At some point, even the Hollywood sign sighs.
C’mon, do we have to spell this out for you — the nine giant white letters propped up in the Santa Monica Mountains don’t define Southern California. Nor does a glamour shot of Rodeo Drive. Nor something edgy like a Venice Beach skateboard park/tattoo parlor adjacent to an outdoor basketball court.
Sunday played out under the headline of Los Angeles’ “Sports Equinox”, and a lot of people across the country saw a lot of L.A. cultural touchstones if they were paying attention on TV.
Fox Sports, based in Century City, also stepped up its game.
For all it could control with its coverage of World Series Game 5 from Dodger Stadium, following its Rams-Packers NFL game from the Coliseum, the hometown network looked as if it wanted to flip the script for all those other cliché-laden visuals that others recycle in setting the stage for what they believe conveys L.A.
“Obviously, with people who live and work here knowing the ins and outs, we can show off this city in its true environment and not what a TripAdvisor might tell you about the top 10 spots to visit,” said Judy Boyd, Fox Sports’ senior vice president of production. “It’s not the Hollywood Walk of Fame or pop culture celebrities or what others may think.”
She was talking from her car phone as she tried to navigate traffic from Dodger Stadium back to the network’s NFL studios late Sunday afternoon. So typical.
Traffic and freeways, for that matter, became the framework for a Sunday morning Fox Sports NFL pregame show piece about the L.A.-centic day ahead. Narrated by Eric Dickerson — the former L.A.-of-Anaheim Rams running back who demanded a trade out of town — the montage explained how the city differentiates its pro sports participants from its winners. It didn’t resort to a cheap Tinseltown narrative.
The three World Series games at Dodger Stadium to close out the Dodgers’ collapse also gave Fox plenty of opportunities to cleverly indoctrinate viewers about the City of Angels without making it come off as another “Saturday Night Live” skit of “The Californians.”
There was some beautiful video of Echo Park Lake framing the downtown skyline. Spectacular sunsets captured from the blimp. Then there was a drop-in video that followed a surfboard shaper as he applied decals of the World Series, Dodgers and Red Sox, finished the board off and then took a soulful paddle out into the ocean.
“People may think of the L.A. surf culture as something that’s not as strong as when the Beach Boys were a big deal,” said Boyd, who lives with her family in the South Bay and has been a Southern California resident since she was 9. “I know it is.”
She said capturing L.A. is no different from “finding a line editorially that will let someone in Kansas know approximately where the game is. We do that in Boston, or Green Bay, or New Orleans. We’re doing more of that in our college football coverage. It’s also finding the right director of photography and going deeper into the neighborhoods of the city.”
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Dodgers’ Manny Machado strikes out as Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez charges to the mound to celebrate winning the 2018 Word Series. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and coach Bob Geren pack up as the Red Sox celebrate winning the 2018 Word Series. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Red Sox starting pitcher David Price joins starter-turned-reliever Chris Sale and catcher Christian Vazquez in celebrating a 5-1 win over the Dodgers to clinch the World Series title. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodger players can only watch in the ninth inning as the Red Sox go on to win the championship in Game 5. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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The Red Sox celebrate winning the 2018 Word Series at Dodger Stadium. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Red Sox players celebrate beating the Dodgers 5-1 and winning game five and the World Series. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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The Red Sox celebrate the championship after defeating the dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez and starter-turned-closer Chris Sale celebrate winning the World Series after the final out of Game 5 at Dodger Stadium. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Red Sox pitcher Rick Porcello, left, and catcher Christian Vaszuez hug after winning the championship. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig looks on from the bench as the Red Sox carry a 5-1 lead late in Game 5. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers players look on from the bench as the Red Sox carry a 5-1 lead late in game five. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers Clayton Kershaw enters the dugout after pitching seven innings. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Clayton Kershaw rests in the dugout after giving up three home runs over seven innings in Game 5 of the 2018 World Series against Boston. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Red Sox first baseman Steve Pearce celebrates his second home run of the game against the Dodgers during the eighth inning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers relief pitcher Pedro Baez puts his gloves on his head after giving up a solo homer to Red Sox first baseman Steve Pearce in the eighth inning. