My cat went missing yesterday. Somehow he was able to get outside. He is strictly an inside cat so he is not streetwise. He also happens to be almost 18 years old. I am beside myself. I know. I know. He is just a cat. He is special because he is my son's cat. Tomorrow it's supposed to rain again. I am very worried.
Please come home, Max.
It's almost Spring Training but it is still raining in California.
There are signs that ST is almost here:
The Dodger Caravan is history.
Matt flew out to Texas today to work out with Tori Hunter.
Pitchers and catchers report in 13 days.
I just can't wait!!
I've had a full two days!
Now it's time to regroup. I went to two days worth of Dodger Caravan events. It seems that it's only possible to participate in one event a day to get a good place in line. I went with my friend Linda who decided where we should go. I suppose it didn't help that I lost my GPS. I need a GPS to find my GPS. I got lost everyday.
The fist day of the Caravan was strictly private, no public allowed.
The second day we went to the ESPN Zone, a place to watch sporting events on the big screen, eat and play games. Linda and Nina arrived there at 9:00 AM for the 5:00 PM event. We stood in line for hours. Doesn't sound much fun, does it?
Here are Linda and Nina, tired but excited
Here is the bar at the ESPN Zone.
The ESPN Zone is located across the street from Staples Center where the LA Kings played that night. In fact, Andre Ethier dropped the puck that evening. The Los Angeles Lakers also play there
The tables each have a television screen so you can watch whichever sporting event you want to watch plus big screen televisions everrywhere.
The games are upstairs.
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There is even a little bowling alley,
The setup for the autograph signing was disorganized. There were two tables with Andre Ethier at one table. Hiroki Kuroda was supposed to be the other current player who would be signing but cancelled the last minute. At the other table was Tommy Lasorda and a couple of other legends. I had gone to the event only to see Andre. Of course, my group was assigned to go to the other table. I had not had any sleep because I had worked the night before and arrived early to the event only to find I would not even be able to see the one player I wanted to see. I was a bit unhappy. At the other events, we were able to pick which line we would be in which made everyone happy.
The people working there were a bit rude and surly which added to my unhappiness. They rushed us through the line. Tommy was eating soup. I'm sure he was exhausted after a long day and was a last minute substitution. I turned around the last miinuute and saw Andre across the way and tried to take a picture. One of the Dodger people looked at me as though I was committing a crime and told me to hurry up and leave. By that time I was very angry. We had waited all day for this. We also had to spend at least $20 for dinner to sit in the restaurant. About half way through the event, Tommy got tired and left so they combined the tables so there was one long table. Those of us who had arrived early were shortchanged. I got up from my table to at least see Andre and security glared at me and told me to sit down. Andre turned around and smiled. I asked him if he could sign for me and he knew that security would have a fit if he did. I was fuming. My lack of sleep didn't help.
I saw Josh Rawitch, director of communications for the Dodgers and also the writer of Inside the Dodgers.
I had met him during the ITD tour. I explained to him how I felt I was being rudely treated. He apologized and told me I would get my autograph. I told him that I was only upset about the rude behavior of the people working for the event. Nina and several others felt unhappy about the arrangement as well.
When Andre got up to leave in order to get to Staples Center, he went past our table. Josh ran after him and told him to come back because there was an autograph he had to sign. Andre turned around and looked at me and obviously looked puzzled since he has signed for me before. I was totally embarrassed since that really wasn't the point of my complaint.
I apologized to Josh about my complaining. Many people told me that I had spoken for them as well and that I was more than justified to complain. I still felt horrible. Never take me anywhere when I haven't slept!!
Backview of Andre and Kenny Landreaux, another Dodger I wanted to talk to, but too bad, I was assigned to another table
Here I am in a Matt Peaslee like pose by the Dodger Caravan bus..
The next day, we decided to go to the event at Olvera Street which is a mini Mexican street with shops and Mexican food places.
I found a place that had the best deal
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It included beef taquitos, frijoles, a taco, wonderful guacamole and a medium drink. It was absolutely wonderful.
Nina wasn't so adventurous. She is eating a ham and cheese from Subway.
We arrived there about 10 AM for the 5 PM event. It was a very long long wait.
Union Station is right across the street. It is a huge train station in downtown LA
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The mobile Dodger ticket van came by in case anyone wanted tickets to the games
They set up tables. This time they decided to tell everyone ahead of time who would be at which table. Everyone was happy. Fernando Valenzuela was at one table, Matt Kemp and James McDonald at the other, along with a mixture of legends. at both tables.
