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Forever Blue: The True Story of Walter O'Malley, Baseball's Most Controversial Owner, and the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles
Resented by some in New York and beloved in Los Angeles, O’Malley is one of the most controversial owners in the history of American sports. He remade major league baseball and altered the course of history in both Brooklyn and Los Angeles when he moved the Dodgers to California. But while many New York critics attacked him, O’Malley looked to the future, declining to argue his case. As a result, fans across the nation have been unable to stop arguing about him until now.
Using never-before-seen documents and candid interviews with O’Malley’s players, associates, and relatives, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Michael D’ Antonio finally reveals this complex sportsman and industry pioneer. Born into Tammany Hall connections, O’Malley used political contacts to grow wealthy during the Great Depression, and then maneuvered to take control of the formerly downtrodden Dodgers. After his defeat in a war of wills with the famed power broker Robert Moses, O’Malley uprooted the borough’s team and transplanted them to Los Angeles. Once in Los Angeles, O’Malley overcame opponents of his stadium and helped define the city. Other owners came to regard him as their un-official commissioner as he worked behind the scenes to usher in the age of the players’ union and free agency.
Filled with new revelations about O’Malley’s battle with Moses, his pioneering business strategies, and his relationship with Jackie Robinson, Forever Blue is a fascinating history of baseball, business, and the American West.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published February 20, 2009
12 people are currently reading
239 people want to read
About the author
Michael D'Antonio
37 books93 followersA Pulitzer Prize winning writer of books, articles, and original stories for film, Michael D’Antonio has published more than a dozen books, including Never Enough, a 2015 biography of presidential candidate and billionaire businessman Donald Trump. Described variously as “luminous,” “captivating,” “momentous” and “meticulous” Michael’s work is renowned for its clarity, balance, and thoroughness.
His works a have been noted as “best books of the year” or “editors’ picks” by The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, Businessweek, The Chicago Tribune and Publisher’s Weekly. He has appeared on Sixty Minutes, Today, Good Morning, The Morning Show, America, Larry King Live, Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Diane Rehm, Coast-to-Coast, and many other programs.
Before becoming a fulltime author, Michael worked as a journalist in New York, Washington, and Maine. He has written for Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, The Times of London Magazine, Discover, Sports Illustrated, The Los Angeles Times Magazine and many others. He has received numerous awards including the 1984 Pulitzer Prize, shared with a team at Newsday that explored the medical, legal, and ethical issues surrounding the Baby Jane Doe case.
In 2016, Michael has became a regular contributor for CNN, both on-air and on their website. His pieces can be read here: http://www.cnn.com/profiles/michael-d...
D’Antonio has been the recipient of the Alicia Patterson Fellowship, the First Amendment Award, and the Humanitas Award for his Showtime film, Crown Heights. Born and raised in New Hampshire, Michael now lives on Long Island with his wife, Toni Raiten-D’Antonio who is a psychotherapist, professor, and author of three acclaimed books.
His works a have been noted as “best books of the year” or “editors’ picks” by The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, Businessweek, The Chicago Tribune and Publisher’s Weekly. He has appeared on Sixty Minutes, Today, Good Morning, The Morning Show, America, Larry King Live, Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Diane Rehm, Coast-to-Coast, and many other programs.
Before becoming a fulltime author, Michael worked as a journalist in New York, Washington, and Maine. He has written for Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, The Times of London Magazine, Discover, Sports Illustrated, The Los Angeles Times Magazine and many others. He has received numerous awards including the 1984 Pulitzer Prize, shared with a team at Newsday that explored the medical, legal, and ethical issues surrounding the Baby Jane Doe case.
In 2016, Michael has became a regular contributor for CNN, both on-air and on their website. His pieces can be read here: http://www.cnn.com/profiles/michael-d...
D’Antonio has been the recipient of the Alicia Patterson Fellowship, the First Amendment Award, and the Humanitas Award for his Showtime film, Crown Heights. Born and raised in New Hampshire, Michael now lives on Long Island with his wife, Toni Raiten-D’Antonio who is a psychotherapist, professor, and author of three acclaimed books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
December 24, 2020
Michael D'Antonio's work discusses the Dodgers exodus from Brooklyn to Los Angeles and the main mover behind it – Walter O'Malley.
On the night when major-league baseball died in Brooklyn, the borough had already entered an era of loss. The daily paper, the Eagle, had died in 1955, and the trolley cars had stopped running in 1956. Several big retail stores and theaters had closed, and young families were moving to the suburbs of Long Island. "Now the great Dodgers baseball team was leaving and there was nothing anyone could do about it." At a time when people in Brooklyn were fighting to hold on to their optimism and identity, O’Malley uprooted the most important symbol of their brave spirit and moved it to Los Angeles. What he did would go in history as betrayal equal, in some minds, "to Benedict Arnold's treason at West Point", writes D'Antonio.
Yet, the author portrays Walter O'Malley not as an ultimate villain, but rather as someone who deserves his spot in the Hall of Fame. With his fateful decision to leave Brooklyn, argues D'Antonio, he did more than anyone to make baseball a truly national game, and during his reign, the Dodgers became one of the greatest franchises in all of sport. From the day he moved to Los Angeles until he died in 1979, O’Malley’s team would be the best in the National League, winning three world championships and seven pennants and finishing second seven times. O’Malley also built the first truly modern stadium in America, a gracefully designed ballpark "that remains, after nearly fifty years, one of the best places in the world to watch a game of any sort."
