Fan Appreciation Day
Yes, it was yesterday, but since today is an off day, it’s Inside the Dodgers’ Fan Appreciation Day. Thanks to all of you who have made this such a great place to talk Dodger baseball.
Yesterday’s loss has made things interesting, but you wouldn’t want to run away with the division, would you??? OK, I’d much rather clinch at home but ultimately, the most important thing is just being one of the eight teams still playing next month.
Speaking of which, NLDS and NLCS are currently on here, so get them before they’re gone.
Enjoy the off day.
Inside the Dodgers 
Josh…hopefully you get this, but I was wondering home come Andre Ethier was not mentioned as one of the Hispanic Dodgers? He is very proud of his MEXICAN HERITAGE!
They really need to include automatic spell check on this blogs….LOL…JOSH sorry I meant to say “HOW COME…”…
By the time I typed this out, there was a new thread, so this is a repost.
It’s an off-day, let’s tell stories.
I’ve probably seen 300 games in Dodger Stadium. I’ve only left three early.
Second-to-the-last game of the ’71 season. We were a game behind the Giants, who were losing in San Diego. If we beat the Astros, we’re tied with a game to play. We fell behind early and big, I think we lost that game 10 – 0, 11 – 0, 12 – 0, something like that. I was so disgusted, I left after the seventh.
Three years later in ’74, we had a doubleheader in May against the Astros. I had hitched a ride to the games with this hot chick who came into my gas station and teased me that she was going to the game with her brother and his friends. I used to wear one of those giveaway Dodger batting helmets (with the liner removed ’cause my hair was so long). I asked her if she’d take me with her. She said, “sure, but I don’t have a ticket for you.” I told her I didn’t care, I’ll get my own. She had seats behind home plate. I bought a seat in the right field bleachers. In the seventh inning of the second game, I saw her brother walking up the stands straight for me. “We’re leaving” he said. Since I didn’t want to walk 25 miles back to my house, I left. I was pretty mad, but I left. We’ve been married 25 years now.
Sometime in the 80’s, I rolled the dice to catch a Sunday game. I was on-call and supposed to stay within 30 minutes, which Dodger Stadium was not. In the third or fourth, my pager went off. I had to scramble out of there. Imagine my humor when it turned out to be nothing. Hershiser took a no-hitter into the seventh before losing it. I was almost hoping he wouldn’t get it. Almost. 🙂
So of those 3 games, only one was my fault.
Mr. September: .468/.553/.726/1.278 with 15 RBI and 15 runs
Manny Ramirez: .373/.471/.776/1.247 with 24 RBI and 12 runs
Mandre numbers: .419/.522/.752/1.274 with 39 RBI and 27 runs
The only game I ever left “early” was a game my dad and I went to back in the 90’s, when it was baseball night and the fans got ticked at a couple of calls from the umps, and baseballs came raining onto the field from all levels of the stadium. During the second delay due to raining baseballs, Tommy got on the PA system to plead with the fans. Anyway, the umpires called the game early and we had to go home. I still have my baseball and ticket stub somewhere.
Cool, peru! History!
From http://everything2.com/e2node/Major%2520League%2520Baseball%2520forfeits
August 10, 1995 – Ball Day at Dodger Stadium
The Los Angeles Dodgers gave out thousands of souvenir balls for their game against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals were up 2-1 in the bottom of the 9th when Dodger Eric Karros is ejected by the plate umpire Bob Davidson for arguing a strikeout call. The next batter, Raul Mondesi, is also ejected for the same thing. Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda runs out to argue with the umpire himself, and he is also ejected. With that, the fans bombard the field with hundreds of baseballs. The grounds crew clears the field and the Cardinals go back out to finish the inning. The fans begin throwing the balls again, and Davidson declares a forfeit.
PERU & ERIC you are awsomes fan the Dodger’s appreciate.
Eric great story….long hair in the 70’s and hitching a ride…
They should write about with Crazy Dodgers Fan stories…
Ahhh Eric, that is such a cute story! and you married her!!
.
Perumike, wow! no way you could forget that day. Good for you that you still have the ball and ticket stub.
.
scratching my head trying to remember a day I left early, (I know there is one…but no way was it as memorable as your Perumike and Eric.
.
Hey, my ticket was called yesterday for a prize but it was too early. I won 4 voucher tickets from Panda Express. they cannot be used at the stadium or markets where they have Panda Express.
ERIC…Once again crazy story, it must of been fun seeing all those ball flying down…haaahaaa Do you know if there is any video footage we can see over the net?
i really really really really really hope the cardinals win today. hopefully we’ll see pujols, glaus, and ludwick in the starting lineup. please don’t rest all your best players because the season is lost, larussa. we’re sorry about ’88. 😦
I can honestly say I have never left a Dodger game early. It’s too much money and travel to ever leave a game early, and when you live up in Nor-Cal, I take in every moment I can because I don’t know when the next time I will be able to go to a game.
.
Ward Dear – fabulous story!! 🙂 I haven’t heard that part of the story before – how fun!!!
.
Gotta go teach about the heart, lungs, brain, etc – see you soon.
I’ve looked around, Rose. I can’t seem to find any videos of the Ball Day Forfeit.
One Sunday I was driving to the stadium with my little niece (she is married now) and I got a flat tire just as I was goin to exit on Broadway going north on the 5. There is Union 76 gas station there so I drove slow and asked if I could leave my car there that I would pick it up after the game. My niece and I walked from there to the stadium. As we were walking up the rounded narrow street to the stadium, a car was coming the other way and asked us if we were heading to the stadium and if we wanted free tickets. We took them (the tickets I had were the cheaper tickets) and we sat in good field level seats. I was in my ealy 20’s then. We finished watching the game then I called niece’s father telling him what happened and where I left my car (I did not know how to change a tire, still don’t but now I have my AAA card ). We walked back and there he was waiting for me. He changed my tire and we went home. Oh yeah, we won that game.
Yup I haven’t left a Dodgers game early…I always like to stay til the very end…even if we are loosing…I still have that hope that some miracle might happen and I want to be present to witness it. But then again I haven’t gone to that many games, maybe 6 my whole life (sad me!). And I also don’t have a crazy story to tell like Eric & Peru. But I sure do love to hear (or read) about other people’s stories…
Yeah, June Darlin’, her father instilled the early exit thing. He got the tickets from his work. When you don’t pay for them yourself, you have less reservations of leaving early.
Eric: Awesome story about how you met your wife. Made me think of my own family in relation to baseball:
.
I grew up in Oregon in the 60’s with 5 brothers and 2 sisters. Our tie to the major leagues was the game of the week and Monday night baseball – I doubt we ever missed a game on TV. The closest team was ( * gasp * ) the Gnats, and that was almost 600 miles away.
So when my dad learned that Seattle was getting an expansion team, he promised us that he would take us to a game. Unfortunately, he died the year before the Pilots began playing.
.
