At-Game Recap: Congratulations, Jaime Jarrin

In a pre-game ceremony yesterday, the Dodgers honored Spanish-language announcer Jaime Jarrin's 50th year with the team. (You can read an excellent interview with Jarrin at Dodger Thoughts.)

The man of the hour.

Vin Scully offers his best wishes from the broadcasting booth.

Pepe Yñiguez, a representative from the newspaper Hoy and Fernando Valenzuela present Jarrin with a framed jersey.

After Jarrin threw the ceremonial first pitch, Joe Torre was among the first to congratulate him. They stood together the for the national anthem.

Mariano Duncan offers some love.

A hug from Nomar.

Jarrin seemed especially pleased to see Chan Ho Park.

Jeepers creepers, Jeff Kent!

After the top of the seventh inning, Clayton Kershaw tried to high-five Derek Lowe, who walked right past him. Kershaw turned his upraised palm into one of those "You the man!" finger-points.

Which Delwyn Young did. Whoo hoo, free tickets to Universal Studios!

Half-Hearted At Game Re-Cap: Dodgers @ Mets, May 31

They say that when you're angry, you should count to ten before saying anything. So I counted the figurative ten and waited until today to post about one of the most disheartening games I can remember attending: last Saturday's come-from-ahead loss to the Mets, compliments of one J. Broxton. Turns out that even after a few days, I still don't feel like writing about it. So instead I'll just put up a few photos from that day at the ballpark. And just to mitigate the depression from that game (and from last night's), I've included one photo of the snacks I scored from the much happier game the previous day.

At-Game Recap: Dodgers @ Mets, May 30

My first visit to Shea Stadium in over a decade turned out to be a roller-coaster night...even before the game started. Here's a summary of the evening's ups and downs:

Up: Free Snacks! Upon approaching the stadium grounds, I was greeted by youngsters handing out free bags of Cheez Doodles and Honey BBQ Chips. When such landmark events occur, history has shown that the world will divide into two groups: those offering free snacks, and those accepting free snacks. Tonight was no exception. By pocketing a bag of Cheez Doodles, I align myself with the latter.

Down: Very oddly, at least three people seemed to think either I and/or my friends were celebrities or something. Before the game a young couple appeared to be taking pictures of us from two different angles. Then a bit later I caught this strange old guy snapping a shot of us from straight ahead. WTF?? Has SoSG really gotten that big? I am sort of weirded out.

Up: Juan Pierre opens the game by walking on four pitches and promptly stealing second. Later in that inning, amazingly, Loney, Martin, and Ethier get three consecutive 2-out RISP RBI hits. Huh!?! This cannot be happening. Maybe I am a celebrity. I look around for Ashton Kutcher. Nothing. Dodgers 3, Mets 0.

Down: I came to the stadium thinking Clayton Kershaw was pitching. Turns out it was Nik Kershaw. Since I'd never seen either Nik nor Clayton live, I figure six in one, half a dozen in the other. In anycase, Kershaw gives back 2 of the runs in the bottom of the 1st. In the 3rd, he allows the tying run to score on a Beltran sac fly. Disgusted, I take a quick bathroom break. End of 3rd: Dodgers 3, Mets 3.

Up: Just as I'm emerging from my restroom break, I see Russell Martin deposit a 3-1 John Maine offering into the left field bleachers! Not that I'm overly superstitious, but just in case, I try to spend the remainder of the game emerging from the restroom. Not easy. Middle of 4th: Dodgers 4, Mets 3

Down: Kershaw is pulled in the bottom of the 4th after allowing an RBI fielder's choice to Reyes. In keeping with the evening's Chips theme, the Dodgers bring in CHP. End of 3rd: Dodgers 4, Mets 4.

Up: Turns out CHP = Can't Hit Park. He retires 8 of the first 9 guys he faces. Unfortunately, over that span, Mets pitchers retire 8 of the 9 Dodgers they face. Top of 7th: Dodgers 4, Mets 4.

Down: CHP finally falters. To me, a 1-out 2-on single constitutes a big inning, so I can and will now say I was there in attendance the day Fernando Tatis had his big inning against Chan Ho Park. If anyone interprets that another way, that's their issue. End of 7th: Dodgers 4, Mets 5.

Up: We all know what happened in the bottom of the 8th. With Mets pitcher Pedro Feliciano pitching, Juan Pierre hits one of his signature dribbler to short off Mets reliever Pedro Feliciano. Well, with Pedro's brother Jose apparently umping 1st, Pierre is called safe even though, even from my not-particularly-good seats, I could see he was out. Now I know: New Yorkers know how to boo. This opened the floodgates to a Dodger barrage that included six consecutive hits. Middle of 8th: Dodgers 9, Mets 5.

And that's how it ended, with the Dodgers winning 9-5. So, in spite of a sophmore slump (outing-wise) from Kershaw, there was plenty to feel good about: Solid long relief from CHP, nice rebound performances from Broxton and Saito; clutch hitting from all over the lineup; a 4-for-4 day from Martin; and a bad call going our way. We even closed to within 2.5 games of Arizona after their loss. So, all in all it was a good day at the ballpark and a nice farewell-to-Shea experience (the new Citi Field is looking pretty sweet). All that and a bag of chips!

