As if I needed another omen to a great upcoming Dodger season, Dodgers had a float in the Pasadena Rose Bowl parade this morning. I know I said this before, but this is going to be a great Dodger season and I can feel the magic. This magic hasn't been felt since 1988 if you are all catching my drift.
Happy New Years everyone!
Photo courtesy of KevinKeefer
Denise and I were lucky enough to get tickets the record breaking 50th anniversery at the LA Coliseum. To convey the scale, Dodgers stadium holds about 60,000 people and when that place is packed the energy is amazing. LA Coliseum holds 100,000+ people and when we went it was packed. The energy and excitement was absolutely through the roof.
The public transportation to and fro the game was beyond screwed up. The line for the shuttle from Dodger stadium to Coliseum was 2 maybe 3+ hours long. It was insane. There was simply not enough organization or enough buses to shuttle people to and fro. When will Dodgers Stadium realize that people want to be able to take public transportation to the games? With parking at $15 and record gas prices this really isn't a new insight.
That being said, the game itself was fun. To see the Dodgers play in the Coliseum and have that many baseball fans packed into one small space is unforgettable. Denise got to see her boyfriend catch and hit. So all and all, it was an awesome experience that will never be forgotten.
PS: I am a huge freaking Larry Bowa fan now.
Thanks to jdunphy for my Dodger blue 42 on the back of my chair to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day.
When I roll to a Dodgers game, I like to call specific players out with tag lines or nick names that I have made up through the years. Here's a small list of players and their respective tag lines / nick names.
Johnny Broxton - Gigantor (Courtesy of Denise)
Takashi Saito - Game Over 2.0 / Un-Gagne / Gagne-not-on-juice
Chad Billingsly - The One Man Team
Jason Schmidt - Gagne
Chin-lung Hu - "HHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUU"
Rafael Furcal - "I have your bobblehead!"
Blake DeWitt - Kid (You know you are old when you start calling other people kids)
Larry Bowa - "Don't fuck with Larry Bowa"
Shawn Green - "BOOOOO DOUCHE!"
Jim Tracy - "Jim Tracy I LOVE YOU!"
The Dodgers are getting a shuttle from Union Station to Dodgers Stadium!. It has been awhile but I am tired of paying $15 to park. I am going to attend more games because of this. I will actually contemplate getting some sort of season pass if this holds true for next season.
On Friday night I combined several things that I loved into one evening. I rolled to Old Town Pasadena and got some beer and food before the game. After such, we walked over to the Gold Line and it was a hop, skip and jump away from Union Station. Boarded the newly resurrected Dodger trolley bypassing the $15 parking fee.
Once arrived at Dodgers stadium, I was greeted with a Brad Penny bobblehead. Once in, the Dodgers game was thrilling and fun. C Bills gave a great performance only allowing 2 earned runs. All and all the game ended with the Dodgers winning 3 - 2 against the Nationals. After the game, I bypassed driving with all the other drunk drivers leaving Dodgers stadium by using the trolley again. Friday is the night of the 4 B's: Beer, bobblehead, bus and baseball. All of which I love.
So far this season I am 3 - 0 in Dodger games attended. I don't have any stats readily available, but if memory serves me correctly all 3 of the games I have attended this season has resulted in Dodgers going on some sort of hot streak.
My Dodgers give-away bobblehead collection grows.
Denise and I made out to the Dodgers game last night. It was a great game that kept us on the edge of our seats the whole game. With the game, came the last bobblehead of the 2007 - 2008 year: Joe Beimel. I have managed to collect all 4 of the give away bobbleheads this year.
Dodgers are now on the top of the NL West. After an up and down season, it looks like stuff is finally coming together for us. We need to continue our great pitching and swing the bat when it matters the most. Hopefully we can get back Furcal, Kent, Saito and Nomar before the season is over to make a run at the playoffs. I have spoken about this season before and I am going to pull an Alias and say the shit is coming true.
Go Dodger Blue!!!
Image Credit: casual clicks
Today my buddy Do took me to Dodgers stadium to pick up some tickets for upcoming games. It was really odd to see the parking lot of Dodgers stadium so empty. He told me that you can actually get lunch and bring it up to the stadium and actually eat in the stands. There probably won't be anything going on in the stands during the days on off days but really damn cool none-the-less if you are a Dodgers fan. Too bad I found out this tidbit at the end of the season. I plan on making multiple lunch trips to Dodgers stadium next season.
