Sometimes an idea needs a little time to pick up speed.

St. Louis sports journalist Bob Broeg strongly pitched the concept
of interleague play as a way to revive baseball. The Times’ Al Wolf
wrote about his conversation with Broeg, identified as president of the
"big league baseball writers’ fraternity."

"I think the fans would eat it up," Broeg said. "Take Los Angeles
for example. Your fans have seen all the National League stars now. The
crowds might hold up and again they may not–especially when clubs like
Cincinnati and Philadelphia come around again.

"But what kind of business do you think the Dodgers would do if the
Yankees came to town for actual championship games? How about the Red
Sox with Ted Williams? The White Sox with Billy Pierce and Nellie Fox?
And so on."

He had me with the Yankees. And we all now know that if the Red Sox
came to the Coliseum, about 115,000 people would show up. Just don’t
ask about parking.

Baseball finally warmed to the idea in 1997. As for The Times’ Wolf,
he was ready to start in 1959: "I buy it, Brother Broeg, and the sooner
the better."