Life's a Game

Two Old Ball Players

2010-05-12T13:18:00.000-07:00

When it was clear that Bill was dying, Bob visited him every day.

One day Bob said, 'Bill, we both loved playing baseball all our lives, and we played all through High School. Please do me one favor: when you get to Heaven, somehow you must let me know if there's baseball there.'

Bill looked up at Bob from his deathbed and said, 'Bob, you've been my best friend for many years. If it's at all possible, I'll do this favor for you.'

Shortly after that, Bill passed on.

A few nights later, Bob was awakened from a sound sleep by a blinding flash of white light and a voice calling out to him, 'Bob, Bob.'

'Who is it', asked Bob, sitting up suddenly. 'Who is it?'

'Bob -- it's me, Bill.'

'You're not Bill. Bill just died.'

'I'm telling you, it's me, Bill,' insisted the voice.

'Bill! Where are you?'

'In Heaven,' replied Bill. 'I have some really good news and a little bad news.'

'Tell me the good news first,' said Bob.

'The good news,' Bill said, 'is that there's baseball in Heaven. Better yet all of our old buddies who died before us are here, too. Better than that, we're all young again. Better still, it's always springtime, and it never rains or snows. And best of all, we can play baseball all day long, and we never get tired.'

'That's fantastic,' said Bob. 'It's beyond my wildest dreams!
So what's the bad news?'

'You're pitching Tuesday.'

42 Years of Excellence

2010-03-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

Leaders are born and not made. Two such leaders are former Dodger managers Walt Alston and Tommy Lasorda. Both were longtime minor league players whose dreams fell just a little short of their big league aspirations. Walt striking out in his only at bat as a first baseman for the St Louis Cardinals in 1936 and Tommy wrapped two short seasons, for the Brooklyn Dodgers and one for the Kansas City A's, between 15 years of a successful minor league career. In fact, Tommy was the International Leagues MVP in 1958 with the Dodgers Montreal Royals.

Both men realized that baseball was in their blood and that to remain in the game they would have to do so in another capacity. Walt went into coaching, first as a minor league player-coach and then as a minor league manager. Tommy took a position as a scout for the Dodgers in 1961 and remained in that capacity for 4 seasons when he became the manager of the Pocatello Chiefs the Dodgers Rookie League club.

Alston was named manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, replacing Charlie Dressen, and Tommy followed Walt in 1976 after serving as his third base coach for three years. Both men took to managing the Dodgers like they were born to it. For those 42 consecutive years they blazed a path of winning baseball that will long be remembered by fans, of both the Dodgers and baseball, for generations to come.

Walter Emmons Alston managed the Dodgers to seven National League Pennants and four World Series Championships, (including the only World Championship the borough of Brooklyn was to ever savour). He won 2,040 National League games and had a remarkable 23 post season victories in an era when almost all of those wins were garnered in the World Series. Another legendary feat was his winning 7 All Star games for the National League in all seven of his All Star appearances. Walt had his number 24 retired by the Dodgers and was then inducted to Baseballs Hall of Fame in 1983 the year before his death.

Thomas Charles Lasorda managed the Los Angeles Dodgers to eight Western Division titles, four National League Pennants and two World Series Championships. He won 1,599 National League games and managed an astounding 61 post season games. His managing career was sadly cut short after he suffered a heart attack in June of 1996. Tommy did, however, come out of retirement to manage the United States Olympic team to a Gold Medal over the heavily favored Cuban team in 2000. Tommy had his number 2 retired by the Dodgers before his induction into Cooperstown.

Which was better? It really is anyone's call. Walt and Tommy were both incredible in their own way. Alston with his quiet tactical approach and Lasorda with his brash outspoken cheerleader persona. I'll just withhold my opinion for now with the knowledge that the Dodgers, as an organization, where so incredibly lucky to to have had them both.

Are You an Apple or a Grape

2010-03-29T14:03:00.001-07:00

Health Care

2010-03-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

I have been sitting at my computer this morning reading comments from regular Americans regarding the healthcare bill signed into law by our President. It is almost laughable how many people make decisions based soley on sound bites, (and it is obvious that most of the negative views came directly from Fox News), instead of actually reading the bill. I've read it. It may have taken me almost as long to get through it as Congress took to hagle over it but I did get through it.

I stopped reading the comments when it became painfully clear that the vast majority for the bill and against it have the strongest of opinions but seriously don't have a clue regarding what the bill really will do.

This country isn't going down any river... Just like it didn't when Civil Rights was passed... Just like when Equal Rights was passed.... Just like when Roe v Wade was passed... All those doomsday laws that were passed.... Yet we are still here.... Furthermore, I cannot see how any one can claim themselves to be an American, when you wish ill will of your neighbor...People say healthcare is a privilage and not a right??.... Have you spoken to your neighbor, who works full time, yet cannot get health insurance, because the owner of the business cannot afford it??... Or how about your other neighbor, who is self-employed, and has a child or spouse with pre-existing conditions... No you haven't.. Because if you had, you would never call it a privilage... You have never had to succumb to what many have had to deal with in this lifetime... With this bill, it guarantees you will never have to... I have health issues, and I have a right for preventive care. I have worked and paid taxes for some 37 years and was diagnosed with an incurable form of cancer and I was insured and working 70 hours a week at the time. Now I can not buy insurance at any price...I have parents on medicare, and I am fully aware of the donut hole. If my father were to die today my mother would be left with nothing but Medicare and there would be no carrier willing to sell her any supplemental insurance because of pre-existing conditions.... We all have the right to the same freedoms... Freedom from fear of losing our homes due to medical costs... Freedom from fear of bankruptcy... Equality in having the same leverage as any Americans do to negotiate our costs... I have the right to the same "privilages" as anyone does, we all do... We aren't talking about cell phones, tv's and other luxuries.. We are talking about necessities of life...Many talk about the government interferring with our lives... Yet not a single citezen has a problem with them trying to get the insurance companies to lower costs... That is more infringement than requiring everyone to have health care... Passing laws stating I have to wear a seatbelt when I drive, is more infringement than guaranting parents that they won't be burdened with the costs of their children's diseases.. or risk losing their lives... ... People are yelling about socialism, yet they demand this country to provide them with jobs... How many of you plan on passing on medicare when you turn 65?? How many will insist on paying for your own health insurance plan when you are 70??... Not a single one of you will.. So learn the language people... Some people putting this bill down and claiming it is socialism, yet they demand different types of services, which is still socialism... So you can yell all you want from the balcony, but once onstage, it's a whole different ballgame....

And last, the folks screaming the loudest are worried that they will be "forced" to pay for insurance and in so doing will be paying for freeloaders. Let's be serious. Who doesn't want coverage? If your job already supplies it there will be no change for you at all. If your child has an illness you can buy them coverage anyway. Is this bad? People in this country are amusing. They will give and give and give to Haiti or Columbia or any other nations people but they want to complain when they "have to" pay a $350 fine on their IRS return that will help offset the high cost of coverage for needy Americans.

