"The Dodgers and Los Angeles After 50 Years: The Economics of How a Sports Icon and a City Grew Together" -- A Recap From UCLA.

I attended a sports and economics event centered around the Dodgers and Los Angeles back in November. The event was held at my Alma mater of UCLA and included such speakers as Peter Guber, Ron Cey, Gary Beban, and Dodgers' Team Historian Mark Langill. Apparently UCLA is going to begin offering a Sports Business Program to its students. I may very well find myself back at UCLA as a student in the near future.

After listening to a very interesting and informative panel, I waited around in the hopes of snagging a couple of autographs. After taking a few pictures of him with fellow fans, Ron Cey was kind enough to sign the above 8x10, bringing me to 50% completion on my Great Infield Project. I asked The Penguin to inscribe the accomplishment he is most proud of, and he chose "1981 World Series MVP."

I missed out on Guber but was fortunate to get two fantastic John Hancocks on the event program. Gary Beban is the only Heisman winner in the history of UCLA Football, taking home the award as the Bruins' QB in 1967. He kindly inscribed "UCLA '67 Heisman" without me even asking. The second signature belongs to the aforementioned Langill. I was actually most nervous to meet him, as he basically has my dream job and gets to do the type of work I would love to one day do in any capacity. I spoke with Mark for a few moments about being History majors and working in the sports industry.

Langill, Cey, and Beban were all exceptionally nice gentlemen and I greatly appreciate them taking the time to sign for me and speak at what was a truly fantastic and thought-provoking event.