Blogging Dodgers and Baseball

MLB & Dodgers Notes 8-19-08

2008-08-19T23:52:06Z

Hey everyone...

It's official

Greg Maddux joins the Dodgers. Ned Colleti had this to say...

"It's very rare that you get the opportunity to add a pitcher like Greg even one time, let alone twice," Colletti said in a club release.

Really ? Even let alone twice ? So why did you let him go in the first place ?

Not Joe's Fault

According to Wallace Matthews of Newsday, Joe Torre deserves apology from the Yankees. Matthews writes the following...

Last October, the Yankees made Joe Torre an offer he couldn't accept, the chance to be a lame duck in the shooting gallery known as Yankee Stadium.

They came with 6 million bucks in one hand and brass knuckles in the other. Torre walked away because he knew that, even at that kind of money, he wasn't going to be a manager, just a punching bag.

Can you imagine how hard and fast the fists would be flying in the Bronx today if Torre had accepted the deal, only to find himself 10 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays of all teams, and 5 1/2 games out of the wild-card race with fewer than 40 games to go?

For a guy dubbed Clueless Joe before his first day on the job, it was an incredibly shrewd and prescient move by Torre. -

I disagree that the Yankees need to apologize. They knew very well the way they treated him. I do agree Torre would of been a punching bag. Imagine if your only purpose is to win a World Series every single year ? It's impossible to win every year. The Yanks didn't treat him fair. I'm glad Torre is with us but I do believe we would of been ok with a younger manager that can fire up these young players.

Stamp This !

I noticed this last week. The U.S. Postal Service released a baseball theme stamps. Pretty cool. Nice to add to your collection. From the USPS site...

On July 16, 2008, in Washington, DC, the Postal Service™ issued a 42-cent Take Me Out to the Ball Game commemorative stamp. The stamp was designed by Richard Sheaff of Scottsdale, Arizona. This issuance commemorates the 100th anniversary of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," one of the most popular baseball songs of all time. For decades, the song's catchy chorus has been part of the musical tradition at ballparks around the country, especially during the seventh-inning stretch. The song was born on a New York City train in the summer of 1908, when passenger Jack Norworth (1879-1959), an actor, singer, and songwriter who had never attended a major league ball game, saw a sign about an upcoming game at the Polo Grounds. Suddenly inspired, he took out a piece of paper and began dashing off lines about a fictional fan.

Kemp Party

Matt Kemp hosted a party last week. You can check out the pictures by clicking here.

Video Time ! Troy from West Virginia is going to Philadelphia this weekend to catch the Dodgers. Just don't get arrested again Troy :)

Welcome Back Maddux

2008-08-19T04:04:25Z

Looks like the Dodgers are nearly close in getting Greg Maddux. I like the move. Starting 5 should be Chad Billingsley, Derek Lowe, Hiroki Kuroda, Clayton Kershaw and Maddux. Then the starting lineup should be Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Jeff Kent, Manny Ramirez, James Loney, Casey Blake, Russell Martin and Angel Berroa. If we can get Rafael Furcal back in September then put him on top and remove Berroa. Playoffs baby !!!! :) Old Nike ad featuring Maddux, Tom Glavine and Mark McGwire

Andre the Giant crushes Los Cerveceros

2008-08-18T06:41:49Z

We are heading all the way to the Championship ! :) Check out the video. Whoever recorded this, it was brilliant. Thanks.

Jeff Kent hates Vin Scully

2008-08-18T05:50:59Z

O.K. I might be over-reacting with the title. But reading T.J. Simers article of the L.A. Times made me laugh. Jeff Kent is mad at Vin Scully. What bugs Kent now ? Last season, he made stupid comments about the youth on the team. Saying things like "I don't know what it is, especially when you have a lot of young players" and "I don't know why they don't get it." He attacks the youth and now he attacks a senior citizen. Yeah, he blasted Vin Scully. Incredible. He is offended because Vin Scully says that he is on a hot streak because of the arrival of Manny Ramirez.

"Vin Scully talks too much," Kent says.

"I've been here four years and I have never seen Vin Scully down here in the clubhouse. How does Vin Scully know me? How does Vin Scully know Derek Lowe?"

"Everyone says I'm hitting now because some guy says so on TV?"

Well Jeff, stats don't lie. Your batting average has increased by more than 20 points in the past 10 days since hitting third. My suggestion is to just shut your mouth and play ball. You sound like a bitter old man that is not accepting the fact that this might be your last season. Relax Jeff. Take it easy.

