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 ?

A couple of readers, Mike and Eddie, posed a couple of questions to me about Dodger Dogs and Dodger tickets.  Mike asked me if Dodger Dodgs really are as good as advertised.  Me, being a big eater, I usually will get the Super Dodger dogs which are a lot meatier than the original Dodger Dogs, but you can’t go wrong with the Dodger Dog either.  As for hot dogs tasting better at the ballpark, that’s for you the baseball fan to decide.  Eddie , as for your question about ticket availability , sorry I couldn’t respond to you in time for the Coliseum game on 3/29, but I will tell you that when I bought my tix at Dodger Stadium this past Saturday, by the time I reached the window, the only thing left were scattered singles.  The game sold out withing 1 hour.  Other information regarding tickets, I received an email from the Dodgers yesterday regarding purchasing Opening Day tickets .  Fans can register for the opportunity to purchase Opening Day tix up until 3/14/2008 in which a randon drawing will be conducted and each fan selected will have the opportunity to purchase up to 2 tickets.  In other words, unless you are a season ticket holder or purchase a mini-package, Opening Day this year will be a tough sell.  As for the Coliseum game, StubHub has tickets on sale starting from $59 .  If you should order through StubHub, the tickets will be delivered to you through FedEx, however, let me warn you, that you may want to track your FedEx delivery once you receive a confirmation to your email from StubHub because if you are not home at the time your tickets arrive, FedEx is not required to wait for a signature from you that you recieved your tickets and the carrier may just leave it in your front door, be it a house or apartment.  When you receive your FedEx tracking number, if you know you may not be home when you expect your tickets to arrive, you may want to call FedEx immediately at (800) 463-3339 and give them specific instructions on what to do with your tickets whether you prefer to leave them with a neighbor or have your local FedEx hold the tickets for you to pick up.  Trust me, you will not want your tickets left in your front door if you are not at home, especially if you live in an apartment complex.  As always, please feel free to ask me any questions and of course I am happy to assist with any information.  And if you should have any suggestions or ideas on what you want me to blog about, especially about 1988,  feel free to pass it along.  And my MySpace, if you would like to be added, is myspace.com/dodgerdrei  .  ( My account is set to private so if you do decide to add me, please message me that you got this from my MLB Blog.  )  As always, GO DODGERS, I look forward to hearing from you. 

Hello everyone .  It’s been a while since I’ve been around theses parts.  First off, my condolenses to the Dodger family and to the Podres family as well for the loss of Johnny Podres.  Johnny was the Opening Day pitcher for the Dodgers when Dodger Stadium opened for the first time in 1962 and was the winning pitcher for the Blue in game 7 of the 1955 World Series against the Yankees, the only World Title ever won in the franchises history in Brooklyn.  RIP Johnny Podres.

As for the 2008 season, many of you all know by now that this upcoming season is the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Dodger baseball in L.A.  And of course, the Blue Crew started things off by being the 1st ever MLB team to have a float in the Rose Parade.  This year will be a year of many reflections from past glory, and also many new faces. 

One of the new faces we are looking forward to here is the presence of new skipper Joe Torre.  After 12 seasons as the skipper for the Yanks, amassing 4 World Titles and guiding  the Yanks to post-season play during each season under his reign, hope is high that Torre will restore glory back to the Ravine.  One of the things fans will be looking to is how Torre will be able to bridge the gap between the vets and the young ones, an obvious rift that many felt contributed to the Dodgers late season collapse in ’07.   Torre also brings with him on his coaching staff Larry Bowa and former Yankee legend Don Mattingly, both of  whom were under his belt in New York. 

As for off-season player acquisitions, the addition of Andruw Jones from the Braves adds a legitamit power hitter to the lineup that lacked the punch in ’07.  With the addition of Jones and his presence in Center Field, Juan Pierre is expected to move to Left Field, leaving Right Field up for grabs between Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp. 

Also looming in the air is whether Nomar Garciaparra can regain his power stroke and will he be the full-time starter at third, or keeping the position warm for Andy LaRoche.  The starting pitching staff from 1-3 looks good, with Penny and Lowe anchoring the top 2 spots and Chad Billingsley occupying the 3rd .  I am a little concerned about the 4 and 5 spots with Esteban Loaiza coming off the DL and being knocked around during the stretch run, and Hiroki Kuroda unproven.  If Loaiza can come back to his earlier form and Kuroda can prove he is worthy of Major League pitching, this could be one of the best pitching staffs in the NL West.  The bullpen is could be the deepest part of the roster, with Beimel, Broxton, Proctor, and  Kuo expected to return  , and  led by of course by Takashi Saito.  So, even though it’s early, here is my projected Opening Day lineup

1. SS Rafael Furcal

Early season ankle injury slowed him down last season, taking some of his ’06 power away, but should be back to form.

2. C Russel Martin

One of the saviest catchers in the game today

3. CF Andruw Jones

In spite of an off 2007 season, is expected to hit 30 plus home runs to an power-challenged lineup

4. 2B Jeff Kent

Looking to finish his career on a high-note.  Could still bat clean up and hit over 20 home runs

5. 1B James Loney

Break-out season power wise ? 

6. 3B Nomar Garciaparra

One of the best clutch hitters in the game saw his power numbers drop drastically in ’07. 

7. RF Andre Ethier/ Matt Kemp

This will be interesting who wins this spot

8. LF Juan Pierre

Still one of the best base-stealers in the game with a great work ethic, on-base percentage and lack of power, especially with Kemp and Ethier potentially battling for playing time, could be an issue

And the Opening Day starter

P  Brad Penny

Can this be the year Brad Penny brings home the Cy Young ?