FRANK NOW YOURE TESTING MY PATIENCEI
I have been one of the faithful who has continued to come to The Ravine through mostly bad this year and tonight just really put a bad taste in my mouth. During the last homestand you guys advertised reserved level tickets for $5 each and even had it posted on diamondvision this evening. I go to the ticket office in the top deck in the 6th inning and am told that they made a mistake by posting the ad on the videoboard. I then text the 323 DODGERS customer service and am informed that offer was only for the last homestand. No apology, no were sorry for the inconvenience for our error, we will accomodate you for our mistake, nothing. I can bring up other stuff this loyal Dodger fan hasnt been happy with this season but I will refrain for now anyways. Do you really have to give fans more reasons to just REALLY not want to show up ? This organization is on pace to lose $27 million in revenie this year and the stands havent exactly been filled to the rafters so WHATS THE BIG DEAL DISCONTINUING THE $5 ticket specials and NOT notifying the fans! And that is Drei’s rant. A day at the ballpark is STILL A GOOD DRE, in spite of our teams current stadium operations department.
BLUE IN CALI
Over the years i’ve had the opportunity to follow the Blue out on the road, especially here in Cali. In a couple of weeks, I will be making the trek down to PETCO Park for my annual trip to San Diego. ( That just goes to show my unconditional loyalty ). And thanks to the fanfotos, here are some highlights, from Dodger Stadium to PETCO and of course enemy territory, AT&T Park.
Me with the lil' bro, moments after that batting practice foul ball bounced off my palm. Amazingly, I really didnt feel any pain
- Kicking off the Dodgers 50th Anniversary here in L.A. with the lil’ bro
- 10/1/2006. Final game of the regular season against the hated ones. And we we’re the ones celebrating a post-season birth after clinching in their house. Oh how 5 years ago seems like an oh-so-distant memory these days……
- 8/12/2009 . For whatever reasoned no one gave me a hard time on this day. Maybe because i brought the lil’ sis, her first Dodger/Giants game in enemy territory
Giants May Be Our Rivals, But Philly Isn’t So Brotherly Either
As we all know, for many years dating back all the way to Brooklyn, the Giants have always been our number one rival. And many of you probably have a disdain for the Yankees too, even though we’ve only met in interleague play twice and haven’t played them in a World Series in 30 years. But as of recent times, or at least in my lifetime, the Phillies have been a thorn to my side, especially as of late. Both the Dodgers and Phillies have had some great battles, facing each other 5 times in the NLCS, the most of any Dodger NL playoff opponent, the Dodgers taking the pennant in 1977 and 1978, and the Phillies winning the last 3 meetings, in 1983, and most recently, in 2008 and 2009.
We’ve all heard of the great battles between the Reds and Dodgers in the 70′s, as both teams combined won 9 NL West Titles ( Only 2 divisions back then ) , but the Phillies had some good teams too. But in ’77 and ’78, the Boys in Blue had Philly’s number in the post season, and both times had a classic game. In ’77, with the Best of 5 NLCS tied at 1 and the Phillies leading 5-3 in the 9th at old Veterans Stadium, with 2 out, the Dodgers would mount a rally, highlighted by a Manny Mota double off Gene Garber with 2 strikes, then capped off by a go-ahead single by Bill Russel, plating current Dodger 1B coach Davey Lopes and giving the Blue a 6-5 win and a 2 games to 1 lead in the series which the Dodgers would win the next day. That game is still remembered in Philly as Black Friday.
The following year the 2 teams would meet again in the NLCS, and with another World Series berth on the line and the Blue up 2 games to 1 in the series, Game 4 at Dodger Stadium would go into extra’s, and with the aid of a Gary Maddox error, Bill Russel would once again come up big, singling home Ron Cey with the winning run and sending the Blue to another World Series berth.
As for me, to bad I was only 4 years old at the time and never could appreciate this. A lot of great players on both teams took part, you know, Steve Carlton, Mike Schmidt, Bob Boone, Greg Luzinsky, Tug McGraw, and who could forget the record setting infield of Garvey, Lopes, Russel, and Cey.
