-“Major League Baseball Moves West,” Whittier College (Wednesday, April 4, 2018)
7:00 pm- 9:00 pm
Villalobos Hall, Whittier College
13507 Earlham Drive, Whittier, California
It’s been six decades since Major League Baseball arrived in California, opening the door for a wide range of professional sports entertainment up and down the Pacific Coast.
Andy McCue, author of “Mover & Shaker: Walter O’Malley, the Dodgers & Baseball’s Westward Expansion,” and Robert Garratt, author of “Home Team: The Turbulent History of the San Francisco Giants,” team up to discuss the franchise moves, the consequences, and how the teams have become embedded in their communities.
A major area of discussion will be the history of the team’s stadiums, with O’Malley’s initial struggle to get Dodger Stadium built followed by years of success and iconic status for the ballpark. In San Francisco, where the city-owned model was followed in the spirit of its times, Candlestick Park became a chilly boondoggle which led to two bouts of brinksmanship to keep the team in the Bay Area. The eventual construction of AT&T Park led to success on and off the field and strong ties to its fans.
Andy McCue is a retired newspaper reporter. “Mover & Shaker” won the Seymour Medal for 2015’s best book of baseball history or biography from the Society for American Baseball Research. Garratt, whose “Home Team” was nominated for the Seymour Medal this past year, is a Professor Emeritus of English and Humanities at the University of Puget Sound.
A book signing with Andy McCue and Robert Garratt will follow the presentation. Books will be available for purchase.
Co-sponsored by the Institute for Baseball Studies, the Baseball Reliquary, and the Historical Society of Southern California. Free admission and refreshments. Further information: (562) 907-4803 or (626) 791-7647.
