SoSG Road Trip: St. Louis (Part 3: Inside Busch Stadium, Before Everyone Else)

By this time, having hung out for about a half-hour on the field, we were advised by Jim Pool (our Cardinals staff friend) that the teams wouldn't start coming out for batting practice for another 30 minutes. So we decided to do a lap around Busch Stadium now, instead of just waiting there.

The aisle-seat detail was pretty cool.

Back into the tunnels we went, emerging behind third base in the field level concourse. The concourse was kind of dark, but that's probably because they hadn't turned on all the lights for the crowd just yet.

Build Your Own Fredbird workshop was closed.

I couldn't help myself; I had to go up to the fence and take pictures of the fans waiting to get into Busch Stadium.

This included taking a picture of a Dodgers fan that we met sitting on a park bench as we walked to Busch Stadium. He was cracking up to find us inside the Stadium already, and he waved to us.

The dark, abandoned concourse. Kind of eerie.

More Cardinals fans waiting on the outside. Wheee! We're in already!

Back on the concourse behind right-center field, the Cardinals' world championship titles are noted.

The view from center field.

Like the Royals, the Cardinals also have some fun areas for the kids in the back of the stadium. When we got back to this area, SoSG AC vaulted up a staircase to see what was on the next level, but I got stopped by a Cardinals employee asking if I needed help (really, she was asking what the heck I was doing back here). I showed her my media pass, and told her we were just taking a tour around the ballpark; she introduced herself as Rose and she said that this area was the part of the park that she managed, so she was happy to show us around. Sweet!

There's a lot of interactive activities back here, including a patio area for dining and a room with videogame consoles. She says it attracts a lot of families. Unfortunately, we wouldn't get much of a chance to walk around the stadium once the game began, so this was the only chance we had to see the area, unoccupied.

The kids' area pitching cage.

A little playground area for the little ones. Rose told me that there was a woman who comes here every game and brings her kids or grandkids, sits down in a corner and reads a book. "Why she has season tickets in the first place is a little bizarre," Rose said.

And here's Rose. Thanks for our mini-tour!

A golfcart even celebrates the 2006 title.

More locked out Cardinals fans. Okay, at this point I'm just being mean. Ha ha!

We kept walking, now turning to walk down the first base line, and guess what I saw:

Dammit! Fast beer, and I wasn't here to see it pour in person!

Luckily, there's a video of how the bottom-pouring, magnet-operated machine works:

Thank god for YouTube.

Onward we walked, until we found this scoreboard; it took a second before we realized that this was the old Busch Stadium scoreboard, which must have been frozen in time after the final game of the 2005 season. First is the American League:

Seven AL games, frozen in time.

Here's the NL scoreboard. For all eternity, we will be losing to the Padres in the fifth inning (in fact, we lost that game 3-1, and that year, the Padres went to the playoffs with an 82-80 record).

Our lap completed, we went back down to the field to see the players.

The red brick and inlaid detail from right behind home plate.

So the players hadn't really arrived yet, but first up was the Psycho himself, Steve Lyons. He stopped to wave hello:

Lyons, a brave man for wearing a tie in this heat.

The Cardinals employees congregated behind the plate, now numbering four people (including Jim Pool), asked me who that was. When I told him it was Lyons, one of the guys said, "Oh yeah, isn't that the guy who dropped his pants on the baseball field?" Years later, Lyons' legacy lives on.

Next to pass was Eric Collins, who was really, really fun with which to talk. We said hello to him and introduced him when he first passed by, but later on he came back to talk with us for around 10 minutes, and it was great.

He thought the name of our blog was hilarious. And then when I asked him about calling the games and what it was like this season (his third), the conversation went something like this:

Collins: Well you know, I only call ~40 games a year, but the Dodgers' record in those games isn't all that great.

Sax: Oh yeah, we know. In fact, in your first year, we called it "the Collins Curse."

Collins: Oh, I know.

Sax: (pause) Ah, you do?

