This Day in Walter O’Malley History:

  • In The Sporting News, Walter O’Malley purchases two newspaper advertisements on behalf of the Brooklyn Dodgers to welcome the fans of Milwaukee to the National League upon the relocation of the Boston Braves franchise. In the ad appearing in the Milwaukee Journal, the copy states, “Glad to have you in the National League. We have eleven dates in your fair city. Be ready, it looks like a great National League season.” Signed Charlie (Dressen), Billy (Cox), Pee Wee (Reese), Gil (Hodges), Duke (Snider), Roy (Campanella), George (Shuba), Carl (Erskine), Jackie (Robinson), Preacher (Roe), Joe (Black), Red (Barber), Connie (Desmond), Vince (Scully), Fresco (Thompson), Buzzie (Bavasi) and Walter (O’Malley). A different but similar ad ran in the Milwaukee Sentinel. The copy read, “The Brooklyn Dodgers sincerely welcome Milwaukee as a member of the National League. We congratulate (owner) Lou Perini and salute the Milwaukee Braves. We are anxious to play in your new stadium. Except for 11 games in Milwaukee, we promise to be peaceful tourists.” The same signatures were under the copy.

  • Yomiuri Giants’ Manager Shigeru Mizuhara, pitcher Sho Horiuchi and catcher Shigeru Fujio who are guests of Walter O’Malley during spring training at Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida today take a tour of Ebbets Field in Brooklyn en route to San Francisco and then home. The three are taken by the lush green grass of Ebbets Field, so unlike the all-dirt fields they play on in Japan.

  • A pension and profit-sharing plan for Dodger employees is announced by Walter O’Malley during a special staff meeting at Dodgertown, according to The Sporting News. The plan was to create a fund equal to 15 percent of the annual salaries of all full-time personnel of the Dodger organization. “I want you all to know that we are proud of the job you all have been doing,” said O’Malley to the employees. “We think we have the finest organization in baseball.” In the article it was pointed out, “It is worthy of note that O’Malley (is) putting this plan together despite the tremendous financing program into which they plunged in order to build the first stadium created by private capital since the Yankee Stadium was dedicated in 1923.” Bob Hunter, The Sporting News, March 22, 1961

  • Dick Walsh, Dodger Vice President and Director of Stadium Operations, discusses final preparations for new Dodger Stadium with sportswriter Bob Oates in the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner. According to Walsh, roads are being completed, all but the last 500 seats of 56,000 are in place and the scoreboard was en route from Des Moines, Iowa. When Walsh mentions 2000 pairs of “love” seats are ready — that is, pairs of seats with the middle arm rest removed — he says, “This was Walter’s idea (referring to Walter O’Malley). He’s all for compatibility.” Bob Oates, Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, March 22, 1962