Dodger Blue

Yesterday, when I took my daily walk at a near-by park, I found a Los Angeles Dodgers ballcap on one of the park benches.

As I circled the track, my mind investigated a number of scenarios for how it might've been left at the park.

But before I get there, a confession. I'm not a big fan of the big-spender Los Angeles Dodgers.  In fact, I tend to root against these mega teams that have endless supplies of cash–and the Dodgers have taken that to new levels in recent years–and also receive endless fawning coverage from the elite national media. 

I think these big pocket books and prominent coverage tend to capture the casual fan.

Some years ago, for instance, a young man was listing his favorite sports teams to me. "New York Yankees. Duke Blue Devils college basketball, New England Patriots (during the Tom Brady years)..." I sneered, somewhat, and asked "Why don't you add the Los Angeles Lakers so you can have a complete set?"

He chuckled, and shook his head, somewhat sheepishly, as if to say "Yes, I know...frontrunner..."

Some years ago, I saw on one of those fan coverage maps that the New York Yankees were the third most popular team in Memphis, my old neck of the woods, behind the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves. Two out of three, I get. But why else in the Deep South would fans flock to a ball club so closely aligned with the big cities of the northeast?

I just re-visited the map and found that in the zip code where my grandfather's farm was located–and where my dad grew up and I once lived–the Yankees have leapfrogged the Cardinals. The Braves aren't even listed. The Red Sox–another elite, northeastern team–is now listed as the third most popular team.

By the way, if you are a map geek like me and want to burn a few hours of quality time, click here for the map. It's a fascinating look state by state, county by county and, yes, down to the zip code.

My theory, and this comes back to the conversation with the young man mentioned previously, is if you don't have a distinct rooting interest (like my friend, Tim, a reader of the blog, a midwesterner and devout Chicago Cubs fan), the casual fan will jump on the frontrunner train. It's true in western Tennessee, western Nebraska and even Key West, Florida. I'm sure there are exceptions, of course.

Programming note: I am going to peruse this updated map in more detail over the weekend. Look for a #CoachJeff post on the MLB Fandom Map next week.

I'll never forget my experience last summer with Holly and Paul when fans of the Bronx Bombers invaded Truist Park. The youthful fan sitting right next to me, with a syrypy sweet tea Southern accent, rooted for the Yankees with all his heart...just before he and the Mrs. drove back to Alpharetta (not Alphaville).

Front runners - most of 'em!

Which brings me back to the cap I found at the park yesterday and the questions that came to mind as I circled the track:

1. Why would someone leave such a nice, albeit slightly worn, cap there?
2. What would bring someone wearing Dodger Blue to my park in Farragut, Tennessee.

The Dodgers have surely become the beast of the league, with an unlimited payroll and the ability, it seems, to defer contracts out until the tricentennial. Maybe this fan is swooped up in Shoheimania. Or perhaps a Freddie Freeman fan who switched allegiances when the Dodgers plucked our former captain from the Braves roster four years ago?

Maybe she/he is a displaced Brooklynite or a SoCal expat. I doubt I will ever know the answer. 

In the meantime, if the person left the cap as a shrine to the Bums–Dodger greats of the past, it is a lovely tribute.

But, if the person just misplaced their lid, it's on the park bench near the water's edge.

JG