Nine years later, my mom took my little brother and me to see the Seattle Mariners. They were played the Red Sox and taters were bombing the outfield seats like crazy. The Red Sox hit 5 HRs (including 2 by Jim Rice) and stung the lowly Mariners 12-4. I became a Sox fan (temporarily) and skipped college the next year only to see the Bucky Dent HR on TV. Only later did I convert to a Dodger fan. I doubt I ever thanked my late mother enough for what she did for us.
Josh, thanks. And Thank You for running this site the past 2 years, giving us Dodger Fans a place to get together and talk about the team we love. A place we can put other issues on the backburner and debate about a bunch of men playing a child’s game. Where season ticket holders, fans thousands of miles away, and all fans inbetween have an equal voice in letting the Dodgers know how we feel, with many different opinions, for better or for worse, all with the name on front of the jersey being our primary concern. A native Southern Californian, I moved to Northern California 7 years ago, but through your posts and all the great fans who comment here, I feel more knowledgeable about the Dodgers now than I ever have.
And also thanks for still being hands on with the blog through your promotion. Anyone can run a blog, and there’s hundreds or thousands of Dodgers blogs to choose from, but this is the only one where we get news straight from the source. And I doubt there’s many VP’s that have the time to spend on such a project. Thanks again
I tried to sneak some beer into the left field bleachers once. It was right after they banned it. My buddy and I thought we’d out-smart ’em for sure. I had a little 2-gallon igloo cooler, the kind you’d fill with water or lemonade. We opened about 12 cans of beer and poured them into the cooler while we were in the parking lot. There was a tray that fit snuggly into the top for food. We dumped a bottle of Coke into it.
We carried it to the bleachers. The guy asked us what we had in there. “Coke” we told him. “Can I see it?” he said. “Sure” we said. I popped the lid. It looked good. He took a straw out of his pocket, calmly unwrapped it and stuck it in the Coke. Of course, it stopped in about 1 inch. “What’s underneath?” he asked. “Beer” I said. We took it back to my car and drank it while listening to the game in the parking lot.
perumike, I remember going to the Hollywood Stars Night shortly after that Ball Night (must’ve been the same week). I remember Jon Lovitz taking a turn at the PA for an inning (during the Stars game, of course), and he deadpaned “Attention all Dodger Fans: Tonight is Chair Night. If you disagree with any umpires’ call, feel free to unbolt your chair and toss it onto the field!”
Eric, hell of a story!!! I half thought of taking a flask to the game a couple of months ago. Decided that I didn’t want to, in case my dad needed help driving on the way back.
The last time I got a beer at Dodger Stadium, I got to watch Paul Lo Duca get the first Dodgers Inside-the-Park HR at Dodger Stadium in years… on the TV monitor from the beer line. Then I got to gladly give up what I made in an hour at work for something half the size of my Coca-Cola cup. Guess I’ll save my drinking for watching/listening to the game at home 🙂
When my friend Linda and were at Yankee stadium two weekends go, we sat next to these two nice men.. One of them said
“You ladies came from L.A.? We’re just letting you know this–we don’t leave in the seventh inning here.” I told him that we’d fit in fine, as we never leave before the last out of a game ourselves.
.
Both guys were friendly. The one closest to us struck up quite a few conversations with us during the game. His name was Tony and he seemed to be a genuinely nice guy. He told us he’d had old Dodger fans in his family from the Brooklyn days. We talked about the many great moments that had taken place here over the years.
.
The final blow of the afternoon, as far as fan stereotypes go, came around the top of the seventh inning. Tony and his friend stood up and said it had been nice to meet us , but added, “We’re leaving now.” I thought it was a joke at first, but they wished us a safe trip back and really did take off! We had a good laugh about that. LOLOL
LOL northstate!
Emma, that’s a great story! LOL!!!
North, your flask comment brought back another one.
I can’t remember the exact year, but Pete Rose was playing left field for Cincinnati. I was in the left field bleachers. I used to sit out there a lot, especially when I went by myself. Anyway, I was sitting next to this relatively quiet older man (older than me at the time, anyway. Crap, he was probably younger than I am now!). He would reach into his pocket every now and then and take a swig from a flask. Around the end of the game, and between innings, he stood up, polished off the last of whatever was in there, screwed the cap back on and whistled it towards Pete! Time has shortened the distance that it missed, I’m sure. It seems to me that it didn’t miss Pete by much. Security was on that guy like ducks on a June bug. (Sorry June Darlin’!) They tried to cart me off too, but thankfully a couple of others around me backed my story that I wasn’t with him.
I’m with you who say they never leave a game early. As Deb said, we don’t get to very many games, so when we do, there is no way I’m leaving before the last out! I do the same watching or listening to a game……….not over until the last out.
.
.
Also, thank you Josh for the great place to express our thoughts and love for the Dodgers. If you read what is written here, Nells and I think it would be a great idea to have a special day next season where the ITD family could split the cost of a skybox and get to meet each other in person. It would be a riot! We are very serious about this idea……….hope some of you like it too.
Eric: That story might’ve made my day, hehehehh!!! Don’t worry, I’m not getting any ideas. Barry’s retired, after all.
LOL north! I don’t think you could have missed THAT head!
Tru, that would be waaaaaaaay too much fun!!
Headin’ for the barn, catch you all later!
Tru, that would be awesome!
Piano Man ~ we really want to do this…….during the off-season, we will try to work it out. I think it would be sooooooo much fun!
This “leaving early” chat has really put me in a nostalgic mood and thought I’d share my memories with you all.
.
Back in the mid-60’s, my mother, brother and I were very regular attendees at Dodger Stadium. We’d figure out who was pitching, purchase our tickets and make a day of it. We’d have lunch in Chinatown, dinner on Olvera Street, and arrive in time at the stadium so we could watch batting practice. Of course, my brother and I caught many foul balls and/or home runs – and it was so much fun.
.
After the game, we’d hang out about an hour or so and get autographs from the players as they were leaving for the day. On the way home, we’d stop for a late night snack at our favorite pizza parlor. Those were awesome days . . . .
Josh ~ Thank you so much for having this forum for all of us crazy Dodger Fans (crazy and Dodger Fan are probably one and the same) to talk not only Dodgers, but anything else under the moon, including the moon at times – LOL!!
.
Also, thanks for being a part of it as well. Like northstateblues said, there are many, many Dodger forums to choose from, and what makes this one great is not only the board of magnificent people, (all with different perspectives on baseball, the Dodgers and life in general) but you as well.
.
Thanks for letting us be creative in the ways we express our joys and frustrations about this Dodger team we love so dearly. I have read many blogs, and this is by far one of the most creative groups around. How many blogs have song writing, poems, the cast of “Leave It To Beaver”, movie plot ideas, thought bubbles, movie nights, Ethieraholics, story tellers, and the best stat keepers around. I am sure I am missing a few groups, but you get the general idea that this is one awesome group of individuals we have here.
.
Thank you, Josh, for everything you do for this beloved Dodger team.
.
