O'Malley HOF Vet Committee Finalist

[MATHA531]

Remember that Mrs. Payton's roots were with the New York Giants. She was the only member of the Board of Directors to vote against the Giants move.
That said, when the Mets were formed they went to the "Flatbush well" all to often. Billy Loes [smart enough to "just say no"], Clem Labine, Joe Pignatano, Myron Joe Ginsberg, Charlie Neal, Roger Craig, Don Zimmer, Gil Hodges, and Duke Snider [in 1963] were all names that made for good press... Good press and horrible baseball.
I was one of the original Met's fans who hated the "lovable looser" crap and resented the Dodger influence.
Thank gawd for the NY on the caps, although they bastardized that after the first year or two.
The Wilpon's "shrine to Ebbett's Field" turns this old Giants fan's stomach.
Only in Amerika.

Was Loes a Met? Don't think so...he was long out of baseball as I remember but I wouldn't bet my mortgage?

Of course Joe Ginsberg's biggest claim to fame was that the Mets acquired him in a trade for a player to be named later.....that player turned out to be.....Joe Ginsberg.

Would you rather have had Fred build a ball part in tribute to the PG...(actually he has taken one thing from the PG, he will have the 2nd level in right field overhang over the lower level....I remember fully well in 1963 with Roger Craig on some sort of long losing streak in the last of the ninth inning in a tie game with the Cubs Jim Hickman popping up to left field and Billy Williams settling under it...only to see the pop up graze the left field scoreboard on the way down for a game ending (the idiotic expression walk off home run was not part of baseball then) grand slam......

[dodger dynamo]

billy loes retired at the end of 61. battlin bake, the dodger dynamo

[Ralph Zig Tyko]

Yes, Loes was drafted by the Mets, but declined to report. Billy was [is] an all time character. There's something wonderful about those of us who grew up in Jackson Heights. :-)
It was Harry Chiti who was traded for Himself.
Here's a link to a blog I wrote when Clem Labine passed away.

http://pushpull.wordpress.com/2007/03/02/clem-labine/

[MATHA531]

Well I never said I was a Met fan!

[Ralph Zig Tyko]

Sorry you're not a Mets fan, MATHA531. You're missing out. :-)
Just a personal note. After all those years of hating the Dodgers, I now proudly walk around wearing my [Mets farm team]. Brooklyn Cyclone cap [replete with the the Brooklyn Dodger "B"]. Whoda thunk.

[LeoD]

Yes, Loes was drafted by the Mets, but declined to report. Billy was [is] an all time character. There's something wonderful about those of us who grew up in Jackson Heights. :-)
It was Harry Chiti who was traded for Himself.
Here's a link to a blog I wrote when Clem Labine passed away.
http://pushpull.wordpress.com/2007/03/02/clem-labine/

I love this Loes quote:


"The Mets is a very good thing. They give everybody a job. Just like the WPA".

[DODGER DEB]

Yes, Loes was drafted by the Mets, but declined to report. Billy was [is] an all time character. There's something wonderful about those of us who grew up in Jackson Heights. :-)
It was Harry Chiti who was traded for Himself.
Here's a link to a blog I wrote when Clem Labine passed away.
http://pushpull.wordpress.com/2007/03/02/clem-labine/

You might want to correct your blog on CLEM, RZT!

His son, Jay, lost a leg, but it was in Vietnam, not Korea. CLEM himself was only 23 when he came up to OUR Dodgers in 1950, during the Korean War.

c.

[MattM]

I challenge any open-minded member of this forum (and I hope there are at least a few) to look it up: O'Malley was a major positive force for the integration of baseball at a time when few other men had the courage to stand up against the racism which permeated our society (the Dodger organization was fortunate indeed to have two giants such as O'Malley and Rickey at the same time. It took this confluence of greatness to bring about a major and much needed change in our culture).

As to edging out Rickey, that amounts to accusing O'Malley of being the better businessman (which he probably was). And planning to trade Jackie after 10 years in the majors? Keeping in mind that Jackie was the GREATEST man (and sportsman) ever to play the game, the interests of the Dodgers had to come first, which was O'Malley's motivation, not some sort of evil hatred of the greatest player of all time. NEWS FLASH: Player's careers DON"T LAST FOREVER (although I wish Jackie's could have).

:candle:LONG LIVE THE MEMORY OF WALTER O'MALLEY:candle::bowdown: TO THE HALLTO THE HALLTO THE HALL TO THE HALL

(As I mentioned, O'Malley's contribution to the integration of baseball would be enough to assure his inclusion among baseball's immortals. SO WOULD HAVING THE GOOD SENSE TO MOVE THE DODGERS TO A PLACE WHERE THE WEATHER IS DECENT AND THE TEAM IS LOVED, the best city in the U.S.)

