Brooklyn Dodgers: An Alternate History

The Dodgers are at a pivitol point in thier history.

The War is over and all the boys are back home, and, Baseball has never been better !

1946 ended with a first place tie with the Cardinals. the Dodgers put together a big season going 96-60 and finishing tied for first place with the St. Louis Cardinals. The 2 teams played the first-ever playoff series, but it was not a happy one for the Dodgers, as the Cardinals won two straight games for the pennant and earned a trip to the World Series. Once again the Dodgers would have to wait untill next year.

The 1947 season would be a very different year however.

The Dodgers planned on breaking the major league color line on Opening Day and already the behind the scenes trouble was mounting.

Manager Leo Durocher became involved in an unseemly feud with Yankee owner Larry MacPhail. In person, Durocher and MacPhail exchanged a series of accusations and counter-accusations, with each suggesting the other invited gamblers into their clubhouses. The commissioner discovered Durocher may have run a rigged craps game that took an active ballplayer for a large sum of money. Chandler suspended Durocher for the 1947 season for "association with known gamblers".

A behind the scenes issue was also begining to crop up. Branch Rickey who had been a 25 percent owner of the Dodgers had made his move and acquired an additional 25 percent. Walter O'Malley had positioned himself to acquire the other 50 percent of the Dodgers. The two men have 2 very different visions of where the team is headed in the future.

O'Malley thought beloved as it was, Ebbets Field was growning old and was not well-served by infrastructure, to the point where the Dodgers could really benefit from a move West. Going West held oppurtunity on a very large scale. West Coast investors had already spoken with him and "Go West young man" seemed to hold a certain magical ring to it.

Rickey however believed that even with the deficiencies of Ebbets Field, other teams (like the Boston Red Sox) proved successful in facilities that were as old as Ebbets Field. The New York Yankees still drew large crowds to the Bronx, in a neighborhood facing many of the changes and challenges as Brooklyn. The Dodgers were Brooklyn and should stay put.

No Doubt this issue will come to a head in the near future, but for now, The immediate issue was overcoming the loveable loser monicker, and making as sanitary an enviroment as possible for Jackie Robinson to break the color line.

Durocher was fired. His off field distractions , Rickey and O'Malley (who rarely agree now a days) agreed , was way to much of a distraction.

Walter Jacobs was hired to take over the GM and Manager responsibilities so that Rickey and O'Malley could concentrate on the back end of what will be a season unlike any other.

Attachment 8218

I am going to obviously take over the Dodgers in the 1947 season.

Mogul Difficulty.

I am taking a historical based approach.

Leo did get suspended in 47.

Jackie obviously made his debut in 47.

Rickey and O'Malley were both owners at the time as well.

I took these facts and inserted myself and a little Rickey-O'Malley drama as well.

I also am interested in if Brooklyn did stay would the city itself not have suffered in the ways it did.

Would Coney Island have continued to thrive ?
Would the Shipyard have stayed as active ?
Would the neighborhoods have retained some of the magic ?

I would like to hope so....However financial peril or other factors may make me leave Brooklyn sooner or later.

Stay tuned and comments, questions, and/or suggestions are welcome guys

This is my first dynasty so ....really .....feel free ! ;)

The Dodgers are home today against the Chicago Cubs.

Today is a day that will have historical signifigance for years to come. Today Jackie Robinson, former Kansas City Monarch, and stand out athlete for UCLA will take the field for the Dodgers and break the major leauge color line.

Throughout history, baseball has been in a number of positions to affect social change in dramatic ways. In this year and this day April 1, 1947, baseball will begin something the rest of the nation needs to catch up to -- integration.

It is a nice day 56 degrees and calm winds a great opening day really for this sell out crowd of 32,000 Ladies and Gents.



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The Dodgers win Opening Day 5-4 !!!!!!!

Jackie Robinson goes 1 for 3 with a walk

Temperature: 56F
Wind: Calm
Attendance: 32,000
Time: 2:21

WP: Kirby Higbe (1-0)
LP: Claude Passeau (0-1)
SV: Hugh Casey (1)

The MVP of the game is Gil Hodges. He went 2-4 with 2 RBIs.

An interesting note about Hodges he played 1 game for the Dodgers in 1943 and was 0-2.

4 Years later he comes in and makes a big difference on Opening Day for the Dodgers.

So we will see you soon with monthly recaps of the Dodgers progress all season long.

Hope has sprung eternal once again and this year that hope means a bit more, it is the hope of all races and all colors. Hopefully we can all see one color, Dodger Blue.

Attachment 8226

The Dodger are 17-11 for the month of April, putting them in 2nd place, 4 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies.