Deb Nelson ~ Ethieraholic and Dodger Fan Forever 🙂
I am so proud of Andre and his accomplishments this year. However, this is the 2nd time in a week I have been outbid of from one of his baseball cards. ( this one was pricey already) Like I said, this didn’t happen a month ago. Well, there’s two hours to go, and I may have to put out another bid the last minute. Times are definitely changing for Mr. Ethier. He’s becoming one popular dude all of a sudden. He’s always been popular in my book, but I am an Ethieraholic, and it comes with the territory.
.
nellyjune ~ Ethieraholic
.
ps – somehow my auction name changed to nellyjune, which is what my sign in name still says up above, but when I post, it says nellyae16 – hmmmmm!!! very strange indeed 🙂
I’ve got it, Dnelly! HAL9000 must be responsible for all the name-shifting problems! Call Dave Bowman!
Well, Kids, within the next week we find out what kind of team we really have. I think we’ll find they are the real deal. One or two of those balls fall in and we win yesterday. I thought they played well enough to win.
Wow, Bill Dwyre sure thinks highly of that O.C. team… check out his article “In L.A., Dodger Blue turns Angel Red Invisible”:
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-dwyre23-2008sep23,0,1687911,print.column
Only the last line stings, but who knows? Might I remind of that other 100 win “best in baseball” California AL team 20 years ago that was roundly received by many respected sports journalists (and Bob Costas) as the presumptive World Champions?
Last Dodger game I remember attending was Game 5, 1981 WS. Guerrero and Yeager went back-to-back on Guidry, and Ron Cey got beaned. I think I went to a game after that one, but obviously it wasn’t a memorable event.
Last game I attended at the stadium was at the 1984 Olympics. USA vs. somebody. I remember USA winning, but that’s about it.
Too much water under the bridge to recall much else, though for 2-3 years I went fairly regularly. Great first date place though.
Thanks for providing the blog for us, Josh. We appreciate it.
I am hoping the Cardinals can beat the D-Backs tonight. At least Pujols has the MVP to play for and I really can’t see most professional players not giving their all no matter what, especially guys like Pujols and Glaus and we all know Izturis always gives top effort.
It’s 1 -1 in the Cards/Dbacks game . Webb already thrown 40 pitches in 2 innings.
Wow my ‘stories’ aren’t as good as some of ya’ll! Lol. But I have been going to games since I can remember (I’m 26 now). It wasn’t until right before I started high school that my dad split season tickets, and during those times were the only memories I have of leaving the game early. Mostly because of my mom and sister. They don’t love baseball as much as me and my dad = ) But it wasn’t until this year were I had enough money to buy tickets. Not a full season, but I go to about 40 games a year and I don’t leave early. I love baseball too much to do that. The only way I would leave early is if someone else drove and I had no control of it lol. The worst is when someone around me gets there in th 3rd or 4th inning and then leaves in the 7th. Why even go? lol
Well, it’s actually 38 pitches. But, it’s still a lot for their “Ace”
New post up: http://northstateblues.mlblogs.com .
No new drawing per se, I just decided to photoshop it. But I think the point gets across. Hate to beat the dead horse, but never forget: 1954! (God, I HATE the Giants…)
good evening my friends.
.
eric- lovely story. Leaving early is never cool. Left Field Pavilion seat : $6. finding ture love: Priceless 🙂
.
Josh- thanks for this blog. We all appreciate all that you do for us.
.
NSB- are you there. I have to tell you something.
I’m here Amy, what’s up?
Ok, so NSB= my pop star friend who really likes rock..
I was watching Little House this afternoon on my lunch break and classic Mr. Edwards. It was the episode where the Ingalls and the Edwards’ left Walnut creek in search for gold. Well, dear Mr. Edwards ended up having a gambling problem just as bad as a drinking problem. We forgot about the gambling. Grace go real mad at him after he got into a bar fight and gambled away all the family’s money.
.
Good times. i knew that you would understand the crazy doings of Mr. Edwards 🙂
heheheheh!!! Good Ol’ Edwards! Wish I would’ve caught that one
How are you doing after the long weekend?
Wilson hoped all series for a confrontation with Ramirez and he got it, striking out the MVP candidate on a 98 mph fastball. Wilson twice hit 100 mph while striking out Casey Blake to end the game.
“I actually wanted (Ramirez) batting third, but that’s fine,” Wilson said.
Manny, please file this under “see you next weekend…”
it was so good that I’ve been waiting to tell you all day. I saw the episode at 12pm and I’m just now on-line to tell you that Mr. Edwards is a gambler too 🙂
.
awesome!!
.
I’m doing ok, I was tired this morning. But today was a great day at work. And to top it off, I just secured tickets for tomorrow and and thursday. So I am happy. I’m going to end the week at Dodger Stadium.
.
How are you my dear? was work ok for you?
It was alright, getting better since they’re giving me more hours. Sometimes I get stuck shaking the sign outside. I just pop in the iPod and time flies by, better than being inside. And except for Friday and Saturday, I should be able to catch the games at home. Even from the counter I can watch it at work, as long as a customer wants to watch the “Giants” game. And if I get stuck outside, I’ll just have to get the radio (even though it’ll be their feed).
Following the team this year has felt a lot more exciting than it has in recent years, I’m fired up. And it’s been interesting since I have a Giants fan, Padres fan and Cubs fan in one of my classes. No one ever says anything, but who’s smiling and who’s looking at the floor will tell you a lot
Kahli, wow, Brian Wilson’s acting like he just clinched the pennant! With this and the Giants’ faux-bump, you’d think they forgot that they’re only 3 series removed from being owned by the Dodgers in their own house…
Josh– I echo my thanks for this blog and for all that you do for us. Those of you that surf other MLB blogs know well how much more participation there is on ITD than practically any other team’s blog. That fact is a tribute to the creativity, passion, and simple madcap behavior of it’s participants…..As was said earlier, we will, indeed, find out what this particular Dodger team is made of this week. You could tell early on we weren’t going to win yesterday’s game. The Gnats made about half a dozen web gem caliber plays that killed us in key moments. If any one of those doesn’t get made, the outcome is different. If we step up and do what we need to do, we win. If we don’t, we don’t deserve it….My favorite Dodger moment didn’t even take place in Dodger Stadium but in Wrigley Field. In the mid-80’s, I was one of approximately 12 people, myself being the only Dodger fan among them, who drove down from Madison, Wi to see Fernando pitch against the Cubbies. Davey Anderson hit a leadoff homer and the rout was on!!! D’s win 9-1. Silence was not only golden, it was Dodger Blue.
2-game lead…six to play
I know many of you here are big Andre Ethier fans, I think you guys should have a look at this.
http://paxarcana.wordpress.com/2008/09/16/andre-ethier-eats-it/
He has no idea what he’s talking about…….
