LA LA LAND, CA — Yes folks, West Coast Craig here, MTM reporter at large – literally – breaking like a hot Santa Ana wind and pinch-hitting here on a Saturday post, while Junoir enjoys his paternity leave/sojourn. Us dads know how important we are in these crucial first weeks: “Hon, I think she’s hungry…you got that? Great!” It’s been a long saMattical for me, so I might be a little rusty at this, and I can’t quite remember how to alienate everybody reading this on a Saturday… Ah yes, and since nobody is concerned with another Amazin’ and improbable Mets win, I’ll talk about: The Rams in LA, Vin Scully, Book of Mormon, Jay Mohr and More…
Ramstink. The Rams haven’t been in Los Angeles since Warren Beatty led them to a comeback win over the Steelers in the 1978 Super Bowl, and there’s definite buzz about town. The local supermarkets now feature Rams tee-shirts, Mylar balloons, and cozies. Even Jay Mohr, everybody’s favorite comedian who’s just a little too smarmy for prime time, is hosting a show called the Los Angeles Rams Southern California Toyota Dealers Prime Time Saturday with Jay Mohr. Maybe he is ready for prime time? So far the Rams, however, are not. Through two games they’ve scored a total of three field goals. Pee Wee from Porky’s has scored more times than the Rams have this season. Wait what!? A Porky’s reference? I am out of practice. At any rate, it’s still the honeymoon period and the NFL in Los Angeles still seems a bit of a novelty that everyone wants to check out at least once, like when Book of Mormon played at the Pantages. This is a city of people from somewhere else, so the visiting team’s fans can outnumber the Rams’ faithful at the Coliseum. At some point these Rams are going to have to get a Hollywood personality, not just the Valley porn industry represented by Jeff Fisher’s mustache.
Vin-sanity. The Dodger game is sharing my computer screen as I write this, so I’m being serenaded for one of the last times by Vin Scully. The lovefest has been strong here, so strong that even miserly Time Warner Cable has agreed to let KTLA channel 5 (the Dodgers home before the diminishing cable giant bought the rights and locked them away in bitter protest of satellite networks and the internet) broadcast his last six games, for everyone! It’s an emotional time for Dodger fans, and Southland baseball fans in general, for the MLB who’ve been peppering their daily feed with as much fanfare as they’ve given Big Papi…for everyone, it seems, except Vin himself, who is calling this game the exact same way he calls any other, warm and light-hearted and happy to be here with you. No celebrity guests. No Bette Midler singing Wind Beneath My Wings. No waking up and realizing it was all a dream and in reality he’s been a Giants announcer all this time. Vin’s going out the way we should all be so lucky to, still on top of his game and without any regrets.
“That’ll do it,” Vin says in closing tonight, laughing because it’s late now thanks to the pre-game ceremony honoring him going a little long. “You guys gotta be fed up with me by now.”
Feel free to weigh in below and come back tomorrow for the en fuego Cheesy Bruin, who has NFL Picks to behold. And please follow us on Twitter – @WestCoastCraig & @MeetTheMatts and like our Facebook page, Meet The Matts.
