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'''''Tristan und Isolde''''' is an [[opera]] in three acts by [[Richard Wagner]]. It was composed between [[1857]] and [[1859]], and received its first production in [[Munich]] on [[June 10]], [[1865]].
{{MLB Dodgers franchise}}
== Sources ==
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:''Brooklyn Dodgers redirects here. For the 1930s NFL team of that name, see [[Brooklyn Dodgers (football)]].''
In the principal parts of this opera Wagner followed the romance of [[Gottfried von Strassburg]], which in turn is based on the story of [[Tristan]] and [[Isolde]] from [[King Arthur|Arthur]]ian legend.
The '''Los Angeles Dodgers''' are a [[Major League Baseball]] team based in [[Los Angeles, California]]. They are in the Western Division of the [[National League]]. The team originated in [[Brooklyn, New York|Brooklyn]] before moving to Los Angeles for the [[1958]] season.
== Critical reception ==
:'''Founded:''' [[1883]], as a member of the minor Inter-State League. The team moved up to the [[American Association (19th century)|American Association]] in [[1884]] and transferred to the National League in [[1890]].
:'''Manager''': [[Jim Tracy]]
:'''General Manager''': [[Paul DePodesta]]
:'''Owner''': [[Frank McCourt (executive)|Frank McCourt]]
:'''Formerly known as:''' The '''Brooklyn Dodgers'''. See below for other nicknames.
:'''Home ballpark:''' [[Dodger Stadium]] (1962-present), also known as "Chavez Ravine", after the name of the locale prior to the stadium's construction. Previous home ballparks include the [[Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum]] (1958-1961), and [[Ebbets Field]] in Brooklyn (1913-1957). Prior to 1913, the Brooklyn Dodgers played in [[Washington Park]] (1883-1890), [[Eastern Park]] (1891-1897), and a second [[Washington Park]] (1898-1912).
:'''Uniform colors:''' "Dodger blue" and White; some Red
:'''Logo design:''' a cursive "Dodgers" superimposed over a red streaming baseball
:'''[[World Series]] championships won''' (6): [[1955]], [[1959]], [[1963]], [[1965]], [[1981]], [[1988]]
:'''National League pennants won''' (21): [[1890]], [[1899]], [[1900]], [[1916]], [[1920]], [[1941]], [[1947]], [[1949]], [[1952]], [[1953]], [[1955]], [[1956]], [[1959]], [[1963]], [[1965]], [[1966]], [[1974]], [[1977]], [[1978]], [[1981]], [[1988]]
:'''American Association pennants won''' (1): [[1889]]
:'''Division titles won''' (10): [[1974]], [[1977]], [[1978]], [[1981]], [[1983]], [[1985]], [[1988]], [[1994]] (unofficial), [[1995]], [[2004]]
:'''National League [[wild card]]''' (1): [[1996]]
Many Wagnerian critics of the time claimed that the musical portion of the opera attained the highest summit of all music; on the other hand, an equally influential group of critics, centered around [[Eduard Hanslick]], condemned the work as being incomprehensible.
''See also:'' [[Freeway Series]], [[Giants-Dodgers Rivalry]]
== Significance in the development of classical music ==
==Team Nickname==
The very first chord in the piece is the so-called ''[[Tristan chord]]'', often taken to be of great significance in the move away from traditional [[tonality|tonal]] [[harmony]]:
Prior to the declaration of an official team nickname in 1933, sportswriters and fans applied a number of nicknames to the club. Early names included the ''Brooks'', the ''Atlantics'', and the ''Bridegrooms'' (especially after several players married prior to the 1888 season). When the streetcar lines were set up in Brooklyn, writers began calling the city and the team by the somewhat pejorative term ''Trolley Dodgers'', which became shortened to ''Dodgers''. Under manager [[Ned Hanlon]] (1899-1905), the team became known as the ''Superbas'', after a popular (though unrelated) acrobatic troupe at that time called "Hanlon's Superbas". Under manager [[Wilbert Robinson]] (1914-1931), the team was known as the ''Robins'', though newspapers used ''Robins'' and ''Dodgers'' interchangeably, often in the same game summary. No nickname was acknowledged on team uniforms until 1933, when the word ''Dodgers'' finally appeared. Prior to that, they had sported either the word "Brooklyn" or a stylized letter "B".
[[Image:Wagner Tristan opening.png]]
==Rivalry with the [[San Francisco Giants|Giants]]==
'''Sound samples'''
The historic and heated rivalry between the Dodgers and the [[San Francisco Giants|Giants]] is more than a century old, having begun when both clubs played in New York City (the Dodgers in [[Brooklyn]] and the Giants in [[Manhattan]]). When both franchises moved to [[California]] in [[1958]], the rivalry was easily transplanted with them, as the cities of [[Los Angeles]] and [[San Francisco]] have long been rivals in economic, cultural, and political arenas throughout the history of the State of California.
* [[Image:Audiobutton.png]] [[Media:Wagner Tristan opening.midi|Sound sample of these bars]] ([[MIDI]] file)
* [[Image:Audiobutton.png]] [[Media:Tristan und Isolde beginning clip.ogg|Recording of these bars]] ([[Ogg Vorbis]] file)
== Characters ==
''See [[Dodgers-Giants Rivalry]] for detail, including events associated with the rivalry.''
*Tristan ([[Tenor]])
==Vin Scully==
*Isolde ([[Soprano]])
*King Marke ([[Bass (musical term)|Bass]])
*Kurwenal ([[Baritone]])
*Brangaene ([[Mezzo-soprano]])
*Melot (Tenor)
*A shepherd (Tenor)
*Helmsman (Bass)
*Voice of a young sailor (Tenor)
*Male and Female Chorus
== Story ==
[[Vin Scully]] has served as the [[play-by-play]] [[announcer]] for the Dodgers for 55 years, having joined the team eight years before they even moved from Brooklyn. It is hard to overstate the affection of Dodger fans towards Scully and his smooth radio voice. Perhaps his most replayed call is the one he made on NBC Television after the limping [[Kirk Gibson]] circled the basepaths following his legendary home run in Game 1 of the [[1988 World Series]]: "In a year that has been so improbable, the <i>impossible</i> has happened!" (emphasis his). At age 78, Scully's radio and TV activity is now limited to the first three innings of home games, with some West Coast away games.