Fast forward to 1983. Both Philly and the Dodgers had won a WS title since their last meeting, and heading into this round, the Dodgers, having won 11 of 12 from the Phillies during the regular season, we’re highly confident heading into this series. As an 8 year old kid 2 years removed from my first taste of Dodger baseball in the 1981 WS , I too was extremely confident ( as well as excited) The Phillies, with veterans, some from the great Reds teams of the 70′s ( Pete Rose, Tony Perez, Joe Morgan) we’re a team full of veterans and we’re dubbed the Wheeze Kids, an contrast from their 1950 team nicknamed the Whiz Kids. In spite taking 11 of 12 in the regular season, the Dodger offense went into a funk ( Sound new ? ), scoring only 8 runs in the best of 5, bowing out in 4 games. Steve Carlton would win the opener and the clincher for the Phils, and Gary Matthews, known as The Sarge, just tormented Dodger pitching throughout the series. It was a bad year for L.A. teams that matched up against Philly. 5 months prior, the 76ERS had swept the Lakers in the NBA Finals, and now the Phillies had battered our Boys in Blue, and twice in a 5 month period, I was subjected to watching a team from Philly celebrate a Championship. ( HEY, THAT’S A LOT TO TAKE WHEN YOU’RE 8 YEARS OLD !!!!)
OK, 25 years later, we meet again. Thanks to some guy named MANNY, the Blue would go on a late season run all the way to the 2008 NLCS. Down 2 games to 1 heading into Game 4, things had already heated up between both teams as Phillies pitcher Brett Myers would rattle the Blue in game 2, going 3 for 3 with his bat, while also being accused of intentionally throwing inside to our hitters. Retaliation would come in game 3 as Hiroki Kuroda would return the favor to the Cryin’ Hawaiian, oops, I mean, the Flyin’ Hawaiian, Shane Victorino, a one time Dodger prospect who to this day still gets a lot of love from the Dodger Faithful. The Dodgers got on 85 year old Jamie Moyer early and cruise to a 7-2 victory. So now Game 4 is pivotal. The Blue enter the top of the 8th with a 5-3 lead. 6 more outs and we tie the series. But it was not meant to be. After Victorino tied the game with a 2 run blast, with two outs and Broxton on in relief, Matt Stairs , pinch hitting, would launch a towering shot high into the RF pavillion, deflating both the Blue and it’s faithful and in all intents and purposes, putting a nail in the Dodgers coffin. Cole Hammels would shut it down in game 5, as the Phillies would go on to the WS and eventually win it all. Though it was a fun ride, AGAIN, I was subjected to watching the Phillies celebrate. And if it couldn’t get much worse for me, that lovely October moment in ’08 would be the third time in a 6 month period where I was subjected to watching to opposition celebrate something big against my team ( April ’08, Memphis over UCLA in the Final Four, June ’08, the Celtics over the Lakers in the Finals )
IT HURT SEEING IT, BUT PHILLY EARNED IT
OK, 2009, our Boys in Blue finish with the best record in the NL. After coming off a 3 game sweep of the Cardinals, this years Dodgers are confident that they can take down Philly. Even Philly’s all time best athlete is pulling for the Blue….
And like the previous year, it was not meant to be. And like the previous year, Game 4 would AGAIN prove to be the turning point. And AGAIN, the names Broxton and Stairs would play a major role. Except it wasn’t what Stairs did, it’s what Broxton couldn’t do. THROW A STRIKE to Matt Stairs. You know what, i’m not even gonna talk about Game 4 of the ’09 NLCS, why bring up old wounds , right ?
But that’s just it. While we will always have the Giants as our chief rivals to continually exchange heartbreaks, the Dodgers and Phillies have done their best as well. And as for me, one day, and I mean, one day, and that day will come, I will see the Dodgers celebrate a WS berth in front of the Phightins and their cheesteak eatin’ Phans.
OTHER NOTES
Rubber match tonight at CBP. Dodger offense has been looking up lately and if they can pull it off tonight, this would be the 4th straight series the Blue will have won. Kuroda on the mound against Cole Hammels.
