Forever Blue: The True Story of Walter O'Malley, Baseball's Most Controversial Owner, and the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles by Michael D'Antonio

From the Publisher

Resented by some in New York and beloved in Los Angeles, O’Malley is one of the most controversial owners in the history of American sports. He remade major league baseball and altered the course of history in both Brooklyn and Los Angeles when he moved the Dodgers to California. But while many New York critics attacked him, O’Malley looked to the future, declining to argue his case. As a result, fans across the nation have been unable to stop arguing about him – until now.

Using never-before-seen documents and candid interviews with O’Malley’s players, associates, and relatives, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Michael D’ Antonio finally reveals this complex sportsman and industry pioneer. Born into Tammany Hall connections, O’Malley used political contacts to grow wealthy during the Great Depression, and then maneuvered to take control of the formerly downtrodden Dodgers. After his defeat in a war of wills with the famed power broker Robert Moses, O’Malley uprooted the borough’s team and transplanted them to Los Angeles. Once in Los Angeles, O’Malley overcame opponents of his stadium and helped define the city. Other owners came to regard him as their un-official commissioner as he worked behind the scenes to usher in the age of the players’ union and free agency.

Filled with new revelations about O’Malley’s battle with Moses, his pioneering business strategies, and his relationship with Jackie Robinson, Forever Blue is a fascinating history of baseball, business, and the American West.

Publishers Weekly

Although Walter O'Malley has been dead for nearly 30 years, D'Antonio's latest work is perhaps the most meticulously detailed and comprehensive account to date of the former owner of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers. Through research in O'Malley's letters, documents and myriad interviews with those close to him, D'Antonio (Tin Cup Dreams) presents a well-rounded portrayal of one of the most polarizing figures in baseball history: one New York writer referred to O'Malley as "one of the three worst human beings who ever lived," while a Los Angeles journalist described O'Malley as a man who "did more for baseball than any commissioner." D'Antonio paints the whole picture, starting with O'Malley's early days as a lawyer who originally began working with the club in a "troubleshooting" capacity, to taking total control of ownership in 1950. During O'Malley's tenure with the Dodgers, the team had some of its most famous moments in history-the debut of Jackie Robinson, the club's first World Series title in 1955 and, of course, the team's infamous move to Los Angeles. D'Antonio explores everything-O'Malley's business dealings, his personal relationships with Robinson and Branch Rickey, the on-the-field fortunes of the Dodgers. With D'Antonio's access to O'Malley's most personal documents, even baseball historians will find something to learn. (Mar.)

Library Journal

Pulitzer Prize winner D'Antonio's (Tin Cup Dreams) lively, fascinating account of the Brooklyn Dodgers and owner Walter O'Malley looks at, among other things, the painful economic and political choices that led to the team leaving Brooklyn for Los Angeles. The perfunctory reading by two-time Audie Award finalist Phil Gigante is compounded by his mispronunciations of such well-known baseballers' names as Bavasi, Lavagetto, Reiser, and Veeck. Nevertheless, the content is strong enough to recommend this title to baseball fans as well as to those interested in sports history and the histories of New York City and Los Angeles. [The Riverhead hc was recommended "for all public libraries, especially those near any past or present Dodgers dugouts," LJ 2/15/09.—Ed.]—Michael Adams, CUNY Graduate Ctr. Lib.

What People Are Saying

“To comprehend baseball’s grip on America, you’ve got to understand the dramatic tale of Walter O’Malley and the Dodgers. With meticulous reporting and elegant prose, D’Antonio brushes away the dust and brings O’Malley's story to life like never before. This is the definitive book on one of baseball’s most fascinating and controversial figures.”
—Jonathan Eig, author of Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season and Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig

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