Dre’s Anatomy
All-Star Dodger ANDRE ETHIER shows his many layers in a chat on fashion, food, family and faith
by TOM MURRAY / photographs by ERIC RAY DAVIDSON /
styling by HAYLEY ATKIN / produced by HANNAH HARTE
It’s late morning on a gloomy July day as Maggie Ethier opens the door of the cozy West Hollywood house where she lives with husband Andre, the Dodgers’ All-Star outfielder, and their nearly two-year-old son, Dreson. Just four weeks from delivering their second boy, Maggie offers that since the Dodgers are mid homestand, things are just now beginning to stir in the Ethier household.
By the time Andre gets home from a game, she says, it’s usually well after midnight, and then it takes a few hours for him to eat something, get in some face time with the little guy—a night owl who likes to wait up for his daddy—and wind down. This morning it’s a happy place: The night before, Andre smacked a home run in a Dodger win.
It’s been a challenging season for Ethier: He was leading the majors with a lofty .392 batting average and 38 RBIs when he broke his right pinkie during batting practice and missed 15 games. But he logged more fan votes than any other player for last month’s All-Star game in Anaheim and was able to start—in center field, not his typical right—for the National League, which won its first midsummer classic since 1996. While he hails from Phoenix, he has embraced the Los Angeles lifestyle in unexpected ways. We sit out back, in the barbecue and dining alcove of their small, grassy yard.
You might be the first L.A. pro athlete I’ve come across who lives in West Hollywood.
I gave Maggie the option: Do you want to live near the beach or out in Pasadena, where a lot of the guys live? She said no [to those locations], so we
decided to look here. My first three years, we lived downtown in the lofts, right across from Staples Center, and we loved it. Didn’t have any kids. It was
perfect—five minutes from the field. That first year, there was no certainty of me staying, so we wanted something that was convenient. It’s our second year
in West Hollywood. We love the community we’ve gotten to know since we’ve moved in. You can walk everywhere. One of our favorite breakfast spots is around the corner. And as commutes in L.A. go, it isn’t too far, but it’s far enough. That drive after the game gives you some time to sit and reflect, whether you need to cool down from a bad game or, if you’re too high, to come back down.
Are you a guy who likes to dress up off the field—more than the jeans most ballplayers favor?
If you ask my teammates, they’d say yeah. There are two or three of us guys on the team known for wearing not the usual jeans and sweaters. I try and have
the whole outfit going together, rather than just a mishmash. I see the locker-room guys picking up my sweater or looking at my shoes and thinking, What
the heck is this guy wearing?
You don’t hide the fact that your Catholic faith is an important part of your life.
I think faith has played an important part in my development since I was a young kid. It’s developed me into the person I am. And to shun away from that just because you’re supposed to be more vanilla in certain areas, it wouldn’t be me. I’m always trying to portray myself as who I really am, so that’s definitely part of me—the faith part.
So going to Mass regularly is a big part of that for you?
Oh yeah, I think it’s important—not only the aspect of having some type of discipline to follow, but I think it’s also a great time to be able to clear your
mind and think about where you’re at in general. Sometimes things get out of perspective pretty quickly. So no matter what happens, good or bad, you gotta keep steady in that faith.
Then let me ask you as a fellow Catholic who has grappled with this question: How do you reconcile your faith with the abuse scandals that have been
so prominent in the church?
You feel a little bit ashamed and embarrassed for the way they handled some of those situations. Who wouldn’t if you belong to whatever group it is? You can relate it to the Dodgers: If they were to handle certain situations in a certain way, and you’re a follower and a fan of the team, you might be embarrassed
and upset, but you don’t disown it and just say that’s it. Hopefully they’re making strides, sooner and quicker than they have in the past.
You’re in a homestand right now. Is there any particular routine you follow on a game day?
I try to be up by 10, and that’s kind of an early wakeup call. Most guys on our team aren’t up until 11, 12, so that only gives them an hour of free time before they have to get to the field. I guess that’s an unfortunate part about playing here in L.A. You usually have to give yourself 30 minutes to an hour for commute time. I try to get lunch in by 12:30, and by 1:30 I’m heading over to the ball field. Then before every game—ever since I was in the minors—I
eat a peanut butter and honey sandwich on wheat bread and two spoonfuls of tuna.
Together in the same sandwich?