Interestingly, D'Antonio presents evidence that, in fact, O'Malley labored diligently to keep the Dodgers in Brooklyn, but was hampered at every juncture by Robert Moses, New York's czar of reconstruction. The author has interviewed many surviving participants in this story, players included, and reveals uncomfortable facts: even during the Dodgers' most successful decade in the borough (1940s-50s) attendance at Ebbets Field was declining for many reasons, such as the lack of parking, the rise of television, and the white flight to the suburbs. Meanwhile, large cities across the country longed for major-league baseball teams, and Los Angeles was courting the Dodgers. When O'Malley saw L.A's offer and realized there was slim hope for help in Brooklyn, he transferred the franchise to the West Coast.
As D'Antonio asserts, Walter O'Malley was the first one to say that baseball was at bottom a business, thus acknowledging the truth all others denied. His decision to move the Dodgers can be seen as part of an "awakening" when people finally told the truth about many aspects of American life, including business, politics, and a divided society. Walter O’Malley did bring the economic reality of baseball to the very forefront, but baseball is a business, after all, one with the potential for great profits and the power to affect the mood and attitudes of local communities and the nation as a whole.
Furthermore, under O’Malley, a strong, stable Dodgers franchise continued the racial progress begun by Branch Rickey. He sparked unequaled growth in his industry and created wealth that was distributed far more equitably to players, managers, and coaches of all races and backgrounds. "Walter O’Malley’s truth, while painful for Brooklyn, made the game thrive in ways that benefited millions of fans while he lived, and millions more after he died," concludes D'Antonio. As the author argues further, although his harshest critics would never admit it, in his pursuit of profit and personal success, O’Malley actually helped to preserve some of the romance of baseball. During his reign, the Dodgers became as deeply rooted in Los Angeles as the Cubs were in Chicago and the Yankees were in New York. Winning teams, low ticket prices, and a bias-free approach to signing players helped build support from fans of every type.
Michael D'Antonio spices his book with plenty of baseball folklore. He devotes a few pages to Bobby Thompson's legendary home run that stunned not only the crowd at the ballpark, but also showed the millions who watched only the third game ever broadcast on national television "something that a fan might never witness in a lifetime of visits to a ballpark", and many to the advent and reign of Jackie Robinson. In summary, FOREVER BLUE is a well-written and meticulously researched book that shines new light on the controversial O'Malley and will appeal not only to baseball buffs, but to anyone interested in the America's transition from the blissfulness of the 50s to the turmoil, conflict, and disillusionment of the 60s and early 70s.
On the night when major-league baseball died in Brooklyn, the borough had already entered an era of loss. The daily paper, the Eagle, had died in 1955, and the trolley cars had stopped running in 1956. Several big retail stores and theaters had closed, and young families were moving to the suburbs of Long Island. "Now the great Dodgers baseball team was leaving and there was nothing anyone could do about it." At a time when people in Brooklyn were fighting to hold on to their optimism and identity, O’Malley uprooted the most important symbol of their brave spirit and moved it to Los Angeles. What he did would go in history as betrayal equal, in some minds, "to Benedict Arnold's treason at West Point", writes D'Antonio.
Yet, the author portrays Walter O'Malley not as an ultimate villain, but rather as someone who deserves his spot in the Hall of Fame. With his fateful decision to leave Brooklyn, argues D'Antonio, he did more than anyone to make baseball a truly national game, and during his reign, the Dodgers became one of the greatest franchises in all of sport. From the day he moved to Los Angeles until he died in 1979, O’Malley’s team would be the best in the National League, winning three world championships and seven pennants and finishing second seven times. O’Malley also built the first truly modern stadium in America, a gracefully designed ballpark "that remains, after nearly fifty years, one of the best places in the world to watch a game of any sort."
Interestingly, D'Antonio presents evidence that, in fact, O'Malley labored diligently to keep the Dodgers in Brooklyn, but was hampered at every juncture by Robert Moses, New York's czar of reconstruction. The author has interviewed many surviving participants in this story, players included, and reveals uncomfortable facts: even during the Dodgers' most successful decade in the borough (1940s-50s) attendance at Ebbets Field was declining for many reasons, such as the lack of parking, the rise of television, and the white flight to the suburbs. Meanwhile, large cities across the country longed for major-league baseball teams, and Los Angeles was courting the Dodgers. When O'Malley saw L.A's offer and realized there was slim hope for help in Brooklyn, he transferred the franchise to the West Coast.
As D'Antonio asserts, Walter O'Malley was the first one to say that baseball was at bottom a business, thus acknowledging the truth all others denied. His decision to move the Dodgers can be seen as part of an "awakening" when people finally told the truth about many aspects of American life, including business, politics, and a divided society. Walter O’Malley did bring the economic reality of baseball to the very forefront, but baseball is a business, after all, one with the potential for great profits and the power to affect the mood and attitudes of local communities and the nation as a whole.