{{spoiler}}
== Franchise history ==
===EarlyAct Brooklyn HistoryI===
Isolde and her handmaid, Brangaene are quartered aboard Tristan’s ship, being transported to King Marke’s lands in Cornwall where Isolde is to be married to the King. The opera opens with the voice of a young sailor singing of a “wild Irish maid”, which Isolde takes to be a mocking reference to herself. In a furious outburst she wishes the seas to rise up and sink the ship, killing all on board. Her scorn and rage are directed particularly at Tristan, the knight who is taking her to Marke. She sends Brangaene to command Tristan to appear before her, but Tristan refuses Brangaene's request, saying that his place is at the helm. His henchman, Kurwenal, answers more brusqely, saying that Isolde is in no position to command Tristan, and reminding Brangaene that Isolde’s previous husband, Morold was killed by Tristan.
The Brooklyn baseball club that would become the Dodgers was first formed in 1883, and joined the [[American Association (19th century)|American Association]] the following year. The "Bridegrooms" won the AA pennant in [[1889]]. Upon switching to the [[National League]] in [[1890]], the franchise became the only one in MLB history to win pennants in different leagues in consecutive years. Eight years passed before any more success followed. Several [[Baseball Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]] players were sold to Brooklyn by the soon-to-be-defunct [[Baltimore Orioles (NL)|Baltimore Orioles]], along with their manager, [[Ned Hanlon]]. This catapulted Brooklyn to instant contention, and "Hanlon's Superbas" lived up to their name, winning pennants in [[1899]] and [[1900]].
Brangaene returns to Isolde to relate these events, and Isolde sadly tells her of how, following the death of Morold, a stranger called Tantris had been brought to her, found mortally wounded in a boat, and that she had used her healing powers to restore him to health. However she discovered that Tantris was actually Tristan, the murderer of her husband, and had tried to kill him with his sword as he lay helpless before her. However Tristan had looked not at the sword that would kill him, but into her eyes, and this had pierced her heart. Tristan had been allowed to leave, but had returned with the intention of marrying Isolde to his uncle, King Marke. Isolde, in her fury at Tristan’s betrayal, insists that he drink atonement to her, and from her medicine-chest produces the vial which will make this drink. Brangaene is shocked to see that it is a lethal poison.
In 1902, Hanlon expressed his desire to buy a controlling interest in the team and move it (back, effectively) to [[Baltimore]]. His plan was blocked by a lifelong club employee, [[Charles Ebbets]], who put himself heavily in debt to buy the team and keep it in the borough. Ebbets' ambition did not stop at owning the team. He desired to replace the dilapidated Washington Park with a new ballpark, and again invested heavily to finance the construction of [[Ebbets Field]], which would become the Dodgers' home in [[1913 in sports|1913]].
At this point Kurwenal appears in the women’s quarters saying that Tristan has agreed after all to see Isolde. When he arrives, Isolde tells him that she now knows that he was Tantris, and that he owes her his life. Tristan agrees to drink the potion, now prepared by Brangaene, even though he knows it may kill him. As he drinks, Isolde tears the remainder of the potion from him and drinks it herself. At this moment, each believing that their life is about to end, they declare their love for each other. Their rapture is interrupted by Kurwenal, who announces the imminent arrival on board of King Marke. Isolde asks Brangaene which potion she prepared and is told that it was no poison, but a love-potion. Outside, the sailors hail the arrival of King Marke.
==="Uncle Robbie" and the "Daffiness Boys"===
===Act II===
Manager Wilbert Robinson, another former Oriole, popularly known as "Uncle Robbie", restored the Brooklyn team to respectability, with the "Robins" winning pennants in [[1916 World Series|1916]] and [[1920 World Series|1920]] and contending perennially for several seasons. Upon assuming the title of president, however, Robinson's ability to focus on the field declined, and the teams of the late [[1920s]] became known as the "Daffiness Boys" for their distracted, error-ridden style of play. Outfielder [[Babe Herman]] was the leader both in hitting and in zaniness. After his removal as club president, Robinson returned to managing, and the club's performance rebounded somewhat.
A nocturnal hunting party leaves King Marke’s castle empty except for Isolde and Brangaene, who stand beside a burning brazier. Isolde several times believes that the hunting horns are far enough away to allow her to extinguish the flames, giving the signal for Tristan to join her. Brangaene warns Isolde that one of King Marke’s knights, Melot, has seen the looks exchanged between Tristan and Isolde, and suspects their passion. Isolde, however, believes Melot to be Tristan’s most loyal friend, and in a frenzy of desire extinguishes the flames. Brangaene retires to the ramparts to keep watch as Tristan arrives.
It was during this era that [[Willard Mullin]], a noted sports [[cartoonist]], fixed the Brooklyn team with the loveable nickname of '''"Dem Bums"'''. After hearing his cab driver ask "So how did those bums do today?" Mullin decided to sketch an exaggerated version of famed circus clown [[Emmett Kelly]] to represent the Dodgers in his much-praised cartoons in the ''[[New York World-Telegram]]''. Both the image and the nickname caught on, so much so that many a Dodger yearbook cover featured a Willard Mullin illustration with the Brooklyn Bum.
