Returning to the Promised Land

Just a quick note to give a little nudge of good luck to Jason Schmidt who will return to the mound tonight against the Cincinnati Reds. We are pulling for you Jason!
As soon as the game is over it is off to bed for me. Early rise tomorrow and on the road to Dodger Stadium where my sister, friends and myself will attend the next two nights of Dodger Baseball. The Giants are lurking so my successful streak at the Stadium needs to come through!
Promised land, HERE I COME!

Oh the Pain...........

A great friend of mine, who shall remain anonomous so let's refer to him as George, told me one day, during a conversation about our respective trips to Wrigley Field, that the Cub fans "Pissed him off". I was shocked. Who, after all, could possibly dislike the Cubs or their die hard fan base? I asked him point blank, "Are you serious"?
He told me that it bothered him immensly that the media around the country was so enthralled with the loveable losers, (at that time both the Cubs and the Red Sox with the Red Sox having since shaken the loser description). He maintained that his Giants and fans like himself had had it every bit as hard as anyone in baseball. The realization hit me hard, like ice cold water hitting you in the face. He was right.
As a Dodger fan I was so used to being immersed in our intense rivalry with the Giants, and it's back and forth nature. The Dodgers losses over the years in late season failures to the Giants had caused me to lose sight of the fact that while the Dodgers had gone on to many World Series appearances and 6 World Championships in my lifetime poor George had seen only 2 appearances and absolutely zero world titles. The old New York Giants had many succesful runs, many of which at the expense of the Brooklyn team, yet the team in San Francisco had failed so miserably since their incepion back in 1958.
I felt it my duty and responsibility to say it here that you are right George. This 2009 season, now at the All Star break, is no different. The Giants are playing great ball. Their pitching staff is beyond reproach as the finest set of starters in the game. The Giants are a team to be reckoned with except.............
The pain George and all the Giant fans will feel is a gut wrenching pain like no other. Finding a way to lose is not as easy a thing as most fans think. Melt downs are NOT an exclusive property of the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs after all treated their fans to World Championships at the beginning of the 20'th century. The San Francisco Giants faithful have been kicked in the teeth every single year of their existance. When the 2009 season has ended and the last World Series game has become a memory the Dodgers may not be Champions of the Baseball world but the Giants? The fact that they won't be winners is a sure thing and the pain felt by their fans will endure until next year when another dose of it will be conjured up by their heroes. You are right George, you are right.

Sacred Skin

At 54 years of age I believe I am well past the usual demographic recieving a FIRST tattoo. I was always afraid that I would outlive the relevance of the art. My seven year old and I were talking a few weeks ago about a temporary tattoo he had when he asked about real tattoos. I told him that what is important today may not be so important to you tomorrow. He looked at me, as serious as he could be, and said, "What about a DODGER tattoo"? Well that hit me right between the eyes, and I knew he was right.

I was an Oakland Raider fan for 21 years when the franchise was taken away, from Oakland fans, to Los Angeles so I knew very well that there was no permanency in the geographic location of my Dodgers. So I completely eliminated any reference to Los Angeles or the LA logo. Instead I chose, simply, the two things I love the most, the Dodgers and a Baseball.

I know in my heart that for as long as I live I will love them and there can be no reason that could ever change in my lifetime.

I make my home in Northern California so finding an artist capable, (and willing), to commision a Dodger tat may be a task more difficult than one might first expect but I found him. His name is Mike and he is an extremely talented young artist and owner / operator of the Sacred Skin Tattoo in Valley Springs. I am more than happy with the artwork he provided me and I am refering anyone of you to his place of business for that simple reason. If you'd like to contact him his number is (209) 772-1412 and his myspace site is: http://www.myspace.com/mikechavezochoa if you'd like to see some of his other work.

Have a great 4'th of July and GO Dodgers!

They are Only Rules Afterall

Along with family and friends I took in a Class A game in the California League between the Modesto Nuts, (Colorado Rockies affilliate), and the San Jose Giants, (San Francisco Giants affilliate), the other night. The game was played under the stars on a beautiful warm evening with the Giants destroying Modesto by a tally of 13-1.

I noticed that although both teams were associated with the National League the game was played under the Designated Hitter rule of the American League. This bothers me on so many levels I decided to look up the actual rules as they pertain to the Minor League Baseball system.

Here is what I found:

Pitchers only bat in Class AA and Triple-A. Here are the rules for these leagues...

International—Pitchers only hit when both clubs are NL affiliates

Pacific Coast-- Pitchers only hit when both clubs are NL affiliates and both clubs agree to have their pitchers hit

Eastern-- Pitchers only hit when both clubs are NL affiliates

Southern-- Pitchers only hit when both clubs are NL affiliates

Texas-- Pitchers only hit when both clubs are NL affiliates

I will be brief in my ranting over this because honestly, I can argue this topic for hours on end. Baseball has NO Designated Hitter. There, simply, has never been a rule that allows a player to participate in a game without being a part of the 9 man lineup. The rule, (Designated Hitter), completely removes strategy from a game that, let's face it, lacks the non stop action of Football or Basketball. Baseball is a cerebral contest where a manager must out think his counterpart to the point that he is every bit as much a part of a victory or a loss as his players on the field.

Please tell me, why an American League team needs a Manager? A pitching coach could easily decide when to replace one pitcher for another and a hitting coach could just as easily fill out a lineup card or put a play on. There is zero strategy when playing under the rule. No need to argue, what would I do instead if I were the manager. An individual pitchers hitting ability neither adds or detracts any value when considering him as a member of the team.

Let me know what you think and I will address it here. Baseball is great and the American League is fun to!!