The above picture was taken at Cal Poly Pomona back in 2005. Awesome guy believe it or not. Talked alot to the fans and signed autographs. Maybe he has 2 personalities ?

August 16, 2008 -90's Luncheon-

2008-08-18T04:40:03Z

August 16, 2008 - 90's Luncheon at Dodger Stadium.

I have alot to write. Mostly dissapointed stuff. But I will try to ignore it and tell you the positives things. Well...not one great player from the 1990's was able to come to this event ? Yeah wow, Matt Luke, Billy Ashley, Todd Zeile, Jim Gott, Tommy Lasorda, and Don Aase ? Yeah a "Aase" event it was. O.K. I had to write that first. Now to the positive things. Me and Liz arrived at 12:20 pm. We were instructed to park the car and walk towards the Lodge level. Upon arrival, I was excited. My mind was thinking "Karros, Piazza, Mondesi, Nomo, Hollandsworth..." All the Rookies of the year. Right away, I knew it was true from what I read and heard. This event was not going to be that great. I changed my mind set and just go along with the flow and enjoy it. Sat in a table and checked out the buffet. The food was pretty good. I didn't take pictures. Sorry. I'm not going to blog it like Andre Ethier! Anyways, ate food and then noticed a couple of players were already there. I noticed Gott was signing autographs so I decided to get up and take a picture with him. I told him I remember him pitching for the Dodgers. He was very nice. He talked alot and was a cool dude. He seemed happy being there. Later I got a item for him to sign. It's a Dodgers magazine edition of 1993. He said "Wow that's a long time ago" I said "Yeah it took me forever to find it in the garage" After I said that, I knew I blew it. He probably thought I meant it's junk. But what I meant was that I have alot of baseball magazines saved in the garage and I explained it to him. No harm. Sorry dude. Next up was Billy Ashley....

Do you remember Billy Ashley ? Well if you are old enough, you should remember him. I grew up watching the Dodgers in the 1990's. Players like Delino Deshields, Greg Gagne, Dave Hansen, Lenny Harris Darryl Strawberry, Eric Davis and the list goes on. Not exactly your 1927 Yankees. But I remember them. When I think about Billy Ashley, the first thing that pops out is a Baseball card that Upper Deck produced. It was from 1995. The first time I saw this, I noticed Erik Karros in the back smiling. I never understood why Upper Deck would produce this. Just weird. Another memory that I have of Ashley is that he was a top prospect in the Dodgers organization. He was the next big thing. Better than Mike Piazza. Check out his Minor League stats. Great stuff, huh ? Well it didn't work out. He just couldn't hit a breaking ball in the big leagues. While surfing articles on Ashley, I found this one. While I finished reading it, I noticed it was posted by I. Baly. I believe that's my brother from another mother. Not sure though. Next up is Todd Zeile....

Todd Zeile is the only player in history to hit a home run for 11 Major League teams. Wow. He played with so many teams that he never got the chance to stay for a while with a team. Finished his career with 253 bombs. I got a ball for him to sign. Thanks for coming Todd. Next, the old guy who almost fell from his chair....

Who else ? Tommy Lasorda. On camera, he is a funny guy huh ? But behind the scenes, this is a miserable man. He tells you the funniest stories and later he will tell you "Move it!" or "You got to be ready!" or "You already got an autograph!" I have a idea for Tommy. Well I guess it's an idea for the Dodgers. If it bothers him to sign autographs, then why come? Even the Dodgers employees are scared of him. One of them said "get your items ready, he is not in a good mood" I think I saw him in good mood back in the mid 90's. He was signing autographs at a West Covina mall. I don't remember him being so mean. He was nice. Then 2 years ago I saw him walking inside Dodger Stadium. I approached him and he looked scared. He thought I wanted a autograph. Plus with the mean face, I didn't bother. I just got a pix. Back to the luncheon. Well as far as the autographs go, I was able to obtain 5 autographs from Lasorda at this event. Don't ask me how I did it because I don't remember :) I got him to sign a Hall of Fame ball, a 1981 World Series program, a Bobblehead, a Los Angeles Times magazine from 1987, and a LP Record. Awesome. Check out the items...

Then the event started by Charley Steiner asking questions to the legends of the 90's. After some questions and the people almost falling asleep, a surprise came. My hero Josh Rawitch, brought my other hero, Vin Scully. It was incredible. Check out the pictures...

