Author Andy McCue walked us (pun intended) through the history of what happened in Brooklyn and Los Angeles resulting in the Brooklyn Dodgers move to Los Angeles. Andy has been researching for twenty years and produced a book: Mover and Shaker: Walter O’Malley, the Dodgers, and Baseball’s Westward Expansion.

O’Malley was a dynamic bankruptcy attorney, during the depression, when he was really needed! He knew what he knew, and what he did not. He was renowned for hiring those that knew the game then leaving them alone to manage.

Though he ended up owning the Dodgers he did not bring big money to the ownership initially. He gradually bought out partners and  increased his equity up until the 1970’s.

O’Malley wanted to build a new stadium for the Brooklyn Dodgers but was thwarted by the guru of infrastructure, Robert Moses who was responsible for 13 bridges, miles of roads, and many buildings. Moses was not interested in a stadium on the terms that O’malley wanted. O’malley felt moving away may have been the only option.

Meanwhile Los Angeles had been looking for more professional sports since the ‘30’s, more seriously since after WWII. In the 50’s the only professional team, the Rams had 6 home games, USC was bigger than that. And there had not been a stadium built for 40 years. And those that had been built were leased out by the cities that built them… and they all looked similar.

In the summer of 1957 O’malley’s idea to move became concrete when an agreement was reached with the Mayor Los Angeles, Norris Paulson to move the Dodgers. The City had to provide the land and Chavez Ravine was chozen decimating the community of 3000 residents who fought it all the way to the Supreme Court.

The move was so popular to the people that the arrival of the team was televised for two hours. But there were also detractors. Many Dodger supports on the East Coast were incredulous that a move could occur. One councilman in Los Angeles, John Holland, opposed the proposal and voted “no” on all decisions related to the stadium. It was expected to be built by 1960, but the delays totaled two years to open in 1962.