I have been a Dodgers fan for 10+ years now. I originally went in high school to partake the fabled Dodger dog. I came for the Dodger dog and stayed for the wonderful sport of baseball.
After becoming a fan, I have wanted a Dodgers jersey. Getting a jersey isn't as simple as going into the store and getting a jersey. One can go in and purchase a name-less jerse or a jersey that has a name and number to it. If one selects a named jersey, do they pick a classic player of yesteryear? or do they pick a jersey of a current player? The problem with selecting a jersey of a today player is that you may have to deal with that player being traded.
For the past 10 years I have struggled with this dilemma. It wasn't until last night where I finally decided to take the plunge and commit to a single player no matter where he goes. I decided to sport the young, talented yet flawed reliever turned temporary closer: Johnny Broxton (#51).
On a side note: I have currently won every single regular season Dodger game I have attended this year. If memory serves me correctly: every game I have attended resulted in some sort of winning streak.
I have spoken about the Dodger magic this season as early as January 1st. I even attended the coliseum pre-season game where the magic was flowing already. I heard, I knew it, it was the fans ready to welcome another post-season run from the Dodgers. This was it. I don't know if it was me attending several games this season all of which have resulted in a win. I don't know if it was me collecting every single Dodger give-away bobblehead. I don't know if it was me recognizing Jacky Robinson day. Or maybe it was me buying my first ever Dodgers jersey. Whatever the reason is: The Dodgers are kicking ass in the post-season. I would like to think of it as me and my good luck charming. You can thank me later.
I always saw it with other teams; teammates rushing the mound to congratulate the rest of their team. Or I saw it in the highlight reel of the Dodgers past. For the first time in my lifetime, I am seeing the same Dodgers post-season magic that are on the reels. It feels awesome to be in Dodger Blue.
This season was extremely memorable. The season started off even before the season started when Denise and I attended the historic pre-season game at L.A. Coliseum. During the season I rode the ups and downs of the team as they went on their streaks and losing streaks. This was the first season, that all games I attended ended up in a Dodger win. This was also the first season where I have managed to collect all the give away bobbleheads. This was also the first year where I managed to settle down and purchase my first jersey. I am very very sad to see my Dodgers not make it further in the playoffs but it is what it is and I must now move on. This goes out to you Dodgers! Video find is courtsey of Wayne.
Although the season hasn't officially started, Denise and I attended a pre-season game at Dodger's stadium. It was pretty awesome to see all the starters on the field doing there thing.
Last year, for every regular season game I attended, the Dodgers won. Not only did that happen, but I also managed to collect all the bobbleheads. Last year, the dodgers also managed to make the playoffs and win a series (first one in forever). I finally committed and bought my first Dodgers jersey. Last year was memorable in many ways.
The only thing that went wrong last season was the pre-season game I attended (The Coliseum Game). Maybe that was the reason why the Dodgers didn't win the whole thing last year. The pre-season game we attended last night, they won. This is it. This is our year. Everyone should beware.
For those that don't know baseball is all about numbers, odds, and superstitions. For example, if a pitcher is pitching a no hitter no player will go up to that pitcher and talk about anything related to pitching. In fact you will find most players in the dugout steering clear of that pitcher as if he had the plague.
I take these superstitions very seriously. When I originally became a Dodger fan in high school, I bought a Dodger hat to commemorate me being true to the Dodger blue. After our crappy playoff performances of 2004 and 2006 I was convinced that the hat was extremely bad luck. So I threw the hat away. I bought a new hat, shortly there after. After not making the playoffs in 2007 I thought that the new hat was another bringer of bad luck. After some contemplation, I thought it be immature to throw the hat away just after one season. So I kept it to give it a try for one more season. In 2008, we made the playoffs and blew our way past the Cubs to my first NLCS.
Also during the 2008 season I picked up an authentic Dodgers hat and Jonny Broxton Jersey. I have managed to figure out the good luck charm with the authentic hat and jersey. Since the beginning of the 2008 regular season, I have been undefeated in every game I have attended. This includes every post season game I have attended (one game in 2004 and one game in 2008). I ONLY wear the authentic hat and jersey on games I go to and every playoff game the Dodgers play. The other hat I picked up in 2007 is my everyday Dodger hat.
There is also some good luck around those bobbleheads, I haven't figure it out yet though.
I am going to the Dodgers all you can eat pavilion tonight. In fact I have been so excited to go that I have been running every single day for two weeks leading up to today. I will be twittering through the night about the game and tagging all the updates with #whataustineats.
GO DODGER BLUE!