Please, if you are against this bill I am sure you either have not read it or are just an unfeeling and uncaring sociopathic individual simply unable to to see the forrest for the trees.

Take the time to read this bill here in a PDF format: http://docs.house.gov/rules/health/111_ahcaa.pdf

Ramon Spelled Backward By Any Other Name 8-31-1996/ 3-10-2010

2010-03-11T10:17:00.000-08:00

Yep, even before he was born he was one of a kind. I would have loved to be there when his parents combined each of their last names to give him his. Then Ramon wasn't exactly what they wanted for their son so they decided on spelling it backward. That was how Nomar Garciapara entered this life. I doubt anyone back then had the slightest idea just how great that life would become.
The first time I knew anything about Nomar was back in the early 1990's when I was treated to watching a young phenom at shortstop playing in the College World Series for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. They lost that World Series Championship game to the Miami Hurricanes but no one made a bigger impression. Soon after he was drafted #1 in baseballs 1994 draft by the Boston Red Sox and blossomed quickly in their minor leagues until the Sox realized he was too talented to not be on the Major League scene. They brought him up in the summer of 1996 but the Boston starting shortstop was John Valentin who's play the previous year was so good he was in the MVP conversation. Still, playing sparingly, as a defensive replacement he saw enough time to force the Sox to move Valentine to 2'nd base and begin his tenure as Boston's starting shortstop. It proved to be a smart move as Garciapara won the 1997 American League Rookie of the Year award by a unanimous vote and was selected to his first of 5 American League All Star teams.
I became a huge Nomar fan during those years and loved to watch him redefine the Shortstop position. The horrible wrist injury he suffered in 2001 was only the first of many aches and pains that would plague him for the rest of his career but watching him was still a delight. His intensity and fire was so evident with every quirky adjustment to those batting gloves or kick of the dirt on the infield.
After being traded from the Red Sox to the Cubs in 2004 Garciapara's former teamates went on to win the World Series in a 4 game sweep of the Cardinals. Anyone who wonders what kind of a teamate Nomar was need not wonder anymore. Those former Red Sox teamates voted Nomar Garciapara a full winners share of the World Series bonus!
It was a big thrill for me when Garciapara was traded from the Cubs to the Dodgers in 2006 so I could see one of my favorite players playing on my favorite team. It was a miraculous year! Nomar made his first National League All Star team and was a league leader in hitting. He won the National Leagues Comeback Player of the Year and provided the Dodgers with a proven player to lead them in the pennant chase all summer. The day I will never forget, that season, was a home game against the Padres in late September. San Diego got off to a fast start and led the Dodgers by 4 runs in the 9'th inning of the game. The Dodgers set a team record with 4 solo home runs hit by 4 different players consecutively to tie the game. Seems like everyone remembers that but few, it seems, remember the Padres taking a 1 run lead right back in the 10'th. The Dodgers appeared to have blown the chance to win a comeback game for the ages when with one man on in the bottom of the 10'th Nomar slugged a two run walk off home run to win that game in grand style. If that wasn't enough less than a week later Gaciapara broke a 1-1 tie against Arizona with a Grand Slam walk of HR. His clutch performances continued the last two weeks of the season and he led Los Angeles to the Playoffs.
In 2007 injuries jumped up and bit him again and plagued him for the rest of his career.
Last year my sister and I went to Arizona for Spring Training to see the Dodgers but took a day to drive over to Phoenix Municipal Stadium to watch Nomar play 3'rd base for the Oakland A's in a game against the Cubs. He did not disappoint us as he smacked two base knocks and a pair of RBI's while playing a perfect defensive game. I also took my son to Oakland to see him a few times because I knew the end was near.
Well, yesterday Nomar Garciapara signed a 1 day contract with the Boston Red Sox and announced his retirement back with the team it all started with. It was a sad day for baseball and a sad day for me and millions of other fans.
Good luck at ESPN Nomar and thanks for the memories!

March 10, 2010 Number 3 is Gone

2010-03-11T08:40:00.000-08:00

I took this photograph of Willie Davis at Fan Appreciation day at Dodger Stadium in 1970. Just to be there was thrilling but to be so near my favorite Dodger was almost more than I could stand. At that time I had my bedroom decor in what I will call Early Dodger Colonial with the centerpiece being a full color poster of Dodger Centerfielder Willie Davis. Before that September day in 1970 the closest I had been to him was either when the Dodgers visited the Giants at Candelstick Park or listening to descriptions of his exploits over the airwaves as described by Vin Scully. To this day I think Willie was as exciting a player I have ever seen. His 1'st to third speed was second to none and had he played in another era with the mound lowered and pitching talent diluted his numbers would have been astronomical. With all of that said, it was the way I felt when I rooted Willie and the Dodgers on that endeared me to him so strongly. It is the saddness I feel today, with his passing, that reminds me of all he gave to me and others all those years ago. Willie Davis will be missed, this I am sure of, because if no one else remembers I know I do.
Take care Willie.

LA Marathon Raises Funds for Think Cure

2010-02-19T08:41:00.000-08:00

The NPN LA 5K Run/Walk starts at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, March 20 in conjunction with the 25th Honda LA Marathon

ThinkCure!, a partnership formed by the Dodgers and the McCourt Family with City of Hope and Childrens Hospital LA, will take part in the NPN LA 5K Run/Walk that begins at Dodger Stadium at 8 a.m. on Saturday, March 20. ThinkCure! invites Dodger fans to join its collaborative effort in raising money for cancer research by signing up for or sponsoring a participant in the 5K run or LA Marathon. Employees will join fans on the ThinkCure! team in memory of Desiree Sanchez, the Dodgers' longtime manager of ticket operations who recently lost her battle to cancer.
"You can walk or run the 5k at your leisure as a member of the ThinkCure! team," said President of ThinkCure! Janet Clayton. "This can be a great family outing that encourages fitness, helps a great cause and raises funding for institutions that serve the people of greater Los Angeles and for some, can serve as an act of remembrance and support of a loved one."
To date, ThinkCure! supporters who are walking the 5k or running the LA marathon have raised $20,000 to advance cancer treatment. Fans interested in participating in the NPN LA 5K Run/Walk or the LA Marathon can visit www.thinkcure.org/5K for more information. Participants who walk or run for ThinkCure! receive ThinkCure! t-shirts and access to the on site ThinkCure! tent for healthy snacks. The NPN LA 5k's course map and parking information can be found at http://www.lamarathon.com/event/5k-run

This is a very personal issue for me and I want to thank and commend the folks at Think Cure for all they have done in founding this organization and for their continued support.

What's In a Name

2010-02-02T08:59:00.000-08:00

Ok I hope you are ready because I am about to go off on a political tangent of sorts. I was reminded today of a pet peeve of mine with regard to sports nicknames. Before I go there, however, I want to talk a little about the history behind some of those nicknames.

