Ebbets Field

Danny McDevitt, who left his imprint on baseball history by pitching the last game for the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field in 1957, died Saturday, two days after his 78th birthday. McDevitt, who lived in Social Circle, Ga., died at Newton Medical Center in nearby Covington, a hospital spokeswoman confirmed. The cause was not given. McDevitt was a rookie left-handed pitcher who had spent six seasons in the minor leagues for the New York Yankee and Dodger organizations before he was called up to the majors in June 1957.

Out at the old ballyard exploring the status of that 1st Amendment staple, the baseball heckler, because it's a cool ambivalence that will do us in, not the screamy passions of the borderline insane. The issue came to mind after hearing that Broadway types are developing a musical about perhaps the greatest heckler of all time, Hilda Chester, who famously shook a cowbell as she snarled at players at Ebbets Field. For you kids, that's where the Dodgers once toiled under the watchful eye of Howling Hilda, her booming Brooklynese bouncing off the walls.

In a column about old-time ballparks, Ira Berkow of the New York Times told about a Brooklyn man named Bob Rosen who grew up rooting for the Dodgers. A few years ago, Rosen took his young son on a drive through Flatbush, finally stopping at a housing project where Ebbets Field once stood. "Son," he said, his voice tender, "that's where the Dodgers used to play ball." The boy looked out the car window and said, "Which floor, Pop?" Oops Dept.

In honor of Jackie Robinson and the upcoming release of "42," the movie about his life, The Times is asking readers to pick the 10 greatest Dodgers of all-time. The rules: --You can vote for anyone in Dodgers history, Brooklyn or L.A. --You can vote for anyone related to the Dodgers in some way, be it player, announcer, manager, coach, owner or peanut vendor. --List your 10 selections in order, from 1 to 10, with No. 1 being your choice for the greatest Dodger of all time and 10 being your choices for the 10th greatest of all time.

Iron legs are scabbed with rust and paint peels off the maple slats. The disassembled stadium seats lying about Don Yager's workshop hardly look special. Yet they are special. The seats are from Ebbets Field, the late, mythic stadium that was home to the Brooklyn Dodgers. The field where Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese and other fabled figures played is just a baseball memory and many seats from the demolished stadium had been left to fade in the sun and snow.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- A 24-story apartment building dominates the modest skyline near Prospect Park. With a security guard planted at one entrance, a metal fence encircling it and security doors to protect it, the structure looks like a fortress. Only a sign in front informs residents that they are not living on just any old plot of earth. It reads: "EBA, Ebbets Field Apartment." But even this designation must fight for recognition against more recent, more poignant memories.

Gino Cimoli, a Dodger outfielder in Brooklyn and Los Angeles who was the first major league batter on the West Coast when the Dodgers and Giants moved to California in 1958, has died. He was 81. Cimoli died Saturday at Sutter Roseville Medical Center in Roseville, Calif., of kidney and heart complications, said his longtime companion, Lorraine Vigli. The Dodgers opened their first season in California on April 15, 1958, against the Giants at Seals Stadium in San Francisco. Cimoli, who was born in San Francisco, struck out against the Giants' Ruben Gomez to start the game.

Duke Snider, one of the Brooklyn Dodgers' "Boys of Summer" and among a celebrated trio of New York center fielders in the 1950s, died Sunday. He was 84. Snider died at Valle Vista Convalescent Hospital in Escondido, the Dodgers announced. No cause was given. The Duke of Flatbush, a smooth-fielding outfielder and, thanks to his prowess as a home-run hitter, a fan favorite in Ebbets Field, was a Dodger, both in Brooklyn and his native Los Angeles, for 16 of his 18 years in the major leagues.

So the Dodgers are trying to connect their heritage to present day with new billboard ads morphing the past with the present? Why not go a step further and look into the future? I can see it now -- Ebbets Field blends into Dodger Stadium, which in turn blends into condominiums. Scott Hofman Atwater Village

We were watching the news when the announcement was made by Peter O'Malley, putting the Dodgers up for sale. I quickly asked my dad to borrow $10 million. Although this wouldn't be enough, if I had the money, I would bring Ebbets Field to L.A. Maybe some of the Brooklynites would be satisfied. MAI EBBETS Sylmar

It's a big week for the Dodgers' roots, today marking the day the Dodgers called up Jackie Robinson, Friday the official release of his film biography “42,” on Tuesday marking 66 years since he made his historic major league debut and this week marking the 100th anniversary of Ebbets Field. Here's a look at it all, plus some other tidbits, on the web: -- Your first stop should be Ron Rapoport's story at LA Observed on his interviewing Robinson in a dark downtown hotel room, near his death.