Collins: (laughs) Yes.

Well, that was uncomfortable. But Collins laughed at it, and it was cool. I really appreciate the time he spent just to shoot the bull and make us feel at home (while on the road).

Behind home plate, pre-game.

And then, the players started coming out. First out was Josh Lindblom, who is a big guy.

Lindblom in the lead.

Lindblom started warming up with Clayton Kershaw (who also came over to talk with us and was totally polite and very welcoming, I might add. I didn't know if it was even possible to be even more of a Kershaw fan than I already was, but he made me even more fanatical and supportive).

Steve Lyons made a beeline over there too, as the players started to come out.

By this time, three kids had come down (they must have started letting fans in) and were asking the Dodgers for autographs. These kids were smart, armed with bats, balls, baseball cards, pictures, the whole nine.

Justin Sellers signs for some fans.

Javy Guerra re-emerges, while Jamey Carroll tries to describe how Busch Stadium can be a trap.

Dodgers start their throwing warmup drills.

Javy Guerra totally started playing to SoSG AC and me, which was funny.

"Check out all the ink on Justin!"

Dioner Navarro, right before the boom was lowered.

At this point, SoSG AC and I are giddy to be five feet from the Dodger players and on the field as they warmed up, joshed around, interacted with us a bit, and had fun. And then, suddenly, Jon Chapper of the Dodgers' PR department motioned us over toward him, waaaaay past where Jim Pool's sectioned off area was set.

We were going into the Busch Stadium dugout, to talk with Don Mattingly.

Stay tuned!

Earlier: Part 0, Quick Thoughts From The Cardinals Press Box; Part 1, Getting to St. Louis; Part 2, Press Pass Access Onto The Field

Dioner Is Served

As was mentioned in yesterday's GT, Dioner Navarro (and his .193 average) has been DFAd:

ST. LOUIS -- Dodgers manager Don Mattingly cited "philosophical differences" for the club's decision Tuesday to designate for assignment catcher Dioner Navarro and recall A.J. Ellis from Triple-A Albuquerque.

Of course, Navarro's .193 batting average was reason enough. But the Dodgers had grown increasingly frustrated with the former All-Star's reluctance to do extra work to improve his play. A number of pitches that got past him in Milwaukee and Colorado during this trip hastened the move.

"I didn't think he was the right guy for this team right now and what we're trying to do," said Mattingly. "He didn't fit in to that. Obviously, the performance under .200, but he didn't fit into my beliefs, the way you go about it and that means he didn't fit into Ned's beliefs also. Philosophical differences."

AJ Ellis, this is perhaps your best chance to impress. Though it does sound like Navarro left the bar rather low, from a work ethic perspective...

Post-Game 122 Thread: Batless

BREWERS 3, DODGERS 1

The Dodgers have scored only two runs in the first three games of this series, which unfortunately stretches to an uncommon fourth game tomorrow. And sure, you can cite the fact that Milwaukee is a crazy 47-15 and has won 18 of its last 21 as it tries to hold onto the NL Central lead (in front of sellout home crowds, no less). But when the Dodgers can't muster anything besides a Tony Gwynn HR (his first in over a year), it's a pretty pathetic offensive effort on their behalf as well.

With that Gwynn HR, he's only 36 SB and 39 HR short of the 40-40 club. Matt Kemp, who had neither a HR or SB tonight, must be jealous.

James Loney was 0-for-3 with 4 LOB, but Dioner Navarro surpassed that with 0-for-4 and 5 LOB (each had a K). Nathan Eovaldi had a decent 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K performance, but with a Dodgers offense that hasn't arrived yet on this roadtrip--three games in, no less--it wasn't nearly enough.

Comment Of The Moment: Post-Game Interview Play-By-Play From Josh S.