No, no. I don’t put the tuna on the bread. I put it on the side. I try to balance the protein and the carbs and everything. Tuna is one of the few meat proteins that’s still lean, and it leaves me with a satisfied feeling, not one where I eat something and I’m not going to feel right during the game. I’m not going to lie to you. Some of the food in the clubhouse that the guys like isn’t great. I mean, you’re talking curly fries, pizza, hot dogs—all kinds of crazy things that they put out there. Tuna and peanut butter and honey is probably one of the more health-conscious choices you can make in there.
“This is one thing I will brag about: I have some of the right friends in the restaurant business...Mario Batali loves baseball. I think I’m the only guy in town who gets takeout from Osteria Mozza.”
This is a perfect segue into the topic of food, which I know is a tremendous passion of yours. When did it all start?
When I first got to the minor leagues. You don’t get much extra money to spend on eating and stuff in the minors. Most of the towns and cities we played in have the typical fast-food restaurants and diner-type places, but the ones with more variety or better quality food—and just as cheap—were some of the ethnic places. I found myself wandering into those places because it seemed like you could get home-style cooking out of it. So I learned how to try different foods when I was in the minors, and then when I got here, L.A. has so many places to choose from. I drive home [from Dodger Stadium] every night on Melrose. You pass every type of ethnic restaurant. And if you see a decent crowd, you know that place must be pretty dang good. So you make a mental note, and when you have a free moment, you stop in.
You even did a blog for a while—Dining with Dre.
Our media guys came up with the idea. It was working out well—I think a little too well, because they wanted me to start putting out more all the time. And it came to where I said I can’t be on a deadline here and keep putting these out. So I had to stop doing it.
Were you taking a laptop with you on the road?
No, I did ’em on my iPhone. I still have most of them. [Pulls out his iPhone and proudly shows one of his reviews.]
Is there a particular spot in L.A. that is a favorite?
This is one thing I will brag about: I have some of the right friends in the restaurant business. On the way home is Osteria Mozza and Pizzeria Mozza.
So that’s part of the strategic planning in my mind of why we chose to live here. They take care of me. And I may as well let this secret out: Mario [Batali,
chef at Osteria Mozza] loves baseball, and he’s a big Dodger fan. I think I’m the only guy in town who gets takeout from Osteria Mozza. I can text when I leave the ballpark and say I need a pick-me-up, something good, and they’ll have a full pasta meal and mozzarella waiting for me on the way home at 11:30 at night.
You just pull over?
I pop in and shoot the breeze for about 10, 15 minutes. It’s great, because it gives me a chance to sit and have some good conversation with people I’ve really gotten to enjoy here. I’m getting some of the best food in L.A. People wait on a list for a month trying to get a dinner reservation. And they’re getting me takeout! That’s one thing I’ve been very proud to establish, that relationship with some of these restaurants in town.
If you had to eat one particular kind of food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
You know what? Since the time I first tried it to now, the food I cannot get enough of would have to be Korean. Especially spicy tofu soup and chicken
bulgogi. That’s a great fast-food Korean meal right there.
Do you cook?
Maggie cooks. I’m the eater. I think in my mind that’s what makes me so good at knowing what restaurants to go to.
How would you and the family spend the perfect day off?
Just hanging around in this area—maybe take Dreson to the park up the street in the morning, then put him down for his nap, and then we’ll go out to a movie. That’s something we always try and do—make a kind of date night. [Leans back in his chair and smiles broadly.] And I can definitely say that a big part of our days off is planning where we’re going to eat that evening.
TOM MURRAY is hoping to become the second man in L.A. to order takeout from Osteria Mozza.
Categories: Celebrities / Fashion / Feature Story / Interviews / Photos / Pictorials / Sports
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Congratulations on another STUPID sissified photo pictorial! I'm sure in the fashion world these images are really swell and fabulous, but to this average base ball / sports guy - enough already!
Posted by: R. E. Guy - Los Angeles | 08/01/2010 at 10:55 AM
R.E. Guy just can't handle that his idols are also into fashion and food aren't just average like himself. Do you think he eats dodger dogs every day?
Posted by: L Turnap | 08/01/2010 at 01:59 PM
to the R.E. Guy. if you're under 18yrs old, then that commment should slide. BUT!!! if you're not then wow!!!, seriously? this is not the sports column, where is that comment coming from weirdo. leave Andre alone, punk ass!!!!
