You can thank the Dodgers for winning, and “Les Miserables” for existing, and my youngest son for waking me up at 5:45 a.m. For those three reasons, I put together this early morning stop-and-smell-the-roses post on the Dodgers for Los Angeles Magazine’s CityThink blog.
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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.
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Anonymous
Kid are great, ain’t they? :)
“One more day” is always better than “what might have been”.
Anonymous
Dodgers’ Win!
Jon – “Just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in.”
Anonymous
Since the Cards had already won by the 7th inning of the Dodger game, I consider last night an elimination game. They’ll have to win four more such elimination games just to get to the first round of the playoffs.
Still, stranger things have happened. And Baseball, bless their souls, has hit it out of the park with the extra wild card. I’m usually a traditionalist about these things, but I love the extra wild card for two reasons. 1) it allows mediocre teams like the Dodgers to be in the hunt until the penultimate day of the season. 2) It penalizes the first wild card team by forcing it into a one-game playoff just to get into the LDS. There’s real value in winning your division.
I’d like to see the divisions demolished altogether, with the top 3 teams reaching the playoffs, and teams 4-5 in the wild card playoff. The Angels and Rays both have better records than the Tigers, who have feasted on the Minnesotas, Clevelands, and Kansas Citys of the world. In the NL, it wouldn’t matter much, except that San Francisco would be battling Atlanta for the third guaranteed spot.
Anonymous
It also rewards the best record in the league, as you will face an opponent who more than likely will used their ace in the one game playoff. Which means you probably face him only once…at the most.
Anonymous
While I see your point from a Dodger point of view, how do you think the Braves feel about having to play a one game playoff when they have clearly demonstrated a better season long accomplishment? I could live with the extra round if it weren’t just one game.
Anonymous
That’s why I favor the top 3 regardless of division argument.
Anonymous
I could support that too.
Anonymous
I disagree. The mild card is another Selig scam to reward mediocrity. I would like to see a return to two divisions, with only the winners playing in the LCS.
Anonymous
Think how boring this season would have been without the extra wild card. All the races would have been over two weeks ago. And with just two division winners, only the Giants and Braves would have given Washington and Cincinnati any issues.
Anonymous
Think how exciting it will be when the Yanks and Orioles tie and have to play off for the division…oh, I forgot.
Anonymous
No worries.
Anonymous
What’s wrong with the “what ifs”? That’s part of what makes this such a maddening game. And I love it! By the way great slide by Adrian…here’s my hand tag me out!
Anonymous
Great Post, Jon!! I hope to read more.
KT
Nice to see us still alive and well…I think it can still happen…Have faith all
Go Reds
Anonymous
If the wildly improbable happens, it will be despite our rotation, not because of it.
Adam Luther
As I stare at my unused Home Game #2 Division Final ticket, I’m left with wondering who will win the Beltway Battle…
Anonymous
It has been such a roller coaster ride since the McCourts got involved.I’d like to think the Dodgers are building up some “fate” points that things will soon go their way.
Fredo's Dog
What happened? It seemed like just weeks ago that lead was insurmountable and they were cruising. With a handful of big money players added to the roster, everyone was sure that the division was all but wrapped up and the bitter rivals had been left in the dust. It was going to be a new golden age for the team. Now they won’t even see the playoffs. And at the hands of the Giants, no less. The hated Giants drove the final nail into the coffin. No more taunting, no more bragging, no more dreaming of the post-season. Because of the Giants.
Truly, that was a painful elimination.
Onlyatriple
Dzzert Ratt and I enjoyed the game last night at the Stadium, a thrilling game, fans really into it, and a loss to the Giants but not, somehow, a Joe Morgan-like crushing blow. I will say it is was sad to come home expecting to have Jon explain just what happened, to have him put it into perspective, to have him express the thoughts I would have about this game and this life if only I was smart enough and articulate enough, and remember that we’re on our own again.
Anonymous
Vinny said that’s baseball you win some you lose some. What a difference a day makes…from the penthouse to the basement.
Anonymous
Donnie’s inept management hit a new low last night. Did he miss the part where Ethier is the club’s slowest baserunner?
