The 18-inning victory by the Dodgers, which ended Friday's marathon Game 3 of the World Series and guaranteed a Game 5 on Sunday, also blessed Los Angeles with a never-before-seen "sports equinox'' in which all five major professional U.S. sports leagues - the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS - will play in the same metropolitan area on the same day.
The oddity will take place Sunday, and two city boosters have decided to attempt their own historic first by attending all five games. Branimir Kvartuc, senior advisor and communications director for City Councilman Joe Buscaino, says he and Doane Liu, general manager of the Department of Convention & Tourism, hope to establish a world record in a category that doesn't exist yet.
Kvartuc, still abuzz Saturday morning after sweating out the longest World Series game in history hoping for his chance to witness history, said he and Liu "absolutely'' expect to enjoy their day despite the massive logistical challenges.
"I'm doing this because of the experience, because of the memory. I'm not going to feel stress about the situation. I'm memory-building,'' he told City News Service.
Kvartuc, a longtime professional sports photographer, estimates they'll spend roughly $700 each on the tickets. They'll be using Uber to avoid wasting valuable time and money in parking lots, but it's still quite a challenge.
The pair will start at Staples Center with the Kings game, travel south to Stub Hub Center for the Galaxy game, then back up to L.A. and the Coliseum for the Rams game, followed by Dodger Stadium for the World Series, and finish back at Staples Center for the Clippers game.
Of course they'll have to leave before the games are over, but they are working with the Dodgers to allow an exception to the team's in-and-out policy. If they succeed, they'll be able to leave Dodger Stadium around the third inning, zip down to Staples to watch a little of the Wizards-Clippers game, and still have time to return to Dodger Stadium for the conclusion of Game 5 of the World Series.
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Kvartuc and Liu will broadcast their adventure on social media using the hashtags #sportsequinox and #letsplay5.
Kvartuc says the two hope to earn a place in the Guinness World Records once they document their big day, but it's really all about civic pride.
"Los Angeles is a place where memories are made every night, that's why we're getting Olympics (in 2028), the World Cup (in 2026),'' he said. "The fact that we can have all five major sports playing here in one day illustrates how Olympics-ready we are.''
