It was a fun 3 days here in Houston, especially with the Blue Crew taking the latter 3 games of this 4 game series , and me attending all 3 of the wins.  ( Maybe I should have been here Monday, perhaps we may have had a sweep....)  It was good to see the Dodger offense heat up, hopefully they can keep it going into San Francisco this weekend.  Kent, Ethier, and Loney in particular came through big in this series, especially Kent, hitting a solo shot in the 10th in Tuesday's game to win it, coming back on Wednesday with a pair of RBI doubles.  Ethier had a couple of solo shots in this series and was actually a triple away from a cycle in the Wednesday game. ( A triple, you know, the hardest hit in baseball...)  He had a shot at it in the 9th inning and I had commented to a fan next to me that MMP was the perfect ballpark to hit a triple if he could send a shot up Tal's Hill ( More on that later ) , but he grounded out to short.  Matt Kemp earlier in the game hit a triple up the hill, one of the few times the hill came into play as Astros CFielder Michael Bourne had to chase Kemps shot up the hill.  Loney , a native of Missouri City , Texas just outside of Houston, had a good series as well, which included a solo shot into the Crawford Boxes in LF. 

Minute Maid Park is a nice cozy ballpark.  A bandbox.  For the most part, you really are close to the action, even in the upper deck seats too.  It's got a retractable roof to protect the fans from the harsh summer elements in these parts, the roof is in use mostly from June on toward the end of the season.  Other features here include Tal's Hill, beyond the CF warning track that is reminiscent of old Crossley Field in Cincinatti, and the field is in play.  The hill also has a flag pole out there, reminiscent of old Tiger Stadium.  And should a potential HR hit the pole and bounce back into the field, the ball is in play.  This has happened only once, last season, when Richie Sexon of the Brewers accomplished the feat and had to settle for a triple. 

If you are on a budget, you may want to buy the cheap seats then claim a spot out in the home run porch in left center, where there is a balcony hanging above the warning track.  Out there , you'll likely to encounter the Puma's, a devoted following of Astro Lance Berkman, dubbed The Big Puma. 

MMP is worth a stop for your ballpark road trip, and while in Houston, you may also want to check out the Johnson Space Center about 30 minutes south of the ballpark.  And of course, no trip to Texas would be complete without sampling some BBQ, which I did over at Goode Company.

OTHER NOTES

Thur 7/3 there were many armed forces tributes during the game in the day before the 4th, including a nice video tribute to Rick Monday rescuing the US Flag at Dodger Stadium in 1976 as a member of the Chicago Cubs. 

HAVE A GREAT 4TH OF JULY EVERYONE !!!!

Tonight was night one of what has hopefully become my annual road trip to see the Dodgers, not counting Anaheim, San Diego, or San Francisco.  Last year, it was Atlanta, this year, Houston.  I had been to Minute Maid Park three years ago and ironically the 'Stros were playing the hated ones that evening.  I was really impressed with how intimate the park felt that I wanted to come back and perhaps see the Dodgers play here.  So here I am for 3 days  with my buddy Josh.  On this first night in the second of game of a 4 game set, Russel Martin and Jeff Kent would account for  6 of the 7 RBI'S tonight as the Blue, in spite of blowing a 6-1 lead, would pull off a victory in 11 thanks to Jeff Kent's solo shot during the top half of 11.  What was funny was that right before Kent's home run, some Astro fan in the aisle next to us felt " obligated " to bring up the Lakers " choking " in game 6 of the finals, to which the Dodger fans felt to reply back, " And where were the Rockets ? " .  Nice timing buddy.....Other news, had the bullpen , notably Faulkenborg and Broxton been able to hold onto the lead, Kershaw would have had MLB  career victory number 1 and I would have been there to see it.  Oh well, I guess we'll have to wait another day kid.  Well, I'm out for tonight, i'll be going to Space Center tomorrow before the game.  Day 2 activities tomorrow.  GO DODGERS !!!!

Well fellow Angelinos, I had been writing lately of being the 20th anniversary of our great city being the City of Champions, with the Lakers and the Dodgers coming out on top in 1988.  And what a great time it was.  And I had been exicited about the possibility of us repeating the feat again this season in this season of celebrations.  And the way the Lakers had cruised through the playoffs there was no reason for us not to feel giddy.  Oh for having high hopes.  But hey, it was still a great season. And c'mon, back in October, when Kobe wanted outta town, did we really expect to be watching Laker basketball this late in June ?  We have a young team, Bynum will be back next season, and Gasol will be around for a full season.  But tonight really hurt.  And as for me, personally, this is now the second time i've in a span of 3 months i've gone through personal heartbreak, with UCLA losing to Memphis in the Final Four .  As a fan, I'll say it...IT HURTS.  But in retrospect, it was a great season nonetheless.  OK, our full  focus is now on the Blue Crew.  And in spite of how bad we've looked lately, hey, were still only 4.5 gack of Arizona.  We still got the dog days of summer ahead......   L.A. FANS, IT WAS A GREAT SEASON. 

