Alanna Rizzo (Transcript)

Alanna’s Time with the Dodgers

Robby Incmikoski: All right, Alanna Rizzo. The first thing I want to ask you, Alanna: Your last year with the Dodgers was what, ’21?

Alanna Rizzo: 2020—the year they won the World Series in the COVID-shortened season. But I was there until basically January of 2021. My last full season was 2020.

Robby Incmikoski: And your first year with the Dodgers was when?

Alanna Rizzo: 2014. So I covered them for seven seasons, from ’14 through the World Series win.

Robby Incmikoski: So seven years, which I want to say, obviously, I don’t think they made the playoffs every year, they went and they played the Red Sox in ’18, in ’17 they played the Astros, and then in ’20 they won it.

Alanna Rizzo: Correct.

Robby Incmikoski: So three World Series, right? So you had a shotgun ride with arguably, you can argue the Yankees and the Cubs, maybe Red Sox, but the most famous franchise in baseball with great history, great players, Hall of Famers, the greatest announcer as you obviously know in the history of sports is Vin Scully, right? So like, when you look back on your time now, what was that like roaming Dodger Stadium, as the face, one of the faces of the LA Dodgers on TV?

Alanna Rizzo: It’s so funny when you ask that question, Robby, because I was thinking about that today, because I knew we were having this conversation this afternoon. I was thinking about some of the memorable moments of Dodger Stadium. I think what the coolest thing is that everywhere you go, it’s a hallowed ground. Everywhere you go in [Dodger Stadium], it’s a reminder of what this franchise has accomplished and all of the different things that this team has seen and what those walls—man, if those walls could talk, right?

It’s like if you come off of the elevators, which are the slowest elevators in the history of mankind, and you come out the elevators and you walk down that hallway to the Dodgers clubhouse and to the opposition’s clubhouse too, and you see all of the Gold Gloves that have been earned by members of the team over the course of decades, not to mention on the right-hand side, you have MVP awards, you know, and then on further down, you have the World Series trophies and replicas of the World Series trophies, and then you turn a corner and you have the jerseys of all the retired players and coaches, like, you know, obviously Tommy Lasorda number two, and you go on and on and on. And then you go into the Dodgers clubhouse itself, and there’s living legends still at the stadium.

What was so cool about Dodger Stadium is that it had such a good combination of the history of the team, you know, since they came over in ’58 and started playing at the Coliseum. The stadium opened in ’62, but you still have a really unique advantage with a woman of the name of Janet Marie Smith putting on a very elegant yet updated and modern flair to a stadium that is the oldest, other than of course, Wrigley Field, the oldest in the National League, and it was just such a cool experience to be able to walk down the hall—oh, here comes Sandy Koufax. Oh, and God rest his soul, here’s, having conversations with Don Newcombe before he passed away. He was always sitting in the owners’ seats at Dodgers VP. Every single home game, Don Newcombe was there in a three-piece suit, with a hat, the most well-dressed human on the planet, with Matt Kemp, and Andre Ethier, and you know, of course, Kenley Jansen when Kenley was still the closer for the Dodgers. And you know, like, my goodness, it’s Don Newcombe. I mean, this man had conversations and had experiences with Martin Luther King Jr., with, obviously with Jackie Robinson. It’s just, it’s amazing to know that yes, we have the modern-day game, but the people that have talked through that stadium, it’s a living encyclopedia of greatness in our sport.

Celebrities at Dodger Stadium

Robby Incmikoski: I remember one time, Gerrit Cole walked over to me, and I’m like looking at the game, and I always like to take in the crowd at Dodger Stadium because we’re only there three days a year, sometimes four, and that’s it, right? And you never know who the hell you’re going to see. I’ll never forget Gerrit walking over to me. He goes, “Hey.” He points over, and it’s like, “Hey, is that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?” And I’m like, “I don’t know. Let me get up close.” He’s like, “Will you go up look?” And I look over, and I’m like, “Holy hell, that is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.” He was sitting like, in that first, you know like there’s, you know, like the gates where everybody walks out to go, you know, exit . . 

