This Day in Walter O’Malley History:

  • Walter O’Malley and several members of the Brooklyn Dodgers Board of Directors attend an afternoon-night doubleheader in St. Louis and are delighted to witness two victories. Judge Henry Ughetta, Harry Hickey and Bud Holman flew by plane to St. Louis from Vero Beach, Florida for the two games.

  • Walter O’Malley had opened the Dodgertown Summer Camp for Boys at Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida. One camper saw O’Malley and told him, “I’m a (New York) Giant fan, Mr. O’Malley, but I’m surely having a swell time at Dodgertown.” The Sporting News, August 25, 1954

  • The Monterrey, Mexico Little League World Champions, the first team from outside the U.S. to win the title, are guests of Walter O’Malley at Ebbets Field. Ambidextrous pitcher Angel Macias, who threw the first perfect game in a championship final, got big kudos from Dodger fans.

  • The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Olympic Boxing Club agree to a series of boxing exhibitions at Wrigley Field. The Dodgers had acquired Wrigley Field in Los Angeles in the exchange of their minor league franchise in Dallas/Fort Worth with the Chicago Cubs. The signatories for the contract were Aileen Eaton of the Olympic Boxing Club and Harold “Lefty” Phillips of the Dodgers. Ms. Eaton was a promoter at Olympic Auditorium from 1942 to 1980 and was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. In her career she promoted more than 10,000 matches that included 100 title bouts. “Lefty” Phillips was a longtime Dodger scout, instructor, major league pitching coach for the 1965 World Champion Dodgers, and later field manager for the California Angels.

  • The formal contract signing takes place between A.S. Vinnell, President of Vinnell Constructors and Walter O’Malley to build 56,000-seat Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Jack Yount was assigned as the construction chief and meticulously oversaw every detail in the building process, which began after Labor Day in 1960 and was completed by Opening Day on April 10, 1962.

  • The Los Angeles Dodgers were mired in a miserable 10-game losing streak during the 1961 pennant race with the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds would eventually win the National League pennant by six games. After the Dodgers had lost their 10th straight game, a great Dodger fan felt a light touch was needed and sent a telegram to Red Patterson, Dodger publicity director and third base coach Leo Durocher, “You made ten the easy way but eleven and twelve can only be made the hard way. Why try?” The telegram was signed “Retlaw Yellamo.” Who is “Retlaw Yellamo? The Dodgers’ owner name was as backwards as the team.

  • Lou Mohs, general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers, thanks Walter O’Malley in a letter for helping the basketball team make a connection with KFI, a Los Angeles radio station and Union Oil, a new Laker team sponsor. “I’m only adult when I admit that without your support we would not have affected this negotiation,” wrote Mohs. “You are so complete and so up to all your own problems that it is useless to offer support: but (sic) if I can ever add even an iota to the Dodger operation I’ll deem it a pleasure.”

  • Howie Horwitz, producer of television shows as “77 Sunset Strip” and “Batman” congratulates Walter O’Malley for his supporting role in an episode of the television show “Branded.”