Josh, I would be remiss if I didn’t echo the thanks to you that you’re getting today. This Dodger fan has found a way to talk Dodger baseball here in the land of OC punks and SD losers that is Temecula. Thank you for putting up with stuff like
Fire Joe
Fire the guy who hired Joe
Fire the guy who hired the guy who hired Joe
After all, these are your co-workers and you must feel loyal to them. I don’t hate Torre, I just don’t want him managing my team. And doggone it, it IS my team. Nelly feels as if it were HER team. Sparkle, the same. North, jhall, enchanted, Tru, bear, leekfink, amy, bluecrewGIRL, crzblue, crash, criminy – too many to mention. And so it goes. The players and managers and owners come and go. We stay. Always Dodger Blue.
I appreciate being able to state my opinion on this board without fear of being banned. At least as long as I don’t cross that line, I’m sure! 🙂 I understand not having Dodger Lyrics as one of your links, although it would be awesome to see.
Thanks again.
Anyone who goes to a Dodger game with me knows I do not leave until the game is over although I have to admit I have left a couple games before they were over. However, these were extra inning games that went past 11 PM. The last time decided to make a restroom stop before actually exiting the stadium. We all used the restroom and decided to watch the bottom of the inning since we were still there. Shawn Green was the first batter and I had this feeling and sure enough he hit the next pitch into the visitors bullpen for a walk-off homerun. So technically we did not leave.
What the hell is that ****? That look like somethign that idiot joeyp would day. Thank for sharing that with all the ethierolic on this board.
I hope everyone read that site you just gave us.
oops day = do
Josh, let me add my thanks to keeping this blog together by not only giving us news and notes about what is going on with the Dodgers but allowing the free espression of ideas. I know some of us have been pretty hard on the organization and certain individuals but as Eric has so eloquently stated, we all think of the Dodgers as ours.
Pax Arcana what a ******* fool he is for that **** that he said to Ethier. He should go fry in hell for that comment
I read that site and can’t figure out what could make someone so angry to write such crud.
dodgers_andreethier: Looks like some blogger wants to boost his numbers. I guess anyone CAN write a blog…
Spit, don’t waste your energy on such garbage.
Good Evening Ward Dear….. here we go again, I guess. How was your day? Your stories today were incredible as always. Chris is one lucky lady, and yes, I am sure you are lucky, too. 🙂 My encounters with my now husband had nothing to do with baseball. However, I learned about the game of football very quickly in high school and college.
.
That article that was posted at 9:09 about Andre has been around since the WSJ article was released (a few days later). It’s just a blog who’s main purpose is to trash talk. I read one line, and didn’t read any further. The blog itself has no class whatsoever so why bother with it.
Good evening back atcha June Darlin’! If I could, I’d cut and paste this above the link to that pathetic site and warn our ladies not to bother. It’s apparent that this wretch considers himself humorous in his profanity. Such clowns are the reason that baseball didn’t allow women in the ballpark way back when.
Something really interesting (to me anyway) happened when I was writing that entry. Since 1974, we’ve thought that May 17th was the day we met. While writing, I thought, “I don’t even remember how the games turned out!” So I looked it up on baseball-reference. May 15th. OMG! I think I’ll just keep my mouth shut about this……..LOL!!
Ward Dear….. I am so glad SD won, but I lost my fantasy game by 2 points. It’s really Westbrook’s fault. He got hurt and only gave me 1 point before leaving game yesterday. I would have won easily if Westbrook wouldn’t have gotten hurt 😦
THAT ******* WESTBROOK! WAIT’LL I SEE HIM!!!
lol I won’t lbriken.
Uh-oh. Sorry Josh. That word was commonly used to identify someone whose father is in question. Coulda sworn it was OK. 😦
Ward Dear ~ So, the OMG is for the fact that you thought you met Chris on the 17th (instead it was the 15th) or the fact that both double header games were blowout games where the Dodgers pounded the Astros and you didn’t remember. If it’s the first option, then 2 days is no big deal in my book, and if it’s the fact that you didn’t remember the outcome of two blowout games just goes to the fact that Chris had you wrapped from day one 🙂 Girls do that sometimes, you know – LOL!!!
So, I would assume your team did well…
.
I am not sure how my other team did. The points haven’t been added yet, but I was losing in that one too. That team is my 0-2 team anyway – not much to cheer foron that team. However, my 2-1 team (now) has a good mix of Chargers and Redskins with a sprinkling of others.
Obviously my mind was not on the games! I couldn’t believe that such a great-looking girl would be interested in me. When I started Dodger Lyrics, I had that old photo of myself on there, remember? That’s almost exactly what I looked like when we met, except I had more facial hair. What a bum! The next day I went to her house to pick her up for a date where we could be closer than 400 feet apart. Her dad was weeding in the garden and watched me walking up the driveway. He didn’t say a word, but I read his lips as he mouthed, “Oh….my….God”. LMAO!!!!! I try to remember that now that I’m the father of a 20-year-old daughter.
And if you’ll do the math, you’ll notice that 1974 is 34 years ago and we’ve been married for “only” 25. Yes, dated for 9 years. No rush. We were having a lot of fun and never felt the need to get married. ANYWAY…………. we celebrated our “anniversary” on May 17th for 8 years and still take note of it to this day. I’m ignoring this………LOL!!!
I kicked heinie this weekend in fantasy FOOTBALL! Even though I had Miami’s Brown on the bench. 😦 Jeez, he was supposed to split carries with the dope smoker AND HE DID! He just scored 5 TDs! Man………
Fantasy NASCAR was another story. Horrible week. Vickers finished 31st and he was my best driver…………Man…………
I never seen that happen. They showing this on the news that a high school coach that pull their football team in the 3rd quarter because they were winning and I guess the home team fans was saying something that offended the coach and being racist to his team and the coach.
I bet you was mad when you had Brown on your bench,
LOL!!! Ward Dear……. You future father-in-law had that reaction. Well, I had the same reaction when I found out who my future father-in-law was going to be.
.
Going back in time before I knew Bill existed, I knew his dad existed. I was in 8th grade and on the drill team, and we had to perform during half time of a basketball game at the school where my father-in-law coached. Well, it was a group of about 20 8th grade girls who left petrified of the opposing team’s coach (who would become my father-in-law) because he would scream and yell at them, and didn’t use the best language around a bunch of 8th grade girls or boys for that matter. Anyhow, I remember going home that day, and telling my mom and dad all about it. My dad knew who he was, and said that’s just the way Nellie is.
.
Now, forward to sophomore year in highschool, I was with my friends watching the varsity football game, and up walks Bill, after his game, asking me if I want to meet his dad. I said sure, so I am walking around the track towards the visitors side, and we are walking towards a referree, and I tell Bill “I know him, doesn’t he coach at Hoover? I saw him a few years ago, and I thought he was the meanest man I had ever met.” Well, low and behold, Bill said, “That is my dad.” Needless to say I had the look of “Oh My God” written all over my face. I would have never put these two together as father and son because Bill is 6’4″ and his dad was 5’6″. It was one of the most embarrassing days of my life, but obviously everything is fine now 🙂 We’ve been married 20 years. We have a dating anniversary of May 9th, and our actual anniversary is May 28th.
.
Just to set my father-in-law in a good light. He was one of the most revered men in Merced because of all the wonderful things he did to promote all sports, especially baseball.
