Dallas–Fort Worth Spurs

The Dallas–Fort Worth Spurs were an American minor league baseball team in the Texas League from 1965–1971.^[1] The team played in Turnpike Stadium in Arlington, Texas.^[2]

The Spurs were created when the Triple-A Dallas Rangers moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1965.^[3] With the opening of Turnpike Stadium, the Double-A Texas League's Fort Worth Cats, an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, moved into the new venue and adopted the regional Dallas-Fort Worth designation and the Spurs nickname.^[2]

The Spurs were affiliated with the Cubs (1965–1967),^[4][5] Houston Astros (1968),^[6] and Baltimore Orioles (1969–1971).^[7][8] In its affiliation with Baltimore, the team featured future Major League players Don Baylor,^[7] Bobby Grich,^[7] Enos Cabell,^[8] and Wayne Garland,^[8] along with managers Cal Ripken Sr.^[8] and Joe Altobelli^[7] and batboy Cal Ripken Jr.

The Spurs set many Texas League attendance records, especially after Turnpike Stadium expanded to a capacity of 20,500 in 1970.^[9] The Dallas-Fort Worth area was considered a prime location for an expansion team or a re-located franchise. Indeed, Turnpike Stadium had been built specifically to attract a major-league team to the Metroplex. That dream nearly came to fruition when the National League expanded in 1969. But the league instead expanded to Montreal, with the Montreal Expos.^[10]

Two years later, the struggling Washington Senators received American League permission to transfer to the area in 1972 as the Texas Rangers,^[11] who moved into Turnpike Stadium (expanded and renamed Arlington Stadium).^[12]

References

1. ↑ Franchise History since 1902 at texas-league.com, URL accessed December 30, 2009. Archived 12/30/09
2. 1 2 The History of Baseball in Fort Worth at fwcats.com, URL accessed December 30, 2009. Archived 12/30/09
3. ↑ Pacific Coast League (AAA) Encyclopedia and History at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed December 30, 2009. Archived 12/30/09
4. ↑ 1965 Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed December 30, 2009. Archived 12/30/09
5. ↑ 1967 Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed December 30, 2009. Archived 12/30/09
6. ↑ 1968 Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed December 30, 2009. Archived 12/30/09
7. 1 2 3 4 1969 Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed December 30, 2009. Archived 12/30/09
8. 1 2 3 4 1971 Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed December 30, 2009. Archived 12/30/09
9. ↑ A look at historic stadiums in Dallas-Fort Worth area at pe.com, URL accessed December 30, 2009. Archived 12/30/09
10. ↑ The Team That Nearly Wasn’t: The Montreal Expos by Maury Brown at hardballtimes.com, URL accessed December 30, 2009. Archived 12/30/09
11. ↑ Historical Moments at sportsencyclopedia.com, URL accessed December 30, 2009. Archived 12/30/09
12. ↑ Arlington Stadium at ballparks.com, URL accessed December 30, 2009. Archived 12/30/09

External links

• Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs on FunWhileItLasted.net