DODGERS
PLAYERS’ CONCERNS ADDRESSED
For the black players in the 1960s, it had never been easy outside
Peter O’Malley, then director of Dodgertown. “Peter,” they said,
“Jackie integrated baseball in 1947 and we still have a problem in
Holman Stadium.” He immediately removed the Colored signs and
integrated the stands. The Dodgers set an example and school
integration in Indian River County went relatively smoothly.
The FAA demanded the Dodgers team pay rent to the city to
support the airport’s maintenance. A battle raged between the
FAA, the city and O’Malley. It was settled with the Dodgers buying
the Dodgertown property from the city for $134,000.
With Dick Bird, a young golf pro raised in Vero Beach as
Dodgertown director, Walter O’Malley constructed the nine-hole
golf course. An 18-hole course with an attractive clubhouse was
added in the 1970s.
The Tokyo Giants baseball team trained at Dodgertown, the
first of 17 international teams to do so.
The Dodgers won three World Series in the 1960s led by Maury
Wills, Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax. Koufax would live in Vero in
future years.
COMINGS AND GOINGS
As the town grew with John’s Island, the Moorings and a second
in the ’70s. The old barracks came down despite being a revered
memory for so many Dodger personnel. With the modern villas
that replaced them, the Dodgers established a conference center
to attract corporate business. Craig Callan replaced Charlie Blaney
as Dodgertown director in 1988 and was associated with the
Dodgers until his retirement as vice president of Historic Dodgertown
MM# 18470
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Dodgertown in the segregated localities. They approached
bridge across the Indian River, Dodgertown expanded as well
in 2018.
After 19 years, Walter Alston retired as team manager, replaced
by Tommy Lasorda, whose baseball career started at Dodgertown
in 1948. Lasorda won three National League titles in the 1970s
with the infield of Ron Cey, Billy Russell, Davey Lopes and Steve
Garvey. Almost 8,000 people filled the seats and sat on the outfield
berm at Holman Stadium for a game with the Yankees.
In 1980, the Vero Dodgers joined the Florida State League.
Steve Sax played its first year and soon became the big team’s
regular second baseman. Steve Wasiak was the manager. He had
the most lifetime wins of any manager in the history of minor >>
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