By Emily Guerin and Libby Denkmann
As two storied baseball teams duke it out in the World Series, devout fans are running their mouths in bars across Los Angeles.
We sent two of our reporters to find out how Red Sox fans living in Los Angeles are feeling about facing the boys in blue -- and what Dodgers fans have to say about staring down the BoSox.
Our Dodgers bar was The Greyhound in Highland Park. Our Red Sox bar was Sonny McLeans in Santa Monica. These answers have been edited for clarity.
WHAT WE HEARD AT THE DODGERS BAR
Why do you love the Dodgers?
Ernie Rodriguez: My dad used to take me to games when Fernando Valenzuela was still pitching. And my dad is a Mexican immigrant and he was very taken by the whole Fernando mania thing. Back in the day you'd bring a radio to the stadium, you'd listen to it in your ear while you watched the game. And I'd get set up with my own so I could listen to Vin Scully, and my dad would listen to Jaime Jarrín.
Marina Bellosa: Because they're my L.A. team! Born and raised in L.A. Support them till I die!
Gabriel Cabrera: Because I grew up two blocks away from Dodger Stadium, so they've been with me my entire life. It's like family.
How would you describe a Dodgers fan?
Drew Gayner: What I love about Dodgers fans is they're so diverse. Sitting all around Dodger Stadium, there's so many different kinds of people and it's wonderful.
Ernie Rodriguez: It's been 30 years since we won a championship. You have to be patient and passionate.
Marina Bellosa: Being loyal through the good and the bad.
How would you describe a Red Sox fan?
Mike Perez : Aggressive complainers.
Mario Castillo: They know what baseball is. They come from a long line of generation after generation of Red Sox. It's more of a religion out there.
What's the best thing to eat at the stadium?
Marina Bellosa: Nothing compares to the Dodger Dogs.
Drew Gayner: I'm a minimalist. I like the Dodger Dog and garlic fries. I also love the Blue Heaven margarita, instead of the michelada!
Do you have a superstition or pre-game ritual?
Carolina Solis: I went to go pray at church for the Dodgers.
Marina Bellosa (butting in to interrupt Carolina): She lit a candle at the altar. In the biggest cathedral there is. She literally went all the way over there in a bus, in this heat, to light a candle and say a prayer. That's dedication, that's LA, that's a Dodger fan.
Gabriel Cabrera: I wear what I wore last time they won. And if it works, it works! Keep on wearing it!
WHAT WE HEARD AT THE RED SOX BAR
Why do you love the Red Sox?
Richard White: In Boston, when you're born somehow or another they put something in your butt, the needle, where you automatically become a Red Sox fan. It's in your blood. I've got it tattooed on my shoulder: Boston Red Sox with the socks in the middle!
How would you describe a Red Sox fan?
Michael Wiley: Extremely loyal and extremely knowledgeable about the game.
Dan Karthas: Sometimes obnoxious, but always dedicated.
How would you describe a Dodgers fan?
Jeff Vaughan: They're like L.A. people in general. They go to the games late, show up late, drinking their martinis, driving their Porsches. We don't walk out in games. L.A. fans do.
Rich McGurdy: I think they get a bad rap. People here have to understand about traffic. They watch a Dodger game on TV and see the stands don't fill up until the third inning, and everybody leave by the seventh inning. Well, it's going to take them two hours to get home. That's why the stands aren't full at the beginning or the end. But I give them all the credit in the world. They're going to pay that kind of money and just stay for four or five innings, that's enough for me.
Do you have a superstition or pre-game ritual?
Richard White: Yes. In 2004, we were down 0-3 to the Yankees (in the American League Championship Series), so I played a song by Earth Wind and Fire called "Fantasy." I played it three times a day. And I played it three times a day when we beat the St Louis Cardinals four games straight (in the 2004 World Series). And I did it in '07. And I did it in '13. And I did it today. And I will do it tomorrow. And I will do it on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and I figure on Tuesday, it will be over and the Red Sox will win.
John Curley: I started the American League Championship Series wearing these jeans, those white sneakers and this Coca Cola tee shirt. And I keep that throughout, until we win the World Series -- and no hair cut.
What's it like being a Red Sox fan in L.A.?
Rich McGurdy: Because we have (Sonny McLeans), it's phenomenal. At game time, there are 250 people in here and they all have Boston accents!
Karen Kirzner Adler: All my friends are Dodger fans, so it's a little bit difficult, but I was proudly letting people know I would be rooting for the Red Sox tonight.
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