The talk of Flatbush is Duke Snider, Batting .360 with 12 Home Runs and 35 RBIs.

Pee Wee Reese had an up and down month as well. He signed a 4 year extension on his contract and is making a cool $30,000 a year. He was injured a few weeks later and is expected to miss 2 weeks of action.

His replacement Arky Vaughn, a 16 year vet, is holding the position down nicely batting .294 .

Jackie Robinson is holding his own as well. He is batting .250 and has an OBP of .388. Despite a really tough month emotionally for the young man he is doing a great job.

That's all for now....The Dodger report will be back soon for a May review. Thanks for joining us on location in Coney Isle.

Attachment 8228

Attachment 8233

May was an incredible month for the Dodgers going 22-7 to take a lead in first place by 4 games over the Phillies. 39 and 18 on the young season.

Duke Snider continues to be amazing at .348 20 HR and 64 RBIs.

Jackie Robinson is proving his worth as well now batting .292

Gil Hodges pulled a groin this month and will be out for 2 weeks.

Kirby Higbe is the man on the mound getting it done for Brooklyn, at 6-0 with a 3.27 ERA he is anchoring a solid staff.

The Bullpen has combined for 18 saves as well.

Next time a big update....The Draft and June all in one radio broadcast. Stay tuned Dodger fans.

June was a busy month Dodger Fans !

Attachment 8290

June saw the Dodgers stay in first with a 3 game lead on the Phillies.

The Dodgers went 17-9 this month including a 1-2 record against the Phillies in Philly.

Jackie Robinson went down for 3 weeks with a neck injury. He is expected back shortly after the All Star Break.

Again vetern Arky Vaughn is filling in nicely and rumor has it GM Walter Jacobs refused a trade offer for him.

The Draft went well and the Dodgers selected Elston Howard (C) with the first pick

Attachment 8289

Howard is a young catcher with promise. Rumors of catcher Roy Campanella coming up soon are begining to circulate and Elston Howard will fill the spot of Star Powred Catcher in the minors.

Colored Player Larry Doby made his debut this month as well in the AL and with Campanella and other African-Americans signed, baseball integration is happening on a big scale.

Duke Snider, Kirby Higbe, and Carl Furillo represented the Dodgers in the All Star Game, an affair the AL took 13 - 1. Ralph Kiner took the Home Run Derby.

Looking ahead , 7 big games against the Phillies in the month of July fans. The
Dodgers are going to have a make or break series in both Brooklyn and Philly this coming month. Stay tuned and Enjoy the summer.

Attachment 8291

On a side note......Is anybody reading this or into it ?

Looking for some feedback Positive or Negative :)

Attachment 8336


The month of July was a bad one for the Dodgers.

A 13-16 month with injuries to Gil Hodges and Carl Furillo slowed the Dodgers down to a crawl.

A 5-2 record against 2nd place Philly was the lone bright spot this month, and the Dodgers hold onto a 3 game lead in the NL.

21 year old Ralph Branca was signed to a 5 year extension worth $ 20,000 a year this month as well. Branca is 7-6 with a 3.88 ERA and has a ton of upside in the future.

August will bring a big challenge to the Dodgers and the dog days of summer are upon us.

Hold tight Dodger fans...this race is heating up !

August was a struggle as well for the Dodgers.

The Dodgers went 15 - 13 in the month of August and with 14 games left the Dodgers will have to bear down.

The Pittsburgh Pirates behind the Pitching of Preacher Roe (13-7 3.63 ERA) and the bat of Ralph Kiner (.302 53 104) are a mere 2 games out.

Attachment 8338

The buzz is huge down the stretch....

Can Kiner hit 7 or 8 home runs in 15 games to tie or break the Babe's record ?

Can the Dodgers hold on ?

To combat the mediocre record the Dodgers have called up Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe the top Pitching and Hitting prospects of the Dodgers minor league system.

Attachment 8339
See you soon folks with the final results of the 1947 season !!!

The Dodgers Win the Pennant !!!

Attachment 8341

The Dodgers will face the Cleveland Indians in the World Series !!

The Dodgers held off the Pirates behind the 1-2 punch of Greenberg and Kiner.
Kiner finished the year with 57 homeruns in all 154 games played.

Cleveland had an unbelievable race as well. They won a one game playoff against the Tigers and the Yankees finished a mere 1.5 games behind.

The stage is set for the Dodgers to square off against Bob Feller, Bob Lemon, Al Rosen, Lou Boudreau, and Larry Doby.

The first two teams to integrate this season will play in the World Series !!

