OFF THE WALL

Banners to do talking for Dodgers fans vs. Astros

Fans were not allowed at Dodger Stadium to jeer the Houston Astros in person Saturday and today, but the plan for some is to communicate their feelings in other ways before the Astros’ first games in Los Angeles since their cheating scandal rocked the major leagues, writes Jorge Castillo of the L.A. Times.

Weather permitting, airplanes were to fly over Dodger Stadium today with banners directed at the Astros. At least two different banners, bankrolled by separate crowdfunding efforts, were scheduled to fly.

David Yontz, a Dodgers fan from Georgia, started a Gofundme page to raise the $850 to pay for one of them. Yontz said he would donate any extra money raised to charities associated with the Dodgers. As of Saturday morning, the fundraiser had totaled $934. Yontz got help spreading the word from Brendan Donley, the man from Western Michigan behind the 2020 Astros Shame Tour Twitter account. Donley tweeted the information out to his 310,000 followers and ran a poll to decide the banner’s message.

That banner will be succinct: STEAL THIS SIGN, ASTROS.

Two other Dodgers fans — Nathan Nguyen and Meredith Kendrick — partnered for another banner. They surpassed their goal of $1,725 on Gofundme for the cost and will donate the extra money to the Dodgers Foundation.

Their message is a little longer: “HEY ASTR*S, TRY STEALING THIS SIGN!”

Fly Signs Aerial Advertising was to fly a banner Saturday and Yontz’s banner today. But

Justin Jaye, the company’s owner, said Saturday’s flight wouldn’t be allowed because of the region’s poor air quality and low visibility.

The plan today was for the planes to fly over the ballpark while the Astros take batting practice. A flight restriction over the stadium goes into effect at 4:05 p.m., an hour before the game’s scheduled first pitch.

A group of fans gathered outside a Dodger Stadium gate Saturday morning to boo the Astros team bus as it entered. Meanwhile, about 10 minutes away, a mural of Joe Kelly making the pouty face he gave Astros shortstop Carlos Correa before benches cleared in the clubs’ first meeting this season has become an attraction for fans this week. Kelly visited the mural, which is painted on the side of a barbershop, with his family Thursday.

Trivia question

On this date in 1909, Ty Cobb clinched the American League home run title with his ninth of the season. What was special about all of his homers that year?

They said it

From Dan Daly of Profootballdaly.com, via Twitter, on Daniel Snyder’s legacy with the Washington Football Team: “Snyder bought Saks Fifth Avenue and in 20 years turned it into the Dollar Store.”

From Dwight Perry of The Seattle Times: “Mike Trout, with his 300th round-tripper, just passed Tim Salmon as the Angels’ all-time home-run leader. So how’d this team ever miss out on drafting Mike Carp and Kevin Bass?”

Trivia answer

All nine of Cobb’s dingers were inside-thepark home runs.