"They are just not THAT Good

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?

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

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?

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

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!