Ball 3

Several events over the past few weeks have gotten me thinking about the way we hear sports.  The first was the announcement that USC is looking to "update the football gameday experience" by replacing their longtime PA announcer Dennis Packer.  The second was Vin Scully’s absence during Dodger’s broadcasts, including the home opener, due to a bad cold.  And the third was the Dodgers honoring their longtime organist Nancy Bea Hefley for 25 years of service.    Classic Vin Scully We typically think of sports as purely visual experiences.  However, when you take away the sounds of the game, you learn to appreciate how important this sense is to your experience.  Growing up, my three teams were the Lakers, the Dodgers, and USC football.  I didn’t go to many Lakers or Dodgers games, so I spent a lot of time watching them on television.  This meant that I spent countless hours learning the games from Vin Scully and Chick Hearn,...

Part of the Dodger's new ownership group - Magic Johnson With the Dodgers being purchased this week for $2.15 billion , the long-suffering fans finally have a chance to exhale.  The new ownership group brings hope that the club can turn itself into one of the premier franchises in baseball once again.  However, because Dodgers fans have been through so much – a drawn out divorce with former owners Frank and Jamie McCourt , no World Series titles since 1988, a roster that hasn’t signed a marquee free-agent in many years, and an aging Dodger Stadium – the stakes have never been this high.  The Dodgers faithful are desperate for the new ownership group to not only return the club to stability, but also to turn the franchise into a West Coast version of the New York Yankees.  The large involvement of Magic Johnson in the club’s future only raises the bar higher.  Los Angeles sports fans have come to view Johnson as a deity who is nearly infallible....