optimisticYesterday's highlight was my first game at Dodger Stadium in more than 17 years, an interleague game against the Detroit Tigers, and with the combination of a zippered hoodie Dodger blue sweatshirt as a giveaway plus the onslaught of the Michigan diaspora (who normally visit Anaheim for their Tiger fix), the place was packed. So much so, in fact, that the Dodger Stadium Express bus from Union Station took nearly an hour to reach Chavez Ravine.
For a ballpark that's 52 years old, Dodger Stadium remains youthful and immaculate. From my loge box seat just behind home plate (by far the best seat I've ever had at that ballpark), I saw a fascinating game -- one that looked to be a rare early-season slugfest there when the teams traded early solo homers, then settled into a typical pitchers' duel (defending AL Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer for Detroit, former Washington National Dan Haren for the Dodgers). However, neither would figure in the decision, as LA scored one in the bottom of the seventh, the Tigers evened it up in the ninth, and Carl Crawford's RBI hit in the 10th sent Dodger fans home happy. A good win for the locals...but as a Nationals fan, if the Dodger finish a game ahead of Washington in playoff seeding or a race for the second wild-card, I'll never forgive myself. (They'll meet six times this season, three in D.C. in early May and three in Los Angeles at the start of September.)
Oh, and one more thing: When taking Metro to Union Station to and from the ballgame, guess who was there to provide inspiration? Carole, of course...specifically the transportation mural which includes Lombard.
Tomorrow, more apartment searching and the opening of the TCM Classic Film Festival (although ironically, TCM is not part of my hotel's cable lineup).
