Dodge City

Since Saturday I've been wondering about the word 'dodge.' The camp bus picked up our daughter at the 'Dodge' YMCA in downtown Brooklyn. Who was Dodge? Is the place named after the car manufacturer? It sounds strange. We stood outside this inviting branch of the Y with lots of other nervous, excited and occasionally tearful parents and children waiting for the bus to load up and drive off. Trying to keep the wily toddler out of harm's way while my son hindered many of the patron's efforts to exit via the revolving doors.

That was Sunday. Later that day I'm reading OTBKB and see the item about a driver who'd fallen asleep at the wheel, wreaking havoc on 7th Avenue in Park Slope. The car was a dodge sedan. Luckily no one was hurt.

Why? Because in Brooklyn we are very good dodgers. Today I learned about how the Old Stone House on 5th avenue was the Brooklyn Dodger's headquarters and the adjacent park their ballfield. Prior to 1911 they were called the Superbas (no...) and before that the Bridegrooms (not...good...) Their new name was inspired by the skill people developed in their effort not to collide with the trolleys of the day, which I can pretty much surmise were not made from fiberglass. Makes me wonder how often people were run down by them, and highlights a benefit of the subway system I hadn't considered until now. But the 'Bridegrooms?' What were they thinking?