St. Patrick's Day Parties - A Legend At Dodgertown
Introduction
One of Walter O’Malley’s favorite times of the year was the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day at Dodgertown. The March 17 parties that he and his wife Kay hosted were legendary and are a piece of Dodger history. The holiday magically transformed Dodger blue into Luck of the Irish green for a glorious day.
O’Malley’s bloodlines can be traced to famed County Mayo, Ireland on his father’s side. Walter’s great grandfather John O’Malley and his wife Margaret Collins were married in County Mayo before immigrating to the United States.
With great respect for Irish traditions, Walter started to host St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in 1951, his first spring training as Dodger President. That year, he invited Dodger executives and staff, as well as representatives from the New York Giants, to a party at a Miami Beach hotel. The Dodgers played the majority of their spring training home games in Miami at that time.
Beginning in 1952, O’Malley moved the parties to Vero Beach, Florida, home base of the Dodgers’ spring training activities, where they were first held at the famed tourist spot McKee Jungle Gardens in the Hall of Tara before moving to Dodgertown. Decorations, hats, skits, music, dancing, food and drink were the ingredients blended to create a successful evening.
Of that 1952 event and its 130 guests, Roscoe McGowen wrote in The Sporting News, “Sure, an’ it was no place for an Orangeman when The O’Malley of County Mayo and the Dodgers tossed a party in honor of St. Patrick in the Hall of Tara. Everything was green — there wasn’t a chance of getting an orange juice — including the draft beer and the ice cubes. The O’Malley had special labels on the bottles of Irish cheer, which was called ‘Old O’Malley,’ a whiskey which will be 12 years old in 1964.
“Among those present was Edmund Boots, executive vice president of U.S. Steel, who was listed as Eddie Boots in a quartet called ‘The Mayo Minstrels.’ The other three were Gerald Cleary, who operates the Sea Breeze and Orange Terrace here; Ralph Galvin, proprietor of a swanky hostelry called Shadow Lawn and Harry Kurzon, real estate and insurance man here. These fellows can sing.
“Mrs. John Smith, stockholder in the Dodgers, was present, and two National League umpires, Larry Goetz and Jocko Conlan, joined in the fun. Conlan, one of the highest Irish tenors around set one of the high spots of the evening when he sang a love song to Kay O’Malley, while Greg Mulleavy, a normally quiet and soft-spoken fellow who is a scout, wielded a shillelagh and directed proceedings with a constant stream of brogue-tinged orders.”
Writing in the March 19, 1953 Vero Beach Press-Journal, Bob Curzon noted, “President O’Malley played host to the annual St. Patrick’s Day party at the McKee Jungle Gardens last Tuesday night and a good time was had by all.”
Though only a few players ever participated in the parties, the real purpose was for team executives and staff to celebrate the completion of the first month of spring training and turn the corner to focus on final preparations for the upcoming regular season. After being away from family members during spring training, it was a time for everyone to be entertained and relax for an evening. The media and VIP guest lists were lengthy, but the player list was short.
Players with musical talent might have received an invitation. Such was the case with shortstop Maury Wills, who had fine banjo playing ability, while Tommy Hutton (guitar), Alan Foster (guitar), Jim “Mudcat” Grant (sang), Nate “Pee Wee” Oliver (sang), Tommy Davis (claviata), Willie Davis (dancing) and Chuck Connors (recited “Casey at the Bat”) all entertained. Music by an accordionist, Irish tenors and duets were heard, as bands played “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling,” “My Wild Irish Rose,” “I’ll Take You Home Again, Kathleen,” “Harrigan,” and “Sweet Rosie O’Grady.”
The invitation to the party of the spring (see separate section of invitations) became a work of art unto itself, as clever menus were concocted based on the names of Dodger players, coaches and executives: Oysters O’Zark, Alston mixed salad without Dressen, Corn O’Sorda, Soft Drink O’Drysdale, Scully onions, Andy High balls, Podres pudding, O’Porter potatoes, Milk O’Davis and DeLury Lima Beans. Of course, the menu included the traditional Irish fare of corned beef & cabbage with potatoes, vegetables and all of the trimmings.
Normally, following a festive happy hour, dinner was served and a few recognitions and short speeches were made, followed by more entertainment. After the meal, a rousing post evening of dancing and celebrating went into the wee hours of morning.
Dodger head trainer Bill Buhler headed the decorating committee and always adroitly handled the task using streamers, balloons, pompons, confetti, drawings, converting a recreation hall or dining room into a sparkling emerald jewel.
In 1967, O’Malley had a slight variation of St. Patrick’s Day, as Dodgertown celebrated St. Joseph’s Day on March 19 in combination with a Sayonara party in honor of the visiting Tokyo Giants on a suggestion by Executive Vice President and General Manager E.J. “Buzzie” Bavasi. That was the spring that O’Malley had Dodgertown menus printed in Japanese as well as English.