OK, this aint Dodger baseball I'm talking about.  But remember, I did say I blog about the Dodgers and other L.A. sports.  So, here goes....I say the Lakers take the Spurs in 6.  But it will be a tough 6.  I don't see the short turnaround for the Spurs to be a factor early in the series, they are to experienced and playoff-tested for that as evidenced by their 4 titles since '99.  ( Many Spurs fans feel they were robbed of a 5th in '04 by Derek Fisher.  And to the Spurs fans I chatted with in Texas back in '05, HE DID GET IT OFF IN .4  !!!! ) .  However, should the Lakers be able to play at their up-tempo style, fatigue could be a factor for San Antonio.  OK, I've keep it brief.  Now let's here from you.  Be as brief or as detailed as you want.  It should be a great series.  GO LAKERS !!!!

This season, before each home game, a former Dodger is seen signing autographs for fans outside the stadium between the pavillion entrances.  Recently, I had a chance to pay a visit to former Dodger outfielder Tommy Davis.  Tommy Davis played for the Dodgers from 1959-1966, winning 2 batting titles in '62 and '63.  With this new feature dubbed autograph alley, I thought I would try something fun and do a one question Q & A this season with each former Dodger I visit.  I hope you all enjoy this feature as a look forward to asking more questions throughout this season.

Q- Tommy, describe the feeling from being part of the 1963 team that swept the Yankees in the WS

A- It was heaven, it was absolute heaven.  The Yankees had always beaten the Dodgers in WS play, had beaten them 4 times in the 50's so for us to sweep them and be the first team to sweep the Yankees in WS play was absolute heaven. 

Back in January I had posted that this year was special not only because this is the year we celebrate 50 years of Dodger Blue here in L.A., but that this year is also the 20th anniversary of the Lakers and Dodgers winning it all for us in 1988.   http://dodgerdrei.mlblogs.com/archives/2008/01/ 1988 was indeed a magical year for sports fans in this city, with the Dodgers off to a fast start and the Lakers  hoping to make good on coach Pat Riley's guarantee of the previous year of a " REPEAT"   .  In the second round of the NBA's Western Conference Playoffs, the Lakers opponent, the upstart Utah Jazz,  led by a young John Stockton and Karl Malone, gave the boys of Showtime all they could handle and perhaps the highlight of the series was the final seconds of game 5.  The series had been tied at 2, the Lakers were trailing in the closing seconds and were in danger of heading back to Utah down 3 games to 2 when Michael Cooper ( COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP !!!) calmly sank a 20 foot jumper to give the Lakers a one point victory, with the Lakers eventually prevailing in 7 games.  Well, 20 years later , the Blue stands 3 games behind the D-Backs, not bad considering 'Zona's hot start, and well, like 20 years ago, the Lakers find themselves doing battle with the Jazz, this time led by our M-V-P !!!  KOBE !!!!  And things look pretty good for the Lakers right now up 2-0 in the Western Semi's.  And as for the Blue, there's just no telling how good this team really can be at this point .  No matter, it still feels good to be a sports fan in L.A. these days in what we could call a year of anniversaries. 

COLISEUM 3/29/2008 

This had to be one of the more memorable Openings to the baseball seasons.  It all started on Saturday, 3/29 with the game at the Coliseum.  It was a madhouse .  Over 115,000 fans gathering to witness and be part of history as the Blue returned back to their first home for an exhibition against the Red Sox.  I arrived around 2PM for the FanFest that took place outside the Coliseum .  I had hoped to rub shoulders with some of the Dodger Alumni of the past 50 years but the lines were just soooooo insane.  If not for the UCLA game, I probably would have joined that insane line, but I figure there will be other opps during the season, plus I had already met Ken Landreaux and Bobby Castillo, though it's always great to bump into familiar faces again.  However, I did get to meet Rick Monday and he even offered to take a picture with me, what a really nice guy.  Speaking of the UCLA game, it was nice that Time-Warner had a HDTV kiosk set up for us to watch the Bruins en route to their third straight Final Four appearance over up and coming Xavier.  Heck, we Bruins fans even did the Eight-Clap loud enough in SC territory, how sweet.  So yeah, for a lot of us, it was double-duty with UCLA and the Dodgers.  As for the game, the crowd was really pumped, and though the game wasn't has high scoring as what many of us expected, as I was walking around taking pictures later in the game, I kinda got the sense that many didn't really care for the result but were there to take in the nostalgia and to be part of history.  And of course, many fans started filing out as early as the 6th inning.  But as I stated earlier, is wasn't as if anyone attending cared for the final result.  With the Red-Sox in town, a "tribute" was done for them and their fans as Sweet Caroline was played over the loud speakers in the middle of the 8th.  And as I continued to walk around and take pics, I was greeted amongst many others who had done double-duty with UCLA  and the Blue Crew.  Final Score,  Red Sox 7 Dodgers 4, but who cared.  WE WERE ALL PART OF HISTORY !!!!!

