Dodger Dogs, Beer and Furcal
Originally I wasn’t going to write about the game I went to Saturday (if u got a shot of the right field stands, I was near the bullpen) but so much crazy stuff happened I couldn’t not write about it.
$15? $15! Now I see why no one goes to the game. I could’ve sworn last year it was about $8 or $9 right? I can’t believe they charge you more for parking than they do for some of the seats in Dodger Stadium, I almost went and turned around when I saw how much I’d have to pay to park my car.
Next I got to experience the Right Field Pavilion and if you haven’t been, you’re missing out. When I first walked underneath the Pavilion I didn’t know what was going on, I didn’t see where the food was (mainly because of the huge line in front of it) because I was expecting a normal type line and when I figured out that it was in a buffet style I smiled, grabbed my tray and piled up. First some peanut, then some popcorn, nacho’s and about 4 hot dogs, 2 for me, 1 for the kid and 1 for my lady.
Next we just sat down before we even got to our seats and ate happily, concluding that even if the Dodgers got destroyed 20-0 that the price we paid was already worth it. Dodger dogs are the best and anyone who’s had one just can’t deny that fact and they’re so good that you don’t even need to put any topping on them and they’re good but I did anyway, getting a wrapper, putting ketchup and mustard on it and dipping my dog in nacho cheese, it was the best.
After the game started (with me still under the pavilion stuffing my face) it was near immediate that Ted Lily, the pitcher who threw the last time I went to a Dodger game, tested the words that I said earlier giving up three quick runs and inciting some anger from the crowd, including me. Nearly immediately the Dodgers decided to try and come back, and tease us by loading the bases for Matt Kemp with 0 outs. Of course in beautiful Dodger fashion they somehow had the bases loaded and only got out of the inning with 1 run, frustrating me to no end and feeling like this game was going to have one of those slow deaths.
In the bottom of the inning the beer part of my title came into play as a wonderful fan (I say that in all irony) decided he wanted to heckle Jason Werth “Hey Werth!” he said “You should still be a Dodger you jerk!” He turned away looked at fans in right field with a big smile on his face, clearly pleased with himself. Obviously this fan didn’t realize it was the Dodgers who let him go and not Werth who left but that didn’t stop him from constantly berating Werth all game, even to the point where Werth after one particularly crazy rant waved him off, that got a good laugh from the crowd.
I also found out firsthand how strict they are about their seating policy as a whole family got uprooted for people who wanted their seats, next I got moved because I found the wrong seat, mainly because someone else was sitting in my seat so I got a little confused and when I got moved into 302 6-8 the seats were better than before as I was sitting right next to the visiting bullpen and that enabled me to be nearly front n center for part 2 of “beer.”
I really only saw the results, but that was enough of an entertainment value for me to include here. It was around the middle of the game after the Nationals took a 6-2 lead and it looked like Lily would be short for the game and the Dodgers weren’t doing much when I saw the first of many Dodger fans get thrown out. A group of people came in together and started to bother the Nationals players in the bullpen, I guess someone complained and eventually one guy got thrown out, then a couple innings later one more guy got thrown out, that’s about when I lost interest in the game for a few minutes and watched as the head of security issued a warning to the group, now this is my interpretation of what I think he said by the results later “If I hear anything else from the group, you’re all gone.” An inning or two later, nearly 10-15 people were escorted out, to the joy of the group who felt that it was awesome to get all that attention, or they were so displeased by the game they just didn’t want to stay but they really missed a good one.
It was about the 6th inning when I spoke my most prophetic words “this is going to be a crazy one and will be decided in the bottom of the 9th.” I couldn’t be more right as in the 7th inning the Dodgers tied it up 6-6 after training 6-5 since the 3rd inning with great pitching from Lilly after the 3rd and great bullpen work from 3 different relievers and then the bottom of the 9th came, the Dodgers got runners on base and Furcal was coming up with his second chance to be a hero after driving a ball to deep center with runners on base.
He didn’t disappoint us again as the ball went to deep left and after the runner on 2nd base scored Furcal was mobbed by his Dodger teammates in the middle of the field and to see that in person is much more insane than on television. Watching as nearly 40,000 fans stand up clapping and yelling (I threw my voice out btw) as the Dodger dugout clears out and runs on the field to tackle their short stop is an image I will never lose, it was the best game I had ever been to.
