INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — After more than a year of effort, former Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley has gained the right to use the name Historic Dodgertown for the Vero Beach Sports Village complex at 26th Street and 43rd Avenue.
“It was a drawn-out process,” O’Malley said of his efforts to convince current Dodger owners and Major League Baseball to permit use of the Dodgertown name. “They finally figured out I wasn’t going away.”
O’Malley was excited enough about the name change to venture into the social media world for the first time.
“I have never done anything on social media before and I am not sure how well it turned out,” O’Malley said. “They told me to keep it short so I talked for 45 seconds and it went on Facebook and Twixer, or whatever it is called.”
O’Malley hopes regaining use of the Dodgertown name will spark greater community involvement with the historic campus where the Brooklyn and later Los Angeles Dodgers held spring training for 60 years, making Vero Beach a place of annual pilgrimage for baseball fans.
“We want people to bring their out-of-town guests here to see the places where all these famous players played. We want them drive in and walk around and enjoy the beautiful grounds.”
O’Malley and Historic Dodgertown vice president Craig Callan, who began working at the sports training complex in 1978, envision an audio tour visitors will listen to as they stroll the grounds that identifies spots where notable events in Dodger history occurred.
“A walking tour would make it more enjoyable and entertaining,” O’Malley said. “It could point out that the sliding pit was over here, where Jackie Robinson practiced his slides. This is where Sandy Koufax used to practice his control. Or this is batting cage where Duke Snider learned how to hit the curve ball. I think those are things people would connect with.”
“We hope people in Vero Beach are as excited about Historic Dodgertown as all the people in this room,” Callan said to the press conference crowd, which included County Commissioner Tim Zorc, Chamber of Commerce President Penny Chandler and Alma Lee Loy.
“We appreciate the extraordinary cooperation of Dodger President Stan Kasten and the Dodger Organization in recognizing the significance of this unique site,” said O’Malley, who was president of the Dodgers from 1970-1998. “We also are grateful to major League Baseball for working with us, perpetuating the history and tradition of Historic Dodgertown and what it has meant to the game for decades.”
Joe Flescher, Chairman of the Indian River County Commission said in a prepared statement, “We are excited that going forward the site will be known as Historic Dodgertown – Vero Beach Florida. It embraces the rich tradition of the property and what is has stood for since 1948. We appreciate the leadership of Peter O’Malley to seek the new name, so it accurately reflects this community icon.
“It is a great day,” said Callan.
