L.A. Sports Person of the Year
Kevin Modesti of the L.A. Daily News sought out the person who had the biggest effect on the L.A. sports scene in 2006 and amid many great nominees, he chose the Dodgers’ Ned Colletti. Our congratulations go out to Ned, of course, as well as all of the people on his staff like Grady Little and his coaches, Kim Ng, Logan White, Bill LaJoie, Acey Kohrogi, De Jon Watson, Chris Haydock, Luchy Guerra, Ellen Harrigan, Adriana Urzua, Curtis Jung, Scott Akasaki, Travis McCourt, former employees like Terry Collins, Roy Smith and Bill McLaughlin and of course, every scout, minor league manager, coach, trainer, front office staffer and player development person who has had a hand in the impressive turnaround of our baseball operations.
Equally as exciting for the baseball operations crew was Newsweek Magazine’s list of Who’s Next, which came out yesterday and named Kim Ng as one of those people in business to watch in 2007. That’s quite an impressive honor and well deserved.
It’s been a great 2006, but there’s not a person in our organization who thinks our work is done. There’s always room for improvement and we’re hoping that 2007 will bring great excitement to Dodger Stadium and to all of you, the fans.
Inside the Dodgers 
What Ned and the Dodger organization did in 2006 was bring back the passion in all the fans. We thank you Ned for setting the path toward that WS goal. We believe in this team and look forward to every pitch in 2007 !!
Go Ned !!
Go Dodgers !!
I have to say, Ken Gurnick’s mailbag wasn’t bad today. Maybe he took our displeasure seriously. Regardless, it was informative and positive. Thank You.
Go Ned !!
Go Dodgers !!
Great blog.
I also want to say that the Dodgers were mentioned on TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year: YOU, one of the top 10 Sports Moments was when “Nomar hit the two-run homer to end the miraculous comeback over the Padres”.
Cool
I just pulled out the cover. Its on “10 BEST SPORTS MOMENTS” by Sean Gregory and of the top 10, #7 is “LA STORY”.
#1 was “VINCE’S VICTORY”, go UCLA.
I noticed that about Gurnick, too Gary.
GO DODGERS!
Changed it up Gar. Shouldn’t be getting those emails anymore.
Congratulations to KIM & NED!!!
Just came back from a great trip with one exception. I brought my wife home with a broken arm. Caught up on all your blogs, they were great. Sorry to here about Larry Sherry, I attended one of the games he pitched in the “59” world series.
GO DODGERS
FAN SINCE “51”
That should be HEAR!!!!!
Gary – very true. Much better mailbag this week. I especially thought that Ken’s point on Guzman’s production last year at AAA was interesting. At the time of the trade people were screaming about it, but I honestly think it was a good move. I don’t think Joel’s gonna live up to the hype. If he gets to the bigs next year, I’d be surprised. And I really don’t think he’s going to live up to the 40 HR potential everyone expected.
Congrats to Ned and staff!!! You’ve all done a great job and I’m very happy with all the work you’ve put into this team over the last year. Can’t wait for the ’07 season!! April seems to come so slow…
“When Paul DePodesta dismantled the 2004 division champs, in my opinion, it broke the spirit of those left behind.”
– Oh isn’t that a nice tidy little way to explain the 2005 season? Yeah right, judging from their performances the following season, its so obvious that the Dodgers should’ve kept guys like Jose Lima and Joey Cora (instead of Derek Lowe and Jeff Kent). Thats what caused Gagne, Valentin, etc. to all suffer major injuries the following season, it was because their spirit was broken by that evil Depodesta. Yeah, thats the ticket……..give me a break Gurnick, have some credibility.
*Joey = Alex
I’m surprized that nobody commented on my “Larry Sherry Pitch Back” post under the previous blog. Don’t any of you guys remember them?
If you missed it, here it is:
Here’s one for you oldsters: Do you remember the “Larry Sherry Pitch Back”? It was a screen within a square frame that you pitched to and the ball would bounce back to you to catch and pitch again (or so they said). My dad bought one for my brothers and me and if you did not hit the small square directly in the center of the screen, you never knew where the ball would go. We lived on a hill and were forever chasing baseballs down the street. Man those were great times!
