Star Wars Night at the Ballpark (MLB.com)
To be fair, maybe the Dodgers are donating some proceeds to their own charity, ThinkCure. But it's hard not to feel that asterisk, floating there like the Death Star, was added expressly to shame Frank McCourt.
Quick update, up till now I have raised almost $100. I have till the end of march to raise $3,000, so I’m starting to sweat. Then today, they dropped the gauntlet hard!Every game I go to, I always think, man I wish it was me as a kid getting to run out there and get an autograph from a Dodger, or now, man I can’t wait to have a kid to get to do that! But here it is, Chocolate in my Peanut Butter! If I can get $1,000 raised starting Wednesday, I get to do that! So I need my fellow Sons' help! I’m hitting up everyone I know, to hold on, but then donate starting Wednesday.
To prepare, I ran a 2-mile race this last weekend and placed 6th in my age group of 30-34.
Thanks for your help and I promise if I get to do this, I will videotape it and share it with everyone on here!
Geof's fundraising page is here.
Buried in the subconscious of the every amateur scorekeeper is the fantasy that someday, years into the future, a researcher will stumble across that mustard-stained scorecard from a Sunday afternoon in Arlington, and use it to construct the final, Rosebud-like paragraph of said scorekeeper’s biography.
And if you're put off by the the tools of traditional scorekeeping, P&P has an interview with someone who's changing all that. If Moleskine Made a Scorebook: The Bethany Heck Interview
I was a fat ass. A little over a year ago I tipped the scale at almost 400lbs. I lived in the All You Can Eat Pavilion at Dodger games and never found a food that wasn’t my friend. I had some health issues arise and I did something about it. I had a Gastric Bypass. I lost weight, but to make sure I didn’t have a enough loose skin to become a flying squirrel, I started running. Like Forrest, I ran every day.Now I have something to run for. Cancer has affected my family directly, three of my grandparents have died from cancer and the fourth survived breast cancer. This disease needs to die. We really need to find a way to cure this once and for all!
You can help Geof on his mission here. Good luck, Geof!
Dodgers mourn cherished employee (Dodgers.com)
Earlier:
Dodgers back their own against cancer (Dodgers.com)
Mother's Day at Dodger Stadium (SoSG)
1: Dodgers; 2: Mark Langill/Dodgers
Josh Rawitch: $1,150 (last year's winning bid: $1,520)
Josh Suchon: $1,215 (last year's winning bid: $1,010)
Auctions close today at 5 p.m. PT.
What's this all about? The Return of Josh vs. Josh (SoSG)
UPDATE:
The final tally:
Rawitch: $1,690
Suchon: $3,505
Congrats to both Joshes for beating last year's numbers, and congrats to Josh S. for winning this year's Battle of the Joshes!
It's that time of year: The ThinkCure! auctions are up! Click here to see what you can bid on.
Longtime readers will remember that last year, Josh Rawitch (Vice President, Communications) and Josh Suchon (DodgerTalk co-host) had competing auctions. The winner? Josh.
But now the other Josh can have his revenge. Check out their current auctions:
Dodger Experience: Be a Cub Sports Reporter with Josh Suchon!
From Rick Reilly at ESPN.com:
Here's a scoop for you. The Diamondbacks are flagrantly violating MLB rules. They're a pro team, and yet they're giving out full-ride scholarships. Been doing it for two years now!Not to their players. To their fans.
It's an idea D-backs CEO Derrick Hall came up with at one game when a season-ticket holder who'd lost everything, even her car, introduced herself. She told him a fan in her section had bought her two season tickets for the rest of the year, even picked her up every game and took her home. And Hall thought, "Why don't we do this for our fans?" So he asked fans to send in applications for scholarships. Soon, his e-mail in-box was swamped.