The lovers, alone at last and freed from the constraints of courtly life, declare their passion for each other. Tristan decries the realm of daylight which is false, unreal, and keeps them apart. It is only in night that they can truly be together, and only in the long night of death that they can be eternally united. Brangaene is heard several times throughout their long tryst calling a warning that the night is ending, but the lovers ignore her. Finally the day breaks in on the lovers, Melot leads Marke and his men to find Tristan and Isolde in each others arms. Marke is heart-broken, not only because of his betrayal by his adopted son, Tristan, but because he, too, has come to love Isolde.
Perhaps the highlight of the Daffiness Boys era came after Wilbert Robinson had left the dugout. In [[1934]], [[San Francisco Giants|New York Giants]] manager [[Bill Terry]] was asked about the Dodgers' chances in the coming pennant race and cracked infamously, "Is Brooklyn still in the league?" Managed now by [[Casey Stengel]] (who played for the Dodgers in the [[1910s]] and would go on to greatness managing another team), the [[1934]] Dodgers were determined to make their presence felt. As it happened, the season ended with the Giants tied with the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] for the pennant, with the Giants' remaining games against the Dodgers. Stengel led his Bums to the [[Polo Grounds]] for the showdown and beat the Giants twice to knock them out of the pennant race. The "Gas House Gang" Cardinals nailed the pennant by beating the Reds those same two days.
Tristan now asks Isolde if she will follow him again into the realm of night, and she agrees. Melot and Tristan fight, but at the crucial moment, Tristan throws his sword aside and is mortally wounded by Melot.
The first major-league baseball game to be [[televised]] was Brooklyn's 6-1 victory over [[Cincinnati Reds|Cincinnati]] at Ebbets Field on [[August 26]], [[1939]]. [[Batting helmet]]s were introduced to Major League Baseball by the Dodgers in [[1941]]
===TheAct End of the Color BarrierIII===
Kurwenal has brought Tristan home to his castle at Kareol in Brittany. A shepherd pipes a mournful tune and asks if Tristan is awake. Kurwenal says that only Isolde’s arrival can save Tristan. The shepherd says he will keep watch and pipe a happy tune to mark the arrival of any ship. Tristan now wakes and mourns that he is again in the false realm of daylight, once more driven by unceasing unquenchable yearning, until Kurwenal tells him that Isolde is coming. Tristan is overjoyed and asks if her ship is in sight, but only the shepherd’s sorrowful tune is heard.
For the first half of the 20th century, not a single [[African-American]] played on a Major League Baseball team. A parallel system of [[Negro league baseball|Negro Leagues]] developed, but many of the era's most talented players never got a chance to prove their skill before a national audience. The first step in ending this injustice was taken by [[Jackie Robinson]], when he played his first major-league game on [[April 15]], [[1947]], as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers. This event was the harbinger of the integration of sports in the United States, the concomitant demise of the [[Negro Leagues]], and is regarded as a key moment in the history of the American [[Civil Rights]] movement. Robinson was an exceptional player, a speedy [[stolen base|runner]] who sparked the whole team with his intensity, and was the given the inaugural [[MLB Rookie of the Year Award|Rookie of the Year]] award.
Tristan relapses and recalls that the shepherd’s tune is the one he heard when his father and then his mother died. Once again he rails against his desires and against the fateful love-potion until he collapses in delirium. At this point the shepherd is heard piping the arrival of Isolde’s ship, and as Kurwenal rushes to meet her, Tristan in his excitement tears the bandages from his wounds. As Isolde arrives at his side, Tristan dies with her name on his lips.
==="Wait 'Til Next Year!"===
Isolde collapses beside him as the appearance of another ship is announced. Kurwenal sees Melot, Marke and Brangaene arrive and furiously attacks Melot to avenge Tristan. In the fight both Melot and Kurwenal are killed. Marke and Brangaene finally reach Isolde and Marke, grieving over the body of his “truest friend” explains that he has learnt of the love-potion from Brangaene and had come, not to part the lovers, but to unite them. Isolde appears to wake but, in a final aria describing her vision of Tristan risen again (the “Liebestod”), dies of grief.
After the wilderness years of the 1920s and 1930s, the Dodgers were rebuilt into a contending club first by general manager [[Larry MacPhail]] and then the legendary [[Branch Rickey]]. Led by [[Pee Wee Reese]], [[Jackie Robinson]] and [[Gil Hodges]] in the infield, [[Duke Snider]] in center field, [[Roy Campanella]] behind the plate, and [[Don Newcombe]] on the pitcher's mound, the Dodgers won pennants in [[1941 World Series|1941]], [[1947 World Series|1947]], [[1949 World Series|1949]], [[1952 World Series|1952]], and [[1953 World Series|1953]]. In all five of those World Series, however, they were defeated by the [[New York Yankees]]. The annual ritual of building excitement, followed in the end by disappointment, became old hat to the longsuffering fans, and '''"Wait 'til next year!"''' became an unofficial Dodger slogan.
== Influence of Schopenhauer on ''Tristan und Isolde'' ==
In [[1955 World Series|1955]], by which time the core of the team was beginning to age, "next year" finally came. The fabled "Boys of Summer" shot down the Bronx Bombers in seven games, led by the first-class pitching of young lefthander [[Johnny Podres]], whose key pitch was a [[changeup]] known as "pulling down the lampshade" because of the arm motion used right when the ball was released. Podres won two Series games including the deciding seventh. The turning point of Game 7 was a spectacular double play that began with left fielder [[Sandy Amoros]] running down [[Yogi Berra]]'s long fly, then throwing perfectly to [[shortstop]] [[Pee Wee Reese]], who doubled up a surprised [[Gil McDougald]] at first base to preserve the Dodger lead.
Wagner was introduced to the work of the philosopher [[Arthur Schopenhauer]] by his friend [[Georg Herwegh]] in late 1854. The composer was immediately struck by the philosophical ideas to be found in “Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung” ([[The World as Will and Idea]]), and it is clear that the composer and the philosopher had a very similar world-view. By the end of that year, he had sketched out all three acts of an opera on the theme of Tristan and Isolde, although it was not until 1857 that he began working full-time on the opera, putting aside the composition of [[Der Ring des Nibelungen]] to do so.
