Not to bite Whitmore's previous blogs about The Los Angeles Dodgers, but I wanted to write about the start of the baseball season, Last Sunday I went to check out the Dodgers and as I walked up the stairs to my seat, I couldn't help but take a picture of one of my all-time favorites.

Fernando Valenzuela was the pride of Mexico. The biggest reason why the Dodgers are Los Doyers now has everything to do with him. Mexicanos who had no previous interest in baseball, suddenly filled the stadium every time he pitched. In a city so enamored by The Lakers, Fernandomania swept through Los Angeles.  He should be in the Baseball Hall Of Fame. He was the only person to win the Cy Young Award and The Rookie Of The Year in the same year (1981) and helped The Dodgers win the World Series over the the dreaded New York Yankees, In 1990, he pitched a no-hitter. The Dodgers ended his career prematurely by overusing him, mostly to get more people through the turnstiles. Still, to see him in his heyday was something else.
I feel the same pride with Alejandro Ocana, otherwise known as 2Mex. He, along with Xololanxinco, formed Of Mexican Descent, who were the first Chicano rappers that I heard that went beyond what other Chicano Rappers had done previously. Before them it was all Gangster Rap or the numerous Cypress Hill knock-offs. 2Mex lyrics have content, cultural pride and he can freestyle with the best of them. He has numerous collaborations, solo projects and releases. On top of that he is also a part of the Visionaries crew. Check out his insane discography

2MEX DISCOGRAPHY:
Of Mexican Descent: Exitos y Mas Exitos (1998)
visionaries -galleries (1998)
Songodsuns: Love Fights Back (1999) 12"
The Mindclouders (2mex & Mums the Word): Fake it Until You Make it (2000)
2mex: Words, Knot Music (2001, 2000)
VISIONARIES SOHPMORE JINX (2000)
2mex: LA (Like) (2001)
2mex: B-boys in Occupied Mexico (2001)
2mex: Unreleased hits (2001)
2mex & Awol One: Flow & Tell Live (2001)
OMD/Writers Block/Brother J: Live at the Knitting Factory (2002)
2mex: the Sweat EP (2002)
Jel vs 2mex: Diypartisan (2002)
2mex and Luckyiam.PSC: the Summerjam (2003)
2mex: Unreleased Hits Revised Edition (2003)
2mex: Pavillions of Sound (2003)
2mex: Sweat Lodge Infinite (2003)
2mex: 2mex (2004)
2mex & Busdriver: Live Radio Concert-Limited Edition (2004)
2mex: Knowhawk (2004)
2mex: Lovesongmix (2004)
2mex: Baby I Aint Jokin (2004)
2mex: Da Vinci blowed bw Airwolf (2005)
VISIONARIES-PANGAEA (2005)
Squeak E. Clean presents Baldhead Slick and 2mex (2005)
Songodsuns: Once Again (2005)
SonGodSuns 2mex of the Visionaries: Over the Counter Culture (2005) 2 LP
2mex: the Essential Tour (2005)
2mex: Live in Bozeman Montana (2005)
2mex: Instrumentals, Accapellas Of Mexican Descent: "Push the system"/2mex: "the Cross is a Knife" (2005) 7"
2mex and Life Rexall are $martyr (2006) CD
of Mexican Descent: Exitos y Mas Exitos Edición de Lujo (2006, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1993, 1999, 2000) CD
VISIONARIES-WE ARE THE ONE (WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR)(2006)

You know it's going to be a good show when many DJ's, musicians and all-around people with good taste are in the audience. All the people pictured are some of my favorite Amoeba shoppers and fellow employees. I hope they had as good of a time at the show as I.