Posted by: sAnTiAgO | 08/01/2010 at 03:11 PM
Those aren't "sissified" pictures. Enjoyed the article. Take out from Osteria Mozza? Must be nice!
Posted by: roobnla | 08/01/2010 at 03:43 PM
Andre Ethier is decked out in black on the cover of the current Los Angeles Times Magazine. Kobe Bryant was decked out in white in a previous issue. Is there a growing trend here to "modelized" athletic celebrities? What's next? Mark Sanchez decked out in gray on the fall cover issue?
Posted by: Pamela Harris | 08/01/2010 at 04:37 PM
Oh come on...he's just having fun. He's not a sissy. He is rockin the Mad Men look, but he is gonna get seven kinds of crap for that leopard print belt.
Which I'm sure is why he picked it.
Posted by: Chica | 08/01/2010 at 05:16 PM
What a fabulous guy...good looking, sexy and a professional baseball player. Not too many professional athletes have all these qualities. Regarding the comment by that moron R.E.Guy- all I will say is JEALOUSY is ugly!
Posted by: B.T.Guerrero | 08/01/2010 at 07:52 PM
i could not stop smiling throughout this whole interview...well except when he talked about Maggie! lol
Posted by: Julianna | 08/01/2010 at 11:27 PM
Andre Ethier should focus more on winning games rather than getting "decked out" in Trendy gear. I am a Dodger Fan, not a Fashion fan, and he looks ridiculous in all these photos. I love how the reader is forced to read the price tags on all that garbage. Ivory cane? LOL, chest hair popping out LOL gold watches over $10,000 LOL Sissified isn't the right word, selling-out is the right phrase. Seriously, stick to baseball Ethier, Not GQ magazine or whatever they were going for in the style section of LA times. Seriously, I love the Dodgers, I love Ethier as a player (he's on my fantasy team) but really? Those pictures are ridiculous and hideous, take some pictures with some traditional Dodger gear, not this Yuppy trendster faux-paux crap. Utter Crap pictures, embarassing to LA
Posted by: Galaxy | 08/02/2010 at 10:00 AM
Great interview! Andre is a very candid and relaxed man, which is a relief to see in a world full of pompous, conceited athletes. He has strong morals and values that are truly admirable. Without a doubt, he's the type of athlete that young children need to look up to. The Dodgers should be very fortunate to have a class act like Andre. God Bless the Ethier family!
Posted by: Robert | 08/02/2010 at 10:03 AM
I think it was a well rounded article. It was great insight into the life off a baseball field..
Sometimes, it is nice to hear those stories and I'm a die hard baseball fan.
Posted by: Jessica N. | 08/02/2010 at 10:23 AM
They asked; he answered. Plus, he came off sounding like a first-class, likable guy!
Posted by: Karen | 08/02/2010 at 11:39 AM
Just hit the fucking ball, Dre.
Posted by: Grandpa | 08/02/2010 at 11:58 AM
ask him how his faith allows him to randomly cuss out members of the media. quit making heros out of aholes.
Posted by: Larry Goren | 08/02/2010 at 01:28 PM
You guys "Kobe'd" him .LOL!
All this was missing was a big white hat. :-) Andre looks like Willy Wonka in that one shoot.
Posted by: PuddyFudge | 08/02/2010 at 01:35 PM
If you don't care to see Andre posing for the photos why are you spending so much time analyzing them. I don't care to see him in those photos, so I just glanced at them for a second as I scrolled down to the very interesting article. I couldn't tell you what he's wearing in the photos, but I could tell about some of the interesting tid bits I learned about the life of a Dodger. If the guy wants to have fun with the photography so what. Let him have some fun without knocking him.
Posted by: Tony | 08/02/2010 at 01:42 PM
Wow galaxy, you have to be one of the sorriest dodger fan's ever to trash a classy dodger player for giving others insight into his personal life. What does this article have to do with what Andre does on the field. If you want to see him in his dodger gear talking baseball go pick up a dodger magazine at the stadium moron. If you were a true dodger fan than you would know that no one in a dodger uniform tries harder to win on that field than Andre, period!! Your comment is embarrassing to dodger fans and people with good taste in general.
Posted by: thinkblue | 08/02/2010 at 02:22 PM
Who are the stylists for these ridiculous photo shoots?? They should be fired immediately. They suck. They don't know how to style athletes. This one sucks. The Kobe Bryant one sucked. Come on LA Times Magazine, I can't be the only one that thinks they suck. Everyone responsible for allowing these pictures to be published should be fired.
