A diehard Dodgers’ fan built a replica of the iconic Dodger Stadium wall in his own backyard. NBC LA’s Fred Roggin sat down with him for a virtual interview.
There have been a lot of amazing accomplishments during the COVID-19 pandemic.
You've probably seen most of them being shared on social media; from Tik Tok dances, to climbing Mount Everest on your parent's stairs, or creating the ultimate game of 'Moustrap,' people across the globe have built and accomplished utterly remarkable things with their extra time caused by the coronavirus stay-at-home orders.
One diehard Dodgers' fan in Massachusetts channeled his energy, creativity, and time, and constructed a replica of Dodger Stadium in his own backyard.
Ben Massé, a school teacher living in West Springfield, spent his quarantine time building the outside wall of Dodger stadium for his wiffle ball field in his backyard.
"We have plenty of Wiffle Ball Fenway Parks, so I think the area needed a Dodger stadium," said Massé in an interview with NBC LA on Wednesday.
With the help of his wife, and her father, the project took about a month, and cost about $500 in repeated trips to the local Home Depot.
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Massé told NBC LA that he originally grew up a Red Sox fan, and celebrated their World Series victory in 2004 that broke the 86-year team curse known as "The Curse of the Bambino," in honor of Babe Ruth who was famously traded from the Red Sox to the New York Yankees for $125,000 that was used to fund a Broadway play.
Massé said in high school he had to research Jackie Robinson for a school project and slowly started to like the Dodgers franchise and what they stood for. As he started watching their games, he grew to appreciate Matt Kemp, and some of the other Dodger players of that era.
Massè spent a lot of his free time hand-painting the scoreboard signs and making, printing, and laminating the Dodgers Ring of Honor of retired numbers. He said he hopes to make room for Clayton Kershaw on the wall one day.
Massé is currently using the field about once a week to play Wiffle Ball with his wife and friends. He said he would like to eventually add bleachers and a concession stand, and host local Wiffle Ball tournaments once the COVID-19 pandemic comes to an end.
In the interim, he continues to watch old Dodgers highlights on television like the rest of us. When asked about the Red Sox defeating the Dodgers in five games in the 2018 World Series, including the possibility that they cheated during the series like the 2017 Houston Astros, Massé added:
"I guess we just have to beat them next time."
