Spoiled in case anyone's recording the game...

Oh hell. I guess I deserved that.

But snidery aside, my point still stands. Can't blame a pitching collapse on lack of Manny.

On the bright side, the onus is off you for tonight's game. So go and enjoy yourself. Have a Dodger Dog.

Speaking of "Dodger Dogs"

When the Nat's built their new stadium they included a couple of "Taste the Majors" food stands.

The concept was that they would bring in food from other major league teams such as official Dodger Dogs. However the Dodgers, and other teams, refused to sell them the various items.

Too bad, it would have been fun.

Perhaps, but I think it may also be a recognition that the famous stadium foods aren't really all that good and rely heavily on the very specific mob psychology of the individual park (admittedly, I've never had a Dodger dog but have had the "really, this is what people talk so much about?" experience at many stadiums.)

It's kind of like everybody loves their own team's radio announcer (everybody is hyperbole) but finds everybody else's subpar.

I have never had food at any professional or collegiate sports stadium or arena that was anything above the "doesn't suck too horribly" level. This is with the exception of a TGI Fridays restaurant that is in Chase Field. And really, that wasn't that good either.

That's my point, stadium food is generally only good (though though the Ichiroll sushi at Safeco was decent enough) when you've formed a close emotional association of the food with the team your supporting.

I have to have a certain type of nachos almost every time I go to an A's game. They're awful but they're tradition. Offer them to me at Wrigley and I wouldn't be interested.

I'll grant it on the Dodger Dogs (even I honestly only enjoy them out of tradition), but Vin Scully is the exception to the announcer rule. I can't say I've ever heard anyone say, "Eh, Vin Scully's not all that."

I've never understood the attraction of him. But a large part of that may very well be that I can honestly say I almost never care a lick about what he's speaking of. No matter how well you say it, that deflates the presentation.

By no means am I saying he's bad, though. But him, talking about the Dodgers, does absolutely nothing for me. And if he were to suddenly switch to working the A's I'm sure eventually I'd love him too (though since Bill King died I am just now finally coming around to Ken Korach as the lead and I still haven't taken to Vince Contronio).

Wow, that was an abysmal game for Rafael Furcal. Defensively and offensively he was uncharacteristically sloppy.