The Final Adventure of 2022, Prelude: The Dodgers Fashion Show

The following is not a Guide entry, because I am still sifting through my notes on how one should best fully experience Petco Park in San Diego, which I will rapidly turn around for you because of the upcoming series. That said, Eric previously suggested that we could always use more content regarding my experiences on the road.

The Final Adventure of 2022, Prelude: The Fashion Show

In one of the more fun traditions of recent years, I happened to stumble upon Dodgers Picture Day as the team traveled from San Diego to Phoenix. You probably have seen the official photos of the event, which looked like a lot of fun.

Admittedly, I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Hanser Alberto’s choice of costume, because rather than recruit folks for a group costume or even dress up as the lead, he went as the Black Ranger from the 1990s children’s classic “Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers,” which was itself an adaptation from the Japanese Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. The aforementioned Japanese show could legitimately trace its roots to a Japanese adaptation of Spider-Man, where he had a giant robot.

I am not kidding and it is just as awesome as it sounds.

In any event, after the game on September 11, I decided to linger and take some photographs around Petco Park, before I made my way back to the light rail and my hotel. It was muggy all afternoon but I was in good spirits. It was at this point that I noticed the Padres’ team buses and a small crowd hanging out by them. I even saw Blake Snell in person for the second time that day.

Michael Elizondo / TrueBlueLA

For the record, I do not recall him being annoyed at anything - that’s just his resting face. After he got on the bus, I overheard someone from the Petco Park staff tell the waiting Dodgers fans that the Dodgers’ team buses were actually around the corner.

While surrounded by about a hundred Dodgers fans, I tried to find a spot where I could see what was going on. I had previously loitered by the team buses last year in Chicago after the Dodgers’ lone rainout of the year. I had seen some pretty interesting stuff in my vain attempt to see Clayton Kershaw.

What I saw did not disappoint. I did not realize that the gun show was at Petco Park.

Michael Elizondo / TrueBlueLA

A long time ago, I realized that my life had Forrest Gump-ian qualities as I tend to be at the right place at the right time (case in point: Albert Pujols’ first home run in St. Louis last year, both of Clayton Kershaw’s perfect game bids this year, that time Max Muncy told Madison Bumgarner to go get his home run ball out of the water, etc. At this point, I do not even question this aspect of my life, I just lean in and accept it. So I shared what I saw on Twitter, and a certain segment of the Dodgers’ fanbase decided to follow me en masse.

Honestly, I wish people would read the essays I have written about the Gondola or the Guide with such fervor, but you know, beggars...choosers, that sort of thing.

In the interest of posterity, I said on Twitter that I would provide a full gallery when I wrote my adventures in San Diego. I decided to split everything in two because the write-up is far more somber in tone. So we are having “dessert before dinner” and please be thankful that I upgraded my phone before the season. Clearly, that purchase has been a worthwhile investment. (Author’s Note: the photos that will draw the most interest (the gun show) are at the end of the gallery.)

Grid View

• Michael Elizondo / TrueBlueLA
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Please feel free to use the comments to identify who I might have missed, apart from Dave Roberts who left the stadium in a Mercedes Benz. Also, feel free to rank or identify which costumes were your favorites.

As one final note to the impromptu fashion show, it is worth noting that Cody Bellinger thought his Chippendales costume was actually a “Chip and Dale” costume. I laughed out loud when I heard that factoid.

And then Eric confused chipmunks for mice - it happens, and frankly, everything about the annual fashion show is funny. Next time, we have a proper field report as I say goodbye to the 2022 regular season. See you then.