Los Angeles – The good thing about LA is that there are different sports to enjoy all year-round. And even if you’re not a sports lover, you simply can’t resist being where the action is. The Los Angeles Dodgers pitched and swung the bat for a National Wild Card game against archrival San Francisco Giants for three straight days to end their home schedule at Dodger Stadium, a venue of great baseball action.
Sunday was the venue of the last home game of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the 2003 season. It was also the venue of my first live baseball game.
Although traffic was not that bad, it was a little heavier than the usual Sunday drive. The Golden State Freeway leading to the stadium was packed. Cars of varied sizes and shapes seemed like ants making their way to the anthill. And it was also a hill the fans were making their way to: Chavez Ravine, is where the home of the Dodgers is located. And it was well worth the trek, if only to delight myself with the breath-taking view of downtown Los Angeles. Outside the stadium there are more than 3,400 trees in 300 acres of the beautiful landscape. The sprawling parking area can accommodate 16,000 vehicles. Everything is clean and organized. And that undoubtedly adds to the appeal of this famous sports landmark.
The 41-year-old Dodger Stadium does not only boast of beauty; it also lays claim to a rich history. It began with the vision of Dodger president Walter O’Malley in the ‘50s. Together with architect Emil Praeger, they set to work on what would become the marker of West Coast expansion to Major League Baseball. However, it’s not all baseball in the Dodger Stadium. Non-baseball events held here include the mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II on Sept. 16, 1987, and concerts of entertainers like the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, the Bee Gees, Simon and Garfunkel, Elton John, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, U2, Dave Matthews Band, and Michael Jackson. The stadium opened its doors on April 10, 1962. Since then, Dodger Stadium has hosted eight World Series. It was also the venue of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 1980 and the Olympic Games’ baseball competition in 1984. More than 110 million fans have watched the games at the 56,000-seat Dodger Stadium.
Iwas lucky because it was Fan Appreciation Day when I went there. It was the Dodgers’ way of thanking the fans for coming out to support their team year after year. It was 30 percent off on all Dodger merchandise, including a pink sun visor that I fancied. But there was more to Fan Appreciation Day than the sale in the Dodger shops. Everyone awaited the raffle draw at the end of the game where one of the major sponsors, Toyota, gave away a brand new 2004 4Runner.
The game started at exactly 1:30 p.m. The stadium is open air and the California sun was at its peak, but the fans didn’t mind. Girls wore tank tops and shorts, while the guys took off their shirts. Smart fans brought suntan lotion taking advantage of the last summer rays. Moms applied sunblock on their kids. The Dodgers even came up with side events that would entertain the crowd during the dull parts of the game, beach balls were continuously passed around throughout the innings. An inning can be really dragging without homers to get the fans on their feet. But one interesting thing about the sport is that managers and coaches, no matter how old or out of shape they may be, still have to wear the tight uniforms. To enhance the over-all fan experience, a DodgerVision video board and cutting-edge control room were added to the facilities of the stadium last year. While players pitched and batted, their pictures and greatest feats were flashed on the screen, along with different trivia questions which fans were encouraged to answer.
Of course I couldn’t answer any of the questions. I admit I’m not really a Dodgers fan; nor am I a baseball fan. But boy, I did enjoy the game! I didn’t see Barry Bonds who sat out the game. He must have been resting for more crucial games (the Giants were already assured of a Wild Card prior to this game). But I saw Eric Gagne, currently the hottest pitcher in the league. A lot of authorities in baseball pick him to win this season’s Cy Young award. The fans rose to their feet four times during the game: at the start for the singing of the national anthem, at the 7th inning stretch where everyone sang
Take Me Out to the Ballgame with
gusto because the Dodgers were already leading by then, when the 27-year-old Gagne entered the game during the 8th inning (he usually ends the game for the Dodgers but this time, he was fielded in earlier). I may not have had an adequate amount of luck to win any of the raffle prizes, but I certainly had enough luck to see the Dodgers club four home runs, including a back-to-back, in a wild 7-5 win over the Giants.
In all, the Dodgers win last Sunday was a good exit from the Dodger stadium this season, as well as a good end to a baseball weekend that started awry. Friday night’s game was attended by 51,612 fans that saw a double whammy for the Dodgers. They lost, not only the game to the Giants (6-4), but also a fan. Mark Allen Antenocruz, 24, was shot and killed on the ballpark grounds after the game, and after a confrontation between him and two males and a female, apparently Giants fans. "There is no rivalry in any sport where life and death should be a consequence," Dodger manager Jim Tracy commented.