The Dentist Laureate: Dodger Verse

Another quick verse by my uncle, Dr. John L. McAteer.

It was dire, dire, dire,
With the tension mountin' higher
As the Flock approached the wire
In this gruelin' baseball war.

But the boys went in there swattin'
So, my friend, you ain't seen nottin'
It's all over but the "Shotton"
And it won't be Dyer, Dyer anymore.

Uncle John often referred to his beloved Dodgers as the Flock. In this piece, "It's all over but the Shotton" is a reference to Burt Shotton who was the Dodger manager in 1950 when this poem was published. Dyer, Dyer is a reference to Cardinals manager, Eddie Dyer. The Cardinals and Dodgers had been very close rivals during this time.

Brooklyn Dodgers: An Ode From The Dentist Laureate

Earlier this week, I wrote about my great uncle, Dr. John L. McAteer, known as the Dentist Laureate of the Brooklyn Dodgers (you can read that post here). Following is a poem Dr. McAteer wrote to John Collins, business manager of Ebbets Field, published in the Brooklyn Eagle on July 19, 1944.

With deep concern I start: Dear Jack,
The world was cold-the skies were black.
Twas mine, I thought, henceforth to grope
Without a single ray of hope.
Through fog and bog and mental gloom
Until the fatal day of doom
When mortal woe at last succumbs
And mourn for our bewildered bums.
Whose mental poise and pennant hopes
Are hanging limply on the ropes.
As deaf to pleas and threats and prayers
They stagger down the cellar stairs.

My family link to Dodgers organization

Growing up, I had heard of my family's involvement with the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1940s and 1950s. I never really mentioned it very often because I didn't think it could be proven beyond family folklore. Recently, through some research as well as my father's extensive research, I can now proudly prove these claims.

Dr. John L. McAteer

My great great uncle, Dr. John L. McAteer, was a prominent dentist in Brooklyn. He had garnered many prominent contacts in both the political and business sectors during his professional career. This included being a mainstay in The Anvil Chorus, a political satire group of the time. It's unclear how it came to pass, but Dr. John McAteer was also the team Dentist for the Brooklyn Dodgers. There isn't much information out there that mentions any particular player interactions with him, but several newspaper articles, including his obituary, specifically name him as the team dentist. He was a very dynamic and fascinating man, and was a noted poet in addition to his profession and political affiliations. He's been referred to as The Dentist Laureate and also The Poet Laureate of Borough Hall. In the coming days, I will post a poem that Dr. John McAteer wrote about the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Dodgers File For Bankruptcy: Door Is Opened For MLB to Take Control

Somewhat anticipated, yet still shocking, the Dodgers have officially filed for bankruptcy. This move affords Frank McCourt and the Dodgers some flexibility to remain in business but it also opens the door for Selig and MLB to step in and take control or force a sale. McCourt has blamed the Dodgers' finacial woes on Selig for not allowing him to negotiate a lucrative $3 billion television deal with Fox. MLB has remained quiet but it seems that an ulterior motive all along has been to remove the beleaguered owner and his maligned reputation of his authority. So strangely, both parties have a vested interest in going to court.

I think that the thought here is that once in bankruptcy court, it's anyone guess who emerges as the winner. The MLB has deeper pockets and a much louder voice but if McCourt can prove coercion on the part of MLB in not letting him negotiate a deal, then maybe the court has some sympathy on the little man.

In short, it's on.

Our friends at LA Dodger Talk (check the blog roll for their link) should give you a good idea for what the people in LA are saying here. They have also compiled a list of who the Dodgers owe money to, a list which includes Manny Ramirez (owed $21 million), Andruw Jones (owed $11 million) and Marquis Grissom (owed $2.7 million). I guess that's what bad contracts can do. Do us a favor and check out their site.

All-Time Dodgers Team

The Dodgers are one of the proudest franchises in baseball history.  Their 21 National League pennants is tied for most all-time (with the Giants) and many great players have worn the Dodger Blue so picking the right names for the All-Time team was a bit of a challenge.  I think that there will be some debate here as there are quite a few worthy names out there that did not make our list but once we had all of the names laid out, it was fairly easy for us to agree on the cream of the crop.  Gil Hodges, Pee Wee Reese, Don Sutton, Orel Hersheiser, Mike Piazza and Davey Lopes didn't make the cut, yet they are revered figures in Dodger and baseball lore (which made leaving them off of our list even more painful).  The only real point of contention was relief pitcher; do you go with Eric Gagne who amassed huge numbers and a Cy Young over the course of three amazing seasons or the insanely reliable Ron Perranoski who was Major League Baseball's first relief pitcher to be credited with thirty saves in a season (and a remarkable season in 1963 in which he won 16 games as a reliever)?  In the eleventh hour, we decided to make an exception to our post-1920 rule for dead ball era Hall of Famer and all-time Dodgers hits/games played leader, Zack Wheat. 

So here is our list - enjoy and please let us know what you think.