Denver & Miami Franchises Revealed, Hearst Names CBL Commissioner
January 7th, 1983 - THE SPORTING NEWS
Rex Hearst, revered madman, named former Major League pitcher Bill 'Spaceman" Lee commissioner of the newly anointed Continental Baseball League. Lee, who retired last November at age 36, went 3-1 with a 2.72 ERA in 43 IP for the Montreal Expos. Lee, often referred to as "Spaceman" has been one of Major League Baseball's most eccentric and interesting players. Hearst and Lee, who have been friends for over twenty years, will make quite the combination. Hearst also introduced his Denver franchise yesterday as the Colorado Rockies. Hearst showcased the teams logo and colors, and said that the jerseys will have to be a surprise.
Down south, Miami franchise CFO Ricky Aldiris introduced the Miami Atoms. The city of Miami has quite a storied history with baseball, they've hosted one for the past twenty years, including one in the International League from 1956-1960. However, with the Miami franchise comes a bit of conflict. Discussions between the CBL and MLB have resulted in vastly different points-of-view for the fertile baseball market of Florida, especially the Miami-Dade area.
MLB commissioner Bowie Kuhn claims that Hearst and his "degenerate league" are trying to exploit a market that the MLB has developed slowly and carefully for decades. Hearst stated that the city approved his franchise, and has already committed to having a major league level professional baseball franchise, something Major League Baseball obviously could not provide. Kuhn, one of the most unpopular commissioners amongst MLB owners, is projected to be ousted sooner rather then later, especially after he seemingly permitted another major league to establish itself within current MLB markets.