June 2009

Andre the Hero Again

baselineseats001.jpg image by xoxrussell
Last night started with a great buffet of course.  On your right above is the salad including whole wheat pasta, baby field greens and the famous Caesar salad.  On the left is lemon chicken, grilled vegetables and the best corned beef ever.  I returned to my seat with a couple of Dodger dogs.  Little did I know this was going to be an exciting evening.
It all began when I had Andre and James sign my new Dodger shirt.

Autographs001.jpg autographs image by xoxrussell
Andre’s autograph is below the I love the Dodgers pin and James’s autograph is below his pin.  I wanted Matty to sign on the shirt as well but he ran into the dugout to take care of business but he waved to me first.
Randy gave up two runs early on so I thought that it would be a hard struggle but he made up for it by hitting a two run single.  Maybe we should make up a rule that the pitcher has to do that.  Just a thought.
The pitching was pretty fantastic.  The game kept going and going on into the thirteenth inning.  By then many had gone home.  I moved from my baseline seat to a seat close to the exit so I can make a fast getaway.  I have my flight plan all worked out so that I get out of the stadium without hassle or wait.
I decided to watch one of my favorite players, Andre Etheir, right field extraordinaire, to see how he passed the time out there by himself.  Here are my observations
:

baselineseats036.jpg blowing bubbles image by xoxrussell
Chew gum furiously and blow at least 10 bubbles a miinute to get full impact.
baselineseats060.jpg checking for rain image by xoxrussell
 Make sure it isn’t raining.  That could make a long night.
 

baselineseats031.jpg checking it out image by xoxrussell
Make sure everything is intact down there.
 
 
 
baselineseats034.jpg how many outs? image by xoxrussell
Make sure Matty knows how many outs there are so he doesn’t run to the dugout too early
baselineseats062.jpg Running to the Dugout image by xoxrussell
Then after all that, run into the dugout and when you are up hit a walk off two run homerun and be the hero!!  Go Andre.
What a win for the Dodgers!  Beating the red hot Rockies and cooling their heels.  It was a great morale booster for our guys who are the only team in MLB who has not lost 3 games in a row.
Tonight Chad will try to be the first MLB pitcher to win 10 games.  I will be there of course but in my season seat.  I will tough it out with food I’m bringing from home.  My usher Ernie always takes care of me when I sit in Ernieland.  And I feel safe with my securiity guy Juan.  It just seems that all of us fans feel like family at Dodger Stadium.  I love all of them, I love my Dodgers.  GO DODGERS!!  Only a few more days until Manny is back and then who knows what will happen. Every game is different, always a surprise, always a different hero.  Today we celebrate Andre Ethier.  I can’t end this entry without a heads up to our magnificent bullpen from last night:  Bellisario, Weaver, Troncoso, Broxton, and the winning pitcher McDonald.  Each pitched one inning so they are ready to beat the Rockies tonight. 
Have a good day everyone.
 
 

An Interesting Weekend

I am absolutely exhausted.  It has been quite a weekend.  It all centered around the Dodgers, of course, but specifically the Inside the Dodgers Tour.  Inside the Dodgers is one of the official Dodger blogs.  We were taken on a special tour Saturday by Josh Rawitch, the vice president of Communications. We were able to see parts of Dodger Stadium not usually seen by anyone including the Vin Scully Pressbox, the Clubhouse, the inner workings of the stadium..  We toured the dugout and bullpen.  The best part of all of this is that we bloggers were able to meet each other face to face.  I was so thrilled to see Rose, Carol, Jane, Debby, Eric, Bob, Mariah, Matt, everyone who has become very special to me.

