This Day in Walter O’Malley History:

  • According to a report in The Sporting News, “Thousands of fans left Ebbets Field July 13, when the management caught unawares, was unable to handle the sudden outpouring of followers who wanted to see the Ladies’ Day fracas with the Cubs. There weren’t enough ticket sellers or turnstile attendants to get the people into the park, although there were plenty of empty seats. A final total of 28,822 got in, of which 10,279 paid; 9,043 were ladies; 6,000 Knothole kids and 3,500 hospitalized servicemen. In a published statement, President Walter O’Malley apologized to the fans for the tie-up at the ticket windows.” The Sporting News, July 25, 1951

  • A fan named George Shea from Woodside, New York proudly sends Walter O’Malley a homemade “crying” towel (white with blue hand-written lettering). Shea wrote such comments as “Cry Here After Single Game Losses” and “Write to me for all Giant World Series tickets” on the towel. In his good-natured response to Shea, O’Malley writes, “I have your crying towel and I thank you for your unique sense of humor. I have shown it to a good many people today and they have all gotten a laugh. If you are a Giant fan I hope you will be loyal to your team. If on the other hand you are a Dodger fan I believe you will see better days before the end of the season.”

  • Walter O’Malley brings a smile to the face of a 13-year-old baseball fan named Daniel Gawronski, who was summoned to East New York Magistrate’s Court in Brooklyn for “unlawfully harboring” roosters. Young Daniel appeared on behalf of his mother, who wrote a letter of explanation to Magistrate Charles F. Murphy. It seems that the seven Gawronski children each received a baby chick for Easter, which in time had grown into roosters that were bothering neighbors with their crowing noises. A shaken and tearful Daniel was prepared to pay a fine of three dollars he had been saving for a baseball glove, when Magistrate Murphy decided to dismiss the summons and told Daniel to keep his cash. O’Malley sent word to the court that if Daniel comes by the Dodger workout at Ebbets Field at 10 a.m. on this day, he is in line for a brand new baseball glove! Now that immediately stopped all the crying. The New York Times, July 13, 1954