Duke Snider was the Dodgers MVP this season

Attachment 8342

He hit .306 with 42 homeruns and 133 RBIs.

Vic Lombardi was the Pitching ace for Brooklyn this year at 15 - 2 with a 3.22 ERA.

Looking ahead the Dodger bats against the Cleveland Pitching is the match-up the world waits for......who will prevail ?

Attachment 8343


-vs-


Attachment 8344 and Attachment 8345


Stay tuned for game by game World Series wrap ups !!!!!!!!

Game 1 of the World Series :

Temperature: 58F
Wind: 5 MPH (out to center)
Attendance: 32,000 ** Sell Out **

Kirby Higbe (13-5 3.25) takes the hill for Brooklyn in the top of the first.

Lou Boudreau doubled to left-centerand the Brooklyn crowd gets nervous but Higbe settles down with 2 strike outs and a pop up to the next 3 batters.

With Feller and Lemon still not ready from the last day of the season and 1 game playoff, Cleveland starter Roger Wolff (12-10 4.45) faces immediate problems.

Jackie Robinson reaches first on an error by Boudreau.
Gil Hodges doubled down the left field line, scoring Robinson
Carl Furillo homered around the foul pole in right for two RBIs.

And the Dodgers took a 3-0 lead just like that !

Al Rosen drove in a run in the fourth to make it 3-1

Bottom of the Fifth Carl Furillo singled to center, scoring Pete Reiser 4-1 Dodgers.

Top of the Seventh and Joe Gordon homered to deep right-centerof a tiring Higbe.

Johnny Van Cuyk came in to pitch for the Dodgers and along with closer Hank Behrman closed the door on Cleveland with a 4-2 Dodger win in Game 1.

MVP for Game 1 :

Attachment 8355

Carl Furillo RF 2-4 with a Home Run, a run scored, and 3 RBIs

Also of note :

Attachment 8354

Arky Vaughn (who will play SS for the injured Pee Wee Reese)
was 2 for 2 with 2 walks and played flawless defense starting key double plays 3 times !!

Cleveland Takes Game 2 score 4-0 !!

Series Tied at 1-1 !!

Temperature: 49F
Wind: 4 MPH (out to right)
Attendance: 32,000 ** Sell Out **


The Dodger bats fell silent and Bob Feller went all 9 innings !!

Attachment 8363

Feller held Brooklyn to 7 hits over 9 innings and 0 walks.

Lou Boudreau had a first pitch Home Run and behind Feller that was all the Indians needed !

Series shifts to Cleveland for the next 3....

Attachment 8364

Hey Donnie:

Just found your dynasty tonight. Looks good! Congratulations on the pennant!

Thanks CatKnight !!

Game 3 goes 10 innings .............Dodgers lose 3 - 2 !!!

Indians up 2 - 1 in Series !!

Temperature: 57F
Wind: 4 MPH (out to right)
Attendance: 55,260


The game was a heartbreaker for the Dodgers....

A pitchers duel almost all the way , It wasnt untill the bottom of the fourth when Ralph Branca gave up a double to RF Tommy Holmes and then 3B Al Rosen scored him on a double of his own to give Cleveland a 1-0 lead.

Dodger LF Pete Rieser hit a solo homerun in the top of the 6th to tie it 1-1

Larry Doby doubled in Al Rosen in the bottom of the 6th and Cleveland took a 2-1 lead.

Mel Harder pitched great for Cleveland and pitchd 8 2/3 of 1 run 5 hit baseball until with 2 out in the top of the ninth Dodger 3B Spider Jorgensen homered over the center field fence and made it 2-2.

Brooklyn held in the bottm of the ninth but didnt score in the 10th.

Cleveland did.....Tommy Holmes got a base hit to score Eddie Robinson and the Indians won a game 3.

Game 4 loss 2-1 puts the Dodgers backs to the wall !!

Temperature: 51F
Wind: Calm
Attendance: 58,714

Now down 3-1 in the series !!

Bottom of the first Larry Doby scores Les Fleming off of Dodger pitcher Don Newcombe. 1-0 lead for the Indians.

Top third, Gil Hodges doubled in the right field gap, scoring pitcher Don Newcombe. 1-1

Bottom of the fifth Al Rosen flied out to right, Les Fleming tagged up and reached home, scoring a run. 2-1 Cleveland.

And thats how it would stay...Bob Lemon surrendered just 7 hits and no walks over a full 9 innings.

Newcombe pitched great as well, but came up a bit short.

So Dodger fans it looks tough but we aint beat yet, as they say on the streets of Brooklyn.

Hold your chin up and root for the Dodgers in game 5 !!!

