The New York Age
MONDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER, 1957
DODGERS STAYING IN BROOKLYN!
O'Malley confirms Ebbets Field to be upgraded, refurbished
Story by Louis Greenberg
In an unexpected and astonishing aboutface Brooklyn Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley announced yesterday that the ballclub will be staying in New York, his plans to relocate the team to Los Angeles scrapped. Set to go ahead with those plans a mere week ago, it appears that an outside source has swayed the real estate mogul to keep the Dodgers at Ebbets. O'Malley revealed that, thanks to a considerable injection of funds, the stadium will undergo extensive renovations during the coming twelve months, with improvements to amenitites and seating the main priority. He did not disclose the source of these funds, saying that the matter was of a confidential nature.
The plan will see the Dodgers playing their home games at the Polo Grounds for the 1958 season, a situation which, although less than ideal, was the only course of action available to keep the team in Gotham long-term. The Dodgers will become the third MLB team to call the Polo Grounds home, following the Yankees and departing Giants. It is not known at this time if O'Malley's decision will have any repercussions for the Giants' move to San Francisco, but it's certainly a decision that followers of the sport will applaud. The 1950s have been a time of great change for baseball with the Giants set to become the fourth ballclub to relocate since 1953. The Dodgers staying in Brooklyn flies in the face of that alarming trend and it is something that should be celebrated.
"I can't tell you how happy I am," said veteran Dodgers outfielder Carl Furillo when told of the news. "The Dodgers are a part of Brooklyn. They belong here and even though I'd accepted that we were going to end up in L.A., I never agreed with that decision. You know, our chances of winning the pennant are over now and folks have lost some interest in Dodgers baseball because of the L.A. thing, but what this does is give all our fans renewed hope. They now have a "next year" to look forward to once more. For Mr. O'Malley to have had this change of heart is really fantastic."
Of course, anyone who reads between the lines will see that O'Malley's position has not changed a great deal as they'll remember his rejection of a substantial offer from a Queens-based group to buy the Dodgers back at the end of May. Obviously the conditions in relation to this latest development are much more favourable to him, and even moreso than what a move to Los Angeles would have garnered. It will be interesting to see if the exact details of O'Malley's agreement are revealed in the days and weeks to come...