Reilly goes on to describe how Hall, formerly Senior Vice President of Communications for the Dodgers, is giving season tickets to deserving Diamondbacks fans. And when Rick Reilly decides to write a column about you, it's PR gold. Not that there isn't heartwarming stuff in there—Reilly has made a career of heartwarming—but can you imagine Frank McCourt after reading the article? "We force our players to donate millions to our very own charity and we get scooped by the Snakes? What does a team owner have to do to get some positive press around here?"
UPDATE:
And right on cue, we get this press release from the Dodgers:
With a focus on families, the Dodgers today announced new initiatives for the 2009 season that include lower-priced options at concession stands and a price freeze on parking, tickets and Dodger Dogs. [...]Among the new options available at concession stands are lower-priced options for Coca-Cola soft drinks and water, as well as beer for adults. Soft drinks will start at $3.75, down from $5; bottled water will start at $3.75, down from $5.75; and beer will start at $6, down from $8. In addition, there will be no increase in the price of the popular Dodger Dogs or any other food items from concession stands or vendors.
New in 2009 are "Dodgers All-Inclusives," packages providing everything from tickets to T-shirts and peanuts to parking. Packages providing value, savings and cost certainty start at $99 for a family of three.
In addition, the club is lowering the price of the popular All-You-Can-Eat Pavilion, presented by AM/PM, which gives families cost certainty for hot dogs, nachos and soda. The price will drop, from $35 per game to $25 per game, for 70 of the 81 home games.
FINALLY cheaper beer at Dodger Stadium! Although it's taken McCourt five years to get what Arte Moreno has always known, better late than never. Now how about bringing down that $15 parking fee by a little?
JOSH RAWITCH: $1,520 |
Congratulations to everyone involved!
Earlier: There Can Be Only One Josh
JOSH RAWITCH: |
This one's a lot closer than today's Dodgers game was, that's for sure.
Earlier: There Can Be Only One Josh
Ladies and gentlemen, it's the Clash of the Joshes! Rawitch vs. Suchon! Public relations vs. reportage & radio! In case you haven't been following this saga, the Dodgers' official charity, ThinkCure, is auctioning off various Dodger-related experiences as part of their recent radio/telethon. And you can bid to spend time with one of two fellas named Josh, who have a friendly wager:
Dodgers Vice President of Public Relations and Broadcasting Josh Rawitch |
KABC Dodger reporter/DodgerTalk co-host/Coca-Cola Trivia Quiz host Josh Suchon |
Let's get ready to...engage in a friendly competition that will raise money for cancer awareness and research!
ThinkCure Auction: Inside the Dodgers Great for aspiring sportswriters. Spend a day at the stadium with Josh Rawitch, the key behind-the-scenes link between the players and the press. See how game-day stats are assembled, how to handle questions from reporters on deadlines. Experience the fast-paced excitement of Major League Baseball from the inside. |
The lowdown from Rawitch himself:
Here are a few of the things I've mentioned that are part of my typical day, in addition to the interaction with numerous players on the team:- Meeting Joe Torre and taking part in his pregame media session
- Standing on the field at Dodger Stadium for the National Anthem
- A private tour of the stadium, including areas that the public tour doesn't go (underground batting cages, player's lounge, Dodger offices, press box, broadcast booths, DodgerVision booth...remember, as an employee, my badge allows you to goes places where "the other Josh" can't go!!) :)
- And of course, while I can't make any 100 percent guarantees, I'm going to quietly mention that just about every day of my job requires me to interact with all of the Dodger broadcasters, including Vin Scully, Jaime Jarrin, Rick Monday, Charley Steiner, Fernando Valenzuela, Pepe Yniguez and Steve Lyons. You might take note that the package to visit Vin in his booth is now over $3,000 while this one is still under $500.
UPDATE, THURS.:
- Your name in the daily notes that are distributed to the media for a one-of-a-kind souvenirAnd the latest...
After the game, my job includes opening the clubhouse to the media but there's a 10-minute cooling off period where really the only people allowed in that area are club employees and the actual team. So, if we win, it's a celebration that no fans ever get to see. If we lose, it tends to be a much more quiet atmosphere and while I can't promise a win, I can promise that you won't forget the experience.
