Workout day...

Great Stuff Josh!! - Thanks for sharing!!!!
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Game Time - 69 hours, 52 minutes and counting (based on 5 pm est. start time - time will be adjusted when start time is determined)

Correction - should be 71 hours, 51 minutes and counting

Josh thanks for sharing, it was very interesting. Hopefully you can add to your facts the fact that in 2008 The Dodgers Swept the Phillies, winning the NL Championship.
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CONGRATULATIONS SENOR OCTUBRE: Manny has been awsome for this team and hopefully soon he can be MVP. Well in my eyes he is already the MVP.
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CONGRATULATIONS TO "BIG GAME JAMES" : Loney started the rally into the Dodgers winning streak.
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Kershaw: If he does start GAME 4 ~ GOOD LUCK you can do it!

Josh - One more note on Larry Legend. He was a big part of the 1980 World Series Champion team with the Phillies. Oh, yeah, that was their only World Series Championship.

....and the Chicago meltdown begins... Rays heading to the ALCS

The item about a history with Philadelphia reminds me of one thing - Tommy Lasorda fighting the Philly Phanatic. That fight, incidentally, was in 1988...

Evening all!
The Philly Phanatic has got to be the creepiest mascot in baseball. WTF is up with that tongue?
Looks like Chi-town will be in mourning till spring.

JJ ~ I don't know why any team has a mascot! They are all useless. As a matter of fact, I think NFL & NBA cheerleaders are unecessary too!
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Great stuff Josh. Damn, I'm old enough to remember a lot of it lol

Tru ~ I just don't like them in baseball. When the Raiders played in LA, I saw first hand why the Raiderettes were called Footballs Fabulous Females. At that time, they made the Cowgirls look muttly. Remember 'Dancing Barry' from the old Lakers. He tried to make it cool to be a geek. LOL

JJ ~ I saw the Raiderettes too.........they were very attractive but, it's hard enough following the ball, I can't be bothered with them. I do remember 'Dancing Barry'. Back to cheerleaders, even in high school, they are really a non- factor. They think they are more important than they really are. By, the way, geeks are cool! They sure did help me get through tough times in high school........with chemistry and geometry.

Watching the game here. Some times the way these home plate umpires call a game, it makes me think they get paid twice. There is obviously a bigger strike zone for the sox. Talk about inconsistent!

JJ ~ I'm watching it too and, you are right. I'm also watching the Saints self-destruct. Why do american league games take so much longer to complete than the national league? Perhaps, the pitchers are so slow in getting the ball to the plate. I swear, last night, Beckett took 5 minutes for each pitch!

Congrats to the Rays on advancing to the ALCS.
Boy! That botched DP ball really hurt Lackey!

As they say in the bayou; "Who dat say gonna beat dem aints?"

LOL, JJ

Tru ~ The Bosox are the absolute worst offenders in expanding game time. Prime example whenever they play the Yanks, a regulation 9 inning game goes at least 4 hours. Time between pitches, and endless meetings with battery mates every inning. I bet they sell alot of beer in Fenway with all this time being wasted. I remember when I was a kid, a game hardly went more than two and a half hours. When Maddux was in his surgical prime, he could make the game move along. I remember 80 - 90 pitch complete games going quickly.

Here comes that herky-jerky moving Okajima. Angels running out of outs here.

JJ ~ I thought the game last night would never get finished. I know it went extra innings but, the regulation time was over 4 hours and it wasn't a high scoring game. Angels are going to be eliminated and I'm kind of glad........don't like being compared to the other L.A. team............we are the only team in Los Angeles!

The only reasons I want the Angels to win are they have ex Dodgers managing, and in the coaching staff, and I just plain despise the Red Sox, and their uppity, blue blood snob fans. Whoa WTF was that?

New ball game!

We may have another marathon game here!

Damn, I know! Lousy bullpen. I don't like the Sox either. In fact, next to the Giants, they are the team I hate the most. I'm sure the network doesn't want an all west coast world series............it's all about marketing.

vl4- I want the Angels to lose! They think they are the kings of LA and that is purely false!!!!

Both team will wear out their bullpens and the Rays are going to win.

I'm with you Amy! the DODGERS ARE THE ONLY TEAM IN L.A.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yes tru- it peeves me that anyone in so cal, north of SD are Angel fans over the Dodgers. arg to them!!!

amy ~ There is no way in hell they will ever be the kings of LA. They will never have the attendance the Dodgers get. The Dodgers have more WS championships. They fall waaaay short. I just hate the Red Sox that much. I just consider the Angels the lesser of the two evils. The Rays are for real! Gone are the days of them being the cellar dwellers on the AL east. There's been plenty of subway series in NY, an I-70 all Missouri series, and a Bay area series. I just would like to see the Dodgers play the Angels in one for the bragging rights.

I was furious when they changed the name of the team. You'd think the people in Orange County would have fought like crazy to keep their own identity.

I want the Angels to win. They play hard and I like the manager obviously. Plus I hate the Red Sox fans. So obnioxus. The only thing more obnixous is the National Media Coverage of the Red Sox. Mostly relating to how passionatly annoying their fan base is and how great the little white dudes on their team are (I'm a little white dude) Plus I live in OC so that means I would have a better chance at tickets for the 2 games at Angel Stadium (as well as DS) as we sweep to win the WS

Doesn't look like they will ever do any good against bean town does it? Go Rays!

of course maybe i should have checked the TV before I posted. Great. 7 more specials about Dustin Pedrozas work ethic or how great Josh Beckett is in the post season or how Lester beat cancer. (great story btw, i'll give em that, but over and over and over again i hear it)

Angels gone. I guess we won't have to endure that blow hard Haloz fan coming here telling us how great the Angels are and how much we suck. LOL!!! Guess he spoke too soon. HaHa!!!!

Tru ~ That was Artie's doing, trying to change the image, and generate more revenue. He ticked ALOT of people off in LA, and Orange counties!

:: flaps arms like Angels in the Outfield ::

FLY HOME ANGELS!!!!!

Looks like it will be a Dodgers/Rays World Series.
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Jungar ~ I know what you mean about the fans base of the Red Sox and they way the media loves them.........they want so much to see what happens when Manny goes back to Boston. Not to mention Lowe and Nomar too! Until the playoffs, I don't think I've seen the Rays play more than once on TV.

JJ ~ I remember Artie when he was trying to get it done. I just don't think it should have been allowed. Next we will have the Athletics of San Francisco!

Interesting how all the cowardly Pompous Blow Hard Dodger Haters don't have anything to say about our Dodgers or our blogging habits. Laughs on them, HaHa!!!!!

Beckett, and Dice-K are way over rated. So is that baby faced punk Papelbon. Lester did a helluva job. Fenway is tough to win at. It's far from being a pitchers park. Rays got home field advantage. That will help!

GO DODGERS!!!
GO RAYS!!!

Jhall ~ I was wondering where our "fans" were, too!
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JJ ~ I think Beckett is more hurt than they are saying. And, Dice-K isn't anything special............of course, the Bostonians think they walk on water.

Tru ~ Remember before they built the 'phone booth' in Frisco, they were planning on building a stadium in San Jose? Kind of reminds me of Al Davis' idea of building a stadium in Irwindale for the Raiders when they were in LA.

LOL Trumom!!! Freaking big mouth, little brain cowards!!!!!

Truth be known, I don't have a HUGE qualm with the Angels putting L.A. back in their names. After all, the L.A. Rams, not the Anaheim Rams, played at the Big A. And they still own the naming rights, as Walter O'Malley sold them to Gene Autry, and they never "gave up" the rights. And historically, the Angels have been the Los Angeles Angels more times than not. I half wanna see them put an L.A. on their hat, just because I liked the look of those old-fashioned hats.

As far as geography goes, though, it makes them look immensely stupid. What, did Artie's advisor grow up in the Bay Area, where they don't know L.A. from Van Nuys from Valencia? I remember one of my Giants fan friends in 200whatever year the Angels and Giants were in the series, kept going "BEAT L.A.! BEAT L.A.!". I told her, Um, Anaheim isn't L.A. She said, yeah it is, it's close enough. I told her, Yeah, then I'm gonna go check out UC Berkely, 'cause I love hanging in Frisco (ever wanna piss off someone from the Bay Area? Use the word "Frisco" repeatedly when talking about SF). She still didn't get the point, guess she wanted to have her cake and eat it too.