Attachment 8374

Dodgers take game 5 !!!

A 9-5 final insures a Game 6 in Brooklyn !!!

Kirby Higbe gets the win behind Home runs by Campanella, Arky Vaughn ,Duke Snider and Pete Reiser.

Attachment 8375
Pete Reiser has 2 homeruns this World Series and hit a two run shot in the First and the Dodgers didnt look back.

Cleveland rallied late for 4 runs but the lead was too much.

Attachment 8378

So The Indians and Brooklyn return to Ebbets where the Dodgers look to get some magic for 2 more wins !!

Attachment 8377

Lets hope we have it in us because game 6 starter is Bob Feller !!

Game six was one for the ages....

Temperature: 50F
Wind: 4 MPH (left to right)
Attendance: 32,000 ** Sell Out **

Not one hit for 4 innings as Bob Feller and Ralph Branca sat down guys like waiters.

Attachment 8379

Bottom 5 and Feller looks like the Hall of Famer he will probably one day be....untill he faces Spider Jorgensen who homered to deep left-center. 1-0 Dodgers....Followed by :
Roy Campanella doubled over the left fielder.
Arky Vaughan walked.
Ralph Branca bunts for a base hit down the first base line.
Pete Reiser singled to center for two RBIs. 3-0 Dodgers.

Attachment 8380

Pete Reiser would get a huge ovation when he takes the field again. This young man could probably win the popular vote in Brooklyn for president tonight !!

But Cleveland wouldnt die....

Top 6 and Branca finally gets hit....

Al Rosen and Eddie Robinson both get RBIs and it is a 3-2 ball game....

Hank Behrman came in and stopped a threat in the ninth and the Dodgers win 3-2 to tie the Series 3 games to 3 !!

Attachment 8381

Behrman picks up his 2nd post season save and has pitched 5 scoreless innings this post season. He was 5-3 with a MLB leading 20 saves and a 3.06 ERA this year. Here's to hoping he gets a chance again tommorow night to save the Dodgers game 7 lead !!

See you tommorow fans with a full recap of game 7 !!!!!!!!!

An Absolute Classic Game 7 !!!!!!!!!!

Temperature: 52F
Wind: 8 MPH (right to left)
Attendance: 32,000 in a sold out Ebbets Field

Hal Gregg (12-12 3.79) would get the start for Brooklyn....

Attachment 8400

With Don Newcombe (solid post season start) and Vic Lombardi (15-2 3.22) available ...Many fans were questioning Manager/GM Walter Jacobs call.

On the Cleveland side of the ball Mel Harder (15 wins and a solid post season start)

Attachment 8398

This game would be a knock down dog fight between 2 pitchers

Mel Harder - 7 Innings Pitched 3 Hits 0 Walks 1 K 0 Earned Runs
Hal Gregg - 8 Innings Pitched 2 Hits 1 Walk 5 Ks 0 Earned Runs

Bottom of the 8th and Bryan Stephens comes in.

Stephens (6-1 1.33 and 6 saves) Shuts down the Dodgers in the bottom of the 8th.

The score 0-0 Game 7 of the World Series and in comes Hank Behrman to try and hold em.

Joe Gordon lined out to center
Tommy Holmes walked.
Larry Doby laid down a sacrifice bunt to first base. Moving Holmes to 2nd.
Les Fleming popped up to third.

0 Runs 1 hit score 0-0 bottom of the ninth.

Bryan Stephens on the mound for the Indians.

Jackie Robinson drops down a bunt on the first pitch and beats it out SAFE at first.....

Up comes Pete Reiser....he has been a hero this post season so far !!

Stephens digs in and..........Jackie takes off !!!!!!

The crowd goes insane as Jackie runs hard to second.....his hat flies off and is called...............SAFE !!!

The crowd goes wild and Stephens rocks back and delivers a 0-0 fastball to Reiser...........................................................


Attachment 8399


Pete Reiser homered over the right field fence for two RBIs.

THE DODGERS WIN THE WORLD SERIES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pete Reiser rounds the bases with tears in his eyes.......unreal !!!!!!!

He hits home plate and is mobbed by the Dodgers !!!!

Attachment 8401

He fractured his skull running into the outfield wall on one occasion (but still made the throw back to the infield), was temporarily paralyzed on another and was taken off the field on a stretcher many times. *

On one occasion Pete was given his Last Rites in the ballpark. *

As a rookie in 1941, he won the National League batting title while the Dodgers took home the pennant. The following year, he was hitting .380 until he ran into the concrete outfield wall while running at full speed. That incident robbed him of any more effective play that year, and caused Brooklyn's painful drop in the NL standings. *

And now he is the most beloved man in Brooklyn !!!!

