The 15 greatest L.A. Dodgers of all time, No. 11: Walter Alston
Pretty much the complete opposite of Tommy Lasorda as far as personality goes, Walt Alston was nonetheless one of the most successful managers in Dodgers history.
Alston began managing the Dodgers in 1954 when they were still in Brooklyn, and remained manager until 1976, winning seven N.L. pennants (1955, 1956, 1959, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1974) and four World Series titles, (1955, 1959, 1963, 1965), three of them in Los Angeles.
Alston was named NL manager of the year six times before retiring with a final record of 2,040-1,613. He had his number (24) retired by the team in 1977, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.
Alston died at the age of 72 on Oct. 1, 1984.
A great Walter Alston story, recounted in many books on the Dodgers is the team when the players still traveled mainly by bus. One time the bus they used was old, and had no air conditioning. Several Dodger players spent the bus trip yelling and getting on Lee Scott, the club’s traveling secretary.
Alston, sitting in the front of the bus, stood up and said: “I don’t want to hear another word about this bus. And if anyone has something more to say about it, he can step off right now, and we’ll settle it right here.” No one said a word after that.
-- Houston Mitchell
Previously:
No. 12: Ron Cey
No. 13: Walter O'Malley
No. 14: Tommy Davis
No. 15: Kirk Gibson
Photo: Walter Alston, left, sits with third-base coach Tommy Lasorda in 1976. Credit: Mel Bailey / Associated Press.
Walter Alston was by far the best manager the Dodgers have ever had. He replaced a manager who won consecutive pennants in '52-'53 but who could not win the World Series, only to win it himself on his first try in '55. He is the only manager to have won World Championships with the same team in three different ballparks, winning with power in the bandbox of Ebbets and in the Coliseum, and with pitching, speed and defense in the modern expanse of Dodger Stadium. He won with the material he had, whether it was the sluggers of the '50s and the hitters of the '70s, and Koufax, Drysdale and Wills in the '60s, beating the Yankees at their '50s-'60s zenith twice. He always seemed to know the right move to make when it was needed to win. Lasorda had more personality, but Alston's versatility won the franchise twice as much success.
Posted by: Native Angeleno | June 17, 2010 at 09:53 PM
Should a lot higher on the list. Higher than any Dodger manager or coach either 3,4, or on the L.A. list. A little lower than 3,4, or 5 on the All-Time Dodger list. A good no b.s. type of man-a man of his word and highly respected by all.
Posted by: Wake up and smell the coffee, coach | July 01, 2010 at 02:11 PM
Walter Alston: 2040-1613 .558 ~ 4 World Series Championships & 7 NL pennants in 23 years = HOF.
Tom Lasorda : 1599-1439 .526 ~ 2 World Series Championships & 4 NL pennants in 20 years = HOF.
Alston managed 15 his years era no divisions - LA vs all 9 other NL teams after expansion, only 1 enters post season.
Lasorda managed all 20 of his years in the era of divisonal setups vs 5 other teams within, 2 teams enter post season.
If one claims Alston had better players one can also claim he & his players 'faced' greater players then too, 'better' being a measure of Hall of Fame enshrinements, stats, etc.
Bigger fields, smaller field, raised mounds & lower, PED's and expansion and... well, when it's all said and done all that one can definitively go by is managerial records each as well what they accomplished in the final analysis.
Even setting aside the Brooklyn years records of 1954-1957 (4 of Alston's/Dodgers very best years by the way):
Alston's 19 years in LA: 1673-1365 .551, 3 WS & 6 pennants
Lasorda's 20 years in LA: 1599-1439 .526, 2 WS & 4 pennants
Alston ranked but 11th and Lasorda 4th "The 15 Greatest LA Dodgers of All Time"?
Hardly.
Any way you slice it: Walter Alston - in a 'walk'
Posted by: 16blows | July 03, 2010 at 01:03 PM