Posted by: LB | 08/02/2010 at 04:23 PM
Being an Ethier fan, I think it's great that he has a sense of humor - which he has to have to wear some of those get ups... but honestly, he's a good looking guy and can easily get away with most of the looks if he wanted to. I see no problem featuring LA sports figures as fashion models for a day. We have to endure countless over botoxed actresses... how much better is it to read about a seemingly nice married guy who's done well in his career with the Dodgers! A good deal of female Dodger fans love him... AND he's a great player! I wish him and his family all the best and heck of a lot more home runs for LAD!!!
Posted by: cat wreeb | 08/02/2010 at 04:33 PM
Rich man enjoys nice clothes, nice neighborhood, and nice food. That interview was less than scintillating though I gather the page views aren't coming from Ethier's words. Except for the third one, which may be the ugliest thing I've ever seen, the pictures are far less ridiculous than the Kobe ones, which is a good thing I guess.
Posted by: Alex | 08/02/2010 at 05:06 PM
Have to say great styling. Dude looks sharp sort of in a classic 40's-50's vibe. To all the comments criticizing this spread. Take it eeeaaaasssy. No one's telling you to wear these clothes.
Posted by: Panchito | 08/02/2010 at 06:26 PM
I enjoyed this article a lot. There hasn't been much to enjoy about the Dodgers lately so this kinda cheered me up. Nice to read something about the players we like other than the sports in which they get paid. I like the part about Andre's faith. I went to Phoenix a couple of years ago to watch the Dodgers play the Dbacks, and I was able to go to Mass while there. A couple of days later I saw the Prime Ticket show Before They Were Big on Ethier and it showed him talking down the street from that church - he went to the school and that church.
Posted by: Rafael O. | 08/02/2010 at 07:03 PM
Now this, my friends, is how an athlete does a legitimate couture fashion shoot. Not the trash that Kobe produced.
Posted by: eMac | 08/02/2010 at 07:48 PM
I have seen some crazier get-ups than this. Imagine your favourite sports star in one of these get-ups
http://www.runwaypassport.com/lisbon-fashion-week-moda-lisboa/designers/dino-alves
Posted by: dainz303 | 08/03/2010 at 11:15 AM
Good article-I still prefer him in a ball cap and his uniform! Go Blue!
Posted by: Kim Weston | 08/03/2010 at 01:33 PM
Is that zoolander doing his "Blue Steel" look???
Posted by: Robin M | 08/04/2010 at 02:22 PM
Andre Ethier is amazing! He's gorgeous, totally seems like an amazing husband and father, an awesome baseball player and he's obviously photogenic. He's the ideal man.
Posted by: Wendy Crawford | 08/04/2010 at 11:56 PM
Hot, sexy, Maggie watch your man he is on LA's most wanted list.
Posted by: steph | 08/07/2010 at 10:31 PM
Wow, there are so many homophobic people that like the Dodgers.
Perhaps more people (like Mr. Ethier) should take at least just a little pride in their appearance and dress like an adult. Then, you would be on your way to looking less like a fool.
Posted by: Wise Up | 08/08/2010 at 12:51 PM
Sexy!!
Posted by: Shalimar bounds | 08/08/2010 at 04:01 PM
It was inappropriate to ask about the religion issue and the Catholic church.
It made no sense and was irrelevent. The author got too caught up in himself and what was supposed to be a sartorial piece.
Posted by: Jeff | 08/09/2010 at 09:41 AM
Less time playing dress-up, more time in the batting cage Please......
Posted by: Tom M. | 08/19/2010 at 08:52 AM
Hey jock-boys this is not the sports section! If you can't handle seeing an athlete in fashionable clothes go back to sports where the monosyllabic words are just for you. It was a great feature story, well written, funny and insightful. Great pictures too, Andre looks great; I was wary after Kobe's pix (still shuddering). I like Andre even more now, seems like a happy family man who can also enjoy some of the perks of being a famous athlete in L.A.
Posted by: Noelle Justice | 08/19/2010 at 10:16 AM
It was inappropriate to ask about the religion issue and the Catholic church.
It made no sense and was irrelevent. The author got too caught up in himself and what was supposed to be a sartorial piece.
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