BUT HERE'S THE KICKER: In '97, we caught one of the interleague games between the Dodgers and Angels at the Big A. And what were they passing out at the gates? "Beat L.A." signs. And they chanted "Beat L.A." during the game! Talk about an identity crisis.

nstateblues ~ That's too funny!! I used to love it when I'd go on our shopping trips to Frisco all decked out in my Dodger gear (for comfort, of course) and would get the nastiest stares and comments. I loved it! One of them must have been our friend Joey! lol

That's what I mean about those bean town buffoons. They win a couple of series, a few super bowls (obviously aided by cheating with unauthorized video), and an NBA championship. The media, and the fan base there think their s**t doesn't stink! BFD!

Jeez! Their gonna run Gramaticca out of town on a rail if he doesn't shape up!

I'll repeat my s___disturber question from yesterday:

Anyone live close enough to Philly to throw a Dodger hat on the Rocky Statue?

JJ ~ And, just think, several years ago their baseball fans we the american league version of the Cubs' fans.........wondering if they'd ever win the big game.

You are so right Tru! There was a long drought in new england with nothing! The once proud dominant Celtics fell on hard times for quite a spell till this year. That was the only sports franchise worth a damn there for forever while the Pats, Bruins, & Sox failed miserably.

I can't figure the 'Aints' out. They look awesome one week, the come out and stink the stadium up the next one. Go figure.

As Bela Lugosi used to say, "Good EEEEvning!"

north, that's a frickin' hilarious idea about the Rocky statue! LOL!!! But I'm gonna have to disagree about the Angles (misspelling intentional) taking the LA name. That name of theirs is BS! It's not only insulting to Los Angeles, but it's a huge slap in the face to the city of Anaheim. They had just invested millions in remodeling their stadium, only to have Moreno turn around flip them off. It stinks.

JJ ~ I know what you mean about the Saints........I really kind of like them. Of course, I love Reggie Bush. He worked really hard to get ready for this season and he is much improved. Remember when the fans used to wear bags over their heads?......they were really awful back then!

jj, the NFL is getting closer and closer to having 32 teams with 8 - 8 records.

TruLumpy, you're talking about the Archie Manning Saints of the 70s! They really stunk!

Howdy Eric ~ If I were living in Anaheim, I would have been so angry, I would have refused to attend a game! I think all the fans should have boycotted to show Artie just what they thought of him.

Yeah. I remember. The Raider fans may adopt the bags here the way things are going for them lately.

Eric ~ you are right! That's when Manning was on my fantasy team. He did give me quite a few points, though.

Game Time ~ 67 hours, 38 minutes and counting (game time is has been set at 5:22 pst)
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Good Evening and welcome to Late Night ITD!!!

Poor Archie never had any help. On offense, or defense.
eric I agree. Look at the playoff picture the past few years with 8-8 teams making the playoffs. Strange.

jj ~ the Raider fans don't care whether they win or not......just so they have a good time! I don't even think they know the score of the game they are attending. They do have the loyalist fans!

I know I'm in the minority, but I'm glad the Red Sox won. I was born in MA and a lot of my relatives still live there and are Red Sox fans. They're not snobs, lol. I like Dustin Pedroia a lot too.

bluecrewgirl - I want the Dodgers to play the Red Sox. That will be some series with Manny playing in left field in Boston.

There would be some great Media angles, DNelly. Not only Manny coming back to Boston, but all the other Dodgers that are ex-Red Sox and Andre and Dustin being good friend, etc. I just hope the Dodgers get to the big show. Thursday seems so far away.

nellyae ~ your sister took home a puppy. At least it's not me or you! lol

Wonder how many brand-new Phillies hats I'll see on campus tomorrow...

Eric, yeah, it was a slap in Anaheim's face. I'm half interested in where they think they're gonna move after they're done with the Big A. I'd be happiest if they just went back to being the California Angels. Now THAT'S market capitalization, guess Artie doesn't think big enough.

The Rocky statue thing has been done a lot. Most recently the Penguins fans put their jersey on the Statue when they were both in the Playoffs. Flyers fans afterwards had volunteers to patrol the statue to make sure no one else tried it.

Of course, they'd never suspect laid-back L.A. fans, now would they?

I think you are right bluecrewgirl. I think the media would love it!!! I would be great to see how all those stories unfold. I am sure Andre and Dustin would love it!!!

trublue - what kind of puppy and from who?

Here's one desecration of the Rocky statue:
http://www.the700level.com/images/2008/04/28/rockystatuecanadianbastards.jpg

Another desecration of Rocky:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/164/439267698_1bc5d1f869.jpg?v=0

Nellyae ~ a little black mix puppy (can't remember the breeds) from one of from one of the Taekwondo students.

If I was to orchestrate a Rocky statue stunt, I'd be careful to make sure that it would be particularly soul-crushing to the Philly fan. I think this would be the way to go about it:

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n156/MercurySolo/RockyDodgers.jpg

nsblues - too funny!!!!!!

Ward Dear.... I read your comment from the previous thread about your partial refund movie list, and the only movie I have seen that was on that partial list is "Howard the Duck" - I know I didn't see it in a theater, and I am certainly glad I didn't - an absolutely horrible movie.

I never saw that one, but one of the worst movies I've ever seen is the Scarlet Letter with Demi Moore. I loved that book in school and I've always liked Demi, but it was such a terrible, cheesy movie. It had a great cast and could have been a good movie with a decent script. Nathaniel Hawthorne must have been rolling over in his grave.

bluecrewgirl - you got that right, terrible movie. I liked the original better (the one I saw in highschool).

Wow I couldn't believe it. On the ch 5 news sport report they shown Manny with a big glove and Manny said I think is illegal.

That was a nice read Josh, Thanks. Keep them loose and having fun. GO!!!!!!! DODGERS!!!!!!!

I just found out I won my fantasy football week again - yeah!!!

Goooooood morning, ITD!!!

Gee, you're the CEO of the network with the broadcasting rights to the World Series in 2008. Are you hoping for a Phillie/Ray matchup or Dodgers/Red Sox?

Eric ~ They all want Dodgers/Red Sox.........just to see Manny, Nomar and Lowe go home. They think Manny will be constantly belittled when he is in right field. What the Boston fans don't know, however, is that Manny thrives on that! For me, I think I'd prefer it too..........the Rays really scare me.........they are a team similar to ours, and are playing for fun.

Forgot to say, good morning, Eric!

Good Morning, ITD writers and readers!!!
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Game Time ~ 57 hours, 42 minutes and counting!!
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Good Morning, Ward Dear and trublue!!!!
Dodgers/Red Sox I think will be good for the media - Manny, Lowe and Garciaparra, plus you have Ethier and Pedroia who played at ASU together. A lot of good stories to come out of that series.

Good morning TruLumpy and June Darlin'!

Well, first things first. The Phillies are a good, solid team and they're going to be tough. I think if we do the things that we can do, we can take them. At least they've got the same layoff issues that we do, so there won't be any blame if we go in flat. I'd bring Tommy into the clubhouse for one of his speeches just before the game. He'll rile 'em up.

It looks like Ozzie is being Ozzie again:
http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/72751

ya know, I just want to Dodgers to make it :) More games for us to enjoy, and time to bring 20 year drought to an end with a WS Championship.
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Morning all. It's so quiet around here when we don't play. Almost time for some great Dodger Baseball!!! Thursday's going to be a beautiful day. Do you think that it will be a day game CA time?

Hi amy! Looks like it's 5PM our time. Figures. My son's hockey game is 6 down in Escondido. We'll be leaving here right at game time and won't get home until it's over. I'll be firing up the DVR!

Morning all,
Josh, Thank you for taking the time to post and a long post at that!!
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ITD friends,
Don't forget also being able to boo Nancy DL Drew.
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Working with a company that has two large divisions in N.H. , I can say that I have only met nice Red Sox fans. I am sure there are some bad Red Sox fans, it just that I have not met them. Now, Angel fans, I have met both and I just hated that they took the L.A. name. Also, that we lost Vlad to them.

Good morning :)

Actually, that smile is mostly fake, I'm not really a morning person. but it feels good today. Of course, a Philly hat on a guy in class... it was an old, broken-in one, so at least he's not a bandwagoneer.

Dodgers/Red Sox is what I want to see. Too many ex-Dodgers with chips on their shoulders in Tampa, whereas we have too many ex-Bostonians with chips on their shoulders (from the top down) on our squad, plus, as Colin Cowherd was so apt to put it, "Lowe, Manny and Furcal in contract years".

