The Dodgers of the 1960s were perhaps the most significant baseball team of all time, boasting the best pitcher, the best baserunner, and the best announcer in the sport, as well as its most influential owner and most popular stadium. Episode 6 of Fadeaway dissects the nine distinct achievements that made this Dodgers club the most influential franchise in the history of baseball. Hear about the exploits of Sandy Koufax, the motivations driving Maury Wills, how Vin Scully bonded with the Los Angeles community, the ways in which Walter O'Malley lorded over the sport as baseball's most powerful owner, and much more. This episode consists of nine "mini-sodes" which you can listen to either one by one, or all at once. Special guests include three Dodgers players as well as Michael Leahy, author of The Last Innocents: The Collision of the Turbulent Sixties and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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Sandy Koufax won the cy Young Award in 1963, '65, and '66.

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Vin Scully, 32 years old at the start of the decade, cemented his status as a legend during the 1960s.

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Dodger Stadium opened in 1962 and immediately set baseball's all-time attendance record.

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Dodgers players guest starred in many TV shows and movies during the decade. Don Drysdale appeared in "The Brady Bunch," "The Rifleman," and "Leave it to Beaver."

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Sandy Koufax and singer Nancy Sinatra at Dodger Stadium in 1966.

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Frank Sinatra was frequently sighted at Dodger Stadium during the Sixties.

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As the veteran leader of the team, Jim Gilliam was the heart and soul of the 1960s Dodgers.

In 1965, the most famous brawl in baseball history began when Giants batter Juan Marichal repeatedly clubbed catcher John Roseboro over the head with a bat.

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Listen to Vin Scully's legendary call of Sandy Koufax's  perfect game against the Cubs in 1965.

Watch Game 7 of the 1965 World Series, in which Sandy Koufax defeated Minnesota while throwing nothing but fastballs.

Danny Kaye's classic "The D-O-D-G-E-R-S Song" told the story of a fictional game between the Dodgers and Giants in 1962.

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EPISODE BOX SCORE

INTERVIEWS

Ron Fairly

John Kennedy

Michael Leahy

Wes Parker

 

BOOKS

D’Antonio, Michael. Forever Blue: The True Story of Walter O’Malley, Baseball’s Most Controversial Owner, and the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles. New York: Riverhead Books, 2009.

Leahy, Michael. The Last Innocents: The Collision of the Turbulent Sixties and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Harper, 2016.

McKelvey, G. Richard. For It’s One, Two, Three, Four Strikes You’re Out at the Owners’ Ball Game: Players Versus Management in Baseball. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2001.

Plaut, David. Chasing October: The Dodgers-Giants Pennant Race of 1962. Diamond Communications, 1994.

Roseboro, John, with Bill Libby. Glory Days With the Dodgers and Other Days With Others. New York: Atheneum, 1978. 

Sullivan, Dean. Late Innings: A Documentary History of Baseball, 1945-1972. University of Nebraska Press, 2002.

 

ARTICLES

Baxter, Kevin. “Orphans of the Ravine.” Los Angeles Times, March 29, 2008.

Carlson, Jen. “Behold, the 1950s Baseball Dome That Would Have Kept The Dodgers In Brooklyn.” Published online by Gothamist, October 20, 2015. 

Creamer, Robert. “The Transistor Kid.” Sports Illustrated, May 4, 1964.

Enders, Eric. “Revisiting the Volatile Season of ’65.” Published online by Sports on Earth, October 18, 2015. 

Goldstein, Richard. “Marvin Miller, Union Leader Who Changed Baseball, Dies at 95.” The New York Times, Nov. 27, 2012.

Hill, Justice B. “Wills’ Exploits Changed the Game.” Published online by MLB.com, February 16, 2007.

“The History of Chavez Ravine.” Published online by PBS, undated.

Kronheim, David P. “mlb-attendance-analysis.pdf">2014 Attendance Analysis.” Pulished online by Ballpark Business, 2015.

“J. William Hayes; Entertainment Attorney.” Los Angeles Times, April 4, 1992.

Smith, David. “Maury Wills and the Value of the Stolen Base.” Published online by Society for American Baseball Research, SABR.org (undated).

 

WEBSITES

www.ballparks.com

reference.com">www.baseball-reference.com

www.walteromalley.com

 

MUSIC

Fadeaway’s opening theme is “Under Suspicion” by Lee Rosevere. Licensed through Creative Commons, courtesy of the Free Music Archive.

“Remember Chavez Ravine” by Juan Sanchez. Licensed through Creative Commons, courtesy of Soundcloud.

“Surf You” by Spacedevil666. Licensed through Creative Commons, courtesy of Soundcloud.

“California” by The Spectacular Fantastic. Licensed through Creative Commons, courtesy of the Free Music Archive.

“Chavez Ravine” by Spike Baron. Licensed through Creative Commons, courtesy of Soundcloud.

“California Dreaming” by Bal&. Licensed through Creative Commons, courtesy of Soundcloud.

“Hollywood Remastered” by Vinny. Licensed through Creative Commons, courtesy of Soundcloud.

“L.A. Hifi” by Miodrag Marjanov Quintet. Licensed through Creative Commons, courtesy of the Free Music Archive.

“California Lullabye” by Josh Woodward. Licensed through Creative Commons, courtesy of the Free Music Archive.

“Badlands” by Cory Gray. Licensed through Creative Commons, courtesy of the Free Music Archive.

“Transistor Radio” by Cloud Cult. Licensed through Creative Commons, courtesy of Soundcloud.

“Clarinet Concerto, Adagio” written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and performed by Jason Weinberger. Licensed through Creative Commons, courtesy of Soundcloud.

“Sloop John B” by Vern Equinox. Licensed through Creative Commons, courtesy of Soundcloud.

“Los Angeles 2019” by Le Cose Bianche. Licensed through Creative Commons, courtesy of the Free Music Archive.

“The Neptune World (Kira’s Journey)” by Cosmik Elk. Licensed through Creative Commons, courtesy of Soundcloud.

“Hotel California” by Jesus Flores. Licensed through Creative Commons, courtesy of Soundcloud.

“I’ll Be Your Present, Boy” by Funky Jenn. Licensed through Creative Commons, courtesy of Soundcloud.

“Love From Los Angeles” by SS Flannel, featuring Stepzon, AYEKAY, and Yung Lio. Licensed through Creative Commons, courtesy of Soundcloud.

“Los Angeles” by No Color. Licensed through Creative Commons, courtesy of the Free Music Archive.

“Uku L.A.” by Ladycables. Licensed through Creative Commons, courtesy of Soundcloud.

“Surfando No Seco” by AIMFC. Licensed through Creative Commons, courtesy of Soundcloud.

“Corrido de Cesar Chavez” by Los Perros del Pueblo Nuevo. Standard YouTube license.

“California ’71” by PK Jazz Collective. Licensed through Creative Commons, courtesy of the Free Music Archive.

“Mountain Doom” by Sandy Peach. Licensed through Creative Commons, courtesy of Soundcloud.

“L.A.” by The Nighttime Adventure Society. Licensed through Creative Commons, courtesy of the Free Music Archive.

 

SOUND EFFECTS

Horse sound effect created by Goodlistener and provided courtesy of freesound.org.

 

VALEDICTORY

Today’s closing quote is by Vin Scully.