Alanna Rizzo: [Can’t understand. dn]

Robby Incmikoski: Right. So and like there’s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. So I always look, and this is what prompts me to ask this question: Do you almost like not bat an eye at who could show up at a game at every given night, knowing like it could be like some Z-list wannabe to the biggest A-lister that exists in entertainment. What was that like day in and day out, not knowing what athlete, singer, actor, musician, who you’re gonna see?

Alanna Rizzo: Bizarre. I mean it really is. I remember, I’m a big country music fan, love country music, and I remember Jake Owen was at the stadium one time. At the time, one of his songs, “Anywhere with You” was one of my favorite songs ever, and he happened to be there. And I was hell-bent on meeting him, so I made sure I went and had a conversation with him, but it was nothing to see, I mean, I’ve had, I don’t know how many times Arsenio Hall or George Lopez would try to mess up one of my sideline reports. But it’s amazing who’s at the stadium and who you’re going to see. I mean people that are in our daily lives, like they’re just like people just walking down the hallway. I mean, having VP at Dodger Stadium at a home game is a sight because it’s so crowded. There’s so many people on the field, but the people that are in attendance, I mean, you never know who you’re going to see. I mean it’s literally like the Hollywood Walk of Fame could walk into Dodger Stadium, and it just kind of becomes commonplace because obviously that’s the, that’s the team in the city. And you know, I’ve become friendly and friends with Brad Paisley, who is a follower of my foundation to save dogs and stuff. He’s a massive Dodger fan. He’s there a lot. But not just country music. All walks of, of any genre of music, all walks of life, you know, actors, politicians, movie stars, like legitimate movie stars are there. You know, having Keviin Costner do the narration for when Vin Scully was inducted into the Ring of Fame there and having an opportunity to interview Kevin Costner. Like, it’s just bizarre. Like, you’re just like, “This is my job. I can’t believe it.” And having people on set, you know, actors, and people that are unbelievably accomplished in their field, and they’re just our pregame bets [? dn]. It’s just wild. But that’s Hollywood. There’s a lot to be said about what people think of LA, but until you’ve been a part of that organization and until you’ve lived there, you don’t appreciate just the opportunities that are at your feet by living in Los Angeles. 

The Sound of Dodger Stadium 

Robby Incmikoski: I want to point out two things that, if I had to deal with as a visitor, I don’t know what the hell it was like for you as the home TV reporter because it was, it was crazy for me. Two things specifically that I want to tell fans about. Number one: How the hell do you hear yourself think, day in and day out, with how loud the music is at that, like the pregame announce—I try to explain to people I can’t hear myself think when I’m talking at Dodger Stadium in the pregame.

Alanna Rizzo: That’s right. I never, it never bothered me. And you’re certainly not the first person that has said that. People are like, “My God. The audio system here is ridiculous in the outfield. I mean, the speakers are gigantic, right? It’s crazy at how loud it is. I don’t know. I guess I just got used to it. And I’m half deaf anyway because we’ve had IFBs in our ears for twenty-five years.

I don’t know, I guess it’s just part of the thing. You just kind of got used to it, but  you’re certainly not the first person that’s brought that up. People, all though I will say, Dodger Stadium has the best in-game DJ of any stadium and best in-game organist of any stadium. I mean, DJ Severe is phenomenal, and of course, Dieter Ruehle, who plays the organ, and this is the guy that took over, you know, one of the greatest organists that baseball has seen in Nancy Bea . . .

But it’s just, it’s been, yes, the audio system is loud, but I guess I just got used to it.

Navigating Dodger Stadium 

Robby Incmikoski: My other question. You mentioned it, and I was going to say this. You go in the press entrance at Dodger Stadium. You’re at the top. And again, I’m saying this for the fans. Me and you know, but I want to get your perspective, okay? Again, you’ve lived it at home. I lived it on the road. And Kyle, I have many pictures of this. I’m not sure, with the exception of maybe Pittsburgh, and maybe San Francisco, there’s a more beautiful view of a stadium than the top of Dodger Stadium behind home plate, and that’s when you enter through the press entrance. You keep going. You’re on the seventh floor. And it goes nine floors. No, you’re on the ninth floor, actually.

Alanna Rizzo: You’re at the seventh at the press box, but you’re right. It goes all the way up to nine.