The New York Yankees began life as the Baltimore Orioles in 1901.
On January 09, 1903 the defunct Orioles were bought by Frank Farrell and Bill Devery for $18,000 and moved to Manhattan where they played as the New York Highlanders.
In April 1913, after moving to the Polo Grounds, the Highlanders are finally renamed the Yankees. From their origins as an original doormat of the old American League the Yankees went on to dominate the baseball landscape for decades as the far and away leaders in World Championships.
The first openly professional team was the famous Cincinnati Red Stockings of 1869-1870. They began as an amateur organization in the National Association of Baseball Players in 1866, as interest in baseball grew substantially after the Civil War. Interest in the Red Stockings themselves grew as they compiled an impressive winning streak while mostly on a road tour or "barnstorming". The new version of the Cincinnati Red Stockings, (later shortened to Cincinnati Reds), became prosperous. The team won the first American Association pennant, and survived the first eight of the Association's ten-year existence. In 1890, the Reds were readmitted to the National League, and continue to play in Cincinnati to this day.
With the Cincinnati Red Stockings dissolved, four of its players regrouped in Boston to join the new National Association and formed the Boston Red Stockings, which eventually evolved into the Boston Braves. Those Braves kept their nickname as they moved to Milwaukee for the 1958 season and kept it yet again upon their move to Atlanta as today's Atalanta Braves.
I know many people think that the Red Stockings were the origin of todays Boston Red Sox. NOT TRUE!
In 1901, the American Leaguee declared itself equal to the National League, (Not true then and not true now), and established a competing club in Boston. For seven seasons, the AL team wore dark blue stockings and had no official nickname. They were simply "Boston" or "the Bostons"; or the "Americans" or "Boston Americans" as in "American Leaguers", Boston being a two-team city. Their 1901-1907 shirts, both home and road, simply read "Boston".
The temporary decision by the Boston National Leaguers to drop the color red from their uniforms led to a history-making decision:
"Red Stockings had been part of all Boston National League teams up to 1907, but the manager that year, told a Boston Journal baseball writer, he would abandon the red stockings tradition in favor of white stockings, because of the danger that colored stockings might cause leg injuries to become infected. The very next day the Boston club president announced he was grabbing the name Red Sox and that his American League team would begin wearing red stockings the very next season.
Todays Pittsburgh franchise was originally known as the "Alleghenys" named for the city of Allegheny across the river from Pittsburgh. It wasn't until the Philadelphia Athletics committed a clerical error and did not reserve the services of two players and Pittsburgh signed the two stars. After an official ruling upheld the signings the Athletics, (yes they are the A's of Oakland now) called Pittsburgh "a bunch of pirates" in the press. The name stuck.
My favorite team, the Dodgers, have had a pretty remarkable anthology with there nickname as well. Going all the way back to the original Brooklyn team in 1883 they were the Brooklyn Bridegrooms. Only a few years later they changed it to the Superbas. However it was the famous Ebbets Field that gave this franchise its current name. During their years at Ebbetts, players often dodged trolley cars to reach the ballpark leading to the nickname "Trolly Dodgers" later shortened to "Dodgers" which has remained the name to this day and I think it travelled well on it's journey west from Brooklyn. Another interesting note was a temporary name change that lasted from 1914 until 1931. Brooklyn was known as the Robins. It was an honor not to the bird but to their beloved manager Wilbert Robinson. Upon his retirement the team reverted back to the Dodgers.
Ok, with all of that said, I believe that nicknames are a source of pride. Would the Kansas City Royals have the same image if they were the Kansas City Slugs? Should all Kings and Queens feel insulted by the name Royals being used in this way? Do people of Norweigien decent have a legitimate gripe because Minnesota has a franchise called the Vikings? Again, no! These names are more of a way to pay homage. To hold that image in a higher place to be admired not at all to be looked down on. In the old Negro Leagues names like the Black Yankees and Birmingham Black Barons existed as a badge of honor and history reflects that.
When Stanford University changed their name to the Cardinal instead of Indians they didn't do Native Americans a service. They took away an honor and a sign of respect. I hope that other names in sports don't go in that same direction and that the likes of Cleveland's Indians, Atlanta's Braves and Washington's Redskins continue to cast honor on those people for years to come. After all, if a nickname really is adverse I want to get together to take action against the Chicago White Sox in a class action suit on behalf of all of us that wear white socks. Trust me, my feet are sensitive in this matter.

Life Is a Song Worth Singing

2010-01-14T09:34:00.000-08:00

Teddy Pendergrass is dead at the age of 59 years old. To many this is just another passing of a member of our popular culture. To me it is a tragic loss that I feel very deeply.
I think all of us have a songbook that we carry with us throughout our lives adding new songs all along the way. In my songbook Teddy holds a very special place partly because he was so prolific a hitmaker and partly because those very hits took place at a time I recall with such fondness. As a young man in my 20's it was almost as if he were singing my songs instead of me singing my own.
From his start as a member of Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes to his solo career he was a major force in what is now known as "The Philadelphia Sound". From the time I first heard "Wake Up Everybody" and his lead for the Bluenotes I was sold. Not only did that voice become so recognizeable it brought me to a place that felt like home wherever I was.
For the time in my life I lived and worked in Lake Tahoe I saw Teddy live on several occasions everytime he appeared in a local showroom. I own to this day every vinyl album he ever produced as well as a few CD's that are still among my favorites to give a listen. As a recording artist and a performer he has few challengers from his contemporaries. A career, that was side tracked by an auto accident that left him paralyzed in 1982, was one that we probably have no idea how incredible it was destined to be otherwise.
We lost a great performer and man today and I lost a part of myself. My songbook will never be the same and my subconscience feelings whenever I hear Teddy singing will not be bringing me home anymore. Rest in peace Teddy Pendergrass and thank you.

Whose Fault is it Anyway?

2010-01-12T15:27:00.000-08:00

With all of society's ills we have some of the best minds constantly involved toward coming up with the solutions to make it all better. The human condition is to look for the ones to blame. Famine, war, economic depression, disease, bigotry, religious persecution and all of the problems that plague humanity are only problems caused by someone else right? If we could eliminate those at fault all would be healed and the world would be right again.
Well, I know who it is. It is "THEM". Also known as "THEY". "THEY" are easy to find. "THOSE" people should be weeded out and made to pay for all the bad things "THEY" cause.
But wait...... "THEY" do all the good in the world as well, don't "THEY".
The truth of the matter is that we can all look in the mirror to find the real culprit. Yep, "THEM" and "THEY" are "US". Each and every one of us is responsible for all of it. All of the bad and all of the good. When we, as human beings, begin to cherish what is different about one another and stop the hatred of everyone different from "US" all of these problems will soon cease to exist entirely and they will become laughable as we can hardly imagine being so rediculous in the first place.
Imagine for a moment how bland this existance would be if everyone was the same. I, for one, would rather not exist at all under that awful set of circumstances.
Catholics shouldn't hate protestants. Whites shouldn't fear blacks. Jews shouldn't look at muslims as an enemy. Every group should wonder at the spice that every other group brings to our worldwide party. Soon the only group of "THEM" left would be "US". Human beings, happy to stand side by side reveling in all of "OUR" wonderous varieties.
Ok this has been a message from my conscience and this blog will return with the frivolities of pastimes and games next time you come back to see it.
Take care and thanks for reading!

