Next week, I’ll be posting a full review of Forever Blue, Michael D’Antonio’s new book about the Brooklyn Dodgers and their widely reviled owner Walter O’Malley. For now, the New York Times baseball blog Bats has a lengthy interview with the author:

Q: Forever Blue describes the cultural and demographic shifts in Brooklyn at mid-century. Did Walter O’Malley, by decamping with the Dodgers, crush Brooklyn’s spirit?

A: Some people are still so upset about the departure of the Dodgers, and so unwilling to consider that O’Malley wasn’t solely responsible, that I’m looking for a tomato-proof suit to wear when I talk about the book in front of Brooklyn audiences.