The Dodgers: 60 Years in Los Angeles

by Michael Schiavone

Overview

The Dodgers: 60 Years in Los Angeles chronicles the team’s thrilling, roller coaster history since arriving in the West Coast from Brooklyn. Featuring the stellar talents and memorable personalities of Dodgers greats such as Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Tommy Lasorda, Fernando Valenzuela, and Kirk Gibson, as well as the stars of today, like Clayton Kershaw, Justin Turner, Yasiel Puig, Cody Bellinger, and Corey Seager, author Michael Schiavone offers an in-depth history of the team since their arrival in 1958.

In 1957, the Dodgers left their home of Brooklyn, New York, where they had been since their inception in 1884, for the sun of California. Since arriving in LA, the team has won five World Series Championships and ten National League Pennants, and become one of the most popular organizations in Major League Baseball.

With highlights of each season, the moments fans love to remember (Kirk Gibson’s memorable home run in Game One of the 1988 World Series) or wish to forget (the entire 1992 season), as well as those who have graced the field of Chavez Ravine, The Dodgers: 60 Years in Los Angeles shares the wonderful history of the boys in blue in the most comprehensive book available. Whether you’re a fan of the Dodgers of old or today’s team, this book offers the most information of the team’s time in California than any other on the market.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781683583714
Publisher:	Sports Publishing LLC
Publication date:	04/14/2020
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	412,923
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Michael Schiavone is the author of Sports and Labor in the United States, which was longlisted for the 2016 PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing. His other books include Unions in Crisis? The Future of Organized Labor in America and the upcoming Dodgers vs. Yankees. He has a Bachelor's Degree in International Relations from Flinders University and a PhD from the Australian National University.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Chapter 1 The Brooklyn Dodgers 1

Walter O'Malley and the Dodgers Move to LA 5

Chapter 2 1950s: A New Beginning and World Series Triumph 11

1958: The First Season in LA 17

1959: World Series Champions 21

The Fight for Chavez Ravine 27

Chapter 3 1960s: The Golden Age of LA Dodger Baseball and Its Decline 31

1962: Integration, a New Stadium, and a Collapse 34

1963: World Series Triumph 40

1964: Baseball Is Not Everything 47

1965: A Brawl and World Series Champions Once Again 53

1966: A Sign of Revolt and the Unraveling of a Championship Team 63

1967-69: Just Doing Time 75

Chapter 4 1970s: Labor Turmoil and World Series Heartache 87

1970-71: NL West Bridesmaids 87

1972-73: Strike, a Lockout, and Bridesmaids 94

1974: Oh, So Close 103

1975-76: Turmoil On and Off the Field 110

1977: The First Time Is a Tragedy 116

1978: The Second Time Is a Farce 126

1979: A Sad End to the Decade 136

Chapter 5 1980s: World Champions Once Again 141

1981: Fernandomania, Strikes, and World Series Champions 147

1982-83: Time for Change 162

1984-87: Some Good, A Lot Not So Good 169

1988-89: "The Impossible Has Happened"; It Could Not Happen Again 181

Chapter 6 1990s: Player Changes, Ownership Change, and Bewilderment 207

1990-94: Also-Rans, a Collapse, and Unwelcome History 208

1995-96: Scabs, Playoff Baseball, and a Changing of the Guard 221

1997-99: Tension, a Change in Ownership, and a Bewildering Trade 231

Chapter 7 2000s: A Decade of Upheaval and Disappointment 245

2006-09: The Rise of the Young Guns and Mannywood 264

Chapter 8 2010-17: Bankruptcy, New Ownership, and the "Best Team Money Can Buy" 279

2012: The Guggenheim Era 284

Postscript: 2018-2019: More Heartbreak 331

2018: Another World Series Loss 331

2019: More Playoff Misery 341

Acknowledgments 351

Bibliographical Notes 353

Photo Insert Credits 357

Editorial Reviews

"Schiavone writes with a historian's eye for detail and a fan's eye for the dramatic. The Dodgers: 60 Years in Los Angeles is a must-read for not only Dodger fans but for anyone interested in how America's pastime went national."
—Molly Knight, New York Times bestselling author of The Best Team Money Can Buy

"This is an essential read for any fans of this proud MLB franchise."
—Keith Law, senior baseball writer for ESPN and author of Smart Baseball

"Every season is covered in detail, making it the most comprehensive history of the Los Angeles Dodgers on the market. Whether you are a fan from the Brooklyn days or you’re new to Dodger baseball altogether, you will enjoy the often surprising recounts of the early days of LA Dodger baseball as well as the more recent trials and tribulations of the Boys in Blue."
—Stacie Wheeler, Dodgers Digest

Named among top "12 Titles for the New Baseball Season"
—Newsday magazine

"The Dodgers: 60 Years in Los Angeles is a volume worthy of your attention, both for refreshing your memory on Dodgers history and for learning some new things about the team."
—David Young, TrueBlueLA

From the Publisher