This is Josh ITDTour006.jpg Josh image by xoxrussell
We thank Josh for the time and effort to make this tour possible.  Our guest of honor was flown out from Brooklyn NY, Joe Pierre, blogger extraordinaire.  He has been a Dodger fan since they were Brooklyn Dodgers.  Mr McCourt took care of the air flight, hotel accommodations, shuttle, and taxi to and from the stadium.  It was a dream come true for Joe who has not flown in 40 years since he was in the service. 
ITDTour025.jpg Joe image by xoxrussell
Joe was my date after the tour.  My friend Marynell and I took him to Philllipe’s which serves delicious french dip sandwiches.  Now what would this entry be if I didn’t include a picture of
the sandwich?
ITDTour036.jpg french dip sandwich image by xoxrussell
Some other members of the blog came there to eat as well including Carol and her husband, Nellyjune, Dodgereric, Nellyjune’s entourage,  
We took Joe to Yogurtland  in Little Tokyo and built amazing desserts.  Then it was time for the game.  We wanted to also meet other folks from our other blog so we went to the LFP or Left field pavilion.  It was a wonderful moment for all of us to actually see each other for the first time.  We are very close on this blog so I know it was an emotional moment for me. 
This is Carol and her husbandITDTour043.jpg Carol and husband image by xoxrussell
 
These are the wonderful Dodger DogsITDTour056.jpg My Other Blog image by xoxrussell
 This is Nellyjune,ITDTour023.jpg Nellyjune image by xoxrussell
I saw Kuroda-san on the field and called out to him and waved.  He had a ball in his hand and motioned that he was throwing it to me.  Yikes.  Thank goodness someone caught it and was nice enough to hand it to me.

ITDTour029.jpg Marynell image by xoxrussell
The above is a picture of my best friend Marynell who is standing at the rail of the dugout about where Andre usually is while he is watching the game.
I won’t say much about the games over the weekend except that we weren’t happy when it was all over.  The Dodgers have not been good during Interleague play but did better than usual.  Andre did hit 3 homeruns in one game with 6 rbi’s.  Yaay to Andre.
Here is Andre during a serious moment.
Marinersloss019.jpg Andre image by xoxrussell
Tomorrow we begin a series against the dangerous Rockies with Jim Tracy at the helm.  They did a complete turnabout with the new skipper.  They are a hot team. 
But the bright spot in the above is that I will be sitting in a baseline seat  tomorrow which means buffet time which features Wolfgang Puck selections.  
I keep thinking about wonderful sweet Joe Pierre.  He is very special to all of us.  Besides being knowledgable about the Dodgers, he puts his heart and soul into everything he writes about the guys in blue.  He told me his apartment is decorated with Dodger items.  He follows them from afar which can be a little difficult.  I know my friend Jane follows the Yankees from Santa Barbara California.  They are true fans.
The meeting with my fellow Dodger fans made me realize that we all are very different, but we are brought together by a common thread, the Dodgers, and because of that we are like a huge family.  The Dodgers have made my liife much richer and satisfying.  I have new friends who I know will be part of my life for a very long time,   I appreciate the sport of baseball which is more than hitting a ball with a bat.  I have learned so much about a wonderful sport. 
For those of you who may be interested to see more about the ITD tour, look on the Dodgers website.  There is a video and also pictures on the pitcutre gallery titled ITD tour.  The first picture is one of Joe and me. 
  