See you soon with all the off season details.....for tonight the Dodgers are champions !!!

* (all true as per wikipedia)

Attachment 8402

************* Late Breaking News ***************

Pete Reiser signed a 4 year $ 25,500 a year extension in the wee hours of the morning over much champagne with Walter Jacobs ;)



(After this World Series and those cool Wiki Stories.....how could I not ?!!?!)

***** The Hot Stove *****

Welcome fans to a look at the Dodgers Off Season.

The Dodgers won the World Series and now we look to the future and hopefully Walter Jacobs can continue the winning ways in Brooklyn.

Firstly :

Eddie Stanky ,Bobby Bragan, and Howie Schultz were all let go as thier contracts expired.

31 year old Stanky is a talent no doubt but Jackie Robinson will be the future at second base. Stanky will find another home and probably be the starter.

29 year old Bobby Bragan is an adaquate back up SS and perhaps a starter on some clubs but the 4 year extension Pee Wee Reese signed earlier this year pushes Bragan out.

25 year old Howie Schultz is a solid prospect on the verge of some solid years but again, 1B is locked up by Gil Hodges so we had to part ways.

The three departures do hurt the Dodgers bench, but we have a solid young core and I would like to keep them in Brooklyn if possible. Arbitration is gonna hit me hard in a few years !!!

Next order of biz is the Dodgers staying put :

Vic Lombardi got a 4 year $ 30,000 deal...The 24 year old was 15-2 with a 3.22 ERA...It would be foolish to let him go...

Rube Melton gets a 1 year deal for $ 24,500. Melton was a decent option out of the pen. (7-1 3.63 ERA) He will get another year to hopefully bring the ERA down a bit and help secure another ring.

Hugh Casey gets a 2 year $ 24,000 deal. Casey was a disappointment last season. He was 8-4 with a 4.22 ERA. He had 12 saves with 15 blown saves.
He lost his closer role early in the year but he did have several holds setting up for new closer Hank Behrman. We will take a shot with him and hope he can excel in the set up role, at 33 this is his swan song.

Hal Gregg was also rewarded with a 1 year $30,000 extension. Gregg was 12-12 with a 3.79 ERA but he did come up huge in the World Series with an 8 inning 2 hit shut out on his only post season start. Ohhh that start was Game 7 of the World Series by the way. He is 26 and part of my philosophy is 27 is the start of most players primes, a 1 year deal is good here we believe.

***** Award Winners *****

AL Cy Young - Bob Feller 18 - 14 2.60 ERA 220 Ks
AL MVP-Charlie Keller .311 30 122 15 SB (3rd in AVG , SB 2nd in HR , RBI)
AL ROY - Larry Doby .287 29 122 5 SB

NL Cy Young - Warren Spahn 16 - 11 3.28 ERA 173 Ks
NL MVP- Ralph Kiner .300 57 148 6 SB
NL ROY - Duke Snider .306 42 133 4 SB

Brooklyn's Carl Furillo won a gold glove for OF as well.

+++++ Free Agents +++++

After the majority of players returned in 1946 they began to gripe about not being able to have open bids on thier services. The issue was heavily discussed but nothing came to pass. This year however Free Agency will take place. It is a tremendous departure from the old set up, however, if there ever was a season that changed baseball it was 1947 so why not have an open market for players as well ?

Some of the big name free agents are shocking !!!

Joe DiMaggio is the biggest name and the White Sox are heavily rumored ....

Enos Slaughter

Johnny Pesky

Allie Reynolds

Johnny Vander Meer

Preacher Roe

Phil Rizzuto

It will be interesting how it all shakes down.....and will Brooklyn get involved ?

Stay tuned.....In a day or two we will have the answers !!!

As a side note I have a cool idea.....lets see how it works....

This forum is filled with some good baseball minds....Reply all you want for the next day or two and you can act as the New York Media.....

Who should we sign ??

What are your concerns ??

Is Walter Jacobs proving a good GM with the off season moves ??

I think this could be fun with some audience participation.

I will give it a day or two to see if I get any bites then I will continue with my Franchise and sign whatever free agents I will (and the "media" can sway me)


Just so you are informed my line-up as is would look like this :

C- Roy Campanella
1b - Gil Hodges
2b- Jackie Robinson
SS- Pee Wee Reese
3b - Spider Jorgensen
OF- Pete Rieser
OF- Duke Snider
OF- Carl Furillo

SP- Kirby Higbe
SP- Ralph Branca
SP- Don Newcombe
SP- Vic Lombardi
SP- Hal Gregg

CP - Hank Behrman

Well Media....thats what we have.....