Although the Dodgers again lost the World Series to the Yankees in [[1956 World Series|1956]] (in which they became the victims of history's only postseason [[perfect game]]), it hardly seemed to matter. Brooklyn fans had their memory of triumph, and soon that would be all they were left with.
Wagner said in a letter to [[Liszt]] (December 1854): “Never in my life having enjoyed the true happiness of love I shall erect a memorial to this loveliest of all dreams in which, from the first to the last, love shall, for once, find utter repletion. I have devised in my mind a ''Tristan und Isolde'', the simplest, yet most full-blooded musical conception imaginable, and with the ‘black flag’ that waves at the end I shall cover myself over – to die.”
By 1857 Wagner was living as the guest of the wealthy silk merchant [[Otto von Wesendonck]], and during the composition of ''Tristan und Isolde'' was involved with Wesendonck’s wife, Mathilde, although it remains uncertain as to whether or not this relationship was platonic.
Nevertheless, the twin influences of Schopenhauer and Mathilde inspired Wagner during the composition of ''Tristan und Isolde''. Schopenhauer’s influence is felt most directly in the second and third acts. The first act is relatively straightforward, consisting mostly of an exposition of how Tristan and Isolde come to be in their current state. However the second act, where the lovers meet, and the third act, in which Tristan longs for release from the passions that torment him, have often proved puzzling to opera-goers unfamiliar with Schopenhauer’s work.
===The move to [[California]]===
Wagner uses the metaphor of day and night in the second act to designate the realms inhabited by Tristan and Isolde. The world of Day is one where the lovers must deny their love and pretend they do not care for each other, where they are bound by the dictates of King Marke’s court: it is a realm of falsehood and unreality. Tristan declares in Act 2 that under the dictates of the realm of Day he was forced to remove Isolde from Ireland and to marry her to his Uncle Marke. The realm of Night, in contrast, is the representation of intrinsic reality, where the lovers can be together, where their desires reach fulfillment: it is the realm of oneness, truth and reality. Wagner here equates the realm of Day with Schopenhauer’s concept of [[Phenomenon]], and the realm of Night with Schopenhauer’s concept of [[Noumenon]]. This is not explicitly stated in the libretto, however Tristan’s comments on Day and Night in Act 2 and 3 make it very clear that this is Wagner’s intention.
In Schopenhauer’s philosophy, the world as we experience it is a representation of an unknowable reality. Our representation of the world (which is false) is [[Phenomenon]], while the unknowable reality is [[Noumenon]]: these concepts are developments of ideas originally posited by [[Kant]]. Importantly for Tristan and Isolde, Schopenhauer’s concept of Noumenon is one where all things are indivisible and one: and it is this very idea of one-ness that Tristan yearns for in Acts 2 and 3 of Tristan und Isolde. Tristan is also aware that this realm of Night, or Noumenon can only be shared by the lovers in its fullest sense when they die. The realm of Night therefore also becomes the realm of death: the only world in which Tristan and Isolde can be united forever, and it is this realm that Tristan speaks of at the end of Act two (“Dem Land das Tristan meint, der Sonne Lich nicht Scheint”).
Real estate businessman [[Walter O'Malley]] had acquired majority ownership of the team in [[1950]], when he bought the shares of his co-owner [[Branch Rickey]]. Before long he was working to buy new land in Brooklyn to build a more accessible and better arrayed ballpark than Ebbets Field. Beloved as it was, Ebbets Field had grown old and was not well-served by infrastructure, to the point where the most pennant-competitive team in the [[National League]] couldn't sell the park out even in the heat of a pennant race. New York City building czar [[Robert Moses]], however, sought to force O'Malley into using a site in [[Flushing Meadows Park|Flushing Meadows]], [[Queens, New York|Queens]] (the future site for [[Shea Stadium]], where today's [[New York Mets]] play). Moses' vision involved a city-built, city-owned park, which was greatly at odds with O'Malley's real-estate savvy. When it became clear to O'Malley that he wasn't going to be allowed to buy any suitable land in Brooklyn, he began thinking elsewhere.
Tristan rages against the daylight in Act 3 and frequently cries out for release from his desires (Sehnen): it is also part of Schopenhauer’s philosophy that man is driven by continued, unachievable desires, and that the gulf between our desires and the possibility of achieving them leads to misery. The only way for man to achieve inner peace is to renounce his desires: a theme that Wagner explores fully in his last opera, [[Parsifal]].
When the Los Angeles city fathers attended the [[1955 World Series]] looking to entice a team to move to the City of Angels, they weren't even thinking of the Dodgers. Their original target was the [[Minnesota Twins|Washington Senators]] (who would in fact move to Minnesota in 1961). At the same time, O'Malley was looking for a contingency in case Moses and other New York politicians refused to let him build the Brooklyn stadium he wanted. O'Malley sent word to the Los Angeles officials at the Series that he was interested in talking. Los Angeles offered him what New York would not: a chance to buy land suitable for building a new ballpark.
== Recordings of Tristan und Isolde ==
Meanwhile, [[San Francisco Giants|New York Giants]] owner [[Horace Stoneham]] was having similar difficulty finding a replacement for his antiquated home stadium, and the two archrival teams moved out to the West Coast together. On [[April 18]], [[1958]], the Dodgers played their first game in Los Angeles, defeating the San Francisco Giants, 6-5, before 78,672 fans at the [[Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum|Coliseum]].
