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<v Speaker 1>I want to share a very special conversation we had

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<v Speaker 1>tonight with Peter O'Malley. The O'Malley family is synonymous with

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<v Speaker 1>the Dodger family and certainly great to have Peter here

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<v Speaker 1>and his sister Terry Sidler. And this was a very

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<v Speaker 1>candid and intimate conversation I was able to have with

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<v Speaker 1>the great Peter O'Malley after the special pregame ceremony which

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<v Speaker 1>honored his father, Walter O'Malley. And in case you don't

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<v Speaker 1>know the backstory, Walter O'Malley passed away in nineteen seventy nine,

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<v Speaker 1>but Peter O'Malley became the president of the Dodgers in

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen seventy one, so the transition was in place. And

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<v Speaker 1>as a young man, Peter O'Malley started from the very

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<v Speaker 1>bottom and worked his way throughout the organization to really

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<v Speaker 1>know the ins and outs. And here's what mister O'Malley

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<v Speaker 1>had to say about that and many other things surrounding

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<v Speaker 1>the O'Malley family, Walter O'Malley, and the Dodgers.

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<v Speaker 2>And that's the key word that if you're responsible for

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<v Speaker 2>your family or for driving a car with the kids

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<v Speaker 2>in the car, responsibility and that always kind of stuck

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<v Speaker 2>in my mind that if you realize, Hey, Peter, you're

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<v Speaker 2>responsible for this franchise, You're going to get up early,

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<v Speaker 2>you're going to work late, You're going to come in

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<v Speaker 2>here Saturdays and Sundays in the wintertime. So I nobody

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<v Speaker 2>ever asked me for advice, but that's kind of on

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<v Speaker 2>my mind.

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<v Speaker 3>Do you realize how much the O'Malley family meant not

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<v Speaker 3>only to your players, to the staff and the organization,

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<v Speaker 3>but to the city.

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<v Speaker 2>I think I do. I think I'm talking to tell

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<v Speaker 2>you the luncheon. Were you with the luncheon today? No? Okay, Well,

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<v Speaker 2>I had a chance to visit with all them who

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<v Speaker 2>I knew on my watch. I didn't know the fellows

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<v Speaker 2>that came after, but they truly appreciated it was a

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<v Speaker 2>special time. It's going to get greater. The stadium is greater,

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<v Speaker 2>the teams are going to be greater, the players are

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<v Speaker 2>going to be greater. But when we had it, it

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<v Speaker 2>was a special, unique time that everyone looks back at

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<v Speaker 2>with fun. Even living in the barracks at Dodgertown Old

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<v Speaker 2>Navy Barracks, everybody complained no heat, no air conditioning, no telephones,

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<v Speaker 2>the fuse would go. Nobody had electricity. But the next

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<v Speaker 2>morning everybody laughed and said, I survived the night or mosquitoes,

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<v Speaker 2>but you know when it gets hot. No, the reviews

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<v Speaker 2>of that fifty years are pretty good.

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<v Speaker 3>What was Walter O'Malley the father like?

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<v Speaker 2>He was great? You know, he fished together, we hunted together.

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<v Speaker 2>He was honest. He we disagreed, maybe a couple of

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<v Speaker 2>times on something minor. He would hear me out, Okay,

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<v Speaker 2>well why do you want to do that? I would

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<v Speaker 2>tell him and he might say, yeah, I think you're right,

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<v Speaker 2>or well think about this. No it it was a

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<v Speaker 2>frank relationship.

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<v Speaker 3>It seems like you not only took the torch, but

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<v Speaker 3>you ran with it.

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<v Speaker 2>Well. Yes, I thought about going to law school when

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<v Speaker 2>I was an undergraduate at Penn and then I thought, hey,

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<v Speaker 2>I'd like to run a farm team. And the fell

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<v Speaker 2>in Spokane. Spencer Harris, the GM he passed away in

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<v Speaker 2>the winter suddenly and there's an opening General Managers of Spokane, Washington,

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<v Speaker 2>and my dad and Buzzy said would you want to

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<v Speaker 2>do that? And I said sure, So I go to Spokane.

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<v Speaker 2>That was great experience running the tripa a farm team

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<v Speaker 2>in the Coast League. So and then came here vice

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<v Speaker 2>president stadium operations, dealing with the maintenance, the unions, that

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<v Speaker 2>ticket takers and everybody else. So the pattern, if you

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<v Speaker 2>look back at the path, it wasn't by design. It

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<v Speaker 2>just happened to follow the different areas of responsibility, and

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<v Speaker 2>so it worked out.

