Return to the Ravine: A Night in Dodgertown

As I strode toward the left field pavilion at Dodger Stadium this Friday night, the memories of seasons past came rushing back. Naturally, I noticed some cosmetic changes, the painted visage of Orlando Hudson on the exterior wall among them. Still, after I presented my ticket to watch batting practice, I realized that many things remain constant at Chavez Ravine. No BP viewing there would be complete without fans shamelessly angling for souvenirs. Sure enough, one man yelled, “Belisario, we love you!” in a blatant yet unsuccessful attempt at getting the reliever to toss a ball his way. Among the Dodgers gathered near the too-light-to-be-Dodger blue outfield wall was Eric Stults, who started the previous night’s game in place of the injured Hiroki Kuroda. He had emerged with his second victory of the season, yet another sign that everything was going right for the home nine of late. Now, though, he was content to watch his teammates smoke line drives and the occasional homer, much to the delight of those gathered there.

I exited and made a beeline for Autograph Alley. Last season, a friend and I had attended a game against San Francisco and gotten the signature of Jim Gott, who then talked to us at relative length about some of his favorite ballparks in the majors as well as his distaste for the Giants. It was an altogether impressive experience, and while some of the most popular nights draw sizable crowds of autograph seekers, on that day there was literally no one in line to interrupt our conversation. I approached the area today to notice that a Dodger staffer was holding one leg of the tent in an attempt to keep it standing. He then muttered to a co-worker, “I don’t know how to operate this thing.” Today I wasn’t alone with the athletes, but stayed long enough to hear Jay Johnstone comment on how players of his era actually have legible signatures. I smiled and said it was a novel concept before proceeding to Rudy Law’s table. Law, as I later found out on Baseball Reference, only spent one full season in the outfield with the Dodgers, but he amassed 40 steals in the campaign. Still, that would pale in comparison with the 77 he recorded with the White Sox in, ironically, my birth year of 1983. Then again, on Wednesday Clayton Kershaw racked up 13 strikeouts, and by the time he was born in 1988 Law had been retired for two years.

I dodged a golf cart filled with burly Prime Ticket television crew members and departed for my seat in the stratosphere known as the Top Deck. Despite being the stadium’s highest level, the Top Deck still offers a better view than most comparable seats at new ballparks, which have many levels of luxury boxes. It would be hypocritical of me to knock these suites much, as I have on occasion indulged in a massive slice of carrot cake after being invited by a friend or relative to sit in one. Nevertheless, as I often sit in the cheap seats, I appreciate places like Dodger Stadium that were originally built with the average fan in mind. That is, until I’m climbing the countless steps to what they literally call the Top of the Park, and wishing I ran marathons like my brother. When I finally reached the apex, a pale green Econoline camper caught my eye. It looked as though it had seen its share of presidential administrations, and I couldn’t help but envision its driver as a decades-long season ticket holder, even though I had no other evidence to support my conclusion. Speaking of which, I had bought my ticket from someone with a full-season plan, so if I had chosen a lofty perch from which to witness the game, at least my destination was Row C.

When I got there, the visiting Rockies were about to conclude their batting practice session, and the man at the dish was putting a charge into the ball. Spying the number 27 on his jersey, I realized it was the player immortalized in my memory due to an opponent’s fantasy team name: The Garrett Atkins Diet. After Colorado vacated the field, I caught a glimpse of the left field scoreboard. For the moment, it listed the American League leaders in batting average with runners in scoring position, and Brian Roberts held the distinction of hitting 1.000 in these situations. It felt great to have confirmation on just how young the season was.
Tonight, the umpiring crew featured the Welke brothers, Tim and Bill. This caused me to realize how little attention I usually pay to the arbiters when I’m watching at home. I wondered how many casual fans realized that sibling umps even exist in the major leagues. Then again, umpires are probably happiest when the fans don’t notice them at all. A teenager with an eerie but officially licensed Dodger mask declared into a microphone that it was time for Dodger baseball, and the men in white took the field.

I was most interested to see the first Colorado batter, Dexter Fowler. I recalled watching Fowler play on an Internet stream as a member of the U.S. Olympic team last year, but there’s no substitute for live and in person, an attitude I’m sure MLB endorses heartily. The Rockies center fielder started with an innocuous ground out to third, but Randy Wolf gave up a walk, a double to Atkins, and then a majestic homer to Brad Hawpe. Less than an inning in, the crowd seemed stunned at the 3-0 deficit, particularly since L.A. was fresh off a home sweep of the Giants. Only Wolf seemed unfazed, throwing slow curves and striking out Chris Iannetta to end the frame.

The term Dodgertown historically has been used to describe the Dodgers’ former Spring Training site in Vero Beach, Florida. However, this year it is sometimes used in reference to the ballpark in Los Angeles now that the Dodgers relocated their spring facilities to Glendale, Arizona. In the Dodger half of the first, the home fans celebrated loudly as Manny Ramirez followed a Rafael Furcal single with one of his own. Still, Jorge De La Rosa snuffed out the rally by finishing his inning with a strikeout, this time against Andre Ethier. Ethier was once traded away by Oakland, and his success with L.A. has inevitably led me to mention him if anyone claims Billy Beane is infallible.

The subsequent span of scoreless innings had a few plays of note, including a throwing error on a routine grounder back to De La Rosa which caused nearly everyone to gasp in surprise before realizing happily that Wolf had reached base as a result. It was also hard to believe when Hudson attempted a bunt with no one on base, as he had hit for the cycle just days earlier. In the third, Matt Kemp was awarded a ground rule double, not because the ball bounced over the wall, but rather because it became lodged in the left field tarp. For the most part, though, Colorado kept the home squad frustrated in its attempt to crawl out of their early hole. The fan next to me had clearly begun to lose faith, repeatedly insulting the newly trimmed beard of Ryan Spilborghs during his at-bat in the fifth. When he went down swinging, I heard, “Spend more time in the batting cage and less in front of the mirror!” Now there’s commentary that even Vin Scully can’t provide.

Despite the big first inning, the turning point in this one immediately followed the seventh-inning stretch. Matt Belisle sandwiched hits to Furcal and Ramirez around a walk to Hudson. Clint Hurdle then lifted his hurler, who was hit so hard in the series that the Rockies considered demoting him. Alan Embree followed and at least retired a batter, but Ethier’s double into the gap tied the game. It’s hard not to love baseball, even if only because one moment a crowd can be nervously watching and the next clapping along to “We Like to Party.” One out later, Mark Loretta reached on a 2-out infield single, plating the fourth run of the inning and giving the Dodgers a 4-3 advantage. Even the usher who demanded a beach ball from someone sitting near me couldn’t dampen the section’s enthusiasm.

Needless to say, the Rockies could have used better relief pitching. The Dodgers ended up holding onto the lead and sweeping the series after winning two high-scoring affairs on the weekend. Colorado was left with nothing to show for its trip to Southern California. After Friday’s game finished, though, the most vivid image in my mind was of Jonathan Broxton coming into a bases loaded situation with one out and striking out a pair of Rockies before closing the door in the ninth. Especially after this performance, you could call him Big Jon, as Scully does, for a reason other than his physique.