The Real Dodgertown: Russell Martin

Moving along on the Militant's "The Real Dodgertown" series, this week he highlights Dodger catcher Russell Martin:
Our Afro-Franco-Canadian behind-the-plate-kinda guy was born in suburban Toronto and raised in Paris, France and suburban Montreal, having attended the same high school as some dude named Gagné (no, not that one).

Often pointed out for his resemblance to Turtle from the HBO series Entourage, Martin was instantly promoted to the big leagues after then-catcher Dioner Navarro suffered an owie early in the 2006 season. Since then, Martin became a two-time All-Star (2007, 2008) and also earned Golden Glove and Silver Slugger accolades in 2007.

This season, his uniform bears the name "J. MARTIN" which led fans to scratch their heads and either wonder "WTF?" or assume he changed his first name to "Jussell" or is trying to do some J. Crew kinda thang. But he was only trying to give props to the surname of his mother, Suzanne Jeanson (pronounced "Johnson" or "Jenson," depending on how you parlez-vous français).

The Militant traveled to Los Feliz (which is incorrectly referred to as "The Eastside") to snap the photo of "Russell Ave.," which was taken at its intersection with Vermont Avenue. Nearby is the infamous late-night chow stop House of Pies, which serves up Canadian maple syrup in its pancakes and waffles.

The "Martin St." sign was taken in El Sereno (which is actually in The Eastside), where it crosses Budau Ave. - a name which is French in origin.

The Real Dodgertown: Casey Blake, Blake DeWitt

Continuing the Militant's on-going series on "The Real Dodgertown," where he attempts to amuse his readers with Los Angeles street signs whose names are the same as those of current Dodger players, the Militant is going 2-for-1 today.

In baseball, that doesn't make any sense, but you will get two players for the (free) price of one with this post.

The Militant roams around this City far and wide to do these kinds of things for y'all, so here it is:


Today's "Real Dodgertown" players are third basemen Casey Blake and Blake DeWitt!

Blake, as we all know, is the team's primary third-baseman, the first everyday hot corner occupant since that Adrian Beltre guy some five years ago. Acquired just before last year's trade deadline, the bearded former American League veteran has been one of the team's offensive and defensive constants this season.

The Militant took the picture of the "Casey Pl" sign off of Westmont Drive in northern San Pedro, and the "Blake Av" sign by Pirtle Avenue in Elysian Valley (a.k.a. Frogtown), just down the hill from The Stadium.

The team's other "Blake" 3rd baseman - Blake DeWitt (Incidentally, both of them sport a number "3" on their jerseys - Blake being #23; DeWitt being #33) , was best known as the minor leaguer, who, in 2008, got the call to be on the Dodgers' Opening Day roster, after Tony Abreu, Andy LaRoche and the brittle-boned Nomar Garciaparra were all on the disabled list.

In his first MLB at-bat, he got his first big league hit, and just weeks later got his first home-run. The phrase, "Is There Anything Blake DeWitt Can't Do?" was popular at the start of the 2008 season, with his first grand-slam projected for July, brokering Mid-East peace by October and curing cancer by December.

This season, he's racked up the most frequent-flyer miles of any Dodger in history as he spent most of this season being called-up (and re-called) to and from the minor leagues multiple times.

The Militant snapped the "De Witt Dr" (Okay, there's a space, but who's counting?) sign in the Cahuenga Pass area, off of Barham Blvd.

The Real Dodgertown: Orlando Hudson

Everybody knows the Militant loves Los Angeles, loves the Dodgers and loves the Los Angeles Dodgers. This year, although many hardcore Dodger fans lamented the team's closing of the Dodgertown training facility in Vero Beach, Fla and moving their Spring Training home to Glendale (no, not that one) Arizona, the upside was that Don Francisco McCourt has brought Dodgertown...to Los Angeles.

This year, Chavez Ravine has become "Dodgertown" itself, complete with its own zip code, and their "This Is My Town" ad campaign has spawned some billboards (both typical and atypical), as well as a way to get certain demographic groups to sell out some of the crappiest seats in the Stadium.

But after some Militant thought, "Dodgertown" has a deeper meaning: Perhaps it's been here all along.

There are hundreds of streets that crisscross this City (the fact that many of them are colored Dodger blue notwithstanding) and they can reveal some of the Dodgers themselves. Thus began the Militant's new on-going series, "The Real Dodgertown."

Today, the Militant kicks off the series featuring current Dodgers second baseman Orlando Hudson, a.k.a. O-DAWG!

The former Arizona Diamondbacks all-star was signed by the Dodgers over the offseason, coming off an injury with something to prove. It didn't take him long, as on Opening Day this year, he became the first Los Angeles Dodger to hit for the cycle at Dodger Stadium. Aside from his on-field skills, he's been a class act off the field as well.

The Militant took both of the above pictures on a bike ride along Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, where both Orlando and Hudsdon avenues intersect. He may or may not know whether there's some connection, but if O-Dawg is ever spotted shopping at, say, Crooks & Castles or having dinner at Osteria Mozza, the Militant would love to get a pic.