[1] The committee was headed by Boston Red Sox General Partner John Harrington, with others serving on the committee including Bill Giles of the Philadelphia Phillies, Jerry Reinsdorf of the Chicago White Sox, George Steinbrenner of the New York Yankees, Stanton Cook of the Chicago Cubs, Richard Jacobs of the Cleveland Indians, Stan Kasten of the Atlanta Braves, the president of the National League, Leonard S. Coleman, Jr., and the president of the American League, Bobby Brown.
[3] Other cities mentioned as potential expansion locations which did not officially submit an application to the league included Charlotte and Washington.
[4] Announced to begin play for the 1998 season, each ownership group paid a $130 million expansion fee to enter the league.
In order for MLB officials to continue primarily intraleague play, both leagues would need to carry an even number of teams, so the decision was made to move one club from the AL Central to the NL Central - it was ultimately then-acting Commissioner Bud Selig (who at the time also owned the Milwaukee Brewers) who agreed to have his own franchise change leagues.
MLB would later reverse the imbalance created by the 1998 expansion when, following the sale of the Houston Astros, the new owners agreed to move their franchise to the American League before the 2013 season.