Furthermore, under O’Malley, a strong, stable Dodgers franchise continued the racial progress begun by Branch Rickey. He sparked unequaled growth in his industry and created wealth that was distributed far more equitably to players, managers, and coaches of all races and backgrounds. "Walter O’Malley’s truth, while painful for Brooklyn, made the game thrive in ways that benefited millions of fans while he lived, and millions more after he died," concludes D'Antonio. As the author argues further, although his harshest critics would never admit it, in his pursuit of profit and personal success, O’Malley actually helped to preserve some of the romance of baseball. During his reign, the Dodgers became as deeply rooted in Los Angeles as the Cubs were in Chicago and the Yankees were in New York. Winning teams, low ticket prices, and a bias-free approach to signing players helped build support from fans of every type.
Michael D'Antonio spices his book with plenty of baseball folklore. He devotes a few pages to Bobby Thompson's legendary home run that stunned not only the crowd at the ballpark, but also showed the millions who watched only the third game ever broadcast on national television "something that a fan might never witness in a lifetime of visits to a ballpark", and many to the advent and reign of Jackie Robinson. In summary, FOREVER BLUE is a well-written and meticulously researched book that shines new light on the controversial O'Malley and will appeal not only to baseball buffs, but to anyone interested in the America's transition from the blissfulness of the 50s to the turmoil, conflict, and disillusionment of the 60s and early 70s.
May 5, 2009
The writers Pete Hamill and Jack Newfield one night decided each would make a list of the three most evil people in history. When they compared the results, both lists had the same names: Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin and the former owner of the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, Walter Francis O’Malley.
Non-baseball fans would no doubt be puzzled by O’Malley’s inclusion on the list. But any lover of the game, especially a Brooklyn Dodgers fan, understood the hatred of O’Malley, who had taken the Dodgers to Los Angeles in 1958. In the half-century since, O’Malley has been branded a greedy villain who did more than move a franchise. He was the man who tore the heart out of Brooklyn.
Efforts by O’Malley’s descendants and others to rehabilitate his reputation reach their zenith with Michael D’Antonio’s new biography of O’Malley, which was produced with the full cooperation of O’Malley’s children. I have read extensively in the field of baseball history, especially New York baseball history, and have encountered a lot about O’Malley, but always as a secondary character. It this volume, he takes front and center. I learned a lot about the man I didn’t know before, especially his life before he began doing legal work for the Dodgers.
The O’Malley who emerges in these pages isn’t a saint, but he fares far better than he does in most baseball literature. The idea that New York power broker Robert Moses was the true villain in the loss of the Dodgers isn’t new—books by Neil Sullivan and Michael Shapiro also support that thesis—but it receives reinforcement here. O’Malley earns plaudits for his vision in bringing baseball to the west coast, for building a ballpark that’s still considered one of the best, for supporting the player’s early unionization efforts; and for his leadership of the game through times of turmoil. If O’Malley was guilty of anything, D’Antonio seems to conclude, it was destroying the myth that professional baseball was a sport, not a business (and in his view that’s not entirely a bad thing).
O’Malley finally earned a plaque in the baseball Hall of Fame last year. Hamill still wasn’t convinced that he deserved absolution, and this volume isn’t likely to persuade him either. But other fans may be persuaded to rethink their distaste for O’Malley.
Non-baseball fans would no doubt be puzzled by O’Malley’s inclusion on the list. But any lover of the game, especially a Brooklyn Dodgers fan, understood the hatred of O’Malley, who had taken the Dodgers to Los Angeles in 1958. In the half-century since, O’Malley has been branded a greedy villain who did more than move a franchise. He was the man who tore the heart out of Brooklyn.
Efforts by O’Malley’s descendants and others to rehabilitate his reputation reach their zenith with Michael D’Antonio’s new biography of O’Malley, which was produced with the full cooperation of O’Malley’s children. I have read extensively in the field of baseball history, especially New York baseball history, and have encountered a lot about O’Malley, but always as a secondary character. It this volume, he takes front and center. I learned a lot about the man I didn’t know before, especially his life before he began doing legal work for the Dodgers.
The O’Malley who emerges in these pages isn’t a saint, but he fares far better than he does in most baseball literature. The idea that New York power broker Robert Moses was the true villain in the loss of the Dodgers isn’t new—books by Neil Sullivan and Michael Shapiro also support that thesis—but it receives reinforcement here. O’Malley earns plaudits for his vision in bringing baseball to the west coast, for building a ballpark that’s still considered one of the best, for supporting the player’s early unionization efforts; and for his leadership of the game through times of turmoil. If O’Malley was guilty of anything, D’Antonio seems to conclude, it was destroying the myth that professional baseball was a sport, not a business (and in his view that’s not entirely a bad thing).
O’Malley finally earned a plaque in the baseball Hall of Fame last year. Hamill still wasn’t convinced that he deserved absolution, and this volume isn’t likely to persuade him either. But other fans may be persuaded to rethink their distaste for O’Malley.
July 11, 2009
Forever Blue was a pretty good read that brings to light some new research concerning Walter O'Malley. Probably the most interesting thread in the book is O'Malley's conflict with Robert Moses over building a new stadium for the Dodgers in Brooklyn. According to the author and his research, it is clear that Moses was never going to let this happen, which definitely conflicts the popular view of O'Malley chasing the money by bringing the Dodgers to California. Also interesting is the author's reporting on O'Malley's relationship with Jackie Robinson. Frankly, Robinson comes across as moody, difficult, and ungrateful. I was a little surprised by that.