Ward Dear… I am glad somebody had a good football fantasy week – 2 points – yuck!!! I rather lose by a whole bunch than by two.
.
I am sure you are not the only one who had a bad weekend in Nascar – lots of unexpected things happened in that race.
Boy, that’s a great story Junie! The original open-mouth-insert-foot story! It’s a good thing you were able to get past that.
Talking football, let me run this past you. I’ve never particularly thought it was a good thing that non-players – i.e. kickers – have such an disproportionate (is that a word?) effect on a game. I know it’ll never happen, but what if they banned field goals? Maybe even limit punting, say, to 2 per half. I think it would make it very interesting. Nothing worse than watching a 12 – 9 game with 15 punts.
So, what your saying is that if punts were limited to 2 per half, then you would have a lot more 4th down “go for its”? It would definitely play more of a strategic role that way, similar to how the PH works in baseball. Coaches would have to decide when best to use the two punts. That is a very interesting concept Ward Dear.
.
About the story – I didn’t know he would be my father-in-law as a sophomore. That opening line made it sound like I knew I was going to marry Bill then. Even though we dated in highschool, we went to different colleges, and just managed to keep in touch for four years through snail mail and phone calls. I am sure I have told you that before. Bill dug out some of those letters when he was going through boxes the other week. Funny stuff in those!!!
hey d nelly i think you may have got a win this week. with rivers 3 TDs, chambers TD, and san diegos 4 turnovers and a defensive TD, it should be really close
manfromchina ~ I lost my ESPN one by 2 points because Westbrook went out of the game. Has the last game posted yet? Regardless, I am having a lot of fun. How did you do this week?
Yeah, I know it’s “way out there”, but I’m having trouble thinking of another sport in which a relative non-player has such a large effect on the outcome of the game. Other than the officials, of course.
When I first thought of it, I was thinking that it would hurt teams that might have a good drive if they got all the way to the red zone only to stall out. No points. But all they would have to do is hold the other team from getting a first down and they’d get the ball back in almost the same place. Thus, it would still be a ground-acquisition game.
I am not sure if the points work differently in the two, but I have 41 points from Rivers, Chambers and SD defense – if it’s the same, then I will win by 1 point – LOL!!! I had Anderson from the Browns for two weeks, and I couldn’t take it anymore, so I switched to having Rivers as QB for both teams. Rivers’ doing great, and actually I have Jason Campbell on my ESPN one on the bench, and he isn’t doing so bad right now, so if Rivers gets hurt (hope not), he will be a good back up.
Ward Dear…. I think it is a very good concept. It puts that position in more of a strategic role, which I think is great. It would certainly make the game more interesting, and probably more nail biting. Do think the scores would be higher that way?
i finally got on the board…although if i had started the right guys i would be 3-0. thats always a bummer. also i cant figure out for the lfe of me why mourice jones-drew isnt getting more carries. del rio is giving all of them to taylor who really is mediocre. i know he had a good game yesterday but if you saw the highlights you would see that it was a fluke. jones drew is miles better than him. every single carry he makes is 5 yrds, and taylor gets a gain of 5 followed by a loss of 4 then a gain of six then a loss of 5. its really frustrating…oh and im a ucla bruin fan which is why i get so excited about the subject.
manfromchina – you won big this week – way to go!!!! Well, even if I don’t win, I should move out of the cellar. You beat Crushers and I should have more points than Crushers so I will at least leave the cellar for a week – lol!!!
haha yeah hopefully. last year i started 0-3 and came all the way back to make the playoffs…not sure how that turned out i just know i didnt take 1st or 2nd
June Darlin’, I’m off to get some sleep. I’ll talk tomorrow. Good night and God Bless!
Good night Ward Dear…. I have got to correct a few more papers, and then it’s off to bed for me too. Have a wonderful sleep and talk to you tomorrow – God Bless you too… Thanks for the great converstation as always 🙂
wow this site sucks! literally the site. i hate how it always refreshs by itself onto that one page thingy?!?! idk if its just me but it been extremely annoying and irritating because sometimes it erases what you were writing…anyways i really feel bad for lowe on his low run production. bills and dlowe are top 5 in ace combos. for bills his season has been solid and could be better. as for lowe i really hope we resign him but, its probably not gonna happen. and if you think we shouldnt resign lowe mann idk what your watching. ok so again like last year lowes record does not show for his performance. he is 14-11 right now and should be 15-11 from that last win. and if you compare dlowe gamelog to bwebbs gamelog tell me whos been the better pitcher……well anyways i feel bad for lowe because he is the nl cy young if it wasnt for his dodger offense jinx! if lowe got the run production webb got he should be around 20-6 and i am not counting a lot of his 2 run games as wins.
-april 6th vs Sd 1 er= ND
-may 23rd vs STL 2ER= L
-may 28th vs CHI 0Er= ND
-jun 13th vs DET 3R 2ER=L
-jun 29 vs LAA 1 ER=L
-july 31 vs ARI 2ER=L
-aug 16th vs MIL 1ER=ND
-aug 26th vs WAS 2ER=L
-sep 21 vs SF 0ER= ND
5 losses and 4 ND for solid picthing! lets say the loss against the angels and washington went his way he is 16-9. couple nd winners and he is a 19-20game winner. haha mann im bored time to sleep! just trying to say that we need to resign lowe. but again dont think its gonna happen.
Happy Belated 81th Bday Tommy and he still look good for his age.
Ivan De Jesus Jr., a shortstop and the Dodgers’ newly crowned organizational Minor League Player of the Year, visited Dodger Stadium over the weekend. He probably is at least two seasons away from being there with any regularity.
Still, that doesn’t diminish the fact DeJesus had a breakout season at Class AA Jacksonville, batting .324 with a .419 on-base percentage while walking almost as often (76 times) as he struck out (81). De Jesus left himself with little to prove at that level and is almost certain to being next season with Class AAA Albuquerque.
He also played a handful of games at second base, getting comfortable enough there that he could play on either side of the bag in the majors if his bat is ready. And his bat appears to be a lot closer to being ready than it was a year ago.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I was prepared for every pitch,” said De Jesus, who attended the past two games at Dodger Stadium. “It was like I knew what the pitcher was going to throw before he threw it, and if the pitcher made a mistake, he was going to pay. Every season, a hitter has his ups and downs. But I never got too far down, and I felt good the whole season.”
De Jesus will now head first to the Arizona Fall League, which begins play in a little more than two weeks, then to the Puerto Rican Winter League. Although he doesn’t have to be added to the Dodgers’ 40-man roster for another year, De Jesus can probably at least count on an invitation to big-league camp next spring.
Notes, Quotes
• OF Matt Kemp has struck out 148 times this season. That leaves him one short of the franchise record, both for Brooklyn and Los Angeles, set by Billy Grabarkewitz in 1970. Kemp snapped an eight-game hitting streak when he went 0-for-4, striking out twice, on Sunday against San Francisco.
