Discovering the cracks in Yankee Stadium's concrete and expansion joints, which led to concerns that repairs may not be completed in the time for the nineteen eighty three season opener. According to Steinberder, the city informed him the repairs may not be done it, but the Parks Department disputes this, claiming they assured that the repairs would be complete February twenty eight. Steinbreder decided to arrange alternative sites for the home series to open the season, and settled on Denver, Colorado. The Mile High City and had a rich history of baseball and longed for a major League team for years before they eventually got the Rockies. There were strong ties between Denver and the Yankees, as they had an affiliate there, the Denver Bears. The idea seemed perfect for both parties, and Denver had a stadium that could see up to eighty thousand fans and baseball star fans were excited for the prospects of the Yankees coming to town. Lynchual friends in Colorado, such as Bob Hausum, a Denver native who was the architect of the Cincinnati Retz Big Red Machine. Emberder also planned to include playing games in New Orleans, but there were major obstacles in the way. A contract with the city of the New York that required the Yankees to play their home games at Yankee Stadium through two thousand and two entered the legal drama. Bill sha the man whom Shay Stadium was named, gave heads up to the city and helped prepare a legal battle. Steinbreder, on the other hand, hired Roy Kohen, a predominant New York attorney with colorful history. The case went to court, and the acting New York Supreme Court Justice Richard Lane had strong words in his opinion. He believed Steinbreder was using the stadium repairs as pretexts to take the team to larger stadiums in City Hungary major League Baseball. Ultimately, the judge ruled for the City of New York and the Yankees had to open their home schedule versus the Tigers at Yankee Saving, which resulted in a loss thirteen to two. But what if the Colorado Yankees plan had come to fruition. If it had, could it have accelerated Denver's quest for major league team to The Yankees have actually moved. Forty years later, Colorado got his major league team, the Rockies, and set an intended's record in their inaugural season. The Yankees stayed in New York and continued their storied history, winning five more World Series since nineteen eighty three. But Denver did receive signficant contributions from the Yankees and a young right fielder named John Elway who became a football legend, and the Yankees signed a slugger named Don Baylor, who later became the f first manager of the Colorado Rockies. In the end, the Colorado Yankees never happened, and New York's baseball legacy remained intact. It's fun to imagine what might have been. Thank you for joining us for today's daily sports history. If you like this, please rate and review wherever you're listening, and we can't wait for you to come back tomorrow for more daily sports history.