April 2, 2017
Rating - 8.1
A slow beginning quickly turns into an interesting history of the Dodgers from a business perspective (although would have preferred more descript on the seasons); Many a business lesson to be learnt
Other shortcomings are an author positive bias towards O'Malley & more surface-scratching than in-depth discussion; Also inherent is the social diminishing of urban cities & the impact it had on the game
A slow beginning quickly turns into an interesting history of the Dodgers from a business perspective (although would have preferred more descript on the seasons); Many a business lesson to be learnt
Other shortcomings are an author positive bias towards O'Malley & more surface-scratching than in-depth discussion; Also inherent is the social diminishing of urban cities & the impact it had on the game
April 21, 2023
RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: “BROOKLYN WILL NEVER BE THE SAME!”
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Brooklyn and the Dodgers were synonymous for almost seventy years… and in some households like mine… they still are after one-hundred years. The Brooklyn Dodgers were the original *AMERICA’S-TEAM*! Through good years and bad years the fans and players were like family. They lived in the same neighborhoods and they called each other by their first names… or by their beloved Brooklyn accented nicknames… ““OISK””… “Newk”… “Pee Wee”… “Duke”… “Campy”… “The Barber”… “The Lip”… and of course the man who probably did more to change American society than any other person in the last hundred years… “Jackie”… Jack Roosevelt Robinson. This magical team of the ages… the infamous “BOYS-OF-SUMMER”… called the storied Ebbets Field home… and it was the aging and location of this “Field-Of-Dreams”… that is at the center of this marvelous story about the former Dodger owner… the late Walter O’Malley. For over fifty-years O’Malley has been blamed by countless (still wounded and crushed) Brooklyn Dodger fans… for doing the unthinkable… taking our *Beloved-Bums*… after the 1957 season… out of America’s melting pot… and depositing them in Los Angeles… “LA-LA-Land”… Hollywood.
There have been books previously written… such as “THE LAST GOOD SEASON” published in 2003 that shone a light on the true culprit that was much more responsible for tearing out the very heart that pumped Dodger-Blue through the entire borough of Brooklyn… also considered by some a city… and by others… a world unto itself… and that person… or vermin… depending on where your families roots were planted… was Robert Moses. Moses was probably the most powerful non-elected official in any city in the history of America. He held up to twelve municipal and state posts simultaneously… “including New York City Parks Commissioner, head of the State Parks Council, head of the State Power Commission and chairman of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority”… among numerous others. Additionally he had extremely strong ties with the Mayor of New York City and the Governor of New York. This monolith is who O’Malley had to fight at every turn… as he attempted to “KEEP” the Dodgers in Brooklyn. O’Malley knew he needed a more modern stadium and a better location… better parking… and access to rapid transit… and he tried everything. He was way ahead of his time… as he commissioned a mockup of a proposed domed stadium. He even had the Dodgers play some of their games in New Jersey… to show he wasn’t afraid to move the team. O’Malley’s name has never been completely cleared from the list… that born and raised Dodger fans have carried for generations… a list that includes the devil and the Yankees… among other classified names. O’Malley died in 1979… and recently his private files have been opened by his heirs… thus unveiling more behind the scenes details that until now have never seen the light of day.
This book also provides the intimate details regarding the city of Los Angeles romancing O’Malley to move the team to California… thus being the first Major League Baseball team west of Kansas City… and as a result… changing the geographical history of the game… as much as Jackie Robinson and the Dodgers changed the color of the national pastime. You’ll learn how the Dodgers convinced their hated rivals the New York Giants to head west with them… with the Giants going to San Francisco… thus creating an immediate rivalry in the state of California. You’ll also get a personal look at how some of your childhood heroes… really felt about O’Malley… including the "strained and complex" relationship between O'Malley... and Hall Of Famer... racial pioneer... and perhaps the greatest all around athlete of modern times... Jackie Robinson... not only during his playing career... but after he retired from baseball as well.
They say you can never go home again… well… my family moved from New York to Los Angeles… the same year as our beloved Dodgers… and reading this book will probably be as close as I can get.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brooklyn and the Dodgers were synonymous for almost seventy years… and in some households like mine… they still are after one-hundred years. The Brooklyn Dodgers were the original *AMERICA’S-TEAM*! Through good years and bad years the fans and players were like family. They lived in the same neighborhoods and they called each other by their first names… or by their beloved Brooklyn accented nicknames… ““OISK””… “Newk”… “Pee Wee”… “Duke”… “Campy”… “The Barber”… “The Lip”… and of course the man who probably did more to change American society than any other person in the last hundred years… “Jackie”… Jack Roosevelt Robinson. This magical team of the ages… the infamous “BOYS-OF-SUMMER”… called the storied Ebbets Field home… and it was the aging and location of this “Field-Of-Dreams”… that is at the center of this marvelous story about the former Dodger owner… the late Walter O’Malley. For over fifty-years O’Malley has been blamed by countless (still wounded and crushed) Brooklyn Dodger fans… for doing the unthinkable… taking our *Beloved-Bums*… after the 1957 season… out of America’s melting pot… and depositing them in Los Angeles… “LA-LA-Land”… Hollywood.