After Larry retired, they re-named the Pitch Back after some other hot pitcher at the time, but I will ALWAYS remember it as the Larry Sherry Pitch Back.
My prayers are with the Sherry family and friends.
God Bless You Larry.
“53” I remember the pitch back, I bought one for my son. I also chased a lot of balls that he threw.
GO BLUE
I had a pitch back!!! I forgot about those things. It wasn’t the Larry Sherry pitch back when I had it, but I had one. When I was a kid, I always aspired to be a pitcher-Orel Hershiser was and still is one of my greatest heroes. Obviously I never made it too far, but I used to spend hours in front of that thing. Sometimes we’d lean it back a bit and my brother would catch fly balls off it. Ah, the memories…
53, not only did I have a pitch back as a kid, I bought another one years later when my older kids were playing ball and now use it for my 11 year old daughters softball team !! Yes they still make them !!!
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=1-1/qid=1166559124/ref=sr_1_1/602-1354835-1049428?ie=UTF8&asin=B000AQSJAM
Go Ned !!
Go Dodgers !!
Werth got picked up by Philly.*****…. gonna miss that cheerleader. More like worthless
Here’s a “Larry Sherry Pitch Back” story by Jim Morris – “The Oldest Rookie” (You have to read down a ways to get to it, but it’s a good read – especially for you older guys):
http://www.twbookmark.com/books/45/0316591564/chapter_excerpt11700.html
GO DODGERS!
53
I never had one, but I do remember the pitch back. I was sorry to hear about Larry’s departure. A true Dodger hero.
At some point the Larry Sherry Pitch Back became the Henry Aaron Pitch Back.
back to ned, congratutions the award. from so many loyal dodgers fans. thank you for your patience with our dodger farm system, and for not trading our great young prospects. again congralautions to ned, kim, and the dodger organization
for a great year.
53,
i remember the larry sherry pitch back. always wanted one but couldn’t afford one. i had to throw a golf ball against a set of brick steps. talk about not knowing where it was going and having to chase a lot of balls! whew
you guys are dangerous. you make me think of things that remind me that i’m getting old. then i start to smile and enjoy the memory and don’t give a d–n.
n kirby…..what is your big issue with jayson werth?? there is no reason for you to make immature comments like that. de podesta took a chance on the guy and he hit 16 homers in limited at bats and was a bright spot on the 04 team. he didnt have any say in getting plunked on the wrist and injured. you act like the guy was making gagne money and cheerleading…im almost positive the guy didnt make a million. grow up. i wish we had a spot for him i liked him as a player, and i wish him the best in philly until he plays the dodgers. but to make make a remark that he is worthless is just childish. we got great value out of that guy.
Your only as old as you think you are sabre3 !!! We just happen to have great memories!!! I only wish my kids would realize how old I am and stop running me into the ground !!! LOL LOL
Looks like the Drew deal is still not official. Now isn’t that a shame !! I think Zito may have missed his full monetary potential by waiting so long. Only the Mets and Rangers are seriously trying to get him, everyone else dropped out. The MLB report says that most of the other interested teams don’t want to go against Minya and the Mets in a bidding war because he’s too quick to up the ante for what he wants!! Poor Boras !!
Go Ned !!
Go Dodgers !!
Hey Nkirby, I think I have to agree with graffitigenius, I think Werth was a good buy. He just had bad luck with being hit in the wrist and all. I for one was really hoping he would surface in spring training as the power hitting/ OF we’re looking for !! I was really surprised Ned didn’t offer him a contract, he came cheap to Philly at $850,000.
Go Ned !!
Go Dodgers !!
Seems like nkirby4 likes to be “controversial” without much thought into his comments.
Read the writing on the wall… “I was a Paul DePodesta acquisition, and I’m claiming to be healthy”. Ned seems to have little trust in Depo’s personnel. Unfortunately I think this one’s going to come back to bite us one day… but I can see why Ned wasn’t too eager to tender a contract for Jayson Werth. He’s got a nice swing when he’s healthy… hopefully he’ll get on track again this year.