Justin Sellers: First HR = Pie In Face

Comment of the sweep moment comes from SoSG stalwart Josh S., who seamlessly worked in a Dioner Navarro dig (Navarro also had a HR today, but was strangely (or not so strangely) pie-less):

You could just tell [Sellers] was really jazzed. Then he got a pie in the face from Navarro (which you could tell from the bluish tint that it was Edge shave gel. There was no way Navarro would part with an actual pie.)

Then they showed a clip of his fiance crying after the homer. And to cap it all off he brought out his two-year-old daughter.

Man. (8/14/2011 4:22 PM)

photo: Stephen Dunn, Getty Images

Post-Game 117 Thread: Dodgers Strike Late (Not The First Time Though) To Win

DODGERS 1, ASTROS 0 (10)

The Dodgers took another solid start from Nathan Eovaldi (6.0 IP, 2 H, 4 Ks and 3 BB) and got a fortunate double play in the eighth inning to blank the Astros through nine innings. Unfortunately, Astros starter Bud Norris had also held the Dodgers down with 8 Ks over his 7.0 IP, but the Dodgers had the Astros, the NL's worst team, right where they wanted them.

Enter the bottom of the ninth, still scoreless, and Juan Rivera opens up the inning with a leadoff triple. Two IBBs later and we've got the bases loaded with none out, so it's all over, right? Except PH Tony Gwynn fans, Jamey Carroll forces out the runner at home, and Aaron Miles ground out to end the game. Hmm. That wasn't what we had planned...

So on to the tenth inning, still scoreless. Casey Blake hits another leadoff XBH, this time a double. Andre Ethier is intentionally walked, and then the Astros inexplicably decide to pitch to Matt Kemp (instead of walking the bases loaded again and pitching to non-hitting (0-for-19 on the season) Eugenio Velez, who had entered as a pinch-runner for Rivera after his triple). I mean, if you're gonna walk the bases loaded in the ninth by sidestepping the .199 Dioner Navarro (not an easy task, given Navarro's girth), why not reprise the move and pitch to the .0000000000000000 Velez?

But Kemp was their chosen target, and three pitches later, a light single to right field scored Blake and won the game, sending an announced attendance of 33.6K (probably more like 16K in the stadium) to post-game fireworks.

Post-Game 105 Thread: Upton, Grilled

DODGERS 9, DIAMONDBACKS 5

The Diamondbacks had been hanging tight with the Dodgers for most of this game, even after Matt Kemp hit his third-inning, three-run HR to give the Dodgers a 3-1 lead. The Snakes scored one in the top of the fourth, so we scored two in the bottom to make it 5-2. They worked it back to 5-4 by the top of the sixth off of a shaky Blake Hawksworth (Lilly lasted only five innings but got the win), and the Dodgers brought it back to 6-4 by the end of the sixth. (Kemp had the Dodgers' first five RBI. His HR tonight gives him 25 HR and 27 SB on the year, making him the fifth fastest in the National League ever to go 25-25.)

And then Arizona RF Justin Upton came to the plate in the seventh, with Vin Scully remarking at how much difficulty he has had at Dodger Stadium. BOOM! Upton hits a solo HR, narrowing the lead to 6-5, and Scully has to eat some crow, right?

Except Upton couldn't escape the end of the seventh inning without two huge defensive gaffes: an error off a totally catchable Tony Gwynn fly ball that became a ground-rule double when Upton approached the catch cavalierly, with only one hand up; and then a Jamey Carroll fly ball to mid-right-field with the not-so-fleet-of-foot Dioner Navarro on third. Upton caught the Carroll sac fly flat-footed, then sailed a throw halfway between third and home (Navarro scored easily). One more run from a Rafael Furcal RBI double, and it was 9-5 and this game was over.

Scully took note to politely criticize Upton on both defensive plays, at one point qualifying one criticism with "You know, I've never played baseball, BUT...". And Vin was (of course), right; Upton deserved the heat. (Upton popped out to James Loney to end the game, as well.) Upton, grilled. You know, I'm in love with an Upton, grilled.

Alas, the days where Christie Brinkley was hot and Billy Joel was married to her.