Matt Kemp… MVP !!! MVP !!! And there was actually talk of trading him ? The Bison is on fire !!! The last 3 seasons and this season as well I’ve predicted he would go 30/30 but on his current pace , 17 hr’s, 50 rbi’s, 40/40 doesnt seem out of the question
Andre Ethier…. Some are wondering about his power numbers but I’m still confident it will come and he’ll get his 30 plus HR’s.
OK…IT’S TIME FOR DODGER BASEBALL !!!!
OPENING WEEK, OPENING THOUGHTS, DODGER FANS ARE BEHIND YOU BRIAN
Does it feel good to have baseball back ? After taking 3 of 4 from the hated ones to open the season then getting swept in a mini 2 game series on the road to Colorado, the Dodgers are back here in Cali to start a 3 game series to our neighbors down south. During the 6 games the pitching has been able to hold it’s own, though questions still arise about Jonathan Broxton, in spite being 3 for 3 in save opportunities.
Now, as for the opening homestand. I had the chance to attend Opening Day and the final game of the series. I can honestly tell you all that where I was sitting in those 2 games, our sections we’re incident free. And that’s the way baseball should be. . The Dodgers and Jints, I mean Giants rivalry( Hey, I gotta get my blue blood going here….) goes back to their days in Brooklyn and New York, and both teams have given each other and their fans their share of heartbreaks too. I’ve attended a few Dodgers/Giants games up north myself and though I have been told some nice pleasantries from time to time and some we’re personal ( Which you should expect when your a visiting fan ), never have I felt threatened to view a game. ( NOTE…I’m not so sure if anyone would want to threaten me ) and no fan should ever feel threatened to wear their favorite team’s apparel no matter how big a rivalry is. Go ahead with a little playful ” trash talk “, it’s all in fun, but life and death should never be taken into account while cheering our teams on.
As a Dodger fan, I , like many other Dodger fans, am still upset at what happened last week in Parking Lot 2 after the Dodgers Opening Day victory over the Giants. Unfortunately, I was nowhere near the incident to assist Mr. Brian Stow from what Vin Scully even called , COWARDS, ( And believe me, for Vinny himself to say anything bad about a human being, even the word COWARD, is really saying a lot here ) . After the game, I was mulling around until I got to say hi to one of my usher buddies ( Opening Day, New Year, New Season…) and having a good time, like Mr. Stow should have been entitled to as well. Instead, because of these 2 COWARDS who I refuse to call fans, Mr. Stow is in a coma clinging for his life, all because of this COWARDLY ACT !!! Unfortunately, this is not the first time this has happened at Dodger Stadium. Heck , i’m sure many of you remember a Giants fan being shot and killed in the parking lot back in 2003. It’s getting to the point where Dodger fans themselves dont want to come to the Ravine.
There was a candlelight vigil for Brian Stow outside of County USC Hospital this past Wednesday evening, and I had the chance to meet with family members of Mr. Stow, and I am happy to report that the family was in good spirits and are very thankful to all the Dodgers fans and the community for their continued and warm-hearted support. Let’s just hope that Mr. Brian Stow recovers from this blow and that any fan who comes to Dodger Stadium to see a game, even a visiting fan, can come and enjoy a great night out at THE OLD BALLGAME.
From the Top Deck
DREI’S OFFICIAL 2011 OPENING DAY PIC
FOR STOW
My fellow blogger Emma sending well-wishes to Brian
Family and friends of Brian Stow with the rally towel we signed for them
With Brian Stow’s mother.
Get well Brian, we want you back in OUR TOWN.