Post-Game Thoughts: Dodgers vs. Cubs #2 (May 28)

I think this is what happened before the game:

Torre: Hey Lowe, come on in my office, I want to talk to you about tonight.

Lowe: Yeah, coach.

Torre: Well, you know this is a nationally televised game. So I picked a lineup especially for you! (Shows him the lineup card). See how much offense we are going to generate! Aren't you excited? We have THREE rookie infielders and THREE sophomore players. You have great veteran leadership in Pierre too. So go get 'em buddy. We will spot you one run the entire night. Just go out there and pitch a shutout and you just might win.

Oh crap, I'm sorry, that is almost exactly what I posted yesterday. It was groundhog day at Wrigley all over again, except this time Saito comes into blow the save instead of Broxton (who, by the way, was lights out - where the hell were those 98 MPH fastballs yesterday???). Then Uh-Oh Chan Ho gives up the double and the game winning single to Soriano in extra innings. Again, that damn "Go Cubs Go" song is repeating in my head.

The only thing I left with was seeing fellow Dodger blogger Erin from Beantown West and the following two pictures. The first is a picture of Mark Sweeney's 0.098 batting average (click for larger image)--which didn't budge because he got a walk. I think he started towards the dugout for a couple of steps before he realized which way first base was because he has been so used to turning around in the batter's box after a strikeout.

I also left with a picture of the CUBS WIN sign which should be changed to the CUBS SWEEP.

This is getting pretty pathetic. I think Jerry Crasnick from espn.com suggested some free agents that definitely have more pop that this anemic dodger lineup - Kenny Lofton, Sammy Sosa, Jeff Cirillo, Royce Clayton, Reggie Sanders, and dare I say, nah, I can't even write his name. Off to New York for this extremely average team, that wins about half the time and loses about half the time. Go Blue.

Post-Game Thoughts: Dodgers vs. Cubs (May 27)

I think this is what happened before the game:

Torre: Hey Kuroda, come on in my office, I want to talk to you about tonight.

Kuroda: Yeah, coach.

Torre: Well, you know this is a nationally televised game with about a million Japanese press here tonight for your Fukudome matchup. So I picked a lineup especially for you! (Shows him the lineup card). See how much offense we are going to generate! Aren't you excited? We have FOUR rookie infielders and THREE sophomore players. You have great veteran leadership in Pierre too. So go get 'em buddy. We will spot you one run the entire night. Just go out there and pitch a shutout and you just might win.

So it was freezing tonight, I think I had 12 layers on and I was still cold. And the Dodger offense was just as cold. "Close the damn roof!" I thought to myself, but then realized I wasn't in Milwaukee. Kuroda did all he could with the craptacular offensive display by the dodgers - truly offensive. You have to tip your cap to Kuroda for his effort, holding them to one run for a good portion of the game and keeping his pitch count down was impressive (the picture is Kuroda vs Fukudome). Then towards the end of the game we had he bases loaded TWICE with the meat of the lineup coming to bat. But, of course, the Dodgers implode. Man, that was depressing.

Only thing I got to take away was being with the crowded, drunk Cub fans for the long ride back on the El. I'm a glutton for punishment and will go back tomorrow for the last game of the series to see if we can salvage anything. Go Blue!

Post-Game 46 Thoughts: You Learn Something New...

Had a great time at the ballpark last night, watching the Dodgers win 5-2 and seeing James Loney's massive bomb that was not in question from the second he hit it. Winds were high early on, blowing trash all over the field (particularly congregating around Juan Pierre in left, which I found magnetically ironic), but the subsided in time for FJL to hit his towering homer. Nice outing by Hiroki Kuroda, continued impressive play from Blake DeWitt, growing concern about what Jeff Kent is doing (or rather, isn't doing) in the four-hole, and an above-average review on my first Mrs. Beasley cupcake ($5 is a bit pricey, though).

But what I really took away from the evening was a conversation I overheard from the two guys behind me during the game (which, strangely enough, totally fits in with EK's latest post) (I assure you, this was not by design here at SoSG).

"Hey, do you know what the name of the Cantina band was in Star Wars?" [Sax: For the record, I do know, since I've got the action figures; I stayed quiet.]

"Nope."

"Figri'n Dan and the Modal Nodes."

"Huh? Did they ever mention their name in the movie?"

"Nope. It's kind of like they never say 'Tusken Raider,' they only say 'Sandpeople,' but Tusken Raider it is."

"How the hell do you know 'Figri'n Dan'?"

"I looked it up on Wookiepedia."

Wookiepedia? F'n brilliant, though I had to look it up myself to be sure...and sure enough, it exists. Wow. Hilarious. You learn something new every day.

They also proceeded to sing the entire cantina band song, in unison. At least it wasn't the yub yub song, I suppose.

Post-Game Thoughts: Dodgers vs. Brewers

Have you ever had a time when you were so pissed off, that you started to do some unreasonable and overcompensating act, and after you calmed down while you were in the middle of said act, you think to yourself, what the hell am I doing? Well after the Dodgers lost their sixth game in a row and watching them get swept by the Houston Fricken' Astros, I was mad as hell and was not going to take it anymore. So I jumped in the car with a friend and drove to Miller Park. Which brings us to Observation #1: Time moves backwards in Kansas.

