Sport: Continental Divide

From its founding last year, the pop-up Continental League had little chance of becoming a third major baseball circuit in 1961. The owners had franchises in eight cities,* but no players and no stadiums. By its paper existence, however, the Continental League bedeviled the 16 major-league teams.

Last week representatives of all three leagues met in Chicago to shake hands on a deal that left everyone smiling, the Continental Leaguers contentedly, the established major leaguers with relief. Terms of the deal: the Continental League disappears; the American and National leagues will each grow to ten teams by 1962, taking in two Continental cities apiece; the remaining four Continental cities will be considered for membership after a “reasonable” time.

For the majors, the agreement eliminates a competitor in a way that is not likely to irritate Congress, which rumbles from time to time about the monopoly status of baseball. But the deal does not settle which league gets what cities. New York, which has been without a National League team since the Dodgers and Giants followed the gold rush to California, will certainly get another National League team. The rhubarb should be fierce over the other cities.

*New York, Buffalo, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Denver, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Atlanta, Toronto.