I think Ned has made some very prudent moves without selling the “farm”.Pitching,defense and team speed are the way to win.The Dodgers have a long history of doing this since the days of Maury Wills and Koufax/Drysdale.Last year also showed you don’t have to hit homers to win.Go Ned-keep the farm intact!
“Last year also showed you don’t have to hit homers to win.”
How soon we forget September 18th… my oh my… our memories are short these days. It was just named SI’s greatest game of the year.
yeah i wanted werth to stay as well..i loved his right handed power stroke. he is comparable to alex rios and his short stroke. hes got good power to the opposite field as. i think philly got a bargain. i think he is an upgrade from repko off the bench, and if i remember his wheels werent so bad either. i understand ned wants to leave his stamp on the team, but we should have given him a shot in spring training.man this free agency is killing any loyalty to players from a fans point. its almost like well just stick to your team and shut up. its hard to stay loyal to guys nowadays with situations like gagne and werth.
yeah and this notion of winning a world series without power doesnt hold much water. yeah a lineup full of them wont get you out of the first round(yankees), and a lineup without them wont either.(dodgers). but you need a power hitter somewhere in that lineup. we got the pitching ned now we need a bat, we still arent done if we want to call ourselves world series contenders. sure we have better pitching than the mets but that lineup is far superior to ours as is. especially with alou now as well.
I’m in complete agreement with the pro-Werth stance. He had the complete makings of a possible future Dodger star. One unfortunate event and you’re done. He had the great combination of power and speed. I too wish him the best of luck in Philly.
Don’t be too hard on nkirby, we’ve all said things in haste.
Go Blue!!
i mean come on what could you say about werth that isnt good, he was awesome ?? i just thought it was outrageous to compare him to gagne in the cheerleader regard, and that pushed one of my little buttons. gagne 20 million plus…….werth not even a million. gagne, its a strong possibility he used performance enhancing drugs furthuring the chance to get injured…. compared to werth who got hit on the wrist with a 97 mph fastball. there is nothing to compare between them.
Agreed.
how you guys feel about moving penny for a bat and a young pitching prospect???
Please, let’s put an end to the Drew situation. Yes, I agree, that it was a LOW blow..BUT , I’m still NOT over
the Beltre deal. Drew was 2 yrs. We waited 7 to 8 yrs. supporting Andre. That’s the one that STILL hurts. Then he
flops, in Seattle, which gives me some satisfaction. A
true one (1) yr. WONDER…..
Werth had a bases-loaded swing every AB. The guy was a joke. Ethier is bettter and younger. So is Repko for that matter.
oh yeah dont lets not bash anyone for not wanting to put up that kind of money for adrian burntre. because thats all seattle is getting is burned..what did he hit 13 homers or something last year i havent checked the stats but im positive he didnt hit 20. 48 homers ??? by a dodger ??? someone convince me he wasnt on the same stuff big bad barry was on. do you remember how he played on that bum ankle the whole year??? you gotta be on something to pull that off. top 5 great dodger decisions number 1 not resigning adrian beltre.
What did you all like about him anyways? His .234 BA in ’04? I know that’s really impressive. About as impressive as his stellar defense. The guy barely played in 100 games.
And the only cheerleader the Dodgers ever had was Lima.
i watched every game this year kirby and didnt see one reason to say ethier is better than werth. werth is faster, similar arm, equal if not more power. if we gave werth that same playing time he would project higher than ethier. same for repko… i havent seen him play better than werth.
ethier’s head wasnt right at the end of the season hence marlon anderson. he had a hole in his bat and was getting fooled quite a bit at the plate. him and billingsley dont seem to be strong up top mentally. i hope they can adjust and we dont see some bad sophomore slumps.
I don’t hate the poor kid. He was decent, a fourth outfielder. And he batted .264 in ’04 anyways. This blog has gotten slow recently and we need something to argue about.
haha agreed kirby. just a fan given my 2 cents.