Miller Park. I have been here before and boy it is a nice stadium. The roof was closed which is good because it was pretty cold. We got there early and enjoyed the park. The statue of Hank Aaron was impressive and there was a smattering of Dodger fans. In fact, I had to rub my eyes a couple of times as I thought that I saw a large, mullet-wearing Steve Sax, but I don't think it was him, in fact I think it was a woman.

Which brings me to Observation #2: Wisconsin fans can eat. Now I still believe that the king of all hot dogs is the Dodger Dog, but boy Wisconsin people know their sausages - their brats are GOOD! Plus they have this secret sauce that is out of this world. Bought two of those and sat down for a good Dodger game.

Game 1: The Comeback Kids.

Aisle 123 has to be the prime spot for seeing Dodger games at Miller park as it is right behind the Dodger dugout. We looked HORRIBLE for eight innings with another unknown pitcher shutting us down (sort or like the Atlanta series - who are these guys?). Worse was the White Cecil Fielder, two rows behind me, who decided to ride me and my dodger jersey for eight innings. Whenever the Brewers scored - which was early - he would run down from his seats and try and high five me. I had to laugh it off because I think he would have eaten me, but I was fuming inside. Ahh, the life of a visiting fan.

Then on to the ninth - it was another ex-HGH-Dodger coming in to shut us down, Guillermo Mota. But right before that, Brewers manager Ned Yost came out to argue something which I have no idea what he was so angry about, but the end result was that it seemed to get Mota off his game. Observation #3: Torre knows how to manage. I really liked his moves at the end of the game. Pinch hitter Delwyn Young came up and worked a walk with a couple of strikes against him. Then pinch hitter Andre "why the hell am I on the bench" Ethier come up and laced a single down the right field line, moving Young to third.

Uh oh, Slappy Pierre coming up. Now, he was our offense that night and I was riding him for the first part of the game, but I was still not optimistic, a sure double play. Then WHACK - double to the gap - a PERFECT Pierre hit - 2 score, up by one. No Fricken Way. Hey, Fat White Cecil Felder in the stands, high five! Then Jones with a weak ground out RBI to pad the score. Nice comeback guys. Saito in for the save and I get to go home happy. Oh, chorizo won the sausage race. Now that I had blown the whole SoSG budget on the tickets, I had to settle for the Days Inn through out-of-pocket expenses, slightly hoping that the Dodger team would be staying there too. I put the chair against the door and watched the Lakers win, then went to sleep with dreams of a win streak dancing in my head.

Game 2 - Underdogs and Unexpected Surprises

Sheets was, well, pulling the sheets over the Dodgers' eyes for five innings. We were making good contact with his pitches but they were all outs, much like the Greg Maddux of old. Then Jones comes up with his relaxed, kick back, I've got a 36 million dollar contract and you don't, attitude. Another quick out - but then WHAM and I remember thinking to myself, hey this might have a chance. It is a great feeling to be sitting in the bleachers and being the only person standing up cheering while everyone is sitting on their hands. Then the flood gates opened - Kent with a solo shot, Loney with a triple, Maza with a single, then Gary 'Roids Bennett strides up to the plate and jacks a 3-run home run. Bennett was dialed in all night - maybe because he used to catch for Sheets and knew what he was going to throw. So the avgs of .183, .283 and .200 hit 3 home runs and put the game out of reach. Bennett for good measure hits an RBI single and ends his night with 4 RBI's. Amazing.

This game also marked the debut of Luis Maza at shortstop. Maza wears his socks high, a la Pierre, and if you squint your eyes from our nosebleed seats, you would swear that it was Pierre with his noodle arm at shortstop. EVERY single throw to Loney was an adventure - you had to wait for the ump to make the call because it was so close at first. I think Torre got so fed up, he moved him to second where he proceeded to STILL lob the ball to Loney. He looked like Bennett tossing the ball back to the pitcher - which, by the way, annoys the crap out of me. Observation #4: We need Furcal back. But congrats to the rook for getting his first MLB hit. Oh, and chorizo won AGAIN!

Overall it was one great .500 team beating up on another .500 team. The losing streak is over and a new winning streak begins. The SoSG budget has been blown for the rest of the year, but it was worth it in order to right the ship. I was going to try and make it to the Angels series, but have no more money and had to sell the car for food and a wild pig. So if you see a guy walking on the side of Route 66 in a Dodger jersey and you aren't a serial killer, please take me to California, I can pay in lengthy stories of the current Dodgers who were great 4 years hence. Go Blue.

At-Game 25 Recap: Melted Out

A missive from Mrs. Orel:

Once a year, for his birthday in April, I buy my husband Dodger tickets for us to attend a game together.

I like baseball. I don't breathe baseball, but I like the in-person experience of our All-American pastime. I like the crowd, the seventh-inning stretch, the peanuts, the Dodger Dogs. I like peppering my husband with questions he can't answer.