Post-Game 98 Thread: Rotund Navarro Makes Quite A Splash

DODGERS 1, GIANTS 0

I expected Clayton Kershaw (8.0 IP, 0 R, 12 Ks, 1 BB) to outduel Tim Lincecum (7.0 IP, 1 ER, 7 Ks, 4 BB). And I expected the Dodgers to waste opportunities like the eighth inning, where consecutive leadoff walks from the Giants' porous bullpen were followed by two Ks and a fly out.

But I didn't expect Dioner Navarro to hit a solo home run off of Lincecum into McCovey Cove in the seventh, scoring the game's only run. In a short 2:34 game, that was all we needed to keep some semblance of dignity and avoid the sweep. Dodgers climb to 13.5 GB and herald the Dave Hansen, Hitting Coach era in with gusto.

Post-Game 91 Thread: Dodgers Win, Give Buck And McCarver 26 Outs Of Broadcast Hell

DODGERS 1, PADRES 0

The Dodgers were pathetic and sad for most of this game, getting no-hit by the awful San Diego Padres through 26 outs. Lucky for them, Rubby De La Rosa, Matt Guerrier, Mike MacDougal, and Blake Hawksworth combined to hold the Padres to only one hit, wriggling out of threats along the way. Unlucky for Fox national broadcasters Joe Buck and Tim "Real Man" McCarver, they had to call a thoroughly awful game with an absent crowd, oppressive heat, and lacking offense (on both teams' behalf).

Enter .208 batter Juan Uribe as the 27th out and the only thing keeping the Padres from the 10th inning. But Padre pitcher Luke Gregerson serves up a double to left to Uribe. Hmm. So enter .171 batter Dioner Navarro as the 27th out and the only thing keeping the Padres from the 10th inning. But Dioner hits a walkoff single to the gap in right-center and THAT'S ALL SHE WROTE!

Dodgers win, keeping their lowly two hits until the very last at bats. Padres miss out on the opportunity to leave the Mets as the only team to have not thrown a no-hitter. Three in a row, baby!

photo from @Dodgers

Comment of the Moment: Guess Who's Cunning To Dioner

From Thursday night's GT, a hilarious comment from Josh S. following an improbable triple by a rotund third-string catcher batting .170:

Josh S. said...

Huh? Gameday says "Dioner Navarro triple" but it's not followed by "cheeseburger."

7/07/2011 8:56 PM

SoSG AC and I were at the game, saw the comment on the iPhone, and started passing the phone around for others around us to see. Much laughter ensued.

Post-Game 82 Thread: Starting The Second Half Limp

TWINS 1, DODGERS 0

Rubby De La Rosa went an admirable seven innings (take note, Ted Lilly!) and only gave up a single run (take note, Ted Lilly!), but that was more than enough for the Twins. Minnesota starter Scott Baker had 9 Ks on the day to hold the Dodgers in check; Andre Ethier was the worst offender, going 0-for-4 with 3 Ks. Even worse, however, is the fact that Juan Uribe (1-for-4), Marcus Thames (1-for-3), and Dioner Navarro (1-for-4) aggregated for 5 LOB and yet all three of them raised their batting averages. Criminy.

For a series that started with such a flourish, it's depressing (but not altogether surprising) to go down so meekly in the finale.

Post-Game 80 Thread: Dodgers All Over These Twins

DODGERS 15 FUCKING RUNS, TWINS ZEEEEEERO

Chad Billingsley did his best out there tonight, going six innings with 4 H, 0 ER, 4 Ks and 2 BBs, just trying to give the Dodgers' offense enough time to try and eke out a run or two.

Which they did in the first inning, when they scored twice off of an Andre Ethier reach-off-an-error, scoring Tony Gwynn. And again that inning, when Ethier scored after Matt Kemp doubled.

And again in the third, when James Loney singled to right to score Ethier.

And again two times in the fourth, both when Trent Oeltjen (who tonight almost became the first Australian-born Dodger to hit for the cycle) hit a solo HR, as well as when Casey Blake singled to score Gwynn a second time.

