Before Dodger Stadium, there was a neighborhood

LOS ANGELES - It's easy to forget that a half-century ago, a Mexican-American barrio existed where Dodger Stadium now stands - until you recall that in that pre-civil-rights era, Chavez Ravine was a hole in the ground nobody else wanted.

Apparently, older Mexicanos in Los Angeles use the stadium's current configuration as a reference point for their vanished homes, the way Philadelphia's Catholics cite childhood parishes.

"I'm from third base," some say, or "I'm from the 76 ball," referring to a parking-lot sign for an on-site gas station.

A reader pointed out that musician Ry Cooder has done a musical history of Southern California that includes a song called "Third Base, Dodger Stadium."

Among its lyrics:

Back around the 76 ball, Johnny Greeneyes had his shoeshine stall.

In the middle of the first-base line,

got my first kiss, Florencia was kind.

Now if the dozer hadn't taken my yard, you'd see the tree with our initials carved.

. . . Up a road you can't go. Just a thought, laid to rest

In my mind, just a time. If you care to know

Where I'm gonna go when I hit my last home run.

It was 93 degrees at game time, and my sun-exposed keyboard was twice as hot as Alyssa Milano (who shared a postgame elevator and nothing more with me Thursday night).

That means the Phillies undoubtedly have set a record for enduring weather extremes during this postseason. You'll recall it was in the low 20s late in Game 3 in Denver, a bigger meteorological swing than a John Bolaris Saturday night.

So it was hotter at Dodger Stadium at 1 p.m. than in Tahiti (81); Honolulu (83); Rio de Janeiro (75); Kingston, Jamaica (86); Miami (86); and El Paso (84), Texas.

I know Tommy Lasorda has lived out here a long time. Still it was surprising to see the Norristown native on the Dodgers' big screen loudly proclaiming, "This is my hometown!"

OK, if that's how you want to play it, L.A. Tommy, no more Franzone's pizza for you.

We sportswriters have been complaining for 20 years about (fill in the blank) late-night postseason games killing a generation of baseball fans.

But if that's the case, how come the stands here, at Citizens Bank Park, and elsewhere are filled with twentysomethings?

They're probably just lured by the tailgating.

The divorcing couple that owns the Dodgers was at Game 2.

Jamie McCourt sat in the front row, while her husband, Frank, was in Row 3 with Lasorda.

Round 1 to Jamie McCourt.

Jamie's lawyer, by the way, is Dennis Wasser, who has represented Tom Cruise, Clint Eastwood, Jane Fonda, and Alec Baldwin in a town where divorce lawyers are busier than Zen counselors.

Frank's lawyer, Marshall Grossman, has a client list that includes Lee Iacocca and Mariah Carey, who, to the best of my knowledge, were briefly engaged during Iacocca's minivan period.

As if the traffic out here isn't treacherous enough, the Dodgers will soon begin posting their scores live on a series of electronic freeway billboards.

"Did you catch the score?"

"No, you were driving too fast. Take the next exit and double back, will you?"

"No way."

"Ah, c'mon. There's absolutely no other way to get a score update these days."

There is at least one person who played with all four teams remaining in this year's playoffs: the Phillies, Dodgers, Angels and Yankees.

Jay Johnstone.

You may remember, not fondly I'm sure, that Johnstone was also, briefly, a Phils broadcaster on Prism telecasts back in the era when Kent Tekulve was better than Tylenol PM.

1. The Backstreet Boys, who from the looks of them would be more aptly named the Balding Backstreet Men, did the national anthem yesterday, adding to the mystery of why the Dodgers can't find any better musical talent despite residing in the world's musical capital.

2. Dodger Stadium used to be one of those oases for baseball purists. No noise save the organ and a P.A. system. Now the place sounds like Jerry Springer's green room.

The aging organist remains but her workload has been cut to Eric Bruntlett proportions. And even I must admit that her soulful renditions of "Camelot" and "Talk to the Animals" may need updating.

3. True story: A guy in the fourth row behind home plate tried to catch a foul ball yesterday while wearing a towel on his head and talking on the phone. He missed but, unfortunately, the ball did not render him unconscious.

Our sports editor, Jim Cohen, would give you the shirt off his back, assuming he hadn't spilled anything on it or was not wearing it inside out, as he was yesterday when he arrived at Dodger Stadium.

Hey, not many have successfully combined editing and dressing.