This Day in Walter O’Malley History: September 18

Walter O’Malley flies to Boston to host a lobster dinner for the Dodger players and the traveling party. New York Daily News, September 19, 1952  The Dodgers swept the three-game series from the Braves en route to winning the National League Pennant.

In an effort to find the best possible solution to the grass at Dodgertown’s new Holman Stadium, Walter O’Malley writes to Mr. O.S. Baker of Miami, Florida: “Dr. Fred V. Grau of the United States Golf Association tells me that you have been growing Zoysia matrella and Meyer zoysia. The Brooklyn Dodgers are building a small concrete and steel baseball stadium at Vero Beach, Fla. The work is under the direction of Mr. Bud Holman of Vero Beach, Fla., who is our local director. We are now ready to spread 1000 yards of marle over the natural sandy terrain to which we have added a quantity of muck. We have asked the Monsanto Chemical Company if their product Krilium would also be good to add at this time. We thought that with the time being so short, as we want to have the field in playing condition by next February 15th, that perhaps we would plant with St. Augustine cuttings and replace the following year with a better grass...We are more interested in a grass that produces its runners underground. If there is anything in the above situation of interest to you I wish you would call Mr. Holman.”

Walter O’Malley holds a National League Pennant celebration for the Dodger players and their spouses in an unusual fashion. First, his guests were treated to a performance of the “Ice Capades” at Madison Square Garden. After the ice show, O’Malley hosted a reception at the Lexington Hotel with a Hawaiian theme. Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese, Carl Furillo and Carl Erskine formed a mock orchestra and pretended to play musical instruments as dancers performed a Hawaiian hula. The Sporting News, September 30, 1953

The Brooklyn Dodgers celebrate at the Hotel Roosevelt after they had clinched the 1955 National League Pennant.

The day following Groundbreaking Ceremonies for Dodger Stadium, Walter O’Malley is quoted in the Los Angeles Examiner as stating, “Gracious sakes alive, we had no idea this many people would show up.” A crowd of some 5,000 arrived for the ceremonies. Columnist Vincent X. Flaherty added, “Although this particular affair will be long gone and forgotten by the time the new Dodgers baseball stadium rises from the arid ravine ten months hence, thousands of people wedged into the area just to say ‘I was there.’ They came armed with picks and shovels and, while none struck oil, or even a strain, they participated in a pristine dirt disposal program, packing the earth into little Dodger souvenir boxes especially provided for the occasion. Vincent X. Flaherty, Los Angeles Examiner, September 18, 1959

An entourage of 30 Mayo Clinic doctors and administrators board the Dodger Electra plane in Rochester, Minnesota to attend that night’s Dodgers game in Milwaukee as guests of Walter O’Malley. The Dodgers lost to the Braves, 10-5, but held onto their 3 1/2-game lead in the National League standings.

Jackie Robinson, from a distance, wrote in admiration of the 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers as they were in a tough pennant fight. He wrote in his column “Jackie Robinson Says” for the Pittsburgh Courier, “Since taking on my assignment as a commentator on ABC-TV, I have tried to remain as objective as possible, but I must confess to being a Los Angeles Dodger rooter. I am proud of the performance of this team, which, at this time, stands first in the National League simply because it has that extra something its competitors in the league lack. Despite many problems and injuries to players, the Dodgers have displayed sheer doggedness and the ability to fight back. These qualities, I feel, justify labelling them one of the great teams of all times, win or lose. I think strong praise and real credit must go to Manager Walter Alston…He has proven, also, that he has the guts to use the best men without apology for race or color…I believe the Dodgers are a great team because the lines of communication are open between manager and player – and between players and players. I believe it is a winning team because it is essentially a democratic one. In other areas of life, we can learn some great lessons from the Dodgers. Jackie Robinson, Pittsburgh Courier, September 18, 1965 The 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers would go on to win the 1965 World Championship over the Minnesota Twins in seven games.

Cary Grant was a great Dodger fan and a regular guest of Walter O’Malley for games, but on this night, Grant brings along another English actor to enjoy a Dodger game, Peter Sellers. Sellers starred in several motion pictures that included “The Pink Panther,” “Being There” and “Dr. Strangelove.”