Few realize that a woman once was a co-owner of the Dodgers with Walter O'Malley. Her name was Mae Smith and by the late 50's she owned about one-quarter of team. Her husband John L. Smith, a famed executive responsible for the mass production of Penicillin at Pfizer, joined the Dodger ownership den in 1944 when the Ebbets family decided they wanted out. In 1950 he passed away and his shares naturally transferred to his wife.
The photo above captures Mrs. Smith with Walt Alston, Carl Erskine and Walter O'Malley on February 25, 1956 in Vero Beach. It is an Associated Press photo that I saw on eBay. Check out the auction here. On a side note, she donated 50 Royal Palm trees in memory of her late husband to Holman Stadium at Dodgertown, Vero Beach. They were planted along the perimeter of the outfield.
Below are some links from the weekend to check out:
- Via Richard Justice at MLB.com, "Mattingly deftly manages deep Dodgers roster."
Mattingly emphasized that every lineup was one he believed gave the Dodgers the best chance to win that day's game. In the end, nothing else is supposed to matter. The players trusted Mattingly and knew he had no other agenda.
That situation got back to the core of why Mattingly has been successful. To know him is to like him and believe in him. There's a decency and honesty about Mattingly that plays well over a long season. In that way, players want to please him.
- Via Mark Townsend at Big League Stew, "Adrian Gonzalez challenges radio host who called him slow to footrace."
- Via Sarah at We're born again, there's new grass on the field; she shares some pics from a Baseball Reliquary exhibit at the Arcadia Public Library.
- ICYMI: Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Dodgers reportedly ink Carp to Minors deal."
- Gurnick also tells us that, "Ryu takes next step toward recovery from shoulder injury."
"He throws where he wants," Mattingly said. "It's like he hasn't missed a beat. It's a matter of getting him strong. He didn't feel anything, he's had no problem. The process is going good and we'll let it play out."
- Via Matthew Moreno at Dodgers Nation, "Dodgers Video: Scott Van Slyke Creates Makeshift Umbrella In Dugout."
- Via Dave Cameron at FanGraphs, "The New Alex Guerrero Problem."
Guerrero is forcing the Dodgers to play him more often, and Don Mattingly acknowledged that he’s going to have to put this guy in the line-up more often going forward.
“When a guy’s swinging the bat, you’re going to find playing time for him,” Mattingly said. “That’s just the way this game is.”
- Matt Meltzer at the Thrillist ranks all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums.
- I thought I'd pass along a great looking print made by Jeff Suntala. It features the ballparks the LA Dodgers have played in. Go here to check it out. Below is a pic.
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