If your life resembles anything like mine lately, you are slowly starting to feel the baseball withdrawals creeping in after the truncated but action-filled season that Major League Baseball was eventually able to pack into four months.
To say that 2020 has been an ‘interesting’ year would be an understatement. The World Series Champion Dodgers and their fanbase were not sure that there would even be a 2020 baseball season when COVID-19 first struck in late February, forcing the cancelation of Spring Training before even one pitch was thrown and putting the entire season in doubt.
As mentioned, MLB and the MLB Players Association were able to cobble together a shortened 60-game regular season on the heels of an adapted ‘Summer Camp’ that kicked off with a mulligan on Opening Day in late July. Ninety-six days later, the 2020 Dodgers were crowned the champions of baseball with their seventh World Series Championship title and first since 1988. Not too bad for a season that almost never was.
November is the time of year when the baseball withdrawals start their first phase – relief, but a much-needed break. Some fans get a slight respite after the stress of all of the games, albeit only 60, leading up to the World Series before the next phase kicks in: What do you do without baseball for four months until pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training in mid-February?
This year, people will have to be especially creative with the pandemic in play, and especially with many states across the nation reinstating strict health and safety protocols due to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases and related deaths. (Note: Per the CDC, as of Monday, there have been 12,175,921 COVID-19 cases reported in the United States, with 255,958 reported COVID-19-related deaths since January 21, 2020).
The good news is that fan merchandise has been flying off the shelves, with people desperately trying to get their hands on any World Series memorabilia – shirts, hats, sweatshirts, replica trophies, signed gear, you name it! Some fans are even getting new tattoos to pay tribute to their beloved team winning its first championship since 1988. Many have been waiting 32 years for this, while others weren’t even alive the last time the Dodgers won a World Championship.
SportsNetLA has already had at least one network special geared directly towards Dodger fans to get their post-championship fix since there will not be a parade until one can be safely held. Dodger Stadium will also play host to a drive-thru Holiday Festival beginning on Friday, November 27.
With the holidays approaching and more downtime for people, I found myself in the same situation as many others – pondering what to do with this newfound free time.
I spent most of the season glued to my television and feverishly texting with a group of friends I affectionately call “my baseball gals.” To fill the void that baseball has left in our lives, we had to ‘think outside the box.’. So we gathered up some snacks, firmly secured our masks, and hopped in the car to tour the Dodger murals that are located throughout Los Angeles.
With the regular season now over and many people focused on getting ready for the holidays, we were hopeful that lines at these art installations would be less impacted.
Our first stop was the now-famous Joe Kelly mural located at the intersections of Silver Lake Blvd., Parkman Ave., and Sunset Blvd. This was created by local artist Jonas Never and painted on the side of Floyd’s 99 Barbershop a couple of miles from Dodger Stadium.
We tumbled out of the car, eager to stand right where Kelly and his family stood months earlier shortly after the artwork was unveiled. We also ran into another fan and her friend who were just as exhilarated to snap a picture and bypass the lines that had previously spanned the block. The excitement to be there was palpable and everyone was grinning.
As many know, this is one of the more recent murals around town to commemorate Kelly’s sixth inning confrontation on his walk back to the dugout from the July 28th game against the Astros in Houston. This was the first matchup for the team playing Houston since the cheating scandal news broke earlier this year. The game resulted in a 5-2 win for LA, an eventual five-game suspension for Kelly, and a legend being born from the pouty face Joe flashed at Astros’ shortstop Carlos Correa that ended up clearing the benches (although with some social distancing in effect).
We had also mapped a few of the other murals nearby that were worth noting. A huge image of Jackie Robinson sliding into base, done by artist JC Ro Jesus Sanchez, is on the side of a building at Lemoyne St. and Sunset Bl.
Next to the image of the baseball player famous for breaking the color barrier is the number “42” which has been retired throughout all of baseball to honor the mark Robinson made on the sport. Despite the noticeable graffiti below the image, it was still worth it to hop out and capture the moment with the monolithic image of Jackie above us.
Snacks only carry you so far, but we were in luck because a couple of the murals are near food establishments. We drove by to see third baseman Justin Turner memorialized in a mural up at Baby Blues BBQ off W. Sunset Bl. Jonas Never is responsible for this artwork as well, commemorating Turner’s NLCS walk-off home run in Game-2 against the Chicago Cubs in 2017.
However, we ended up opting for something a little more traditional to Dodger fans, and made a beeline to Philippe the Original “French Dipped Sandwiches.” It definitely doesn’t hurt to round out an impromptu art tour with a beef dip “double-dipped” from Philippe’s.
Dodgers super-utility Kiké Hernández and Turner have a mural in the parking lot across the street at Alameda St. and Ord St. advertising both Philippe’s sandwiches and Adidas shoes. This again is the work of local artist Jonas Never who has definitely left his mark around town while also sharing the larger than life images that Dodger fans love.
So when those withdrawals start to kick in, gather your nearest and dearest, don your masks, and hop into the car to check out some art around town. There are still quite a few months before those first rays of baseball begin to shine for us again and even more art than was mentioned here to be found. Fans may as well spend the interim making priceless memories of Dodger landmarks and artwork.
Happy Hunting … and Eating!