• RHP Chad Billingsley, who will start on Tuesday night against San Diego, leads the club with 15 wins. He has struck out 194 batters in 192 2/3 innings, an average of 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings. He is coming off one of the worst outings of his career, having given up a career-high seven runs in 4 2/3 innings on Wednesday night at Pittsburgh.
• RHP Takashi Saito, who was activated from the 60-day disabled list on Sept. 13, pitched on back-to-back days for the first time since when he went an inning each on Saturday and Sunday. Manager Joe Torre seemed to hint before Sunday’s game that Saito would reclaim the closer’s role, and it was notable that Jonathan Broxton pitched the 10th inning on Sunday before Saito was brought in to pitch the 11th. Saito faced the minimum in a scoreless, hitless inning on Saturday but took the loss on Sunday when he was touched for a run on three hits in two-thirds of an inning.
• 3B Casey Blake has one hit in his past 22 at-bats, striking out nine times over that stretch. His last RBI came last Tuesday night in Pittsburgh, when he fell a double short of the cycle. His only hit over the past five games was a two-out single in the third inning on Saturday night, just ahead of a two-run homer by Matt Kemp.
• 1B James Loney has two hits in his past 19 at-bats since he was out of the starting lineup for just the eighth time this season on Wednesday night at Pittsburgh. Loney has six strikeouts during that stretch. One of his two hits, though, was a game-winning, bases-loaded single in the 12th inning on Thursday at Pittsburgh.
By The Numbers: 1,134—Games missed this season, through Friday, by Dodgers’ players on the disabled list. That included 122 by shortstop Rafael Furcal, the club’s leadoff man and offensive catalyst before back problems ended at least his regular season in early May. It also included three separate DL stints, totaling 107 games missed by veteran infielder Nomar Garciaparra, who has been shelved six times in his three seasons with the Dodgers.
Quote To Note: “I don’t think they could see. The windows were tinted.”—Dodgers reliever Joe Beimel, discussing an incident that occurred late Tuesday night in Pittsburgh in which the SUV he and teammates Russell Martin and Delwyn Young were riding in, which was driven by Pirates outfielder Nyjer Morgan, was pulled over by police because the window tinting was too dark. Beimel, the only member of the foursome who is white, was asked whether he felt the traffic stop was a case of racial profiling.
So it was truth and what was Beimel, Martin and Young doing?
Happy 24th Bday Bison hopefully they Dodgers could get a win for you tonight.
Good Morning, ITD writers and readers!!!
.
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Matthew
Happy Birthday to you!!
.
HAPPY 24TH BIRTHDAY MATTHEW RYAN KEMP!!!!!!
.
Dodgers – I hope you got your rest yesterday because now it’s time to take this division right now so we can cruise into SF without a single thing to worry about. GO DODGERS!!!
.
Deb, dnelly, June Darlin’, Junie, Miss Debbie, mom, Mrs. Nelson, nelle, nells, nelly, nellygirl, and now nellyjune ~ ETHIERaholics 🙂
Let’s hope Matt (the birthday boy, thanks Deb) and the rest of the team have a great day at the plate! Let’s get our brooms ready to do the sweep!!!!
Good Morning ITD friends.
.
Happy Birthday to my very favorite Dodger, Matthew Kemp.
Yea, we are the same age now! Welcome to 24 🙂 I’ll be out there tonight, and I hope you kill it on the field and behind the plate!
.
Ok, today is a day we need to refocus and go on that field expecting nothing less than a win. It’s our time now, no one will take 1st from us!
.
Go Dodgers Go!!!
Admittedly I have left a few games early when I go with the family; the weeknight games with a 2yr old and a 6yr old can get a little rough…
…BUT, I didn’t leave Sept. 18th 2006 when the Dodgers hit 4 HRs in a row in the 9th inning tie the game. Then Nomar hit a HR in the 10th to win it. It was awesome!
The game was sold out and by the time the Dodgers came to bat in the bottom of the 9th down by 4 runs the stadium was less then half full. After the dodgers hit the 4th HR, a lot of people came back, LOL. It was the best game I have seen in person (I wasn’t at the Gibson World Series game). Grown men (my buddies and I included) were jumping around and running , high-fiving, and hugging, people they didn’t know. We must have stayed at least 20-30 minutes after the game just enjoying the atmosphere. We were close to Nomar’s post game interview area and stood there and cheered the whole time. I will tell this story the rest of my my life!
I will be putting on my Blue birthday hat in honor of KEMP. Happy Birthday KEMP! Wish you lots of happiness and success on your day! If you wish to translate success as winning tonights game, go right ahead…LOL Oh yes I remember my 20’s…great time…Kemp don’t party too hard cause tomorrow we still have a game.
.
Amy being in the 20’s club is great…but wait til you reach the ‘Thirty’s Club’ yup the ‘Dirty Thirty’s Club’….yup still a member of that club. I’m still in the rookie stage but soon to move up.
.
TRU…BROOMS ARE OUT AND I AM SOOOO READY FOR THE SWEEP…..GOOOOOO DOOOOODGERS!
.
I don’t think that Biemel, Martin & Young incident had anything to do with racial profiling…no I think that Pittsburg Police Office was just may cause a Pirate was Partying with 3 Dodgers….LOL!
.
HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYONE!
Up here at Chico with a little less than an hour to kill (or a little more than half an hour).
Happy Birthday Matt Kemp! Hope you like Peavy’s present of not starting today (and well wishes to the Peavys for the new addition in their family. I’m not heartless you know).
The Pads will be gunning to take us out of the postseason. If they don’t want Califoria baseball represented in the playoffs, that’s their problem, but a problem I’m sure(/hope) the Dodgers will set straight (and no, I don’t count the red and green teams in the American League. After all, you can’t spell T-Ball without AL!).
It’s time for the Blue to give the East Coast media what they want: Torre and Manny in the Postseason. All we have to do is get through California…
When I was a Little Leaguer in Orange County about 1970, the coach took us all to an Angels game. Inasmuch as we were all about 7 years old, he decided to get us home early. So we left around the seventh with the Angels down a couple of runs (not that I much cared how the Angels fared). As we were walking down the zigzag ramps, we heard a roar. Jim Fregosi had hit a grand slam. And I learned early that you never leave a game early.
.
And to the extent I could control it I never have. I can’t remember whether my grandparents ever left early when they took me to Dodgers games when I was a kid. Probably not though. They were lifelong baseball fans — Detroit Jews who went to Temple and then watched Hank Greenberg hit two homeruns to lift the Tigers over the Red Sox on Rosh Hashanah, September 10, 1934.
.
For many years I somehow believed that my grandfather who simply fell asleep and never woke up again, died to the voice of Vin Scully. Of course, this cannot be true since he died in December.
lny4loney ~ that is one of the most touching stories I’ve heard in a long time. Thanks for sharing.
Dylan Hernandez of the Times found time to kiss JoJo’s ***. http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-dodgers23-2008sep23,0,7335311.story
.
