This Day in Walter O’Malley History: January 26

According to Roscoe McGowen writing in The Sporting News, pitcher Don Newcombe showed up at the 215 Montague Street offices of the Brooklyn Dodgers and weighed in. Walter O’Malley had small floor scales in the offices and asked “Big Newk” to take his shoes off before the weigh-in. At first Newk balked, but then started to remove other clothing, to which O’Malley immediately responded, “You can’t undress in here. Why don’t we get you on the scales and we’ll give you an allowance for the weight of your clothes?” Newk said, “I’ve got about ten pounds of clothes on. Will you give me that much allowance?” After a compromise, Newk stepped onto the scale without his shoes and, with allowance for his clothes, weighed in at 243 pounds. Newk, who was trying to regain his 20-win touch after a 9-8 season in 1954, worked towards trimming another 10 pounds before Spring Training.

Walter O’Malley appears on NBC’s “Today” show at 5 a.m. Los Angeles time. Roscoe McGowen, The Sporting News, January 26, 1955