Cuicchi: When the ‘new” Pelicans lost 1977 home opener in Superdome
From SABR member Richard Cuicchi at Crescent City Sports on June 22, 2019:
Since the opening of the Louisiana Superdome in August 1975, the city of New Orleans had lobbied hard with Major League Baseball’s owners to relocate one of their franchises to the Crescent City.
While the major tenant originally intended for the Superdome was the NFL’s New Orleans Saints, the stadium had also been designed to allow baseball and basketball seating configurations. The NBA’s New Orleans Jazz began playing in the Dome in October 1975, and city officials had every expectation that the Superdome would attract a major-league baseball team as well.
Several major-league teams considered New Orleans for franchise moves, but there were no firm commitments forthcoming within the first two years of the Dome’s operation. Lacking a strong financial backer from New Orleans, officials even proposed a novel joint-city arrangement, where New Orleans and another city would share a major-league franchise.
Read the full article here: https://crescentcitysports.com/turn-back-the-clock-new-pelicans-lose-1977-home-opener-in-superdome/
Originally published: June 27, 2019. Last Updated: June 27, 2019.