If O'Malley was really interested in winning the fight, this was time for hardball, for O'Malley to engage in a painful but real dialogue with the neighbors. He could have mobilized allies, such as organized labor, and called in some of his political markers. Alatorre figures he could have won. But there was a slight problem. I like people who fight for what they believe in, who have the guts to take abuse from angry neighbors.
Some people call that kind of community opposition obstructionism.
A better word is democracy. O'Malley has been all but canonized by his boosters in L.A. for his timidity. From what I've read, Murdoch is no gentleman, at least in business. And if he gets the Dodgers because O'Malley has abandoned the field, L.A. will pay. Murdoch, no doubt, will want to remodel Dodger Stadium, put in luxury boxes, reduce the number of cheap seats, raise the prices.