OUR SADDEST DAY - September 24, 1957

[DODGER DEB]

Today, September 24th, WE mark yet another anniversary of the SADDEST DAY in OUR BROOKLYN DODGER history.

It was 48 years ago, in 1957, on an brisk autumn Tuesday night that WE played the last game at OUR BELOVED EBBETS FIELD.

WE beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0, behind Danny McDevitt's pitching. Gil drove in the last RBI at OUR Ebbets Field. By 10:09PM it was all over! I was part of a small crowd of 6,702 that tried watching through all OUR tears, which never stopped flowing from the minute WE entered OUR Rotunda. Thousands stayed home because they couldn't bear the pain of watching OUR rich and wonderful history being torn from US...and ripped to pieces.

Of course, none of this mattered. What mattered, most of all, was the fact that OUR hearts were about to be broken, and WE would bleed that pain for the rest of OUR lives......all in the name of GREED....and to satisfy the ego of one man! Hopefully, wherever he is, his pain is greater than the pain he inflicted upon US!

c.

[tonypug]

Originally Posted by DODGER DEB

Today, September 24th, WE mark yet another anniversary of the SADDEST DAY in OUR BROOKLYN DODGER history.

It was 48 years ago, in 1957, on an brisk autumn Tuesday night that WE played the last game at OUR BELOVED EBBETS FIELD.

WE beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0, behind Danny McDevitt's pitching. Gil drove in the last RBI at OUR Ebbets Field. By 10:09PM it was all over! I was part of a small crowd of 6,702 that tried watching through all OUR tears, which never stopped flowing from the minute WE entered OUR Rotunda. Thousands stayed home because they couldn't bear the pain of watching OUR rich and wonderful history being torn from US...and ripped to pieces.

Of course, none of this mattered. What mattered, most of all, was the fact that OUR hearts were about to be broken, and WE would bleed that pain for the rest of OUR lives......all in the name of GREED....and to satisfy the ego of one man! Hopefully, wherever he is, his pain is greater than the pain he inflicted upon US!

c.

And he still was telling the media that he was trying to stay in Brooklyn. He lied to the very end, and never had the guts to make the announcement himself.

[Bklyn Boy since 1936]

Originally Posted by DODGER DEB

Today, September 24th, WE mark yet another anniversary of the SADDEST DAY in OUR BROOKLYN DODGER history.

... What mattered, most of all, was the fact that OUR hearts were about to be broken, and WE would bleed that pain for the rest of OUR lives......all in the name of GREED....and to satisfy the ego of one man! Hopefully, wherever he is, his pain is greater than the pain he inflicted upon US!
c.

He never did and never will feel any kind of pain, DD. One must have feelings, a heart and soul to experience pain ... and, as you know, he had none of that.

[theAmazingMet]

At least the three of you got to witness the Brooklyn Dodgers play. I was cheated out of that opportunity by Greed. I envy the three of you. I watch the Dodgers in old videos, and will never get to see them live. At least you have that much. Think of myself and future generations who never even had that much.

[donzblock]

When the Baseball Hall of Fame opens up a new wing for the Archons of Avarice and O'Malley becomes its first inductee, we all must travel up to Cooperstown on that day to give the Big Fat OM an appropriate welcome, one loud enough to reach his embalmed ears in Tartarus. My car by then will have well over 200,000 miles, but it will wheeze its way over the Poconos and get to Greedsville in plenty of time to make sure that the O'Malley family understands just how much old Brooklyn Dodger fans appreciate what that bloated bloodsucker did.

Cooperstown impresses me as being the perfect place for O'Malley. Each store operates an enormous fan that creates a powerful suction designed to empty out your pockets. It's Vacuum City, the ideal place to commemorate the particular kind of emptiness that the Obese OM represents.

Mark Twain did a job on the author for whom the town is named; in his "Dissertation on Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses," Twain proves that Cooper saw things as through a glass eye darkly. Had Twain been a Brooklyn Dodger fan, he would have had a field day with O'Malley. He would have surveyed the effect of Greed on baseball today and noted that "Reports of O'Malley's death are greatly exaggerated."

[MATHA531]

Why is everybody picking on the big O...I mean if you read the revisionist history put out by the clown Shapiro at Colombia it was Robert Moses' fault the team left; after all Robert Moses should have broken NY State law and condemned property owned by a private firm and given it to another private organization and then of course the millions needed to extend the BQE to the site and then of course the games coming off free television for a pay tv system that didn't exist at the time to pay for the Dodger part of this....

Well of course let's all remember the famous quote...

"There were 3 great villains of the 20th century, Josef Stalin, Adolf Hitler and Walter O'Malley. May he continue to rot in hell where he belongs.

[D6+]

Originally Posted by tonypug

And he still was telling the media that he was trying to stay in Brooklyn. He lied to the very end, and never had the guts to make the announcement himself.

