North Korea Shoots Down Navy Plane; Dodgers Beat Padres, 14-0, April 16, 1969

Jack Smith on God and Mr. Gomez. N. Korea a test for President Nixon.  Art Seidenbaum on talk radio.  Kevin Thomas on "Twisted Nerve." 1960s art influences the comics.

The Dodgers moved home plate 10 feet closer to center field during the winter and the maneuver immediately paid off. The Dodgers clobbered the San Diego Padres, 14-0, in their home opener with Andy Kosco hitting a grand slam and Tom Haller a three-run home run. The small change in the field's dimensions made a big difference. "Neither would have been a home run a year ago. In fact, I think both of them would have been caught--mine for sure," Haller told The Times' John Wiebusch. "Andy's might have been off the fence but then the more I think about it the more I think that 10 feet might have just turned it into a big fat 0-for-1." Kosco's home run landed in the first row of the left-field bleachers and Haller's reached the first row in right field. The Dodgers had hit only 25 home runs at Dodger Stadium in 1968. --Keith Thursby