Walter O'Malley

Walter O'Malley was a pioneer and a visionary.  Not only did he open Baseball's gates to the West Coast, he built a bridge between baseball in America, and baseball in Japan.  This weekend he will be immortalized by being inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Congratulations, Mr. O'Malley.  This honor is long overdue, and I look forward to seeing your plaque in Cooperstown.

When Mr. O'Malley made the decision to move the Dodgers from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, he was vilified.  For decades he has been blamed for the move, as fans in Brooklyn absolutely loved their Dodgers and were heartbroken to see them go.

However, the real story is that Mr. O'Malley actually wanted to stay in Brooklyn.  He met with Edward Moses, who was in charge of all the planning in the Five Boroughs of New York, and told him that he needed land to build a new stadium.  Ebbets Field was a very small stadium, and very old.  And there was no parking.

Moses was going to Give Mr. O'Malley land, but in Queens.  That was unacceptable to Mr. O'Malley, and he told Moses that they were the Brooklyn Dodgers, not the New York Dodgers.

Moses thought he was bluffing, and he wasn't, so the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles.  Of course they couldn't come alone so he convinced the Giants to move to San Francisco.  Now, because of his vision, there are five teams in California alone.

Mr. O'Malley also took baseball to Japan.  Although other teams had barnstormed there, he was intent on spreading goodwill through baseball, and his Dodgers.  He had sent the Dodgers to Japan for a Goodwill series in 1956.

In 1965, Mr. O'Malley sent me to Japan for two reasons: to work with the Tokyo Giants and teach them the Dodger way to play baseball, and to get them to have the Dodgers come over for another goodwill series. 

Both missions were accomplished.  I taught the Giants everything I knew about the game including scouting, player development and all the fundamentals that comprised the Dodger Way.  And in order to get the Dodgers to come to Japan I had to drink a lot of sake with the Japanese officials.

When Mr. O'Malley retired, he made his son, Peter, President of the Dodgers.  He also passed along his love for international baseball.  Peter built fields in China, Russia and Ireland.  He also saw the signing of Hideo Nomo, the first Japanese player to play in the Major Leagues.

There are many people who viewed Mr. O'Malley as a second father.  He was a tremendous teacher, and loved loyalty.  People pledged their lives for the Dodgers, and he in turn would give everything he could to you because of your loyalty.  He was a tremendous family man, and I am proud to say that I worked for Walter O'Malley.

Congratulations to the entire O'Malley family.  Today is your day to remember your father/grandfather/great grandfather Walter.  As we celebrate his achievements and honor his dedication to baseball, we also honor a man with a tremendous heart.