Rickey, who realized that trying to go dollar-for-dollar with wealthier clubs was a losing proposition, wired prized scout Charley Barrett, “Pack up and come home—we’ll develop our own players.” Starting in late 1919, Rickey and Cardinals president Sam Breadon began building a Cardinals-owned and -operated network of minor-league teams. In a pattern that repeats itself across centuries, baseball’s old guard belittled a boundary-breaking concept. “It’s the stupidest idea in baseball,” legendary Giants manager John McGraw said. “What Rickey is trying to do can’t be done.”