I think the Dodgers staff knew the fans were not happy about the "Legends" they brought in. So they decided to ask Scully if he can come in and say a few words. I might be wrong, but I believe that's what happened. Either way, it was cool seeing Scully and speak to us. He said something along the lines that he respects every player that has come up. He remembers only the "Sunny moments" from each player. Very nice. I have this on dvd. I took my camcorder. I should be able to post it on YouTube soon. Well the event ended around 3:30 pm. The staff let us watch the Dodgers practice. We sat on the lodge seats. Here are a couple of pictures of the Dodgers practicing.

Los Dominicanos Juntos..

On to the game. Dodgers were scheduled to play the Milwaukee Brewers. It was Fireworks night. Dodgers lost. It was a fun game but we lost. Some pictures...Meeting Chan Ho Park. Got his autograph on the ticket stub....

Beware of this dude...

That's about it. Peace !

Troncoso & Beimel

2008-08-15T21:56:14Z

August 15, 2008 Downey, Cali.

Ramon Troncoso and Joe Beimel.

Ramon Troncoso and Joe Beimel were scheduled to sign autographs at a AT&T Store in Downey at 12 pm. We arrived around 10:30 am. Only about 25 fans were in front of us. No big deal. I brought the 2 Joe Beimel bobbleheads that we got last Tuesday. Alot of fans brought that bobblehead. I also took a picture of Beimel and myself taken from last month's signing. The line moved quickly and got all the items signed. I got a pix with Ramon and my Wife with Joe. Thanks Ramon & Joe !

MLB & Dodgers Notes 8-15-08

2008-08-15T21:06:56Z

Dodgers swept the Phillies. Wow. Great 4 wins. It was about time we get on a little winning streak. Now we need to take this series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

MLB & Dodgers Notes 8-14-08

2008-08-14T16:18:13Z

Nomar !

Nomar delivers walk-off Home Run.

Beimel talks

Joe Beimel talks to am 570 (8-12-08) Great interview.

Church of McCourt

Alyssa blogs about a way to sign Manny Ramirez for next season. I don't think it works out. She writes the following....

How about this for an idea on how we can afford Manny next season? For every home game remaining, we should pass around a collection basket at the stadium. You know, like the collection baskets at church. We can call it the "Keep Manny In L.A. Fund."

Let's say the Dodgers average 48,000 fans for the remaining 20 home games, and everyone puts $10 into the "Keep Manny In L.A. Fund." That's $480,000 a game and $9.6 million total. Add that to the $50 million in other contracts that will come off the books, and you have 59.6 million. That means the McCourts only would have to come up with another $40.4 million to reach the $100 million contract Manny most likely is seeking. Piece of cake.

Well how about this for an idea Alyssa (Nice dreadlocks by the way) let Mr. McCourt pay the salary of Man-Ram. I agree that Manny changes the way Pitchers handle the other hitters. We need Manny. But at what cost ? We don't know what his motives are. What if he asks for 5 years ? I wouldn't give it to him. Remember, he is 36 years old. The maximum I would give is a 2 year contract. I see him playing for the New York Yankees in the next few years.

Video Time ! No More = One More ! Nomar does it ! What a win last night !

MLB & Dodgers Notes 8-13-08

2008-08-13T18:49:38Z

Was at the game last night. Great win. It was Joe Beimel Bobblehead night. The game didn't sell out. As a matter of fact, not one game that the Dodgers gave away a bobblehead this season sold out. I'm surprised. I remember in seasons past, these games would sell out. I like collecting these bobbleheads. They seem really cool. But I guess not everyone agrees. Check out these figures from last season and this year in which they gave away bobbleheads.

Year 2007

Date - Bobblehead Attendance

April 26 Nomar Garciaparra 56,000

July 6 Rafael Furcal 51,050

August 2 Russell Martin 56,000

Year 2008

Date - Bobblehead Attendance

April 25 Joe Torre 53,205

June 5 Takashi Saito 44,988

July 25 Brad Penny 47,313

August 12 Joe Beimel 47,586

Breakfast with the Dodgers

Check out the pictures here. Manny Ramirez, Clayton Kershaw, Andre Ethier, James Loney and more players showed up at the event with Big Boy of Power 106 fm.

Video Time ! 1986 Dodgers singing...

