Taking a detour from the well-traveled road of televised sports, Sound and Vision stops at the Los Angeles Central Library for the photography exhibit "Play Ball! Images of Dodger Blue, 1958-1988."
The display, located in the library's galleries on the first floor through Nov. 9, consists of archival photos from the old Los Angeles Herald Examiner and the library's Security Pacific National Bank collection, which includes photos from the publishing days of the Valley Times and Hollywood Citizen News.
Some of the pictures still have editor's "crop marks," illustrating how photo editing and page makeup were done before computers and digital cameras.
The curator for the exhibit is David Davis, a contributing writer to Los Angeles Magazine and The Times' Book Review.
"Since 1958, the Dodgers have been a vital, integral part of the social fabric of Los Angeles," Davis said. He added that the exhibit is a historical snapshot of the team's first 30 years in L.A., images of Walter O'Malley's move from Brooklyn, World Series wins at the Coliseum and Dodger Stadium, the presence of such players and managers as Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Walter Alston, Tom Lasorda, Pee Wee Reese, Roy Campanella, Steve Garvey and Fernando Valenzuela, and broadcaster Vin Scully.
The exhibit is free and open to the public during library hours.
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The British Open may be Tiger-less but it still has teeth, according to Mike Tirico, who is anchoring ABC's coverage from Royal Birkdale with Paul Azinger and five-time British Open winner Tom Watson.
"No player is carrying the weight of his sport more than Tiger Woods," Tirico said in a telephone interview Thursday from Southport, England. "But there are other factors and interesting stories. Right now, the weather is the story."
On Thursday, conditions at the links course on the Irish Sea were cold and windy. "It's summertime," Tirico quipped. The weekend forecast was for more of the same.
"Sports fans, not just golfers, want to see the greatest players in the world try to hit a golf ball in 30-mph winds," Tirico said.
TNT will offer delayed coverage today beginning at 7 a.m. On Saturday, play resumes at 4 a.m. on TNT and 6 a.m. on Channel 7. Sunday's final round begins at 3 a.m. on TNT and 5 a.m. on Channel 7.
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NBC announced this week that it will send 106 commentators and announcers to Beijing for 3,600 hours of Summer Olympics coverage. Among the announcers are 42 Olympic medal winners, including 25 gold medalists.
