Welcome to Los Angeles, Manny Machado! #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/tPgopiPWv6
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 19, 2018
It's gratifying to see the front office do something after passing on Giancarlo Stanton and Yu "Bullet Dodged" Darvish during the offseason. And they still manage to stay under their precious luxury tax threshold. Now we have a better chance of losing to an AL team in the World Series!
graphic: ESPN.com
Hyun-Jin Ryu (6-2, 2.89) vs. Paul Mahollum (7-4, 3.68).
Is Puigmania, Brute 66's arrival in L.A., going to be bigger than Mannywood? If he keeps it up, we'll be happy to find out. Meanwhile, Ryu goes for win number seven and batters #2-8 are now known as Puigatory. Viva Puig!
I had not sat in Mannywood all year until NLCS Game 1. And the mood was CRAZED for most of the game, particularly when Manny Ramirez hit this two-run home run to bring the Dodgers back to a one-run game.
The Dodgers ended up losing the opening game of the NLCS 8-6, but this video from the crowd should give you an idea of how intense the atmosphere was at the Stadium for this game. Wow. Keep it up, Manny!
Earlier: Part 1
In what can only be ranked as the MOST anticipated part of tonight's game, the Delino has assumed his mild-mannered reporter alias and taken to the press booth.
And for those who care, this guy's also here tonight:
BREAKING NEWS - THE DANICA PATRICK "NO TEXT MESSAGING INFOMERICAL" JUST HAD A GLITCH
Well, that passed. Sorry - thought it was going to be a major scoop. Anyhoo, here's what's going on in the re-christened Man-E-Wood:Joe Torre Pre-Game Pow Wow (Official Name): Looking more tan than three days in St Louis would dictate, Joe Torre showed why only Pauly from GoodFellas had the moxie to portray him. In what can only be the quote of the year, Joe Torre assured the press that he's not taking the Dodgers' lofty record for granted. "I've done the ultimate blowing [against the Red Sox]! And that was only in one week." Torre went on to discuss the All-Star Game, where Shane Victorino broke the ice with President Obama by giving him macadamia nuts and sneakers. The questions eventually turned to a surprising topic: Manny. When asked if Manny might be a repeat offender, Torre explained, "I'm a trusting fellow." He defended Manny, explaining that even when your kids do something wrong, you still love them. I hope Joe Torre can take the time to talk with my (Dodger-hating) Mom, who still holds a grudge against me for "sabotaging" my Hebrew School Graduation.
BTW, I'm not sure who the Cossack-looking gentleman is in the picture, but he had the most fascinating insights into The Last Samurai. Apparently, he's still miffed that Edward Zwick did not contact him as a consultant, but found the Tom Cruise kimono dressing scene incredibly sexy.
Batting Practice: Manny was a monster out there. I swear that if it was night, he would have hit the moon. Casey Blake was batting for average, blooping and hitting the holes like a vet. And from the looks of it, Loretta was "hitting" for bench time.
I had planned to grab a couple of players for interviews, but didn't want to come off like this guy...
Ooo... they got free cookies. More to come from the booth and what has easily been one of my best experiences at a baseball game since ending my season-long slump in Little League (with one game left). Stay tuned.
photos by Delino DeShields/SoSG
Randy Wolf (4-3, 3.45) vs. Wandy Rodriguez (8-6, 2.96).
COMMENTS:
Welcome to Mannywood
Where Manny can be Manny and not be booed
Where if you just spend ninety-nine dollars you'll get a chance to holler
At Man-Ram in the field
And you get a T-shirt which is one of the features
Of this special deal
Welcome back, Mannywood
He would have been back sooner if he could
But as you know he did the crime so he did the time
And now he's feeling just fine
He hasn't got started, that's what the best part is
So welcome back, number ninety-nine
Hooray for Mannywood...
SoSG Delino DeShields is working the press box tonight, so stay tuned for updates!
photo from Diamond Notes
From "Mannywood will return too" by Bill Shaikin at the LA Times:
When Manny Ramirez returns to Dodger Stadium, so does Mannywood.The fans have spoken, the Dodgers say. They want their "Mannywood" T-shirts, and their special block of seats adjacent to left field.
When Ramirez was suspended May 7 for violating baseball's drug policy, the Dodgers withdrew the Mannywood promotion. He is scheduled to be reinstated July 3, and the Dodgers plan to reinstate Mannywood on July 16, in their first home game after his return.
"We decided to reopen Mannywood directly based on our fans' interest," Dodgers President Dennis Mannion said.
I don't know what methods the Dodgers use to gauge fan interest, but the team certainly seems confident Manny will be welcomed back with open arms. Maybe they suspected this all along, or maybe Manny's warm reception in Albuquerque was all the evidence they needed. In either case, it'll be business as usual starting July 16. Let's just hope it's business as usual with Manny's bat as well.
An unrelated tidbit in Shaikin's article caught my eye:
The Dodgers offered free parking for last week's series against the Oakland Athletics, and Mannion said walk-up sales increased by an average of 1,600 fans a game.
Based on announced figures, we calculated an average of 3,600 walkup sales per free-parking game. So the Dodgers average 2,000 walkups a game. Good to know.
photo by Mark J. Terrill/AP
Taken today, 9:00am in Downtown Los Angeles:
And the best part is the sponsor...
