Buy ‘The Catch: A novel’
What happens when three old friends in crisis fall into an unexpected love triangle? In The Catch, Maya, Henry and Daniel embark upon an emotional journey that forces them to confront unresolved pain, present-day traumas and powerful desires, leading them to question the very meaning of love and fulfillment. The Catch tells a tale of ordinary people seeking the extraordinary – or, if that’s asking too much, some damn peace of mind.
Buy ‘Brothers in Arms’
Commenting guidelines
Thank You For Not ...
1) using profanity or any euphemisms for profanity
2) personally attacking other commenters
3) baiting other commenters
4) arguing for the sake of arguing
5) discussing politics
6) using hyperbole when something less will suffice
7) using sarcasm in a way that can be misinterpreted negatively
8) making the same point over and over again
9) typing "no-hitter" or "perfect game" to describe either in progress
10) being annoyed by the existence of this list
11) commenting under the obvious influence
12) claiming your opinion isn't allowed when it's just being disagreed with
Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén
Anonymous
Yes, you can say that again. That was close to becoming a sickening disaster if not for that grab by Kemp. Huge relief the moment that ball settled into Kemp’s glove.
I can’t see Mattingly going to League again unless the Dodgers are up or down by @ 7 runs.
Anonymous
Agree on both points. If the Dodgers had found a way to lose that game, I truly believe it would have been the end of the season. I know it’s only one game, but managing to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory would have become a metaphor for this so-far horrendous season. It would have demonstrated that no matter how healthy the lineup, no matter how many runs they score, no matter how well the starter pitched and bullpen muddled through, some guy would find a way to !$%@# things up.
Instead, the equation was reversed. No matter how badly Brandon League pitched, the stars on this team found a way to untie victory from the tracks just before the oncoming train arrived. And somebody besides Puig drove in a run!
Anonymous
I believe it would not have been the end of the season esp. with Kershaw pitching the very next game.
All equations are reversible since it is an axiom of logic that if A=B then B=A. My point is something was reversed but not any equation.
Anonymous
True that. But equations don’t account for momentum, clutchiness, grit, and Jonathan Broxton’s lack of heart. You’re right that momentum is tomorrow’s starting pitcher, but I personally would have lost all hope had they lost last night, and I imagine guys on the team had to feel the same way. That’s why you saw Matt Kemp punch the wall after the catch. It was as if he was saying “I worked too hard to come back from the DL. There’s no way I’m going to let Brandon League $#@%!$# this up for us.”
Anonymous
Well said. That was a season-saving catch. If there’s any hope for this team, this stretch of games against the division has to be capitalized on.
Vail Beach
Some guy=Brandon League.
Anonymous
If the train is a coming, a loss last night no matter how gut wrenching, would not have mattered in the least.
Anonymous
Well said!
Anonymous
choice of 7 in your comment is just a rule 6 violation
Anonymous
I made a posting last week calling for ‘the fire sale’….
….
Boy, would I like for these guys to prove me wrong.
The 2013 season may just become a “late bloomer”… Better late than never.
4 in a row! – Keep it up, boys!
:-)
Anonymous
Rule 8 violation. . . blah blah blah Brandon League blah blah blah.
Rule 8 violation . . . blah blah blah Ned Colletti for signing League to 3-year deal blah blah
Vail Beach
Mattingly USING Brandon League is a Rule 8 violation.
foul tip
And provokes a lot of Rule #1 violations when he does it.
Anonymous
Perspective: As awful as the Dodgers have been so far, they have actually played .500 baseball since May 30, i.e. when Kemp went on the disabled list. They’re still 8 under for the year, but you have to walk before you can run.
Anonymous
UCLA turned opposing hitters into the May version of the Dodgers at the College World Series. In 5 games, opposing hitters were 1 for 30 against UCLA pitchers with runners in scoring position.
Steve Hall
Too bad the Dodgers didn’t draft UCLA’s pitchers. Instead, one is going to the Giants (the other, better one, is going to Cleveland).
Anonymous
I don’t think that either of UCLA’s top two starters are going to be that good in the pros. They don’t throw as hard as Cole and Bauer. They were very good college pitchers and executed their game plans for Omaha well. But I think that if you had them pitch in Coors Field or Great America, it would be a Matt Magill-like experience.
Steve Hall
Probably right . . . but they have to be better than Brandon League.
Anonymous
It was truly spectacular. One of those balls where just getting a glove on it would have been something. Skippy, who normally plays deeper, makes a routine catch out of that one?
Anonymous
Credit Kevin Kennedy for raising this point: the outfielders are playing for the win in that situation, so they were intentionally shallow, to prevent a bloop from tying the game. Schumaker wouldn’t have been playing much deeper than Kemp was, and I don’t know that he would have made the catch.
The brilliance of the catch wasn’t that Kemp had to run far or fast, but that the ball was directly over his head. Kemp did what good outfielders are supposed to do: put your head down and run to a spot, then look up. He slid/fell at the warning track to slow himself down, but he wasn’t in danger of crashing into the wall. But he never reached maximum velocity. Or Puigocity.
Anonymous
I guess the notion of playing for the tie at home isn’t operative in these situations?
Anonymous
Great catch–but anxiety provoking. A few yard deeper and Kemp might have crashed wall.
Jon Weisman
I might have missed it, but didn’t see much discussion of Jansen being unavailable Tuesday in part b/c he pitched in a 6-1 game Saturday.
Anonymous
I wondered about Mattingly’s use of Jansen on Saturday in a one-sided game. I checked and saw that he hadn’t pitched in a week. I guess Mattingly just wanted to give him some work, but it almost backfired because Jansen was unavailable last night after pitching June 22, June 23 and June 24.
KT
He pitched 3 days in a row 13 on Sat, 17 on Sun and 16 on Mon;
http://www.mikesciosciastragicillness.com/los-angeles-dodgers-bullpen-pitch-counts/
Anonymous
I don’t blame Mattingly in the least for getting Jansen some work in the 6-1 game on Saturday. Like scoop said, Jansen hadn’t pitched in a week – you don’t want your closer just gatherin dust for too long before getting him in a game to keep the machinery oiled.
KT
He was the only pitcher not used during that time period and then 3 straight days…it just works that way sometimes and I don’t blame Donny for that but the use of League…yes
Anonymous
It was worth waiting for! . . . I just saw “The Catch” (2013 Dodger version) after only hearing it last night. Truly spectacular . . . I second Matt’s slamming the wall with exhilaration! (Didn’t all of his current problems start from running into the Coors Field wall?)
Thanks for this link, Jon, but I HAD to also go to the Dodger site to hear Vinny.
Two further thoughts: great to see Matt scoring and making this catch without apparent concern for his hamstring. And isn’t it great how one can make such a difference defensively, as well as at the bat? (But let’s get the Return of the Bison at the plate as well!)
KT
Dodgers lineup:
Ellis 2B
Puig RF
Gonzalez 1B
Ramirez SS
Ethier CF
Ellis C
Uribe 3B
Schumaker LF
Kershaw P.
Adam Luther
Kemp?
KT
Power off the bench
Anonymous
Is Kemp hurt?
KT
no
KT
Hanley Ramirez @HanleyRamirez 5m
Ufff pic.twitter.com/YzqfmmA2Co
KT
Dylan Hernandez @dylanohernandez 33s
Don Mattingly confirmed this was a scheduled day off for Kemp.
Anonymous
That’ s a relief. (Not sure why it would be scheduled after only 1 day on)
KT
played a couple of rehab games in Alb. I think it’s been 3 straight days 4 counting DH day
Anonymous
Thanks, I didn’t think of it that way
Jon Weisman
NPUT