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Red Sox starting pitcher David Price reacts after getting Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig to ground out in the seventh inning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Clayton Kershaw gets a pat from manager Dave Roberts after giving up four runs and seven hits in Game 5 of the 2018 World Series. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Red Sox right fielder J.D. Martinez, left, is congratulated by teammate Xander Bogaerts after hitting a home run in the seventh inning. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers center fielder Enrique Hernandez can’t reach a J.D.Martinez homer in the seventh inning. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodger pitcher Clayton Kershaw surrenders a sixth inning solo homer to Mookie Betts. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw reacts after a solo home run by Red Sox center fielder Mookie Betts during the sixth inning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw surrenders a home run to Red Sox right fielder J.D. Martinez. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Red Sox center fielder Mookie Betts connects for a solo home run off Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw during the sixth inning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw watches as Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts hits a solo homer in the sixth inning. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes looks away as Red Sox center fielder Mookie Betts celebrates after crossing home plate during his home-run trot in the sixth inning. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is tagged out by Red Sox pitcher David Price at 1st base to end the 5th inning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig drops his bat and helmet in the infield after flying out to end the fourth inning. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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From left, Matt Damon, Jimmy Kimmel and Ben Affleck watch Game 5 at Dodger Stadium. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers David Freese slides into third with a third inning triple as Red Sox’s Rafael Devers makes a late tag. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers David Freese rounds second base on a third inning triple. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Red Sox pitcher David Price reacts after giving up a solo home run to Dodgers David Freese in the 1st inning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers David Freese celebrates his solo home run as Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez looks away in the first inning. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Red Sox starting pitcher David Price grimaces as Dodgers first baseman David Freese hits a solo homer in the first inning. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers first baseman David Freese reacts after hitting a solo homer in the first inning. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers David Freese homers in the first inning in game five. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw warms up in the outfield before facing the Red Sox in Game 5 of the World Series. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers Manny Machado reacts after striking out in the first inning. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Red Sox Steve Pearce, center, celebrates his two-run home run aganinst the Dodgers in the 1st inning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Ddogers Manny Machado complains to home plate umpire Jeff Nelson afgter striking out against the Red Sox in the 1st inning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodger pitcher Clayton Kershaw follows the flight of the ball on Steve Pearce’s first inning two run homer. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw wipes his face as he leaves the mound after giving up a two-run home run to Red Sox’s Steve Pearce in the first inning. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Fomer Dodger pitcher Orel Hersheiser waves to the crowd before the first pitch in Game 5. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts chats with reporters in the dugout hours before game five. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw warms up in the outfield as the Budweiser Clydesdales pass by before the start of Game 5 at Dodger Stadium. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Clydesdale horses trot along the warning track before the start of Game 5. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Every game in L.A., Fox also feasted on at least one cheesecake shot of the Santa Monica Pier.
“Life’s pretty good out here,” said play-by-play man Joe Buck as he saw the pier in Game 3.
Analyst John Smoltz replied: “I don’t know how you get anything done, seriously, with this weather.”
We just sigh, and drone on.
Graphic details
The Fox TV graphic of the night: In nine games with umpire Jeff Nelson behind the plate, the Red Sox’s David Price had a 7-2 record with a 2.04 ERA — the most wins Price has had with any umpire. The Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw had Nelson only once, with no record.
“That’s an amazing stat,” acknowledged Smoltz, “just by the randomness of it.”
Down for the count
After battling with a sore throat, Dan Shulman told his Twitter followers early Sunday morning that he “can’t shake a care of laryngitis” and revealed that Jon Sciambi flew across the country today to call Game 5 for ESPN Radio from Dodger Stadium.
