Reminiscing about the Ravine
The Dodgers experienced an abrupt end to their season, but my gameday memories haven't faded.
After winning 111 regular season games, the Los Angeles Dodgers saw their season end at the hands of the San Diego Padres last night. It was a forgettable National League Division Series for the Dodgers, but I really enjoyed attending home games at Chavez Ravine as the campaign wound down.
On August 24, I reached the remote lot at Dodger Stadium with plenty of time to spare. It cost just $5 to park but did involve a moderate walk to the ballpark entrance. I accepted the Magic Johnson giveaway shirt and noticed an exhibition near the left field pavilion. It goes without saying that I am always up for some historical baseball jerseys and tales about sports.
In collaboration with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Dodger Stadium presented a brief history of Black and Latino baseball players. In addition to discussing the process of desegregating baseball, the exhibit made sure to discuss each player’s accomplishments on the field. I remembered Monte Irvin from the classic Arnold Hano book A Day in the Bleachers which chronicled Hano’s experiences watching the 1954 World Series featuring Irvin’s New York Giants. Irvin was also one of the first Black players in the majors after playing segregated ball for the Newark Eagles.
When Orestes "Minnie" Miñoso passed away in 2015, he left behind a vast legacy. Miñoso wasn’t elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame until this year, but “The Cuban Comet" was selected to nine Major League All-Star Games. Born in the Cuban town of Perico, Miñoso rose to fame with the New York Cubans where he was part of the squad that captured the 1947 Negro World Series.
In 1948, Miñoso entered the majors with Cleveland but the team used him sparingly. After all, it was a very talented team that featured the likes of Larry Doby. Doby was the first player to break the American League color barrier just as Jackie Robinson had done with the Brooklyn Dodgers in the National League. Miñoso played a stretch for the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League before beginning a long tenure as part of the Chicago White Sox in 1951. Miñoso ended his career with a .299 career major league batting average and led the league in stolen bases on three occasions. He reached the 2,000 hit and 1,000 RBI plateaus as well.
There is also plenty on display from recent Dodgers history, such as a display case from Tommy Lasorda’s legendary managing career and memorabilia from the career of pitching supernova Fernando Valenzuela. I was entertained even before the Dodgers exploded for four runs in the first inning to win 12-6 over the Brewers.
Speaking of Lasorda, the city of Fullerton recently declared September 22 to be Tommy Lasorda Day in honor of the longtime resident. Dorina and I took the opportunity to attend two baseball exhibits at the Fullerton Museum downtown, including one about the man who managed the Dodgers to the 1988 World Series title among many other accomplishments.
The exhibition includes photography by Tom DiPace and art by Christopher Paluso. I also enjoyed memorabilia from the World Baseball Classic having attended a tournament game in Anaheim between the United States and Japan.
A baseball card from his Brooklyn playing days, a uniform jacket, and a tribute to former announcer Vin Scully are among the treasures on display through December 30. A separate collection of photographs from the Hall of Fame also appears in the museum. The photo below shows a 1900 barnstorming team featuring Cap Anson that found itself visiting the Sphinx in Egypt.
Prior to a September 22 matchup with Arizona, I got to Los Angeles early for the highly anticipated Takashi Murakami art exhibit at the Broad Museum. Baseball is a big part of my life, but sometimes it’s nice to step back and enjoy everything else the world has to offer.
The Dodgers trailed 2-1 prior to their final at-bat but were rescued with RBI singles by Max Muncy and pinch-hitter Mookie Betts; the home team won 3-2. My ticket was a gift and I felt grateful to have been in attendance. As for the exhibit, it felt a bit like a video game with massive, shiny canvases and props seemingly made for a cartoon. I wasn’t previously familiar with Murakami’s work, but this was worth the price of admission.