Reds, Dodgers in a Wild Doubleheader

Aug. 10, 1970 : The Dodgers blew up the record book and challenged their fans' endurance during a wild doubleheader, using 35 hits to sweep the Cincinnati Reds, 7-3 and 13-3. The Dodgers had 26 singles, seven doubles and two triples. Willie Davis, Maury Wills and Wes Parker each had five hits, Bill Russell had four and Billy Grabarkewitz and Tom Haller each had three hits. Parker, the first baseman better known for his stylish glove work, drove in two runs to give him 82 RBIs for the season. That made him the top first baseman in Los Angeles Dodger history, overtaking Gil Hodges in 1959. It must have been a wild day, particularly in the 13-3 second game. Dodger starting pitcher Alan Foster drove in three runs. And the Reds, who were still 12 games in front of the Dodgers, used future Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench in left field and at first base as well as behind the plate. He also was thrown out of the first game. Reds Manager Sparky Anderson told The Times' John Wiebusch, "I could use him at shortstop and not be embarrassed." --Keith Thursby

O’Malley: The Only Game in Town?

Aug. 7, 1960: The Dodgers and Yankees were on opposite sites over the topic of expansion. We all know New York ended up with the Mets and Los Angeles gained the Angels, but things were nasty for a while. Dan Topping, co-owner of the Yankees, said his team and several others would block expansion in 1961 if Los Angeles was not included. And Dodger owner Walter O'Malley was none too happy about the prospect of another baseball team entering his neighborhood. "On the surface it would appear that O'Malley is eager to keep Los Angeles exclusively a National League city," Topping said. "If this is tried, I will holler plenty and I won't stop." O'Malley told The Times' Frank Finch, "I don't think it would be fair for somebody to open another store in the same block as ours right away." The Yankees were raising a stink in part because New York was expected to get a National League expansion team. John Drebinger of the New York Times, in a column that ran in the L.A. Times on Aug. 11, explained the Yankees' viewpoint this way: "Neither the Yankee co-owner nor any of his colleagues mean to sit idly by letting the National League move into New York while the American League remains shut out of the lush field offered by California's Gold Coast." --Keith Thursby

A Foggy Night for the Dodgers

July 16, 1960: The Dodgers weathered a rough night in San Francisco and beat the Giants, 5-3. Home plate umpire Frank Dascoli stopped the game in the second when a bank of fog moved in and he apparently couldn't see the outfielders. In the first inning, the Dodgers' Charlie Neal had a gift double when the Giants couldn't find his hit. And the Dodgers returned the favor in the second when Willie McCovey's fly ball fell for a triple. Young Dodger slugger Frank Howard continued to impress with a home run into the seats beyond center field. --Keith Thursby

Why Vin Scully Calls No-Hitters

July 9, 1960: Some baseball broadcasters won't say that a pitcher is working on a no-hitter. Back in 1960, Vin Scully made it clear what he thought of that superstition.

Dodgers Beat Yankees

June 28, 1960: An emotional point in the Dodgers' early history in Los Angeles was the 1959 exhibition game against the Yankees to honor Roy Campanella, the star catcher who had been paralyzed in a car accident. The Dodgers and Yankees met again in 1960, this time at Yankee Stadium in a game benefiting United Charities. The Dodgers won, 4-3. The Times' Frank Finch said the teams played in front of "a highly vocal crowd with a heavy Brooklyn accent." Finch had a sidebar knocking down a rumored seven-player trade between the Yankees and Dodgers. According to the rumor, Don Drysdale, Gil Hodges and Duke Snider would go to the Yankees for Tony Kubek, Elston Howard, Ryne Duren and Johnny James. --Keith Thursby

Dodgers Seek Permit for Stadium

June 16, 1960: One of the final paperwork hurdles was filed before construction could start on the Dodgers' new ballpark in Chavez Ravine. An application for a conditional use permit was necessary, The Times reported, because the land was zoned for only a 3,000-seat ballpark, not a stadium seating between 52,000 and 56,000. Included in the plans were a Knothole Gang clubhouse, a gas station and a Hall of Fame "in effect honoring great Dodgers of the past," The Times said. The city zoning administrator had 40 days to rule on the application. The Times story noted that according to the application filed jointly by the city and the Dodgers, "the proposed road system will be ample to take care of traffic to and from the baseball park." --Keith Thursby Also on the jump: A backyard oil well is being drilled near Pico Boulevard and La Brea Avenue.

He’s Netted a Few Baseballs in His Day

June 14, 1960: Herman Kent caught Dodger fever. The former Brooklyn resident and Ebbets Field customer moved to Los Angeles in 1946 and when the Dodgers came west, he installed himself as one of the first characters in the Coliseum. Kent brought a fishing net and megaphone to games. He caught baseballs with net and caught the attention of just about everyone with his megaphone.

Alston’s Job Is Safe, Bavasi Says

June 12, 1960: Don't worry Dodger fans. Walt Alston's job was safe. "I can positively say that Alston is not on the spot," General Manager Buzzie Bavasi told The Times' Frank Finch. "It's not Dodger policy to blame the manager when the fault lies either on the playing field or in the front office, or both." Last year's World Series champions were far from contention and had lost nine of their last 13 games. "I don't think the players are depressed," Bavasi said. "If we can just put two or three wins together we'll get rolling." Alston did indeed stick around … until 1976. --Keith Thursby

Oh, Say, Can You See….

June 11, 1980: Ever since Sinatra and the Bee Gees sang the National Anthem at Dodger Stadium, everybody wants to try….

Sandy Koufax and Charley Neal on the Radio

June 11, 1960: After Sandy Koufax retired, he spent some time as a clearly uncomfortable member of NBC's baseball coverage. So it's surprising to find a Times critic praising Koufax's ability as a communicator. Koufax and fellow Dodger Charlie Neal were the key parts of a baseball program on radio station KDAY and Don Page, The Times' radio critic, thought the Dodger left-hander was "becoming a first-rate sports commentator."

Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, June 4, 1960

June 4, 1960: “The other day (Monday, I think it was) I was listening to the ballgame between the Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals. Vin Scully is the regular announcer and, as usual, he was giving us fans all kinds of little tidbits of information about how the clubs and players were doing, etc. “He made the statement, 'So far this season, the Dodgers and the Cards have done very well against each other.' “I thought I'd learned everything about the game, but that stumped me. "Tell me, Paul, why did he say that?"

The Road to Dodger Stadium

May 24, 1960: The next time you're in a traffic jam heading to Dodger Stadium, consider the public servants who debated the tract map submitted by the Dodgers for their Chavez Ravine stadium. "People attending such events have to come to expect certain inconveniences and make necessary allowances for them," said Samuel Leask Jr., the city's administrative officer. Much of the discussion over the tract map dealt with planning and building roads and Leask cautioned against trying to plan for big crowds. In a story the following day, an opponent of the Dodgers' plan read from a ballot argument in favor of the ballpark. Plans included a public recreation center, a city oil drilling site and land use for future freeways. But none of those features were on the tract map so C.A. Owen asked if this meant the public had been mislead in approving the stadium plans. "It's entirely possible," said Councilman Ransom Callicott. --Keith Thursby