There have been books previously written… such as “THE LAST GOOD SEASON” published in 2003 that shone a light on the true culprit that was much more responsible for tearing out the very heart that pumped Dodger-Blue through the entire borough of Brooklyn… also considered by some a city… and by others… a world unto itself… and that person… or vermin… depending on where your families roots were planted… was Robert Moses. Moses was probably the most powerful non-elected official in any city in the history of America. He held up to twelve municipal and state posts simultaneously… “including New York City Parks Commissioner, head of the State Parks Council, head of the State Power Commission and chairman of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority”… among numerous others. Additionally he had extremely strong ties with the Mayor of New York City and the Governor of New York. This monolith is who O’Malley had to fight at every turn… as he attempted to “KEEP” the Dodgers in Brooklyn. O’Malley knew he needed a more modern stadium and a better location… better parking… and access to rapid transit… and he tried everything. He was way ahead of his time… as he commissioned a mockup of a proposed domed stadium. He even had the Dodgers play some of their games in New Jersey… to show he wasn’t afraid to move the team. O’Malley’s name has never been completely cleared from the list… that born and raised Dodger fans have carried for generations… a list that includes the devil and the Yankees… among other classified names. O’Malley died in 1979… and recently his private files have been opened by his heirs… thus unveiling more behind the scenes details that until now have never seen the light of day.
This book also provides the intimate details regarding the city of Los Angeles romancing O’Malley to move the team to California… thus being the first Major League Baseball team west of Kansas City… and as a result… changing the geographical history of the game… as much as Jackie Robinson and the Dodgers changed the color of the national pastime. You’ll learn how the Dodgers convinced their hated rivals the New York Giants to head west with them… with the Giants going to San Francisco… thus creating an immediate rivalry in the state of California. You’ll also get a personal look at how some of your childhood heroes… really felt about O’Malley… including the "strained and complex" relationship between O'Malley... and Hall Of Famer... racial pioneer... and perhaps the greatest all around athlete of modern times... Jackie Robinson... not only during his playing career... but after he retired from baseball as well.
They say you can never go home again… well… my family moved from New York to Los Angeles… the same year as our beloved Dodgers… and reading this book will probably be as close as I can get.
March 25, 2020
This was a great education on the longtime owner of the Dodgers. I haven't read a whole lot about him before this, but I got the impression that he was generally regarded as greedy and a bit of a tyrant by all other accounts. While not denying the impressions he left behind, D'Antonio does spend some time letting us know what was behind O'Malley's decision-making, as well as shedding some light on details that were not known to the public previously. A big chuck of the book is spent on the decision to move the Dodgers from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. I started to understand why that was as the book developed. It was a long, arduous process to make the move, one that O'Malley didn't arrive at lightly, wasn't completely sure of until the last minute, involved a lot of other players and circumstances, and mainly came about because he simply couldn't give up on the idea that he needed a bigger and better stadium. Becoming a west coast team took years in the making, and the Dodgers accomplished much during that time in Brooklyn, but the Bums leaving New York is ultimately what greatly defined O'Malley's legacy.
I really enjoyed this book and loved learning about some of the lesser known intricacies of not just O'Malley's, but the Dodgers' history as well. The author does seem to lean pro-O'Malley a little bit, but as I understand it he got the chance to use the family's archives, which hadn't been done before, so it's possible he got a better insight into the owner's motivations than any other writer had been able to do before. Was the man still selfish? Without a doubt; he always did what was best for him and his team, paying very little mind to certain consequences. But perhaps he wasn't the monster he had been painted as all this time.
I really enjoyed this book and loved learning about some of the lesser known intricacies of not just O'Malley's, but the Dodgers' history as well. The author does seem to lean pro-O'Malley a little bit, but as I understand it he got the chance to use the family's archives, which hadn't been done before, so it's possible he got a better insight into the owner's motivations than any other writer had been able to do before. Was the man still selfish? Without a doubt; he always did what was best for him and his team, paying very little mind to certain consequences. But perhaps he wasn't the monster he had been painted as all this time.
October 12, 2023
Damn that man Moses!!! I read this book because I wanted a better understanding of why the Dodgers left Brooklyn. O'Malley was vilified but the truth was he genuinely loved Brooklyn and tried his absolute best to keep the Dodgers there. Moses supported the plan in public but killed it in private. The author didn't provide Robert Caro level details on Moses' involvement but Caro didn't really go into the stadium situation in The Power Broker either. From what I gather, Moses never wanted a new Stadium built in Brooklyn but instead was okay with building one in Flushing. Only because it fit into his personal dream of Flushing Meadows Park. I mean how out of touch could you possibly be to think Brooklyn Dodger fans would be okay with moving the team to Queens?!?! In his typical fashion, Moses lied to the public and fanned the anti O'Malley flames. If it wasn't for Moses the Dodgers would probably still be in Brooklyn. Instead we got the Mets as our National League representative...
As for O'Malley he was one the greatest baseball owners of all time. He made the best out of the Dodgers organization and brought the game to a new level. Solid book: 3.78 Stars.
As for O'Malley he was one the greatest baseball owners of all time. He made the best out of the Dodgers organization and brought the game to a new level. Solid book: 3.78 Stars.