Baseball in January?

2010-01-05T16:42:00.000-08:00

There is a strange feeling that comes over you after the New Year. Christmas has come and gone, the college and NFL football seasons have all but come to a close and the parties have all gone quiet as we ring in another year. I hope everyone is healthy and safe and that your baseball souls are not in too much pain as we wait now for spring.
For now, it is Hot Stove trade talk, MLB Network giving us our fix of classic baseball and the memories we have of the season just past. All the while we can't help but daydream about the Spring just ahead. The sunny skies over Florida and Arizona. Grapefruit and Cactus are in our thoughts whether we even realize what our subconscious is longing for.
I was excited a couple of weeks ago as I signed my son up for his second season in Little League. Driving home from the sign-up session melancholy took over as I realized just how long we will have to wait for the tryouts to arrive.
Yes it will be awhile but at least we can console ourselves with MLB.com, Classic games on television, ESPN mutterings telling us where our favorite players will be suiting up in 2010 and reading baseball blogs like this one. Yes, it will be awhile but we have one another. Anyone want to take a trip to Mexico to see some winter baseball south of the border? It might just get us by until we here those magical words, "Pitchers and Catchers reported to camp today".

My Photography

2010-01-05T16:39:00.000-08:00

It's Just a Joke

2010-01-04T15:20:00.000-08:00

Former President George W. Bush and his VP Dick Cheney are sitting in a bar. A guy walks in and asks the bartender, 'Isn't that Bush and Cheney sitting over there?'
The bartender says, 'Yep, that's them.'
Excited, the guy walks over and says, 'Wow, this is a real honor! What are you guys doing in here?'
Bush says, 'We're planning WW III.'
The guy says, 'Really? What's going to happen?'
Cheney says, 'Well, we're going to kill 140 million Muslims and one blonde with big breasts.'
Confused, the guy exclaimed, 'A blonde with big breasts? Why kill a blonde with big tits?'
Cheney turns to Bush and says, 'See, I told you, no one gives a shit about the 140 million Muslims.

When is Enough Enough?

2009-12-11T10:07:00.000-08:00

I want to let everyone know that I am a huge sports fan first. In most cases my teams come second. With this being said I am a football fan. I love watching the NFL whenever it is on with zero regard to which teams are competing that day on the field. A game being on television on Thursday nights is a bonus I'd find difficult to criticize and can barely consider what catastrophic event could possibly keep me from watching.
Well, it has come to me. It is tantamount to chinese water torture brought to us in the form of Matt Millen. What deranged executive made this hire for the NFL Network? With unemployment in this country at all time highs and our schools in crises there just has to be plenty of unemployed morons to choose from. Come on already, do we really have to be clubbed over the head like baby harp seals by Millen's monotone stupidity over and over again every single week?
I will give it to him, he was a better than average linebacker in his day and held up his end on some real good defenses with the Raiders, Redskins and 49'ers but I'm sorry, this does not translate into either an executive position or as a color commentator. When you do everything you can to create the worst front office decisions of all time and destroying a franchise in the process how in the world does that qualify you to lend your wisdom, or lack thereof, to a football watching nation?
Doubt the validity of this question? As a viewer have you missed the moronic display provided on a platter as you watch? Here are a few little quotes that may serve to enlighten:

"We have the same philosophy in terms of the kind of people we like, the kind of team we want to build." -- Feb. 3, 2001, after hiring Bill Tobin as his personnel chief.
"I made it for philosophic reasons. That would probably be the best way to put it." -- after firing Tobin.

"I have known Steve since he got into the NFL as an assistant. ... His offensive system is one that we already have in place, which certainly is a plus for our football team in general and some of our young offensive players in particular." -- after hiring Steve Mariucci.

"I believe we have underachieved as a football team. I also believe that we have not developed our younger players, and that is bothersome." -- after firing Mariucci.

"My initial thought was this: If you can't get it done in five years, get out. And I still think that, but actually, I understand how things are now and when I say, 'Can't get it done,' I mean win a Super Bowl. I don't mean get to 10-6.

"I believe that we have as much talent on this football team as any other team in the league." -- before the 2004 season; the Lions finished 6-10.

"The opportunity sits before us and, you know what? The timing couldn't be better." -- before the 2005 season; the Lions finished 5-11.

"Is it the perfect group? No. But we believe it's as good as it's going to be, and we're going to get better." -- speaking about the roster before the 2005 season. (Did I mention that the Lions are 7-24 since then?)

These came out of William Clay Ford's mouth the day he hired Matt Millen. The Lions had finished 8-8 and 9-7 in the previous two years and had made the postseason five times in seven years, but failed to win a playoff game during that span."We've been pretty much stuck on dead center for quite a few years," William Clay Ford Sr. said that day. "Matt offers us an opportunity to move ahead."

Last night with the Steelers down to the Cleveland Browns 13-6 and only 1:47 left on the clock Pittsburgh lined up on a 4'th down play needing a 1'st down conversion or the game goes to the Browns. Roethlisberger's pass was deflected away and the Browns took over. Game, set, match! Cleveland wins. What does Matt have to say? "That ball should have been picked". Who cares? The ball and the game belong to the Browns regardless!

Well that's all I can muster right now other than a plea to the good folks at NFL network. If another unemployed moron can't be found, just go with crowd noise and let us watch a great sport in peace.

This Is It Really Was

2009-10-31T17:03:00.000-07:00

My family and I went to see the new film dedicated to Michael Jackson using archive footage taken during rehearsals for the "This is It" show in London. Regardless of whether someone loved, hated or could simply care less about Michael Jackson the man this is a must see film.
Personally I have always been a fan of Jacksons music since i first heard him back in 1969. I can still remember rushing home that Sunday night to watch the Jackson 5 perform "I Want You Back" on the Ed Sullivan Show. In the last years he became more of a cartoon of his former self and was identified more by what the press and tabloids had to say than by his work. This movie takes it's audience back stage with a seldom seen perspective and slams you head on with the realization and memories of what Michael Jackson was and has always been, a phenomenon.
One of those once in a lifetime shooting star that trancends all boundries and comparisons to others. In fact, my wife Dannielle and I, upon leaving the theatre bounced other entertainment super stars off of one another. We came up with Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Elvis and all of the extremely talented contemporaries of today. The closest I could think of was Elvis. He had Michael's charisma. He had a voice so unique he could sing upbeat rock & roll while still having the ability to break out the emotional soul filled ballad. Unfortunately for the fans Elvis sang other writers song while Michael wrote almost all of his himself. While Elvis had his gyrating hips Michael Jackson could dance with the greatest dancer not only of his own time but with the best ever. And that barely scratches the surface of his incredible talents as a composer, songwriter and choreographer.
Simply put Michael has been an entertainment super nova for all of us lucky enough to have been born in his time. "This is It" as a film and as a tribute to that talent hits the mark like now other movie of its kind ever has before. It brings up raw emotion as its audience literally applauds as if Michael were there in front of them in a live concert. My wife pointed out, very adeptly, that it was the first time she had ever been to a movie where the entire audience sat in still attention through the entire credits as it came to a close. Seriously not a soul moved. It was as if everyone was transfixed by what they had just witnessed.
I literally felt my emotions for a good half hour after we had left the theatre. If a person likes music and has a couple of hours free he, or she, would be doing themselves an immense diservice not seeing "This is It" in the theatre. Trust me you will be swept away.