How can anything go wrong?
Matt walked by on the way to the table and put his hand out and held mine for a moment. It was amazing. Since we were among the first to arrive, we were able to go to the table right away, I gave James a ball to autograph and went to Matt and asked him to autograph a teeshirt for me. I then asked him if he would take a picture with me. He smiled and said, "Of course!" Nina had my camera and was all set to snap a picture. One of the Dodger staff snapped at me, "No pictures. Move along. Besides that you got more than one autograph." I was wondering what he meant. I had my teeshirt and then someone told me to pick up my ball off the table. I had forgotten to pick it up. Unbeknownst to me, James had handed the ball to Matt to sign so I had two signatures on it. I don't usually like more than one on each ball. Uh oh, first thing to make me unhappy. Rude staff.
I thought, oh, well, no one will get any pictures, so it was ok with me although all I wanted from this event was a picture with Matt, nothing else.
I went around to the other side to watch the other table from a distance. I decided to go back to Matt's table to take some more picutres. I noticed that the person who had told me no pictures, was letting someone take a picture with Matt. My friends told me to talk to that person and find out what was going on. He told me that these people were nice enough to "hang around" so long for the autographs. I told him we had been "hanging around" since the morning and these people had just arrived. He then asked me in a sarcastic tone, "anything else?" I was practically crying by his rudeness. The LA policeman heard what he said and looked at me sympathetically. Everyone was getting their pictures taken with Matt which made me even more upset.
My friend Chris just said to write a letter of complaint to the Dodger organizaition. It is too bad that one person can ruin it by his attitude.
Here is another picture of Matt.
I did get my autographs so why am I so upset? What does it take to to be nice to the fans? The groups at the Caravan were very well behaved. There were no fights, no drinking, no loud arguments. Why would a few of the Dodger staff be so rude and unpleasant to us? I told Josh I wasn't blaming him at all. It was not his fault. I will probably forget the bad experience and remember only the best after a while. I will always support my Dodgers no matter what.
Here is that ball that got me in trouble.
Here is the teeshirt he signed for me.
Oh, I almost forgot, I won four field level tickets in the raffle.
Thanks for stopping by. I guess I'll forget all this. Give me a week.
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It was touch and go but my son is finally on the way back home.
Sometimes you have a day where everything seems to go your way.
My sister returned home after an 18 day stay in the hospital. Thank you for all your prayers.
My son is visiting from Virginia.
Dr. J returned from Haiti safely.
Dr J is back row, middle
Below are some Haitian refugee children
Ronnie Belliard and Brad Ausmus signed one year contracts with the Dodgers. Slowly, we are getting the same team back. Go Dodgers.
Yes, yesterday was a perfect day.
Thanks for stopping by
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I just got an email from Dr. J. I hadn't heard from her since she left for Haiti on Tuesday with a group from Mission Hospital.
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The caption for the pictures is "Go Navy". You can see the helicopter flying into the camp. The helicopters are taking the sickest patients to the USS Comfort. Dr. J. commented: "God Bless Our Navy."
I know she is having an experience of a lifetime. Just one doctor can make such a difference. Bless you Dr. J.
I miss Dr. J. As everyone knows, she is my best friend. She sits in my season seat when I am either visiting my son in Virginia or I have another seat in the Stadium. She left yesterday for Haiti to volunteer some of her medical expertise. She is perfect since she is an ER physician.. I teased her about stopping in the Dominican Republic to watch some baseball. The plane was supposed to land there first. I am so proud of what she is doing but I implored her to be careful. .
Padilla as a batter.
The big news today is the signing of Vicente Padilla to a one year $5.025 million contract. He was a great addition to the Dodgers when the Rangers practically dumped him into our laps. He had a great run during the regular season. I was hoping that the Dodgers would decide to sign him again. He went 4-0 with a 3.20 ERA in 7 games. I was able to talk to him last season and actually snag an autograph on a ball. He was very nice. I told him that we Dodger fans were happy to have him on our team.
I was going though the pictures I took last season to find a Padilla picture and decided that I really do miss baseball. I thought I would show you some of my favorites through the season. It was difficult since I had to go through 1800+ pictures
I have to start with this picture of Andre looking right at me. He always seems to be able to find me no matter where I sit Maybe he's got those eyes that seem to follow you like those creepy pictures in museums. This picture is for you, my dear Virginia..
Here is Matty running in after a homerun. He is our silver slugger, golden glove He did quite a bit of running in after homeruns last season..
My favorite picture of a relaxed Russell Martin. This picture is for you, Rosie.
