I was having an email chat today with my Met's-loving New Yorker gal pal Sue. I asked her what her take was on Brooklyn's beloved Dodgers being $tolen away by Los Angeles in 1958, in light of all of the news lately about this being the 50th anniversary of their move west. Notice how her disdain for that other NY team won't even allow her to capitalize their name.
It was a sad day in Brooklyn when the Dodgers moved. Dodger fans did all they could to keep them in Bklyn (got petitions signed, protested, etc). My mother sat outside the local supermarket getting signatures so she could send them to Dodgers management to try and keep the team in Bklyn.Go Mets!
The Dodgers were very loved and were a huge loss to NYC. That's why so many Met fans originated as Dodger fans. The Dodger fans were heart broken to lose "dem bums" (the teams nickname) and couldn't force themselves to cheer for the dreaded yanks so when the Mets came into town, they had their new team.
The Dodgers played a significant role in baseball history due to Jackie Robinson. They were the first team to have a black guy and Jackie's number (42) is posted in all stadiums today. He was responsible for breaking the color barrier in baseball and he is honored in all team's fields to date.
1955 was a great year as it was the first time that the Dodgers beat the yanks in an incredible series so you can imagine the devastation when fans were told they were moving to LA. Ebbets field was a beloved stadium and was to be torn down when the Dodgers left. The new Shea stadium is being modeled after Ebbets.
So much history...