OPENING DAY 3/31/2008

 

Opening Day has in the last few years has always been an all-day affair with me, but this time, me and some friends and my little bro were actually able to put together a pre-game bbq .  We found a nice spot in Elysian Park, but we couldn't get our grill lighted .  No worries, a really nice lady named Yvonne offered us a cigarette lighter and her nephew even offered us an extra grill to work with.  Adding to the atmosphere was the smell of others bbq's, the sounds of a live band performing traditional Mariachi and jazz tunes, the comraderie amongst other Dodger fans tailgating.......We would arrive to the LF Pav as Dave Koz performed the National Anthem on the sax.  And just as we walked up the stairs by the outfield wall, Dodger of the last 50 years came out the the corner bullpens toward their respective positions played while donning the Blue.  It almost brought tears out of my eyes.  As for the game, the Blue would go on to a 5-0 shutout of the hated ones as Jeff Kent would smack a 2 run dinger and Brad Penny would pitch 6.1 innings to start off the 2008 season on a high note.  But this Opening Day would be all about witnessing 50 years of history in front of our, and some, teary eyes.  Here's to a great 2008 Dodgers.        

Like the rest of you fellow Dodgers fans, I can't wait for Opening Day.  Heck, I'm just as excited about the game at the Coliseum as I am this Monday, and if UCLA , OK, I'll go out on a limb, when UCLA makes it to the Great 8 this Saturday, I just may be doing double duty.  Anyways, with this being the 50th anniversary of the Boys in Blue here in this great city, this year also marks a little personal anniversay for me of some sorts, as this year marks the 25th anniversary of my first opening day and the 20th anniversary of opening day, 1988, a very magical year.  Although the Dodgers would end up losing both games, as a kid in elementary school and the latter in junior high, I would realize early how special opening day is.  On opening day 1983, I just happened to be in spring break so my uncles took me to see the Blue battle the Montreal Expos, two seasons removed from the epic 1981 NLCS battle.  Being 8 years old at the time and not really recalling much except taking in the sights and sounds and hearing the Canadien anthem at DS ( which we dont here anymore, Thanks Bud ), just being at the Ravine was really special.  The following week, I would witness Steve Garvey's first game back at DS donning the god-awful taco brown duds of the Padres.  He was given a rousing ovation in his first at-bat.  1983 would be special for the Blue , since they weren't picked to win the NL West due largely in part to the loss of Garvey and Cey during the off-season.  And the infield was really shaky that season too. ( Anyone remember Steve Sax's throwing problems that season ? )  But somehow, the Blue found a way to capture the NL West flag, winning the division by 3 games over the Atlanta Braves, managed by.....Joe Torre.  ( Note, the Braves and Reds were in the NL West at the time, while the Cardinals and Cubs were in the NL East.  I guess the powers that be who ran MLB at the time flunked geography....) 

Fast forward to Opening Day, 1988, 20 years ago. ( Boy, time flies ...) By then, I was in junior high, and thanks to a promise I made to my parents that my grades would improve, my dad let me skip school that day and took me to the game.  ( I would also have my English teachers approval to go, thanks Mrs. Menerey ...)   The experts that be picked the Dodgers to finish no higher than 3rd.  After all, they were coming off back to back losing seasons for the first time since 1967-1968 .  And no one really expected our off-season acquisition, an injury prone outfielder , Kirk Gibson, to light a fire .  As for Opening Day, 1988, the Blue would battle the hated ones from up north, who were coming off a division title the previous season, and by then, I had learned to develop a healthy dose of hate toward those in Halloween colors.  ( Will Clark also had a lot to with it too....)  So here we are, Opening Day, 1988, Mrs. Partridge ( Shirley Jones ) would sing the national anthem, and in the bottom of the first inning, Steve Sax would deposit the first pitch of 1988  to the Dodgers to the lower field level seats in left field, and as Sax rounded second, leaped up, threw his fist in the air, and we just sensed this would be a magical year.  Unfortunately, for Dave Dravecky, the Giants starter that day ( God Bless You , Dave ), that would be his only blemish as he would pitch a complete game and the Jints, ahem, Giants would knock Fernando around that day, 5-1.  My hatred toward the Giants would only increase that afternoon as their fans that  day were just outright obnoxious.  ( Yeah, Giants fans were just as obnoxious back then ...)  But nonetheless, well, you know the rest of the story 'bout 88.

Just a little sidenote to Opening Day 1988, unfortunately for Giants starter Dave Dravecky, many of you may remember, that the following year, his left arm had to be amputated due to a cancerous tumor.  He had been battling the tumor for quite some time, but unfortunately, in a game against the Expos in August of 1989, after throwing a pitch, he collapesed to the ground and would never pitch again.  Still, you had to admire his courage to come back through trying circumstances, and though he donned the dreaded orange and black, his courageous display is something that cant be taken away.

Allright, how much sooner 'till Opening Day ?

View from Elysian Park, 2/2/2008