GREENWICH, Conn. — Three months shy of his 97th birthday, Mike Sandlock, the Dodgers' oldest living former player — and baseball's oldest living former catcher — can still hit a tee shot almost 200 yards and is fit enough to drive himself about four miles to the 7 a.m. Sunday Mass at the Holy Name Roman Catholic Church in nearby Stamford. His father did the same with the Sandlock family of five in the 1920s — in a horse and wagon. "We'd all pile in for the 10-minute ride," Sandlock said recently.

He's still out there. Still waiting too. Aaron Miles was a player who benefited from all the injuries that ravaged the Dodgers last season. He went from a non-roster invitee to decent utility player who ended up with 490 plate appearances. Miles ended up batting .275, with .314 on-base and .346 slugging percentages in 136 games. The switch-hitting infielder, who could play second and third, probably thought he had earned a return trip, if not to the Dodgers, with some major-league team.

Henry Yu glanced nervously toward the sky. He had paid to taunt the Dodgers, for a plane to tow a banner above Dodger Stadium demeaning the home team, and the plane had not shown up at the appointed hour. Turns out the skies were so crowded that Yu's plane had to wait to enter the airspace above the stadium. The storied Dodgers-Giants rivalry went aerial Thursday, with a touch of mutual provocation amid the Dodger blue sky. "That is one thing they never did at the Polo Grounds or Ebbets Field," Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti said.

Duke Snider, one of the Brooklyn Dodgers' "Boys of Summer" and among a celebrated trio of New York center fielders in the 1950s, died Sunday. He was 84. Snider died at Valle Vista Convalescent Hospital in Escondido, the Dodgers announced. No cause was given. The Duke of Flatbush, a smooth-fielding outfielder and, thanks to his prowess as a home-run hitter, a fan favorite in Ebbets Field, was a Dodger, both in Brooklyn and his native Los Angeles, for 16 of his 18 years in the major leagues.

Gino Cimoli, a Dodger outfielder in Brooklyn and Los Angeles who was the first major league batter on the West Coast when the Dodgers and Giants moved to California in 1958, has died. He was 81. Cimoli died Saturday at Sutter Roseville Medical Center in Roseville, Calif., of kidney and heart complications, said his longtime companion, Lorraine Vigli. The Dodgers opened their first season in California on April 15, 1958, against the Giants at Seals Stadium in San Francisco. Cimoli, who was born in San Francisco, struck out against the Giants' Ruben Gomez to start the game.

In honor of Jackie Robinson and the upcoming release of "42," the movie about his life, The Times is asking readers to pick the 10 greatest Dodgers of all-time. The rules: --You can vote for anyone in Dodgers history, Brooklyn or L.A. --You can vote for anyone related to the Dodgers in some way, be it player, announcer, manager, coach, owner or peanut vendor. --List your 10 selections in order, from 1 to 10, with No. 1 being your choice for the greatest Dodger of all time and 10 being your choices for the 10th greatest of all time.

In Brooklyn, they still tell the story of a Dodgers fan who takes his son on a pilgrimage to the site of Ebbets Field. As they stand on the soft slope of Bedford Avenue, in the shadow of a towering housing project, the father tells the boy, "You know, son, a great baseball team once played here." "Oh yeah?" the boy replies. "On what floor?" There used to be a ballpark here, smack in the middle of Brooklyn.

Danny McDevitt, who left his imprint on baseball history by pitching the last game for the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field in 1957, died Saturday, two days after his 78th birthday. McDevitt, who lived in Social Circle, Ga., died at Newton Medical Center in nearby Covington, a hospital spokeswoman confirmed. The cause was not given. McDevitt was a rookie left-handed pitcher who had spent six seasons in the minor leagues for the New York Yankee and Dodger organizations before he was called up to the majors in June 1957.

Harry Truman was president, Joe Torre was 5 years old and the Dodgers played in a cramped ballpark in Brooklyn, N.Y., called Ebbets Field. It was 1946, the year the Dodgers set a franchise record by winning their first nine games at home, a record that would go untouched for 63 years. Until Saturday night. Andre Ethier hit a bases-loaded single in the 10th inning to lift the Dodgers over the San Diego Padres, 2-1, at Dodger Stadium to extend the club's season-opening home winning streak to nine games and tie the record.