And again three separate times in the fifth, off of an AJ Ellis single (scoring Juan Uribe), a Dee Gordon single (scoring Oeltjen), and a wild pitch (scoring Ellis).

And again two times in the sixth, off a Uribe single (scoring Kemp) and a Oeltjen sac fly (scoring Loney).

And again twice in the seventh, off of solo shots from Blake and Kemp (his league-leading 22nd).

And again three times in the eighth, off of a Gordon double (scoring Oeltjen), a Gwynn single (scoring Ellis), and a Dioner Navarro sac fly (scoring Gordon).

Fifteen runs, fifteen separate scoring plays. 25 hits, tying a club record and setting a MLB-season high. And a shutout, thanks to Bills and company (including a pair of sweet defensive plays anchored by Dee Gordon (who did make one error as well), including a strike to nail Alexi Casilla at the plate, as well as an unconventional double play tag following a deflection off of Billingsley's glove (shoot, go check out the highlight, which is easier to watch than for me to try to explain)). On a day of disastrous Dodgers downers in the news, this was a nice capper. Thanks, boys.

Post-Game 77 Thread: Angels Beat Themselves, Dodgers

ANGELS 8, DODGERS 3

This one was weird at the beginning, than just frustrating (as usual) after that. The Angels ran into six outs on the basepaths (according to Vin, Dioner Navarro is the first catcher with two pickoffs and two caught stealings since the pickoff stat started being kept), while two Dodgers were thrown out at the plate.

Matt Kemp got the evening started off right with a home run with Andre Ethier on base. But Rubby De La Rosa couldn't make it stand up, allowing three homers and two more RBIs to dig a hole the Dodgers couldn't climb out of. Oh, and Marcus Thames came out of the game with a calf strain. Good, usual times!

UPDATE: Forgot to mention Angels catcher Jeff Mathis firing the ball to first base...as Tony Gwynn stole second. How did we lose this game?

Post-Game 76 Thread: Late Dinner Includes No Dessert

TIGERS 7, DODGERS 5

Dioner Navarro was up with two out in the ninth and rancho ardiendo, but the .184 hitter couldn't get the job done, flying out to ninth-inning defensive replacement CF Austin Jackson to end the game. We could blame "Dinner" for his lack of late-inning, late-afternoon heroics; we could also blame PH Casey Blake for coming up just prior to Navarro and promptly striking out on four pitches.

But the real blame for this loss should lie with Dodgers starter Ted Lilly, who gave up five runs (four of which derived from three HR) to the Tigers in the first three innings, lasting only 4.2 IP with 6 ER despite 8 Ks, as his early problems put the Dodgers back on their heels from the get-go.

James Loney went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI to keep his average rising (now at .274); Matt Kemp was 3-for-3 and Andre Ethier 2-for-5, each with one RBI. (Marcus Thames had the other RBI.) But the Dodgers drop the last game of the series and are now 3-6 on the homestand with three home games against the Angels starting Friday. What are the team's chances of getting back to .500 for our longest homestand of the year? Pretty please, with a cherry on top?

Post-Game 74 Thread: AKM (Another Kershaw Masterpiece)

DODGERS 4, TIGERS 0

If you liked Clayton Kershaw's 116-pitch, two-hit, ten-strikeout complete-game shutout against Florida on May 29 (a game in which he also had two hits and an RBI), well, uh, you'll like his performance tonight equally as well, if not a little more. Because he did it again.

Tonight Kershaw threw a 112-pitch, two-hit, 11-strikeout complete-game shutout against Detroit (a game in which he also had a hit and two insurance RBIs). Juan Uribe's first-inning home run and Dioner Navarro's RBI-double in the sixth accounted for the other runs.

But tonight basically it's all hail Kershaw, who proved his mettle against AL talent.

photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Comment of the Moment: Dioner Is Served

From Spank in yesterday's GT:

Dinner ran the bases as if there was a pot pie waiting for him at home plate. (6/19/2011 3:38 PM)

Soup's on!

