Hoffarth riles up the motocross crowd

In writing about Dodger Stadium's turf being converted to a Supercross course last weekend (while the baseball groundskeeper sounded like he wanted to cry), Daily News sports columnist Tom Hoffarth threw around some cultural stereotypes.

Take me out to the dirt clods. Take me out where it's loud.

Buy me some ear plugs and Winston Lights. I don't care if we get in a fight.

On an otherwise beautiful Southern California beachy-keen Saturday in January, Dodger Stadium was transformed into a giant truck stop just outside of Blythe. It was a cross between a Bret Michaels concert, an NRA convention and hog-calling contest.

Big hair, meet big air. No tattoo was taboo. More leather than Garvey, Lopes, Russell and Cey.

Dignity dug itself a hole and crawled into it.

Guess what: they noticed. More than 500 readers have posted comments, few of them friendly, many of them abusive. Curiously, the hate is aimed at the sport of baseball (and its "athletes") almost as much as at Hoffarth. Almost, but not quite.