Speaking of Colin, he's about to have Larry Bowa on his show in a little over 10 minutes. click on this link: http://sports.espn.go.com/espnradio/index and click on Listen Live in the top right corner.

Thanks NSblues! I like listening to the herd in the morning but I lose the connection on the train. I'll go and listen online.

Also, I've been meaning to send Colin an email.

No prob, Emma. Mine just cut out on me right now, so looks like I'll be checking out the podcast later. Either that, or go sit in my car in the Parking Lot.

I don't always agree with Colin, but at least he's interesting all the time. He's very opinionated, and often offers a perspective I never would've come by otherwise.

The webcam is working good, though.

Countdown to Dodger Baseball ~ 55 hours, 37 minutes and counting!!!!

What are they saying?
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phillies/20081007_15_things_to_ponder_about_the_Dodgers.html

Eric- yea, Sara just informed me of the 5pm start times for home games. Sunday will be fine for me, but monday and wednesday I'll have to leave work early in time to make it to the stadium. You better get that DVR all ready to go. No peeking on your phone for the score while you are watching hockey! Make it a surprise for when you get home.
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Emma- yes dear. I got your pictures. Thank you so much for sending them my way :) those are good memories!! Did you get to eat French Dip last night? if so, how was it??
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NSB. good morning friend. I am so happy the Angels are out. Sorry- SoCal- the DODGERS are the HEART of LA!!

Dodgereric ~ Many of those are positive from the Dodger standpoint; things the Phillies need to fear from the Dodgers. It's amazing how the Dodgers are still being overlooked as being able to win this thing. ESPN last night and this morning - all about the Red Sox now.

From an advertising standpoint, they sure don't want the Rays and Phillies in the World Series. Everyone wants to see the Red Sox put it to Manny and the Dodgers, because of how he supposedly quit on his former team. What they don't realize is we are the DODGERS and are ready to take the whole thing.

Amy,
No, I di not get a french dip. The line was huge goin around Spring and then thru the parking lot. I asked if I could go in just to buy the 100 anniversary pin but they said I would need a ticket so I'll go stop by today after work to buy my pin and another one for a co-worker. I stopped at La Golondrina at Olvera street. I had seen in the LA Times Food section that someone asked for the recipe to their flan so I got it to go. It is good! they give you a big piece. First time I see decorating flan with cramberies and pieces of pecan and walnuts. I shared it with my train buddies.

Eric, I'm not sure what they're trying to say, looks like they took out a factbook, and threw it in the blender, and pasted it together for good measure. Informative, yes, but I think the writer could use another semester in Journalism 101. Deadline buster.

Amy, How's my Pop Legend friend doing today? Angels fly back home, and now the baseball spotlight's on us for once, hopefully a good thing :) Thursday is too long away

I'm tired of Boston. Will someone shut them up already?

Good Morning ITD: DNEL, AMY, TRU, EMMA, ERIC & NSBLUES...it is still a great morning. The skies are a beautiful BLUE. I’m just counting the hours (well waiting on Nelly to post the hours) til Thursday’s game. Everyone here at my work is looking forward to it. Even Angel’s fans (SORRY ANGELS FANS FOR YOUR LOST) are looking forward to Dodgers winning. I’m with TRU it would have been fun seeing the Dodgers meet the Angels at the World Series and take the bragging rights, but I agree with AMY, Angels ARE NOT from L.A., they are from Anaheim or Orange County. There is only one team in L.A. and we all what team that is DODGERS BABY! But I do love the idea that Manny getting a chance to show his EX-TEAM what being MANNY is all about. For now we just got to beat the Phillies! GO DODGERS!

EMMA - I love Flan, it sounds so good. My mom made some the other day mmmmm...it was Dodgerlicious, Ethierlicious, Russellicious...and it is one of the desserts I must learn how to make.

Nsb- i'm ok today. The boiler busted last night and no hot water in our whole building :( no beuno. I hope it's working by the time I get home. YES- the spotlight is on US for a change. People like to count to Dodgers out automatically. I hate it. I h ad a co-worker yesterday (he knows nothing about baseball and doesn't follow it) he said "the angels are farther in the playoffs than the Dodgers right?" He just Assumed that the angles were a superior team the the Dodgers are crap. Why do we have this reputation. It stinks. Sadly, even if we win the WS, I don't think it will change the majority of people'w perceptions of LA. It makes me angry!!
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Morning Rose. Hope all is well with you this fine morning. No mas Angels and Viva Los Dodgers!!!
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Emma- I'm glad you got to eat good food anyway:) I haven't been to Olvera street since we had to go in high school for spanish class! All I remember was that everything was overpriced. But the churros were yummy!!!!

This is from our friend October Gonzo's Blog:::
"Nothing against the Phillies, who are loaded offensively and play well at home, but I've got to give a big pitching advantage to the boys in blue, and a big pitching advantage usually gets it done this time of year. My prediction: Dodgers in five."
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I like the sound of that :)

EMMA & AMY I haven't been to Olvera Street since Elementary field trip, back when I lived in L.A. So I have no idea how that places looks now. Amy my brother is not a Dodgers fan (boo him), but he does see that the Dodgers are a great team and they have what it takes to go to the World Series. I have co-workers that are Angels fans and are looking forward for the Dodgers to win. So there is still good people out there non-Dodgers fan that are rooting for the Dodgers. Dodgers are a team with history, same as Giants, Yankees, Red Sox & Cubs...fans love their team with a passion so they talk crap about all the other teams.

Countdown to Dodger Baseball ~ 53 hours and 20 minutes!!!
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Hope you all are having a great day - I will read all the posts during lunch :)

It will be a tough series Dodgers vs Phillies, but we can Dewitt! The Phillies will go down, down Lowe! And then we will meet Ethier the Rays or the RedSoxs. And we will WIN MANNY MANNY GAMES!

Amy- sorry to hear about the hot water :( Hope they fix that soon, otherwise you could probably boil water in huge jugs like Little House ;) of course, in the L.A. area, that'd probably look a little weird

I think things will definitely change if the Dodgers win the series. LA's been waiting to fall in love with the Dodgers again, and we're just getting a small taste of it. Having spent the better part of a quarter of a century getting winning records but not winning enough, the media coverage has, and the Angels are the "Now" team, like a 20 year old on Hugh Hefner's arm who'll be out the door in another 3-5 years. But LA knows which team has the history, and we're on the verge of writing a a new chapter in that book.

NSBLUES - well said, the angels are "The Girls Next Door" well across the fwy. Dodgers have the Team to win, mixture of Vets & Young ones and that is the perfect combo. GO DODGERS!

Rose: Very funny. Remember, the Phillies have only Juan World Series Championship. I think that the Phillies will have a very Loney feeling come October 20, 2008 when they are no longer in the postseason. They just Kent get the job done.

Rose, yeah, and what's worse for the Angels, plasitc and sillicone don't exactly age gracefully, heheh.

Crash, great wordplay! it's make or Blake time in the NLCS, and we're going Torre top (okay, the last pun was a stretch, Gene Shallit I'm not)

This odd October feeling, coupled with the AC vent hitting me dead on in my jean shorts and 3/4 sleeve Dodgers jersey shirt inspired me to try and work on an original song... the first one I've worked on in months. I'll post it here 'cause otherwise I'll forget about it after I log off, and then it'll disappear. Who knows, maybe it should ;) :

Running ragged on the photocopy scenery
in the hindsight of a paranoia prophecy
Stomach wrenching, ankles shaking, finger phobia
could this be the day we see the night?

In the figure of a backroom shatter-smile
the charred remnants fade away in the breeze
I feel it coming, hear it dying, watch it mobilize
Could this really be the difference?

Crash & NS...Dodgers are awsome...DelWyn the National Series and since they are a Young team DelWyn the World Series. They can DeWitt!

NSBLUES - that was incredible! You are very talented and please keep sharing your songs, poems & drawings. You've been blessed with a special talent.

JOSH - Why is Thursday's game set to start at 5:22 p.m. why not 5:30? Who picked 5:22..22?

Rose: Thanks :) I have notebooks littered with verses and unfinished songs, and my Fender Strat often collects dust while I'm either working, reading for class, or other various house stuff. My girlfriend has a studio program on the computer, but I'm more of a Tascam PortaStudio (with Cassette Technology, of course :D ) kinda guy. If I find that AC adaptor, I'm in back in business like Don Ameche in Coming to America.