Post-Game 73 Thread: An Aborted Father's Day Catch

DODGERS UNO, ASTROS 0

Humping it down from the Bay Area today was interesting; kids in the back seat watching movies on the iPad, wife and I in the front seat listening to the game streaming over the MLB AtBat11 app on my iPhone, racing against time to make it to the Stadium for the post-game Father's Day Catch. iPhone in the front seat! iPad in the back seat! Gotta make my mind up--which seat can I take?

Anyway, I think the fourth inning was starting over an hour past the first pitch, so I figured we'd be tracking nicely toward a 5p arrival at the Stadium. But suddenly, the game started picking up pace, due at least in part to the Dodgers' offensive ineptitude: seven batters in the entire fourth inning (top and bottom), six batters in the fifth inning, and seven batters in the sixth inning. Hiroki Kuroda faced a little bit of a challenge in the seventh inning, yielding a leadoff double to Chris Johnson, but Johnson couldn't even advance to third base before his side was retired.

The Dodgers got their one lucky stroke in the eighth inning, with an unlikely one-out solo HR from Dioner Navarro (who ended the game with a .175 batting average, after going 2-for-3 today for pete's sake). Vin Scully was so surprised, his call here of the HR says "A homerun by Dioner Navarro, of all people, and the Dodgers take a 1-0 lead." Navarro's HR didn't come in time to give Kuroda the win, which ended up going to Matt Guerrier (Javy Guerra pitched a perfect ninth for the save). Kuroda continues to get the short straw of low run support from this team. But the Dodgers IMPROVE to 1-5 on this homestand and avoid the sweep. Sigh.

Oh yeah, and about my Father's Day catch experience? We made it to the Stadium by 5p, right on schedule (the Dodgers' press release said the gates would be open for two hours after the conclusion of the game, which ended around 4p). But despite successfully negotiating our way past clueless Dodgers parking security guards (who seemed to be unaware of the catch altogether), we parked and made our way to the Stadium, only to find a queue stretching from the center-field gates all the way to the entrance of lot G, and not moving an inch forward. Clearly, there were capacity issues that would have prevented our family from getting on the field in any time less than an hour's wait, and with two young kids who had just endured five hours of carseat prison, that was too much to ask. No foam squishy Dodger baseballs this year for the Sax family, though to be truthful it was only the Dodgers apron that I coveted the most. Oh, well.

Happy father's day anyway, and congratulations to all who got in to enjoy it. And a big Happy Fathers Day to my father, too; and thanks for teaching me to always throw strikes, Dad.

PGT idea courtesy of Paul, in the GT

Post-Game 64 Thread: Dodger Bats Can't Beat Dodger Bullpen

ROCKIES 9, DODGERS 7

It was Offense-Defense day today at Coors Field, and the defense won. Or rather, the Dodgers defense--especially the relief pitching, assisted by coach Don Mattingly's repeated complacency--definitely lost today's game. The Dodgers were up 4-0 through five innings, three of the runs coming off of Matt Kemp (solo HR, 2-RBI triple). And then starter Clayton Kershaw had a shaky sixth inning and gave up three runs. So the Dodgers come back with three more runs and lead 7-3 after six and a half innings.

And then, the Dodgers' defense decided that it want to control the outcome of the game. 11 batters and four Dodgers pitchers later, the Rockies had scored five runs, most of the damage coming off the hapless pair of Scott Elbert (0.1 IP, 1 H, 2 ER) and Mike MacDougal (0.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB with the bases loaded). To be fair, Kershaw didn't do himself or the Dodgers' offense any favors when he exited with the bases loaded and none out. But when Josh Lindblom allowed the Rox an insurance run in the eighth, it was all but over.