"Is Loney married?"

"Don't know."

"But you're supposed to be some kind of Dodger know-it-all."

"Why does it matter if he's married?"

"I like him and I want him to have a happy home life. You should find that out."

"Right."

I notice paramedics wheeling a gurney with a young woman utterly wilted in the steamy heat.

In 2004 we were away from Los Angeles for a few months. We were in Hong Kong and occasionally managed to see a Dodger game on television. I was never homesick until I saw the silhouettes of those palm trees surrounding the stadium. "Oh," I sighed to my husband, "look, it's a sunset game...perfect...let's go home."

I especially like night games, but this year our date was for a Sunday afternoon game. It is my ritual to go to the park in March and buy the tickets in person. I picked good seats. Loge, on the aisle, and in the shade.

It all started so well. We had cold water and Coke, we had peanuts and in keeping with ballpark tradition, we threw caution to the wind and indulged in those grilled Dodger Dogs. I make a confession to my husband:

"Later I'm going to have a soft-serve ice-cream or maybe a soft yogurt cone."

"Are you?"

"Yes, I am. Fat and carbs be damned, we're in Dodger Stadium and it's your birthday!"

By the fifth inning the game was tied.

"Extra innings?" I ask. "What d'ya think?"

"Nope," he says.

"Yeah, there will be," I argue. "I'm sure of it."

I'm sure of it because I've planned that frozen treat with care. I know when I'm going to get it. Bottom of the seventh.

And it's the day for it. It's hot. The temperature is in the low nineties, San Bernadino is burning up in a wildfire that shouldn't be happening until October, my skin glows, it's sticky and a low-grade headache is coming on. I make my move.

"I'm going for that cone," I say and leap up the stairs.

I'm as parched as Lawrence when he came upon Aqaba.

There is exactly one frozen yogurt stand on the Loge level. I notice they don’t serve cones, only cups, which is a disappointment, but more alarming is the mile-long lineup of overheated baseball fans salivating for the dessert.

I'll come back, I think, and return to my seat. Bottom of the eighth and back I go. Fantastic, no lineup. I get my cash ready and a man inside the booth runs an index finger across his neck.

"Sold out!" he mouths to me.

What?

Okay, seriously, forget the fat and sugar. I'll get one of those frozen malts.

Sold out.

Frozen lemonade.

Sold out.

I dash from one food stand to the next, desperate for what I cannot have. Alongside me, I notice paramedics wheeling a gurney with a young woman utterly wilted in the steamy heat.

An ice cream! I want to scream. Give the girl a double scoop of Rocky Road, she'll be up in a flash.

Come on, these are the Los Angeles Dodgers, not the Anchorage Dodgers. For crying out loud, we're not ready. This is Southern California. It's hot. We're not ready. How can we be sold out of frozen treats when the stadium isn’t even nearly full? How can that be?

In the tenth inning we win the game. "Told you," I grouse because I'm as parched as Lawrence when he came upon Aqaba.

As the crowd thins, we watch Frank McCourt meet-and-greet below us in the VIP section. Mothers rush to him with their babies. He holds the infants like a politician and pictures are taken.

Heads up, Mr. McCourt...here's a tip...you know what those babies would like far more than a snapshot of the two of you? A sweet, icy, drippy cone filled with an All-American treat.

I know because I'm one of those babies.

Happy Birthday, Orel.

Thanks, honey!

At-Game Recap: Dodgers-Cubs, Sept. 6th

Ethier saves the day. I had the opportunity to go to the game today and boy, it sure was exciting. It was pretty humid out, even with all of the cloud cover and threats of thunderstorms. I think the humidity was getting to Lowe as he was pretty shaky throughout most of the game. When the Cubs went up after Soriano's blast, I almost wished the skies would open up before the end of the inning and the game would be rained out, resetting the score to the top of the inning. Alas, the weather gods knew better than I.

The crowd was pretty rowdy, especially during the late innings - plus my Dodger jersey did not help my cause. When Matt Kemp hit his homerun, the crowd was still buzzing from the Soriano blast. Then the top of the ninth arrived and my friend who knows the Cubs pretty well said, "You watch, Dempster will get two guys on and you will at least tie, probably win." And, after Ethier skied one into the jet stream for a homerun, the crowd was DEFLATED. Then the f-bombs, boos, and jeers came crashing down on Dempster, who was affectionately called Dumpster. I left overjoyed and elated - I hope this game is the one that gets us into the playoffs. GO BLUE!

August 16 Game Recap: "Prepare for Extra Innings"

I'm a little late on posting this (this is Steve Sax here), but fellow Son Alex Cora snapped these pictures from the Dodgers-Astros game on August 16 (Dodgers 6, Astros 2). Given that these shots came up in the sixth inning, when the Dodgers were stoked to a six-run lead, isn't the phrase "Prepare for Extra Innings" a little disheartening to fans of the home team?

I mean, I know it's the catchphrase for Las Vegas, but it seems to me that this add was poorly timed. Who is running sponsorship marketing here? Don't tell me it's still Drew McCourt!