Andre meditating before a game. Please let me hit another walkoff homerun,
Baby Clayton Kershaw. I predict that he will have a super season.
Matty skipping around centerfield. He is always laughing and happy during the games.
Manny. In my season seat I am very close to him. He has thrown practice balls at me but I usually duck. I am a little jittery over those balls since getting hit by a line drive foul ball last season.
My Western Division teeshirt signed by James Loney, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier. My goal is to get autographs for my friends from other teams
The ball that Tommy Lasorda signed for my son. He told me to thank my son for his service in the Navy. Mr. Lasorda is a truly wonderful man
Yes, we Dodger fans believed.
Andre with his son Dreson after the Western Division win. I love this picture.
The courageous Hiroki Kuroda who returned after getting a line drive in the head.
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I will post a few of my favorite pictures in the next few entries. It made me yearn for baseball even more.
Thanks everyone for stopping by. You are what makes this blog worth writing.
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Today has been an amazing day. It has been rainy again with mini tornados whirling around Orange County. Because of the heavy rain, there has been flooding on street corners. And this is California???
My best friend Dr. J told me today that she is going to Haiti tomorrow for a week to volunteer medical services. I am so proud of her. She is using my camera to take pictures so when she returns, I'm sure she will have some interesting snapshots. I promise to share them with all of you. And she will have a lifetime of experiences to share as well. I have too many family issues at the time to go.
Today was a very good day for the Dodgers. All our young players avoided arbitration. Matty had already signed for two years at $10.95 million the other day. Billingsley had also signed.
Today Frank McCourt put out a few million. Russell Martin, our catcher, worked out a one year deal for $5.05 million which is probably better since last season was not that great for him. George Sherrill signed for $4.5 million for the year. James Loney, our first baseman, signed for $3.1 million and Kuo $975,000.
Agreements have also been reached with Andre Ethier and Jonathan Broxton although the sums are not known.
The great thing is that avoiding arbitration is good for morale. I remember how bitter it was when Andre actually had to go through arbitration. Many of us fans were unhappy over that.
The best news I had today is that my sister will be transferred out of the intensive care into a regular ward. That means that she will soon be coming home. Thanks everyone again for all your prayers.
Also thanks everyone for stopping by. You have made my blog #57!!
Believe it or not, it is not sunny in California!! I can hear the rain tapping on the window, the wind blowing. We do need the rain but Californians are not good at driving in inclement weather
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I was driving home from the hospital last night thinking about how scary it is to ride in the rain at night on the freeway. Of course, everyone was driving as fast as they could. I was happy when I finally got home. My sister is doing much better and hopefully she will be home soon.
I was sad to hear that one of my favorite singers had died. Teddy Pendergrass was a great R&B singer. He had been in a catastrophic car accident in 1982 and broke his neck. He went through intense physical therapy in order to get his beautiful voice back. He had surgery for colon cancer last year and had declined since then. I will miss him.
I happened to turn on the Golden Globes briefly and saw that Michael C. Hall, star of Dexter, had won the award for best dramatic actor. I was happy that he had won the award. He was wearing a knit cap and probably most people thought he was just trying to keep dry. He is being treated for Hodgkins Lymphoma and now is in remission
Not much news on the Dodger front except that center fielder Matty Kemp has avoided arbitration and agreed to a two year $10.95 million deal. Chad Billingsley also has agreed to a one year $3.85 milion salary. Those who have filed for arbitration are James Loney, Andre Ethier, Russell Martin, George Sherrill, Hong Chih Kuo and Jonathan Broxton. I can't believe that Andre has not been offered an arm and a leg for the brilliant season he had. I also wonder why they haven't avoided arbitration for these other great players. Go figure.
Although Frank McCourt has stated that his divorce will not affect the Dodgers, it seems that there really isn't much going on this offseason. There is some interest in Ben Sheets I hope that a pitcher is signed and soon.
Today is Martin Luther King Day. I hope everyone takes time to reflect on what this great man stood for.
I will be going to Dodger Stadium at the end of the week to attend the Select a Seat event. It will be good to actually be there again. I don't really plan on changing my seat but I think it will feel great to see one of my favorite places again. Before long baseball will be back again. I can't wait. So much has happened since the season ended. It will be nice to see my Dodgers again. And yes, I will have to ask Matty about Rihanna!!
Thanks again for all your prayers for my sister and my dad.. I am blessed to have so many blog friends.
Also thanks for stopping by. Spring Training will soon be here. Rain rain go away!!!
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