Friday, March 05, 2010

Finally, An End To Winter (Ode To A Spring Training GameThread)

I don't know if it's the fact that the Dodgers' exit from the 2009 playoffs left a bad taste in my mouth, as well as an empty feeling in my gut; or the McCourts' divorce-slash-boring-soap-opera evokes a vitriolic combination of sympathy, depression, and outright disgust; or the transition from winter to spring has aberrantly not been cushioned this year by a solid, tourney-bound UCLA basketball team.

Whatever it is, this has been a really, really boring off-season. I mean, if not for the vancouver olympics--dammit, these olympics always seem to suck me in, despite my best efforts, as I end up becoming enraptured into rooting for the Americans, compelled by ridiculous "events" that are being sold as "olympic sports" (I mean, come on, curling--Norwegian pants and all--honestly belongs on the decks of a cruise ship, rather than a pursuit worthy of achieving precious metals), and wondering why Bob Costas feels the need to dye his hair--I would have probably gnawed my arm off just to quell the boredom of this offseason (no, the signing of Reed Johnson didn't really get my blood pumping).

But today, my fellow Dodger fans, the long nightmare ends. This barren wasteland of a winter finally thaws out into the promise and hope and sunshine and joy of spring, as we welcome the first game of Spring Training for our boys in blue.

The Dodgers face the Juan-Pierre-led White Sox at 12:05 PT, their first spring training game, in a contest played at Camelback Ranch in Arizona, where neither team is technically the "away" team. But today, as the mercurial scheduling gods of spring training have so decreed, the Dodgers are indeed that paradoxical visiting team. Which means they bat first. Which means we need to tune in on time!

Those of you with access to MLB At Bat 2010 can listen to every pitch live, as I will be doing over my lunch break. At Bat for the iPhone hasn't figured out all the kinks in that whole "background audio" thing, but hey, I'll cut them a break because everyone is working out kinks in spring training (Sons of Steve Garvey notwithstanding!).

I can't even tell you how much I'm jonesing for some Dodger radio broadcasts. I have spent the last two teams listening to the Orioles' and Brewers' radio broadcasts just to get a fix, but this isn't the same. Still, it's baseball on the radio, so I'll take it; it's better than nothing!

So enjoy the first taste of Dodger baseball. And comment away in this thread if you want to start getting your GameThread skills back into shape!

photo: Globe and Mail, Jan 2010 (uncredited)

26 comments:

MR.F said...

I really enjoyed watching curling.

Kyle Baker said...

There is a background audio cure for your blues (Blues?). You can opt to have the audio shoot through your Safari browser, allowing you to carry on other important tasks like posting to SoSG or contemplating Costas' dye job.

Neeebs (The Original) said...

Dudes!!!!!!!!!!

Kyle Baker said...

Here's a link from TUAW:

http://www.tuaw.com/2010/03/04/enjoy-background-audio-with-mlbs-at-bat/

[sorry i don't have tiny url - I'm on the road and in a hurry]

MR.F said...

Jon Weisman has the line-up as:
Rafael Furcal, SS
Matt Kemp, CF
Russell Martin, C
Manny Ramirez, DH
James Loney, 1B
Casey Blake, 3B
Blake DeWitt, 2B
Russell Martin, C
Reed Johnson, LF
(Vicente Padilla, P)

Correction forthcoming, I presume.

Josh S. said...

Manny's batting 1.000!

Josh S. said...

First lead of the year!

NicJ said...

Johnson comes up big.

Hahaha get ready for that joke all season.

Kyle Baker said...

Damn i took trouble to log in from back of a cab to make Johnson joke, but Nic was already on it. On the joke i mean.

NicJ said...

I'm in midseason form already. Who needs spring training? I'll be in the whirlpool.

There goes the no hitter.

LAangel said...

http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?topic_id=8685496&c_id=cws

watch online

Unknown said...

thanks for the link!

Nostradamus said...

Game thread!

What do I do? What do I do?!

Steve Sax said...

Kemp's line: one hit, one groundout, one walk. And ethier just got indie to a dropped fly ball.

Repko sighting!

Steve Sax said...

I liked how Charley Steiner said this Brewers pitcher "is like Chad Billingsley--he's built bottom-heavy."

Loney with an RBI single! 3-0 Dodgers

Josh S. said...

Loney has been freed for the first time in 2010!

Steve Sax said...

Carroll Sac Fly, 4-0 LA

Steve Sax said...

Reed Johnson has 2 RBI. 4-1 Dodgers.

Steve Sax said...

Man, I never thought I'd appreciate Charley Steiner's voice this much. Good to hear the Dodgers again.

drewdez said...

Definitely enjoyed Steiner's awkward laughter over Ayala and Padilla's common bond - the fact that they've both been shot.

Neeebs (The Original) said...

Johnson has some good wood so far.

Steve Sax said...

8-3 final! Dodgers undefeated in 2010!

Steve Sax said...

@drewdez 1:59p: sometimes listening to Charley and Monday causes me to think about loading a gun, as well

Nostradamus said...

They're going to run the table. I'm calling it.

Mr. LA Sports Czar said...

Oh baseball how I missed you so.

evan lovett said...

seriously GREAT to have the game back in front of us. . .will be complete when we can hear the mellifluous sounds of Vin back in the booth. Here's another post that got me all hot n' bothered, roster breakdown of the Blue Crew: http://yallkiltit.wordpress.com/2010/03/06/dodgerblast-spring-training-roster-analysis/