The Moment: Los Angeles
Sunday, January 23, 2011 | 11:40 PM
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PrintThe talk centered around the new venue for Monster Energy Supercross, and how it would play in LA. Local reporters were on the scene—one was literally on top of it when he crashed trying to ride a part of the track on Thursday morning. And one reporter for the Los Angeles Daily News raised a skeptical eyebrow about the event in a rather negative article you can read here.
Funny thing is, supercross in Los Angeles is far from a new phenomenon. In fact, Los Angeles is the ancestral birthplace of the sport, the host city of the first-ever supercross race, the 1972 Superbowl of Motocross (Superbowl spelled in one word, to avoid potential lawsuits with the NFL and its still relatively new Super Bowl game).
Nearly 42,000 fans welcomed supercross back to its home city.
Cudby photo
The original race ran in the venerable LA Coliseum. And by venerable, we can describe it like this: When Dodger Stadium opened way back in 1962, the Coliseum was already 40 years old. Legend has it that rock concert promoter Mike Goodwin sketched a diagram of a stadium motocross track on a napkin and went to work building what had not been built before.
Suffice to say the sport has grown quite a bit since then, and it even outgrew the old Coliseum, which hosted its last AMA Supercross race in 1998. The more modern digs of Angel Stadium of Anaheim (opened in 1966, renovated in 1998) are considered the home of supercross now—although the X Games paid tribute by hosting their Super X race at the Coliseum last summer. And there was that mostly forgotten 1999 event dubbed Summercross that only Matthes seems to recall.
A lot of supercross races have taken place in Anaheim, and the grass their still looks nice. But Anaheim is Anaheim. AMA Supercross did not return to its birthplace for 13 years, until Saturday night, when Dodger Stadium opened its doors (and field) to non-baseball-related dirt for the first time. Finally, supercross had returned home.
Bringing dirt and dirt bikes into such sacred baseball ground may seem crazy to those outside the sport, but for those of us who grew up following supercross, it was just another walk in another park.
(And for a more positive look on the evening, check out this report by ESPN’s Chris Palmer, a certified friend of the sport.)
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That article from the daily news journalist was an absolute joke! Never read something from a more narrow minded person. I'd like to see him say a lot of those things to the young kids in our sport face to face, after actually watching a race!
WOW. Did any one take the time to read the article slamming the event at Dodgers Stadium??? What a pile of @$#%! I can't see how that reporter could ever be taken seriously. I guess he's not - theres 11 pages of comments from a lot of very offended people, even industry people. What a joke.......
Really? There was so much great racing and they picked the moment to be about the stadium? What about the battle for the podium in the 450 class, with all the big players together finally, or maybe Tomac showing Tickle who is boss and that he belongs on the box?
could someone post info on how to reply to that negative reporter! maybe a few thousand letters by supercross fans could shed some new light on what our sport is all about!
Wow! I'd hate to know that guy personally, like be his wife or kid, what a miserable sob.. I did say to my kid tho, after seeing the track-I bet there are some baseball people just going nuts over this.
it's sad that this is the "moment" at one of the most exciting races in memory. I clicked on it expecting something totally different.
Wow I totally agree that article is a complete narrow minded joke the racing was really good this weekend 450 and 250 classes
I e-mailed the author of that pitiful piece the following: Hey *****. Motocrossers don't smoke. People at motocross and supercross races don't get into fights. They don't wear leather. There's a difference between motocrossers (athletes) and bikers (black leather posers). You obviously didn't even go to the event. Everyone from doctors to lawyers to students go to motocross and supercross races. How about if you put your cigarette out, leave that well-lit cubicle and see what America is about? "Series of inclines?" I can't believe your rag didn't send somebody who could intelligently comment on this sport. They're called jumps. "Motorized scooters?" You're so out of your element in writing this article. I was a baseball pitcher, and it's funny that you're so upset that there might be a bad bounce here and there. When I played, baseball players weren't whining pussies. Maybe they've become soft, like you, and have to play on a putting green. Get out of the office, Hoffarth. Your cellulite-ridden ass, pudgy gut and third chin have only partnered with your whining, complaining, wimpy personality to conspire against you to cause you to never get laid. You know you haven't had sex in years. Get it together, Hoffarth. Get a mountain bike or something. Become a man again...if you ever were a man.
Was the event sold out? From the TV coverage, it looked like there were a lot of empty seats.
I saw a bunch of empty seats during the telecast. Enough So-Call and Los Angeles/Anaheim races already. there are alot of tickests not being sold out there because people dont have the chance to buy them because too many races are in the So-Cal area, and leaving seats empty. Why is this so hard to fix??
Who cares what the old hack said? Not one comment here on the nice piece written by the ESPN reporter. Way to focus on the negative.
[email protected]
This guy is a LOSSER I e-mailed him...no reply.
Supercross has not returned home since the sport was originaly held in the Coliseum. How could it have returned home when it was at a stadium it has never been before? I dont know, i just think that if the race is going to go back to LA, it should be in the Coliseum where the track was always sick.
It's clear that the Daily News D-Bag didn't even attend the race. He's miserable, probably doesn't get any, and it just trying to bring everyone else down with him. Just remember, if someone p*****d in your Cheerio's every morning, you'd probably be a grumpy jerk like this guy. :) On the other hand, the reporter from ESPN wrote a really nice article. I would think the ESPN reporter has far more clout when it comes to things like this, and a lot more credibility as well. Enough people in California and around the nation watch supercross to know that the guy from the Daily News needs to put his pipe down. You could always look at it as any publicity is good publicity, and try to put a positive spin on it... Bummed I missed being there for this one!!! Great show by all of these talented athletes.
"Rather negative article"? Yeah, you could say that. But everyone is getting way too upset - why? Because the great thing is that this Hoffarth guy, who clearly hates dirt bikes, and motorcycles in general, is seeing his beloved Dodger's Stadium desecrated by the very thing he detests! That article was written be a man who was out of his mind with rage! Doesn't it make you feel great that someone like that was stewing in his own juices? In fact, I'd love to get that article framed. It's hilarious to think of that guy blowing a gasket while writing that stuff. And don't give him the satisfaction of writing nasty e-mails - it'll only give him satisfaction that the person who wrote it is p*ssed off, just the way that I'm satisfied that he's pissed off because his precious ballpark was taken over by a real sport that he loathes. Best response to him that I saw was "See you next year, Hoffarth." Now THAT's funny. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
I sent this email to the daily news:Does Hoffarth own Dodger stadium or the Daily News there? I was just wondering because he seems extremely arrogant and condescending. I understand he has a passion for his "hallowed grounds", but does he really need to insult the everyday fans of a great sport? What a no class jerk. Excuse us commoners if we can't live up to his superior educated, higher societal standards. I personally have a passion for baseball as well, and definately hope there was no harm to the field. Perhaps a person as well educated as he, should actually do some reaserch before flailing his yapper. Truckers,motorcyclist, and construction workers are hard working family people too. Not to mention, many of which are, or were fans of Hoffarth and his Dodgers. Hoffarth, you my friend should be ashamed!