Who's game to play ????

To clarify and to keep thing somewhat even I will only allow myself a maximum of 2 80+ rated players in the off season either via trade or free agency.

The Off Season is done for the Dodgers....

The Big Free Agent Signing for Brooklyn was Johnny Pesky

Attachment 8490

Pesky hit .296 last season with 1 Homerun and 48 RBIs

The 28 Year old signed a 4 year $ 35,000 a year deal. He will move to Third Base in all likelyhood.

Brooklyn also traded OF Prospect Dick Whitman, SS Stan Rojeck, and Closing Prospect Mall Mallette to the Philidelphia Phillies for Pitching Prospect Curt Simmons

Attachment 8489

Simmons was 8-6 with a 3.61 ERA last year at only 18 years old. He split time between starting and relieving. He spent no time in the minors and GM Walt Jacobs said " If a kid can do what he did at 18 in the bigs...I am impressed."

Dick Whitman has all the tools to be bigtime...Some prospects have him rated as high as a 91 peak rating out of 100. He is 26 and on the verge of breaking out. Injuries kept his playing time limited last season but he played very well hitting .315 in AAA.

Stan Rojeck is a very good fielding SS with a decent bat hitting .275 in AAA last year with no errors in 129 games played !!

Mal Mallette is a 25 year old rookie who has a very live fastball and a 3.30 ERA last season in AAA.

So the Dodgers will have a bit of a new look next season.

Next Radio show will be spring training !!

Spring Training Results :

Jackie Robinson .370 0 9
Johnny Pesky .377 0 8
Gil Hodges .352 2 11
Duke Snider .438 1 8
Carl Furillo .377 1 4
Pete Reiser .267 3 7
Pee Wee Resse .419 1 6
Roy Campanella .212 3 6

Kirby Higbie 3-0 1.85
Ralph Branca 2-0 3.32
Don Newcombe 3-0 2.08
Vic Lombardi 2-1 2.13
Hal Gregg 0-2 2.50

Newly acquired Curt Simmons 2-2 4.66

Closer Hank Behrman 1-0 0.59 0 saves

Looking Good this spring fans :)

I am 72 years young and I grew up in Brooklyn in this era of baseball.
I saw many games at Ebbets Field, taking the train to the ballpark.
The most exciting player I ever saw was Jackie Robinson (today it is the Mets Jose Reyes).
Your Alternate History made very nostalgic and exciting reading for me.

EXCELLENT JOB.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Silverbullet

I am 72 years young and I grew up in Brooklyn in this era of baseball.
I saw many games at Ebbets Field, taking the train to the ballpark.
The most exciting player I ever saw was Jackie Robinson (today it is the Mets Jose Reyes).
Your Alternate History made very nostalgic and exciting reading for me.

EXCELLENT JOB.

---

Thanks Silverbullet.......That will keep me going for a long time ;)

Brooklyn wins on Opening Day Slugfest 8-7

Temperature: 54F
Wind: 2 MPH (out to right)
Attendance: 36,672

The Braves Warren Spahn didnt stick around long and niether did Kirby Higbe.

IP H BB HR R ER K PIT ERA
Kirby Higbe 5.0 6 3 0 2 2 4 109 3.60
Warren Spahn 4.0 7 2 2 4 4 3 69 9.00

The slugfest went on and on with Gil Hodges taking the batting honors of the day

Attachment 8519

Gil was 3 for 4 with 2 homeruns and 4 RBIs

Johnny Van Cuyk took the win and the save was a suprise !!
New Dodger Curt Simmons got a save when Hank Behrman was complaining of tightness in his elbow. Nothing to worry about as Hank says 3 days at most.

Well thats all for now Dodger fans.....

Next report on the radio will be April results on the young 1948 season !!!


Attachment 8520

I also spent many a wonderful day on the beach of Coney island.
The Nathan's hot dogs were the best, washed down by a cold root beer.
Keep em coming!

April sees the Dodgers at 17 - 11 and 2 games behind the Pirates.

The Dodgers are not hitting very well....The only starter to hit over .300 was Carl Furillo and he is out with a Sprained ankle for the next 5 days.

Gil Hodges is hitting .291 with 8 HRs and 24 RBIs and with Furillo is keeping the Dodgers afloat.

Dodger pitching is starting slow as well....Every starter has an ERA over 4.00 except one.

Hal Gregg is 3-0 with a 0.62 ERA in 29 IP.

Attachment 8612


Lets hope Hilda has a lot to cheer about in May.

