“I think it goes back to Little League,” Langill said. “At that age you are always optimistic, especially on the first day of anything. You don’t know what is going to happen. This is a brand new page in a brand new book.”
Langill then brandished and displayed for his Zoom camera a mint condition ticket stub from the Dodgers’ season-opener for the 1981 Dodgers, which soon became famous as the debut of pitcher Fernando Valenzuela.
“Jerry Reuss was supposed to start the game, but he pulled a hammy [hamstring],” explained Langill, who attended the game because his alma mater, South Pasadena High School, was on spring break. “Next in line was Burt Hooton, and he had an ingrown toenail. It was the day before the game and Fernando was pitching batting practice. Everybody ran up to him and said, ‘Stop, stop!’ He thought he was doing something wrong when they told him he was going to be the opening day starter.”
In true team historian fashion, Langill then explained how Valenzuela remarkably won his first eight starts and — Oh, by the way — this year’s opener happens to fall on the 40th anniversary of Valenzuela’s Opening Day piece of Dodger history.
Langill knows the passion displayed by his audiences and, therefore, tabled his agenda in favor of a question-and-answer format.
On the Dodgers’ move from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, Langill explained that then-owner Walter O’Malley couldn’t get a new, larger stadium built in New York.
“From the business standpoint, they knew they needed a bigger ballpark and they weren’t going to get it in Brooklyn,” said Langill. “They accepted the offer from Los Angeles, even though O’Malley had only seen Los Angeles on the map and once on a ride in a helicopter.”
But it was during that chopper ride when O’Malley saw the team’s baseball future.
“The Los Angeles City Council City had talked about the land in Chavez Ravine being available, but he didn’t want the land,” Langill explained. “He wanted the freeways. He knew that was the future and that street cars were being phased out. He wanted the freeways.”
Concerning the Dodgers’ current ownership group, Langill explained that you can have the most money and write the biggest check, but the keys to success are still the team’s structure, including scouting and farm team development.
Langill was then asked about Jay Johnstone, a former Dodger and San Marino resident.
“The sense of humor he had,” said Langill, shaking his head and letting the words drift toward infinity. “He put [former Dodger manager Tommy] Lasorda through torture.”
He explained one particular stunt during spring training in Vero Beach, Florida, where Johnstone had jammed Lasorda’s hotel room door. But he had also removed the innards to Lasorda’s telephone so front desk workers couldn’t hear Lasorda screaming.
“He was always wanting to have fun,” Langill said of Johnstone. “But as goofy as he was and as zany as he was, he was still a heck of a player.”
Langill explained Johnstone’s “promise” to hit a home run in the third game of the 1981 World Series, with the Dodgers behind two games to one and trailing 4-0 in that particular contest.
Johnstone made good on the pledge, sparking Los Angeles to a 4-2 series victory.
“That was the the turning point of the World Series,” Langill said, stone-faced.
Langill was then asked what advice he would have for community leaders.
“Take care of the young and take care of the old, because people in the middle should be able to take care of themselves,” Langill said, without an instant of hesitation. “If you are in a position to help others, really think it through. You have a responsibility to a community. Don’t take anything for granted.”
When asked to supply a prediction for the upcoming season, Langill went back to his opening words.
“The beauty is we don’t know what is going to happen,” said Langill. “We have had six chances to defend a world title and we’ve never done it.
“I say to myself, ‘It’s never been done before,’ so that’s going to be the challenge. Whatever happens, it will certainly be fun to watch.”