Tristan und Isolde has always been acknowledged as one of the greatest operas, and has a long recorded history. In the years before the [[Second World War]], [[Kirsten Flagstad]] and [[Lauritz Melchior]] were considered to be the prime interpreters of the lead roles, and mono recordings exist of a number of live performances with this pair directed by conductors such as [[Thomas Beecham]], [[Fritz Reiner]], [[Artur Bodanzky]] and [[Erich Leinsdorf]] . Flagstad recorded the part for EMI near the end of her career under [[Wilhelm Furtwangler]], producing a set which is considered a classic recording. Following the war the performances at [[Bayreuth Festival|Bayreuth]] with [[Martha Modl]] and [[Ramon Vinay]] under [[Herbert von Karajan]] (1952) were highly regarded, and these performances are now available as a live recording. In the 1960s the soprano [[Birgit Nilsson]] was considered the major Isolde interpreter, and she was often partnered by the Tristan of [[Wolfgang Windgassen]]. Their performances at Bayreuth in 1966 were captured by Deutsche Grammophon, although some collectors prefer the pairing of Nilsson with the Canadian tenor [[Jon Vickers]], available in “unofficial” recordings from performances in Vienna or Orange. Karajan did not record the opera commercially until 1971, and his set is still controversial for the use of a lighter soprano voice as Isolde, paired with an extremely intense Vickers, and for the unusual balance between orchestra and singers favoured at that time by Karajan. By the 1980s recorded sets by conductors such as [[Carlos Kleiber]], [[Reginald Goodall]] and [[Leonard Bernstein]] were mostly considered to be important for the interpretation of the conductor, rather than that of the lead performers. The set by Kleiber is notable since Isolde is sung by [[Margaret Price]], who never sang the role on stage.
There has been much controversy over the move of the Dodgers to California, perhaps more than over any other franchise move of that era. Walter O'Malley, in particular, is described as villainous by some and admirable by others. Certainly he demonstrated some measure of selfishness and greed, but the same is also true of the New York City politicians who opposed him. Both sides were quite stubborn, and fatally misjudged each other. It should also be noted that Brooklyn had declined in many ways, under various social pressures, and was a much less desirable ___location for a baseball team than it had been. In fact, both sides in the stadium dispute proposed to remove the Dodgers from Brooklyn (Moses' plan for a team in Flushing Meadows was realized several years later, with little alteration, in the [[New York Mets]]). O'Malley also deserves credit as a visionary. Until 1958, [[St. Louis]] had generally been the westernmost outpost of Major League Baseball, whereas 12 of baseball's 30 teams now have their homes farther west. O'Malley was primarily concerned with making himself very rich (which he did), and certainly he broke the heart of many a New Yorker, but his move also helped lead the game of baseball to greater prominence and prosperity.
There are many recordings of the opera, some of the most popular being listed below:
===A New Start===
* [[Karl Elmendorff]] conducting the Bayreuther Festspiele Orchester with Gunnar Graarud as Tristan and Nanny Larsen-Todsen as Isolde, 1928 (Columbia Records, mono, rereleased in 2003 on CD by Naxos)
The process of building Walter O'Malley's dream stadium soon began in semi-rural Chavez Ravine, in the hills just north of downtown L.A. There was some political controversy, as the residents of the ravine, mostly [[Hispanic]] and mostly poor, resisted the [[eminent ___domain]] removal of their homes, and gained some public sympathy. Still, O'Malley and the city government were determined, and construction proceeded.
* Thomas Beecham/Fritz Reiner conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra with Kirsten Flagstad and Lauritz Melchior, 1936 – 1937 (EMI, mono)
In the meantime, the Dodgers played their home games from 1958 to 1961 at the [[Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum]], a gargantuan football and track-and-field stadium that had been built to host the [[1932 Summer Olympics]]. The Coliseum's dimensions were not optimal for baseball, and the only way to fit a diamond into the oval-shaped stadium was to lay the third-base line along the short axis of the oval, and the first-base line along the long axis. [http://www.ballparkwatch.com/stadiums/past/la_coliseum.htm See picture.] This resulted in a left-field fence that was only some 250 feet from home plate, and a 40-foot screen was erected to prevent home runs from becoming too easy to hit. Still, the 1958 season saw 182 home runs hit to left field in the Coliseum, while only 3 were hit to center field and 8 to right field. Dodgers outfielder [[Wally Moon]], newly acquired for the 1959 season, became adept at launching lazy fly balls over the screen, which became known as "Moon shots."
* Wilhelm Furtwangler conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra with Kirsten Flagstad and Ludwig Suthaus, 1953 (EMI, mono)
In [[1959]], the Dodgers benefitted from a general decline in the National League. No team was dominant, and several teams were in the thick of the pennant race until the very end. The season ended in a tie between the Dodgers and the [[Milwaukee Braves]], and the Dodgers won the tie-breaking playoff. 1959 also saw a team other than the [[New York Yankees|Yankees]] win the A.L. pennant, one of only two such years between 1949 and 1964. In a lively [[1959 World Series|World Series]], the Dodgers defeated the "Go-Go" [[Chicago White Sox|White Sox]] in 6 games, thoroughly cementing the bond between the team and its new California fans.
* Karl Bohm conducting the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra with Birgit Nilsson and Wolfgang Windgassen, 1966 (Deutsche Grammophon, stereo)
===Pitching, Defense, and Speed===
* Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra with Helga Dernesch and Jon Vickers, 1972 (EMI, stereo)
Construction on [[Dodger Stadium]] was completed in time for Opening Day [[1962]]. With its clean, simple lines and its picturesque setting amid hills and palm trees, the ballpark quickly became an icon of the Dodgers and their new California lifestyle, and it remains a beloved landmark to this day. O'Malley was determined that there would not be a bad seat in the house, acheiving this by [[cantilever]]ed grandstands that have since been widely imitated. More importantly for the team, the stadium's spacious dimensions, along with other factors, gave defense an advantage over offense, and the Dodgers moved to take advantage of this by assembling a team that would excel with its [[pitching]].
