Sunday, April 17, 2016

TURN BACK THE CLOCK #22: HEARTBREAK IN NEW YORK CITY AS THE DODGERS AND GIANTS HEAD WEST

About as colossal a sledgehammer to the hearts of New York City baseball fans, the decision of both the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants to leave NYC and head West STILL has old-timers grumbling, and is the next card in my “Turn Back the Clock” series:


With baseball’s already rich history by 1957 fully entrenched in New York and Brooklyn, the Major League’s found themselves without a National league squad for the first time since...well...forever!
As a kid growing up in Brooklyn in the 1970’s and hearing that there used to be a team here, it just blew me away, especially when I learned that it was the Dodgers.
First chance I had when I hit about 11 or 12 I remember making it a weekend goal to jump on the subway with my Hagstrom map and go visit BOTH the former site of Ebbets Field and the Polo Grounds.
I just couldn’t believe there were baseball fields where I was looking. If you’re familiar with what is there now you know what I mean.
I certainly cannot fathom how it must have felt for fans of both teams to suddenly see them the following year representing the West Coast, and the Golden State of California.
Must have been BRUTAL!
Definitely one of the more important “happenings” in baseball during 1957 when voting came through to allow this momentous move...

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@wthballs
Everything baseball: cards, events, history and more.