Before the Doyers: ‘Once Upon A Time in Chavez Ravine’ (videos)


Although we root root root for the home team, we can never forget the gente who were forced out of their homes in Chavez Ravine to make way for Dodger Stadium.


Mister, you’re a baseball man, as anyone can plainly see
The straightest game in this great land. Take a little tip from me
I work here nights, parking cars, underneath the moon and stars
The same ones that we all knew back in 1952
And if you want to know where a local boy like me is coming from:
3rd base, Dodger Stadium

2nd base, right over there. I see grandma in her rocking chair
Watching linens flapping in the breeze, and all the fellows choosing up their teams
Hand over hand on that Louisville. Crowning the top, king of the hill
Mound to home, sixty feet. Baseball been very good to me
And if you want to know where a local boy like me is coming from:
3rd base, Dodger Stadium
3rd base, Dodger Stadium

Back around the 76 ball, Johnny Greeneyes had his shoeshine stall
In the middle of the 1st base line, got my first kiss, Florencia was kind
Now, if the dozer hadn’t taken my yard, you’d see the tree with our initials carved
So many moments in my memory. Sure was fun, ’cause the game was free
It was free

Hey mister, you seem anxious to go. You’ll find that seat, in the 7th row
Behind home plate, where we used to meet. When we were young, we had dreams
Just a place you don’t know, up a road you can’t go
Just a thought, laid to rest in my mind, just a time
If you care to know where I’m gonna go when I hit my last homerun:
3rd base, Dodger Stadium
3rd base, Dodger Stadium
3rd base, Dodger Stadium
Hey, Mister, you are a baseball man
Yes, I’m a baseball man myself
Yes, I’m a baseball man, too
Baseball been very good to me
Yes, baseball been very good to me

Play ball! Five tips to survive Los Doyers 2013

Baseball season starts Monday. For me, it means six months of praying and hoping that the Dodgers can turn their billion-dollar payroll into championship glory.

Those Dodger games can be expensive and explosive. There is nothing better than sitting through the United States’ answer to the soccer (including riots if you show up wearing the wrong cap.) So here is a guide to surviving your outing with Los Doyers.

TIP #1: Be prompt: The reason you want to be there is merely for seating. With the right kind of heart, you can treat the experience like an event with general admission. Do not get greedy.

If you have nosebleed ZZZ tickets, don’t try to sneak in to the A+ section behind luminary celebrities like Fred Savage or one of the Real Housewives. Row G is good enough. Most Dodger fans do not show until the fourth inning anyway. Do not get disheartened if you get kicked out by the real owner. Just pretend to be confused and act like my Tia Chicha trying to set up a DVR. Then be brazen and try to slide into Row F.

Mas…Play ball! Five tips to survive Los Doyers 2013