* Carlos Kleiber conducting the Dresden Staatskapelle with Margaret Price and Rene Kollo, 1982 (Deutsche Grammophon, stereo)
The core of the team's success in the 1960's was the dominant pitching tandem of [[Sandy Koufax]] and [[Don Drysdale]], who combined to win 4 of the 5 [[Cy Young Award]]s from 1962 to 1966. Top pitching also came from [[Claude Osteen]], an aging [[Johnny Podres]], and reliever [[Ron Perranoski]]. The hitting attack, on the other hand, was not impressive, and much of the offensive spark came from the exploits of speedy shortstop [[Maury Wills]], who led the league in [[stolen bases]] every year from 1960 to 1965, and set a modern record with 104 thefts in [[1962]]. The Dodgers' strategy was once described as follows: ''"Wills hits a single, steals second, and takes third on a grounder. A sacrifice fly brings him home. Koufax or Drysdale pitches a shutout, and the Dodgers win 1-0."'' Although few games followed this model exactly, the Dodgers indeed won a great many low-scoring games.
The [[1962]] pennant race ended in a tie, and the Dodgers were defeated by the archrival [[San Francisco Giants|Giants]] in the tie-breaking playoff, but the Dodgers proceeded to win the pennant in three of the next four years. The [[1963 World Series]] was a 4-game sweep of the [[New York Yankees|Yankees]], in which the Dodgers so dominated that the vaunted Bronx Bombers never even took a lead against Koufax, Podres, and Drysdale. After an injury-plagued 1964, the Dodgers bounced back to win the [[1965 World Series]] in a thrilling 7 games against the [[Minnesota Twins]]. Game 1 happened to fall on [[Yom Kippur]], and Koufax (who is [[Jewish]]) refused to pitch on the holy day. The Dodgers rebounded from losing the first two games, as Koufax pitched [[shutout]]s in Games 5 and 7 (with only two days rest in between) to win the crown.
=== Video ===
The Dodgers again won the pennant in [[1966 World Series|1966]], but the team was running out of gas and was swept by the upstart [[Baltimore Orioles]] (who went on to a successful run through the late '60s and early '70s). Koufax retired that winter, his career cut short by arthritis in his elbow, and Wills was traded away after offending Walter O'Malley. Drysdale continued to be effective, setting a record for consecutive scoreless innings in [[1968]], but he too retired early due to injuries. While the Dodgers were subpar for several seasons, a new core of young talent was developing in their [[Minor league baseball|farm system]]. A pennant in [[1974 World Series|1974]], though quickly quashed by the dynastic [[Oakland A's]], was a sign of good things to come.
* ''Tristan und Isolde'' [[Conductor]]: Karl Bohm. ORTF orchestra. Soloists: Brigitte Nilsson, Jon Vickers; 1973, at the Theatre Antique, Orange, France. Despite some technical problems and limited commercial distribution, it is still the finest video recording for its powerful performance (as of 2005-11-21).
* ''Tristan und Isolde'' [[Conductor]]: [[Daniel Barenboim]], Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiele, Staged and Directed by: [[Jean-Pierre Ponnelle]], Soloists: René Kollo, Johanna Meier, Matti Salminen, Hermann Becht, Hanna Schwarz, Unitel 1983, [[Laserdisc]] Philips 070-509-1
===The Lasorda Years===
For 23 years, beginning in 1954, the Dodgers had been managed by [[Walter Alston]], a quiet and unflappable man who commanded great respect from his players. Alston's tenure is the third-longest in baseball history for a manager with a single team, after [[Connie Mack (baseball)|Connie Mack]] and [[John McGraw (baseball)|John McGraw]]. His retirement near the end of the 1976 season, after winning 7 pennants and 4 World Series titles over his career, cleared the way for an entirely different personality to take the helm of the Dodgers.
[[Tommy Lasorda]] was a 49-year-old former pitcher (never very successful in that capacity), who had been the team's top coach under Alston, and before that had been manager of the Dodgers' top minor league team. He was colorful and gregarious, an enthusiastic cheerleader in contrast to Alston's taciturn demeanor. He quickly became a larger-than-life personality, associating with [[Frank Sinatra]] and other celebrities, and eating Italian food in large volumes. He became well-known for sayings such as, "If you cut me, I bleed Dodger blue," and for referring to [[God]] as "the big Dodger in the sky." Although some considered his persona to be a [[schtick]] and to find it wearing, his enthusiasm won him a reputation as an "ambassador for baseball," and it is impossible to think of the Dodgers from the late '70s to the early '90s without thinking of Lasorda.
Another transition had recently occurred, higher up in the Dodgers management. Walter O'Malley passed control of the team to his son [[Peter O'Malley|Peter]], who would continue to oversee the Dodgers on his family's behalf through 1998.
New blood had also been injected into the team on the field. The core of the team was now the infield, composed of [[Steve Garvey]] (1B), [[Davey Lopes]] (2B), [[Bill Russell]] (SS), and [[Ron Cey]] (3B). These four remained in the starting lineup together from 1973 to 1981, longer than any other infield foursome in baseball history. The pitching staff remained strong, anchored by [[Don Sutton]] and [[Tommy John]]. The Dodgers won [[NL West]] titles in both [[1977 World Series|1977]] and [[1978 World Series|1978]], both times defeating the [[Philadelphia Phillies]] to advance to the World Series, only to be defeated both times by the [[New York Yankees|Yankees]]. In [[1980]], they swept 3 games from the [[Houston Astros]] to finish the regular season in a tie, but lost to the Astros in the tie-breaking playoff.