Japanese Heritage Night

Homestand113.jpg Our Town teeshirt picture by xoxrussell
Tonight was Japanese Heritage Night at Dodger Stadium.  The organization did a nice job.   Those of us who sat in a special section received the above teeshirt.  It says This Is My Town Dodgertown Japan.  We also had a special all you can eat buffet.
Homestand091.jpg Our Town Food picture by xoxrussell
 The buffet included Dodger Dogs, nachos with hot cheese sauce and jalapenos, popcorn, edamame, teriyaki chicken and miso beef on a stick.  Interesting combiination but it did work.
I decided to take my food from the Our Town area and return to my regular seat by the third base foul pole.  I sat next to a very nice young man in the Air Force who had just returned from Afghanistan,  He resides in Arizona
Homestand094.jpg Gasol picture by xoxrussell.
Those of you who are Lakers fans will recognize the man above.  For those of you who aren’t, it is Pau Gasol.  He threw the first pitch.  He came through the seats onto the field right near where I was sitting.  He touched my hand as he passed in front of me.  I know my friends who are Lakers fans will be envious of me.  
Homestand119.jpg picture by xoxrussell
I know Andre will remember tonight.  He pretty much provided a one man Mariners wrecking team.  He hit 3 homeruns, had 6 RBIs in this fantastic win.  The only player to threaten the Dodgers was Ichiro himself, appropriately enough on Japanese night.  Andre has 14 homeruns altogether, 13 hit in Dodger Stadium.  When asked how that can be, he answered that he feels comfortable on his home field.  He loves the fans and he wants to give them something back.  He also stated that he loves playing in LA.  We love Andre as well.  He always is wonderful to the Dodger fans, taking time to sign autographs.  He always has a smile for me.
Clayton played a great game tonight as well with a better pitch count, only one walk.    This is the second game in a row that he has done well. 
So now the Dodgers are the only major league that has avoided losing three games in a row, winning tonight.  They also are 22 games over .500.  Eight games ahead of the Giants who lost tonight.  And then Manny will be returning next week.  I have heard that it will be sellout crowds when he returns to the Dodgers.  And Juan who has been frankly outstanding, will have to sit down.  The choice between Juan and Andre is obvious.  Andre has more power in his bat and arm.  But Juan has helped keep the Dodgers in the position they are in, no one can refute that. 
Matty also had 3 hits, one being that outstanding triple.  Casey Blake also hit a homerun if anyone has forgotten.  He has been consistently the player who can play well defensively and offensively but rarely gets much fanfare. 
And where did this relief pitcher Mota come from?  It seemed that he has definitely found his mark.  A combination of he and Bellisario has been doing the job.
Matt’s walk on music was Michael Jackson music, the fireworks show had his music as backgound.  It’s hard to believe he is gone but then, he never wanted to grow up.  Sleep well, Michael. 
Tomorrow we will see how Eric Milton is for his first outing off the DL.  Tomorrow….the big tour.  I can’t wait to see my ITD friends.  I can’t wait to see Joe Pierre, our faithful fan from Brooklyn.  It will be a wonderful day.  One day, Harold, you will be here at Dodger Stadium, I hope it will be soon. 
It was great to see my friends again at the stadium.  Happy birthday Roni.  I meet new people every tme I walk through those gates.  We all have something in common:  we love the Dodgers.  GO DODGERS!! 
 

Catching Up With Life

I always say that I live for baseball.  My work schedule is centered around Dodger home games.  But sometimes I have a rude awakening…..LIFE. 

I can’t say that today I am living in my Dodger bliss.  I found out that Farrah Fawcett passed away today.  She was one of those television icons who everyone knew.  Her hair, her face, being one of Charlie’s Angels.  Ed McMahon also passed away recently.  And today Michael Jackson went to Heaven.  They say that death comes in threes when it comes to celebrities. Prayers to the families. 

Back to the Dodgers.  I am still trying to get myself back into the routine.  My trip back east threw me off kiilter more than I knew.  I have been tired.  Work has been a trial everyday.  And my Dodgers also seem to be a little off balance judging from their loss to the Sox.  The Sox are not even a ,500 club.  Maybe this will be an eye opener.  IMO the Dodgers need to get another SP now.  Randy Wolf pretty much lost the game yesterday.  How much offense does it take to make up for the earned runs he gave up?  Not even a Matty Kemp 3 run homerun could overcome the deficit.  They will be back home again Friday night for a long stretch. 

Speaking of the upcoming homestand…I’m looking forward to Japan night at Dodger Stadium Friday night.  You receive a free Dodgertown Japan teeshirt, all you can eat Dodger Dogs, soda, nachos, etc.  They also include Japanese food including chicken teriyaki.  Considering the excellent chefs at Dodger Stadium, I know the food will be delicious.  I definitely will report on the festivities.  I will be running from my season seat on field level to the Japan area in lower reserve around section 50.  I should be able to work some calories off. 

Also coming up is the ITD Dodger Stadium tour on Saturday.  I can/t wait to meet my friends in person such as Bob, Nellyjune, Dodgereric, Trublu, Cpompe1, missrussy, brooklynfan, and all my other Dodger compadres.  I am bringing my best friend Marynell.  Luckily my season tickets came with two free tours so this is a freebie.  Yaaaaay.  Free is good.  One of our wonderful fans on ITD (Inside the Dodgers) is Joe Pierre who resides in New York.  He has been an ardent fan of the Dodgers since they were Brooklyn Dodgers.  Now that iis a faithful fan.  The Dodger organization has covered the entire trip for him since he could never afford such an excursion.  He knows the Dodgers inside and out and is not afraid to express his opinion.  I can’t wait to see him.  After the tour everyone is staying for the game.

