Читать книгу Bad Boys, Bad Times. The Cleveland Indians and Baseball in the Prewar Years, 1937–1941 онлайн

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The team did formally announce that they had completed a deal with Milwaukee of the American Association, sending three players to the club for highly touted third baseman Ken Keltner. The Indians had actually bought Keltner’s contract at the end of August; however, the transaction was not complete until the three players were sent. Keltner had emerged as a star player for the Brewers, batting over .300 and handling third base at a Major League level. He would report to spring training and be given a legitimate shot to win a starting job.

The most unexpected proposal of the meetings came from none other than Alva Bradley. He announced a revolutionary plan to bring night baseball to Cleveland. Bradley cited the recent success of the Cincinnati Reds, who had held seven games at night, which drew a total of 130,000 fans. The Cleveland owner firmly believed the time had come to play ball games under the stars, and he was stepping forward to lead the charge. He had done a thorough study and was preparing to invest $75,000 at Municipal Stadium to install the proper lighting.