Not often that I write songs about sports though (besides DodgerLyrics stuff, of course :) ). This one just seems obscured enough to work, though. That's the tough thing about songwriting, not just outright saying what you mean, but messing around with it enough to the point that it sounds closer to poetry instead of an outright rant.

Countdown to Dodger Baseball - 52 hours and 22 minutes!!
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Great stuff everyone - Wow!!! how talented you are being this morning. Crash and dodgersrule with their word play, and nsblues and his music - absolutely fabulous!!!

Nelly we gotta keep distracted so the time will fly. Thursday is just soooo far away.

NS - I'm glad that you are not letting your talent go to waste, keep sharing it with us. But if you ever do become famouse...I do want a picture and autograph! Hey now we have 2 pop-legends.

It's just practice for the off-season - LOL!!!

HELLO ITD!!! how is everyone doing!?! I am having a great time here with my friends in Hawaii!!! i would've LOVED to be home in LA to watch our boys sweep those cubbies!!! i'm really sad i missed out on that!!! I love how Andre wasn't sure if they were gunna bring out the beer and champaign!! i watched the clips on here and saw how matty and russy jumped up in the pavilian!! thats so awesome!! I hope they know (which they probly do) how much that means to us fans!!

Rose, heheheh :) famous? Me? I wouldn't know what to do with myself... probably sit by the window yelling obscene things to paparazzi. I'd gladly settle for semi-obscurity, I'm a pretty boring person right now

DNelly, how's class going? I'm about to head to my Shakespeare class right now. We're finally done with the histories, so no kings usurping eachother for a while. Now it's Much Ado About Nothing, which should be a light-hearted change of scenery I could use :)

On to school... should be back in around 3-ish. Take care everyone!

GO DODGERS

nsblues ~ I have a headache today if that says anything - LOL!!! They are in an "I'm not listening to you today" mood. They did pick who they thought would win the NL Championship and 15 chose the Dodgers/ 5 chose the Phillies. As much as I would love to have them all choose the Dodgers, I am glad to see some are still making their own decisions. I am doing American League tomorrow.
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Acardona - Hawaii sounds wonderful right now!!! :) Have fun for all of us...

You probably all saw it, but Tim Kurkjian is picking the Dodgers in 7 over the Phils.

Some Phillie greats who never won a World Series:
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Robin Roberts
Jim Bunning
Dick Allen (aka Richie Allen)
Ed Delahanty (career average .346)
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Delahanty died when he was swept over Niagara Falls in 1903. He was apparently kicked off a train by the train's conductor for being drunk and disorderly. The conductor said Delahanty was brandishing a straight razor and threatening passengers. After being kicked off the train, Delahanty started his way across the International Bridge (near Niagara Falls) and fell or jumped off the bridge (some accounts say Ed was yelling about death that night). Whether "Big Ed" died from his plunge over the Falls, or drowned on the way to the Falls is uncertain.

NSBLUES - Dodgers Fans aren't boring!
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ACARDONA - It seems that you are having a great time. I'm glad you are still keeping up with the Dodgers. Hawaii would be the place to be if I couln't be at Dodgers stadium to watch a game. Nothing like Hawaii and a Dodgers game! Keep Enjoying!
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Deb - Hanging in there...start singing the Loney song and bring out Ethierbear to cheer you up.
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Hey Piano Man how are you doing? (or wait How Ardoin'?)

Crash...Wow...that is very interesting, sad but interesting.

Dodgersrule ~ I'm "Russelless" LOL :)

Doing well Dodgersrule, and you? I'm suffering a little for the lack of Dodgers baseball, but Thursday will be all the better having to wait a little bit!

Okay, Rose, on a lighter note (by the way, all this is from Wikipedia):
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Delahanty was also the victim behind one of "The Most Shameful Home Runs of All Time" according to the third edition of Bruce Nash and Allan Zullo's series "The Baseball Hall of Shame." In July of 1892, when Delahanty's Quakers hosted Cap Anson's Chicago White Stockings at Huntington Grounds, Anson hit a fly ball to center in the top of the eighth inning. The ball hit a pole and landed right in the "doghouse," a feature unbeknownst to everyone then until that moment; it was used to store numbers for the manually-run scoreboard. Delahanty tried to get the ball (it was still in play) by first reaching over the doghouse, then crawling down into it, but on the latter attempt, he got stuck, and by the time teammate Sam Thompson freed Delahanty from the area, Anson crossed home plate on what the "Baseball Hall of Shame" book calls an "inside-the-doghouse home run."

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By the way, Delahanty's career average of .346 is the fifth highest of all time.

I'm "Jonesin'" for some Dodgers baseball!

I don't think I can take waiting for the game to start "Nomar"

I hope we keep up with the winning status "Kuo"

I hope we don't experience a "Lowe"

Our Dodgers will have to "Wade" through the Philly Phans to get into their hotel.

If I had a "Penny" for every time the media picked the Cubs, I'd be a rich man.

Countdown to Dodgers Baseball ~ 51 hours and 20 minutes !!! :)

I hope Manny brings in enough revenue to pay the "Billz"

"Kent" we all just get along? --Rodney King

The Philkie fans will not be Happy "Kemp"ers

I mean Phillie fans!

We "Torre" the Cubs a new one!

The Phillies will all be "Blake" and blue

FURCALifornia Dodger's fans that Kent wait for Thursday. Go out and have a MARTIN-i....don't be RUSSELess like Tru said. But LONEY if you are twenty-JUAN. JOE understand!

M-m-m my "Berroa"!

We are just too creative here at ITD...I'm JOSH WAITING to see what others write!

Old "McDonald" had a farm!

Dodgersrule ~ Look what you've started!

Honeycutt one!

You want Berr-O-a MARTINI-i

Honeycutt one that is tooo funny...ol' McDonald that is very unique!

Paul Bunyon's Babe was sometimes a "Madd-ux"

Everyone want us to play the"Broxton" Red Sox for the world series.

Or a "Martin-i" on the "Brox"

I feel so "Loney" I could cry!

I can't stop laughing! We can DEWITT, we can play the BROXTON Red Sox in any PARK!

I can't get no "Saitosfaction"

Chicago!!! HU's your daddy?

Nomar, Nomar you guys are too funny TRU & PERU....Hu's your daddy...LOL!

"Saitosfaction" I love that one!

Ha ha ha ha Dodgersrule! This is fun! I'm hoping "Del-Wyn" this series and go to the World Series!

Do you ETHIER want Red Sox or Rays to win?

LMAO!!! very good boys and girls - keep those creative juices flowing :)

Ethier Juan is fine with me!

It's fun "Jo(e)king" around!

Mannywood say ITD is crazy!!!!!

I en-Joe all this creativity!

Juan more series won't be enough. We Juant it all!

We just need to take it Juan 'Wyn at a time.

"Matt"iculous defense will be the key to success.

Ethier Matticulous defense or hot bats.

Mannywood say both Matticulous defense and hot bats.

Well I THINK Manny will hit the ball WADE over the wall

Here comes the "Chad"anuga" choo-choo!

I bet Manny could hit it over the Grand Tanyon!

We need to squeeze the life out of the Phils like a Bowa Constrictor.

I hope Matt An Dre hit a few out too.

This waiting is "Josh" excruciating!

We want "Manny" homeruns against the Phillies.

I josh kent wade nomar!!!!!!

We will we will Brox you!

Of Kershaw better watch Thursday's game!

Oh, the humanity!!!!!

Hey Eric...JOE wanna join the fun!

Eric - it's josh for fun to pass the time a wade.

Well everyJuan, I have had lots of fun, but I have to finish work stuff, then take my wife to the dentist, and then to school. Have fun, and talk to you all later.

Oh, and I hope we beat the Phils with a hiCory stick!

Later PERU

See you later Mr. Piano Man!!!!

Andre will be on "Rome is Burining" tomorrow

I can take only so much of this Schmidt.

TRU at what time, what channel?

You can only take so much word play or WADE ing?

ERIC - If you want, we will stop NOMAR word playing!

I wonder how Manny more of these can be done?

I think we can Russell up some more......

We've been doing this for about +2 hours, we just KENT wait for the game on Thursday

But we're getting pretty Lowe.

Mannywood say we Ethier need a life or we are Josh plain Looney.

