DODGER STADIUM

Wow, what a nail biter last night. And in unfriendly territory, too. I understand why the "evil" Dodgers have that moniker. Maybe it was just the crowd of Dodgers fans immediately surrounding us, arguing with the seat-cop and shouting obscenities at Cubs fans (who were numerous but easily drowned out by the Dodger faithful), but Dodger Stadium gave off strong vibes of being a gathering place for those turned to the "dark side."

Games on television have given me the impression that Dodgers Stadium is tucked away in some magically pure and undeveloped niche of the metropolis, and so I was extremely surprised that, just outside of downtown and passing under Sunset Blvd, we were nearly there. But that's the truth of it. You go around a bend in the road, climb a hill, pay your parking toll at a series of gates reminiscent of Disney or Six Flags and you're in. From here, the image of seventies theme park only intensifies what with the sprawling parking lots, primary colors, and the surrounding trees that create a barrier from the real world and preserve the "magic."

You might notice a trace of cynicism in my tone. I've hardened considerably to the facade of theme park perfection (as a youth I loved it), but I tried to ignore this first impression and revel in experiencing a new ballpark for the frst time. Later in the game, as the vibe from the crowd grew ugly and hostile, the veneer rubbed thin and these first impressions stuck hard.

One neat thing about Dodger Stadium, it's built into the side of a hill and you have to climb a ton of stairs to get to any seats higher than the field level. Is climbing stairs a "neat" thing? Maybe not, but there is something interesting in seeing the park disappear into the earth. And, though we had field level seats, we climbed from bottom to top and back again, fully exploring the structure and finding a view of the Los Angeles skyline. We joked that it was a bit like climbing steps in the hills of Italy, but this had more to do with our inexperience with numerous steps than truly being reminded of Tuscany.

Another thing Dodger Stadium does well is a continuous digital display that stretches from foul pole to foul pole on the inside part of the park. So often at a game you stare only at the field or jumbo-tron across the outfield and you rarely acknowledge the raw, coliseum-energy of thirty-thousand people experiencing the same event in the same location. At different points in the game, the Dodgers use this display to great affect, forcing the eye to traverse this overwhelming expanse of spectators in an overwhelming, almost crushing fashion.

The game itself was a tense one. The Cubs drew first blood, but an error in left field (an error I caught in all its unpleasantness with my camera automatically clicking off picture after picture in sports mode: Dubois racing forward, the ball coming to greet him; Dubois sliding, the ball still falling, but now behind him; Dubois in a full sprawled skid as the ball bounces away behind him. I like Dubois a helluva lot and certainly have no desire to immortalize or relive this scene, but man, talk about action shots...) allowed the Dodgers to tie the game up.

Zambrano was hot, he gave up only one hit, struck out nine, and pitched eight innings. Unfortunately, the Cubs could not get a second run in those innings and he left with a no-decision. In the top of the ninth, The Cubs threatened, but to no avail. Weurtz pitched a solid bottom of the ninth, walking the first batter and then striking out the next three.

In the tenth, Barrett led off with a single. Hollandsworth played small ball and advanced him to second with a sacrifice. Neifi Perez dropped a run scoring double right in front of us. I watched the ball coming in, looked back at the racing left fielder, turned back to the ball and saw it drop. Despite my discomfort with the fans, I couldn't help screaming and going ga-ga with this go-ahead run. The obscenities started shortly thereafter, fortunately we were sitting near the seat-cop.

Ryan Dempster came in to close and hit Antonio Perez in the head. Already uncomfortable, I worried things might get ugly. They didn't. Dempster settled down and got the final outs and the Cubs won. Two in a row against the evil Dodgers. Five in a row overall, their longest win streak of the season. And as I write this (with a magnificent view of night claiming the ocean) the Cubs lead tonight's game 4-0. A sweep? Is it possible?

Here's to fine ocean air and baseball.