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    Forever Blue: The True Story of Walter O'Malley, Baseball's Most Controversial Owner and the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles
    Unavailable
    Forever Blue: The True Story of Walter O'Malley, Baseball's Most Controversial Owner and the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles
    Unavailable
    Forever Blue: The True Story of Walter O'Malley, Baseball's Most Controversial Owner and the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles
    Audiobook12 hours

    Forever Blue: The True Story of Walter O'Malley, Baseball's Most Controversial Owner and the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles

    Written by Michael D'Antonio

    Narrated by Phil Gigante

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Resented by some in New York and beloved in Los Angeles, O'Malley is one of the most controversial owners in the history of American sports. He remade major league baseball and altered the course of history in both Brooklyn and Los Angeles when he moved the Dodgers to California. But while many New York critics attacked him, O'Malley looked to the future, declining to argue his case. As a result, fans across the nation have been unable to stop arguing about him-until now.

    Using never-before-seen documents and candid interviews with O'Malley's players, associates, and relatives, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Michael D'Antonio finally reveals this complex sportsman and industry pioneer. Born into Tammany Hall connections, O'Malley used political contacts to grow wealthy during the Great Depression, and then maneuvered to take control of the formerly downtrodden Dodgers. After his defeat in a war of wills with the famed power broker Robert Moses, O'Malley uprooted the borough's team and transplanted them to Los Angeles. Once in Los Angeles, O'Malley overcame opponents of his stadium and helped define the city. Other owners came to regard him as their unofficial commissioner as he worked behind the scenes to usher in the age of the players' union and free agency.

    Filled with new revelations about O'Malley's battle with Moses, his pioneering business strategies, and his relationship with Jackie Robinson, Forever Blue is a fascinating history of baseball, business, and the American West.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateMar 19, 2009
    ISBN9781423384182
    Unavailable
    Forever Blue: The True Story of Walter O'Malley, Baseball's Most Controversial Owner and the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles
    Author

    Michael D'Antonio

    Michael D’Antonio is the author of many acclaimed books, including Atomic Harvest, Fall from Grace, Tin Cup Dreams, Mosquito, and The State Boys Rebellion. His work has also appeared in Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, Los Angeles Times Magazine, Discover, and many other publications. Among his many awards is the Pulitzer Prize, which he shared with a team of reporters for New York Newsday.

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    Reviews for Forever Blue

    4.5/5

    11 ratings2 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Very enjoyable listen. Now I’ve listened to it twice. A tale of two cities good,
    • 5/5
      “Forever Blue, the true story of Walter O’Malley, baseball’s most controversial owner, and the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles” is the complete title of Pulizer Prize winning writer Michael D’Antonio’s book.And yes, it’s first and foremost subject is O’Malley. His life from childhood (he grew up being a Giants fan!!), his years at Culver and Penn. How he build his enormous network and, most importantly, how he became the owner of and ran the Dodgers organization.There is some baseball action, but it’s not the main business of this book. If you’re interested in the Dodgers and their rise under O’Mally’s ownership, you should read it. It can be a bit dry at times, but you know where it’s heading and once you’re in the late 1940’s the story unfolds before your eyes.D’Antonio describes Brooklyn, the Brooklynites, Ebbets Field and the players with an eye for detail and you almost see yourself in the stands at Ebbets, rooting for Pee Wee Reese, Jackie Robinson, Don Newcombe, Duke Snider and all the other Boys in Blue.It’s essential history for Dodger fans who want to know more of their team, the time before Los Angeles, how the process of moving the team went. O'Malley was often seen as a money grabbing owner, but the fact is he tried and tried to keep the Dodgers in Brooklyn.How did the spring training stadium at Dodgertown, Vero Beach, come by the name Holman? Did you know that the Angels really were an LA team before the Dodgers came to town? These and many more facts can be found within the pages of this well written book.