Yeah! We are getting Lowe, but you should read above they are very creative. My favorite JUAN was by TRU "SAITOsfaction" or PIANO'S "HU's your Daddy?"

Josh Plain LOoNEY! I need a MARTIN-i!

I bet we will be able to tell Manny sTorre's about this day. Josh Wade and see!!!!

NELLY that was funny. I need to get back to work. I'll check in later!

An jel - I Kent think Nomar!!!

I Kent do this Nomar, I’m Maddux all of you. I Wade and Wade around, looking hi and Lowe for Ethier some great Kuo-ts or maybe Russell up a Penny for Joe thoughts, and I just don’t see too Manny. You’d think there’d be Juan or two. Maybe you’re too Young.

LMAO!!!!! Ethieriffic Dodgereric!!! Do Juan more Eric!!!!

Maybe we are tired of Wade- ing and Wade - ing for the game to start and we Josh Kent think Nomar.

LOL ! You all are DodgerMannyacs! Hu''s Park will see Manny homeruns?
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Dodgerrule,
Here is the link to the flan recipe that appeared in the LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-sosflan24-2008sep24,0,7701122.story
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catch joe'll later.

The Phillies beat Casey to win the '80 WS. What have they Don? That throws me into a Tiffee.

ERIC - if you scroll back up to today's date around 1:03 p.m. you will see a great KUO'ts posted by the Piano man....ENJOY! Don't be maddux...THINK BLUE!

Oh yeah NorthStateBlues posted a song around 11:33 a.m. today that he wrote himself....

EMMA - thanks for the recepie...I KENT wait to DEWITT!

Now that the LCS participants are all set, why do we have to WADE until Thursday? What BUD set up this schedule?

Countdown to Dodger Baseball - 50 hours and 22 minutes :)

What hotel would be the best to stay at in downtown LA for a night? I don't need a 5 star but don't need a 2 star either lol

What's the best way to get to the stadium if I don't rent a car?

Thanks

GO BLUE!

Good afternoon ITD! :)
Do I see alot of boredom, and anticipation here, or what?
Great posts! As mentioned previously, I know the corporate execs at Fox are hoping for a final showdown between the Red Sox, and Dodgers. They will plug & spin it to the hilt, hoping to add to the drama bringing the ratings through the roof. I kent hardly wait till Thursday night!
Sorry. Couldn't resist!

I can't wait until game time. I've got my "99" bottles of beer on the wall and am ready to blow out my "16" Candles.

JJ ~ we've been having a Juanderful time!

scurtis,
the downtown marriott (figueroa and 3rd) is very nice. i don't believe it's overly pricey, since it's a marriott. you can probably check out the rates online. it's very close to the stadium. like a 10 minute drive.

so i just scrolled up to see what you guys have been discussing lately.. very clever everyone! not sure how the players names got started, but funny nonetheless

Thanks Sara!

btw, scurtis.. which game are you going to again? 2 or 3?

I hope the Fox people are correct and Dodgers go to the World Series. With Manny on board and the RED SOX’s History....it will be very very interesting....Hey ratings for FOX will not be LOWE...
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That word game is JOSH so contagious!

Once again you folks just crack me up. I knew there was more to life on this blog than putting down JP. Don't you all find it a bit ironic that the Dodgers made it to the second round of the playoffs in a decisive sweep while that other "L.A." team fizzled out against the Red Sox? That other "L.A." team with the manager we all love and respect (with good reason) and pined for earlier this season when things were not looking so good for the Dodgers? And do you remember how frustrated we were that some folks were rooting for the Dodgers to lose games just to get Joe and/or Ned fired? In any event this has been a great ride so far and am excited to be facing the other hot club in the National League in the NLCS. Go Dodgers!

Scurtis - I am going to let those that live in LA help you more. I stayed downtown, but I had a car. I have stayed at the Wilshire Grand and The Omni (the Omni was more expensive, but I thought both were very nice). As far as getting to the Stadium without a car, that's where the LA group would be of most help. That's great you are coming to California!!!! Get away from all those sobbing Chicago fans.

scurtis - Sara's right, the Marriot is very nice too, but all those hotels are very close to each other. We were able to get to DS using just surface streets (no freeways). That in itself was a huge plus.

lbirken ~ I "Kent" imagine what we will do in the off-season. "Juan"der what we can come up with to amuse ourselves. lol

Thanks everyone.

Sara, I got game 5 tickets. Pondering whether to sell them or make the trip out there! UGH!

Screw it, Im coming! lol Just got 1 ticket. Couldn't get any of my lousy baseball friends here to come with me lol.

nelly, you're right, gotta get away from these cub and white sox fans lol

SCURTIS - Agree with Sara & Nelly the Marriott is a good place. And for transportation I would ask the People at the hotel you will be staying at. Who knows, since the Dodgers are doing great maybe they will provide a shuttle or just called you a taxi!

Ethier Manny songs or Manny movie nights will be Don in the off season while Wade ing. We will Russell up Manny ideas Juan by Juan.

Scurtis: Like I told another Cub-hating Chicagoan, anyone in Chicago right now could make a fortune selling Kleenex. You could use the proceeds to pay for Parking at the Stadium, but that's another $15 you save by not taking a car!

How's the mood in Chi-Town? Do the Cubs fans take any solace in the ChiSox getting knocked out?

Dodgersrule, Thanks. Its between that and the Omni I am looking at.

Northstateblues, HAHAH nice idea! The mood is funny out here to me. Sports talk shows and tv shows are crying. Newspapers are even worse and the fans I talk to are pathetic! Just a bunch of crying. They are glad the White Sox got knocked out.

Dodgersrule and trublue - I told my class at the end of the day, if they do well tomorrow, they will get to see Andre on TV ( like I'm going to deprive myself of seeing it - lol). My cable couldn't have been fixed at a better time. We've been having the roof redone, and I guess they are finally finished - yeah!!!

NSBLUES & SCURTIS...How do you think the Great Lakes came to exist!

scurtis,
maybe game 5 won't happen.. haha.. i know i'm getting ahead of myself.. one game at a time ;)

as far as transportation.. you could take a cab to dodgers, it would be direct, but it would probably be quite pricey. the other thing is, that the hotel doesn't offer shuttles.. but you could take a cab to union station and then you could take the free dodgers trolley from there.. i bet the cab ride from there to union station is under $10 (which is cheaper than dodgers parking) it would probably take some time to move from one place to another.. but at least it would be free for the shuttle and you don't have to pay parking.. and what else are you going to be doing that afternoon? haha

Nellyae ~ I think Manny movie nights would be fun with a Martin-i in hand. But, please Nomar "Blazing Saddles".

NELLY - it's great your roof is completed (before the rain). Your students are so lucky. At what time is andre going to be on TV

How Cool! Jeopardy has a category tonight on MLB Ball parks. FINALLY a category I can do well at! LOL

dodgersrule ~ Andre is on "Rome is Burning" at 1:30 on ESPN

Thanks TRU...I'll set my DVR.

scurtis,
You could take the flyaway from LAX to Union Station. round trip is $8 or 4 each way. dodger trolley from Union station to the stadium starts 1 1/2 hours before game time and ends 1 hour after game time. bus transportation is $5. for a day pass.
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got to go take the train home but if you any questions, let us know.
-emma

Oh, I've taken taxi from Union station to the stadium. It is $15.

great article on espn.com about raffy furcal:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs2008/columns/story?columnist=neel_eric&id=3630320

Emma, thanks for the help!

Countdown to Dodger Baseball - 48 hours !!!

dnelly, you timed that almost perfectly. you were off by one minute.. but it was a valiant effort :)

Hey Sara - it was right at 5:22 when I hit submit, but because my home computer is slower than the one at school, it posted one minute later.
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How are you doing?

That MLB 2K8 is addictive! I had the Dodgers at Philly to try out the game, only to get irritated really quick because I forgot to check the lineup, which had Loney and Ethier switched in the 4 and 5 spots (using the NLDS roster). It ended up costing me when I had runners on 1st and 3rd, 2 out and Loney grounded to first. The next at-bat the next inning, Ethier hit a gap double that I stretched for 3.

To spare the gritty, yada yada details, it was back and forth, but Kemp came up with a clutch double to score the go ahead run + 1, and LA won 6-4. The 5 o'clock shadows (no pun intended) were nasty around the 3rd inning, though.

One irritating aspect: Cory Wade looks like Ron Coomer if he droped 120 pounds.