===Fernando and the Bulldog===
The Opening Day starting pitcher for [[1981]] was a 20-year-old rookie from Mexico: [[Fernando Valenzuela]]. Pressed into service due to an injury to [[Jerry Reuss]], Valenzuela pitched a [[shutout]] that day, and proceeded to win his first 8 decisions through mid-May. The youthful left-hander, speaking only Spanish but sporting a devastating [[screwball]], became a sensation. '''"Fernandomania"''' gripped Southern California, as huge crowds turned out to see him pitch. Valenzuela became the only pitcher ever to win the [[MLB Rookie of the Year Award|Rookie of the Year]] and the [[Cy Young Award]] in the same season. The Dodgers' torrid start assured them of a playoff berth in the [[1981 baseball strike|strike-shortened]] split season, and they proceeded to defeat the [[New York Yankees|Yankees]] in the [[1981 World Series|World Series]].
The Dodgers won [[NL West]] titles in [[1983]] and [[1985]], but lost the [[National League Championship Series|Championship Series]] in both those years (to the [[Philadelphia Phillies|Phillies]] and [[St. Louis Cardinals|Cardinals]], respectively). The 1985 NLCS was particularly memorable for Game 6, in which the Dodgers were protecting a 5-4 lead in the ninth inning, hoping to force a deciding seventh game. With two runners on and first base open, Lasorda elected not to [[base on balls|walk]] Cards slugger [[Jack Clark (baseball)|Jack Clark]], who proceeded to hit a home run and send St. Louis to the World Series.
After 7 years of high [[strikeout]] totals, and a 21-win season in [[1986]], Valenzuela sat out for most of the [[1988]] season. Plagued by arm troubles that were widely blamed on his being overused by Lasorda, his effectiveness faded before he turned 30. The new anchor of the pitching staff was a bespectacled string-bean of a right-hander named [[Orel Hershiser]]. He had been given the nickname "Bulldog" by Lasorda, more as a hopeful motivational tool than an objective description of his personality, but by 1988 he had matured into one of baseball's most effective pitchers. That year he won 23 games and the [[Cy Young Award]], and broke [[Don Drysdale]]'s record by tossing 59 consecutive scoreless innings, ending with a 10-inning [[shutout]] on his final start of the season.
The [[1988 World Series|1988 Championship]] is all the more magical for the fact that the Dodgers were hardly baseball's best team on paper. They enjoyed career years from several players, and were inspired by the fiery intensity of newcomer [[Kirk Gibson]] (the league's [[MLB Most Valuable Player Award|Most Valuable Player]] that year), as well as the quiet but steady Hershiser and the always ebullient Lasorda. Although they entered the [[National League Championship Series|NLCS]] as decided underdogs to the powerful [[New York Mets]], the Dodgers pulled out a thrilling back-and-forth series in 7 games. The [[1988 World Series|World Series]] matched them with an even more powerful opponent, the [[Oakland A's]] of [[Mark McGwire]] and [[Jose Canseco]]. The A's took an early lead in Game 1 on a [[grand slam]] by Canseco, and led 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth. In a surprise move, Gibson, hobbling with injuries to both his legs, [[pinch hitter|pinch hit]] against the formidable [[Dennis Eckersley]]. Gibson's dramatic home run has been called one of the most memorable moments in baseball history, and it set the tone for the rest of the Series. Hershiser dominated Games 2 and 5, and was on the mound when the stunning upset was complete.
===Present Day===
After 1988, the Dodgers did not win another postseason game until 2004. Hershiser, like Valenzuela before him, suffered an arm injury in 1990 due to overwork, which took the edge off his effectiveness for the remainder of his career. From 1992 to 1996, five consecutive Dodgers were named [[MLB Rookie of the Year Award|Rookie of the Year]]: [[Eric Karros]], [[Mike Piazza]], [[Raul Mondesi]], [[Hideo Nomo]], and [[Todd Hollandsworth]]. The Dodgers did reach the playoffs in [[1995]] and [[1996]], and narrowly missed in [[1991]] and strike-cancelled [[1994 baseball strike|1994]]. After nearly 20 years at the helm, Lasorda retired in 1996, though he still remains with the Dodgers as an executive vice-president. He was replaced as manager by former Dodgers shortstop [[Bill Russell]].
Nearly a half-century of unusual stability (only two managers 1954-1996, owned by a single family 1950-1998) finally came to an end. In 1998, the O'Malley family sold the Dodgers to Rupert Murdoch's [[News Corporation]], owner of the [[Fox network]] and [[20th Century Fox]]. Among the new ownership's early moves were trading away popular catcher Piazza, and replacing Russell with celebrity manager [[Davey Johnson]]. Johnson's volatile tenure ended two years later, and he was followed by the current manager [[Jim Tracy]]. The 2002 season was marked by the emergence of [[Eric Gagne]] as one of baseball's top [[relief pitcher]]s. Gagne won the [[Cy Young Award]] in 2003.
In [[2004]], News Corp. sold the Dodgers to real estate developer [[Frank McCourt (executive)|Frank McCourt]], who hired [[Paul DePodesta]] to be general manager. Shortly before the start of the regular season, DePodesta engineered the acquisition of volatile yet talented outfielder [[Milton Bradley (baseball player)|Milton Bradley]]. The Dodgers played an exciting, competitive brand of baseball during the first half of 2004, yet DePodesta felt something else was needed to vault the team into the postseason. To this end, he executed a blockbuster series of mid-season trades, sending away three starting players (including popular catcher and team leader [[Paul LoDuca]]) and two key pitchers, while obtaining several new players. While the Dodgers did win the [[NL West]] in 2004, they lost in the Division Series to the eventual NL champion [[St. Louis Cardinals]]. Only a masterful performance by journeyman [[Jose Lima]] kept the Dodgers from being swept out of the playoffs.
The winter of 2004-2005 saw several more popular players exit, including Lima, third baseman [[Adrian Beltre]], and slugger [[Shawn Green]]. Their replacements included starting pitcher [[Derek Lowe]], outfielder [[J.D. Drew]], and hard-hitting second baseman [[Jeff Kent]]. In 2005, the Dodgers initially silenced their many doubters by winning 12 of their first 14 games. But then they came back to earth, playing well below .500 baseball.