Unwittingly though, Hernandez identified one of JoJo’s biggest failures in the first sentence of the article in fact in the first eight words: “From the time the Dodgers opened spring training, … Joe Torre said he knew his move to Los Angeles would require him to work more than he had in the past.”
.
The problem Dylan accidentally identified — Torre didn’t start working until Spring Training. Thus he came to Spring Training completely clueless about his club, about his players. Thus it took JoJo four months to figure out what virtually every poster on this blog knew before Spring Training ever started — Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier should start over Juan Pierre.
.
I’m happy to be two games up, but if JoJo had done a little work in the four months between signing his $13 million contract and Spring Training, we would have clinched already.
TruBlu, I was a lucky boy to have such awesome grandparents.
lny – my grandpa is the opposite. He’s been going to Dodger games as long as i remember. I invited him several times this season to catch a game with me but he always declined because “you would want to stay to the bitter end”. So because of my dedication to this team and never leaving early, I missed out on catching a game with gramps this year 😦
Good morning everyone, I hope everyone is ready for the crazy sprint to the finish! Happy Birthday to the Bison!! I just thought I’d share that my wife and I celebrate two years of marriage today! It sucks that I have to go to school tonight, so on Saturday we will celebrate our anniversary and the Dodgers clinching of the division! 🙂 Have a great day everyone!
I’ve told the story before, but I’ve only left early once. I was 6, and my family won that Blue Crew contest where we got to meet some of the team (including Orel Hershiser), get autographs and great Dodger gear, and stand on the field and be recognized on Diamond Vision.
In the middle of the game, my parents took us out of the stands, and we left the stadium early. I was pretty angry, from what my parents told me. “Why are we leaving early!!!! The Game’s still going! Why are we leaving!!!”. Me and my sister were pretty upset… until I read the sign “Disneyland Next Exit”. We started going nuts, and for a 6 year old kid, it was the perfect end to the day!!! We even got those little light-up visors that they sold in the mid-to-late 80’s, the green ones with the lights in the brim. Pete from “Pete’s Dragon” pointed at us during the Main Street Electrical Parade and said “NICE HATS!!” Of course, Pete probably said that to everyone in Main St., but I was 6, and I got to meet Orel Hershiser, Dave Anderson and other Dodgers, had stood on the Dodger Stadium grass, and talked to Pete from Pete’s Dragon in the same day, so I was pretty jazzed.
Will I ever leave the game early again? No. I mean, I stayed through that 18 inning marathon against the Braves on 8-3-96, so I have no excuses. Except being 6, and getting to go to Disneyland.
Congrats perumike. Hopefully I will get married on day in m life.
.
NSB- best story ever! Haven’t you noticed that everyone’s ‘leaving early’ stories involve happy endings? hmmm…
.
I’m sure I’ve left early in my life, but i have no memories of it. I can’t think of a single time. oh well, no cool story.
.
Happy Birthday Matt (again). Tonight will mark my 27th home game this year, which is Matt’s number and on his b-day 🙂
what a happy day!!
.
lny4loney ~ my grandparents weren’t Dodger fans but I remember fondly my visits to them in L.A. My grandma was a great cook and I remember my grandpa sitting in his favorite chair watching, of all things, wrestling! He’d yell at the screen. I also remeber walking to the market with them…….always got fresh fish and chicken. They had a traditional Jewish values…….remember not mixing dairy with meat……….using separatre eating utensils depending on the meal we were eating. My parents weren’t as traditional……did celebrate the holidays. My Dad did take me to my first pro football game……..I was a huge Johnny Unitas fan, so for a present, my Dad got us tickets to see the Baltimore Colts play the 49ers. I was so excited, sitting next to my Dad watching Johnny Unitas throw a touchdown pass.
Amy, yeah, Eric got a wife, I got Disneyland… not that I’ll leave early again 🙂
Have fun at the game tonight! I’m off to another class.
I was thinking about this leaving early thing, and yesterday I admitted I have never left a Dodger game early. However, when my family and I went to Dallas to visit my sister-in-law (my husband’s sister), we went to see the Rangers play the the Blue Jays. I was having the best time being in a ballpark outside of California, and enjoying a game that had no bearing on any team in our division. We didn’t even get to stay passed the 4/5th inning, and I was pissed to put it mildly. Her kids were (and still are) total brats so we left because they wanted to leave. It wasn’t an eventful trip as it was, and that was the only fun thing we did in Dallas, and it got squashed with in a matter of an hour or so. My sister-in-law and her family are total duds when it comes to having fun – seriously!! So, I guess I have left a ballgame early, which I had no control over.
lny4loney – Fabulous story!!!! nsblues – you too sir!!!!!
.
Amy – that’s quite the coincidence – 27th home game on Matt’s birthday – let’s hope it pays off dearly.
.
Happy Anniversay Perumike!!!!!!
TruBlue, my grandpa used to watch wrestling on TV and yell at the screen too. I remember sitting in the den with him during the matches, and he’d shout – “Hock, zets” (Yiddish for punch and pummel, loosely translated) and he’d pound the arms of his chair. His proudest moment came when he and my grandma moved to Santa Monica and lived across the street from Baron Michelioni, who was a contemporary of Gorgeous George. Small world, isn’t it?
.
A very happy birthday to our guy in center, Matt.
.
Best wishes on your anniversary, Piano Man.
This week’s Letter to The Times:
Dylan Hernandez wrote a nice little article on Tuesday stating what a fine job Joe Torre has done this season. I beg to differ.
Leaving Juan Pierre in the leadoff spot despite his terrible On Base Percentage was inexcusable. It not only put a substandard leadoff hitter in the lineup just because he can run fast, but it kept Andre Ethier on the bench.
His constant harping on the young players to take more pitches was a lesson that they apparently already learned. All season long they’ve seen a lot more pitches per at bat than the veterans he loves so much.
His in-game gaffes are too numerous to mention here. The Proctor/McCouth example cited by Hernandez was interesting. Sure, McCouth has a lot more HRs against righties. Three-quarters of his at-bats are against righties, too. The bases were empty and Proctor was effective for once, having retired all 5 batters he faced. He did the Pirates a big favor. The removal of Ramirez as extra innings loomed was horrible. Nomar bailed him out.
I’m not second-guessing him. I’m screaming at the TV as he makes these decisions.
He was fired by the Mets. He was fired by the Braves. He was fired by the Cardinals. He won the World Series 4 of the first 5 years he was with the Yankees and not again for the next 7 years, despite the highest payroll in baseball every year. The Dodgers are only in first place today because SOMEONE HAS TO BE. They are 81 – 75 as of this writing (9/23). Last year they were 80 – 76 after 156 games. One game better, with Manny Ramirez for the last 48 games. Wow! Manager of the Year!
Nice guy? You bet. Baseball genius? I have my doubts.
Thanks amy, nelly and sparkle! I appreciate it!
And amy, Mr. Right will definitely come, you’re young so there’s no reason to rush. I have lots of friends who have rushed into getting married, and those usually didn’t last long. Just take your time. 🙂
Maybe with this being the 27th home game on #27’s birthday, this could be your day to meet the Bison! 🙂
NSBlues – the Double D’s yes…Dodgers & Disneyland…that is the perfect day for my family. And I would of left early too, to take my kids to their favorite place. They would be walking down Main Street in Dodger.
