The Dodgers had just come off another postseason appearance. The management and the manager could not agree on a contract, so the manager left.
The Dodgers had World Series aspirations and a roster packed with star power. The management handed all those egos and all those expectations to a fortysomething manager, one who never had managed a game in the major leagues.
We're not talking about Dave Roberts, who will be introduced Tuesday as the Dodgers' latest manager. We're talking about Walter Alston, whose hiring as Brooklyn Dodgers manager in 1953 generated a "Who?