Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Sporting News Hearts LA
()
As over 150,000 Dodger fans spent three days showing Barry Bonds as much hate as they could muster, Sporting News saw fit to profess its love to Los Angeles.
Yesterday, in an article entitled "Best Baseball City: Los Angeles," Managing Editor Stan McNeal expounded upon why he believes this to be the best town in which to be a fan.
In running through a laundry list of well-reasoned arguments in favor of Los Angeles (and Anaheim), McNeal touches upon a vast array of items people usually pick as cons against Los Angeles and its baseball fans.
Support for LAist comes from
Football, for example, long a sticking point for those who think we somehow lack for sport in a city of unparalleled and generally amazing athletic success, is something McNeal tackles:
In L.A., baseball doesn't have to share headlines with the NFL.
He also takes on the long-held view that fans who leave early and come late, as some Dodger fans are wont to do (as, are some fans in every ballpark), are somehow not real fans:
You might think the best fans are the ones who stay to the end no matter what. I think the best fans are the ones smart enough to know when to leave.
McNeal then addresses the East Coast, taking dead aim at the ol' bastions of tradition, New York and Boston:
In L.A., stress is not a requirement for attending games. In N.Y., there's the subway crowds and old, dumpy ballparks. In Boston, a bank loan is needed to purchase tickets to sit in tiny, cramped seats where you may or may not have an obstructed view.
Finally, McNeal, who also addressed the cleanliness of Dodger Stadium and the success of its franchise, ends with a display of both his understanding of the local culture and his love for the city:
Support for LAist comes from
If you don't understand my reasoning by now, I'll say only one thing. Slip on your sandals, strap on your shades and get going, dude. L.A. baseball is awesome.
The only thing he left out, in my estimation, was a paragraph on the venerable Vin Scully, whose brilliant career as the Dodgers main announcer will be over too soon whenever it ends. Each tradition-filled baseball town has had its share of great voices that, over time, became synonymous with their team. Jack Buck in St. Louis, Bob Shepperd, the so called "Voice of God" for the Yankees and, of course, Vinny in Los Angeles. Not one announcer has squeezed such poetry and prose into a 9 inning game as Vinny has done for the past 57 years.
For Scully, and the other reasons mentioned, McNeal is right on: Los Angeles is the best baseball town.
Photo via Flickr, by kla4067
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake. -
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
Best of LAist