Nearly 40 Years Later, This Fan Remains Bitter

The Boston Braves moved to Milwaukee in 1953, and some loyal Boston fans still mourn the team’s departure.

“When the Braves moved in ‘53, it was like a death in the family,” said Mort Bloomberg, who was 12 at the time.

By moving, the Braves ended a 76-year tradition of National League baseball in Boston. Bloomberg did not switch his allegiance to the Red Sox and refuses to mention the team or its ballpark by name.

“To this day, many Braves fans do not want to be associated with the F-park (Fenway) or any member of that organization,” he said. Bloomberg said that he delights in the fact that the Red Sox finished last in the American League East this year.

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Add mourning: Another move, that by the Baltimore Colts to Indianapolis in 1984, still evokes bitter memories in Baltimore.

“I think it was a hell of a psychological blow to this city,” writes John Steadman of the Baltimore Sun. “It was like they were saying that Indianapolis is better than Baltimore. There is no way in God’s world that poor old Indianapolis could ever compare with Baltimore as a city.”

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Trivia time: When was the last time a UCLA football team was shut out?

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Clunker bowl: New England quarterback Hugh Millen on Sunday night’s televised game between his Patriots and the New York Jets:

“From a national perspective, I don’t see us breaking any rating records for NFL telecasts. It’s ostensibly a clunker.”

After losing, 30-21, the Patriots are 0-4. The Jets are 1-4.

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Like it or not: Beethoven, a St. Bernard known for its movie role, carried a baseball to the mound for the ceremonial first pitch before the final game of the season Sunday in Cincinnati. The dog is a relative of Schottzie II, the team mascot owned by Red owner Marge Schott.

Cincinnati players, notably pitcher Tim Belcher, have complained about Schottzie II running free on the field before a game.

Promoting Beethoven’s visit on a radio talk show last week, she said: “Belcher may not like it.”

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Makes sense: George Brett of the Kansas City Royals, who recently reached the milestone of 3,000 hits, on his philosophy of hitting:

“I used to be a mad hitter,” Brett told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “And then I learned the longer you wait on the ball, the better you see it. And the better you see it, the harder you hit it. And the harder you hit it, the higher your average is going to be. And the higher your average is, the more money you’re going to make.”

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Trivia time: UCLA lost to Michigan in 1971, 38-0.

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Quotebook: Soccer player George Best on the 1994 World Cup: “Nobody over there (United States) is even aware that the biggest international sports event in the world is about to take place.”