by Bird-Poop on Fri Jan 20, 2006 8:11 am
"Was Walter O'Malley Solely Responsible?
Peter Ellsworth
O'Malley was not just my villain. He was Brooklyn's. He was the man whom Pete Hamill and Jack Newfield famously placed in their triumvirate of evil, along with Hitler and Stalin. But as I began to learn more about O'Malley and about the circumstances of the Dodgers' departure, I began to discover that perhaps—forgive me, Jack and Pete—Brooklyn's hatred was misapplied. Could we have been hating the wrong man all these years?
Michael Shapiro, "Forgiving the Demon of the Dodgers"1
No sooner had Los Angeles Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley announced that he was selling the Dodgers in January 1997 than the New York tabloids began speculating that the Dodgers might be returned to Brooklyn. New York governor George Pataki launched "an all-out effort" to reclaim the Dodgers, but his efforts were in vain.2 Known as "Dem Bums" for their feeble record during much of the first three-quarters of the twentieth century, the Brooklyn Dodgers nonetheless inspired undying loyalty. In 1947 the team helped break down racism in professional sports when Jackie Robinson became the first black player in Major League baseball; in 1955 the Brooklyn Dodgers won their only World Series.3 That is why it came as such a shock to the residents of Brooklyn when it was announced on October 7, 1957, that the Brooklyn Dodgers were moving to Los Angeles. Without fanfare or ceremony Brooklyn lost the team that for sixty-seven years as a National League franchise had figured so prominently in the community.
Passions of this kind..."
(this is the only thing I could see from the link) and i like that we're going back in time for this game!