Hey, maybe we can pick up JD Drew for $1 million plus incentives. It looks like the deal with Boston has hit a snag over the wimps arthritic shoulder. Maybe he and that *** Boras will have to crawl back to Coletti and beg for a contract now that the Bosox will back away from the deal.
Beltre hit 25 HR this year. Still, not worth the money he’s making. .268 AVG, 89 RBI.
what about sending some pitching to Toronto for Alex Rios… his numbers weren’t great, but he was on fire in the second half before he got hurt… I wouldn’t trade Penny for him, but a Hendrickson and an outfield prospect would be sufficient, i think.. what do you guys think??
*1st half
i hope boston gets stuck with the whole thing for the alleged tampering which almost certainly happened. yeah 20 25 homers is a pretty typical beltre season, i dont think he’ll be anywhere close to 48 again. any of you guys read that article on espn.com about gagne?? it said the physical went “OK” not good not great but “OK”. he said he hasnt felt this good in 2 and a half years…how long you guys think he will last??
hey,iglass, good idea, sign Drew for i mil. then sit him on the bench, so that he can watch ethier play Right Field
and put him in as a pinch runner, whenever…..
weighing in on the werth thing. good kid played hard,as a result he almost always had some nagging injury. we ask these guys to walk a fine line. we want them to be aggressive like werth and repko, but when they get hurt and can’t produce we label them as “can’t stay healthy”. if they play in a manner to avoid the injuries we label them as “not hustling”. God it’s tough to make us happy.
I really don’t know many dodger fans who didnt like J Werth. I think you might be the first person nkirby, but that aside, Ethier does have more upside. Werth was never going to hit more than .270, speed was probably about the same, Werth had a good arm, but neither speed or arm can compare to Repko. Repko is the one we should be watching out for this season to emerge– he always has ridiculous spring training numbers, and you have to love the way he plays the game. Last year he had zero confidence in the outfield after the injury, but that will not be an issue this year.
I dont know about the Alex Rios thing– i just checked his stats and they were pretty gaudy in the first half. I am not Staph infection expert, but if that ****** up his second half, and he is fully recovered it would worth it. That being said, the problem: Toronto is going to want a Penny or Kemp or someone legit for him. If they would do Tomko, Henderson they’d be crazy. I liked the idea of signing Werth, and then throwing him in that deal and try it like that. If Rios is a 30 hr .300 guy he is worth Penny, obviously.
Alex Rios: Second half of the season (with Staph infection) 51 games played, 29 RBI. That is not half bad.
Repko has a ******* cannon for an arm. There’s no comparison to Werth there. Vlad might be the only outfielder with a stronger arm than Repko (Brad Hawpe is up there too). Anybody see him launch that throw from deep right into the cage behind home plate in May? Ball almost went over the top of the screen. Obviously not a great throw by any means, but the kid can sure huck that ball. And he’s all hustle.
Deep left actually.
How dumb was Depodesta to not know about Drew’s shoulder problem? He thought it was an arthritic condition , not damage. Didn’t he have him checked out? I’m sorry the team let Werth go , especially that he signed pretty cheap with Philly. He could have been good, and if he wasn’t, he could always be traded or released. I know it’s old news, but I’ve wondered how come Duaner Sanchez was never tried as a starter?
If boardr28 can’t control his language then he should be banned from posting. I don’t care for someone tossing out the “f” word on this DODGER blog. There are people reading who don’t care for that language. If you are going to submit then learn to use the language.
Yeah, I’m not very appreciative of that either, jdunnam…
Easy with the language, boardr28…use that language in appropriate places like church or school but not here 🙂
Repko has an awesome arm…but do you really think that he could play on the Dodgers? The outfield, if not crowded enough at the moment, will be in the future…and I don’t really see where he would bat in the lineup…perhaps at the bottom?
“(Ethier) and Billingsley dont seem to be strong up top mentally.”
