This Day in Walter O’Malley History:

  • According to Associated Press, “Walter O’Malley, president of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and a party of friends left tonight for a visit to Havana. The party arrived (in Miami) from Orlando and boarded a Pan American World Airways plane for Cuba. They plan to return to New York tomorrow night.”

  • Joe Williams of the New York World-Telegram writes a letter to Walter O’Malley asking him “would you mind telling me just what your feeling is about the term, ‘The Bums’. A full length treatise in your Irish wit manner would enable me to extend this into a popular column if you should be so disposed and have the time.” O’Malley responded to Williams, “As for the origin of the Bum, I think we can blame, or better yet salute, your pal Willard Mullin. The Bum is Willard’s brain child, and is, to my mind, a wonderful little creature indeed. The Dodgers, you know, are more than just a baseball team. They mean something to the people who have never seen a ball game and who wouldn’t know where first base is if they did go to one. The Dodgers are the symbol of the underdog, and well — so is the Bum...Willard popularized the little fellow after hearing the Faithful exhort their ‘bums’ to greater heights at Ebbets Field and through the years this has become a term of endearment rather than of contempt. I think this is mirrored in the face of Willard’s character. He is ragged, and occasionally he is a bit battle-scarred, but he is proud, defiant and persistent. And best of all, he has the mischievous twinkle of the downtrodden in his eye which has always spelled trouble for the high and mighty of this earth.”

  • On his way to Tokyo, Japan, Walter O’ Malley meets with Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn and other elected officials who were eager to land a Major League Baseball team to play in Los Angeles. At age 53, O’Malley makes his first visit to Los Angeles.

  • Orel Hershiser shuts out the New York Mets, 6-0, to win game 7 of the 1988 National League Championship Series and send the Dodgers to the World Series.