The past few weeks of Dodger baseball have made me feel like a kid again.
Each year, the contract holdouts, stadium name swaps and overall “business” of sport has embittered me as a true, die-hard fan. I root, of course, but I’ve come a long way from crying after my team lost.
That’s how I felt after Monday’s debacle. I felt like crying as if Mom turned off the Raffi tape and said it was bedtime. Adult that I am now, I drowned my sorrows in a cheep bottle of whiskey, but that’s neither here nor there. The point is I really like it. I enjoy caring this much.
I enjoyed jumping up and down after we swept the Cubs, and if I’m any sort of realist, I should have known that sweet was going to be immediately followed by sour. This, the 20-year anniversary of the last great moment in Dodger history (Gibson’s home run) It’s fitting that I sit here hoping for a miracle. Hoping so hard that I just almost spilled my tippy cup of apple juice.
So, join me fellow Boys (and girls) in Blue as we enjoy this blind optimism. It’s been a memorable season, and it’s not over yet, because, IT’S TIME FOR DODGER BASEBALL!
Top 1st
The stands are nearly empty. This is Dodger baseball… oh that’s not good. Jimmy Rollins battles to a full count, and then takes Billingsley deep for his second lead off home run in these playoffs. I think that like Rafael Furcal for L.A., J-Roll is the most important hitter for Philly. It’s obvious the homer rattled Billingsley as he walks J.Werth… HUGE double play, but Young Furc looks hobbled. That play could be even bigger in retrospect. 1-0 Phillies
Bot 1st
Two quick outs and a walk to Manny. That can’t happen again if we want to win this game… side note: looks like the strike zone is extra big tonight. Billingsley needs to take advantage of that. 1-0 Philly
Top 2nd
Billingsley is doing exactly that, working both sides of the plate and striking out Burrell and Victorino. The kid working back after the lead off homer is a great sign. 1-0
Bot 2nd
Hamels definitely doesn’t have his best stuff tonight. He’s missing high, but we need to be patient to take advantage. This Dodger team seems to play better when it takes the laid back attitude, instead of the pressing, nervous, urgent attitude. That’s probobly why Joe Torre gave the guys a day off yesterday… Speaking of patience, Blake DeWitt shows none as he goes after the first pitch and grounds into the inning ending double play with two men on. 1-0 Philly
Top 3rd
J-Roll has decided to show up to the NLCS. After drawing a walk with another solid at bat, he swipes second with a beautiful wide slide head first into the bag. Chase “Lil’ Rabbit” Utley (who obviously just said to umpire Mike Weathers that he is in fact not from Pasadena “I was just born there, I’m from Long Beach”) also draws a walk and Ryan Howard comes up with two on and two out… And all of a sudden, the two quietest Phillie bats (Howard and J-Roll) have arrived, and Howard knocks in his first RBI of the series. It’s a good pitch from Billingsley, but a better piece of hitting… Burrell follows with another RBI hit. These aren’t meatballs, but if Philly continues to touch Billingsley, I think Torre should go to Maddux… And that’s it for the kid. I hate to be a pessimist, but back-to-back blow ups in the playoffs could hang with a young pitcher for awhile. The third inning will never feel the same for Billingsley… Chan Ho Park comes in and takes care of Feliz. 3-0 Philly
Bot 3rd
Hamels has settled in nicely, and his fastball looks more electric with each batter. But still, I think swinging at first pitches and chasing bad balls has only helped him find his rhythm. A quick 1-2-3 with a strikeout of Andre Ethier. 3-0
Top 4th
Maddux takes the bump, and looks like vintage Maddux. I especially like that the crowd gets up for the two strike count on J-Roll. Forget the score, we’re playing for our season. Leave it all on the field, and in the stands. 3-0
Bot 4th
Man Ram rolls out to third and Joe Buck immediately starts talking about next year and whether the Dodgers will resign #99. Let me go on the record here. Frank McCourt has said since he got here that his number one priority is winning. All of his moves (Torre, Colletii) have been an effort to prove that goal to fans and investors…. well here you go Frank. Pony up, sign Manny, and ride the wave. Not signing him will hurt the franchise more than signing him and having his numbers dip as he grows older… Meanwhile, three up, three down. 3-0 Philly
