D'Antonio's FOREVER BLUE take us behind the headlines to the story of the people

A great review of a baseball genius! | Forever Blue: The True Story of Walter O'Malley, Baseball's Most Controversial Owner,and the Dodgers of ... | Michael D'Antonio

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	• Forever Blue: The True Story of Walter O'Malley, Baseball's Most Controversial Owner,and the Dodgers of ... Michael D'Antonio Riverhead Hardcover, 2009 - 368 pages average customer review:based on 20 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The Real Turning Point In Dodger History

Most reviewers seem to be of the opinion that the move from Brooklyn to L.A. in 1957 was the turning point in the history of the Dodger franchise. Author Michael D'Antonio spends a great deal of time on that issue and quite correctly points out that O'Malley wanted to stay in Brooklyn provided he could build a new ballpark, whereas New York City and State construction czar Robert Moses couldn't care less whether the ballclub stayed or left and therefore would not cooperate.

However, the true turning point in the history of the Dodgers occurred seven years earlier, in 1950, when, upon the death of third partner John Smith, Walter O'Malley grabbed control of the ballclub by getting Smith's widow to give him proxy control of her shares. Branch Rickey, who built the post-World-War-II Brooklyn ballclub, was the consummate baseball executive. He'd been a player at all levels including the majors. (He was a catcher for the Yankees years before they became successful.) He later became am executive in St. Louis, first with the Browns, then the Cardinals, where he built the legendary "Gashouse Gang" that was successful in the 1930s and pioneered baseball's farm system.

In 1942 Rickey was invited to come to Brooklyn after general manager Larry MacPhail went into the military. Banker George McLaughlin set up and financed the partnership between Rickey and O'Malley with the wealthy Smith coming on board a bit later as a more-or-less silent partner. At first O'Malley used Rickey, giving he a free hand to manage and build up the organization, since O'Malley knew next to nothing about running a ballclub. Not only did Rickey build a winning team but he broke baseball's color barrier and took a lot of heat for it. But everything changed after John Smith died in 1950. By then O'Malley had been with the Dodgers for 7-8 years and was starting to feel his oats. As a cagey lawyer, which is what he was by profession, O'Malley knew what to do and how to do it in order to push Rickey out. D'Antonio claims Rickey wanted to sell out and leave the Dodgers anyway. But a number of Rickey biographies have been written along with many histories of the Dodgers and none of them say that. D'Antonio admits that Rickey consulted with minority shareholder Jim Mulvey in a desperate attempt to remain with the Dodgers.

The problem was that when McLaughlin set up the 3-way partnership (Rickey, O'Malley, Smith), a part of the agreement was that all the partnership shares had to be voted as a block, thereby giving Mulvey, who held the remaining 25% percent no say-so at all in what the organization did. Once O'Malley got to Smith's widow, he in effect got total control making Rickey as powerless as Mulvey in having any say. According to the terms of the partnership, both O'Malley and Rickey had first call on buying up the widow's stock. Rickey didn't have the money to buy her stock but neither did O'Malley. O"Malley was able to promise to do it and eventually did because he got financing from his friend McLaughlin.

Had Rickey remained in charge, the Dodgers would still be in Brooklyn. Granted Moses was a jerk (whose highway projects harmed many neighborhoods in Broooklyn and the Bronx). But the Brooklyn Dodgers were the most profitable major league ballclub of all in the 1950s--even more so than the Yankees. Not because they had the highest attendance (they didn't) but because they had the best radio and TV deal in the biggest media market. (The Giants and the Yankees shared TV Channel 11 while the Dodgers had Channel 9 all to themselves.) But O'Malley, the consummate businessman, wanted to make more money still and was getting tired of being jacked around by the arrogant Moses. Los Angeles was willing to give O'Malley everything he wanted and he then used his lawyer's reasoning skills to convince Giants owner Horace Stoneham (who was not doing well in New York) to go to San Francisco because the National League owners felt it wasn't worthwhile to have to travel to the West Coast to play just one team.

Ironically, when it was all over, George McLaughlin, who'd made it all possible, deeply regretted what he had done and refused to ever speak to Walter O'Malley again. (Something author D'Antonio should have known and mentioned.)

