This Day in Walter O’Malley History:

  • Walter O’Malley’s grandfather, Thomas Francis O’Malley, passes away in Brooklyn. Thomas worked in the Brooklyn Post Office in the 1880s, when Brooklyn was a separate city and not part of greater New York. Walter once said, “He spent his entire adult life in the Postal Service and was devoted to it.”

  • Walter O’Malley is preparing himself to take the rap, should the Dodgers’ home run production significantly drop off with the field dimensions at new Dodger Stadium according to his comments in the Herald Examiner. O’Malley said, “If we blow the championship, I’ll take the rap. Maybe right field is too deep for our particular personnel, but I’m a believer that dimensions should be synchronized and not changed from year to year. Blame me, if there’s any blame. It was my idea.” The foul poles are 330 feet from home plate, the power alleys were 380 feet and straightaway center field was 410 feet. O’Malley also remarked, “I don’t believe anything should be done to a playing field so that it will favor the home team.” Herald Examiner, January 16, 1962  Dodger home run production did drop from 83 in 1961 at the Coliseum to 47 at Dodger Stadium in 1962. The opposition hit 70 fewer home runs from 1961 to 1962 (109-39).