Stay tuned for an update of May next time from Brooklyn

Attachment 8613

The Dodgers go 21-8 in May but are still 2 games back of Pittsburgh.

The Dodgers went 6-2 against the Pirates this month but the Pirates remained red hot going 21-8 as well.

Al Kaline is on a torrid pace .323 25 HRs and 75 RBIs.

2 former Cardinals and New Pirates Whitey Kurowski and Enos Slaughter are helping out both batting over .300 and another new Pirate Phil Rizzuto is hitting over .300 as well.

The Pirates will be tough to catch with an offense like that !!

The Dodgers are getting some good play as well....

Roy Campanella is hitting .303 21 HRs and 51 RBIs
Carl Furillo is batting .360 13 HRs and 39 RBIs

and the Pitching has been tremendous....

Higbe 3-0 3.06
Branca 3-1 3.29
Simmons 5-1 3.68
Gregg 6-1 1.67

Struggling Don Newcombe was sent down to AAA to make room for the newly acquired Bill Wight.

Attachment 8678

The New York Yankees acquired Dixie Walker and Joe Landrum in return.

Walker, an aging OF who still has some pop in his bat didn't fit into the OF picture in Brooklyn and Landrum, a 19 year old rookie had a great year so far in rookie ball with a big upside.

Bill Wight is a 26 year old pitcher with a live curve ball and will be mainly out of the bullpen with some spot starts.

In other Dodger News... Branch Rickey announces that the Dodgers have signed an agreement with Bud Holman and the city of Vero Beach to rent 104 acres of a former pre-war municipal airport.

The AAA affiliate will be based out of Vero Beach.

Look for June Results next time fans....

Attachment 8679

Big June for the Dodgers on a few fronts....

First off the Dodgers went 19 - 7 in june and Pulled away from the Pirates who went 10 - 16.

The Dodgers lead the NL by 7 games now.

No less then 8 Dodgers were in the All Star Game as well......

Roy Campanella
Jackie Robinson
Duke Snider
Carl Furillo
Hal Gregg
Kirby Higbe
Rex Barney
Hugh Casey

The Draft was a nice one for Brooklyn as well...

First round pick......

OF Wally Moon

Attachment 8765

Moon will start in A ball and will figure into what is becoming a deep Minor League System.

A trade was also made.....

3 minor league prospects were sent to the Boston Braves for reliever Chi Chi-Olivo.

Chi-Chi is a middle reliever with a 2.93 ERA and relies on his fastball heavily.

With injuries to Hugh Casey and Rube Melton....GM Walt Jacobs felt that a minor move needed to be made.

Stay tuned fans as July can be a big month for the Dodgers !!!

Attachment 8766

July was a solid one for the Dodgers going 19-10 for a record of 76-36 overall.

With a 9 game lead over the second place Pirates, the Dodgers are in good position if they can have a good August.

The AL race ....The Tigers are in first with a 6 game lead on the St. Louis Browns.

The Brooklyn Scouting report finds the Tigers are potentially deadly with a 4 man rotation of :

Hal Newhouser 94 rated
Allie Reynolds 90 rated
Dizzy Trout 90 rated
Virgil Trucks 89 rated

The Dodgers have some hot spots too :

Campanella - .315 38 102
Snider - .337 39 123
Furillo - .353 23 76
Hodges - .288 28 93
Hal Gregg - 13 - 1 1.54

We still have some games to go but this is the potential post season setting..

Two contract extensionswere granted as well....

23 year old Rex Barney was given a 5 Years / $ 75,000 deal...at $15,000 a season GM Jacobs felt that it was a low risk/high reward deal...Barney is 10-11 with a 5.52 ERA carrer.

26 year old Hal Gregg was also given a deal at 4 Years / $ 180,000 to make him at $45,000 a year the highest paid Dodger on the roster.

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The Dodgers look to be trying to tie up as many of the younger stars as possible. With the Dodgers looking as good as they have the past 2 seasons....thats a wise move.

August sees ups and downs for Dodgers !!!

17-11 in August brings the Dodgers to a 93-47 record on the year with a 9 game lead with 14 games to play !

It appears the Dodgers are on the way to another World Series if they can hold on !!

The Bad News....Roy Campanella is on the DL for 15 days and may miss some games in the World Series if Brooklyn makes it there.

In the AL Detroit and the Cleveland are in a dog fight! The Indians are 4 games back with 6 games against the Tigers head to head....

Next report will be the September wrap up and the World Series preview !!

Your World Series is the Brooklyn Dodgers against the Detroit Tigers !!!

