In Memoriam: 10 Much Mourned Brooklyn Institutions
Brooklyn Dodgers
I know that Brooklyn now has its own professional sports team again. Believe me, I know. And, in fact, we’re getting another pretty soon! But no team can replace the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Dodgers weren’t always called the Dodgers, though. The history of the team’s name has as many weird turns as do the Cyclone’s tracks. Apparently, the team was first called “‘The Church City Nines’ (one of Brooklyn’s early nicknames was ‘City of Churches’), and the Brooklyn Kings (‘Kings’ county being the location of Brooklyn). After four players got married in the same year (1888), the team was known as the ‘Brooklyn Bridgegrooms’—a name that stuck for quite a long time. They also held the names ‘Superbas’, the ‘Robins’ after manager Wilbert Robinson, and the ‘Infants’.” Eventually, the team was dubbed the “Trolley Dodgers,” which was eventually shortened to the Dodgers. Notable for being the first baseball team to integrate with the addition of Jackie Robinson in 1947, the Dodgers were known as New York’s team for the people. The Dodgers were also known as “Dem Bums,” which sounds pretty populist to me. The O’Malley family (forever-reviled owners of the Dodgers) moved the team to Los Angeles (which, unforgivable) in 1958 and Brooklyn has been broken hearted ever since. The Dodgers Stadium, Ebbets Field, was torn down in 1960, and thus completed what was rightfully called “one of the most notorious abandonments in the history of sports.” So, while I’m happy about basketball and hockey, I really miss baseball. Stupid LA.