Los Angeles Dodgers Scrapbook

A Long History of Name Changes

In 1884, a team nicknamed the Atlantics represented the City of Brooklyn in the American Association (AA) Baseball League. In 1885, that team changed its name to the Brooklyn Grays. It wouldn't be their last name change; not by a long shot. In 1887, they became the Brooklyn Bridegrooms.

In 1890, the Bridegrooms played their first season in the National League, and won the pennant with an 86-43 record behind the strong hitting of Oyster Burns (.284, 13 HR, 128 RBI) and the splendid pitching of 30-game winner Tom Lovett. Brooklyn then played the AA champion Louisville Colonels in the 1890 World Series. (there were a few precursors to the "World Series" held before 1903.) The Series ended in a tie, 3-3-1. Baseball was a little bit different back then.

As the century closed out, two major events occurred in Brooklyn. First, on January 1, 1898, the City of Brooklyn was annexed by, and became a part of, New York City. Brooklyn was a city no more. She was now just a borough.

Secondly, in 1899, the team adopted one of the coolest team names in baseball history: the Brooklyn Superbas. The Superbas took home the National League pennant in 1899 and 1900. Their slick name stuck around until 1914, when they changed it again to the Brooklyn Robins.

The Robins would reach, but lose, two World Series. In 1916, they fell to the mighty Boston Red Sox, and in 1920 they lost to the Cleveland Indians.

Great Success as The Brooklyn Dodgers

Finally, in 1932, they would become known as the Brooklyn Dodgers, which was short for "Trolley Dodgers," a reference to the Borough's reputation for having so many trolleys that its residents constantly needed to dodge them.

The name change apparently agreed with the team. The Dodgers won the National League pennant in 1941, 1947, 1949, 1952 and 1953. In each of those years, however, they fell to the Yankees in the World Series.

But the 1955 Dodgers changed everything. With the Series tied three games apiece, Manager Walter Alston decided to start the team's 23 year old rookie, Johnny Podres, ahead of Don Newcombe or Clem Labine. The decision worked. Podres pitched a complete game shutout to beat the Yankees in Game 7 by a final score of 2-0. Alston looked like a genius, Johnny Podres was a hero, and the Dodgers were World Champions. Brooklyn finally had its first World Series win. Unbeknownst to the players celebrating in that Dodger locker room in Ebbets Field in 1955, it turned out to be Brooklyn's only one.

The Dodgers Move West

Between 1954 and 1957, Dodgers' Owner Walter O'Malley had become very frustrated with the manner in which New York's Building and Trades Commissioner Robert Moses was holding up the approvals for the Dodgers' planned new stadium. O'Malley wanted to build the stadium at the corner of Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues. This property could accommodate a large ballpark, and it would have better parking and access to freeways than the beloved, but slowly deteriorating Ebbets Field. .

But Robert Moses was the most powerful man in New York City. He controlled, directly or indirectly, twelve major city agencies. Most unfortunate for Walter O'Malley, among the many posts that Moses held, he was the Commissioner of the Building and Trades Commission, which meant that he personally oversaw and regulated all large construction and public works projects, including stadium building. So, if there was to be a new baseball stadium in New York City, Robert Moses would ultimately decide its location.

And Robert Moses wanted the new stadium in Flushing, Queens. He did not want it in Brooklyn.

O'Malley was furious. He pushed for Brooklyn, and Moses pushed back with Queens. O'Malley made vague threats to leave and Moses dared him to go. O'Malley's threats became more direct and more serious. Moses ignored him. So, finally, after almost three years of trying to build a new stadium in Brooklyn, O'Malley finally broke and chose to flee to Los Angeles.

The City had been trying to lure the Dodgers to town for more than a year, offering them everything under their sunny skies to come and play baseball at a brand new stadium in Chavez Ravine.

So, to the shock and horror of Brooklyn Dodger fans, O'Malley picked up and moved one of the best, most valuable and most historic franchises in baseball clear across the nation. Baseball, and Brooklyn, would never be the same.

The hearts of a million Brooklyn faithful were broken. For many, Brooklyn players were their heroes, but they were also their neighbors. Brooklyn in the 1950s was probably the last time in baseball history that ballplayers and working-man fans lived next door to each other. When the Dodgers left, that connection between the game and the regular guy was lost. At least a little bit. No. It was lost a lot.

Many of the Old Brooklynites still blame O'Malley today, but a closer look at the facts seems to suggest that Robert Moses may have been the real bad guy in this tragic story. The best O'Malley could get in New York was Queens. Would those Brooklyn fans have wanted to share their team with another borough? O'Malley seems to have had no choice.

Success in Los Angeles

The team hasn't changed its name since they've been out there, but they do seem to have changed their postseason luck. The Dodgers have won five World Series since relocating to L.A. (1959, 1963, 1965, 1981, 1988).

Although the Los Angeles team may have had more World Series success, we lost something that made baseball great and made America great. We lost Brooklyn. The Old Brooklyn.

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