My Trip to Dodgertown

[Todd Anderson]

Everyone has those special moments that they wish wouldn't end. Last Thursday, March 13th, I gained entrance to Dodgertown, being allowed total access to virtually every nook and cranny of this historic facility. To say that I had looked forward to this trip with great anticipation is putting it mildly. My dad had retired from ball in '55, and I never got to experience that special period from the 40s to the 50s when I believe the sport was at its zenith. For 53 years, I've been relegated to watching the fun from far away, always wondering what it would be like to get an up close look. There always seemed to be that line drawn where mere mortals were not allowed to step across. As a result, I felt detached from the sport my father loved to play, and fully expected to see things through binoculars for the rest of my life.

Then out of the blue, surprise connections suddenly propelled me to the front of the line. To my amazement, a mystery sponsor had former Dodger owner Peter O'Malley and Craig Callan, vice-president in charge of spring training at Dodgertown, granting me privileges that view are afforded. I was invited to pack my bags and report to Vero Beach before the magic ended. My heartfelt thanks to that sponsor, and all the staff at Dodgertown, for seeing to it that I was adopted into the Dodger family in a royal way. My parents, if they were still here, would have been profusely grateful for the chance I got to get an up-close look at what the rest of family enjoyed for over 17 years.

Enough rambling, right? I'll post a few pics to get things started, then will follow up with much more after I've had some rest. This thread won't feature the most complete pictorial view of Dodgertown ever created. It'll just be my whirlwind visit where I honestly tried my darndest to remember to take photos and not just stand around with my jaws wide open. Baseball history oozes from this place like sap from a maple tree in Maine. I tried to capture the feel of the place, both for myself and those who would look at these pictures. I truly hope you enjoy them.

Below: the entrance, including some neat gates, me and my lifelong pal Neal Ball outside the main office in our Dodger regalia. (Our thanks to our wives for allowing us to regress to childhood for a while!) More to come...stay tuned!

- Todd (Anderson)
Proud son of #14

[Todd Anderson]

The main building housing the staff, doors to the spring training offices. Note the reflection of the bus in the glass. That's the St. Louis Cardinals team bus that was poised to take the team back to Jupiter, Florida after their game against the Dodgers that would be played later that same day.

I'm shown standing next to secretary Karen Roberts who greeted us on our arrival. A wonderful gal! I took a closer look at the photo behind her desk. It shows Walter O'Malley and Dodger team members accepting the key to the city from Vero Beach officials back in 1948.

[Todd Anderson]

Just outside the main offices, we were shown a neat area that was used only by the major league players. The area furthest away, behind the net, is called Campy's Corner. That's where pitchers are instructed on how to handle bunt situations. Past this you can see players vehicles.

The area closest to you shows practice pitching mounds. many of these specialized areas were named after the greats like Koufax, Drysdale, Newcombe, etc.

The big truck parked next to the vintage Mustang belonged to the Dodgers. It was parked and ready to load/carry the team's equipment for their next game in Melbourne, Florida against the Washington Nationals, after the game against the Cardinals.

Behind me were indoor batting cages for the major leaguers. Man, I really had this urge to grab a bat and get busy! ;c)

[Todd Anderson]

Here's Neal (left) and me with Nancy Gollnick, assistant to Dodgertown VP Craig Callan. Nancy was soooo gracious and really enjoyed showing us around the facility. She then slapped some passes on our shirts that allowed us to go anywhere we wanted, AND then handed us two tickets for the 1:05 pm ballgame, right behind home plate! We were like kids in a candy house! With all the emotions surrounding this hoopla, and it also being the 30-year anniversary of my dad's death, I was moved to tears. I hated losing it like that, but there was nothing I could do to stop the faucet from coming on. These folks all treated me like some lost lost relative at a family reunion. Whatta family! Once I finally regained my composure (whew), we were off to start rummaging around. Thanks, Nancy, for being such a wonderful host!

Nancy pointed us toward a building that housed all kinds of conference rooms. Each room was named after folks like Gil Hodges, Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese, etc. Below, the front door to this building stands open. Then, we peered down a loooong hallway chock full of some wonderful photos! I'll post many of those pics when I resume tomorrow. Brace yourself! Until then....Todd

[Yankeebiscuitfan]

Thanks for the pics. Too bad that the gate is wearing the name LA Dodgers. But the rest of the pics is nice.

[penncentralpete]

Todd: Absolutely cool! Thank you for posting these wonderful pictures.

[metfan13]

Great stuff Todd.

