Team announces plans for the third event on Monday, May 11
By: Angela Redding
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 5/6/2020–“ You guys are all legends. We all miss the games so much. Miss that spirit especially coming in the summer like this. People really have no idea what we are going to do with our time. That’s the big thing for the summertime. (Baseball) that’s the main sport everybody loves to watch and go to… I hope you guys work it out and get back to work and be able to do your craft and use the skills that God has blessed you with. Salute everybody.” Cedric the Entertainer, comedian, actor, producer
Major league baseball is on hold presently and has left fans wondering when and if they will have an opportunity to watch their favorite team take the field. To help alleviate the pain of separation and withdrawal symptoms as they wait, fans are being invited to participate in Dodgers’ zoom parties.
This past Monday, May 4th at 6:00 p.m. was the second of possibly many more Dodgers zoom parties to come.
The forty-five-minute long “party,” hosted by team broadcasters Joe Davis and Alanna Rizzo, had its ups and downs. While the event got off to a slow start, invited guests, nearly 12,000 Dodgers fans, were able to see and listen to existing players talk about what they have been up to during the quarantine. Those in attendance were Cody Bellinger, Kiké Hernández, Kenley Jansen, Clayton Kershaw, Ross Stripling, Justin Turner and former Dodgers Andre Ethier, Steve Garvey, Adrián González, and Orel Hershiser.
The night before, fans were asked to submit any questions by video for a chance to have their question selected for players to answer.
One of the down moments was the demeanor of many of the players. They seemed low-spirited and their attention span was also limited, particularly if they were not answering the question at hand.
Perhaps it goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway, everyone is still getting used to “Zooming.” It’s not just a phone call or text message. It’s live interaction and you have to remember to at least look interested.
That being said, about halfway through, Kike Hernandez, who was dressed casually and sporting a yellow cap with long black ears, picked up the pace and made a game stealing play. He stepped away from the camera’s view and returned wearing a pair of crazy fake teeth.
This was a great diversion for all viewing.
It didn’t seem as though the players had noticed or maybe they are used to his antics but at one point Hernandez made a comment which put the focus on him and the party and players livened up. Laughs and huge smiles came across everyone’s face as they noticed his appearance.
From here the tempo remained high as they moved on to a question from a young fan, Jacob from Hawaii, who wanted to know how to overcome nerves before a game. He also wanted to know if the players still get nervous and if so how they handle the nerves.
A smiling Justin Turner said, “I still get nervous, Jacob… once you stop getting nervous, it’s time to hang’em up. I always get those butterflies before every game.”
Smiles are seen and giggles are heard as Kershaw responds to the question.
“Yeah. Just like JT said and Belli said too. It’s just something you embrace. As the guys can say, I’m very chill on game day. It’s no big deal. You just go about your day. You just kinda lock it in on game days,” says Kershaw.
Host Joe Davis asked Kershaw how he would respond if Kike walked up to him on start day and gave him a smile with the crazy looking fake teeth he was currently wearing.
Kershaw smiling, “Kike and I have an interesting relationship on game days. Every once in a while, I get a smirk out of it.”
Kike chimed in with his impression of Kershaw that brought gleeful smiles and laughs to all continuing to lift the spirit of the event.
The downside to the event:
- At times it was hard to hear the players respond to questions due to clicking and dips in the sound. Maybe it’s a zoom thing.
- Questions at the top of the event felt stifled and it seemed as though some did not want to be there let alone answer any questions.
I’m sure the Dodgers would rather be playing right now (and the fans would rather they be playing as well) but this is how the cookie has crumbled and staying connected with the fans is an undeniable necessity.