And you’re basing this on what again… GrapphitiGenius? One year? Oh come on! That’s the big problem with “prospects” today. Everyone expects them to come out and play like seasoned veterans. Get freakin’ real…
Prospects are rushed into the game way too fast these days. They’re not given the adequate time to develop… many cases in point of the last few years, and if we’re not careful, we can add Matt Kemp to that list as well. Not everyone is a Russell Martin! Do you even know how lucky we are that Martin contributed the way he did last year… as young as he is? Please quit trying to make every prospect a “flop” if they don’t perform up to All-Star status their first year out. Billingsley and Ethier especially did fantastic their first time out… and we all know what Russell Martin did was heroic to say the least.
Grow a brain!
and you forgot to mention that a rookie catcher (Martin) coming in like that is even more rare since that is probably the toughest position to come into as a rookie and lead a pitching staff…
I have to say that I love to watch Repko play. I love seeing someone sprint to first on a ground ball, it makes things happen. He is one of my favorites, I just don’t know if he has a spot other than fourth outfielder.
Hey Hey Hey !! Now can’t we all just get along here !!! LOL LOL LOL Where’s that Holiday Cheer ??? It’s time to move on to more important things. Werth is gone, Gagne is gone, Repko is here and Spring Training is just around the corner. Lets get behind the team we have today and enjoy the game!!
Boardr28, please control your posting to the G rated version or keep it to yourself. My 11 year old daughter read that before I could prevent it!!!
Go Ned !!
Go Dodgers !!
fliegel – just as dumb as Theo Epstein, apparently 🙂
Must be a Harvard thing.
Gary, your daughter reads Dodger blogs– thats pretty cool. Sorry for all those i have offended, apparantly i missed the rules that curbed my civil liberties– my bad. The fact of the matter is, is that the F word is often times the perfect descriptor, and i wasn’t using it in reference to someone, just someones physical condition. Ok, sorry, i wont curse anymore, but lets all calm down. Sorry about the kid again Gary (i can at least sympathize with that)—— In all seriousness though, what kind of people do not appreciate certain words? Bolsheviks and Fascists
You’ve got that right patriotacts! It seems there’s a lot of stupid going around the GMs lately. 🙂
Thank you Boardr28, I can understand how it can happen, I’m no saint that’s for sure. It’s just when you see it in writing on a public site and all.
This also brings to light the use of such language on the field. I think Tommy was a clear example. Between the lines Tommy had a gutter mouth 2nd to non, but off the field, in mixed company he was always a Saint. Probably still is to this day.
Go Ned !!
Go Dodgers !!
tommy for sainthood! wait, can saints bleed blue? getting close to christmas, may all of us have a great weekend. for those traveling, be careful, and have fun.
Let’s try this out. What was everyone’s favorite Dodger memory from this past past year ??
Mine was taking my 11 year old daughter to a number of games this year. Although I paid dearly for that nice Loge seat behind home plate, some how she almost always ended up on my lap asking a 101 questions about what was happening on the field or something about some players stats. Of the 15 or so games I took her to this year she ended up on the big screen haming it up for the camera guy. She even suprised him by taking his picture and then putting it in a frame and gave it to him the next game she went to. Even at home watching the game on TV, she climbs into my Lazy Boy with me and watches every pitch until it’s bed time. That’s my best memories from this past year. Oh by the way I really did enjoy every Dodger moment.
Go Ned !!
Go Dodgers !!
Gary,
You have a wonderful daughter… and she’s a Dodger fan, too!! I went to about 10 games in ’06.. but none compared to the play off game.. although we all know who won that game… that was the most magical time I have ever had at Dodger Stadium.. When Kent hit that HR to tie it, the place went bananas… I can only imagine a World Series played in LA.. one day, I will be there… (The sooner the better)
That homerun definitely made my year. I about had a ******* heart attack.
I’d have to say it was the night I sat in utter disbelief of back to back to back to back home runs. And then to give up the lead again and STILL come back to win it on Nomars’ shot! Incredible…
And just in case you’ve forgotten it, here’s Vin Scully’s call of the 9th and 10th innings:
******************************************
Here’s Vin’s ninth inning call:
“Nine to five, San Diego. As expected, Trevor Hoffman sat down, and John Atkins comes in… oh now (a sleeping infant in his fathers’ arms is shown on TV), and wish you a very pleasant good evening. Sleeping the sleep of the good child. Nothing quite like it.