Robby Incmikoski: Up to nine. I go in at nine, and you look in, and it is the most beautiful, amazing, breathtaking view potentially that exists in baseball. But then you gotta get down to the clubhouse.

Alanna Rizzo: Yeah.

Robby Incmikoski: And that in itself is an adventure. Tell me about those elevators and why is it an adventure that I can get there at three o’clock for a three-fifteen clubhouse and I somehow end up late for the clubhouse.

Alanna Rizzo: Oh, it’s a mission. It’s a mission. That’s the thing. It’s a very old stadium. I mean, it opened in 1962, and the ninth floor that you’re talking about, that’s where folks park. That’s like Lot D. You can go and park there sometimes. Well, it depends on where you are coming into the stadium.

Robby Incmikoski: Yeah.

Alanna Rizzo: But where you’re talking, I think it’s Lot D, and you walk in, and you’re over there by the media, or you know, the ticket, ticket windows.

Robby Incmikoski: Yeah.

Alanna Rizzo: Or whatever. It’s basically called Top of the Park. And you walk in, and it’s the most beautiful view of the entire stadium. It’s such a cool view, because you’re looking down. Dodger Stadium is in a ravine, right? It’s in Chavez Ravine. So it’s down. But you’re overlooking, straight ahead is the San Gabriel Mountains, and it’s just absolutely gorgeous.

Robby Incmikoski: Here, Kyle, for reference.

Alanna Rizzo: It’s just a stunning, stunning view. But then, yes, there’s the elevator issue. There was, at the time, this was before the renovation, the $100 million renovation that Janet Marie spearheaded, there was only two elevators in the entire building. And it was at that column there.

Robby Incmikoski: That’s it.

Alanna Rizzo: Behind, you know, behind home plate, all the way at the top. So everyone and their mother is literally trying to get down, and we’re talking, we’re talking everyone in the stadium using the same two elevators. So think about all of the [? dn] guys that are trying to prepare for all of the food, all of the concessionaires, every single person. So you have like guys and gals with massive carts of food. So all of the freight all of the people, all of the everything goes through the same two elevators. So it takes frickin’ forever. So with the new renovations now, they have, you can literally walk all the way around the stadium. It’s connected now. And there are two new elevator banks. Basically right field and left field. So it’s not just the two behind home plate. But yeah, it’s a mission. It’s like, I mean, if you, if you miss it by, if you’re running to the elevator and the doors shut, you’re in there for another 20 minutes. You learn how to take the stairs. I mean, it’s just . . 

Robby Incmikoski: It sounds, right, it sounds like a woe is me, but it’s really not. It just takes forever. I have pictures of that, Kyle. And what Alanna’s describing, and it’s actually, again, one of the cooler things you see in baseball. I have photos of this. And when you walk out, there’s just a long glass display of all the Gold Gloves that’s been won by Steve Garvey and Russell Martin and everybody that’s won a Gold Glove [?] the MVP. There’s so many, and it is amazing. But the elevator takes, like you’re sitting there, people got like trays of chicken fingers and sandwiches to drop off, and you’re stopping at every floor, from nine all the way down to the bottom.

Making a Living at Dodger Stadium 

Robby Incmikoski: So the day by day—tell me about, like, you’re at Dodger Stadium, you made your living at Dodger Stadium, like you paid your bills working at Dodger Stadium. Like, what comes to mind when you think of that? Like, how cool is that to be—for someone that loves the game of baseball and has dedicated so much of your life to the game of baseball—to spend it, to spend seven years of your career calling that ballpark home makes what come to mind for you?

Alanna Rizzo: The best seven years of my life professionally. I mean, it was the greatest time I’ve ever had in my professional life. You’ll never get that back. The irony is I almost didn’t want to take the job—I almost didn’t take the job.

Robby Incmikoski: Why?

Alanna Rizzo: Because I didn’t think I wanted to live in LA. Because I had always known Los Angeles from an outside, from a visitor, from an outsider’s perspective, and then had, everyone has this perception of what Los Angeles is and what Los Angeles represents. I could not have _____ [couldn’t understand. dn] my time there. I’ve never enjoyed living anywhere more than when I lived in Manhattan Beach. I know Manhattan Beach isn’t LA, but going to the stadium every single day was a privilege. And to be able to say that you are the sideline reporter and television host for the Los Angeles Dodgers is pretty special.