P.S. I usually arrive in the bottom of the first and stay until the eighth. That way, I avoid the rush caused by the large number of fans coming in during the 3rd and leaving during the 7th. You folks in Brooklyn should try it. Oh wait........you don't have a team

The Real (Los Angeles) Dodgers

The best thing to do in a situation like this is use the ignore function.

While I would agree that O'Malley made a contribution to baseballs westward movement, his betrayal of both the city of New York, and most important, the people of Brooklyn, outweighs anything positive the man did for the game.

If you're not convinced, just look at how he treated Jackie Robinson. Trading him to the lowly-Giants was a slap in the face of the man who gave his heart and soul to the club.

[Ralph Zig Tyko]

Will do, DD. I tend to mix up my police actions.
Thanks muchly.

[Ralph Zig Tyko]

Billy was special. LeoD... Some forget just how effective he was for the B-Boids. He and the Paul Richards' Orioles sure had it going there for awhile.

[dodger dynamo]

billy loes was totally new york his speech manner and everything. billy got a lot of money at the time out of rickey, then invested it in real estate. billy was a quirky, superstitious guy, but billy was smarter than people think. yes, he did lose a ground ball in the sun. battlin bake the dodger dynamo

[aqib]

I challenge any open-minded member of this forum (and I hope there are at least a few) to look it up: O'Malley was a major positive force for the integration of baseball at a time when few other men had the courage to stand up against the racism which permeated our society (the Dodger organization was fortunate indeed to have two giants such as O'Malley and Rickey at the same time. It took this confluence of greatness to bring about a major and much needed change in our culture).

As to edging out Rickey, that amounts to accusing O'Malley of being the better businessman (which he probably was). And planning to trade Jackie after 10 years in the majors? Keeping in mind that Jackie was the GREATEST man (and sportsman) ever to play the game, the interests of the Dodgers had to come first, which was O'Malley's motivation, not some sort of evil hatred of the greatest player of all time. NEWS FLASH: Player's careers DON"T LAST FOREVER (although I wish Jackie's could have).

:candle:LONG LIVE THE MEMORY OF WALTER O'MALLEY:candle::bowdown: TO THE HALLTO THE HALLTO THE HALL TO THE HALL

(As I mentioned, O'Malley's contribution to the integration of baseball would be enough to assure his inclusion among baseball's immortals. SO WOULD HAVING THE GOOD SENSE TO MOVE THE DODGERS TO A PLACE WHERE THE WEATHER IS DECENT AND THE TEAM IS LOVED, the best city in the U.S.)

P.S. I usually arrive in the bottom of the first and stay until the eighth. That way, I avoid the rush caused by the large number of fans coming in during the 3rd and leaving during the 7th. You folks in Brooklyn should try it. Oh wait........you don't have a team

The Real (Los Angeles) Dodgers

Dude this is their forum, people like us who didn't grow up Brooklyn Dodger fans are pretty much guests. Why come here to just start trouble?

[LeoD]

billy loes was totally new york his speech manner and everything. billy got a lot of money at the time out of rickey, then invested it in real estate. billy was a quirky, superstitious guy, but billy was smarter than people think. yes, he did lose a ground ball in the sun. battlin bake the dodger dynamo

We talked about Billy recently on the ERSKINE REFLECTS ON ROBINSON thread, and recalled that Loes once complained that he lost a ground ball hit by Vic Raschi in the sun!

But he wasn't kidding. According to Erskine:

"Ebbets Field faced northeast when you stood at home plate, and the sun was blocked by the outfield stands, making it a dream for the hitter. For the pitcher, however, it was a disadvantage.

"Late in the afternoon, at about the 7th inning or so, the sun would peek through those I beams from the upper deck and would send a piercing ray of light right into the infielders' eyes. For those minutes when this happened, I was literally throwing blind. The hitter had an advantage, and it was dangerous at times."

The incident took place in the 7th inning of Game 6 of the '52 Series, played on October 6th. The Raschi high hopper bounced in such a way it caught the piercing ray of light and blinded Billy when he reached for the high bouncer.

Late afternoon on an October day in New York...sun...shadows...

Maybe in this instance Loes wasn't "spacey" after all.
__________________
We can remember a time when we were so young that we thought the things we loved would last forever

shlevine42

[dodger dynamo]

leo d I, have heard that story about loes and the stadiums peculiarity with the sun and the glare. there was probably more truth in the things that billy said, than anyone thought. maybe he an had insight they didn't, at least in the case with the ground ball in the sun that appears to be true. thanks for the story, I enjoyed hearing it again. battlin bake, the dodger dynamo

[LeoD]

leo d I, have heard that story about loes and the stadiums peculiarity with the sun and the glare. there was probably more truth in the things that billy said, than anyone thought. maybe he an had insight they didn't, at least in the case with the ground ball in the sun that appears to be true. thanks for the story, I enjoyed hearing it again. battlin bake, the dodger dynamo

Your welcome, Billy was the real deal..............WEIRD