January 15, 2019
Yes. I am a lifelong Dodgers fan. But this book goes far beyond baseball. O'Malley is simply a vehicle upon which to tell a story of the mid-twentieth century in America. It covers integration, urban renewal, machine politics, white flight, the advent of the automobile, urban decay, stadium politics, player/owner relations, the development of the farm system. Somehow, in all of this, Walter O'Malley fell onto the wrong side of Robert Moses, New York's head of urban renewal and arguably the most powerful man in New York. Facing an unwinnable battle against Moses, his decision to relocate the Dodgers to Los Angeles made him one of the most hated men in America. I think this book has a lot to offer anyone interested twentieth-century history, baseball fan or not.. (less)
May 29, 2012
Forever Blue, by Michael D’Antonio, tells the story of why (or perhaps, how) the Dodgers packed up and left Brooklyn for Los Angeles. The Brooklyn Dodgers were as integral part of their community as any baseball team has ever been. The Dodgers provided the borough with a central identity that remains unique among other baseball crazy cities.
After several decades of ineptness, Larry MacPhail came over from the Cincinnati Reds and led the Dodgers to their first World Series in twenty-one years and only the third ever. Branch Rickey succeeded the old redhead and the Dodgers played in six World Series over ten seasons; finally winning their only title in 1955. Then, after the 1957 season, Walter O’Malley ripped the heart out of Brooklyn and moved the team to Los Angeles. It was a radical move that opened up the west coast to major league baseball. Kansas City had been the westernmost team before the Dodgers and Giants arrived in southern California in 1958.
No one denies that Walter O’Malley, who had pushed Rickey out of the ownership picture, was making money from the team. O’Malley was a shrewd operator whose father had been a Tammany Hall official. But Ebbets Field, opened in 1913, was an aging grand dame. Cars had replaced Trolleys (the team’s nickname was shortened from ‘Trolley Dodgers’, referring to the fans who had to avoid being run down at the confluence of trolley tracks outside the stadium) and there was limited parking at the stadium. O’Malley didn’t believe Ebbets Field would be a viable option for his team in the future. He had built a winner: now he wanted a new stadium to play in.
Therein lies the rub: there are two sides to this story. O’Malley wanted the government to acquire land in Brooklyn (at much less cost than he would have to pay privately), whereupon he would fund and build a new stadium. Robert Moses, the most powerful politician in New York City, wanted to use the site for a different purpose. He preferred a site in Flushing Meadows, where Shea Stadium would be built a few years later. O’Malley wasn’t interested.
In their fields, both men largely always got what they wanted. O’Malley had complete control of the Dodger organization and was an influential voice among the owners. Robert Moses was an appointed, not elected official, but he made the decision on highways, bridges and public housing projects. That meant big projects went through him.
Some put the blame on O’Malley, painting him as a greedy millionaire who betrayed a community and stole the Dodgers. Others point the finger at Moses, whose out of control ego wouldn’t let him compromise and forced O’Malley to accept Los Angeles’ offer. The truth probably lies somewhere in between, though the moderate viewpoint seems scarce. This book is very much pro-O’Malley. Which is not surprising, since the author had access to materials in the O’Malley family archives. That’s not to say it’s all wrong. But the reader does come away seeing O’Malley as a businessman, faced with an untenable situation, offering a reasonable solution but being rebuffed by a power mad politico. Essentially, Moses forced him to reluctantly move his asset to California.
Keep in mind this was happening in the mid-fifties and city-team stadium battles hadn’t yet become the norm. This was relatively new territory. Both men used the press and the political process to their advantage. O’Malley threw down the gauntlet when he sold Ebbets Field to a private developer in 1956. The team could stay for a few more years, but there was no doubt a new stadium had to happen. The question became, “Where?” The book indicates that Los Angeles lobbied hard for O’Malley, who consistently put them off, saying he wanted to stay in Brooklyn. But he kept his options open and when he finally accepted that Robert Moses wasn’t going to give in to him, the owner packed up his toys and went to his new home.
All was not easy-peazy for O’Malley once he arrived in LA. The team initially played in cavernous Memorial Coliseum (current home of USC football) and he faced legal challenges that could have left him without a new stadium. Video footage of poor Hispanics being evicted from Chavez Ravine so that O’Malley could have his stadium survives to this day. BTW, this is favorably explained in the book and a good example of the pro-O’Malley view it takes.
One thing I really liked about his book is the look at gives at the pre-O’Malley Dodgers and how he went from a complete outsider to owner. O’Malley and Moses both had it within their power to keep the Dodgers in Brooklyn. But neither chose a path that led there. In 1957, The Kansas City Athletics (once based in Philadelphia, soon to be playing in Oakland) were the farthest west a team had to go. In 2012, there are ten teams further west than KC (home of the Royals). Baseball was changed when the Dodgers and Giants moved west.
The Giants, owned by Horace Stoneham, are an important part of the story. Baseball wanted a second team to move so that the Dodgers would have a geographical rival, as well as giving visiting teams more games when they flew all the way to Los Angeles. However, the book doesn’t give much attention to the Giants: this is the Dodgers’ story.
Forever Blue is a good book. I’d guess that the picture it paints is rather incomplete, really just giving Walter O’Malley’s side of events. But I believe it does tell a significant part of the story and it does convey what an emotional issue it was. I am looking for another book on the subject with a different slant to get a more balanced overall picture of things, but I liked this one.
