Dodgers, Angels celebrate Kings Stanley Cup

LOS ANGELES — After making two appearances on late-night TV and having chocolate milk drank from it for the world to see, the Stanley Cup made its way to Dodger Stadium Wednesday night.

There's something about the Cup that can bring a city (and its neighboring county) together like it hasn't before in, well, 45 years.

The "Go Kings Go" chants that flooded Staples Center were all of a sudden as loud as ever inside Dodger Stadium as flash bulbs popped for fans wanting to get a picture of their Kings and their Cup. On the night of the rubber match in the Freeway Series between the Dodgers and Angels, Southern California came together, when all three teams lined up across the mound to take a group picture.

It was organized chaos that only grew when it came time for the Kings to throw out the first pitch. All the Kings players in attendance lined up and across from the Dodgers, some 60 feet away. Who was throwing it to whom?

Somehow, they figured it out in what looked like the longest line of first pitches Dodger Stadium had ever seen. In the end, each King's ball found a Dodger, and one King found a teammate. Kings defenseman Matt Greene was on the receiving end of a first pitch blending almost perfectly with the rest of the Dodgers donning a No. 2 Dodger uniform, eye black, and wristbands.

Yes, indeed, organized chaos. Somehow when the Cup's involved, it's OK. Kings captain Dustin Brown used three words to sum up the experience as he walked off of the Dodger Stadium field on Wednesday.

"It was awesome," said Brown, who grew up a fan of the Yankees and of Dodgers manager Don Mattingly. "I grew up in upstate New York so he was one of those players (I liked)," Brown continued. "I liked the Yankees before they were good and that's when he played there."

Brown says the Dodgers have grown on him since he moved to Los Angeles. For his day with the Cup, Brown says he'll likely take it to his hometown of Ithaca, N.Y. His day likely won't include a trip to Yankee Stadium, but the moment he enjoyed at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday night was one to cherish.

"It's pretty special," Brown said. "There's a lot of things that you get to do with the Cup but to bring it here and share it with the city of Los Angeles is great."

There will be more sharing of the Cup Thursday when the Kings go on their Victory Parade down Figueroa Street and conclude with a rally for fans at Staples Center. More organized chaos.

"You can never get tired of this," Brown said.