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Ghoulish Delight
08-14-2006, 02:18 PM
Rather than digging up the old Dodger thread, which hasn't seen action since day one of the season, I thought now would be a good time to start a new one. With the exception of the NL east, every race is an interesting one right now, eh? This (http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/9599976) is a really good rundown of how crazy some of the divisions have been, with team after team oscillating between red-hot streaks and ice-cold streaks.

Of course, the real reason I'm starting this thread is the Dodgers. Hottest team in baseball right now, they've won 15 of their last 16, after losing 13 of 14. Last to first in 10 days. Ditched a young gold-glove allstar in return for a future Hall of Famer in his twilight. Rookies getting the job done in spades. A pitching staff without a dominant ace that's pulled together some solid performances. A bullpen that was greatly improved simply by removing one member (Baez). Nutty.

I wasn't big on the Maddux acquisition. And I'm still convinced that giving up Izzy was a bad long term decission. But Mad Dog's certainly doing his best to make the case that he's gonna be an asset for this season at least.

On a whim, shocked to find tickets still available, we went to yesterday's game. Not a bad choice of game for my only one this season! Maddux was, well, Maddux. 8 innings, 22 batters out in a row after 2 1st inning singles, a spectacular catch of a Bonds line drive, and only 68 pitches. 8 innings, 68 pitches. Most Dodgers starters have been lucky to make it out of the 3rd with 68 pitches. And a 10th inning walk off by Martin was a nice treat.

Even got a good view of Bonds flashing the leather (took 2 runs away from the Dodgers with that pla :mad: ). Since we bought our tics day-of, we had...unique seats (left field Reserve deck, absolute last seats before the bullpen. Great view of Maddux and the relievers warming up).


Damn, what an exciting game. Alwasy is when the Giants are in town. Now, if only San Diego would get off the Dodgers' tail. It's never a good sign when the Pads are hanging around.

mousepod
08-14-2006, 02:23 PM
Baseball? Is that what they're calling it? Here in San Francisco they're using other words lately. It's times like this that I really miss living in NYC...

Congrats on your Dodgers, GD (grumble, grumble)

Ghoulish Delight
08-14-2006, 02:54 PM
Congrats on your Dodgers, GD (grumble, grumble)Considering that not 3 weeks ago, the Dodgers were exactly where the Giants are now, I'm not celebrating squat yet...

Alex
08-14-2006, 03:07 PM
Baseball? Is that what they're calling it? Here in San Francisco they're using other words lately. It's times like this that I really miss living in NYC...

Well, all you San Francisco people would be able to feel good about baseball if you'd just remember that God intended the good baseball to be played on the other end of the Bay Bridge.

Of course, since we didn't buy any kind of ticket package this year, the A's will probably advance far into the playoffs.

Kevy Baby
08-15-2006, 11:07 AM
Was lucky enough to score Dodger tix from a vendor about 15 rows behind the 1st base dugout. It was a D-Backs game right before the 1-13 skid. Had four tix and the boss backed out at the last second, so my father-in-law and I had two unused prime seats. Other than having a little extra elbow room, I hated the waste.

My optimism on the Dodgers is guarded to say the least.

SacTown Chronic
08-15-2006, 11:14 AM
I'll admit to being thisclose to giving up on the Dodgers' season after the all-star break. But suddenly, a shaky team looks deep and confident and I can go back to dreaming about an A's/Dodgers World Series.


Oh, and being a Dodger fan in Giants country while the Dodgers are steaking and the Giants SUCK is almost as much fun as midget triplets on a Friday night.

Kevy Baby
08-15-2006, 11:17 AM
...and I can go back to dreaming about an A's/Dodgers World Series.Don't you mean an ANGEL'S/Dodgers World Series?

:p

Prudence
08-15-2006, 11:30 AM
It's easier when your team just sucks all the time. No wasted optimism.

Kevy Baby
08-15-2006, 11:31 AM
It's easier when your team just sucks all the time. No wasted optimism.So, I have to ask: which team is the bane of your existence?

SacTown Chronic
08-15-2006, 11:32 AM
Seattle probably. They are sucktastic!

Alex
08-15-2006, 11:42 AM
Yeah, but they haven't sucked all of the time. It must be made worse by the fact that just a few years ago they were setting records for wins.

I switched primary allegiance from the M's to the A's when I moved to Oakland (it is always better to root for the team you can actually watch) but it is still shocking to me that a team that simultaneously had Griffey, Rodriquez, Johnson, and Martinez while being coached by Piniella never accomplished much.

Alex
08-15-2006, 11:48 AM
Oh, and the Mariners really aren't that bad this year. The current record of teh Athletics is 66-52 while the Mariners are 56-62. If you remove the games between the A's and the M's the respective records are 53-51 and 55-49.

Unfortunately the Mariners have been the victims of a statistical fluke. They are a better than .500 team that has gone 1-13 against the Athletics this year.

Prudence
08-15-2006, 01:23 PM
No, the Ms suck. Even when they win a gazmillion games they still can't make it to the World Series. There's always some excuse.

SacTown Chronic
08-16-2006, 10:06 PM
A's beat the M's again. Downright freaky, I tells ya.

Ghoulish Delight
08-16-2006, 10:13 PM
And so the historic run ends. Best stretch of 18 games in Dodger history...preceeded by one of the worst stetches and followed by an ugly loss.

I'd say it's time to give up on Hendrichson...but the alternative is Sele *shudder*

Prudence
08-16-2006, 10:18 PM
A's beat the M's again. Downright freaky, I tells ya.

Because the Ms suck. Still.

SacTown Chronic
08-17-2006, 08:54 PM
Until today, the Mets single-season record holder for road home runs was held by Howard Johnson.


Howard Johnson, excelling on the road.

Kevy Baby
08-17-2006, 09:27 PM
Howard Johnson's right!




(Blazing Saddles reference)

Prudence
08-19-2006, 09:02 PM
Okay, so here's the thing about Seattle baseball. We're okay not winning. We're okay being mediocre. But only so long as we feel like we know the players. We don't like to get attached to players when there's a revolving door. And we understand that keeping players that we like might mean compromising on success.

What's not okay is to have a revolving door of losers. If they're no-name people here for a pit stop on their way to a successful team, and if we continue not being that successful team, that's not okay.

So they trade Moyer. I understand why. I know he hasn't been winning and he's really getting up there in years to stay on the field. And for all I know they tried to do right by him by offering a coaching gig and he turned them down. But geeze louise, it's *JAIME MOYER*. You know, the guy we've loved for years. The guy in the commercials. As in Jaime Moyer Foundation.

And to the PHILLIES? Maybe you could give him a swirly on his way out of the clubhouse, too.

Choose. Either spend the cash to give us winning players a la Boston/New York and we'll align ourselves to the team name, no matter the players -- or give us players we can get attached to. Don't give us names we don't recognize who lose just the same.