Skip to Content
L.A. TACO home
Log In
History

Dodgers Giants Rivalry ~ This Weekend

10:50 AM PDT on September 18, 2008

Above: Dean Martin, Sandy Koufax, Frank Sinatra. No one cool ever hung out with the Giants.

With the Giants coming to town for the last time this season, the Times has a nice article recapping the greatest rivalry in professional sports (it's East Coast bias that rams the entertaining, yet not nearly as historic, important or contentious, Red Sox/Yankees rivalry down our throats). From the article:

Whether it was the dueling bats of Willie and the Duke, the knee-shaking brushback pitches of Sal Maglie and Don Drysdale or the high-kicking style of Sandy Koufax and Juan Marichal, this has been a rivalry played by some of the most skilled performers and colorful characters to ever put on a baseball uniform.

The rivalry continues this weekend, with a three-game series beginning Friday night at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers trying to hold onto their lead in the National League West, the Giants trying to knock them from the perch.

Sometimes they played with a pennant on the line, sometimes not. But that didn't matter. The mere sight of each other stirred the emotions.

Snider said he couldn't even enjoy Halloween because it reminded him of the Giants' colors, black and orange.

"It was a season within a season whenever we played them," said former Dodgers shortstop Maury Wills, now a part-time Dodgers coach. "You didn't need a Knute Rockne speech before a Giants game. If a player couldn't get up for the Giants, he didn't have any fire in him. It was war. It was life or death."

The Wikipedia article on the rivalry has more great facts and information.

Already a user?Log in

Thanks for reading!

Register to continue

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

Bronny James Cleared To Play Basketball Again By His Doctors

In August, the James family said that after comprehensive initial an follow-up exams, "the probable cause of Mr. James' sudden cardiac arrest has been identified. It is an anatomically and functionally significant congenital heart defect which can and will be treated.

November 30, 2023

Where To Eat This Weekend: Boozy Fresas Con Crema, El Ruso’s New Flour Tostadas, Heritage Fire, and Hotville’s Fried Chicken-and-Chorizo Paella

Plus, where to go for Jordanian shawarma, mezcal-cured steelhead trout tostadas, powerful hash crackers, a local viewing of KISS's farewell concert, and L.A.'s most opulent Sunday brunch.

November 30, 2023

Sonoratown Will Open a Long Beach Location Next Year

Expect to find the city's favorite flour tortillas and caramelos on 3rd Street in Downtown Long Beach, as soon as six months from now.

November 30, 2023

Glendale’s Excellent New Taco Stand Harassed By Self-Described “Police Informant”

A Glendale police officer says he had arrested Emanuel Gulakian for assault with a deadly weapon only a couple of weeks earlier, after the man threw rocks at another taco stand.

November 29, 2023

Ski-Masked Suspect Who Fatally Shot Man at L.A. Live Restaurant Last Night Is Sought By Police

A male suspect left the scene of the shooting in a white Honda, possibly an SUV. According to on-scene reports, the suspect was wearing an all-black sweat suit and ski mask.

November 29, 2023
See all posts