On top of this, Walter O' Malley continued to stab the people of Brooklyn and Brooklyn Dodgers fans everywhere by lying well after he hijacked the Dodgers out of the Brooklyn. Below is a quote from the NY Times on January 22, 1958. The article was written by Roscoe McGowen. O' Malley was addressing the media, while back in 215 Montague St. When asked about another MLB club coming to Greater New York, O' Malley said such a club would be eventually be in the area. Then he went on to say the following:

" I'm thinking of expansion to ten clubs, rather than moving an existent National League Franchise here, " he said. " I'd say it would be another club in Brooklyn and one perhaps in the twin cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis. "

[penncentralpete]

this was a mortal sin. truly a mortal sin. pete

[penncentralpete]

even sadder than sept. 24, 1957. pete

[penncentralpete]

unbelievable heartbreak. still hurts today. pete

[Soxrock]

Lest we forget; The Brooklyn Dodgers were a damn good team even on their final day in Brooklyn. It's odd that the owner that brought you your first World Series title was this much of a pariah around Brooklyn, but, then again, he brought it onto himself

[penncentralpete]

if you think for one minute that george steinbrenner has one iota of positive moral fiber over and above o'malley, you are dead wrong! george wanted to move the yankees more than once (new jersey?) and was talked out of it by cooler heads. pete

[Flatbush Flock]

Originally Posted by penncentralpete

if you think for one minute that george steinbrenner has one iota of positive moral fiber over and above o'malley, you are dead wrong! george wanted to move the yankees more than once (new jersey?) and was talked out of it by cooler heads. pete

No, you are dead wrong. Although he's no saint, Steinbrenner has far more moral fiber than O. He did consider moving to New Jersey, but unlike the fat slob, Steinbrenner was talked out of it. He also was willing to spend money on winning championships for the Yanks.

[tonypug]

There is no comparison between O'Malley and Steinbrenner. Steinbrenner like many owners made threats to move, but used those threats as a negotiation method. O'Malley made his decision to move in 1955, and just waited for the time to be right. He lied and lied, claimed he was negotiating, and all the time was planning on moving to LA.

[D6+]

Originally Posted by penncentralpete

if you think for one minute that george steinbrenner has one iota of positive moral fiber over and above o'malley, you are dead wrong! george wanted to move the yankees more than once (new jersey?) and was talked out of it by cooler heads. pete

Pete, I respectivefully disagree with your comparison between the two owners. My take is along the lines of what Flatbush Flock and TonyPug expressed. Actions are much louder than words. The bottom line is the New York Yankees continue to field a team in the Bronx, with a new stadium opening in 2009. The Brooklyn Dodgers haven't played a game since the end of the 1957 season.

[Francoeurstein]

Thats sad.. I once met Mcdevitt sp?

[Soxrock]

Originally Posted by tonypug

There is no comparison between O'Malley and Steinbrenner. Steinbrenner like many owners made threats to move, but used those threats as a negotiation method. O'Malley made his decision to move in 1955, and just waited for the time to be right. He lied and lied, claimed he was negotiating, and all the time was planning on moving to LA.

Yeah. Steinbrenner came with a threat and New York responded. However, even if the Yanks moved to New Jersey, there is one big difference between Steinbrenner and O'Malley; At least Steinbrenner stayed in a NY tri-state area, unlike O moving 3000 miles away

[D6+]

Originally Posted by Soxrock

Yeah. Steinbrenner came with a threat and New York responded. However, even if the Yanks moved to New Jersey, there is one big difference between Steinbrenner and O'Malley; At least Steinbrenner stayed in a NY tri-state area, unlike O moving 3000 miles away

Exactly! IMO, like I expressed in this forum previously, if a team moves to another part of a Metropolitan area, they have a much greater chance of eventually returning to the part of the Metro area they were in previously. The major reason for this is there wouldn't be an territorial restrictions or payments involved.

[EbtsFldGuy]

Will there be any other commemoration of the final game beyond what the Cyclones did earlier this summer?

[penncentralpete]

i don't know if any plans are in the works, but i think the METS should do something. just my opinion. pete

[MATHA531]

Originally Posted by penncentralpete

i don't know if any plans are in the works, but i think the METS should do something. just my opinion. pete

Why???? The Mets franchise has nothing to do with the Brooklyn Dodger franchise.

[penncentralpete]

the new york mets were BORN because of the dodgers and giants. that is why they have blue and orange as their colors. the mets have had "days" in the past commemorating branca and thomson, jackie, etc. they should do SOMETHING remembering the dodgers' final game in NY (and the giants too for that matter). just my opinion. pete

[D6+]

Originally Posted by penncentralpete

the new york mets were BORN because of the dodgers and giants. that is why they have blue and orange as their colors. the mets have had "days" in the past commemorating branca and thomson, jackie, etc. they should do SOMETHING remembering the dodgers' final game in NY (and the giants too for that matter). just my opinion. pete

Pete, though I understand and respect your point of view, my take is much more along the lines of what MATHA531 expressed.

