This Day in Walter O’Malley History:
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Twenty-four hours after former Dodger President Branch Rickey takes control of the Pittsburgh Pirates as Vice President and General Manager, he announces the signing of prominent Brooklyn Dodger scout George Sisler. Walter O’Malley quoted Sisler himself when O’Malley was asked about the scout’s allegiance. “I’ve been with Rickey since I was 17 years old, so if he puts it up to me, I can’t say no.” Chicago Daily Tribune, November 8, 1950
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Shirley Povich of The Washington Post writes, “Steve O’Neill, who was fired by the Red Sox because he didn’t win the pennant with the third-best club in the American League, can philosophize that he was working for the wrong outfit. The Brooklyn Dodgers owners appear to be nicer people. The Dodgers demonstrated the other day they are more tolerant of non-winning managers, when they gave Chuck Dressen a new contract. Dressen’s failure to win the pennant last season was monumental compared to O’Neill’s. Dressen blew a 13 1/2-game lead in the last seven weeks of the season, with a Brooklyn team that stacked up as a shoo-in.” Walter O’Malley explained, “This is not a one-man operation, we’re all in it. Front office, coaches, managers and players. We didn’t produce. I’m not going to make a whipping boy out of any individual just to satisfy the wolves.” Shirley Povich, The Washington Post, November 7, 1951
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Dan Daniel of The Sporting News writes that Walter O’Malley spoke at a welcome dinner for the new Commissioner of Baseball, Ford C. Frick at Toots Shor’s restaurant in New York City. Daniel notes that O’Malley’s speech addressed leadership issues in Major League Baseball. Dan Daniel, The Sporting News, November 7, 1951
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Walter O’Malley talks about the criticism the club had received after losing the three-game playoff to the New York Giants for the National League Pennant. “While castigating the Dodgers, the fans forget one very important thing — those rallying Giants were not exactly negligible factors in the situation.” The Sporting News, November 7, 1951
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Walter O’Malley writes to Dodger Stadium designer Capt. Emil Praeger in New York regarding details for the configuration of the Club Level seats. “Today Building & Safety agreed to approve on 3’6 aisles. This is also what they approved for the first 2 levels. We may add 2 22” aisles in the section bounded by the 3’6 aisles, similar to first two levels. We would like to see a drawing showing details of seat layout on club level based on above information. We suggest that on this level only we use radial rails between each box of 4 seats wide. This level will use the Pacific Seating Company scoop seat and not American Seating chair so we cannot use the arm divider in lieu of a rail that we are using on the first two levels. Pacific Seating will furnish seats with checkerboard contrasting colors on upholstery or shell. Their type of seat will be fastened to the riser by a single center bracket.”
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Oscar A. Trippet, President of the Braille Institute of America, Inc. in Los Angeles, writes a letter to Walter O’Malley. “I was most pleased to get your letter from your secretary advising me that you would be willing to serve on the Braille Institute Board. I am sure, some time when you can spare a few minutes so that I may take you out to our facilities, you will become intensely interested in the work we are doing. As I indicated to you, we will not impose upon your time to any appreciable extent. Thanks again for your willingness to join us.”
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Star of stage and screen “Cantinflas” performs in front of 20,000 adoring fans at Dodger Stadium. The highlight of the comedian’s show is to stage a comic bull fight. According to the Los Angeles Times, “His famous act winds up with both bull and clown lying together in the dust, the comic fanning himself with the bull’s tail. It was a genuine fighting bull, though only 2 years old, and equipped with quite deadly horns and as ferocious a manner as any of his elders...Charlie Chaplin once said Cantinflas is the greatest comedian in the world and there was no reason to doubt it Sunday.” Cecil Smith, Los Angeles Times, November 8, 1965 Walter O’Malley leased Dodger Stadium to the producers of the Cantinflas performance, whose theme was the evolution of the Mexican people. Los Angeles Mayor Sam Yorty extended welcoming remarks in Spanish to the crowd. The spectacle included 150 dancers, singers, musicians, comedians, horses, plus floats and chariots in a parade.