After several decades of ineptness, Larry MacPhail came over from the Cincinnati Reds and led the Dodgers to their first World Series in twenty-one years and only the third ever. Branch Rickey succeeded the old redhead and the Dodgers played in six World Series over ten seasons; finally winning their only title in 1955. Then, after the 1957 season, Walter O’Malley ripped the heart out of Brooklyn and moved the team to Los Angeles. It was a radical move that opened up the west coast to major league baseball. Kansas City had been the westernmost team before the Dodgers and Giants arrived in southern California in 1958.
No one denies that Walter O’Malley, who had pushed Rickey out of the ownership picture, was making money from the team. O’Malley was a shrewd operator whose father had been a Tammany Hall official. But Ebbets Field, opened in 1913, was an aging grand dame. Cars had replaced Trolleys (the team’s nickname was shortened from ‘Trolley Dodgers’, referring to the fans who had to avoid being run down at the confluence of trolley tracks outside the stadium) and there was limited parking at the stadium. O’Malley didn’t believe Ebbets Field would be a viable option for his team in the future. He had built a winner: now he wanted a new stadium to play in.
Therein lies the rub: there are two sides to this story. O’Malley wanted the government to acquire land in Brooklyn (at much less cost than he would have to pay privately), whereupon he would fund and build a new stadium. Robert Moses, the most powerful politician in New York City, wanted to use the site for a different purpose. He preferred a site in Flushing Meadows, where Shea Stadium would be built a few years later. O’Malley wasn’t interested.
In their fields, both men largely always got what they wanted. O’Malley had complete control of the Dodger organization and was an influential voice among the owners. Robert Moses was an appointed, not elected official, but he made the decision on highways, bridges and public housing projects. That meant big projects went through him.
Some put the blame on O’Malley, painting him as a greedy millionaire who betrayed a community and stole the Dodgers. Others point the finger at Moses, whose out of control ego wouldn’t let him compromise and forced O’Malley to accept Los Angeles’ offer. The truth probably lies somewhere in between, though the moderate viewpoint seems scarce. This book is very much pro-O’Malley. Which is not surprising, since the author had access to materials in the O’Malley family archives. That’s not to say it’s all wrong. But the reader does come away seeing O’Malley as a businessman, faced with an untenable situation, offering a reasonable solution but being rebuffed by a power mad politico. Essentially, Moses forced him to reluctantly move his asset to California.
Keep in mind this was happening in the mid-fifties and city-team stadium battles hadn’t yet become the norm. This was relatively new territory. Both men used the press and the political process to their advantage. O’Malley threw down the gauntlet when he sold Ebbets Field to a private developer in 1956. The team could stay for a few more years, but there was no doubt a new stadium had to happen. The question became, “Where?” The book indicates that Los Angeles lobbied hard for O’Malley, who consistently put them off, saying he wanted to stay in Brooklyn. But he kept his options open and when he finally accepted that Robert Moses wasn’t going to give in to him, the owner packed up his toys and went to his new home.
All was not easy-peazy for O’Malley once he arrived in LA. The team initially played in cavernous Memorial Coliseum (current home of USC football) and he faced legal challenges that could have left him without a new stadium. Video footage of poor Hispanics being evicted from Chavez Ravine so that O’Malley could have his stadium survives to this day. BTW, this is favorably explained in the book and a good example of the pro-O’Malley view it takes.
One thing I really liked about his book is the look at gives at the pre-O’Malley Dodgers and how he went from a complete outsider to owner. O’Malley and Moses both had it within their power to keep the Dodgers in Brooklyn. But neither chose a path that led there. In 1957, The Kansas City Athletics (once based in Philadelphia, soon to be playing in Oakland) were the farthest west a team had to go. In 2012, there are ten teams further west than KC (home of the Royals). Baseball was changed when the Dodgers and Giants moved west.
The Giants, owned by Horace Stoneham, are an important part of the story. Baseball wanted a second team to move so that the Dodgers would have a geographical rival, as well as giving visiting teams more games when they flew all the way to Los Angeles. However, the book doesn’t give much attention to the Giants: this is the Dodgers’ story.
Forever Blue is a good book. I’d guess that the picture it paints is rather incomplete, really just giving Walter O’Malley’s side of events. But I believe it does tell a significant part of the story and it does convey what an emotional issue it was. I am looking for another book on the subject with a different slant to get a more balanced overall picture of things, but I liked this one.
March 3, 2023
Michael D’Antonio presents a readable biography of The O’Malley that weaves a neat narrative from O’Malley’s childhood to Culver to Penn and to the Dodgers. I would have enjoyed more from the 1960s. The book seems to climax with the building of Dodger Stadium. Even that event, the opening of the Stadium, is treated as more of an afterthought than I would have expected. The Brooklyn years are highly detailed and D’Antonio covers the “controversial” exit exceptionally.
September 2, 2020
Michael D'Antonio has penned one excellent true background on one of baseball's most revered owners. So much about the Brooklyn franchise and Walter O'Malley has been written that was in total error. With his fresh approach and uncanny research, Michael has freshened one of the games most colorful and dedicated figures that was pure enjoyment to read. Thank you!
January 5, 2021
Another great baseball history and baseball business book. Tells the full story of Walter O'Malley and his ownership of the Dodgers. I came away with a much fuller understanding of the move to Los Angeles and a much better understanding of O'Malley's business instincts and influence on the game.
January 20, 2019
Great read for baseball baseball fan. You can use this book as a companion to the HBO documentary.