What people don’t understand, I think, is—no disrespect to any small-market team—but, you know, I worked first in baseball for the Colorado Rockies. The Colorado Rockies are not the Los Angeles Dodgers, and they never will be. It’s the opportunities that come to you just because you are associated with a certain team—just because you’re associated with the [couldn’t understand. dn] or the Cubs or the Red Sox or the Cardinals to a certain extent, the Dodgers—doors open for you that may not be given to other folks just based on affiliation with a team. I had so many amazing opportunities. I’ve covered baseball now in three different countries, two different continents, because of the Dodgers. And even like little things you may not think about, like I got Global Entry without an appointment because I was with the Dodgers. They come to Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, and make sure all the players have Global Entry. Well, I’m a part of that family, that team. And while that seems trivial, the thing about the Dodgers that I noticed more than any other organization or corporation I’ve worked for is they made me feel like a part of the team. I wasn’t at arm’s length away, like “oh, you’re just a broadcaster.” I was literally part of their family, and I still feel that way today.

And there’s just bene —here’s opportunities and benefits, and perks that are, not given to you, associated with just you working for that that team. And I’ve had an unbelievable ride professionally and personally because of the game of baseball, but specifically because of my time with the Dodgers.

Robby Incmikoski: _____ [? dn] told me something funny. He told me something funny. He said, “Most clubs have two buses, like a coach, coach’s bus, and then two buses. He said, “Your buses are like public transportation.” What was it like traveling with the Dodgers? How do you describe the experience?

Alanna Rizzo: I mean, it’s just, everything’s first-class. I remember when I was with the Rockies, we were on a plane—I wasn’t always allowed to fly on the team plane with the Rockies because of seating restrictions and also because there were times that managers didn’t want women on the plane (which is stupid, because we stayed in the same hotel as the team, so you figure it out). But with the Dodgers, everything is first-class. Everything was chartered. Everything was just well run and well organized—best hotels, best flights, best everything. That’s just how it was.

[Couldn’t understand dn] in 2014 in Australia. It was still during spring training, but it counted toward the regular season record.

Robby Incmikoski: I remember that. Yeah.

Alanna Rizzo: We all flew Qantas, and it was a double-decker bus. And they flew us out really late at night because they wanted to try and make sure our sleep schedules weren’t as messed up as possible. We had pajamas on the plane, and we each had our own—it was just insanity. It’s insanity. And then for postseason, which we were in every single year, everybody was allowed to bring their family. So I got to bring, it’s like bring your mom to World Series Day. My mom was able to go to the World Series with me when they played the Astros. She came to Houston when I was working, and Jaime Jarrín’s daughter-in-law took care of my mom on the trip when I was working.

And again, it’s like we talk so much about working with Vin Scully, but I also got to do it with Jaime Jarrín, the Spanish-language broadcaster for the Dodgers, who’s also a Hall of Famer, you know. There’s just Hall of Fame—you talk about Fernando Valenzuela, who’s obviously dealing with some health issues right now, but he should be in the Hall of Fame for what he meant to the game of baseball and the resurgence of baseball in the city of Los Angeles. Fernando-mania was a real thing in the ’80s. Those are my colleagues, you know. Those are the, I got to work, when we started SportsNet LA in 2014, our broadcasters were Vin Scully, Orel Hershiser, Nomar Garciaparra, and myself at the stadium, and then it was, you know, John Hartung was our studio host and Jerry Hairston Jr. And you know, it’s like, we’re very fortunate to work for an organization that people would kill to work for. And that’s just LA. That’s just what that organization means.

Robby Incmikoski: What was it like calling Vin a coworker?

Alanna Rizzo: It’s just insanity. I remember when I was with the Rockies—this is way back when Vin was still traveling—and he came to Denver. And I was in the Rockies’ media dining area, and I was with the Rockies. I wasn’t with the Dodgers yet. And he said something to the effect of (I’m paraphrasing), but it’s like, “You must be honey because look at all the bees around you.” No one on the planet could get away with that except Vin Scully. He was such a sweet and kind human. And what people thought Vin was—that’s who he was.

