Reviews for Forever blue : the true story of Walter O'Malley, baseball's most controversial owner, and the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles

Publishers Weekly
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Although Walter O'Malley has been dead for nearly 30 years, D'Antonio's latest work is perhaps the most meticulously detailed and comprehensive account to date of the former owner of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers. Through research in O'Malley's letters, documents and myriad interviews with those close to him, D'Antonio (Tin Cup Dreams) presents a well-rounded portrayal of one of the most polarizing figures in baseball history: one New York writer referred to O'Malley as "one of the three worst human beings who ever lived," while a Los Angeles journalist described O'Malley as a man who "did more for baseball than any commissioner." D'Antonio paints the whole picture, starting with O'Malley's early days as a lawyer who originally began working with the club in a "troubleshooting" capacity, to taking total control of ownership in 1950. During O'Malley's tenure with the Dodgers, the team had some of its most famous moments in history-the debut of Jackie Robinson, the club's first World Series title in 1955 and, of course, the team's infamous move to Los Angeles. D'Antonio explores everything-O'Malley's business dealings, his personal relationships with Robinson and Branch Rickey, the on-the-field fortunes of the Dodgers. With D'Antonio's access to O'Malley's most personal documents, even baseball historians will find something to learn. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved


Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

This stunning biography of one of the most notorious sports figures in history utilizes interviews with players, friends and former associates who knew the man best. Why was this man so reviled by sports fans and just about everyone in New York City? It's quite simple: he moved the Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles. Phil Gigante relates the material with the pitch-perfect tone of a television journalist, allowing O'Malley the respect he deserves without editorializing. There is far more to O'Malley's life and career than the big move, and this book brings plenty of revelations to even the most die-hard of baseball fans. A Riverhead hardcover (Reviews, Dec. 22). (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved


Library Journal
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Pulitzer Prize winner D'An-tonio's (Tin Cup Dreams) lively, fascinating account of the Brooklyn Dodgers and owner Walter O'Malley looks at, among other things, the painful economic and political choices that led to the team leaving Brooklyn for Los Angeles. The perfunctory reading by two-time Audie Award finalist Phil Gigante is compounded by his mispronunciations of such well-known baseballers' names as Bavasi, Lavagetto, Reiser, and Veeck. Nevertheless, the content is strong enough to recommend this title to baseball fans as well as to those interested in sports history and the histories of New York City and Los Angeles. [The Riverhead hc was recommended "for all public libraries, especially those near any past or present Dodgers dugouts," LJ 2/15/09.-Ed.]-Michael Adams, CUNY Graduate Ctr. Lib. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.


Library Journal
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

This detailed analysis of Walter O'Malley and his financial affairs, based on newly available documentation, does much to dispel myths about the man who moved the Dodgers. D'Antonio provides objective context for O'Malley's era-transforming decision to move the Bums to California, situating the story within that of broader trends in American migrations west. A splendid account, enriched with anecdotes; recommended for all public libraries, especially those near any past or present Dodger dugout. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 11/1/08.] (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.


Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

In this revisionist version of the Dodgers' exodus from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, viewed by many as a journey from Eden to Sodom, the Prime Mover emerges as less like Satan and more like Mosesvisionary, flawed and ultimately justified. D'Antonio, who has written on aspects of cultural history from chocolate bars (Hershey, 2006) to spirituality (Heaven on Earth, 1992), enjoyed unlimited access to the huge archive of Walter O'Malley's papers and has extracted numerous goodies. None, however, is more revealing that what must now be considered unquestionable fact. O'Malley (190379) labored assiduously to keep the Dodgers in Brooklyn, but was stymied at every juncture by Robert Moses, New York's de facto czar of construction. D'Antonio interviewed myriad surviving participants in the story, players included, to uncover other uncomfortable facts. Even during the Dodgers' late-'40s/early-'50s glory years, attendance at Ebbets Field was declining for many reasons: lack of parking, white flight to the suburbs, the rise of television. Meanwhile, large cities across the country craved major-league baseball franchises. Los Angeles and San Francisco were respectively courting the Dodgers and Giants, though Milwaukee scooped them both by acquiring the Braves from Boston. When O'Malley saw L.A.'s offer, and realized that there was slim hope for help in Brooklyn, he decamped and transferred the franchise to the West Coast. There, as the author notes, it has flourished spectacularly in one of baseball's greatest stadiums. D'Antonio spices his forays into baseball business with plenty of baseball folklore. There are several pages on Bobby Thompson's mythic home run, many on the advent and reign of Jackie Robinson. He sometimes has difficulty with balance, offering only a few swift sentences on Roy Campanella's career-ending accident, for example. Readers may also wish for more about O'Malley's private life. We see the franchise owner as a consummate politician, a true mover-and-shaker, but we get few glimpses of his Dodger-blue soul. First-rate cultural history from a writer who touches almost all bases. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.


Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

*Starred Review* New York writer Jack Newfield called Walter O'Malley one of the three worst people who ever lived. The others were Hitler and Stalin. O'Malley's transgression? He moved Brooklyn's beloved Dodgers across the country to Los Angeles after the 1957 season. D'Antonio was accorded unprecedented access to more than 30,000 documents previously unreleased by O'Malley's heirs. Additionally, he conducted hundreds of interviews with O'Malley's family and associates, many who spoke about O'Malley for the first time. The O'Malley he reveals here is neither hero nor villain sorry, Mr. Newfield but rather an extraordinarily astute businessman and baseball visionary. After working for the Dodgers for years, O'Malley was able to buy the team but at unfavorable terms due to a struggle for control with another potential owner. He had no animus toward Brooklyn; the move to Los Angeles was his best business option. He also opened the door to baseball's expansion from a strictly east-of the-Mississippi endeavor to a coast-to-coast enterprise. There are also revealing personal insights. For example, O'Malley's wife essentially lost her ability to speak during their courtship. He never wavered in his devotion, and she communicated for the rest of her life through notes, facial expressions, and slight whispers. This is a wonderfully readable, insightful, and for anyone interested in baseball history important biography of the man who forever changed the course of the game in America.--Lukowsky, Wes Copyright 2009 Booklist

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