MLB & Dodgers Notes 8-12-08

2008-08-12T19:02:18Z

I was at the game last night. Pretty cool. The offense is coming along while the pitching is going south. I'm not sure if we want Jonathan Broxton to be closing games down the stretch. It might cost us the division. He needs to step it up. We sure do miss Takashi Saito. Check out this jersey that a fan was wearing at the game ! Cool dude...

Party with the Bison

Matt Kemp invites you to his party this Thursday after the game.

Video Time !

Manny being Tardy... I guess Manny forgot there is 9 innings in a game (From yesterday's game)

Dodgers Notes 8-11-08

2008-08-11T15:08:12Z

Dodgers vs Phillies

Dodgers start a 4 game series tonight vs the Philadelphia Phillies.

Meet Big Brox

Want to meet Jonathan Broxton ? You have 2 chances.

Friday August 15 @ Staples 12pm/1pm 8704 South Sepulveda Blvd, Westchester
Saturday August 16 @ AT@T 12pm/1pm 83 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena

I'm not going, but good luck if you are :)

Desayunar con los Doyers!

Win a Breakfast with the Dodgers, Big Boy (Big Boy is more like Skinny Boy!) and Liz of Power 106 (Here with Man-Ram last week)

Video Time !

Let's go Old Skool...Tommy Lasorda habla español

Marichal Gone Wild

2008-08-09T01:10:25Z

3 game series -Dodgers vs Giants-

Rock On !

Autographs: Jose Arredondo

2008-08-07T21:11:01Z

August 7, 2008 Murrieta, California

Jose Arredondo from San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic was signing autographs at a Dairy Queen at Murrieta. This is his first year in the Major Leagues. He has been impressive for the Angels. If Frankie Rodriguez leaves via free-agency this winter, the Angels might have their future closer in Arredondo. Check out his stats coming out of the Bullpen: 4 wins 0 Losses, 1.03 e.r.a. and 30 K's in 35 Innings. About the autograph, I got him to sign my Angels team mini-helmet. I was the 3rd person in line. He was scheduled to sign at 11:30 am. I showed up around 8:30 am. It was a good decision because when I left, lots of fans showed up. Jose was cool. I talked to him in spanish and he seemed surprised. Let's just say I think I was the only Hispanic there. He talked to me like if he knew me and said "Hola, como esta la familia?" (how is the family doing?) Nice dude.

Game 2 -Dodgers vs Cardinals-

2008-08-06T22:29:58Z

August 6, 2008

Tough lost last night. Hopefully we can win the next 2 and take the series.

Hot Links

Manny Ramirez is a tonic for L.A. ESPN gives a Red Sock to nearly all the Laundromats in L.A. county. Hey Manny, time to update your website. T.J. Simers of the L.A. Times has article of Juan being Juan. Is Manny cutting the dreads ? Manny may learn from Kobe. Brad Penny says he's ready to go.

Video Time ! Man-Ram speaks to Guillermo...

Juan Samuel & Big Joe

2008-08-06T21:14:09Z

August 6, 2008 Anaheim, California

Hey folks! What's up ? Today I met Juan Samuel. Remember hi m ? Well maybe the older fans will. He played 16 years in the Major Leagues. I remember him from the time he played for the Dodgers in the early 90's. His best season was 1984 when he played for the Philadelphia Phillies. 15 Bombs with 69 RBI's and 72 stolen bases ! 3 Time All-Star player. He currently is a 3rd base coach for the Baltimore Orioles. He signed a Baseball for me. I told him in spanish that I was a fan of his and I remember him from his playing days with the Dodgers. Nice guy. Thanks Juan. After meeting him, I saw Sports Radio talk show host Big Joe McDonnell. I've been listening to this dude since I was a little kid. I'm trying to remember....maybe since 1992 ! I have followed him all around the A.M. Dial....even on the FM Dial. Remember KMAX ? lol Wow, I go back listening to him. I always enjoyed listening to him. Check him out weekdays from 7/10 pm on 570 am. If you don't live around the L.A. area, you can listen to him live online. After that, I noticed Josh Rawitch from the "Inside the Dodgers" blog and Vice President of Public Relations. He was walking and I said "Hey you need to update the blog" He always updates the blog but yesterday he missed the starting lineup so I was just playing with him and he came up to me and shook my hand. I don't think he knew who I was at first. Then he goes "Oh it's you! The big baseball fan" Yeah that was me Josh. Nice seeing you. By the way, my Wife noticed you had a baseball and she believes it was autographed by Vin Scully. True ? Below are 2 pictures of Juan Samuel and Big Joe.... Peace !