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kenyan_cheena · 05-30-2008, 08:48 AM

The New York Age

THURSDAY, 15 JULY, 1959

O'MALLEY DELIVERS ULTIMATUM
TO DODGERS MANAGER

Story by Louis Greenberg

The Brooklyn Dodgers' disasterous 1959 season has hit a new low with news emerging that the ballclub's owner Walter O'Malley and manager Walter Alston engaged in a heated phone conversation earlier this week, O'Malley apparently telling Alston that if the team fails to win at least 70 games by the end of the season he'll be out the door. With the Dodgers taking a dreadful 28-58 record into the All-Star break, they would have to win 42 of their remaining 68 games to achieve that task, which is highly, highly unlikely. O'Malley has been deeply disappointed by the team's slide into oblivion this year but there are many who believe that he should take at least some of the blame for the situation.

"It's amazing how their circumstances have turned in just a handful of years," said Baseball Weekly's Howard Notts. "They've gone from being a team playing attractive baseball in a run down stadium to the complete opposite, a bunch of bums in a penthouse. O'Malley prettied up Ebbets but he played Scrooge on player signings and now they're paying the price. Their pitching is an absolute disgrace and guys like Furillo and Hodges, they're mere shadows of the players they were during those World Series seasons."

Some reports have said that the renovations carried out on Ebbets Field went considerably over budget, something that Notts says would have to be the case considering the lack of quality signings the team has made.

"The biggest name they've picked up this year is Red Schoendienst," Notts continued. "Red Schoendienst, for god's sake! No offense, but he's 36 years old and was waived by the Braves! You look at their roster and almost from top to bottom it's a bunch of players whose best years are behind them. This ain't 1955 anymore but judging by the guys they're playing, you'd think it was. You can't blame Alston for that entirely because he's just working with what he's been given."

Alston was signed as Dodgers manager following O'Malley's standoff with Chuck Dressen in early '54 and was immediately facing high expectations as the ballclub was coming off back-to-back pennants and a 105-win season. They finished five games back from the Giants in 2nd place in his first season in charge but for Dodger fans their "next year" finally came in 1955 as the team went 98-55, won the pennant and defeated the Yankees in seven games in the World Series, their first and only triumph in the Fall Classic to date. Alston was hailed as a hero and when the team won their fourth pennant in five years in '56 the call went out for O'Malley to bite the bullet and sign him to a multi-year contract, which the owner refused to do.

In '57 the Dodgers recorded their fewest victories since accumulating an identical 84-70 record back in 1948. They finished 3rd, eleven games behind the National League and eventual World Champions, the Milwaukee Braves. There were a number of distractions during that campaign, most notably the constant talk of O'Malley's plans to leave Ebbets and move the team to Los Angeles. While they ended up staying, the fallout seemed to carry over into the 1958 season where they fell to their worst performance in fourteen years, a 68-86 record that had them finishing 6th. The descent has continued into this current shambles of a season and it looks almost certain that, after such a fantastic start, Walter Alston's career in Brooklyn will come to an end on the final Sunday in September...

Walter Alston's managerial record
with the Brooklyn Dodgers, as at 14 July 1959

1954: 92-62 (.597), 2nd place, 5.0 G.B.
1955: 98-55 (.641), 1st place, World Series Champions
1956: 93-61 (.604), 1st place, National League Champions
1957: 84-70 (.545), 3rd place, 11.0 G.B.
1958: 68-86 (.442), 6th place, 25.0 G.B.
1959: 28-58 (.325), 8th place, 22.5 G.B.

Overall record: 463-392 (.542)

05-30-2008, 08:48 AM	#168
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 9,037	*The New York Age* THURSDAY, 15 JULY, 1959 O'MALLEY DELIVERS ULTIMATUM TO DODGERS MANAGER Story by Louis Greenberg The Brooklyn Dodgers' disasterous 1959 season has hit a new low with news emerging that the ballclub's owner Walter O'Malley and manager Walter Alston engaged in a heated phone conversation earlier this week, O'Malley apparently telling Alston that if the team fails to win at least 70 games by the end of the season he'll be out the door. With the Dodgers taking a dreadful 28-58 record into the All-Star break, they would have to win 42 of their remaining 68 games to achieve that task, which is highly, highly unlikely. O'Malley has been deeply disappointed by the team's slide into oblivion this year but there are many who believe that he should take at least some of the blame for the situation. "It's amazing how their circumstances have turned in just a handful of years," said Baseball Weekly's Howard Notts. "They've gone from being a team playing attractive baseball in a run down stadium to the complete opposite, a bunch of bums in a penthouse. O'Malley prettied up Ebbets but he played Scrooge on player signings and now they're paying the price. Their pitching is an absolute disgrace and guys like Furillo and Hodges, they're mere shadows of the players they were during those World Series seasons." Some reports have said that the renovations carried out on Ebbets Field went considerably over budget, something that Notts says would have to be the case considering the lack of quality signings the team has made. "The biggest name they've picked up this year is Red Schoendienst," Notts continued. "Red Schoendienst, for god's sake! No offense, but he's 36 years old and was waived by the Braves! You look at their roster and almost from top to bottom it's a bunch of players whose best years are behind them. This ain't 1955 anymore but judging by the guys they're playing, you'd think it was. You can't blame Alston for that entirely because he's just working with what he's been given." Alston was signed as Dodgers manager following O'Malley's standoff with Chuck Dressen in early '54 and was immediately facing high expectations as the ballclub was coming off back-to-back pennants and a 105-win season. They finished five games back from the Giants in 2nd place in his first season in charge but for Dodger fans their "next year" finally came in 1955 as the team went 98-55, won the pennant and defeated the Yankees in seven games in the World Series, their first and only triumph in the Fall Classic to date. Alston was hailed as a hero and when the team won their fourth pennant in five years in '56 the call went out for O'Malley to bite the bullet and sign him to a multi-year contract, which the owner refused to do. In '57 the Dodgers recorded their fewest victories since accumulating an identical 84-70 record back in 1948. They finished 3rd, eleven games behind the National League and eventual World Champions, the Milwaukee Braves. There were a number of distractions during that campaign, most notably the constant talk of O'Malley's plans to leave Ebbets and move the team to Los Angeles. While they ended up staying, the fallout seemed to carry over into the 1958 season where they fell to their worst performance in fourteen years, a 68-86 record that had them finishing 6th. The descent has continued into this current shambles of a season and it looks almost certain that, after such a fantastic start, Walter Alston's career in Brooklyn will come to an end on the final Sunday in September... Walter Alston's managerial record with the Brooklyn Dodgers, as at 14 July 1959 1954: 92-62 (.597), 2nd place, 5.0 G.B. 1955: 98-55 (.641), 1st place, World Series Champions 1956: 93-61 (.604), 1st place, National League Champions 1957: 84-70 (.545), 3rd place, 11.0 G.B. 1958: 68-86 (.442), 6th place, 25.0 G.B. 1959: 28-58 (.325), 8th place, 22.5 G.B. Overall record: 463-392 (.542)