John Atkins, among other things, had the Tommy John surgery eight years ago but he’s battled his way back. He was originally drafted by Oakland out of Oklahoma State. He lives in West Virginia, and he’s 29 years old.
So nine-five San Diego, and the Dodgers are asked to do what they did, but they’ve run out of innings. Remember, they were down by four, came back to tie, and they’re down by four again. (Atkins throws ball one to Kent… Scully continues.) Only now it’s the ninth. Jeff Kent with two doubles and a single, three for four, rising to the occasion, seven for twelve in the series.
And a drive to center, going back is Cameron, to the track, at the wall… and gone. (On TV, a man leaving the game can be seen beyond the center field screen, stops in his tracks as the ball bounces in front of him. Priceless.)
So Jeff Kent comes up with a home run, leading off the ninth, his fourth hit of the game. And the Dodgers are now down nine-six. That would also be the third Dodger home run, fastball, out over the plate. And it’s gone.
So Atkins is rudly treated, two pitches, one run.
Now, JD Drew coming up with Russell Martin on deck. John Atkins with an ERA of three, had only given up one home run in fifty-one innings. And then Jeff takes him out. So here’s Drew.
Strike.
JD struck out, had a fly ball, ground-rule double in the third to left field, walked intentionally, and hit into a force play, one for three.
Bounced that one. One ball, one strike.
One and one.
Two and one.
With Atkins, fastball, change-up and slider.
And another drive to deep right-center and that is gone! Whoa, was that hit! So now it is nine-seven on home runs by Kent and Drew.
What is that line? Do not go gentle into that good night. Well the Dodgers have decided they are not gonna go into that good night without howlin’ and kicking, and Bruce Bochy goin’ out to the mound to find out what’s goin’ on. So John Atkins is bannished in a hurry, home runs by Kent and Drew, but of course the Padres still have a two-run lead, and all of a sudden, it is Trevor time.
So Hoffman will be making the jog in, we’ll be back.
(Break for commercial.)
Well it didn’t look like we’d see Trevor Hoffman, after all the Dodgers were down nine to five in the ninth inning, so he stopped throwing, and you wonder when the last time he was interrupted: in other words, usually when he warms up he comes in the game. But he warmed up, the Dodgers looked like they were blown out of the park, so they gave the ball to John Atkins, and now the Dodgers have forced the Padres to bring Trevor in. He has been absolutely magnificent against everybody, but especially the Dodgers. He is fifty-five for fifty-seven in his career. He has saved twenty four straight, and the last time Trevor Hoffman had a blown save against the Dodgers was in April, five years ago.
And a drive into left-center by Martin, that ball is carrying, into the seats! Three straight home runs!
High and out. For Trevor Hoffman, he had allowed only two home runs, Russell Martin’s dad is ecstatic, the Dodgers are still a buck short on home runs by Kent and Drew and Martin. And now Marlon Anderson and Julio Lugo and the pitcher spot. And the folks who hung around to ride it out are in for quite a ride. For the Dodgers, five home runs in the game tonight. First time they’ve done that this year.
And another drive into high, right-center, at the wall, running and watching it go out, believe it or not! Four consecutive home runs! The Dodgers have tied it up again!
(Pause, Dodger Stadium is ecstatic.)
They’re coming back in. (laughs) The people in the parking lot have decided they’d better come back. And for Marlin Anderson, what a night! Two singles, a triple and two home runs, a five hit game, and we’re nine-nine.
Lugo a drive, but this one is catchable. Mike Cameron.
Can you believe this inning? In fact, can you believe this game?
Marlon Anderson, uncoiling, a five-hit game, and ties it up. Andre Ethier coming up with one out.
(Replays showing the fans in the right field pavillion, Anderson’s reaction running to first base, the Dodger dugout in oblivion, Bochy in disbelief of what he’s just seen.)
Boy, there is no reason to speak when you see pictures like that. And here is Andre Ethier, and a dazed Bruce Bochy.