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<v Speaker 3>Mister O'Malley, the history lesson. We've gotten his, of course

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<v Speaker 3>from the great Vin Scully about not only the Dodgers,

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<v Speaker 3>but your father. And I remember interviewing Vin for the

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<v Speaker 3>first time and he said his two wishes before he left.

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<v Speaker 3>In his words, this mortal coil was that Gil Hodges

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<v Speaker 3>and your father, Walter O'Malley, would get into the Hall

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<v Speaker 3>of Fame.

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<v Speaker 2>That's very true. Well let's take Vinnie first. He really

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<v Speaker 2>wanted Gil in the Hall of Fame, and Gil Vinnie

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<v Speaker 2>wanted Gil to get in the Hall of Fame. And

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<v Speaker 2>I think Vinnie helped. And if you look back at

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<v Speaker 2>Gil's record when he played, his numbers were up there.

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<v Speaker 2>But then after he retired, new numbers, new circumstances. But

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<v Speaker 2>Gil's numbers, in my opinion, should have put him in

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<v Speaker 2>the Hall of Fame quicker before other numbers got not inflated.

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<v Speaker 2>They were earned for different reasons. As far as my goes,

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<v Speaker 2>I think Vinnie lived to see my dad go in

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<v Speaker 2>the Hall of Fame. Yeah he did. Yeah, he was

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<v Speaker 2>alive then. Yeah. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 3>He told me that he appreciated when the team was

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<v Speaker 3>moving to Los Angeles that your father did not have

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<v Speaker 3>a secretary call him. He called Vin Scully directly.

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<v Speaker 2>Sure, fifty six trip to Japan. Everybody's got a roommate,

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<v Speaker 2>every ballplayer, doctors, trainers, everybody on the trip. That's the

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<v Speaker 2>way it was in those days, to to a room.

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<v Speaker 2>So my dad says that Peter's going to go with

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<v Speaker 2>us to the fifty six trip to Tokyo. Could he

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<v Speaker 2>room with you? Now? Ever, gracious Vinnie would never say no,

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<v Speaker 2>even if he felt like he's are you kidding, mister Omanley.

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<v Speaker 2>Of course. Now that's where Vinnie and I bonded on

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<v Speaker 2>that fifty six. He wasn't in the room a lot.

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<v Speaker 2>He used in two beds in the room. He was

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<v Speaker 2>out doing his thing. He was a single guy. He

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<v Speaker 2>wanted museums and places of art and drama and all that.

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<v Speaker 2>But yeah, fifty six, that's a long time. That's someone

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<v Speaker 2>he and I are really connected.

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<v Speaker 3>That's amazing Vinny telling.

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<v Speaker 2>That to my dad. Imagine my dad's saying it to

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<v Speaker 2>Vinnie and Vinny saying, of course, mister o'meal you no problem,

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<v Speaker 2>just like what else is new?

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<v Speaker 3>So you mentioned that your dad was somewhat of a

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<v Speaker 3>father figure to Vinnie. So were you Did you have

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<v Speaker 3>a brother type of relationship with him, especially after that trip, I.

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<v Speaker 2>Would say, yeah, brother, Vinnie was ten years older, but yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>brother works, brother works, A good friend works, honest relationship. Vinnie.

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<v Speaker 2>I talked about things that he may not have talked

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<v Speaker 2>to too many people about, honest because he knew me,

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<v Speaker 2>and I think we trusted each other. He told me

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<v Speaker 2>something I'm never going to repeat it.

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<v Speaker 3>I could sit here all day with you. You just mean

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<v Speaker 3>so much to the city and to Dodger fans. The

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<v Speaker 3>O'Malley family is synonymous with Dodger baseball, and family is

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<v Speaker 3>synonymous with the O'Malley So, thank you so much for

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<v Speaker 3>your time, and rightfully so, your father and the O'Malley

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<v Speaker 3>family will always be remembered here.

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<v Speaker 2>Thank you. Just one quick note, my sister and I

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<v Speaker 2>were blessed with great parents. I don't say that too

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<v Speaker 2>often because not everyone is fortunate to have that experience.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, a lot of families are split, divided and

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<v Speaker 2>everything else. But my sister Terry and I grew up

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<v Speaker 2>in a perfect mother, father for people, home support, fun.

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<v Speaker 2>It was remarkable. So I would give my sister Terry

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<v Speaker 2>and I talk about it a lot. I'd give that

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<v Speaker 2>a lot of credit. And I'm lucky. That's a blessing.

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<v Speaker 2>Not everybody else can say that. Sadly, thank you for

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<v Speaker 2>your time, all right, good to be with you.