(Cory looks like that in the 360 game, definitely not saying that about him in real life, heh.)

Countdown to Dodger Baseball ~ 46 hours and 33 minutes!!
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Good Evening nsblues - I least you are getting some Dodger baseball in - that's good!!!

correction ~ 45 hours and 32 minutes :)

Good evening, ITD. I'm sure that all the media types are rooting for a Red Sox-Dodgers WS, given that Manny, DLowe, Nomar, and Drew are playing against their former teams. Imagine the reaction Drew would get at the Stadium on his first ab? Assuming we get there, I'd almost prefer the Rays as our opponent because the media and the baseball powers- that-be don't want that matchup plus the media circus would be much less. No tears here for the Angles early departure from the playoffs. The TBS broadcasters made a big point of the fact that the Angles dominated in a weak division and the Sox and the Rays had to be much better to make the playoffs because of the much higher quality teams in the AL East. All these off days are too tough to take. I guess it's preparation for the off-season. GO BLUE!!!!

hi guys!! i was just stoppin by again to check up on our boys and i read all those very funny and creative things you guys wrote with our boys names in it!! man you guys are SO CREATIVE!!!! i LOVE all the things you wrote!!! absolutely ETHIERIFFIC!!!!

i was cracking up the whole time!!!

Countdown to Dodger Baseball - 45 hours :)

Hey Acardona ~ How's Hawaii - I am sure it's Ethieriffic!!!!

Good Evening Seesky ~ Didn't see you up there. I figure as long as we are there, it's not going to matter who we play. I think you are right about the media wanting a Red Sox/ Dodgers matchup.

hi Dnelly!! yes Hawaii is Ethieriffic!!! i am having a great time!! I am missing our boys!! but yes i am having a lot of fun over here!!! i was laughing over all the creative posts earlier! good stuff good stuff

I just joined in at the end with a few others, but Dodgersrule, perumike and trublue did most of it, It was pretty fun, however. Just another way to pass the time until Dodger baseball resumes action.

i was hoping we would play the brewers but i still think we're gunna be taking our dodger blue brooms out of the closets!! haha

I would have preferred the Brewers too, but I think if the Dodgers get passed the Phillies, we will be in good shape.

At the gym today, I saw some woman with "Cubs Win" printed on the back of her t-shirt. Best laugh I had all day!!!!

Dnelly- yup! absolutely!

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seesky- LOL!! I wore my dodgers hat on my flight over to hawaii, and when i was going through security this girl standing behind me saw my hat and said loud enouph for me to hear "i should've wore my cubs hat" and i thought to myself... well if you wanna feel ashamed go right ahead!! cause my boys are killin yours!!!

Seesky - that would be a very good laugh!!!

Because their power is mostly right handed and our pitching, with the exception of Sabathia, was far superior,I think the Brewers would have been a better matchup for us. The Phillies have more power than us but our pitching is as good or better. If we, especially, neutralize Rollins and Utley, we'll be in good shape. Howard and Burrell can be pitched to. I think this one will go at least 6 games and, probably, 7.

seesky- well said. is this series against the phillies a "best out of 7" or "best out of 5"?

Acardona ~ best out of 7, and I hope it's in 6. A 7th game in Philly will just be painful - LOL!! For some reason the two AL teams don't sound as hard to face right now compared to the Phillies. However, can't help to think what the Dodgers did to the Cubs, and that wasn't supposed to happen Ethier.

LOL, acardona!!! But you know that Cub fans have no shame!!!! The night we won it, I surfed on those Cub blogs and a lot of those posts were pretty ripe. There were people posting that had some serious issues. Definitely Joeyp caliber. Too bad, he isn't a Cub hater because he would have fit right in.lol!!!! No matter how much we lost, we've never gotten that bad on here.

Having a healthy Kuo to help us neutralize their left handed power would really help us in this series. I guess they won't know about his availability until tomorrow or Thursday.

Dnelly- oh ok.. i was thinking its a best out of 5 series.. thank you! and yes i hope we can take it in six... well... actually i hope we will sweep them!!! just like those cubbies!! but it'll be quite a bit tougher this time..

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seesky- HAHA!! so true!! and yes we never really get bad on here.. we've lost horribly a couple times but we've never gotten bad on here...

seesky - they (The Pulse) have calmed down alot since the first night, but now some of them are practically writing books on how the year went for them, and people around here think we write a lot.

Nelly-- lots of psychotherapy going on over there, I see. Can't imagine DeRosa's actually reading all that stuff.

If we get that far and get the Red Sox, the Dodger faithful will have to give Drew a good old fashioned Dodger welcome upon his first at-bat.lol!!!!!

Well, at least it's better than blasting the poor guy. Not that they were necessarily blasting DeRosa personally, but that would be much fun to read. I know we've been known to go off on a few players too, but not like that!!!

Nells- whats the countdown time till we see our beloved boys again?

The night they lost, some were going off on him pretty good. I can't imagine anybody on here going off on any of our players like that, either.

did you guys see that Marmol was involved in a car accident? i guess his injuries were minor, which is good..

meant to say "would not be much fun to read" - sorry
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time coming up :)

Countdown to Dodger Baseball ~ 43 hours and 52 minutes

seesky - It was pretty bad (definitely Joey bad). I felt really bad for anybody having to read that. A few of them were going off on Dempster today pretty bad. He must have said something about the fans because they were not happy.

Sara - no, I didn't hear that. Thanks for sharing :)

Torre thinks that we need more than one lefthander in the bullpen and a left handed starter. That points to Kershaw getting a start in this series.

I think you are right about Kershaw. Do you think he will mess with the line up for the same reason (because of the Phillies lefty pitching)? I hope not.

haha thanks Dnelly!!
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Alrighty well i'm gunna take off now. Have a good night everyone!!! it was nice chatting with you!!! GO DODGERS!!! CANT STOP THE BLUE!!!!

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Acardona/amy/Acardy = Ethieraholic and dodger fan for life!!!!

Good Night Acardona - have an Ethieriffic night!!!

seesky,
i heard that if kuo is good to go, and he's the second lefty in the pen, then joe will feel more comfortable letting kershaw start.. but if kuo can't go.. then they might want kershaw in the pen as the second lefty, and start someone else.. either lowe on short rest or maddux.. i want kershaw to start.. we shall see..

Nelly-- I hope not, too. He might use Kent instead of Dewitt but Kent has even less defensive range now than before. There's also Nomar over Loney but Loney, again, is better defensively and hits lefties just fine. If it ain't broke.... Good night, all!!! Dodger baseball is getting ever closer. GO BLUE!!!!

dnelly, joe said that when we face lefty pitching that he wouldn't "remove" pieces of the lineup.. but that he may shuffle the order from top to bottom.. i'm guessing that means loney hitting lower in the order.. kemp more towards the top.. casey blake higher.. blake dewitt lower..

seesky,
with your kent's range comment.. i will bring up this:

Jeff Kent denied that being a liability on defense was what has prevented him from playing.

"One of the biggest farces as long as I've ever played is the range stat," Kent said.

He reasoned that a smarter veteran player like himself with understanding of positioning would be able reach a grounder just as quickly as a younger and quicker player.

sara - makes sense not to mess with who's in the lineup, but I could handle shuffling where they are batting.
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Good Night Seesky!!!

good night seesky!

Countdown to Dodger Baseball ~ 42 hours and 59 minutes :)

What up ITD!!!!

How does everyone be?

Oh my!!!!! Wow!!! How are you dcollins? It is very quiet around here. ITD late night people should be checking in soon, I guess. It is really good to see you.

I just got my computer hooked up. I've been in the black for about 3 weeks. My computer officially died. Then I went to LA for a week and saw a couple of games. It was my first of the year. Went to the Saturday and Sunday games against the Giants.
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I had an audit at work 2 days after vacation so I was working like a maniac trying to get caught up, so I haven't been able to partake in the excitement around here.
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I really feel like I've been missing out with all the excitement. I've missed all of you. It's been a bummer to of been on here reading daily all year and then when it gets real good, blackness!
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My audit went well so now I'm back! Hopefully for a few weeks until this team wins a ring!!
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How is school? How are all the folks doing here?
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I won't be on here for long as I just got all hooked up and Wifey wants me to get to bed soon.
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And of course...GO BLUE!!!!