Also attending games this weekend are my wonderful wonderful friends from my other Dodger forum.  They will be coming from everywhere as well, my buddy Kevin coming from Nampa Idaho.  Did you realize that the Dodgers have fans so far away.  One of my best friends on the forum is Harold, one of my faithful readers, who lives in Canada.  I will get to meet the guys finally who have allowed me to be the only female on this all guy forum and always allows me to be…female.  One of my bestf friends from the forum is Ron or Fan Since 53 as his jersey boldly states.  He iis one of the stars of the Bluetopia Movie.  He sits in the Left Field Pavilion and is the ball magnet.  He has caught many homerun balls.  He is fantastic.

One reason that the Dodgers mean so much to me is the fact that I have met many exciting wonderful people who also are baseball fans.  It has made me more aware of life outside Long Beach. I treasure my friendships with Jane, Julia, Kaybee, Hyun Young, King of Cali, MrsMudboy, all my fellow bloggers.  A few years ago if someone told me that the Dodgers would be such a large part of my life, I would have looked at them with amazement. 

I have been fortunate enough to have actually met my favorites from the team.  Russell, Andre, Matty and James all know me.  I have spoken to Tommy, Joe, Don, and just about everyone on the team.  That makes it much more personal when the Dodgers win or lose.  I am at the games screaming my lungs out.  I feel depressed at their losses and triumphant with their wins.  I live Dodgers.  And it is a wonderful place to be.

This coming weekend the Dodgers will get their momentum back with Manny soon to return to the fold.  Then we can get serious and win the Western Division first of all and then the World Series.  Life is good.   

Loving the Game

I was lucky enough to find a good deal on a baseline seat last night.  Of course that meant a Wolfgang Puck buffet.  Do I always talk about food?? 

f02e066c.jpg image by xoxrussell
This was the salad from the salad portion of the buffet.  It included my very favorite Caesar salad which still is the best I’ve had, the corn sald you see on the left and a delcious baby green salad with tomatoes.  I could just eat salad but of course there was chorizo encrusted chicken, a nacho bar with guacamole, hot cheese sauce, an excellent salsa and the fixings, Dodger dogs, picante dogs, and all beef hot dogs.  The food again was delicious.
It always helps to sit near nice fans which was true this time.  I sat next to a mom and her 10 year old son who is possibly a future baseball star.  His team won the championship.  His fave player is Andre Ethier.  I also sat near a very amazing ex basketball player who told me he was only good enough to play in high school and college but very niice.  I noticed that when we stood up to sing God Bless America, he towered over me, all 6 feet 7 inches of him. 
The game winning hit was made by Mark Loretta, using Doug Mientkiewicz’s bat.  Isn’t that great.  The Dodgers went on to win the game.  It was one of those games where everyone took part in the win. 
As everyone knows by now, I just returned from back east.  I missed two weeks of Dodger games.  There is absolutely nothing like being at the games.  I have read many blogs who find not too pleasant things to say about my Dodgers  I probably shouldn’t take all that so seriously but I don’t get it.  These are so called Dodger fans.  There iis much criticism about Juan Pierre.  Everyone cheers when he is up.  Look at his batting average.  Does that look liike he is not doing his job?  He has been consistent.  Russell is doing his job with his excellent take on the game which helps the pitchers.  Maybe his offense isn’t as good this year but he is doing his part.  Mark Loretta did help win last nights game.  Anything less than praise for Matty is not called for.  I know that the blogs are a good place to vent any feelings but I wonder whether these folks have been to the games.  They would get a different take on things.  Crowd reaction is a huge thing.  And why boo Nomar??  That I definiitely don’t get.  He contributed to the Dodgers a number of years.  The games are not all about statistics and the score.  There is so much else.  That I discovered when I became a season ticket holder. 
I was able to speak to Andre and Matty before the game.  I was able to get a batting practice ball from a very good friend.  Linda and her cousin was at the game.  The food was great.  The company was excellent.  The Dodgers won the series with the Oakland A’s.  Life is good.  ’Now let’s knock the halos off the Angels.  GO DODGERS!

 

Do You Believe in Magic?