Following the Head - 0 for 4

Barry Bonds feared the presence of the Delino. How else can you explain his DECISION to have only one hit in the four games I attended this past week. And what does he do the next at bat, with no Delino in the crowd? 755.

In my journey to see Bonds enter the record books, all I got for my time and money was a sub Mendoza 1 for 11 performance. On Friday night, I made the long drive back up the 5... the only history I witnessed was the ugliest hat giveaway.

Friday Morning- Leaving Los Angeles at 1:30pm would seem like enough time for a 7:10pm game in San Diego. And yet 7pm rolled around, and I was sweatily power walking the streets of SD until Petco Park appeared in the distance like manna from heaven. I made it to someone else's seat with five minutes to spare, enough time to see Bonds's first groundout. Most of you probably already know this, but Petco Park is STUNNING.

Good selection of food. Crowds that don't threaten you with bodily violence. A bathroom that looked like it was used by humans (more on this in my next column, an expose on the All You Can Eat Pavilion). In fact, some of the fans actually cheered Bonds every time he came up to bat. It's as if they... respected him. Or valued his contribution to baseball. Very odd indeed. The only downside of Petco Park was the special fisherman cap giveaway.

I think it was entitled "Lose Your Dignity Night."

Barry Bonds showed his true colors in the seventh when former Yankee killer Brian Roberts knocked in two runs. The entire Giants bench cleared to congratulate the runners, except for the pitcher and you know who. Bonds didn't even make an attempt to move. Just sat there, trying to balance his large cranium and decide which front row blonde to bang.

My favorite part of the game came in the ninth. The Delino and his male escort snuck down to the second row (apparently Padres fans also feel there's no drama to be found in a tied ball game in the 9th). And Bonds understudy Fred Lewis was up to bat. For the next five minutes, we tormented Fred Lewis with all the insults we intended to use on Bonds. "Ster-oids." "Bal-Co." "HEAD, move" One incredibly astute putz behind us exclaimed "That's not Bonds!" (Not surprisingly, irony lost on the San Diego crowd). He proceeded to chastise us "Bonds is the number two hitter of all time. What have you ever done?" And for a moment, I felt bad. Truly, what have I ever done for MLB? This San Diego genius really made me doubt my contribution to this great sport. In the end, maybe I didn't get to see 755 simply because I didn't deserve to. Hopefully the baseball gods will look more favorably on me in 2013 when blonde sympathizer A-Rod knocks Bonds off his perch.

Following the Head - Three Days in the Home Run Trenches

Sacrificing sleep, sanity, cash, and my stomach lining (more on that later), the Delino has survived three perilous days on the road to 755 (so excuse grammar issues)! I feel like I've been training for a marathon, albeit one with excessive sausage, garlic fries, and malts. For the past 72 hours, I've been poring over EVERY pixel of the internet, trying to find the magical deal that can gain me access to the hottest ticket this side of Wicked. Two days in a row, I was able to find last second deals that were only a little bit of a rip off. At least I can now punch in losangeles.craigslist.org/tix without even looking at my Treo's tiny buttons.

So far, no home runs to report (in case you didn't notice). Nope, just memories, and the last notch on my belt.

Tuesday night. Reserved 59. Face Value. Barry goes 0 for 3 with 2 walks, providing plenty of fodder for the boo birds. It reminded me of when I saw the Colts return to Baltimore for the first time since leaving like thieves in the night. Every play caused non-stop rage, although the Baltimore faithful were more subdued than Eagles fans during every game they've ever played.

Hats off to the Left Field pavilion folks, who did not let up for a sec. Their animosity was truly infectious, spilling over to my section, where one fan purposely tossed the ever popular beach ball to the a-holes in Loge. (They've got the better seats - let us have our reindeer games!) Several members of my section got thrown out, with the entire section all too willing to rat them out to security. Along the way, Brad Penny played like a human being and the Dodgers lost in Nine, to 30,000 plus empty seats. No Bonds. No crowd.

Wednesday. Reserved 31. $37.50 A beautiful four run eighth inning rally was cheered on by a half-filled audience and LOTS of tail lights. I'll actually take credit for the victory. The second I transformed my Brooklyn Dodgers hat into the ONLY rally cap in the entire reserved section, the runs came pouring in!

Or maybe it was the stylish headwear of this gentleman.

After two games, the "Bonds Sucks" chants started to get repetitive - I try to raise awareness for "Bar - Roids," "Bal-Co," and "Mus-Tache"... all to no avail. A nice woman pleaded with my section to drop the "sucks" and scream out "Barry Cheats." One cry of "Fat Ass" later, she shut up.

Thursday. ALL YOU CAN EAT PAVILION (more details to come). $50. Barry finally connects bat to ball, driving a towering single. And the crowd Booed. I tried something new tonight - a baseball game WITHOUT ONE DROP OF BEER. Luckily, a triple dose of Dodger Dogs clouded my judgment just fine. I wasn't the only one feeling the effects of too much meat. The mixture of non-stop Nachos and Enemy Number One a literal stone's throw away lifted my Pavilion to a full tizzy. By the seventh inning, Security escorted at least a dozen people out, including one man carrying his infant daughter. I screamed out "She was framed!" (After "All You Can Eat Dodger Dogs," you'd find it amusing too). The game had some solid non-Bonds tension, and that Russell Martin Bobblehead will make a fine addition to my overstuffed box of other bobbleheads that I'm just a little too old to display anymore(as of last summer).

