Dodger Coorespondence: Walter O'Malley Pleads His Case

It has become sacrosanct that O'Malley was the villain who took the beloved Dodgers away from Brooklyn.  He stole the hearts of the borough by following the financial gravy train to the West Coast.  We know now, of course, that there was much more at play.  The Dodgers were unable to secure the right to built a new stadium in Brooklyn and scoffed at the idea of moving the team out of their home city. 

Heck, you could say that he did everything he could to keep the Dodgers in Brooklyn.  As the following letter below, that is available from Heritage Auctions and written by Walter O'Malley to a desperate fan, can attest.

(Auction Link)

O'Malley writes back: 

"I have your letter, but I wonder how carefully you read the newspapers. They very clearly stated that we want to keep the Dodgers in Brooklyn and were willing to spend $5,000,000 to do so. Progress, however, has been very slow and we will have to leave Brooklyn if there is not to be a new stadium when our present lease runs out."