OaklandAsGame041.jpg Matty at bat image by xoxrussell
The picture above is last night’s magician..the one who pulled a rabbit out of a hat during the Oakland A’s interleague game.  Of course, it’s Matty Kemp who hit the walk off base hit which won the game in the 10th sending Orlando Hudson in for a run. 
The game had been a pitchers’ game which can be a slow game.  Few hits none productive.  Then suddenly there was a score and it was a tie game in the ninth.  In the eighth inning, it seemed that the A’s may prevail with a score of 4-2 considering  runs were very difficult to make.  I am ashamed to say that I was tempted to leave thinking that possibly this was the end of the game.  Troncoso had an off game which was unusual in itself.  Bellisario has been consistent.  Cory Wade also did his job.  Mota has found his form and has been super.  But the offense seemed to be taking a time out. 
Considering this is the thirteenth time that the Dodgers have performed this kind of magic during the last inning, often the last out, I should know that it is not pertinent to leave early thinking the worst.  I noticed that there were few Dodger fans that left early. Of course, it is a known fact that Dodger fans are notorious for arriving late and leaving early.  They are changing that pattern. 
In recent games, Andre Ethier has been the magician, James Loney as well.  Lastt night was Matt’s turn and he found out what iit was like to crawl out from under the dogpile after the game.  He said it felt good.  All I know is that it made all of us fans believe in our Dodgers!
We believed after winning 2 out of 3 in the Texas Ranger series in their stadium even with a power outage to confuse things.  The Rangers are a powerhouse and at the top of their division. 
I believe that those who didn’t believe in our Dodgers now have to rethink whatever made them think that the Dodgers needed Manny to stay at the top.  The Dodgers still have won more games than any other major league team.  They are 21 games over .500.  Last season they were fighting to get to .500.  No other team has a better record.  Manny will return on July 3 so we can continue on our quest to be champions.
Let’s beat the A’s again tonight and the Angels over the weekend.  Go Dodgers!  Perform some magic.  The video below is the one I recorded last night.  Sorry it’s a little jiggly since i was excited and it is a new camera.  I wanted you to enjoy the exciitement from last night, something you won’t see unless you are there.   
http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/kk82/xoxrussell/?action=view&current=OaklandAsGame050.flv 

Heading Home

The Dodgers will be at Rangers Stadium in Arlington TX tonight.  They will be playing the number one Texas Rangers in a 3 game series and then will be coming back to Dodger Stadium to play the Oakland Athletics.  General parking will be free during those games with the A’s.   I will finally be there to watch my guys play.  Sigh.  It’s been a long time. 

I have been here in Virginia Beach VA on  a 2 week vacation.  It has been a nice stay although the weather has been unpredicable.  Thunder, lightning, rain out of nowhere.  Hot, humid, very typical for Virginia.  It has actually been wonderful but I will be returning home tomorrow.  I have felt very isolated being this far away from my team.  I don’t know how Jane Heller of Confessions of a She-Fan does it.  Her team is in New York (the Yankees) and she lives in Santa Barbara California.  I have felt like an outsider looking in.  I am so used to being there at the games, talking to the Dodgers, being in the crowd with my friends and the great Dodger Stadium staff.  I miss them.  There is a huge difference  between reading about them in the newspapers, hearing the scores on ESPN, and even watching them on television, and then actually being there and feeling the excitement, eating the Dodger Dogs, yelling with the other fans.  Watch out Dodgers!!  Cat is coming home!!

 

