"Brooklyn Dodgers" were a famous New York baseball team of the mid 20th century. The nickname first appears in print around 1895, although for many decades the team was officially called something else. E.g., "Robins" was the official name from 1914 to 1931. Brooklyn Dodgers was made the official name of the team in 1932 and remained so until 1957.
Joss Whedon connections: Mercedes McNab (Shannon Trahern) played high schooler turned vampire Harmony Kendall on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. Sam Anderson (Simon Wolfe) played Wolfram & Hart executive Holland Manners on Angel. Kenneth Tiger (Mr. Flint) appeared as the elderly German man who stands up to Loki in The Avengers.