I’m in my office right now at home, and there’s only three pictures I have framed: One is me interviewing Sandy Koufax at spring training. The other one is of me and a family mentor and an unbelievable woman in my life that unfortunately passed away, and the other one is me and Vin. That’s the only three pictures I have in my office. And Vin is just as genuine of a human being as you think he is, and as you want him to be. And he was the Dodgers—I mean, he’s on the Mount Rushmore of Dodger lore and never put on a uniform to play the game. I mean at the big-league level, obviously. So just amazing—just amazing.

Robby Incmikoski: Incredible. And talking to Boyd, I could have talked to Boyd for two straight hours about it—that’s how many stories he had. All right, let’s shift a little bit. Let’s talk about Colorado. Game 163—we’re going to talk to Jamey Carroll next week, who hit that sac fly. What was that night at the ballpark? What was the vibe like?

Alanna Rizzo: It was insane. I had just started with the Rockies at that time. I had come from WISC in Madison, Wisconsin, and in my contract I had an out to go to Denver—that was where I was born and raised, and if there was an opportunity to work in Colorado, I was going to take it, and I did. And I started in the middle of the twenty-one out of twenty-two games that they won. So that was insanity, and even just to get into that postseason. Jamey Carroll hits that sacrifice fly to right; Matt Holliday tags up and scores—and he did touch the plate. I will go to my grave saying that. I know the Padres fans don’t think that, and that’s fine. But it was wild, to be able to come from behind and do all they had to do to get to that point. To get into 163, and then sweeping the Phillies in the DS, sweeping the Diamondbacks in the CS. And you see Todd Helton—who never showed an ounce of emotion ever—and then Eric Byrnes is sliding headfirst past first base, and Todd’s arms are up like this. That moment of Todd—and I didn’t even know him at that point. I know him well now, but I didn’t know him well then, because I had just started. But that moment of Todd with that exuberance and emotion that that guy never showed is emblazoned in my brain. If there’s ever a statue of Todd Helton outside Coors Field, that will be it, of him having his arms in the air. Obviously, he’s in the Hall of Fame now.

So, you know, it was an amazing experience, but I was so green in my baseball career at that point. I knew the basics, but I certainly didn’t know the intricacies of the game, and I didn’t have the appreciation and love of the game that I have now. At the time, Aaron Cook was their ace, and I was like, “What the hell is a sinkerball pitcher?” I was really green, and really trying to get my feet wet. The impetus was to get back to Colorado, and it just so happened that baseball was my path, and now I can’t imagine my life without baseball. I didn’t get into broadcasting to do baseball, but I can’t imagine what my life would have been like had I not taken that job.

Robby Incmikoski: I thought the same thing. I wanted to spend my career in hockey, then I got into baseball and realized this amazing fraternity. Kyle, we’re gonna see where this fits in, but I want to have this on record—and I don’t like making any of this about me, but what I’ve really come to find out through this process is how to describe the baseball fraternity. People that aren’t in it don’t quite understand it. I think maybe we don’t understand other fraternities that they have. What I want to explain is the bond that we all share, I feel like a lot of it, we, as TV people that do baseball every day—imagine fifteen years of 140-something games, fifteen straight years. Then this year I dropped back to 60, and I’m like, “Man, I don’t know how the hell I did 140 for fifteen straight years.” How do you put into words the friendships we’ve been able to form among one another? Those of us who have been in the game that long—I can reach out to you, and your first reaction was, “Yes, what can we do to help promote it?” You know what I mean? That’s because I feel like you’ve walked the same path that I walked, and I’ve walked the same path somebody else walked. We all have a genuine respect and admiration for one another—for what we do and what we sacrifice, not being around your families and husbands and kids and all that kind of stuff. How do you describe the bond that all of us announcers have with one another?

Alanna Rizzo: I really don’t think you can appreciate it unless you’ve lived it—unless you’re doing the hundred and—you know, I did almost two hundred games a year for fifteen years. Same as you.

Robby Incmikoski: [? dn]

Alanna Rizzo: Yeah, like spring training, regular season, and fortunately, you know, postseason.

