After 60 years of eight teams in each league (albeit with a few relocations), the American League added two new clubs before the 1961 season. No one had ever tried to conduct an expansion draft before, so perhaps it’s understandable that the procedure was done in secret and badly mismanaged. Using files from the Hall of Fame and other sources, Eric Thompson leads us through the good, the bad, and the ugly of December 14, 1960.

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Eric Thompson

Lifelong Indians fan Eric Thompson (ethomp1122@aol.com) was born and raised in northeastern Ohio. His longstanding interest in baseball statistics brought him to the Jack Graney Chapter of SABR about eight years ago. It’s the first national convention presentation for this retired math teacher who’s been married to Colleen for 40 years. Eric plays regularly in the "Babes of 1916" softball league for men over 65.