There Can Be No Joy in Dodgertown

2009-10-22T08:04:00.000-07:00

The sun didn't shine brightly this morning. Instead it hides behind the the grey clouds of dispair.
As I pass other people all I see is their blank stare.
The children aren't playing the games they played in spring.
The boys we love aren't playing for a World Series ring.
Yes, a saddness has engulfed us, our heroes have gone away.
We are left wondering what could have been had the Phillies only been slain.
The memories are thick and full and the joy we had was real. Andre won in so many last gasp ways and Matt and Manny too.
It simply ended before we were ready to lose our Dodger Blue.
Yes in Dodgertown all are welcome to join in the Dodger fun but for now there can be none.
There can be no joy in Dodgertown for those clouds are hiding the sun.

The Hunt for Red in October

2009-10-13T09:12:00.000-07:00

It happens every October. No, not Halloween, Major League Baseball's post season playoffs. Like every year there are story lines galore and this years post season is no different.
I have been writing these little blog updates all season and have mentioned, in detail, the Camelot like season the Dodgers have had. They are not alone. The Angels and Yankees have been right there all year long. The Angels the consensus pick to win the American League West didn't disappoint even up against an exciting lineup trotted out there by the Texas Rangers and the Yankees who return to the playoffs with this years best record in the Majors. This is the first Yankee team to go this far without Joe Torre in a very long time.
With the Yankees playing host to the Angels in the American League it will bring a fresh face to the playoffs following last years faceoff between Tampa Bay's Rays and the Red Sox from Boston. It will be a repeat performance between the defending World Champion Philadelphia Phillies and the two time Western Division Champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ok, enough is enough. Here is how I see it. This season, as I have written here before, is and has already been a magical year in LA. Now, I believe the next couple of weeks will be more destiny than trial. As competitive as these games will be the conclusion is right in front of us. That conclusion is revenge. The Phillies manhandled the Dodgers last year but much has changed. Yes Pat Burrell, a huge bat in last years NLCS is gone. Long time Dodger nemesis Brad Lidge has been far less effective of late and Jimmy Rollins hasn't been displaying the pop he brought into last year's matchup. As big as those differences are the biggest changes are on the Dodgers side of the diamond. Casey Blake has become a leader in the clubhouse and a clutch performer in the field. The middle of the infield last year was held down by a Rafael Furcal fresh off of back surgery playing at about 75% and Blake DeWitt who spent as much time in triple A as he did on the big club. They have been replaced with a healthy Furcal playing his best baseball all season at shortstop and a combination of All Star and Gold Glover Orlando Hudson and hot hitting Ronnie Belliard holding down second. Last years pitching staff was held down by Derek Lowe, Brad Penny and a sore armed Takashi Saito trying to close out games. This years staff led the National League in ERA due in part to the coming of age of Clayton Kershaw, A healthy Randy Wolf and a bullpen as dominant as any I've seen in a long time anchored by not one but two shut down closers in George Sherrill and Jonathon Broxton.
Yep revenge is the word and destiny will be the result. It has been playing out all year like a typical Hollywood story line and in a cinematic fashion the Phillies will be the vanquished foe the hero must get past to fulfill his ultimate destiny.
Think this is my own dilusion? Ask yourself this. When was the last time you saw a National League team trade for a designated hitter in August? Obviously Jim Thome was brought in that early to be a powerful left handed bat bringing virtually no value to the table until the fall classic is under way.
As our story plays out the Dodgers will revenge the wrong doings of the petty crook like Spiderman slinging his web on a thug robbing a liquer store. The real foe as this story plays out, to it's ultimate conclusion, is the Dodgers all time nemesis the New York Yankees.
Yep it brings us to this. Sorry Angels. Sorry Phillies. This is the Dodgers as Spiderman and the dreaded Yankees played by the Green Goblin. It is destiny. The script has been written and the cameras are ready for the director to holler "Action".
After a season like this one there is only one final conclusion..... "May I have the envelope please"? "And the winner is ..................."

"They are just not THAT Good

2009-09-23T15:50:00.000-07:00

Back in April a good friend of mine told me that the Dodgers, "Aren't that good". "You'll see", he said, "They aren't going to go anywhere". Take in to consideration that he made this claim at a time when the Dodgers had won 12 home games in a row and the Giants were still within a relative striking distance. I have had his words on my mind all year as one success led to another and another and another. I watched game after game trying to dissect the Dodger team from a purely baseball perspective. (I absolutely admit I am a homer). I found a lot of things about this years team both positive and negative.
In the early parts of the year the biggest concern was an untested bullpen in particular the middle relief. Over the months those concerns have been put to rest by the aquisition of Baltimore closer George Sherrill and the coming of age of youngsters Ronald Belisario and Ramon Troncoso. The Dodger bullpen is now one of the best in all of baseball.
The Manny Ramirez suspension was next and Juan Pierre stood up and was counted. Most experts were talking about, "This is the chance the rest of the National League West needed", but Pierre played at an All Star level and proved how deep this team really is. Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and James Loney proved to be the core of a Dodger lineup that never waited for the three run home run. They simply went out and hit singles until they scored enough to win. Here we are in late September, a team that did without the one bonafied superstar in the lineup for 50 games and is about to enter the playoffs ranked at or near the top of the league in batting average, RBI's and on base percentage.
I was talking about this with a neighbor over the weekend when it struck me. Without reservation we are watching the finest top to bottom Dodger lineup in the Los Angeles Dodgers history. I tried to match them up and there were great players at every position but never assembled out there at one time. This has come at a moment in time when the young kids have come in to their own at the same time. Ned Colletti has brought in talent that has meshed well, both in personality and a baseball fit. Eight guys that get along. Eight guys that can get it done. Eight guys that I believe will not stop until the final task has been accomplished.
Martin, Loney, Hudson, Furcal, Blake, Ramirez, Kemp and Ethier taking thier places next to Garvey, Wills, Moon, Cey, Roseboro, Baker, Davis and Parker. The 6'th World Championship in the Dodger's Los Angeles era. It is theirs to take and ours to enjoy. 1988 never seemed so long ago as it does right now.
As for my friends claim? He was wrong. Oh so wrong. The Dodgers are that good, in fact better than I could have imagined back in April. Let us savor this year and enjoy it as it unfolds! 6 World titles. And my friends Giants? Like the photo above cries out..... Zero, Nada, Zilch. Hmmmm, maybe he was talking about San Francisco when he said, "They're not that good", and I simply misunderstood. Sorry Dude.