Robby Incmikoski: Wait, what did you just see. The ___ [?] postseason?

Alanna Rizzo: Postseason. It’s called playoffs.

Robby Incmikoski: What is that?

Alanna Rizzo: It’s happens at the end of the regular season if you get into this whole tournament bracket type of thing. So yeah, just a different book . . .

Robby Incmikoski: That’s what that is. Okay, thank you. We don’t know that word in Pittsburgh.

Alanna Rizzo: A different book. But it’s something that is really special to the people who have gone through the trenches. I’m certainly not relating what we do to being in the military by any stretch of the imagination.

Robby Incmikoski: Nor am I. Nor am I.

Alanna Rizzo: But having lived it for as long as we’ve lived it, there’s a special bond among the people who share the camaraderie of, “I can understand what you’re talking about because I, too, have lived that.”

I started a text thread with six other sideline reporters—six other women in the industry—and we joke now about writing our own book: Chapter 67: “No, I can’t get this player to sign your ball.” Chapter 43: “No, I’m not going to tell you who’s injured for your fantasy baseball league.” Chapter 17 . . . But again, we can for lack of a better phrase, bitch about, while we’re very blessed and we’re very lucky to have the job, it does come with sacrifices and some challenges. Everybody sees the glamorous side of things, and everybody wants to do what we do, but nobody really understands—unless you’ve lived it—nobody understands the sacrifices that we’ve made and still make to do this job. Are we lucky? A thousand percent. But it’s not, none of this has been handed to any one of us, and while none of our paths are linear, and we’ve all gone about it a different way to get to a certain point, we all share the commonality of busting our ass to get here and knowing what it’s like to never—what’s a barbecue? What’s a college graduation? What’s Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Easter, a concert on a Friday night—none of that exists when you’re a baseball beat reporter because it’s every day from February 14 until, if you’re lucky, October 31. Unless you’ve lived it, you don’t understand it. That’s why we’re all so close. That’s why we have this fraternity, sorority of “Yes, I get you because I am you.”

Robby Incmikoski: Yeah, yeah, no, I agree wholeheartedly. I know I have an Excel sheet with everybody’s number and email in case anybody needs access to anybody. I’m always the social one that tries to get everybody together. One other thing I want to talk back to one thing, and I know this isn’t a shining moment, but it’s still relevant to Dodger Stadium: 2017—ground ball to José Altuve ends the World Series. What was the vibe like in the ballpark as the Astros . . . ? And I’m not talking about cheating or any of that—I’m not getting into that—I’m talking about that night, just what was the vibe like around the ballpark when the Astros won at Dodger Stadium.

Alanna Rizzo: I want to know where the hell the Yu Darvish that just shoved in Game 2 was when he was supposed to be shoving for us. Yeah, it was awful. I remember having to walk into that clubhouse, Game 7, when they started Darvish, and it was a morgue. And this was before, obviously, they knew they were going back in ’18. They knew they were going back in 2020. We didn’t know where we were going to be the next year, and that was such a special—I will say this. The ’17 team obviously was very good. I thought the ’18 team was better; I think the Red Sox were better, but I think [? dn] beat the Astros in 2017. But it was awful. It’s so difficult to get to the postseason; it’s so difficult to get to a World Series. You have guys who have played in this league for fifteen, twenty years that have never tasted a postseason game, let alone getting to the World Series and being able to win or lose one. It’s such a grind.

Think about, and again, not comparing the two sports. I know they’re very different. But think about football: 17 games, 18 weeks. 17 games. That’s it. We play 162. I’m not comparing the physicality of things or those types of things, but I’d be hard-pressed to say that baseball is the hardest sport. I don’t think any football player can play baseball. The mental grind of a baseball player and what you have to go through—and you’re constantly getting kicked in your teeth as a Hall of Famer 70 percent of the time, and you’re in the Hall of Fame. This game will humble you in a heartbeat.

So it was awful. It was awful to have to go in there, and you still have to do your job, but you have to be respectful. It’s different too as a team reporter than as somebody with the LA Times or the Gazette or whatever. It’s different, you know. You have to be respectful and do a job, but you’re not there to bury them, whereas national writers have a different perspective on things. You never want to go in on the last game of the year on the losing end.