Ball one.
Four consecutive home runs in the ninth inning. Jeff Kent, JD Drew, Russell Martin, Marlon Anderson, and we’re nine-nine.
Strike.
(The TV camera slow-zooms in on Takashi Saito. His head is in his hands, face down, and is visibly disturbed.)
So the Dodgers have done what figured could not be done, they were down four-nothing in the first inning and came back, but they had innings to do it. Down four in the ninth, they have come back.
That’s a strike.
It is an unbelievable game, and before fifty-five-thousand, eight-hundred and thirty-one, many of whom, quite a few, are out in the parking lot.
Fouled back.
So Penny and Tomko and Beimel and Broxton are not involved. And probably not Saito either. (TV showing Saito, wiping his neck and face off, adjusting his cap, still looking toward the ground.) And Peavy and Embry and Meredith and Linebrink and Atkins: they’re not involved. But Hoffman is.
Bounced that. Two and two.
If you want to break down the four home runs, Kent hit his one ball and no strikes. Drew hit his two balls and one strike. Russell Martin hit the first pitch for a home run, Marlon Anderson hit the first pitch for a home run. Two and two.
Foul ball.
Of course Hoffman is human, he’s not absolutely invinceable. You may remember game three of the ’98 World Series, he gave up the three-run home run to Scott Brosius and the Yankees swept. You may also remember this years’ World Series will start in the American League, because Hoffman blew the save in the All-Star game and then blew two of his next three.
Ethier a fly ball, shallow center, Blum.
Well here’s what makes this really memorable, only four times in Major League Baseball history have there been four consecutive home runs. (TV Stat) And look, they’re all forty years ago. The Braves, the Indians, the Twins, and tonight. And what a memorable game for Marlon Anderson, five for five.
And Furcal, a high fly ball to right, Giles, at the wall. Well wouldn’t you know this was gonna go to extra innings? No I don’t think you did, not when it was nine-five, in the bottom of the ninth inning. And this crowd is beside itself with joy. You can come down off the wall now, and we’ll be back.”
(The Padres scored a run in their half of the tenth inning and now lead the Dodgers, ten-nine.)
******************************************
Here’s Vin’s tenth inning call:
“Ten to nine in favor of San Diego. Mark Bellhorn takes over at third base and will probably bat high up… no he’ll bat ninth. And Rudy Seanez the pitcher will bat in the cleanup spot. That way, if there is an 11th inning, Bellhorn would then bat second.
So Rudy, coming in, and he becomes the seventh San Diego pitcher. And it’s only fitting I guess, in this rather memorable game, that a former Dodger will come in, a somewhat shell-shocked Trevor Hoffman watches, and Seanez who was with the Dodgers in ’94 and ’95, that’s a long time ago, he’s had a tremendous career, he was originally signed by the Indians out of Brawly High School 20 years ago. And he is still at it.
Kenny Lofton is still at it, he’ll lead it off. Strike.
Kenny has a single and a double. Hitting .302. Bellhorn well in on the grass at third.
Fastball misses. One ball and one strike.
Gonzalez is deep and guarding the line, so the right side pretty well wide open. And that’s ball two.
On deck Nomar Garciaparra and then Jeff Kent. Seanez will be 38 in October. Check swing, did he? Yes he did says Tim Welke, and a two and two count to Ken.
Lofton who had to go right up against the center field wall to haul in that long out from McAnulty, now just trying to get aboard. Two and two.
Ball three.
(pause)
And ball four, and the Dodgers have a rabbit as the tying run.
Kenny Lofton has stolen 27 out of 31, and he draws the walk. Now Garciaparra. And for Bochy, more anxious moments. No lead is big enough. Not four in the first. Not five in the last two innings.
Nomar, hit into a double play, flied to right, doubled, flied to left and struck out. So he’s one for five, hitting 303. Jeff Kent, with four hits, is on deck.
Ball one.
Rudy Seanez had been with the Boston Red Sox. Only been in five games with the Padres. He’s one and one.
And a strike.