Top 5th
Maddux starts to labor, and Howard makes him pay with a single on a hanging breaking ball… Furcal boots a hard hit ball from Burrell and Utley comes around to score. There’s that urgancy. Young Furc wanted to turn two and get out of the inning, instead of playing for the sure out… And it’s all falling apart, and it’s all on Furcal. At the plate, he’s the catalist we’ve been missing (except in game two) and in the field he is turing into an error machine. I can’t help but wonder if a healthy Furcal makes that play? Phillies get two unearned runs, 5-0
Bot 5th
Haha, there’s Tommy Lasorda whipping that towel around and leading the cheers. How can anyone not like that guy? He’s everything I would want my manager/boss to be. He demands greatness, and he’ll be your cheerleader… No coincidence, the Dodger bats wake up as Blake and Kemp single… Oh DeWitt, what the hell are you doing!?! He’s just beating that ball into the ground. The inexperience (Billingsley and DeWitt) is showing it’s ugly side when we need it’s momentum the most. 5-0
Top 6th
Long Beach Poly alumni James McDonald and Chase Utley meet with two outs, and McDonald retains his “Long Beach bragging rights” when he strikes out Utley with a fastball up and away. Check out the story in the New York Times that we have linked here on LBPostSports.com about McDonald, Utley, and the Poly connection. McDonald puts another 1-2-3 inning under his belt. The kid has looked great this series. Still 5-0 Philly
Bot 6th
Furcal swings at the first pitch.. AGAIN!!! I don’t know what else to say… Except that Man Ram is the f-in dude! I’ve never seen anyone hit the ball like this, and he does it again with an opposite field homer. Unheard of. I don’t care what it takes McCourt, resign this guy. Mortgage the house. Ask Villaraigosa for a loan. I don’t care. Just man up, and make it happen. This guy carried us to the playoffs, and if guys could get on base in front of him, he might just take us to the big show. 5-1 Philly
Top 7th
McDonald continues to pitch well, and even though Husstle Martin tries to throw another error into right field, he gets out of trouble with two on. We’re still in slam range. Let’s go! 5-1
Bot 7th
With two more big catches, one on the warning track, I want to hate Shane Victorino so badly. He’s such a rally killer, and he seems to be involved in every big play. Damn that Flyin’ Hawaiian. Why can’t he just be a jerk?… Back to back walks to Kemp and Nomar, and here comes Kent. Hey Jeff, want to do something memorable (other than fighting with teammates) in your last season? Here’s your chance… Srtike three almost in the dirt. Well, I don’t think that call could have been any worse. That low strike was the same crappy strike call on Husstle last inning. At least Weathers is consistant, I guess. It stays 5-1
Top 8th
Beimel and Wade come in and go 1-2-3. Time is running out, but that’s the beauty of baseball. There is no time. No clock. No countdown. It’s not over till all 27 outs are recorded. I swear, if Furc swings at the first pitch, I might throw something. 5-1 Philly
Bot 8th
Okay, the second pitch. He’s getting better. Great catch by the Jackrabbit at second… Manny gets another hit with the bases empty. He’s over .500 for the series. What a waste. 5-1
9th Inning
Kuo gives up a single to Howard (that guy sure woke up in a hurry) but gets out of the inning… A shock to no one, FOX leads the bottom of the 9th with another replay of Gibson’s ’88 home run. I still get chills… It only makes sense that the Flyin’ Hawaiian would be right there for the first two outs of this final inning. Seriously. Really want to hate that guy… Nomar pops up, and that’s it. Final score: Phillies 5, Dodgers 1
I don’t know if we got beat by the better team. But to be honest, I don’t think it matters. I always laugh when I hear players say, “it’s our time.” It seems silly. But watching this Dodger team play deep into October has me thinking… maybe this just isn’t our time. Like the NFL, where recently it seems like every Super Bowl champ has lost in the AFC/NFC championship before winning the big one… maybe the young Boys in Blue needed to learn from this series. I will say this: We start the season with the line up we finished the season with, and this series goes differently. I’m lookin’ at you McCourt. Bring this team back. They’re something special, and so were these last few months as a Dodger fan.