1981, BLUE MONDAY, AND THE MONTREAL EXPOS
This season marks the 30th anniversary of the 1981 World Champion team that rallied from a 2 game deficit to beat the hated Yankees to claim their 4th World Series title in their 24th season in Los Angeles. In honor of the 30th anniversary , on Sunday May 1st the Dodgers will be giving out retro 1981 World Champion T-Shirts . One of the more memorable highlights of the 1981 season was during the ’81 NLCS , Game 5 against the Montreal Expos at Olympic Stadium. With the series tied at 2, it was winner take all . ( Best of 7 in the LCS would not take place until 1985 ) . The Expos, whom many of you know now as the Washington Nationals, had some good teams in the late 70′s and early 80′s , amongst the players we’re Tim Raines, Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, Jeff Reardon, Steve Rogers, and last but not least Tim Wallach. ( I wonder if he will want to observe any 30th anniversary celbrations that may take place this year…) In the top of the 9th of a pitchers duel between some 20 year old kid named Fernando ( Who would later be the teams 3rd straight Rookie of the Year ) and Ray Burris of Montreal, Steve Rogers, the Montreal ace, would come in and pitch the 9th. Rogers would retire Garvey and Cey and then, Rick Monday would hit what was then the biggest home run in Dodger history. Fernando came back out in the bottom of the 9th and retired the first two hitters before walking Gary Carter and Larry Parrish, putting the tying and winning runs on base. ( Back then folks, emphasis on pitch counts was non-existant, if a pitcher felt he could finish what he started, it was his game to finish no matter the score ) So Lasorda goes to Bob Welch, who 3 years prior, had struck out Reggie Jackson in an epic battle to end Game 2 of the World Series, to record the final out of the game, sending the Dodgers to New York in what would be the final time the Dodgers and Yankees would see each other in post season play. Who would have thought that after so many battles with each other going back to the Brooklyn days that these two would not see each other in the World Series for 30 years and counting. As for the Montreal Expos, this would be their only post-season appearance in their 35 year history. It’s too bad MLB and Bud Selig didn’t have any interest in saving baseball in Montreal. Many felt that the players strike in 1994 had a lot to do with the downfall of baseball in Montreal. The Expos had baseball’s best record at 74-40 when the strike hit, and with the post-season being cancelled, the Expos best chance of winning a world series, and perhaps the future of their franchise, was dealt a sever blow. OK, below is a clip from a Montreal news station I found on youtube giving a recap in French of game 5 of the LCS including Rick Monday’s home run.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_sOKseIMm4
And speaking of Mr. Monday…..
CARAVAN, DAY 2, HEAL THE BAY
Day 2 of the Dodger caravan would take us out to Santa Monica as we would team up with Heal The Bay in helping clean up the beach. Though the day would start off with a morning drizzle there was still a good turnout of Dodgers fans for this event. Though trash along the beach wasnt as evident as when we we’re at the L.A. River the previous day, according to the good folks at Heal The Bay, over 100 pounds of trash was accumulated throughout our over 1 hour of our beach cleanup. We would be broken up into 5 seperate groups and teamed up with a couple of Dodgers past and present. My buddy and I would be in team 5, led by Taft High Schools very own Gabe Kapler and Sweet Lou Johnson, best remembered for hitting the game winning home run in Game 7 of the 1965 World Series.
Anyone that’s ever come across Sweet Lou would tell you he really is quite a character. Most of my time during our cleanup was spent chatting with Sweet Lou and one of the reps from Heal the Bay, as well as a couple other Dodger fans as well, including my buddy Jesse.
Of the 5 groups who collected the most garbage, amazingly enough , Group 5, our group ended up on top ( Matt Kemp would later accuse us of filling up our bags with excess sand….LOL….) .
I have to give it up for our team, for they we’re the ones who really made the contributions ( I collected some too, but admittedly I was caught up in conversation with Sweet Lou ) . As for photo ops with other Dodgers….
You look like you could still play Shawn. Shawn Green
30/30 This year Matt ? Matt Kemp
It was a fun day all around, and it was a great opportunity to get up close and personal with the players and also contribute to a great cause. As for Heal the Bay, I cant thank them enough for making everyone feel so welcomed. Here’s the link should you want to volunteer your time in helping keep our beaches clean
http://www.healthebay.org/volunteer
Oh yeah, over the last 2 days I finally came across one of my fellow bloggers Emma. You can view here blog , Crzblue’s Dodger Blue World @ http://crzblue.mlblogs.com/ .
