LOVERRO: How the Padres nearly became Washington’s baseball team fifty years ago
There have been some outstanding weeks in the history of Washington sports
Any championship, of course, would provide for an exciting week. It was a historic week on January 30, 1983, when the Washington Redskins won their first Super Bowl. Another fantastic week occurred five years later on January 31, 1988, when they won their second Super Bowl. Thirdly, the week of January 26, 1992.
In the past, January was a fantastic month in the Washington, DC, area.
The Stanley Cup victory by the Washington Capitals and the World Series victory by the Nationals on October 30, 2019, made the week of June 7, 2018, unforgettable. Parades, parties, and good times.
When Major League Baseball announced the Montreal Expos would be moving to the District the week of September 29, 2004, and when baseball returned to RFK Stadium the week of April 14, 2005, everyone undoubtedly rejoiced.
Definitely good times.
But fifty years ago, the first week of December might have been among the greatest weeks in Washington sports history.
Possibly would have been.
As it happened, the first week of December 1973 was quite pleasant in this area. However, it was capable of much more. That’s certainly how it appeared at the time.
Washington sports had a polarizing year the year before. That was the year the Redskins, led by George Allen, advanced to the Super Bowl after winning the NFC title. The Miami Dolphins, who were unbeaten, defeated them 14–7. However, Washington had not seen a season like that since the Sammy Baugh era.
The remainder of 1972? Nothing.
Following the 1971 season, the Washington Senators relocated to Arlington, Texas. There was no NHL team, no NBA franchise. Buffalo was home to three professional sports teams: the NHL’s Braves, the NBA’s Bills, and
The capital of the country had one.
But that was about to change. In February 1973, Abe Pollin, the owner of the Baltimore Bullets, declared that the NBA team would be relocating to Washington, namely Landover, Maryland. He was constructing a