February 16, 2024
Boring.
May 2, 2024
Great book I happened to pick up at the used bookstore for $3.00. Incredible history of the creation and building of the Dodger Legacy.
February 26, 2025
Fun book. Really like that it isn’t just another uncritical, fawning romance about baseball’s “golden era”. Recommended if you liked The Power Broker.
December 29, 2015
This dual biography of Walter O'Malley and the team he owned, the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, is well-researched as a piece of social history. D'Antonio's book works as a piece of social history, showing what the Dodgers meant to both places the team has called home. The portrait of mid-century Brooklyn and the growth of Los Angeles are done well. The only problem is that Walter O'Malley never really comes to life. The shrewd lawyer and clever team owner feels more an archetype than a flesh-and-blood person. Despite that, the book is a great read for fans of the team both past and present.
August 2, 2012
This book is a well researched glimpse of the truth about a fascinating individual and a great counterpoint to the New York media propaganda that O'Malley was going to abandon Brooklyn come hell or high water.
I see the Nets have built an Arena on the exact site in Brooklyn O'Malley wanted to BUILD HIS OWN STADIUM WITH HIS OWN MONEY for the Dodgers.
Way to go, Robert Moses....arrogant dumb ass.
I see the Nets have built an Arena on the exact site in Brooklyn O'Malley wanted to BUILD HIS OWN STADIUM WITH HIS OWN MONEY for the Dodgers.
Way to go, Robert Moses....arrogant dumb ass.
December 19, 2009
Decent read and excellent point on how the minds of some New Yorkers are lost in the fog of nostalgia . Not surprised that a New York-centric journalist could not write more than one sentence about the '66 WS where the Orioles swept the Dodgers. Also, on page 285 he can't name the soccer clubs from Edinburgh and Manchester (Hearts or Hibernian from Edinburgh or Man City or Man U from Manchester). A quick Google search showed that Hearts beat Man City 5-2.
September 28, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. For someone who likes baseball and law, this was the perfect read. Plus I've had a crush on Vin Scully since the Dodgers came to Los Angeles. The story of how Scully, a very young announcer still in his early 20s got the job after Red Barber issued one too many ultimatums for O'Malley was very interesting. The legal chess game that was New York politics in the 40s was also facinating.
April 27, 2013
An engrossing and thouroughly researched look into Walter O'Malley the man and larger-than-life myth, this book is equal parts political intrigue and baseball history. Using the papers from the O'Malley family library as well as the work of previous authors and interviews, D'Antonio strives to present a balanced and impartial view of O'Malley's contentious decision to move the beloved Dodgers west.
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April 22, 2025An interesting revisionist history of Walter O'Malley, although D'Antonio frequently goes a bit too far over the top to praise his subject and turns Forever Blue into hagiography.
2025 re-read: not sure what book I was reading in 2015, but “hagiography” isn’t the word I should’ve used. I found Forever Blue much more enjoyable the second time through, possibly a result of visiting Dodger Stadium a few weeks ago.
2025 re-read: not sure what book I was reading in 2015, but “hagiography” isn’t the word I should’ve used. I found Forever Blue much more enjoyable the second time through, possibly a result of visiting Dodger Stadium a few weeks ago.
May 21, 2010
An excellent book, the 2nd best baseball book (right behind Crazy 08) that I have ever read. Anyone interested in the 20th Century history of the borough of Brooklyn, NYC and Los Angeles, with an interest in baseball also, will probably enjoy this book. The story of why the Dodgers left Brooklyn is fascinating.
September 7, 2010
It's an honest look at what really forced Walter O'Malley to uproot the Dodgers from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. While it doesn't exactly give him a halo as some may alleged, it at least tells his side of the story; a story that involved far more nefarious forces than the most loyal Brooklyn Dodger fan will admit. Excellent read.
July 3, 2011
Being a baseball fan, and a Dodger fan on top of that, really made the book that much more interesting. A must read for the Dodger purist and baseball fan...you may hate "The O'Malley" if your from Brooklyn, (Though you should despise Robert Moses), but if you are a Los Angeles Dodger fan, "The O'Malley" is the man who brought baseball, and the Dodgers to Los Angeles...
November 14, 2016
Enjoyed learning about my bums, esp. after dealing with the heartbreak of them yet again not making it to the WS. Made me want to go to a dodger game again, but I'm a little too far away at the moment. Also seems like O'Malley wasn't really the bad guy that history seems to want him to be, and selfishly I'm glad the dodgers came to the west coast :D
May 18, 2009
I love reading about the Brooklyn Dodgers and the close bond the team had with the greater Brooklyn community...this book also journeys with the team when they moved to Los Angeles, broke many a Brooklyn'ers heart but became the premier National League franchise
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May 17, 2010if there was any question of who changed baseba, it was Walter O'Mally. criticized in New York and beloved Los Angeles, he was one of the most important ball player's. he was a big part of who changed the game.
August 25, 2010
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who doesn't love baseball, and at least like the Dodgers, but if you're a baseball fan, it's a great story about the history of the game and one of its oldest, most storied teams and the man who brought them to California. Much enjoyed!
June 11, 2009
A different take on the O'Malley story. I'm a little obsessed with the history of the Dodgers right now. Great detail about New York politics in the 40s and 50s.
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