With my fellow blogger Emma
Wanna check out some more pics ?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dodgerdrei/sets/72157626064653738/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/healthebay/sets/72157626061182970/
DODGER CARAVAN, DAY 1, L.A. RIVER
We’re getting close to Spring Training folks !!! But before ST starts, the Dodgers once again embark on their annual caravan with this season’s theme giving back to the community. One of the activities in line for todays caravan was a volunteer clenup of the L.A. River, which players past and present we’re in attendance to lend a hand to the 250 Dodger fans who took time to volunteer today.
It was a fun day to be amongst fellow Dodger fans and it really did feel good to do something good for OUR TOWN as we can say we contributed to the continuing efforts to make the L.A. River a place where hopefullly there will be a longer trail for bikers and joggers to take a nice stroll.
Oh yeah, speaking of Dre…
DRE AND DREI
LOOKING BACK, APRIL 15, 1983….WELCOME BACK STEVE !!!
In another one of my flashbacks to those so-called ” I Was There ” games, we go back to 1983. In the Dodgers 6-2 win over the Padres, that evenings game would be significant in that it would be former Dodger Steve Garvey’s first game back at Dodger Stadium. He would be given a 5 minute ovation ( Or it seemed that way ) before making his way toward home plate but not before saluting the crowd back. The only player left in the 1983 season from that famous long standing infield was SS Bill Russell.
That evening would also be the first time seeing those god-awful ugly taco brown tops the Padres sported on the road. So ugly we’re these uni’s that the Padres WS appearance the following year gave it the type of national exposure that would ultimately lead to it’s timely death.
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, APRIL 1983
LOOKING BACK…MY FIRST BALLGAME, 1982
Hello Dodger fans !!! Can you believe we’re one month away from Spring Training ? Do the off-seasons seem to get shorter every year ? If so, I certainly have no problem with that as I’m sure many of you feel the same.
To pass the time between now and during Spring Training and Opening Day I will be looking back upon games I attended both at Dodger Stadium and on the road and I hope that I can hear of some of the games you attended as well. OK, to lead off, we’re gonna go back to August, 1982 .
The first game I would attend would be on my 8th birthday, August 5th with my mom and some guy she was dating ( He would end up being my stepdad 4 months later…) Of course as a kid going to his first ballgame just being there was special enough. Little did I know that we we’re in a heated battle for the NL West with that night’s opponent the Atlanta Braves, managed by some guy named Torre. Fernando pitched that night but was knocked out in the 5th by a line drive that hit his knee ( Boy was I miffed, I was so excited to see Fernando . Anytime he pitched it always seemed there was more electricity in the air. ) The Braves had a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs when Rick Monday’s grounder went through Jerry Roysters leg and tying the score. The Dodgers would win in the 10th on Ron Cey’s sac fly. It would be the Blue Crew’s 5th straight win over Atlanta , whom they would beat 8 times in a row en route to erasing a 10.5 game deficit in 2 weeks !!!
That first game was also special because, the previous year, 1981, everyone was just nuts about the Dodgers and though I was only 7, even in grade school everyone and the nuns ( Yes I went to Catholic school…) we’re excited about the Dodgers. It was during that year’s World Series against the Yanks that my uncles kept asking me to give them a high-5 so that the Dodgers would win ( It was also my uncles who taught me to hate the Evil Empire…..) . Also whetting my appetite to see a Dodger game live was the first time I ever saw Dodger Stadium on the way to see my mom’s boyfriend ( My stepdad grew up in Echo Park…) . And that day finally came, and it’s been my summer home since.
OTHER NOTES
It would be one year after Lopes left, so I never saw the longest running infield in action as I would miss it by one year.
Steve Sax’s rookie year, he would be the 4th straight Dodger to win the ROY Award
That ’82 season would be the year I was introduced to the Dodgers/Giants rivalry, thanks to Joe Morgan. Had we won that final game and tied Atlanta, we had tickets to the one-game playoff the next day, and I would have played hookie. That day to play hookie from school to go to the game would have to wait ’till Opening Day in ’88.
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