Kemp struck out with one out and Andre Ethier on second base, spoiling his chance for the cycle as well as a game-tying HR. But we can't leave all the offensive responsibility to Kemp and Ethier, right? And if Juan Uribe, James Loney, Dioner Navarro, and Tony Gwynn combine to go 1-for-14 at the bottom of our lineup, the defense is bound to prevail in the end.

Post-Game 61 Thread: Dammit

PHILLIES 3, DODGERS 1

Dammit. After showing flashes of brilliance over the past three series--having won them all--I opted to put my money where my (mouth?) heart was, and bet on the Dodgers to win tonight's game against Cliff Lee as a starting pitcher. Sure enough, I was left hanging out to dry, despite a great effort from Ted Lilly (6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER). The Dodgers forgot to ship their offense out to Philadelphia, save for one pathetic run in the ninth after two leadoff singles led to only one converted run, when Rod Barajas and Marcus Thames (just back from the DL with a 0-for-4, 5 LOB night) did NOTHING to score another runner. I might has well have lit a flame to my $20 bill and watched it burn. Dammit.

Post-Game 58 Thread: WIMP In Cincinnati

Les Nessman, meet Less Scoring

REDS 2, DODGERS 1

Holding the Reds, the NL's second most prolific offense, to a mere two runs, is quite an accomplishment. Hiroki Kuroda battled through six innings and gave up six hits and two ER, both of which derived from a fifth-inning Scott Rolen single with the bases loaded.

Kuroda ended up taking the loss, however, since all the Dodgers could muster from their wimpy offense was a meek James Loney "sacrifice double play" (bases loaded, none out--and Loney flies out to left and the relay cutoff picks off Matt Kemp trying to advance to third; credit Loney with an RBI). Dioner Navarro, who is not batting his weight, promptly makes the third out and THAT, my friends, is how the Dodgers extinguish a rally.

Oh sure, the Dodgers sent .216 batter Rod Barajas to PH in the eighth inning, with Andre Ethier at second and Matt Kemp IBBd to first. Barajas, a pinch hitter. That's a laugher, not a rally.

After three straight games of seven runs or more, the Dodgers now have two straight games with an aggregate of one run. From James Loney, no less. Bad start to a ten-game road trip. But at least they got this loss out of the way early enough for me to enjoy the rest of my Friday evening.

At Game Recap: Dodgers vs Fish

I went to two games in the last two week, one with Sax and one with Mrs. Cora. Both were a blast and it was great to see the ballpark for the first time this year. Plus, I scored me a sweet Kershaw bobblehead. Sax already reviewed the bobblehead game, but I found some pictures from that game (iphone 4 quality) that I thought you would enjoy.

Fashion police! Ethier sports his own "name" Dodger jacket.

Kuroda with the K.

As for the Dodgers vs Marlins game, we got there early and got to meet Lee Lacy out at Autograph alley. What a nice guy. He took time to say everyone's name and especially took time out with the kids to take pictures and personally sign each item. Great job Lee! Garland had a solid game - man is he an innings eater and it was great to see Beard Mode back at third base. It was also neat to see De La Rosa for the first time. He has some serious heat and the radar gun was increasing with every inning. I think he hit 98 that last inning. One of the great moments was when Loney went deep and I guess the team gave him the mock cold shoulder when he returned to the dugout. After a while they all congratulated him, but the funny thing was that we could see Matt Kemp on the railing smiling and yelling "That's how we do it baby!" to Loney. Nice team chemistry. And of course there was the end of the game with Navarro coming in to scorch a line drive past SIX Marlin infielders. The dogpile at the end was great. It is kinda hard getting psyched up for this year's team, but these last two game renewed some of my passion for the Dodgers. Come on Blue, only 5.5 games back! Go Blue!

Lee Lacy taking time with the kids.

I think that was Man vs Wild adventure guy Bear Grylls with Miles before the game.

Emo Juan on the railing all by himself. Poor Juan.

DSB man is BACK!!!!

I've never seen this in person before. SIX infielders!

Navarro before the big hit. Wow what a game!