Ten hours from now, I'll be on the road to San Diego, for the last stop in my 755 tour. I'm still not sure how I will respond if (and that "if" is massive) Bonds reaches the magic number. The Dodgers faithful were schizophrenic about Bonds, screaming and shouting while taking pictures of every single at bat. In the end, I imagine I'll be watching Bonds getting a couple of BBs and a well struck ground out or two.. but no dingers. And I'll look at my now empty wallet, realizing that I spent more this past week on Bonds's games (and accouterments) than I did on my last anniversary. So I guess I need to cherish the moment, if not for Bonds, then for the sheer joy of being there. Or maybe I'll get the "Bar-Roids" chant up and running.

Sidebar - A special thanks to the schmuck behind me last night who was FURIOUS when the Dodgers walked Bonds with one out and a runner already on second. If Grady Little ever needs an understudy...

At-Game Recap: July 5 vs. Braves

Best seats ever.

First pitch.

Freed James Loney!

"Which Dodger holds the team record for most RBI in the month of July? 1) Tommy Davis, 2) Eric Karros, 3) Ron Fairly, 4) Time for a new camera."

That's Eliza Dushku. She follows us everywhere.

Dear Kid Sitting in Front of Us:
These are $70 tickets some people would die to get their hands on. STOP PLAYING BUBBLE BOBBLE AND WATCH THE GAME, YOU UNAPPRECIATIVE BRAT!

Seventh inning stretch. We love ya, Vin!

BRAVES 8, DODGERS 6

Sax-C and I met some old friends for great seats, great eats and, oh yeah, another crushing defeat. But did I mention the seats were great?

INSIGNIFICANTIA:

• 1 wins the hat shuffle.
• Coca Cola Trivia contestant answers...correctly!
• White wins the dot race.
• The reason our beer consumption is far outpacing Dodger Dog intake (see sidebar) is because at $4.75 (I think) for a Dodger Dog versus $6.50 for a brat, the brats have been winning out. The Louisiana bratwurst was a little dry on the outside but juicy and spicy inside. Mmmm...bratwurst.
• Parking was circuitous but we never got stuck in a jam. Maybe the kinks are being worked out?

Post-Game 48 Thread: Parking Still Ain't Easy (Dodgers 9, Cubs 8)

Dear Bill Plaschke:

Cubs fans travel. And they're everywhere. Which explains why last night's game, though far from a sellout at a 46,011 attendance, was full of energy on both sides as the stadium was pretty crowded with Cubs and Dodgers jerseys. And the atmosphere was great at the stadium, the teams scored a lot of runs to keep the crowd happy, and the evening was another beautiful one at the Ravine.

And then comes trying to exit the parking lot. Disaster. Parking lot attendants in the inner ring (we were in Lot G, directly behind the scoreboards) could not effectively merge cars from the lot into the inner ring, causing havoc for pedestrians and cars. It took 20 minutes to exit the stadium through the Golden State Freeway gate--not even the gate we would have liked to have used, but the nearest and ONLY option under the new McCourt system--despite the fact that the gate was far closer to us than the Sunset Gate through which we entered.

Once outside the stadium, navigating back leftward toward Echo Park was treacherous, and the traffic down Scott Avenue (now that the Scott Gate is opened for exiting on weekends as well) was bumper to bumper for another 10-15 minutes, before we could turn left on Echo Park.

Bill, you should get yourself out to one of the remaining two weekend games to experience this for yourself. The new system is on par with prior years. And it costs $5 more this year. That math doesn't add up.

INSIGNIFICANTIA:

• 1 wins the hat shuffle.
• Coca-Cola fan wins the trivia question.
• Somebody stop the Universal marketing department before they submit the crowd to another painfully easy movie-related question ("In Jurassic Park, what were they cloning: dinosaurs, woolly mammoths, or [something else equally ludicrous that I can't remember]?"). It's insulting, and worse to watch Nomar have to read the stupid question in the first place.
• Blue wins the dot race.
• Five beers consumed, one dog. Plus nachos, two bags of peanuts, one bag of pumpkin seeds (brought in), and a handful of sunflower seeds (also brought in).

At-Game Recap: May 14 (Cardinals 8, Dodgers 4)

A relatively quiet night at the ballpark left a lot of questions unanswered, namely:

• Why did Grady Little wait so long to take out Tomko, who was clearly off--there was no way we were going to come back after spotting them eight runs, and the bullpen, well-rested after the last two games, did a fine job (0 runs the rest of the way) and could have entered the game much earlier?
• Why we were playing for one run in the first inning, down 3-0, when Rafael Furcal gets a leadoff single and Juan Pierre tries to lay down a sacrifice bunt? Huh?
• Why does everyone in the lineup insist upon swinging early in the count against unproven pitchers (including Luis Gonzalez' rally-stifling GIDP in the sixth, when Gonzo swung on a 1-0 count to weakly ground back to the pitcher)?
• Why is Ramon Martinez is allowed to come up to bat in a game-ending situation (and sure enough, he ended the game)?
• Why does the Coca-Cola trivia contestant always win?
• Why, when a Dodger comes up to the plate, does the stadium scoreboard ribbon puts up these creepy little horizontal slivers that focus on the player's eyes. It's a little Big Brother-esque.