One other point: When he worked for the Dodgers, Red Barber was baseball's premier announcer. He saw himself as a reporter (not a cheerleader) whose job was to report what was happening on the field. Even though he was from the Deep South, he had no problem reporting on Jackie Robinson and treated him like any other player. He was also Vin Scully's mentor and taught him his style of reporting. But Red Barber couldn't abide working for O'Malley, whom he called the most deceitful man he ever knew. And so he went from being the Dodgers' No. 1 announcer to being the third-string game caller for the Yankees.

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D'Antonio's FOREVER BLUE take us behind the headlines to the story of the people

I have always felt that the true test for a writer is to take us beyond what we think we know about a subject, and reveal something that makes it more than a story and something more real. Michael D'Antonio has achieved this feat with FOREVER BLUE. Whatever you thought you knew about the players involved, the book takes you into dimensions that make the story more about people and how actions can set in motion a course that would have ripple effects for years to come. Bravo!

A great review of a baseball genius!

Walter O'Malley's name is often damned in Brooklyn for supposedly stealing the heart and soul of the the borough and moving the Dodgers to Los Angels for more money. As Michale D'Anotonio proves in this well written history, O'Malley did everything in his power to stay in New York but was resisted at every turn by the powers that be. That, combined with a crumbling ball field and lack of fan support resulted in his move to L.A.

The book clearly demonstrates that the villain was someone who has a long record of being a villain and putting his own interests above the common good. That would be Robert Moses. The same man who destroyed thousands of homes and built parks and beaches for whites while destroying minority neighborhoods was also the driving force to keep the Dodgers out of any special deals because he didn't care for O'Malley,

The book does a great job of showing how savvy O'Malley was and how, unlike many of his owners, he basically treated his players with respect. No one can forget how he drove baseball's integration and that unlike a lot of other rich owners, he ran his team as a business and made it clear that being a Dodger was something to be proud of. He also never lost touch with his humanity which makes him all the more of an interesting person.

This is a great read for all baseball fans!

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Outstanding!!!

Even if you're not a Dodger fan this book is a must read!
It is so well written, and the insight it revels in regard to Walter O'Malley's best efforts at trying to keep the Dodgers in Brooklyn sheds new light on the teams move to Los Angeles in 1958.

Outstanding!!

Walter O"malley was a Bum

Bill Veeck said in one of his books that the Dodgers move to LA was simply a land grab on O'malleys part.Bowie Kuhn said that if he was the Commisioner of Baseball in 1957, he would of ruled against the move to LA, on the grounds that it was not in the best interests of Baseball. Buzzie Bavasi said all of the members of the Brooklyn Dodgers Board of Directors voted to stay in New York, Walter O'Malley was the only person who voted for the move to LA. Due to the fact he was the CEO, his vote was the only one that counted.Granted he made a ton of money in LA, but he would of been worth more money if he remained in New York. The Mets franchise is worth more money today than the Dodgers franchise. I can't believe Walter O'Malley was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Charles Ebbets said nobody should buy a Baseball Team where the sole intention is to make money. Walter O'Malley didn't care about anything but money. He has no business being in the Hall of Fame. Wayne Tietz, Oswego, Illinois

charles

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If ever there was a figure who changed the game of baseball, it was Walter O?Malley. Criticized in New York and beloved in Los Angeles, O?Malley is one of the most controversial owners in the history of American sports. He remade the major leagues and altered the course of history in both Brooklyn and Los Angeles when he moved the Dodgers to California. But while many New York critics attacked him, O?Malley looked to the future, declining to argue his case. As a result, fans across the nation have been unable to stop arguing about him?until now.

Using never-before-seen documents and candid interviews with O?Malley?s players, associates, and relatives, Pulitzer Prize?winning writer Michael D?Antonio finally reveals this complex sportsman and industry pioneer. Born into Tammany Hall connections, O?Malley used political contacts to grow wealthy during the Great Depression, and then maneuvered to take control of the formerly downtrodden Dodgers. After his defeat in a war of wills with the famed power broker, Robert Moses, O?Malley uprooted the borough?s team and transplanted them to Los Angeles. Once in Los Angeles, O?Malley overcame opponents of his stadium and helped define the city. Other owners came to regard him as their guide?almost an unofficial commissioner?and he worked behind the scenes to usher in the age of the players? union and free agency.

Filled with new revelations about O?Malley?s battle with Moses, his pioneering business strategies, and his relationship with Jackie Robinson, Forever Blue is a uniquely intimate portrait of a man who changed America?s pastime forever. His fascinating story is fundamental to the history of sports, business, and the American West.

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