Look, Up in the Sky! Is it a Bird? Is it a Plane?

2009-09-10T09:26:00.001-07:00

My sister Lise' messaged me yesterday and asked, "What's up with the blogs"? I surmised that she actually meant what was up with the LACK of blog entries of late. A few of you actually asked that in the last couple days and I want to apologize right now and make up for it today.

The Dodgers start a series in San Francisco this weekend in what I hope are the last meaningful games the Giants play this year, (I'm thinking brooms here). With this in mind I want to write about some factoids I have looked up on the technological marvel we call the internet. Some may be more difficult to prove than others but at times like this I simply lean on faith first and be damned with the negative thinkers. Lise' ... AAATT.......................

ANDRE ETHIER FACTS

(as I found them)

1. After the Dodgers hit 4 straight home runs on 9-18-2006 Andre came up and flied out against Trever Hoffman. He would have homered a 5'th straight had he not been so tired from sleeping with Hoffman's wife.

2. Andre, not Ned Colletti, orchestrated the Manny Ramirez deal because he felt he could fix a hole in Manny's swing. Result: Manny is hitting over .350 as a Dodger.

3. The most historic blunder in Major League history? Bill Buckner in the '86 Series? No, it was the Athletic's trade of Andre Ethier for Milton Bradley and Antonio Perez. (Antonio who?)

4. Andre Ethier only joined baseball after a lot of weight loss and a successful career as a professional wrestler. Ever heard of Andre the Giant?

5. Andre is a natural pitcher capable of 300 wins in the big leagues. He just finds it more entertaining to throw 110 mph fastballs from 350 feet away rather than 60 feet 6 inches.

6. In a former life, Andre Ethier threw out Ty Cobb at the plate.....Twice.

7. Andre Ethier predicted Kirk Gibsons historic 1988 World Series Home Run before it happened. His prediction was at breakfast one morning in 1985.

8. When Andre Ethier made a pilgrimage to Mecca, Mecca bowed at his feet.

9. Andre Ethier was one of the guys who trotted around the bases with Hank Aaron in 1974. Lost tapes of the Home Run caught him saying, "See? I told you to use your wrists more".

10. Eric Clapton lost a "cutting heads" guitar competition to Andre Ethier. (Very few realize that with a bearded disguise Andre was the lead guitar for ZZ Top).

11. Andre Ethier gave Roy Hobbes batting instruction.

12. Andre Ethier is the best thing since sliced bread. (Coincidentally, Andre INVENTED sliced bread).

13. The Dodgers are planning an Andre Ethier Bobblehead Night in 2010. Bring a truck if you go that night. The doll will be cast in solid gold and stand 8 feet tall.

14. Andre is very generous. So much so he allows opposing pitchers 5 balls instead of the customary 4. (True story).

15. When on the road last week in Arizona, Andre Ethier had a hotel suite with Dan Haren serving as his butler, housemaid, chef, chauffer to and from the games and personal batting practice pitcher.

16. During an Arizona spring training game Andre Ethier threw Jose Reyes out at the plate. Reyes was trying to score in Port St. Lucie FLORIDA!

17. the Bruce Willis movie "Unbreakable" is based on the life of Andre Ethier.

18. Andre Ethier forced Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox to end the Civil War.

19. C.C. Sabathia wants to play in Los Angeles so he will never be embarrassed pitching to Andre Ethier. (Also it is rumored he wants a few pointers from Andre on his curve ball).

20. Barrack Obama has officially announced his selection of Andre Ethier as the United States Secretary of Awesome.

21. 92% of the players listed in the Mitchell report tested positive for high levels of Andre Ethier.

22. Andre Ethier's given name is Cassius Clay.

23. The Virgin Mary gave birth to Andre Ethier, but you've probably only heard of her adopted son.

24. Broadcasters often refer to the "metaphorical" 5 run Home Run. Andre Ethier will prove it is no longer a metaphor.

25. The "chaos theory" states that if Andre Ethier swings a bat in Los Angeles, the force can cause a hurricane in North Carolina.

26.Due to Andre Ethier's incredible range, it has been suggested that he patrol the outfield alone with Kemp and Ramirez moving to the infield. This hasn't happened only because Matt and Manny want to marvel at him up close rather than so far away.

27. JD Drew left for Boston because he knew Andre Ethier was going to beat him out anyway.

28. Andre Ethier once threw a ball errantly high to home. That ball is now known as Haley's comet.

29. Ever watch the show "24"? Jack Bauer fears Andre Ethier.

30. The reason Andruw Jones hit so poorly in Los Angeles was because he couldn't take his eyes off of Andre Ethier in the dugout.

31. On the 7'th day God rested. That same day Andre Ethier played and got 4 hits!

32. Very few know that Andre Ethier is a natural right hander yet he throws left handed. If he were to ever throw right handed the sheer speed of he throws would break the space time continuum and send him back to the late Jurasic period. Andre Ethier has an irrational fear of dinosaurs, so he throws left handed.

33. Announcer Bob Costas carries a Mickey Mantle baseball card with him at all times. Mickey Mantle carries an Andre Ethier baseball card at all times in heaven.

34. When Andre Ethier plays golf, Tiger Woods offers to be his caddy - -FOR FREE

35. Ted Williams had his body frozen using Cryonic technology with the hope that one day he could see Andre Ethier play.

36. Andre Ethier was Mr. Miyagi's guru.......Wax on, Wax off.......

37. Andre Ethier could play every position himself and win the Dodgers a World Series. The only reason the Dodgers send out the other 8 guys is to be sure Andre doesn't get lonely.

38. There has been a civil lawsuit filed in a Phoenix Arizona court against the Mexican company Dos Equis. It was filed because ANDRE ETHIER is the most interesting man in the world.

39. In 2001 Barry Bonds had a bad potato peeling accident and needed an emergency blood transfusion. Being a giving soul Andre Ethier was the only volunteer. Bonds went on to hit 73 Home Runs that year.

40. Andre Ethier was the little boy who stuck his finger in the dyke and saved the entire region known as Holland.

41. Andre Ethier once fired Donald Trump and then threw him out at home from the right field corner.

42. Alex Rodriguez was going to sign with the Dodgers before the 2007 season but only if the team agreed to trade Andre Ethier away. Alex wanted to be the star of the team.

43. Although Andre Ethier was born and raised in Phoenix Arizona, his National Monument was built in upstate New York. You probably know it as the Hall of Fame.

44. Few fans know that Andre Ethier was originally drafted #1 by the Chicago Cubs directly out of Little League. He decided against signing at that time, however because he was too busy inventing penicillin in a lab he put together in 5'th grade.

45. As a child, Willie Mays kept a poster of Andre Ethier on his bedroom wall.

46. Andre 3000 of the band "Outcast" named himself as a tribute to Andre Ethier and his lifetime hit total.

47. Barrack Obama's energy plan revolves around harnessing the force created by Andre Ethier's swing and converting it to low cost energy to keep the elderly warm on cold winter nights.

