Brooklyn Dodgers 50th Anniversary Weekend October 1, 2005

BROOKLYN DODGERS 50TH ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND
TAKES FULL SWING AT BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY
Brooklyn Public Library dedicates a weekend of special programs to the 50th anniversary of the borough?s beloved baseball team, the Brooklyn Dodgers. On Saturday, October 1 and Sunday, October 2, 2005 nostalgic fans can reminisce about the team?s only World Series victory.

Saturday, October 1, 2005, 2 PM
New York Times Talk: Covering the Dodgers
Dave Anderson, sports columnist for The New York Times, discusses growing up in Brooklyn and his years of covering the Brooklyn Dodgers for the Brooklyn Eagle.

Saturday, October 1, 2005, 3:30 PM
Author Talk: Praying for Gil Hodges
Tom Oliphant, Pulitzer prize winner and acclaimed columnist for The Boston Globe, presents his new book Praying for Gil Hodges: A Memoir of the 1955 World Series and One Family?s Love of the Brooklyn Dodgers. A tribute to Oliphant?s idol Gil Hodges and Brooklyn?s most cherished ballplayers, the memoir is a testament of his family?s love for the team that won the hearts of Brooklyn.

Saturday, October 1, 2005, 4:30 PM
Film Screening: ?The Jackie Robinson Story?
Jackie Robinson starred in this autobiographical account of his groundbreaking admission into baseball?s major leagues. In the face of pressure and prejudice, this pioneer ballplayer proved that he had the desire and drive to be a winner. The film also stars Ruby Dee, Louise Beavers and Minor Watson.

Sunday, October 2, 2005 2 PM
Author Talk: Behind The Boys of Summer: The Making of a Literary Icon
Sportswriter and novelist Roger Kahn will discuss how his book, The Boys of Summer, came to be. Hailed as one of the most famous books about baseball of all time, The Boys of Summer recounts the author?s early years as a sports reporter in New York City and features humorous and poignant stories about Dodger heroes Pee Wee Reese, Jackie Robinson and Duke Snider. The country?s number-one best seller in 1972, The Boys of Summer has sold nearly three million copies and is currently in its 65th printing.

Sunday, October 2, 2005, 3:30 PM
Film Screening: ?Hitler, Stalin & Walter O'Malley?
David Ledingham's debut as a film director, is very much about baseball. Set in a 1957 Brooklyn bar adorned with Dodgers memorabilia, the 20-minute short is filled with chatter about Dodger legends Duke Snider and Gil Hodges; Ebbets Field, the glorified, defunct Brooklyn landmark; and references to 1955, the year the Dodgers won the World Series.

Sunday, October 2, 2005, 4 PM
Panel Discussion: The Dodgers and the Heart of Brooklyn
Sportswriters Neil J. Sullivan, Bob McGee and Andy Mele discuss nostalgic moments in Dodgers history. Author of The Dodgers Move West and The Minors, Neil J. Sullivan discusses the Personalities and politics behind the team?s 1957 departure from Brooklyn. Bob McGee, author of The Greatest Ballpark Ever: Ebbets Field and the Story of the Brooklyn Dodgers, speaks about Ebbets Field from its development to its demolition. Andy Mele, editor of the anthology A Brooklyn Dodgers Reader, discusses growing up in Brooklyn as a Dodgers fan during the team?s glory years in the 1950s.

LOCATION: Brooklyn Public Library
Central Library
Second Floor Meeting Room
Grand Army Plaza
Brooklyn, NY 11238
FOR MORE
INFORMATION: Please visit http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/dodgers.jsp or call 718.230.2100.
Brooklyn Public Library is an independent New York City library system serving the borough of Brooklyn. It is the fifth largest in the United States. Its Central Library, Business Library, and 58 branch libraries offer free information, programs and computer access to people of all ages. You can reach the Library?s resources of over 70 reference databases, catalog information and news 24 hours a day at www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org.
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