School is going good. It's going to be one of my more challenging years, but it will all be well in the end. I do have them all excited about the play offs, though, and most are paying attention to the Dodgers.
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As far as everyone here, mostly the usuals,and maybe a few new ones since you've been gone. Definitely some name changes since you have been gone, but we can tackle those as they come around. It's been pretty exciting around here, until these last few days. Now, we are just finding ways to keep ourselves occupied until then, which doesn't seem to be too hard with this group most of the time.
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Glad to hear your work is going well, and the audit came and went without any glitches. Those are sometimes no fun at all.

Ward Dear... If you are out there somewhere ~ I heard this morning on my way to school that Denny Hamlin was in the hospital after his crash on Sunday. I guess he stayed over night for observation. I didn't even know he crashed. I just thought car issues when I saw he wasn't actually on the track when I started to watch the race. I guess he is fine, but how scary is that. I have grown quite fond of him, among others.

Hiya Late Night! dcollins, long time! Glad to see you're back among the cybers!

sara, I've seen a lot of stats, but I don't think I've seen the one on range that Kentie is talking about. Fact is, he's slow. If he doesn't want to admit it, that's fine. But denying it is pretty weak, IMO.

Good Evening Ward Dear... good timing as always!! How was your evening? Scouts tonight?

LA was fun. We also went to Laguna which is awesome.
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While in LA I went down to the street from our hotel for some coffee for Wifey and they were shooting a Jonas Brothers Movie. It was pretty funny. I just walked onto the set and was standing there looking around. No security told me to leave so I just stood there and looked like I was used to everything.
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I didn't know what was being filmed and then I looked about 5 feet from me and there were the Jonas Brothers. It was funny.
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Then I went and got Wifey and we again walked on and ended up being extras walking in the back round.
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Then later that day we went to the pizza place Dre reviewed on his blog. The waiter saw I was wearing a Dodger cap and asked if I liked Dre. I told him he was my favorite Dodger and he went on to tell me that Dre goes there fairly often and he is real cool. I guess he was there the night before which is funny because I had wanted to go to dinner there but we got in to late.
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The waiter was a Brewers fan and at the time bumming. But they made it into the post season so I'm sure he was doing okay after that.
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The next day at the game I was walking with my food and this girl walks by me and she looked familer. I realized it was the daughter of Vic Macky from the Shield. It is one of my favorite shows on tv. My wife was doubting me but then he threw out the first pitch so I know it was her.
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That was our only brushes with fame.
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The season has ended up pretty awesome! How has your family taken it?

DE-good to see you to! It's really weird that I'm not on here for a few weeks and I feel like I'm out of touch with everyone.
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I'm going to spend sometime tomorrow trying to get caught up on the blog.
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So does anyone think Torre will sit Dre or Loney against Philly's lefties?

We sure did well down the stretch but we would be much better suited for the playoffs if we had traded Either for Holiday.
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I don't think we can win without Holiday!

My family is dealing with it. My husband has been very kind considering, but my son is tired of Dodger Blue, and I know he can't stand the fact that we have gone this far. I even made Dodger blue cupcakes to push the issue. I am enjoying it very much.
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That's pretty cool about the Jonas Brothers. I don't follow them too much, but my students sure do. I used to watch The Shield all the time, but then I got lost in which days it was on. I always try to rent a couple every once in a while. I love Michael Chiklas (sp?). I love the show "The Commish" for the same reason.

He said tongue in cheek.

I hope you are being funny about the Ethier trade!!! LOL!!!! I have been quite gullible lately for some reason :)
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All indications is the the players in the lineup will stay the same, but he may move a few to compensate for the righty/lefty issue. Then again, it is Joe, so anything is possible. I must admit, he has been doing pretty good as of late so I will remain positive that he will keep things as they are.

Evenin' June Darlin'! Hamlin was one of a few drivers who's tire just EXPLODED. His tire sent him hard into the wall at 200MPH. He sustained a concussion and some sort of ankle/foot injury. I haven't seen that he won't be racing Saturday at the Lowes Motor Speedway. Even if he can't hardly stand it, he'll probably start the race and then come in quickly to let someone drive the rest of the race for him. That way he'll still get the points. Here's the video:
http://www.nascar.com/video/cup/2008/10/05/cup.tal2.high.four.nascar/index.html?MostPopular

dcollins, you're right, Laguna is a nice place. My wifey and I spent our 25th there back in March. Perfect weather and we had a great time. I had the most ridiculous candied apple EVER!

Did you ever see him on Seinfeld?
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He was way different then his character on the Shield.
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It really shows how good an actor he is.
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I like the cupcake idea.
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If you go to www.dodgers.com/fanfoto and look up the pictures from 9/20/08 Gallery #112, there are 2 pictures of a couple where the male has a blue face. That is Wifey & I.
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Yup... I painted my face blue.
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I'm not a Jonas fan. I don't even know what songs they sing I just recognized them. There were tons of teenage girls chasing them down the street. That was what they were shooting for the movie.

Ward Dear.. I rewatched the race up to that point. Since I wasn't having the greatest day, my hubby had dinner all ready for me when I got home, so I watched Enchanted's video that I couldn't watch earlier, and then I watched the race until the crash. It's amazing how something simple as a tire exploding can send you into a wall. His crew was pretty worried because he wasn't talking to them. Scary stuff eventhough they know this is part of the territory.

E-If you go back go to this place on Forest St. The adress is something like 230 Forest. That is also the name of the place. They have this dessert that is a warm chocolate crossiant bread pudding with gooey stuff drizzled all over the top.
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It is awesome!! The best dessert I've ever had in my life.
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Nelly-don't worry. I was just thinking the other day about the season and how engaged we've all been with this team. I must say it is the most engaged I've ever been especially since going back to the offseason, into Spring Training and then through the season. It is sort of like we've been there daily following, toiling over them. Win or lose it's really been fun. One of the reasons I love baseball. It is every day.
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This blog has been a big part of it. Thanks to everyone on it (Even some of the stranger posters) for making it what it is and thanks Josh for running it!

dcollins - that picture is very, very cool!!!!!! Awesome!!!!!!

Johnson made a remark as he passed him. Something like, "Man, that was a hard hit! I hope he's OK!"

Listening to the communications between drivers and crew chiefs is very interesting at times. Early on, there was a little glitch in the radio and Knaus wanted to make sure that it wasn't in Johnson's car, so he had Jimmie try a few things while Chad said, "....test, test, test, Jimmie is a loser, test, test, test, unibrow, test, test, test...." Then Johnson says, "All right, all right, that's enough of that s**t!" LOL!!

dcollins - ITD definitely made me pay more attention to the inner workings of the team and especially management. ITD definitley played a role in that aspect of how involved I got. It seems like yesterday we were complaining about Ethier's lack of playing time, and now he is batting clean up. Amazing how a few months changes the whole dimension of a team and and individual players just based on a few changes, injuries and benchings.
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This group is just awesome. There is a great mix of different personalities, with a balance of fun and seriousness. Well, some days the fun and craziness seems to out do the seriousness, but it's better to laugh anyway.

Wifey is looking good but I look like a member of the Blue Man Group.
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Everyone was asking where my buddies were. I just told people that I couldn't miss the game and flew out after the show and didn't have time to shower. I have a pretty good dead pan so a few people were like, "Huh?".
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I've never painted my face before but it was fun. What was interesting was the younger kids. They would just stare at me. I told a couple of them that I didn't eat my veggies when I was young and that is why I turned blue.
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Hey I'm just doing my part for the health of America and the younger generation!

That's funny Eric!!!! LMAO!!!!! I didn't listen inside the cars on Sunday. I was just glad I got to see some of it. I am sure there were some not so kind words after that last crash that pulled a few out of the race with only a few laps to go.

I'm not a big follower of NASCAR. I actually used to love racing back in the day. I always watched Nascar and the Indy car circuit.
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One of my favorite was the IROC series. They would take racers from all the different teams and put them in the same exact cars (Usually a Camero or Trans Am) and have this series of races. It sort of made it more of racer vs racer.
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I loved Richard Petty. He and Mario Andretti were my favorites. Of course I was young so I guess I was bandwagoning without even knowing it. I just always pulled for them. Sometimes for the Allisons & AJ Foyt.

LOL!! ~ Maybe I need to show that picture to one of my students who eats crayons, paper and pencils, and tell him this is waht happens when you eat these things. He does this on a daily basis, and his parents know about, and they don't seem to be bothered by it. To me it's just plain gross. I would love to see an x-ray of that student's stomach because I bet there is more than just crayons, paper and pencils in his stomach.

