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In August the Dodgers filed paperwork to trademark the use of the phrase Los Doyers on clothing and souvenirs for sale and in media. Official t-shirts are already on sale at Dodger Stadium, as Daily News columnist Tom Hoffarth and the blogger at Vin Scully is My Homeboy have discovered. The history of the phrase is of undetermined origin, since it's a play on the pronunciation of Dodgers (including by coach Manny Mota, says Hoffarth.) Says blogger Roberto Baly: "Yesterday I asked my mom to say 'Dodgers,' she said 'Doyers.' I asked my dad to say 'Dodgers,' he said 'Dogers.' I guess Mexicans say 'Doyers' and Cubans say 'Dogers.' Maybe the Europeans pronounce it 'Dojers.' Should I trademark it? :)" Another question: does the Dodgers' trademark mean Frank McCourt will be taking money out of the hands of vendors that have been selling similar shirts for years, on the streets and at sites like LatinLingoClothing.com?
* Also: A longtime sports journalist in L.A. emails: "Preston Gomez always pronounced 'Dodgers' as Doyers. He was Cuban and the first time I heard him say it was when he was a coach for the team back in the late '70s and early '80s....Some of the baseball writers started saying Doyers after they heard Preston say it."