What the Los Angeles Dodgers Mean to Me..

Ever since I can remember the Los Angeles Dodgers were a part of my life. My first introduction was through the television. My grandmother would always have the Dodgers playing on the TV, even if she was busy with other things. Heaven forbid anyone tried to change the channel. She would yell at you just before your finger touched the button to switch the channel. Vin Scully's voice became the soundtrack to my life.

As I grew older, my grandmother and I walked everywhere. I became very familiar with the streets of Los Angeles. My grandmother didn't drive but, boy she could get anywhere on an RTD bus. Imagine how thrilled I was when we took a bus to Chavez Ravine and my first Dodger game. I was ecstatic the whole way. It was very hard to contain my excitement and the best thing was that it was just me and my grandmother.

That morning began like any other. Breakfast was a course of eggs, bacon, and toast. But, right before I headed outside to play, my grandma told me to get ready because we were going somewhere special. I asked and all she said was, "You'll see." Any time we rode the bus was fun to me. I didn't care where we went. I was eight years old.

While waiting at the bus stop, my grandmother bent down and whispered in my ear, "We're going to go see the Dodgers." My eyes widen and my jaw dropped. I was speechless. By now, I had become a Dodger fanatic. Sure, I didn't wear Dodger blue every day but, I didn't miss a game whether by television or radio. I knew just about all the stats to each player. Garvey, Sax, Cey, Valenzuela, Yeager, Scioscia, Guerrero, Monday, Reuss, Landreaux, Howe.

I didn't care how long it took us to get there or what we had to do I wasn't going to miss it for the world. My grandmother wanted to get there as soon as the gates opened, so that we could maybe get a glimpse of some of the players. My favorite was Steve Garvey. I knew this day was special. I also, knew that this took a lot from my grandmother but I would remember it always and was forever grateful.

After three bus transfers and about 2 hours, we stepped off at the bottom of Chavez Ravine. My grandmother grabbed my hand; together we crossed the street, and began our climb uphill. Boy, what a climb but I didn't care. At the top, there was the biggest stadium I ever laid eyes on. The looming mint green building was nothing of what I expected. It was so much more. Beyond those gates were famous ball players that I was lucky to get to see play.

Walking up to the ticket booth, I took in every sight, sound, and smell but my hand never letting go of my grandmother's grip. With our tickets in hand, we enter the stadium. We passed vendor after vendor; Dodger merchandise everywhere. I secretly closed my eyes and wished that I was a millionaire so that I could buy every piece of Dodger memorabilia I saw. I was on overload.

We made our way to our seats which I noticed were right on the first base line. We weren't right in front but close enough for me. I had the best grandmother in the world! My grandmother pulled out a baseball, gave it to me, and signaled for me to run up to the rail. That meant only one thing, maybe I'll get an autograph. The players were practicing on the field and I was mesmerized. I never got my ball signed but I didn't care. I was happy nonetheless.

The other team came out to practice and to this day I cannot remember who we played or if we won. I ran back to my grandmother and we left our seats. Next thing I noticed was that we were standing in line for Dodger dogs. The smell so delicious that I knew this was going to be the best hot dog of my life, and it was. To this day, in my opinion, there is no other hot dog that can compare. Arriving back at our seats, my grandmother prepares us to eat. She takes drinks and napkins out of her bag and we sink into our seats. Even now, Dodger Stadium is one of the few ball parks that will let you bring in food and drink. We feasted on our dogs, and began to watch our game.

There was nothing like seeing all my favorite players up close. I wouldn't even have cared if we were in the outfield seats or the nosebleeds. After all, I was in Dodger Stadium. My grandmother's favorite player was Fernando Valenzuela. She would always let out a sigh when he didn't do well or clap when he struck someone out. She wasn't very vocal but her heart was in the game.

Every game we attended was so special because for that moment and those few hours I was able to be a kid; a kid who loves baseball. It took me off the mean streets of L.A. and let me live in a fantasy world where all the best players played the best game of all time. The Los Angeles Dodgers have no idea what they mean to me or what they have done for me. They brought this little girl some happiness in her life. And the best thing of all was that I was able to share it with my grandmother.

As I grew older, my grandmother and I attended a few more games together. My love for the Los Angeles Dodgers came from her and when she passed away in 1995, they lost a true fan. I vowed then that my children's first MLB game would be a Dodger game and that became a reality about 4 years ago. Since then, no matter where we move to, every year we attend at least one Dodger game in honor of my grandmother. The only person I know who loved the Dodgers more than I do.