Ebbets Field


       Can you imagine what would have happened if Barry Bonds had yelled something as he came into third base and caused the third baseman to drop a routine pop-up? There would have been a feeding frenzy of media hatred so intense that everyone would forget about Osama. But it was the treasured media darling Alex Rodriguez who did the dastardly deed so the attitude is gee wiz he shouldn't have done that now let's all forget about it. What was it Marshall McLuhan said - ' The medium is the message.' ( see also links to 'medium is the message' )
       It was October 8, 1957 that Walter O'Malley announced that the Brooklyn Dodgers would be moving to Los Angeles. At the time there was a media hurricane of criticism , no doubt orchestrated by the New York City government, portraying the Dodger owner as a heartless money grubbing ogre who tore the hearts out of the loyal Brooklyn fans. Even today there are conflicting stories about the events surrounding the Dodgers move to L.A. When Ebbets Field ( see also Ebbets Field tribute and Ebbets ) opened in the early 20th century most of the fans came either on foot or by trolley. The name Dodgers, in fact, was coined because the fans had to dodge the trolleys to get to the ballpark. By the mid 1950s the automobile was dominant and it was clear that this trend was going to continue for the forseeable future. There was a completely inadequate 700 parking spaces for Ebbets Field and the high density of congestion for that section of Brooklyn made it impossible to add more parking area.
       It is at this point that not all agree on what happened next. One story says that O'Malley wanted to build a new stadium in Queens on the very spot where Shea Stadium stands today. Another says that O'Malley wanted build a new stadium in another part of Brooklyn. But all agree that New York officials led by building official Robert Moses arrogantly refused to permit O'Malley to build a new stadium.
       By the 1950s it was clear to all that a major league team would move to Los Angeles although nobody expected it to be the Dodgers who were one of the most successful and profitable sports teams. In 1941 the St. Louis Browns, who in 1953 moved to Baltimore, were all set to move to L.A. They scheduled a press conference to announce the move for Monday December 8, 1941.
       In the end O'Malley gave the city an ultimatum. New York called his bluff never dreaming he would actually move the team and there was not the slightest hint he would take the Giants with him to California. The rest is history.