==[[Baseball Hall of Fame]]rs==
{|
|valign="top"|
*[[Walter Alston]]
*[[Dave Bancroft]]
*[[Dan Brouthers]]
*[[Jim Bunning]]
*[[Roy Campanella]]
*[[Max Carey]]
*[[Don Drysdale]]
*[[Leo Durocher]]
*[[Burleigh Grimes]]
*[[Billy Herman]]
*[[Waite Hoyt]]
*[[Hughie Jennings]]
*[[Willie Keeler]]
*[[Joe Kelley]]
|width="100"|
|valign="top"|
*[[George Kelly (baseball player)|George Kelly]]
*[[Sandy Koufax]]
*[[Tommy Lasorda]]
*[[Tony Lazzeri]]
*[[Freddie Lindstrom]]
*[[Ernie Lombardi]]
*[[Al Lopez]]
*[[Heinie Manush]]
*[[Rabbit Maranville]]
*[[Juan Marichal]]
*[[Rube Marquard]]
*[[Tommy McCarthy]]
*[[Joe McGinnity]]
*[[Joe Medwick]]
|width="100"|
|valign="top"|
*[[Pee Wee Reese]]
*[[Jackie Robinson]]
*[[Frank Robinson]]
*[[Duke Snider]]
*[[Casey Stengel]]
*[[Don Sutton]]
*[[Dazzy Vance]]
*[[Arky Vaughan]]
*[[Paul Waner]]
*[[Lloyd Waner]]
*[[Monte Ward|(John) Monte Ward]]
*[[Zack Wheat]]
*[[Hoyt Wilhelm]]
*[[Hack Wilson]]
|}
==Current roster==
{{:Los Angeles Dodgers roster}}
==Retired numbers==
{| align="left" border=4 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=4 width=200 style="margin-left:3px"
!align="center" bgcolor="white" colspan="2"|<font color=1569C7>Dodgers<br>Retired Numbers
|-
!align="left" bgcolor="#1569C7" |<font color=white>'''Pee Wee Reese'''
!align="right" |<font color=red>'''1'''
|-
!align="left" bgcolor="#1569C7" |<font color=white>'''Tommy Lasorda'''
!align="right" |<font color=red>'''2'''
|-
!align="left" bgcolor="#1569C7" |<font color=white>'''Duke Snider'''
!align="right" |<font color=red>'''4'''
|-
!align="left" bgcolor="#1569C7" |<font color=white>'''Jim Gilliam'''
!align="right" |<font color=red>'''19'''
|-
!align="left" bgcolor="#1569C7" |<font color=white>'''Don Sutton'''
!align="right" |<font color=red>'''20'''
|-
!align="left" bgcolor="#1569C7" |<font color=white>'''Walter Alston'''
!align="right" |<font color=red>'''24'''
|-
!align="left" bgcolor="#1569C7" |<font color=white>'''Sandy Koufax'''
!align="right" |<font color=red>'''32'''
|-
!align="left" bgcolor="#1569C7" |<font color=white>'''Roy Campanella'''
!align="right" |<font color=red>'''39
|-
!align="left" bgcolor="#1569C7" |<font color=white>'''Jackie Robinson'''
!align="right" |<font color=red>'''42'''
|-
!align="left" bgcolor="#1569C7" |<font color=white>'''Don Drysdale'''
!align="right" |<font color=red>'''53'''
|-
|}<br style="clear:both;">
== Recommended Reading ==
*Red Barber, <i>Rhubarb in the Catbird Seat</i>
*Robert W. Creamer, <i>Stengel: His Life and Times</i>
*Peter Golenbock, <i>Bums: An Oral History of the Brooklyn Dodgers</i>
*Harvey Froemmer, <i>New York City Baseball</i>
*Roger Kahn, <i>The Boys of Summer</i> and <i>The Era</i>.
*Jackie Robinson, <i>I Never Had It Made</i>
*Neil J. Sullivan, <i>The Dodgers Move West</i>
{{MLB see also Dodgers}}
==External links==
*[http://www.tip.net.au/~jgbrown/Tristan/discography/ Discography of ''Tristan und Isolde]
*[http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/la/homepage/la_homepage.jsp Los Angeles Dodgers official web site]
*[http://www.scarp.plus.com/TristanundIsolde.html ''Tristan und Isolde'' libretto] from the Wagner Libretto Page
*[http://www.walteromalley.com/ Walter O'Malley - The Official Website]
* [http://www.richard-wagner-postkarten.de/postkarten/tri.php Richard Wagner - Tristan und Isolde]. A gallery of historic postcards with motives from Richard Wagner's operas.
*[http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/LosAngelesDodgers/ The largest Los Angeles Dodgers Group on the web]
*[http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Dodger Thoughts]
*[http://www.dodgerplace.com/ Sarah's Dodger Place]
*[http://www.pigsandfishes.org/filks/mikefilk/whendodgerswalked.html When Dodgers Walked] a [[filk]] song about the [[New York Giants]] and [[Brooklyn Dodgers]]' departed glory.
*[http://www.dodgerblues.com] Fan site frequently critical of the way the team has been run since the ownership of News Corp.
{{MLB}}
[[Category:Los Angeles sports]]
[[Category:MLB teams]]
[[Category:Operas by Richard Wagner]]
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[[es:Los Angeles Dodgers]]
[[Category:Romantic tragedy]]
[[fr:Dodgers de Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Arthurian legend]]
[[ja:ロサンゼルス・ドジャース]]
[[Category:Operas]]
[[sv:Los_Angeles_Dodgers]]
[[da:Tristan og Isolde]]
[[de:Tristan und Isolde]]
[[es:Tristán e Isolda]]
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[[ja:トリスタンとイゾルデ (楽劇)]]
[[pl:Tristan i Izolda (opera)]]
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