Each week, I will be updating the most recent happenings concerning the ONLY BASEBALL TEAM IN L.A.!!!  Even Lamont will be doing that other team…

THIS WEEK:

[ Monday, March 31st, Dodgers 5, Giants 0 ]
Under a perfect SoCal sky on a perfect SoCal day, the boys in Blue slapped around the Hated Ones, and their “ace” Barry Zito.  Brad Penny went 6+ and the bullpen picked up where they left off last year.  Jeff Kent homered and Rafael Furcal had three hits.  More importantly, the middle of the infield didn’t hurt themselves.  One down… (Blake DeWitt/ 1-2, 2 BB, 1R)

[ Tuesday, Dodgers 3, Giants 2 ]
Walk-off wins are the best, but walk-off wins against the Giants are super fantastic!  In the bottom of the 9th, Furcal scored from second on a two-out, infield single to take the series.  Derek Lowe matched Penny and went 6+ scoreless, but got plunked by a line drive and was taken out.  He’s not expected to miss a start. (Andre Ethier/ 3-5, 1 2B)

[ Wednesday, Dodgers 1, Giants 2 ]
First, it was supposed to rain.  Then it didn’t.  Then it wasn’t supposed to.  Then it did.  Then it stopped, and at the end of a back asswards night, the Giants had fended off the sweep.  Esteban Loaiza ended up taking the loss, while the Dodger bats couldn’t capitalize on opportunities against the Giants’ Tim Lincecum. (James Loney/ 2-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB)

NEXT WEEK:
This weekend, the Dodgers will head down Interstate 5 to take on the Padres.  Hiroki Kudroa will start the opener against Justin Germano.

NOTES:
– Opening Day at Dodger Stadium is always an event, but this year was extra special.  With the club celebrating it’s 50th year in Los Angeles, all the Dodger greats stepped onto the field before the game.  Newcombe, Koufax, Erskine, Lasorda, and the rest.  The best moment of the day was when this years Dodger team, without being told to do so, walked out to shake hands and show respect for the past greats.  Moments like that remind me how lucky I am to be a fan of a team with history I can be proud of.

– Penny made almost 90 pitches in his 6+ innings on Monday.  I want to see more of that… Penny under 100 pitches.  Especially early in the year.  I’m tired of Penny’s game peaking at the All-Star festivities.

– Larry Bowa is f-ing crazy!  And I love it!  When was the last time you saw a coach or manager in a Blue jersey really let go of the handle?  Did Bowa’s tirade help the Dodgers win?  Maybe not, but it defiantly showed players and fans that this team has some fire.  That’s more than okay with me.  It’s actually really nice to see.  Could it be that those helmets squeeze Bowa’s head too much, therefore making him even more irritable than he already is?

– Side thought, with Bowa in the clubhouse and Mariano Duncan (usually in the 1st base box) waving Furcal home in the bottom of the 9th on Tuesday … would Bowa wave Furcal home in the same situation?

– Vin Scully quote o’ da week, concerning the pitcher musical chairs on Wednesday, “It’s a case of two managers trying to outsmart the weatherman.”