During dinner on St. Patrick’s Day, “Happy Birthday” was sung to Hall of Fame baseball writer Bob Hunter, who year after year celebrated his 39th birthday. Also, the March 17 birthdays of Dodger Coach Pete Reiser, Traveling Secretary Lee Scott and, in later years, Director of Dodgertown Terry Reynolds (who began as a club intern in the late 1970s) were all recognized.
In 1972, O’Malley invited Players Association Chief Marvin Miller to the St. Patrick’s Day party, after Miller and union counsel Dick Moss spent the day at Dodgertown polling the Dodger players on whether they would vote for a strike (and they voted “yes”) should major league ownership fail to come to an agreement on player proposals. Following the events of the morning, afternoon meetings delayed the start of the festivities, but Miller and Moss accepted O’Malley’s invitation, each donning a St. Patty’s green hat.
“St. Patrick’s Day parties came at the mid point of spring training and this party was the perfect way for everyone at Dodgertown to come together and have a good time,” said former Dodger President Peter O’Malley, who continued the tradition at Dodgertown through 1998. “In those days, St. Patrick’s celebration was the only event of the spring, long before we put together Western Barbecues and Christmas at Dodgertown.”
— Brent Shyer
Walter and Kay O’Malley were hosts of the annual St. Patrick’s Day parties at Dodgertown.
Walter O’Malley stands above the “Erin Go Bragh” sign, part of the elaborate decorations at St. Patrick’s Day celebrations at Dodgertown.
Dodger broadcasters Vin Scully, Red Barber and Connie Desmond (left to right), along with Walter O’Malley are in a festive mood for the 1952 St. Patty’s Day party.
The First Lady of the Dodgers Kay O’Malley and Walter O’Malley always looked forward to hosting friends, executives and staff members at Dodgertown St. Patrick’s Day parties.
The St. Patrick’s Day event had an international flavor in 1967, as the Tokyo Giants from Japan visited Dodgertown for spring training. Owner Toru Shoriki of the Giants is greeted by (left to right) broadcaster Vin Scully, Dodger President Walter O’Malley and broadcaster Jerry Doggett.
Click image for a larger view(L-R) Entertainer Danny Kaye; Peter O’Malley, March 17, 1984
Superstar movie and TV personality Danny Kaye is welcomed by Dodger President Peter O’Malley at the annual St. Patrick’s Day Party in Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida.Click image for a larger view(L-R) Dodger AAA manager Tom Lasorda; Kay O’Malley, March 17, 1971
Future Hall of Fame Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda, currently the Dodgers’ AAA manager at Spokane, is greeted by Kay O’Malley, First Lady of the Dodgers at the annual St. Patrick’s Day Party in Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida.Click image for a larger view(L-R) Dodger pitcher Chan Ho Park; Peter O’Malley, March 17, 1994
Chan Ho Park, the first South Korean born player to sign a professional contract with an American major league team, is welcomed to the annual St. Patrick’s Day Party by Peter O’Malley, who made the crucial decision to sign Park. Park is the all-time winningest Asian born pitcher in the major leagues with 124 wins. He made his major league debut three weeks later with the Dodgers on April 8, 1994.Click image for a larger view(L-R) Former Dodger Manager Walter Alston; Former Dodger pitcher and minor league instructor Sandy Koufax.
Hall of Fame manager Walter Alston meets again with his ace starting pitcher, Hall of Fame lefthander Sandy Koufax at the annual St. Patrick’s Day party in the early 1980s. Alston managed four World Championship Dodger teams and Koufax is considered the best left hand pitcher in baseball history with his three Cy Young Awards. Koufax pitched for all four of the Alston’s World Championship teams in 1955, 1959, 1963, and 1965.Click image for a larger view(L-R) Vin Scully; Mrs. Sandi Scully, circa early 1980s.
Hall of Fame sportscaster Vin Scully, the greatest of all time in his field, is with his wife, Sandi Scully, at the traditional St. Patrick’s Day Party at Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida.Click image for a larger view(L-R) Roy Campanella; Roxie Campanella, circa 1970s.
Dodger Hall of Fame catcher Roy Campanella, a three-time National League Most Valuable Player and catcher on the 1955 Dodger World Championship is with his wife Roxie at the annual St. Patrick’s Day Party in Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida. Campanella remained a regular visitor to Dodgertown and instructed several generations of Dodger catchers after his retirement.Click image for a larger viewFormer Dodger pitcher and prominent businessman Ralph Branca prepares to make his annual singing performance at the St. Patrick’s Day Party in Dodgertown, Vero Beach, Florida. Branca was a fine Dodger starting pitcher for them in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and possessed a fine baritone voice where he would lead the St. Patrick’s audience in singing Irish songs.
Click image for a larger view(L-R) Dodger coach Charlie Dressen; Future Dodger Hall of Fame Manager Tom Lasorda; Hall of Fame shortstop Pee Wee Reese, circa 1959.
Future Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda is with a former Dodger Manager Charlie Dressen and recently retired as an active player, Pee Wee Reese as they are dressed for the traditional St. Patrick’s Day Party in Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida.