O'Malley Strikes Again

Go Maury, Go Maury, Go, Go, Go!..
oh he goes, the catcher throws, right from the solar plexis,
at the bag he beats the tag that mighty little waif,
and umpire Conlan cries "Yer out!"
Out?
Out?
Down in the dugout Alston glowers,
up in the booth Vin Scully frowns,
out in the stands O'Malley grins,
attendance fifty thousand!

From The D-O-D-G-E-R-S Song, recorded by Danny Kaye, 1962

50 years ago Walter O'Malley moved the Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles and Major League Baseball hasn't been the same since. Today, he was elected to the Baseball Hall-of-Fame by its Veterans Committee, along with 4 others. Most notable about this class is that none of them are in the Hall for their performance as players of the game. Billy Southworth and Dick Williams are in for their careers as managers and Barney Dreyfuss (the creator of the World Series), like O'Malley, is in as an extra-ordinary owner.

The other person elected is former Commissioner Bowie Kuhn. It seems fitting that Kuhn would be elected at the same time as O'Malley for, as legendary LA sportscaster Jim Healy regularly noted, in those days, the Commissioner never said anything important when the Dodgers' owner was in the room because everyone would see that O'Malley's lips were moving. So you might say O'Malley is the first guy ever to be elected twice, on the same day, to the Baseball Hall-of-Fame. ;->

Meanwhile, among the celebrations marking the Dodgers' 50th Anniversary in Los Angeles will be an exihibition game next March 29 against the World Champion Boston Red Sox at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum! Ah, yes. Mom and Dad would talk about attending a Dodger game at the Coliseum. Turned out their seats were out in right field where all they could see was Frank Howard.

Yup. O'Malley grins...