Game 1 will see Hal Gregg 14-2 2.17 ERA take on Hal Newhouser in Detroit.

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Newhouser is 22-8 2.70 ERA.

Ralph Kiner was the talk of the town !!

After 57 Homeruns last season, the 25 year old hit 65 Homeruns this season and breaks the Babes record !!

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This young man will be a force for years to come !!

Carl Furillo was also resigned before the post season at 4 year $144,000 or $36,000 a year.

Furillo hit .330 24 100 this season and he is 26 years old

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So stay tuned fans as a great Dodger season will hopefully have 4 more wins

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Game 1 in Detroit

Hal Newhouser takes the mound for the Tigers but gives up a run right away

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Jackie Robinson gets a basehit and later in the inning Duke Snider drives him in.

Hal Gregg in the bottom of the second gives up a solo homerun to Hoot Evers

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Newhouser and Gregg dont get scored on again untill the 6th.

George Kell drives a run in and The Tigers take the lead 2-1.

In the top of the 8th Jackie Robinson gets a basehit and steals second to be drove in by Duke Snider to tie the game 2-2.

In the top of the Ninth however the Tigers touch closer Hank Behrman for 2 more runs when George Kell drives in the go ahead run

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The Tigers bring in thier closer Hal Erickson and get the Dodgers 1-2-3- in the ninth.

The Tigers lead the series 1 game to none.

Game 2 Allie Reynolds battled aging Brooklyn pitcher Kirby Higbe.

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....and no score untill the top of the third when PeeWee Reese drove in Pete Reiser.

1-0 Dodgers.

Top 7 :

Duke Snider hit an infield single to second.
Carl Furillo singled through the left side.
Pete Reiser singled to right, scoring a run.
....later in the inning....
Carl Furillo tagged up and reached home, scoring a Reiser.

3-0 Dodgers

.............but for the second game in a row the bullpen would fail Brooklyn.

Bottom 7 :

Sam Chapman walked.
George Kell singled to center.
Johnny Van Cuyk came in to pitch for the Dodgers.
Vic Wertz doubled to center, scoring a run.
Hoot Evers grounded to the second baseman, scoring a run.
John McHale doubled down the third base line, scoring a run.

and it is 3-3 that fast !!

Top 8 and Jackie Robinson walks...steals second....steals third....and comes hom on a Pesky single.

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4-3 Dodgers.

The Dodgers would hit hard in the top of the 9th as well....Carl Furillo and back-up Catcher Bruce Edwards both hit home runs...Furillo a solo and Edwards a 2 run to make it 7-3 Brooklyn.

Hank Behrman came back in the ninth after a bad performance in game 1 to stop the Tigers and tie this series at 1 game each !!!

Game 3 back in Brooklyn and we see the Tigers put

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Dizzy Trout

Up against

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Dodger Curt Simmons.

Curt Simmons was acquired last season by Dodgers GM Walter Jacobs.

Game 3 was a gem.

0-0 bottom of the fourth and Carl Furillo takes 1 deep.

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1-0 Dodgers.

Bottom of the fifth and Jackie Robinson takes one yard

2-0 Dodgers.

Top of the 8th and George Kell finally touches Curt Simmons for an RBI for a 2-1 score.

Johnny Van Cuyk

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Comes in and redeems himself with a quick out and a 1-2-3 ninth !!!

The Dodgers win in Brooklyn and take a 2 games to 1 lead on the Tigers.

Hal Newhouser will get the call in game 4 to try and tie things back up.....his opponent will be Ralph Branca !

Now, HERE is the Dodgers team I like! None of this moving to LA junk and screwing over the fans in Brooklyn. (Sounds weird coming from an A's fan when they left Philly, but I think from what I've read that was a different situation, like when the Braves left Boston).

Keep up the good work, and keep em in Brooklyn where they still should be!

I wish Astroland could have survived, I've never gotten to visit NYC yet and would have loved to have gone there. :(

A very nice thread,

Greetings from Germany

Quote:

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Originally Posted by EarlSWhite

Now, HERE is the Dodgers team I like! None of this moving to LA junk and screwing over the fans in Brooklyn. (Sounds weird coming from an A's fan when they left Philly, but I think from what I've read that was a different situation, like when the Braves left Boston).

Keep up the good work, and keep em in Brooklyn where they still should be!

I wish Astroland could have survived, I've never gotten to visit NYC yet and would have loved to have gone there. :(

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I agree. Muggsy McGraw must have put some sort of curse on us when we moved from NY to SF ... (yep, I'm a long-suffering Giants fan)

Being from Australia, I'd love to get to NYC some day - last time I came to the States, I only got as far as Chicago.