A Fun Experience

VirginiaBeach034.jpg The Beautiful Stadium image by xoxrussell
I have been in Virginia  for about a week now.  Yesterday I had a new experience:  a minor league game.  The local minor league team is called the Norfolk Tides which is an Orioles minor league team.  They play in Harbor Park Stadium pictured above.  The Stadium is very well kept, prices are fantastic.  The highest price ticket is $11.00.  Military and senior citizens get a price break for the reeserved seats.  Season tickets are $500 for the entire season.  What a deal.  Of course I wanted to experience the ”expensive seats.”  I bought a Yankees cap at the local Target in honor of my good friend Jane Heller and wore it since I didn’t bring any of my Dodger wear.  My son wore his LA Dodgers cap proudly.  There is no major league team in the area, probably the Nationals being the closest team.  My son told me that the Mets used to have their minor league team here in Norfolk but moved.  Many of the locals were wearing Tides caps and teeshirts but I saw Red Sox attire there as well.
VirginiaBeach032.jpg Norfolk Tides image by xoxrussell 
The above is a view from our seats.  The weather was perfect.  It was slightly overcast so it wasn’t too hot.  I had an ice cream cone which was $3.25 which I thought was reasonable and my son had a very large Diet Coke for about the same price which was a steal.  It however came without a lid which I thought was odd.  And no Dodger Blue straw like you-know-where.  Yes, I am missing Dodger Stadium and all my guys.  My son figured that I was going through baseball withdrawal so he thought he should expose me to some sort of baseball.  The Norfolk Tides played the Toledo Mudhens.  The Mudhens won with a similar score to the Dodgers Phillies game yesterday.. 
VirginiaBeach033.jpg The Tides image by xoxrussell
I thought I took the loss well.  The game was made even more interesting because they had contests between innings:  dance contests for the children, a sort of gunny sack race with people dressed like pizzas and the other rperson having to pile the toppings on the pizza to win.  Pizza Hut was offering $1 off if the Tides hit a homerun.  No dollar off, no homeruns.  It was an experience.  Parking was only $4.  Listen up, Mr. McCourt..
On the way back to the car, we ran across a car that was tailgating.  They had a fantastic barbeque going with hamburgers and hot dogs.  They said they had  gotten bored so decided to start the food. 
Later that day, my son made the best barbeque hamburgers and hot dogs I have ever had.  Maybe it’s because of the tailgaters!! 
It was a fascinating experience and I thank my son for understanding his mom and her obsession for baseball.
 

Dodgers Have Heart

Here is another example of the Dodgers playing with heart: last nights game with the amazing  Phillies who were on a winning strreak.  When it seems that all was lost in the bottom of the ninth inning, with two outs and the score 3-1, who comes through but our heroes:  James Loney with a walk, Russell Martin on first due to an error by the usually almost perfect defensive Philliies, and then the huge double by none other than Andre Ethier. who until recently had been in an extended slump.

Others contributed to the win lest we forget:  Broxton who garnered yet another save and was the winning pitcher, O Dog who had a brilliant defensive play keeping the Phillies from getting a base hit, amazing Matty Kemp with yet another huge defensive play at the left field pavilion wall. 

The Dodgers are known for their amazing comebacks during the 8th and 9th innings when most teams would give up hope.  We Dodger fans stand by our team.  When I am at the home games, I stay until the end of the game when I can hear the strains of “I Love LA” when the guys are giving each other high fives and chest bumps.  My Dodgers definitely have heart. 

Every day a Different Hero

The Dodgers are number one in the Western Division in the National League.  They have won more games than any other major league baseball team.  And it is this way not because of one player.  Before the Manny incident, outsiders believed that the team could not be a championship team without him.  Manny is halfway through his suspension.  The Dodgers are still number one and now nine games ahead of any team in their division.  This is not due to one player.  Almost everyday it is due to a different player.  Last night the hero was James Loney with Casey Blake backing him up.  Also give credit to Andre Ethier with his homerun and adding more to Haren’s pitch count, and totally exhausting him finally.  James Loney’s bases clearing double made the game a tie score.  Casey Blake’s single won the game. 

I love my Dodgers as everyone knows.  I am proud of what they have done.  I will support them even if they were in last place.  But everyone likes to win.  They deserve to be in first place because they have put their heart into every game.  First, everyone gave all the credit to Manny.  It was either, the player was hitting better because he was before or after him in the lineup.  Everything centered around Manny.  Of course, most of us true blue Dodger fans love Manny.  But he is not the whole team.  All the other Dodgers had to be in the background.  Since Manny has been on suspension, it is apparent that even without Manny the Dodgers are a number one team.  They have played teams outside their division, for those who say that the Dodgers are in a weak division.  One of my friends who happens to be a diehard Angels fan stated to me that he thought the Dodgers were going to win it all.  It took a lot for him to say that.  I also believe that because the guys have heart.  Everyone thought that the SPs would be the Dodgers downfall but they and the bullpen have pulled through, even despite the fact that many have been on DL.

I know the Dodgers can’t win every game but they have stayed ahead somehow with their strong offense and amazing defense.  And because of their heart and soul.  They want to win.  World Series here we come. 

 

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