His ratio since coming over to San Diego, you can’t really guess much, he’s walked four and struck out four. In the American League he was just about two to one, strike-outs to walks. One and one.
Ball two.
On deck Jeff Kent, who’s had a huge night. A single, two doubles and a home run.
And now Seanez, wild. Walks Lofton and he’s behind three and one, and Bochy is twisting in the wind.
And a high fly ball to left field, it is a way out and gone! The Dodgers win it eleven to ten!
Ohhuhu… unbelievable!
(Long, long pause, Dodger Stadium is going nuts!)
I forgot to tell you. The Dodgers are in first place.
(pause)
I think we’ve said enough from up here. Once again, the final score, in ten innings, believe it or not, Dodges eleven, Padres ten. Stay tuned for Dodgers Live and it starts right now. Goodnight everybody.”
chills to the bone
I was listening to Charlie Steiner on the radio that night… it was STILL magical.. I remember turning off the TV when they were down early in the game and thinking “why does SD ALWAYS beat us?!” Then, my friend called me and was screaming and yelling “4 HR’s in a row!!” So I listened to the rest in my truck. It was a roller coaster when SD went ahead in the 10th.. but for some reason, I already new the Dodgers were going to win that game… Sure enough, Nomar got the job done… Remember him hyper-ventilating during the post game interview? He couldn’t even talk, he was so excited!!
Thank you… I think we all needed to relive that moment. I remember seeing that game on TV and thinking to myself, “My little brother is at that game right now, Lucky SOB”
I was at the SD game and the playoff game. I must say that the playoff game was louder with the cheering. I mean my ears were ringing after Kent hit it out. But, I have never experienced anything as magical as the back to back to back to back homers. It is hard to top. I had goosebumps all over and I ran up and down the aisles giving high fives, holding back tears.
I forgot to tell you. The Dodgers are in first place
Thats what makes Vin The BEST!
I Heard Steiners call the next morning on KFWB sports and it was also incredible but I don’t think anyone could have screwed that up…
Thanks again Kevin Don’t think I’ll ever get tired of reading or hearing those innings.
Thanks Kevin for sharing that once again. You did a fantasic job in getting us into the moment. Isn’t Vin the greatest !!!
Go Ned !!
Go Dodgers !!
“Sure enough, Nomar got the job done… Remember him hyper-ventilating during the post game interview? He couldn’t even talk, he was so excited!!”
I can’t believe I didn’t include the post-game interview… so here it is:
(Dodgers’ Live starts on the field with Michael Eves and Nomar Garciaparra.)
Michael – “Alright, thanks a lot, Michael Eves here on the field. You know Nomar, I get paid money to ask you the right questions in the most unusual situations. I have no idea what to ask you right now. This is the craziest game I’ve ever seen!”
Nomar – “It was pretty crazy. I’m just so proud of our team, the way they stuck in there, they persevered, they pick each other up. And look at this crowd! They’re still here, they stuck around! It’s awesome! I don’t know what to say either. It’s awesome.”
Michael – “A lot of times you get in situations late in the season Nomar you need a spark, even for the stretch run, to get you over the hump, to get that positive momentum. If this is not a spark, example, I don’t know what is.”
Nomar – “Ah, yeah, you know, and it was just, like I said, the team really stuck together, everybody was goin’ out there, they were doing their job, and it’s just an awesome win. That is a FULL team win right there that says a lot about us.”
Michael – “And it says a lot about you going out there with a bum leg, still playing first base, and coming up with a game winning hit.”
Nomar – “Ah, you know, like I said, these guys, when you see what these guys are doing, how do you not get pumped up? They really picked everyone up.”
Michael – “Nomar, we appreciate the time, go celebrate with your team-mates. Nomar Garciaparra, a solid effort tonight. One of the craziest games you will ever see at Dodger Stadium. They come back from two four-run deficits, to win it, eleven-ten, in the tenth inning. And more importantly, they take a half-game lead over the Padres, going into their next series against Pittsburgh. Guys, it’s a crazy scene down here on the field, let’s send it up to you in center field, to Patrick, Kevin and Steve.”