I want to personally thank Rafael Furcal for that with his great defensive play at shortstop and his bat helping to score a run and deliver the game winner. He’s always been one of my favorite Dodgers and it always saddened me when he got hurt because I knew this team wouldn’t be the same without him. More than any other injury this year, Furcal’s hurt the most because a table setting like Furcal just doesn’t exist in the majors. He hits well, drives in runs, steals bases, has great range, an awesome arm, and is a leader in the club house and on the field. If the Dodgers make a run this year it will be because Furcal stayed healthy, Rafael Furcal’s don’t come around very often and I’m proud he’s a Dodger.
The Blue Genie Answers Questions About the Dodgers
Have you guys met my friend? No? Well somewhere in Southern California, I can’t tell you where, exists a legendary Blue Genie and he knows a lot about baseball, especially the Los Angles Dodgers. So I looked him up and asked him a few questions about the team and here are his answers.
Q. The Dodgers have won 5 straight games, should we get excited?
A. Conventional wisdom would say yes as the Dodgers have had winning streaks before but they were only three games and always consisted of offense and Matt Kemp carrying them. This time it’s been pitching (Kershaw has 2 of the 5 wins), and Kemp only broke out on the 15th but in the previous 4 games the rest of them team helped to carry the Dodgers to victory.
So I would say that yes, you can get a little excited. They’re only 9 games below .500 and 11.5 back of San Francisco so there’s a possibility with a strong 2nd half that they can compete for the playoffs. I feel that the Dodgers bullpen is finally starting to solidify itself after a hectic first half, the position players and the line up is finally starting to gel, Mattingly is coming into his own as a manager and the players are starting to understand how he is as a manger.
Q. How long will this Frank McCourt thing last?
A. That’s the scary part, no one really knows. It could end next week when the judge rules that Major League Baseball’s loan is better for the Dodgers financial future than the one Frank McCourt took out and baseball fully takes the Dodgers over because of Article VIII, Section 4(l) of the Major League Baseball Constitution
Sec. 4. Involuntary Termination. The rights, privileges and other property rights of a Major League Club hereunder and under any other Baseball-related agreement may be terminated (i) in the event of contraction, pursuant to Article
Section 2 (b) (1), or (ii) involuntarily, with the approval of three-fourths of all Major League Clubs, if the Club in question shall do or suffer any of the following:(l) Make an assignment for the benefit of its creditors or file a voluntary petition in bankruptcy, or if a receiver or trustee in bankruptcy is appointed for the properties and assets of the Club, or if reorganization proceedings in bankruptcy are instituted by or against the Club.
Or it could take longer if McCourt finds a way to just make things take longer. Either way Frank is done and hopefully either Mark Cuban or the group led by Hershiser and Garvey takes over.
Q. Where will Matt Kemp’s season rank among All Time Dodger players?
A. The season’s not over man! He could easily tank and only hit 30 home runs, doubtful as it may be, but if he continues on his current pace and gets .300, 40 HR’s, 110 RbI’s and 40 SB, I will have to come out and say that it was the best all around season by any Dodger ever and will definitely rank among the best seasons of any player.
Q. Will Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Clayton Kershaw still be Dodgers if somehow Frank McCourt keeps the team?
That’s a hard one and one I know a lot of fans are worried about, especially with the years that they are having or have had. Kemp and Kershaw could easily fetch $20 mil on the open market and Ethier $10+ and with McCourt already struggling to make payroll this year, if he somehow doesn’t get an infusion of cash from somewhere, how would he be able to afford these players? So I have to say there’s a good chance at least one or two of them wouldn’t still be Dodgers by 2013 either by trade or free agency.
Q. Last question, will the Dodgers be a contender anytime soon?
A. Definitely, heck I think they could be contenders this year! The season isn’t over yet, it’s only been 93 games and there are 69 left. The Dodgers have 42 wins and 51 losses, and they could turn it around and at least compete and get some momentum going into next year. They may not make the playoffs, especially since the San Francisco Giants are playing at the same pace last year when they won 92 and in order for the Dodgers to do that, they’d have to win as many games in 69 as they last in 93 (50) even though it’s possible, I don’t think it’s probable.
Now, 2012 is another story, depending on what Colletti does in the off-season, the Dodgers can definitely be players. I’m not sure what they’ll do with James Loney but since it seems that he’s found his pre-2010 bat, it might be hard to let him go. If the Dodgers could eat least find a LF and a 3B with power, leaving James Loney at 1B wouldn’t be that much of an issue, especially since he’s one of the better defensive 1B in the league. Sure he’s not spectacular and his sabermetrics at 1B aren’t great but how many times have you said “crap, Loney screwed up” over “great play Loney!” I rest my case.
If you or anyone else has any questions you’d like answered next week, e-mail me at DodgersCentral@live.com and you may just be featured in the next Blue Genie article!