I feel like I need to bring the Dodgers to Radio Shack. I've got questions. Maybe Radio Shack has answers.

The only positive thing the Dodgers can say is that they were generous in letting the Cardinals put an end to their offensive woes. (And, we shut down Albert Pujols who went 0-for-5.)

INSIGNIFICANTIA:

• 3 wins the hat shuffle.
• Coca Cola Trivia contestant answers correctly.
• Blue wins the dot race.
• Two beers, one dog consumed.
• Parking was not easy tonight, despite a light crowd. They had stacked cars in Lot G in unmarked areas, and forced me to exit on Academy Road rather than the Sunset Gate in which I entered. Too many parking attendants were standing around idly. Put 'em to work, Frankie!

At-Game Recap: May 11 vs. Reds--Exit Stampede Gets Kudos

What's fair is fair. We at SoSG have been pretty critical of the Dodger Stadium parking debacle once it started, from both the execution of the plan to the deliberate spin campaign designed to stifle criticism. And when the situation had improved by late April, we took note.

The Friday May 11 Dodgers-Reds game was all in all pretty boring; Russell Martin scored the only two runs of the game in the bottom of the first inning, and from then on it was just 0's on the scoreboard and K's on the strikeout meter, thanks to a marvelous performance by Randy Wolf and another weak offensive performance from the Dodgers (remember, this preceded Sunday afternoon's 10-run outburst). But everyone stuck around the stadium anyway, in anticipation of the fireworks show after the game.

We took our time watching the whole fireworks show from the damp outfield grass of the stadium, and then meandered over to Lot 1 (Sunset Gate) to exit the stadium grounds. And once we were in our car, it was admittedly fairly easy getting out of there. Wow. This was a pleasant surprise.

Some caveats. First, entrance to the lot was still difficult (coming through the Sunset gate, up the hill and cutting over to the left), and delayed our entrance 10-15 minutes longer than it would have taken last year. Second, I had parked heading outward toward the exit, only about three cars off the aisle, so my car was ready to go. But third and most importantly, the phalanx of parking attendants with flashlights directing traffic in what appeared to be a reasonable and logical way definitely helped me get out of the lot and down onto Sunset quickly. They let cars take turns, held up pedestrians appropriately, and facilitated a smooth exit from the lot. This was despite a fairly large crowd all getting let out at once, post-show, and still things moved in an orderly fashion.

It's clear that it is very advantageous having dozens of parking attendants in the lot and managing the flow. This added benefit is definitely an appreciated addition to the parking system. Would I have paid an extra $5 for this privilege, I'm not sure. But I'll admit that, at least this evening, it didn't work too badly.

And maybe everyone was in a good mood coming off a Dodgers victory.

INSIGNIFICANTIA:

• 2 wins the hat shuffle.
• Coca-Cola winner chooses correctly.
• White wins the car race (and is now dominating the games which we've attended).
• 4 beers consumed. No Dodger Dogs; I did get a Lousiana Hot Link but didn't count that as a dog, to be fair. Split some garlic fries, too.

At-Game Recap: April 25 vs. Giants

Last night's game versus the Giants was a pretty depressing one all around. Not only did the Dodgers lose to the Giants 6-4, but we squandered scoring opportunities late in the game once again, dropping the second in a row to our arch-rivals.

But honestly I spent much of last night enjoying the crowds and the company and booing Barry Bonds (whom I saw strikeout twice, which was great; I got there too late to see him hit his 741st home run, which was okay, as I've seen plenty others, unfortunately.). The weather was perfect, and there is nothing better than a summer night at Dodger Stadium; it's so relaxing (even when screaming boos), it's therapeutic. And when the friends with which you've gone to the game look at you and say, "So if Barry Bonds hits 15 more home runs tonight, we could be watching history, right?" you know it's going to be a fun, mellow evening. Despite the loss.

I will say that there were a decent number of fans wearing Giants shirts/jerseys around, and though they were booed everyone that I saw was very cool to the opponent's fans (despite their obvious lack of intelligence). I'm pretty proud of LA fans' decorum. In fact, Dodgers fans were much cooler to Giants fans than I recall being treated in Big Phone Park when I'm wearing LA colors. But hey, when you've never won a World Series in San Francisco, it's easy to be hypersensitive to one's inferiority, I suppose.

The loss kept the Dodgers in sole possession of first place only because Trevor Hoffman ruined Jake Peavy's incredible pitching outing vs. lowly Arizona. And don't look now, but the Giants' seven game win streak have them only one game behind, just like the Padres. Time for us to buck up.