48. Everyone knows that a Honus Wagner baseball card is the most valuable card ever produced garnering millions at a recent sale. Far fewer fans realize that the card has such a remarkable value only because if you squint your eyes and look at the card just right you can see Andre Ethier in the backround.

49. Dodger fans don't leave games early to beat the traffic. They leave early to avoid being struck and killed in the parking lot by an Andre Ethier walk off Home Run.

And finally Andre Ethier fact number 50........ My sister thinks Andre Ethier has a great bottom!

There ya go Lise'. All Andre All The Time! AAATT.......................

All facts used in this blog were found on the World Wide Web and in no way indicates or indicts the auther of said blog. Oh yea, except the great bottom part. That was a direct quote!

Post Script: While playing a game at ASU Andre Ethier once hit a 722 foot Home Run, with a cactus!

You Pick His Label - I'll Just Listen and Smile

2009-08-13T08:56:00.000-07:00

Icon? Broadcaster? Professional? We could all come up with a list of descriptive labels in an attempt to describe Dodger broadcaster Vin Scully but none of them can begin to capture what he is and what he means to me and so many others. Vin Scully is one of a kind. A once in a lifetime blessing we are lucky enough to co-exist with in this time.

Vin has been the California Radio Broadcaster of the Year an unprecedented 28 times. He was voted by his peers as the Greatest Sports Broadcaster of the 20'th Century. He was presented with the Ford Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982 and even has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I will stop there with his list of accomplishments because I don't have the time to sit here and write that long and that is not what I want to convey here today. It is not the awards Vin has accumulated but instead the awards he has given us that I'd like to talk about today.

When Greg Papa, a respected broadcaster in his own right, recently interviewed Vin he opened by addressing him with , "Mr. Scully". Vin quickly let him know that he was Vin and always had been. With a respectful grin Mr. Papa continued by asking Vin "Are you planning on coming back for another season next year"? Vin's reply, "If you want to make God smile go ahead and tell him your plans". It is humility like that and a grace seldom, if ever, displayed in our culture these days, that help set Vin Scully apart.

Vin has been broadcasting Dodger baseball since 1950 and has dignified Football, Golf, Tennis and many other events with his call over the years. Along with many fans I grew up listening to him on our porch on a warm summer day. Huddled around a radio at the ball field. Sneaking a listen in school with the earphone wire hidden up our sleeves sitting at our desks and under the covers at night when we were supposed to be asleep. I hear these same descriptions from so many fans now but as a boy I thought I must have been the only one.

When I sat down I thought it would be easy to write this but I have found that there really is no way to describe what Vin Scully has meant to myself and others. He is the most popular Dodger of all time and the reason so many are Dodger fans today. I will try to sum this up with words but none come to mind that could possibly do him justice so I will leave it at this.... I love you Vin Scully and thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Here a just a few of his calls you may remember..........

San Francisco 49'ers cap their 1981 drive against the Dallas Cowboys to earn their first Superbowl trip......

"Montana ...looking, looking, throwing in the endzone...Clark caught it! Dwight Clark!...It's a madhouse at Candlestick"!

Hank Aaron hits his historic 715'th home run against the Dodgers Al Downing....

"What a marvelous moment for baseball. What a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia. What a marvelous moment for the country and the world. A black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol. And it is a great moment for all of us, and particularly Hank Aaron".

The Mets win game six of th 1986 World Series against the Red Sox......

Little roller up along first . . . behind the bag! It gets through Buckner! Here comes Knight and the Mets win it!

Scully then remained silent for more than three minutes, letting the pictures and the crowd noise tell the story. Scully resumed with....

"If one picture is worth a thousand words, you have seen about a million words, but more than that, you have seen an absolutely bizarre finish to Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. The Mets are not only alive, they are well, and they will play the Red Sox in Game 7 tomorrow"!

And finally, Kirk Gibson hits his 1988 home run to beat the A's in game 1.......

"High fly ball into right field, she i-i-i-is... gone"!
”
Holding to his long-standing belief that the noise of the fans best tells the story, Scully did not speak for 67 seconds before announcing, incredulously,

"In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened"!

Later, Scully said to his broadcast partner (Joe Garagiola) and to the viewers,

"What an opening act, huh? I think we've got a leading man, and many of them, between now and the end of this great 1988 World Series".

Take a listen to history.... It was 9:46pm on September 9'th 1965 ....... There were some 29000 fans and a million butterflies! http://contursi.freeyellow.com/baseballtour/sounds/sounds/scullykoufaxperfect.mp3

Dodgertown.........Or Never Never Land?

2009-08-07T08:33:00.000-07:00

I watched the Dodgers and Braves last night and when it ended I shook my head vigorously just to be sure I hadn't drifted off to sleep and dreamed another fantastic finish. My sister coined the acronym, A A A T T, a few weeks ago. Simply it means All Andre, All The Time. It refers to the season long heroics of the Dodgers right fielder Andre Ethier. Once my head stopped shaking I quickly realized that it was indeed real. The Dodgers had done it again.
When does the incredible become ordinary? If it happens all of the time is it any less miraculous? I have to say that this season, like no other I have ever experienced, has been filled with one improbable moment after another. Vin Scully has said, "This is more Hollywood than Hollywood". I think it may even be more than that.
The 2009 Dodgers are a Fairytale. Could AllStar Orlando Hudson be Snow White's Prince or Casey Blake be Peter Pan? After all Manny Rameriz has a Kingdom, Mannywood, named in his honor. It seems that almost nightly the Dodgers have another fairytale story represented by still another magical hero that rides in on his powerful white horse to save the day.
Sitting in the stands the night Manny hit his first pitch Grand Slam to break a 2-2tie against the Reds all I could say was "WOW". Last night was much the same. It seems that watching a Dodger player mobbed at the end of another improbable victory would become blase' but it doesn't. It just continues to be as thrilling as all of the incredible deeds performed by magical heroes in far away kingdoms we remember hearing about as children.
A A A T T? I don't think so. You can't fit Sir Lancelot into that acronym.
While it lasts enjoy it. Watch every episode of this compelling fairytale we call Dodgertown while it lasts because magic must be enjoyed and it is happening now in 90090.

Returning to the Promised Land

2009-07-20T09:18:00.001-07:00

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...........

2009-07-14T11:39:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-04T10:53:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-03T08:56:00.000-07:00

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!!