Kershaw Dominates Again as Dodgers end Skid
After 5 straight losses, which ironically started with Clayton Kershaw, ended with Kershaw as he went 8 innings striking out 9 and giving up only 5 hits and no runs as he pitched another near shut out but manager Don Mattingly didn’t allow him to come back out for the 9th after he threw 118 pitches.
Clayton Kershaw has been amazing. While his ERA is only 3.03, which is great but compared to the sub 3.00 he’s had the previous two years (2.79 and 2.91) he’s striking out batters at an alarming rate, going farther in games and walking less. Kershaw is now on pace for 268 strikeouts in 237 innings with only 64 walks which is incredible considering he had 81 walks in 204 innings last season and 91 in 171 innings in 2009.
It was a fun game, after the Dodgers flailed at baseballs and had trouble driving in runners through 6, getting 1 run on a sacrifice fly in the 2nd, the Dodgers had outs and Matt Kemp got it started with a double to left field scoring two then scoring 3 more runs in the innings, which was as many runs as the Dodgers had scored in the 1st three games versus the Mets.
As bad the Dodgers have been this year, Kemp and Kershaw have been the brightest lights on the team, giving Dodger fans something to come out to the park for when the ownership troubles and other issues have rarely given them a reason to care.
Dodgers Youth Take Out Phillies 6-2
On the surface this game doesn’t look that huge. The Los Angeles Dodgers win 6-2 so now they’re 29-33, kinda meh right? Dig deeper and you see that not only did they beat Roy Oswalt, who didn’t even give up a run to the Dodgers last year, or that Dee Gordon who is known for his mental lapses and strikeouts whiffed only once, or that Rubby De La Rosa pitched 5 good innings and gave up 1 run.
No, even after all that, the biggest thing is that the Dodgers beat the team with the best record in the Major Leagues (at the time) and beat them handily and did it on the road, that’s huge and is evidence that the Dodgers may just be on the heels of a turnaround.
Rookie shortstop Dee Gordon did a great job, collecting 3 hits in his first 3 at-bats against Roy Oswalt and scoring a run. This guy is electrifying and can turn a simple play into something huge and if Furcal can’t get his stuff together, we may see him not even make it in the line up if Gordon performs well.
The inserting of De La Rosa to start tonight was a shock to me. I knew that he came up as a starter but I’d heard that Dodger scouts felt he’d be best as a reliever in the majors but I’m glad that he did well, only giving up a single run despite 5 walks in 5 innings. The good thing about the walks is that they may not be evidence of control problems but just jitters as all 5 of his walks came in the first two innings then after that he got 3 of his 4 strikeouts and two 1-2-3 innings.
Matt Kemp is on an insane tear, but he does this so while it’s awesome it’s not all too surprising. He’s now 4 home-runs in the last 4 games and now has 17 home-runs and 50 RBI’s tying him for the National League lead in home-runs and RBI’s. If he doesn’t start the All Star game, it’s a travesty.
So maybe the Dodgers really can catch up to the top of the NL West, they could very well be legit contenders.
Who is Shawn Tolleson?
With the promotion of Josh Lindbolm to the Major Leagues because Kenley Jansen has been sent to the disabled list with shoulder problems, Shawn Tolleson has been called up to AA Chattanooga after being in the minor leagues for only his second year.
So who is Shawn Tolleson? Just probably the best closer in all of minor league history. It’s hard to explain just how good he is but just look at these numbers.
2010 – Rookie League - 0.63 ERA, 39 SO, 5 BB, 28.2 IP, 26 games 17 saves
2011 – A Ball – 0.00 ERA, 33 SO, 4 BB, 15 IP, 14 games, 10
yes thats right, he didn’t give up a single earned run (gave up a single unearned run, probably via error) and struck out at least 2 batters per inning.
2011 – A+ Ball – 0.93 ERA, 17 SO, 3 BB, 9 IP,, 5 games, 3
That’s a total of a 0.53 ERA with 89 strike outs, 12 walks in 53.1 innings pitched (30 total saves)
That’s just ridiculous, he’s absolutely dominating the competition and he was a 30th round draft pick. Before the season I would’ve thought he’d make the majors by the end of the year but with Javy Guerra, Scott Elbert, Rubby De La Rosa and now Josh Lindbolm there I just don’t see him making it unless one of them falters.
Now, I do think we will see him during September call ups just to gave him a taste but this kid will be in the majors soon enough if he keeps this pace up, this may also signal Broxton’s eventual departure, there’s just too many good young players in the Dodgers minor league system that can take his spot. I’m very excited with this youth movement that we’re having Logan White has really shown his worth in picking gems.