INSIGNIFICANTIA:

• 2 wins the hat shuffle.
• White wins the dot race.
• Coca-Cola Trivia Contestant won by correctly picking Rick Monday as the person who saved the flag on the field. Man, are we still talking about that?
• Dodger Dogs +2. Beers +3 (that bock on draft is not that good, by the way). Hit points +15, roll a 19 or 20 to get a critical hit.
• Discovered the magic that is pulled pork Camacho's Nachos, available on the loge level. Worth the hike, them's tasty food. UPDATE 10:29a: It just became clear to me what the downside is of said nachos. Not pretty.
• Parking had further improved from early on, but is still far from great, even screwing preferred parkers who had paid $15 months ago. I entered through the Sunset Gate about a half-hour after first pitch (don't ask). Got through the turnstiles okay but the path to the inner circle was slow (I had preferred parking), and I couldn't help but notice the line of people inching toward Lot 1. Attendance was medium last night (43K) so I can't imagine how it is going to be tonight, sold-out Nomar Bobblehead Night.

  Anyway, once in the inner circle, they had OVERSOLD Preferred Lot G (behind the scoreboards) and were diverting angry motorists to other lots. Given that this was happening only 35 minutes after the game had started, on a mediocre attendance night, this was super-uncool. When airlines oversell seats, they at least offer compensation to those that have been bumped; shouldn't the legions of parking attendants at least usher the oversold preferred lot people to their ancillary destination? Exiting parking was relatively smooth, though I did notice that the parking on the residential area near Scott Avenue was a mess (Scott Gate was open, by the way). Overall, the parking has improved from my last experience (game 3), but is still at a discount to last year. Tonight should be another test of the system's limits; get there early.

At-Game Recap: April 22 vs. Pirates

New sponsors, new motifs.

Last night's hero before the game.

Dodger Dog! Teacher, mother, secret lover.

"Remember, Juan, keep your eyes on the ball!"

PIRATES 7, DODGERS 5

NOTES

With three Dodger errors in the first three innings, there was definitely a feeling of a hangover from last night's game. Brett Tomko valiantly tried to shrug off the Pirates' early cheapie runs, but crumbled in the sixth. Chad Billingsley's poor seventh (0.1 IP, 2 ER) sealed the loss.

Juan Pierre: Sometimes he's the man, sometimes he's not. Today he was not.

The Dodgers have homered in three consecutive games (Ethier, Martin, Saenz).

INSIGNIFICANTIA

• Attendance was about 46,000 and parking was a breeze. Late-inning rain helped to thin the crowd somewhat, but the Sunset lot was minimally occupied.
• Olmedo Saenz's at-bat music: "Panama" by Van Halen.
• Guess what the between-innings DodgerVision entertainment was after Juan Pierre muffed his catch? That's right, baseball bloopers! Strangely, Pierre's miscue was not included in the segment.
• Coca-Cola quiz question: How many Hall of Famers have played for both the Dodgers and the Pirates?
  (a) 0
  (b) 5
  (c) 3

photos by: me

Dodgers Home Opener, 4/9/07

Aside from the outcome of today's game, the home opener at Dodger Stadium was another wonderful day at the ballpark. Perfect blue skies, perfect 64-degree weather, and all the pomp and circumstance one would expect from Dodger Stadium on such a day. This was my sixth consecutive home opener and it was fun to see the new changes in store for fans this year.

First off, it's hard not to miss the large "team stores" in right and left fields, which are tent-like quasi-portable structures that extend from the bottom of the concourses out into the parking lot. They have also moved the field level concourse gates out to accommodate these stores (i.e., the tents are technically "inside" the stadium gates, and one can only enter the stores after passing through the turnstiles). It is nice to have auxiliary places to purchase Dodger stuff besides the Top of the Park store, but they really should have thought about air conditioning, as the left-field team store felt like a greenhouse inside. Perhaps Frank can utilize the interior spaces as nurseries in the offseason. I should also note that this shot settles which Dodger players will adorn the two largest walls in Dodger Stadium (the ones at the end of the concourses)--both walls are blank, and the wall beneath is in pretty hideous condition. Perhaps this is Ned Colletti's way of saying "no one is safe"?

I also happened to come across Nettie Berkson, who as mentioned here before was attending her 50th straight home opener. The CW network was interviewing Nettie as she was surrounded by family members from many generations.

But that wasn't my only celebrity! I also saw Frankie McCourt himself, as well as Ned Colletti (who stopped to take a picture with me in the concourse). When I tried to ask him about why we signed Juan Pierre though, Ned ran off screaming, so this was the only shot I got.

Dodger Stadium also has some new sponsors, notably Del Taco and Trader Joe's (New Era Caps sponsored batting practice, whatever the hell that gets them (given LA fans' penchant for showing up right at the first pitch)). Looking forward to replacing some of those tired Aflac retread ads with Del Taco Dan this year.

The stadium also had on display this cool vintage Dodgers ice cream truck. It was painted white with a retro Dodgers logo all over it, and it appeared to have been used at some point. People were taking pictures in front of it as if it was a museum piece (it did look rather nice). I too took a shot of this, but since I'm standing in front of it I can't upload it here anonymously. I'll have to try and catch a shot again later (if it's there beyond opening day).

Also of note are the new color screens along the outfield wall in right and left field. They replace the old orange-LED screens that used to s