Fathers Day 2009

2009-06-26T15:11:00.000-07:00

June 21'st was a great day this year. My family
and I returned from a cruise to Vancouver and
met with more family and friends for the Dodgers versus Angels game in Anaheim. It was a wonderful Fathers Day event I enjoyed surrounded by my son Casey, my father Don, my sister Lise', my wife Dannielle and friends. We watched a masterful performance turned in by Clayton Kershaw and the run scoring antics we have come to expect from the Dodgers including a two run homer by James Loney.
That home run is the reason I decided to write this entry. After the umpire ran into right field and signaled Loney to touch them all, play was halted after he had rounded the bases and returned to the dugout. It was anounced on the public address system that the "play was under revue". Instantly I thought I had been struck over the head and had just awakened at an NFL game. Well, first I realized that the Rams now reside in St Louis and there was no pro football anywhere near Anaheim. After about 5 minutes in this surreal atmosphere the home run was pronounced real as the original call stood the scrutiny of video replay. I have to say the impact of that pause left it's mark. There can be no place in our pastime for video revue. The game of baseball is a product of it's own calm flow and cadence only to be broken by an intense exhilaration and excitement brought on by the building tension the games own circumstance brings. When that moment happens, and the crowds emotion bursts forth, the very last thing needed at that moment is for a dull, dead pan announcement "The play is under revue". For well over 100 years we have intrusted umpires to make those calls. The fact that on occasion those calls are wrong only inhance the experience and the never ending conversation / argument that sometimes goes on long after that original call was made. Ok that was just my two cents on the subject.
All in all it was a great day watching the Dodgers win another inter-league game! Inter-league baseball? Sorry but if I start on THAT topic I may not have time for dinner tonight!
I hope you all had as great a Father's Day as I did.

People Will Come Ray, People Will Come.....

2009-06-10T16:42:00.000-07:00

I was thinking how cool it is to be able to share my thoughts without worrying about those thoughts being judged. There is an incredible feeling of freedom that comes from it plus the enjoyment I get from the feedback I receive from all of you.

Before long if you read enough of these you'll realize I tend to dwell, a little. How many of you remember the James Earl Jones "Baseball Speech" from the, now, 20 year old film "The Field of Dreams"?

It touches on an incredibly important aspect of Baseball's appeal. Continuity. Something I feel is in grave danger today.

(For Those Who Need a Memory Refreshment)

"The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball.America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time.

People will come Ray...For reasons they can't even fathom.

They'll walk out to the bleachers and sit in their shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They will find they have reserved seats along one of the baselines.

It will be just like when they were children and cheered their heroes, and they'll watch the game, and it will be as if they were dipped in magic waters. The memories will be so thick, they will have to brush them away from their faces...

This field, this game, it's part of our past. It reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again.

Oh, people will come. People will most definitely come".

W.P. Kinsella, "Field of Dreams"

http://new.wavlist.com/movies/079/fd-speech.wav

The memories I feel when I watch a game today comes from that continuity. When I see something on the field it almost automatically conjures comparisons to plays, players or situations of games I've watched before. With interleague play, the Designated Hitter rule, (From that other league), instant replay and tweaking the homefield in the World Series as a result of the All Star Game outcome all eat away at what always was a pure continuous flow from one decade to the next. This is a rant I will be touching on more in the future as time permits but for now I'll just enjoy the games as they play out and hope it doesn't degrade any further in my lifetime.

Families stick together with a common bond

2009-06-08T16:22:00.000-07:00

As you may have seen in my profile I have a 7 year old son. Bringing Casey up is probably the most important responsibility I have ever taken on in my life. Well, at least it is the most important one to me. Every time I look at him I realize that nothing I have experienced before even comes close to what he makes me feel. That being said, I pray from the bottom of my heart that he becomes the baseball and sports fan I hope to spend my golden years with.
I chuckle to myself saying that but I have seriously bonded with so much of my family in that way that I'm not sure what it would be like to have my only son not share it with me.
My Grandfather used to sit next to me in my earliest memories telling colorful stories of the 1920's when he sat in bleachers everyday for a quarter watching the Tigers in Detroit. How great were Ty Cobb? Babe Ruth? Tris Speaker? Lefty O'Doul or any of the other American League stars of the day? To me it brought a kind of syymetry to the world. I knew what I saw but also how it connected to those summer days he spent in Tiger Stadium.
My father took me to Oakland Raider games starting when I was only 5 years old and we had season tickets until the Raiders left when I was 26. The memories of those times together are some of the dearest I have and I believe it is the same for him.
My little sister, a mere 12 years my junior, was my first project. I used to drag her on average to 40 plus Oakland A's games a season and to Dodger Giant games whenever I could conive a ride out of our Mom, (Which to her credit was quite often). By the time she was 6 she knew the names of the A's, Dodgers and Boston Red Sox starting teams and loved it whenever George Scott would come to the plate so she could howl "Boooooomer", "Boooooomer". I'll never forget how happy that made her. Well, she is over 40 now and for the last few years I have enjoyed our baseball trips together. This year it was to Arizona to take in the Cactus League action. Last year it was Southern California where our Dad joined us for a Dodgers - Padres game at PETCO Park, a round at the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines and finally a Braves - Angels match up in Anaheim. 2007 we flew seperately to Chicago where we took in a couple of rounds in the Cubs - Cardinals rivalry and a nightcap at US Cellular Field to take in the rock and roll attitude of the White Sox faithful.
My Grandfather has been gone for some time now but I have him with me everytime I turn on a game. My Dad and sister have relationships stronger than those of most of my friends with their families and we all have sports to thank for it.
Now, if only my son will come around. Guess I will just have to keep taking him out to the ballgames. Keep filling him up on peanuts and Crackerjack.

Is there no justice?

2009-06-08T13:40:00.000-07:00

It recently came to my attention, while watching a FOX baseball broadcast, that Maury Wills has not yet been inducted to Baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. At first this simply struck me as odd. Then, like a constant drip to my forehead during a dose of Chinese water torture, it began to eat away at me. Maury freakin Wills isn't in the Hall??? How can this be? I asked this question over and over again. In the bat of an eye I could think of one player after another that couldn't possibly have more credentials qualifying them for induction than he.
Take a moment to consider that this is a guy who appeared in 7 All Star games and was voted MVP of the game in 1962. That same year was voted Co-Player of the Year in Major League Baseball, (With Don Drysdale...and oh by the way is inducted into Cooperstown already) and voted the National Leagues Most Valuable Player ahead of Hall of Fame inductees Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Drysdale, Stan Musial, Orlando Cepeda, Frank Robinson and Sandy Koufax amongst others. On top of these honors he was a two time winner of the National League's Gold Glove among shortstops and led the league 5 times in stolen bases. He was baseballs first player to top 100 stolen bases in a single season when he stole a then record 104 in 1962. He appeared in 4 World Series and won 3 of them. All of this as impressive as it seems on the surface pales when you consider what he really did. He changed the way the game is played. Without him I really question whether we would have ever seen Lou Brock or Ricky Henderson blossom into the performers they were. Pitchers and defenses have not been the same since. All because Maury Wills changed the way we looked at baseball. He was a constant threat and the Dodger teams he starred on showed what a team with great pitching and very little power could accomplish. Put simply, World Championships. Because a walk becomes a double, a double becomes a triple and a flyball turnes into a run.
I'm not sure who it is that needs a wake up call but I am positive that whoever they are they need to rectify this situation while Maury is still with us to share in the honor!