UPDATE, FRI:
The latest thing that is included in the Inside the Dodgers package is a behind-the-scenes look at the Dodger archives, where you never know what you might find. Perhaps a photo with the World Series trophy or running into a Dodger legend from the team's history. No, we don't store them in the archives! But they're in the offices almost every day and we see them all the time, something "the other Josh" can't lay claim to.
ThinkCure Auction: Be a Cub Sports Reporter! Experience the excitement of covering baseball with 790 KABC's Dodger reporter, Josh Suchon. You'll be a cub sports reporter for the day, following Josh throughout Dodger Stadium including on the field and in the press box, meeting up with his sidekick Ken Levine as they prepare for the post-game DodgerTalk program. You'll get a first hand perspective on the game from experienced baseball reporters and enjoy the behind-the-scenes excitement of producing a sports program! |
The lowdown from Suchon himself:
Among the perks for the winner:* will be my contestant for the Coca-Cola Trivia Challenge on the field after the sixth inning
* gets to hang around my co-host Ken Levine, and ask him any question about what it was like writing Cheers
* gets to be part of pre-game media interview scrum with both managers
* access to both clubhouses before the game
* watch batting practice on the field
* watch the game from the press box with myself and ken
* eat in the media dining room (unlimited desserts)
* watch ken and i do "post game dodger talk" from the back of the press box (and as long as the person hasn't totally annoyed us, he/she will get to talk on the radio)
* meet Vin Scully, Charlie Steiner, Rick Monday, Jaime Jarrin, Fernando and any other broadcasters at that game. Hey, the auction item to meet Vin is at $3,000 and you'll get to do that as part of winning my auction.
There's probably more. But that's all I can [think of for] now.
JOSH RAWITCH: $440 |
Bidding ends Sunday, August 24, so there's still time to decide which Josh will reign supreme!
top photo by Alex Russell/fredericksburg.com
Derek Lowe (9-10, 4.11) vs. Dave Bush (7-9, 4.35).
COMMENTS: Life is better when your team is winning. Sleep is more restful, because your dreams aren't laced with thoughts of If only they hadn't GIDP with the bases loaded in the seventh! Reading the sports section is easier, because there aren't reminders of futility on every page. And writing Game Threads is simpler, because discussing how your team is winning is more fun than bitching about why they aren't.
In other words, conditions are ripe for the Dodgers to win six straight. Lowe is most effective at Dodger Stadium (2.83 home ERA vs. 5.88 road ERA), and Bush has a 6.19 road ERA . Russell Martin provided some much-needed insurance last night with his first home run in the past 28 games. Matt Kemp (.298/.348/.472) continues to develop into the stud we all hoped he would be. And Manny Ramirez (.423/.524/.769 in 14 games for the Dodgers) continues to be a good citizen.
P.S.: Speaking of which, the ThinkCure Radio/Telethon continues! In fact, bidding on their online auctions doesn't close until August 24, so you have plenty of time to search the couch cushions for spare change.
Chad Billingsley (11-9, 3.07) vs. Manny Parra (9-5, 4.02).
COMMENTS: First things first: The ThinkCure Radio/Telethon is today and tomorrow. Click on the picture or link to make a donation or bid on auction items.
Done? Good. Now you have only a few hours left to savor the Dodgers' four-game sweep of the Phillies, as the 18-games-over-.500 Brewers come in to town. Fortunately, the Dodgers dodge the one-two pitching combination of CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets, but tonight's left-handed starter Parra (the Brewers have A Manny of Their Own) has caused Joe Torre to start Juan Pierre over Andre Ethier. I have a feeling Ethier will see an at-bat or two before the game's over, though.
Strangely enough, this is Billingsley's first career start against the Brewers. Pitching at Dodger Stadium—even if it's no longer technically a pitcher's park—should allow Chadley to twirl an effective game against the Brewers. As usual, it'll be up to the bats to make a difference.