How fortunate for you, and for the oldtime Brooklyn fans here, that you got to visit and take pictures of Dodgertown before it's gone.

[Todd Anderson]

Alrighty, then! Where was I? Oh, yeah. Let's stroll through the conference center at Vero Beach and check out the incredible photos that adorn the walls. We'll go through the back door and work our way forward (that's how it was shown to me).

I took these pics at a slight angle so as not to have any "flash" show up if it was used.

Below: the '55 club; Pee Wee Reese finishing a run-down (sorry for the poor shot on this puppy); a hilarious view that I had to get close enough for you to see it better. It shows a host of Phillies players trying their best to catch Robinson in a rundown. Wonder how many more they needed? haha; a great shot of Campanella; and the incredible Gil Hodges. Brooklyn acquired Gil when they released my pop to the Texas League. Gil took over wearing #14 from then on!
More to come!

[Todd Anderson]

Hmmm. Lemme try posting those pics again. Here goes:

(Man, were Hodges hands BIG or what?)

[Todd Anderson]

Whatta photo! However, this one was HUGE—at least 5-6 ft across. So I had to angle the camera in a weird way, due to the narrow hallway I stood in, to capture most of it. The pic shows an opposing pitcher delivering the ball to Eddie Stanky, during a game at Ebbets Field (note someone spelled it incorrectly). The photo asks the question, "Can you find the ball?"

I got to thinking that maybe most visitors here may not be able to locate the ball, since it's greatly reduced, etc. (Shoot, I stood right in FRONT of this for a few minutes before I finally gave up and Nancy Gollnick had to show me!) So, I added an "arrow" pointing to the dark gray circle with a shadow under it (ta-dah!). It was amazing how high the pitch appeared compared to where Stanky stood. Was it a sinker that was thrown? A curve? Who knows. This photo may have been around before, but I had never seen it. I would LOVE to have a copy of it on my wall! The scale of the ballpark makes the photo mesmerizing. Sure wish the ball club would make posters of it.

By the way, each photo you're viewing had to have a protective piece of plastic put over it, because guests invariably wanted to "touch" the players, etc. Some, like this one, had minor blemishes from the years of fingers wishing to get a little closer to their heroes. Who can blame them?

[Todd Anderson]

Another shot of Reese; Duke Snyder lets one fly; Gil Hodges sliding into homeplate with Phillies catcher Andy Seminick trying to apply the tag, while (I think) Bob Ramazzotti watches (slap me around if I'm wrong); aerial shot of Holman Stadium at Dodgertown. Note the old military barracks where players lived. You'll also spot the lake that O'Malley had constructed beside the players golf course. Nancy Gollnick explained to me that he wanted it shaped like a heart, so that when he flew over the facility and looked down, it would remind him where his heart was. (No comment) The golf course, which you will see in other aerial photos later, was erected so that the black players could take part. Outside the gates, folks like Robinson and Campy were not allowed to play on public courses. The new spring training offices that you saw earlier in this thread were not erected at this point. Eventually they would be constructed directly behind right field.

[Todd Anderson]

Bert Shotton plays chauffeur to a parade of incredible talent; infielders that defy gravity; Campanella holds the umbrella while the rest of the crew assesses the Florida weather; I know Eddie Stanky is on the right. (Someone else help name the other three fishermen! Thanks!)

[Shotgun Shuba]

Well, I know that is Cookie to the left, I think it's Jake Pitler next to him and I would guess Gene Hermanski but I am 20% on that one. DD will know instantly.

[Todd Anderson]

1955 squad; Brooklym Bum character takes a swing during spring training (would be interesting to hear about this guy); You gotta love the types of gloves these guys had to work with back then; the first batting machine at Dodgertown-the Foster Pitching Arm. Not sure who the coach might be standing next to the "arm."

[Todd Anderson]

After you have made your way down the HALL OF FAME full of photos, you enter the dining room foyer. The old [orange] seats you see there came from the LA stadium. We turned to the right and noticed a sign with meal times. We asked if we could peek inside—Nancy said to go in! We told her we'd love it if we could be permitted to buy our lunch, but Nancy said the meal would be on them! Incredible! Once we started looking around, we were immediately drawn to the great mural that I'm told a Dodgertown employee painted. The food service is headed by Cher Reimer, and the dining room captain is Mary, shown pictured with Neal and me. Both ladies were sooo gracious and treated us like royalty! They were getting things ready for lunch, spreading the white tablecloths and placing the Dodger-blue napkins. They even had place cards for some pretty special names!