.
“Orel Hershisher whaT are you going to do next?….I am going to DISNEYLAND!” Love those commercials…
.
Happy Anniversary Piano Man!
.
TONIGHT DODGERS…WILL WIN! MARTIN WILL DO AN HR…ETHIER WILL DO ONE, NEXT MANNY….AND KEMP CAUSE IT IS HIS B-DAY…AND BLAKE WILL BE THE 5TH….YUP THAT’S ALL I ASK FOR.
sparkle and Tru and amy and MLK and anyone else who fits, I’m glad you people appreciate having your grandparents around. I never knew mine. They were 1500 miles away in North Dakota. My kids are like you, they’ve gotten to know and love all 6 of their grandparents and I couldn’t be happier about it.
amy, I’ll second what peru says. No rush. I didn’t get married until 18 days from turning 30 and that may still have been too soon! Nearly every one of my friends who got married before me is divorced today. Marry for love, not because you need to be married.
And Happy Anniversary perumikey and wifey!!!
sparkleplenty ~ I was going to mention Gorgeous George, but thought nobody would know who he was………he was my grandpa’s favorite!
.
.
eric ~ I’ve known my husband since junior high……..we got together after he returned from the Navy (he was semi-delinquent, and had to join the Navy after his freshman year in high school) and I got back from my party year in college (I only stayed one year, my grades were okay, but I couldn’t think of anything I wanted to do for a career) Anyway, we have been married nearly 45 years.
.
.
Got great news yesterday……..my youngest son and his wife are expecting twins girls in January. Wow!
.
Sorry about my rambling today………all of these nostalgia stories got to me and I can say I am truly blessed with a wonderful family.
Congratulations Tru, yours is a great story! I was, of course, speaking in generalities. There are a lot of wonderful examples such as yours. You must be doing something right! June Darlin’ looks like she turned out pretty good! And double-congratulations on the impending twins! Are they your son’s first? And second? 🙂
And rambling is what we do here – no apologies accepted.
Ward Dear….. You do make speeches, and they are wonderful speeches at that…. Fabulous!!!!!!
Ward Dear….. my post was for your article you are sending to the times, not the 1:30 post, but thank you anyway – I have my moments – LOL!!!
eric ~ thanks. Jason & Stephanie have a 2 year old son. It will make a very busy household……….just glad I’m grandma!
WELL ITD IS JUST FULL OF GREAT NEWS AND STORIES…Kemps b-day, the Piano’s Anniversary, no one in ITD leaves early from a Dodger game unless they have special excuses….
.
GRANDMA’ TRUBLUE – CONGRATULATION…TWINS..DOUBLE THE BLESSINGS…WISH THE BEST TO YOUR SON AND WIFE AND AND THE LIL’ BROTHER-TO-BE.
Ward Dear… Like you, my husband never knew his grandparents well ethier (either). His grandparents lived in Iowa, and they only came out on occasion. That’s kind of what brought us back to California from Tennessee – wanted to be close to family when we had children. Bill wanted his kids to know their grandparents. Eric, our family dynamics are so similar it’s scary sometimes. When I read your stories, it is like reading about a family like mine. 🙂
dodgersrule ~ thank-you. It has been quite a nostalgic day. I loved all the stories……..it really makes me think we are family and that’s cool.
.
.
Piano Man ~ I don’t want to be left out on wishing you and your wife a very happy anniversary………and many more to come!!
We’re off on quite a little tangent here, but I’ll throw in my two cents.
.
My motivation is this talk of marriage (“mawage” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sbqv3MwwVd8). One of the most important books in my life was “A Fine Romance” by Judith Sills. http://www.judithsills.com/afineromance.asp It was instrumental in my romance with my wife. This book explains some of the phases that almost all romantic relationships must inevitably go through and what is motivating intelligent, talented, wonderful people to treat each other in such confusing and sometimes hurtful ways. One of the main themes is that each of us have an inner battle between our desire to be committed and our desire to maintain our independence, and that ambivalence causes people looking for a marriage partner to sometimes act and communicate ambivalently. This leaves the other party – who will at some point also send mixed messages – to wonder what is wrong with them or what they did wrong. Often enough, the answer is there is nothing wrong and nothing has been done wrong. It’s just the nature of relationships to go through these phases. Understanding that can really help people to think, feel, and act a lot calmer and more rationally.
.
BTW, if you want to buy this book, you can get it for next to nothing at alibris.com.
Well Junie, there’s at least one big difference. Your folks have a 45-year marriage and mine divorced when I was 20 in a story that couldn’t be told in a soap opera. But other than that……… 🙂
Okay Ward Dear… you can have that one – sorry 😦
“The best team in baseball isn’t even the biggest story in its own city. Right now, Los Angeles is all caught up in the Dodgers’ magic number and only casually interested in the Angels’ magic team.” I wouldn’t know if the Angels are the biggest story or not in their own city. I don’t live in Anaheim.
LADYINBLUE – well Los Angeles actually belongs to the Dodgers, People in L.A. are fans of the Dodgers… Angels are Orange County… I’m sure if you pick up their local papers it is all about the Angels….BUT L.A. KNOWS WHAT’S UP…
.
And our Series is more exciting…D-backs were #1 and Dodgers follow right behind…we would tie but never advance….we get Manny…everyone is excited… Juan Pierre throws a fit, Ethier does not know if he is playing….what’s going on in DodgerTown…Ethier starts playing and scoring like hell….we are close to be in #1 again…then Dodgers starts having their loosing streak…oh no it is the end of the world…then we start kicking butt again…we start getting closer and closer….we swept the D-backs… we past them up…now D-backs are 2 1/2 games behind….few games left to play…WHO WILL WIN???
Oh, my point is that I live in Los Angeles, The home of the Dodgers, not the Angels (who aren’t even in the same county.) I was just making fun of that guy’s article. Maybe he should have written to an audience who cares. Maybe in the Register…
But I do like your season recap, dodgersrule! Hahaha!
Yeah it is the simple a quick recap…no stats, no averages involve…just the quick drama…but forgot everyone that has been in our Injured list….MORE DRAMA THERE!
eric. thank you for being so nice. to clarify I really am in no rush to be married, I do in many ways feel too young for the gig. I just hope that one day maybe someone will love me the right way.
.
yea, knowing my grandparents is cool. I think they got married at 19 and my dad was the first child, so they’ve always been on the younger side. My grandpa actually goes in with my dad for the season tickets!
.
dnel- yes, 27th game on Mr. 27’s b-day. That is a cool thing 🙂
.
Rose, tru, ladyinblu- good afternoon to you ladies.
.
nsb- hope you’re studying hard!
Eric- great letter too 🙂 never stop writing!!
new thread.
Good afternoon, amy! It will be a good afternoon after a Dodger victory, yes? GO BLUE!