Well, let me tell ya ’bout that Dodger Stadium, ya know, the place where them fellas hit the ball real hard. It ain’t just some fancy place they built overnight. It’s got a story, a real story, like them old-timey movies they used to show at the town hall.
Dodger Stadium and that Chavez Ravine, that’s what they called it. Used to be folks livin’ there, poor folks mostly, Hispanic folks. The government, they said they was gonna build ’em some nice houses, spent a whole lotta money, $4.5 million they say. But then, poof! No houses. Instead, they wanted a place for baseball, for this here Dodgers team.
Now, some fella, Moses his name was, he didn’t want them Dodgers in Brooklyn no more, too much traffic he said. He wanted ’em in Queens. But Mr. O’Malley, the Dodgers fella, he didn’t like that idea one bit. Queens? Nah, he wanted somethin’ bigger, somethin’ fancier. So, he packed up them Dodgers and hauled ’em all the way to Los Angeles, to that Chavez Ravine place.
And that’s where they built it, that big ol’ stadium. Folks call it Dodger Stadium now. But it sits right on top of where them folks used to live. They got kicked out, ya see, had to find new homes. All for a baseball game. Makes ya think, don’t it?
But them Dodgers, they sure are popular. Specially with the Latinos, they love them Dodgers. Heard tell near half the fans are Latino, and some speak only Spanish. They go to lots of games too, more than them English-speaking folks, I reckon.
And them Dodgers, they win a lot. World Series, they call it. Big ol’ trophy, lots of cheering. They say they won eight of them World Series things, and a whole bunch of other championships, National League pennants or somethin’. Even had some fellas win MVP awards, whatever that means. Must be somethin’ fancy. Makes ya wonder if it was all worth it, kickin’ them folks out, just for a baseball team to win some trophies.
So, when you hear folks talkin’ about Dodger Stadium, remember it ain’t just about baseball. It’s about that Chavez Ravine, and them folks who used to live there. It’s about a place built on, well, somethin’ else, somethin’ that got lost in the shuffle. It’s a story, a real story, like I said, not just some fancy thing made of concrete and steel.
Now, you see them crossword puzzles in the newspaper? Sometimes they ask about Dodger Stadium. They ask what it’s built on. And the answer ain’t just dirt and rocks, ya know? The answer is ravine. That’s what they say in them puzzles, “Dodger Stadium is built on one RAVINE”. See, even them puzzle folks know the story.
And them folks at the NYT Crossword they know it too. They like to put them little clues in there, make ya think. “Dodger Stadium is built on one” they say. It’s always “ravine”. Makes ya think about what’s underneath, ya know? Not just the dirt, but the history.
- Dodger Stadium ain’t just about baseball.
- It’s built on Chavez Ravine, where folks used to live.
- Lots of Latino fans love them Dodgers.
- Dodgers win a lot of championships, World Series and stuff.
- Crossword puzzles ask what Dodger Stadium is built on.
- The answer is always RAVINE.
So next time you see a game or hear about Dodger Stadium, remember them folks in Chavez Ravine. And if you ever do one of them crossword puzzles and see that question, “Dodger Stadium is built on one…”, you’ll know the answer. It’s RAVINE, plain and simple. It’s built on a story, that’s what it is, a real human story, even if some folks done forgot about it.
It’s an important thing to remember, history, ya know? It ain’t just about bats and balls and cheering crowds. It’s about the ground beneath your feet, and the folks who walked there before you. That Dodger Stadium, it’s a famous place alright, folks come from all over to see it. But it stands on somethin’ more than just concrete, it stands on the memory of that Chavez Ravine and the folks who called it home.
And that, my friend, is the real story of Dodger Stadium. Don’t let nobody tell you different.