The only connection the Mets really have with Brooklyn is that their Rookie A Ball team, the Cyclones, play in Brooklyn. The commemoration that took place at Keyspan Park on June 24 was the one that was most appropriate at a professional ballpark. Any other commemoration at another ballpark, especially in the NY area, is inappropriate and damaging to the cause of Brooklyn getting another MLB team in the future. IMO, it's best that the Mets are viewed as a separate entity from the Brooklyn Dodgers.

[DODGER DEB]

Through the years, the METS have done more than their share of including OUR Dodgers in many events at Shea Stadium, and I, for one, am happy that they did.

OUR BROOKLYN DODGERS were a team without a city...with no place to hang their hat, so to speak. Thank goodness that Fred Wilpon was a BROOKLYN DODGER fan. He, and even the ownership before him, have always invited OUR Players to Old Timer's Days, knowing that they would, and were, welcomed with opened arms. No one had to tell the crowd who they were (as they have to do elsewhere), everyone in NYC knew and honored them. I was there for all of it, and I am telling you that I both cried and cheered. It was sad for me to think they had "no place" to call home, and happy to know that the people here in NYC never forgot them and what they meant to US here.

The METS are doing what they have to do with their new stadium. I think the Rotunda will be a welcome site for all baseball visitors.

OUR DODGERS died in 1957 because of greed and selfishness on the part of one person. WE had them when they were at their best.....and that, even the Big "O" will NEVER be able to take away from US or THEM!

[MATHA531]

This relationship between the Mets and the Brooklyn Dodgers is a very strange one...it developed from a need to sell tickets in 1962 when the expansion Mets were well on their way to losing 120 games and nobody really knew what the fan base would be....

Do remember that the original upper management of the Mets were Giant people (Ms. Payson owned some stock in the Giants and her rep on the Giants exec board, a charming fellow by the name of M. Donald Grant, was the only member of the Board of Directors of the National Exhibition Company (the corporate name of the Giants) to vote against the move to San Francisco...also the Mets were playing at the Polo Grounds those first two seasons...but they did have some Dodger blood on the ball field with Gil Hodges playing first base who was somebody Brooklyn Dodger fans could identify with (as well as Charlie Neal, Roger Craig, Joe Pignatano and I believe Clem Labine among others)....

But nobody really knew where the Met fan base would be coming from....I remember vividly the first visit of the Los Angeles National League baseball team to play the Mets in 1962...it was Memorial Day (then celebrated on 30 May not the nearest Monday to 30 May) and a double header to boot (yes in those long ago days teams played double headers on Memorial Day)....and the Polo Grounds was sold out.

Lindsey Nelson, between games of the double header, interviewed one of Warren Giles assistants (was it Chub Feeney, not sure)....who vehemently denied that Giles had made the "who needs New York" comment (which of course was a lie as he did; the excuse was he was being badgered by members of the NY press and had blurted this out but didn't really mean it!)....during that double header, the Mets pulled off a triple play in the 2nd game when umpire Tom Gorman, a New Yorker at heart (who rearranged his crew's schedule so he could umpire the first game at Shea Stadium two years later) called an LA runner out at first base on the back end of the triple play when he was clearly safe (no instant replay then from 8 different angles and no ability to stop and freeze frame, things we take for granted today)...LA swept the double header of course, wining the 2nd game on a late home run by Frank Howard...but the point was that Lindsey Nelso remarked several times in amazement that the majority of the crowd seemed to be New York Mets fans not fans of the LA National League club!

In that first year, as the Mets were being run by George Weiss who had been fired by the Yankees two years before, the big promotion was Old Timers Day...(the only promotion the Yankees really had in those days and something Bill Veeck as in Wreck always said was absurd) so how could the Mets have an Old Timers Day...well of course by honoring members of the Dodgers and Giants who had played in New York and that's how that tradition started.

But the point being made is a lot of this developed sort of by accident. The Mets had big Ralph number 13 Branca working with Howard Cosell on their pre and post game shows on WABC radio (or more accurately the station did that) lending another Brooklyn touch to the organization but I'm not sure it was the original intent to make the Mets a clone of the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants (despite the use of Dodger blue and Giant orange in their uniforms...they also took Yankee pin stripes as neither the Dodgers or Giants had pinstripes in their uniforms and use the script Mets sort of like the Dodgers did on their home uniforms (no red number though on the front) and the road uniforms said New York much like the Giant uniforms did when they played in NY (interestingly enough, in the last few years the Dodgers played in Brooklyn, their road uniforms did not say Brooklyn but rather Dodgers but they changed this around when the new LA franchise was formed putting Los Angeles on the road uniforms....

Of course one of the unifying things now, the reason the new Met Stadium will have some touches of Ebbets Field is not any relationship between the Mets and the Brooklyn Dodgers but rather because Fred Wilpon was a big Brooklyn Dodger fan growing up...I would bet if the city of New York did not offer such a good lease (and Citibank did not foot much of the bill), he might have preferred to move the Mets to Brooklyn (Coney Island?).

But with all this, I still don't consider or think there is any special relationship between the Mets and the Brooklyn Dodgers (special relationships are for politics like the one between Great Britain and the United States)....