When I found http://www.walteromalley.com/, I hoped the Dodger Hall of Famer’s legacy with collectors wasn’t too good to be true.
I asked Brent Shyer, Vice President of Special Projects for O’Malley Seidler Partners.
“Walter required that any letter received was answered promptly,” he said. “They were a friendly organization.”
Brent has seen the team president’s archives. The thin carbon copies of EVERY letter. O’Malley responded to regular autograph requests. He’d tackle fan feedback, too.
“I saw someone wrote to complain about an unruly fan in Ebbets Field,” Brent said. “Walter responded with a letter and two tickets to a future game.”
The website offers other gems of O’Malley fan interaction. Once, a boy wanted the Dodgers boss to know what happened in the parking lot after the game. The site offers O’Malley’s surprising reply to the young fan.
The perfect book showing the little-known side of O’Malley is Forever Blue: The True Story of Walter O’Malley, Baseball’s Most Controversial Owner,and the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles
From Brooklyn to Los Angeles, this is a well-researched look at the O’Malley-led team. For the whole story of the Dodgers, this is the book!
Meanwhile, write to your favorite team owner. Who knows? Your letter might be in a book someday!