One of these days I'm going to go to Sears Point for the Nascar race. It's only about five miles from where I live but It's on Sundays during softball season so I always have games and feel committed to my team. I guess when I hang up my cleats I'll make the trip!
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Have either of you gone?

Loved the Allison family!!!! AJ Foyt too. When I was little, all I ever wanted to do was go to the Indianapolis 500. That was back when the Indy cars were just as big as NASCAR. Now, other than the Indy Race, you don't see those races as much anymore.

No, but I would love to go someday. I know many people from here that go, and they say it's great!!!

dc, I'm gonna remember that desert. We're going back there soon, I'm sure. And you absolutely should play up that Blue Man thing if you do that again. It's fun messing with the kids. You give them stories that they'll probably tell the rest of their lives! LOL!!

And I'll agree with the ITD thing. I've said it before, but down here I don't get to talk Dodgers very often. So this is a real treat.

nelly, I seldom listen to anyone other than Johnson, but when that last wreck happened, he looked like he had a force field around him. Cars were bouncing everywhere, but no one touched him. He was so happy, claiming that he was incredibly lucky and he was always going to ride in the back from now on. Carl Edwards did a really stupid thing by bump-drafting in the turn. And, to his credit, he took full responsibility.

Holy cow!!! Can't you get lead poisoning from eating pencils?
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That is crazy!!! I remember when I was younger some kids eating that glue paste stuff. It seems like they were usually the ones that later ended up sniffing the glue when they got older.
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I think he needs to learn that just because something smells good to you doesn't mean it is edible. I always liked the smell of crayons. Maybe that is why he is pounding his writing untencils.
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Or maybe he doesn't have a dog to eat his homework so he wants to practice so he can be able to say he ate it!

How are we doing on the Blog? I haven't read anything in awhile so I don't know where we stand with the popularity. Last I heard we were #2.

The only tracks I've seen them race is the last 4 Feb races in Fontana and the old Ontario Motor Speedway, back in the 70s. I was a Petty fan in those days as well. I used to watch the races when they'd show them on the Wide World of Sports. It's a little sad this year. Kyle Petty is saying he's retiring. If he holds to that, 2009 will be the first year in NASCAR history that there won't be a Petty racing.

Have I ever told you my "small world" story that happened at the race in '05?

LOL!!! Pencils now a days have graphite. His mom even calls him Chewy (BTW - Eric, his name is Matt - lol). Oh, he eats the glue sticks too (which is the modern day paste), but I don't have those accessible like the crayons and pencils. This is only one of my daily issues, but it's a battle I am learning it's not worth it, especially when the parents aren't trying to curb the behavior.

E-I hear you with not being able to talk Dodgers where you live.
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I actually have a co-worker who is a big fan as well as my neighbor.
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On the way back from LA we stopped at a Ralph's grocery store (I always thought that was a funny name for a grocery store!) and bought a bag of ice, stryafoam ice chest, and 6 packages of Farmer Dodger Dogs!!!
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I gave them each a couple of packs to enjoy during the playoffs.
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This Thursday were going to grill up some with my neighbor and his family and watch the game.
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I'm pumped!!!

Well, the blog issue is a bit of a controvsey. We have definitely surpassed in number of posts, but I guess it's not the only thing that is taken into account. According to Blogosphere, we are still 2nd I believe, behind "The Pulse"
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Eric - you have not told your "small world" story :)

E-No I've never heard that story. Fill me in.
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Also where do you stay in Laguna? We stay at the Tides. It is on the east side of the PCH about 2-3 blocks north of downtown. Near the Las Brisas.

Okay - I have never been to Laguna, and now I really, really want to go.

Oh Nelly. Laguna is awesome. It is so laid back. It is my perfect vacation! Usually the weather is perfect. High 70's to mid 80's.
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Eat, relax, eat, shop, relax, eat, sit on the beach, play frisbee, relax, shop, eat!
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Great food. Great sunsets. There are many places to go in the area, like Newport beach or Balboa Beach/Island. Just alot of relaxing and many great places to eat. It is where we usually go in the fall for vacation. Although we are already needing to go back sooner. Probably in March or April.
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There is also many cool artwork on display there to.
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My goal in life is to retire there, become a glass blower and photographer. I would go to Angel games to be a team photographer. I would obviously rather do that for the Dodgers but it would be a bit of a commute to do that.
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dcollins - you have me convinced to go for the weekend some time. We would love to retire by the ocean or in a lower mountain community by us like Mariposa or Twain Harte.

You'll need to make it a long weekend. You won't want to leave.
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How long of a drive is it for you down to LA?
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For us without traffic it is 6-7 hours. Another 90 minutes to Laguna.
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That is why we need more than a weekend.
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We usually hit LA for a couple of days then Laguna for about 4 nights.
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Next year will be our 5th anniversary so we will probably also go to Catalina which is where we spent part of our honeymoon. That is also great for a couple of days as you are really secluded and feel like your on some Greek Isle.
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You feel far away but you aren't.

We threw caution and money to the winds, what with it being our 25th anniversary and all:
http://www.lagunabeach.com/innatlaguna/index.html

When I tell this story in person it takes about a half an hour, but I'm getting tired so I'll try the condensed version.

After walking the trailers and buying more gear than we could afford, we made our way to our seats, maybe 30 minutes before the start. About 7 people arrived to our immediate left about 10 minutes before the start. A guy about 25 or so sat next to me. He had an earring in his left ear, the number 3. So after a couple of minutes I asked him if he had seen Dale Earnhardt race and he says, “Yeah”, and proceeds to tell me about a few times that he’d met him in the pits and stuff.

Now, it’s “Gentlemen, start your engines” and 43 800 HP engines come to life and it’s a little hard to hear. He asks me where I’m from and I tell him that I grew up not far from Fontana, but have lived in Temecula since ’94. I ask him where he’s from and he says “Fargo, North Dakota”. I say, “No way, I was born in Fargo.” He says “No way! That’s amazing!” I say, “Yeah, my folks were both farmers. My Dad was from just north of Fargo, and my Mom from down near Ellendale.” He says, “Were there any Klimas or Steinwands in your family?” My eyes get a little bigger and I say, “My mom’s maiden name is Steinwand.” His eyes get bigger. The cars are rolling around the track. It’s really loud when they come by. He says, “What’s your mom’s name?” I tell him and I tell him her father’s name. His eyes are now the size of silver dollars. He turns to his right and says, “Hey mom, this guy is Henry Steinwand’s grandson!” She says, “Your Mother and I are first cousins! My father is one of Henry’s brothers!”

So, at a race track with 85,000 people, I sit next to a blood relative. Small world.

Well I'm waiting patiently for E's story but I'm fading and I told Wifey I'd be there in a minute (About 120 minutes ago now)!
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So goodnight everybody. I'm now going to be here more regularly now that the computer is working!
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Great talking with you all. You were missed.
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As always, Go Blue!!

Eric - that is amazing!!!!!!!! Wow!!!!!! That is a small, small world. Wow!!!!!

I've got others, like one of the moms in our Troop used to play in the back yard of my next door neighbor of the house I grew up in back in West Covina 50 years ago. But nothing tops the racing one.

Well, I'm sorry I didn't get that typed before dcollins tapped out. I have to turn in myself. God Bless you and yours, June Darlin', and I'll talk to you tomor.......later today!

Great story E! That is a REAL small world!!
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Nice digs in Laguna. The Tides isn't as nice but we like it there. The beds are very comfortable. I had thought about staying at the Inn At Laguna for a change but went with the usual.
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Congrats on the 25th. I've got a long way to go to get there. That is really impressive especially with the way marriage is today. So many people view it as not much of a commitment.
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So far it's been really fun. I'm a very lucky dude and I know that.

dcollins - It's a four hour and 15 minute to Dodger Stadium if there is no traffic. We will definitely have to plan for that. We honeymooned in Jamiaca so I doubt we will be going back there any time soon.

You got me before I left E.
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Good night to you 2 and have a great day... today!!

That hotel reminds me of our room in Jamaica - beautiful!!!!
Definitely a must!!! In May it will 21 years for me and my hubby - Wow!!!

Good Night Ward Dear..... Great Stories as always!!! Get a good night sleep and God Bless to you and yours as well.
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Good Night dcollins ~ It is great having you back!!!!