Magic and friends will only keep him around if they are determined to repeat the experience of the Yanks in Donnie’s era, over a dozen years without a pennant despite outspending entire divisions.
Anonymous
Ethier may not be the slowest, but Mattingly wasted A.J.’s AB by having him try to bunt over Ethier, instead of pinch-running Dee earlier. Dee could have been at second with nobody out.
raideralex
Agreed. Ever since reading the piece about one of the Dodger bloggers knowing more about Juan Rivera’s crudiness than his very own manager, I’ve thought it easy to find a better manager.
Maybe Donnie’s amazing at handling personalities, but winning (through better x’s and o’s) seems to take care of that too.
Anonymous
Donnie doesn’t strike me as “amazing at handling personalities”. He just has an obvious connection to prima donnas that have no pennants to show for cash outlays that could feed the average third world nation in a given year. He was exactly that for a decade and a half.
So, he rolls over and gives them a shoulder rub instead of being a Valentine-type that needs a shot of testoterone to not get out of bed and yell at kids for playing on his lawn. Great.
How about a manager that gets some focus out of the bats for more than the last few weeks of the season? How about a manager that actually has JUST ONE PENNANT IN FOUR DECADES OF BIG LEAGUE BALL.
Is that so much to ask with a club that has all of our expensive recent contracts and, hopefully, Puig in the mix by the ASB next year?
Anonymous
I have a feeling that this will be an interesting off season.
….
-Big Time Free Agents? – perhaps, so! (unlike previous years)
-Dodgers Owners setting their sights on AEG? (or AEG posturing to bring up the price?)
-Dead weight on the roster: Juan Uribe, Juan Rivera, Bobby Abreau, and others….
-2013 Come Backs?: Bills, Guerra, Lilly, et.al. (We’re rooting for you)
-Enigma: Hanley Ramirez – Not a great SS by any means. All starts with poor footwork. IMHO.
If I’m Donny/Ned, I’m aiming to test this guy’s commitment this off season
with regular workouts at Camelback. Remember Charles Johnson? the
C that didn’t want to work on his hitting? – LA said bye,bye. I’d take the
same approach with Hanley. It’s all about his attitude.
-Project: Dee Gordon – To me, this guy is the poster-child for “raw, but with a high talent ceiling”
This guy…. I’m getting him in a great winter ball league and following closely.
I would be grooming this guy to give Hanley a tremendous “push” at SS.
-Wild Card: Carl Crawford
-On the Hot Seat – Matty Kemp – We all know he’s got tremendous physical talent and a will to win.
But, injuries or not…. I saw the old “flailing at outside benders in
the dirt” Matty just a bit too much this year. A regression.
I think Matty knows what he has to do…. and, will return in 2013
“on fire”
-“Ok…So, who’s afraid of commitment?” – Does Luis Cruz get the gig at 3B? or does Ned go fishin’?
…..
And, most of all…. another year of Vinny! :-) (I’ll miss you for a few months here Vin)
……
Jon Weisman… How do we track you? Well, in terms of any future DT stuff, articles you write, etc.?
Jim Hitchcock
You can follow Jon on twitter. He listed it a post or two back.
Anonymous
I am so, so excited today (Why you may think, after yesterday).
I am at my parents place in Sydney and they have a game of the day on their digital channel. I saw on their program that it was a Dodger game (I thought it must have been a replay of yesterday).
I turned on the TV and heard for the first time “It’s time for Dodger Baseball” It sent chills up my spine. (Just saw Lasorda hug Mattingly in the dugout)
and I’ll get to hear Vin for a whole game !!!
Jim Hitchcock
And in Northern Nevada I’m stuck with Kruk & Kuiper. All and all, I’d rather be in Sydney (or Melbourne).
Anonymous
It’s very exciting :)
Anonymous
John, I’d personally like to thank you for being such an enthusiastic fan of the Dodgers from so far away. Good job.
And congratulations on getting to see the game today. I hope you get to see many, many more!
Anonymous
Many thanks for your kind words, I’ll be around a bit in the off season and I’ll be back next year
Anonymous
Let’s go, Giants!
Anonymous
Actually I’m rooting against the Giants — but that’s just me.
Jon Weisman
New post up top.