March 18, 2008
Dodgertown Goodbye
The Dodgertown era is over. I must admit I'm surprised the Dodgers stayed there as long as they did. I know for a while that the facility attracted Brooklyn Dodgers fans, but most of those were probably gone after 30 years.
I wonder how much Florida is worried about competition from Arizona, however. If Cincinnati also makes the move, the two states will be close to evenly splitting Major Leauge teams. I can see Houston and Minnesota moving there in the future, which would give Arizona the edge.
what would you choose - margaritas in Arizona or metal detectors on the beach in Florida?
Headline today from Local 6 News in Orlando:
"Metal Detectors Sell Out Near Beaches As Gold Prices Hit Record Highs "
When we heard the dodgers were leaving vero, my dad and I decided to design this year's spring training pilgrimage so we could see a game there. We got lucky and managed to snag second row seats on the cards dugout, and before the game started, an older gentleman- at least 75, maybe older- got an autographed ball from cards 3B prospect Brian Barden; he didn't know who the player was, so we had a long conversation about him, cardinals prospects, etc. Turned out the guy was from Brooklyn and had been following the Dodgers for his entire life, but had never been to a game in LA. he was very sentimental about the dodgers leaving vero beach, because he said he'd probably never get to see them again. It was very sad.
The park itself was miserable, though... the seats were so cramped that I left to go sit on the CF berm after the second inning, and the concessions setup around the perimeter was just awful. Loved the berm though.
The park itself may be nothing special, but the area surrounding it is positively idyllic, with dirt paths and trees, which can't be said about many other ballparks. I remember going about a decade ago and being driven past by Dodger coach Manny Mota on a bike.
Find any Met fan over 60 years old and you'll almost every time find an old Dodger (or Giant) fan.
There are a lot of them around.
You're right Bob....There's still alot of hate around here for those "Bums". The Ol' Dodger and Giant fans, albeit getting older, retain the same disdain for the owners and select local politicians that couldn't find a way to keep them here. Only a very few do not "let'em have it" when they come into Shea Stadium. We can't help but wax nostalgic when we think of the coulda's and the shoulda's. The New York Mets are our NL team now and we love'em. 1955 is alive and well in Brooklyn everyday, but the cheers come out of Flushing now.
(sigh**).
