No time to panic...

GO DODGERS!!!
GO WOLFY!!!

And yes Mark, NO time to panic...

It's ONLY one loss...

Mark!
I love what Don Drysdale said!!!!!LOL.
.
Happy anniversary Rick Monday!!
I'll never forget watching you jump up and down after hitting that Walk-Off in Montreal in 1981!!
.
LET'S GO LOBO!!
LET'S GO DODGERS!!!
Emma
http://crzblue.mlblogs.com/

Who's panicking? .........."Not I" said Nellyjune :)))

Mark - Thank you for the history lesson.

LET'S GO DODGERS, LET'S GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WE LOVE OUR DODGERS, YES WE DO!!!!!!
WE LOVE OUR DODGERS THE WHOLE YEAR THRU!!!!!!!

So Emma, I assume LOBO is Spanish for Wolf???

That's so sad Blake batting 8th.

Carol,
yes, lobo means wolf in Spanish. So el lobo goes prowling tonight!
LET'S GO LOBO!
LET'S GO DODGERS!
.
oK, so now, I got to get back to the auditor's requests here at work.
Emma
http://crzblue.mlblogs.com/

The Dodgers should be on more even footing on Monday night when the Dodgers
go with veteran left-hander Randy Wolf against Phillies right-hander Joe Blanton. Wolf won 11 games with a 3.23 ERA this season. Blanton was 12-8 with a 4.05 ERA.

Lose the battle, win the war

Of the 11 teams previously defeated by 10 or more runs in an LCS game, five (in bold) have rebounded to win the series. Year Game SCORE SERIES
2009 3 PHI 11, LAD 0 TBD
2007 6 BOS 12, CLE 2 BOS
2004 3 NYY 19, BOS 8 BOS
2001 3 SEA 14, NYY 3 NYY
1999 3 BOS 13, NYY 1 NYY
1996 7 ATL 15, STL 0 ATL
1996 5 ATL 14, STL 0 ATL
1993 5 ATL 14, PHI 3 PHI
1985 4 STL 12, LAD 2 STL
1984 1 CHC 13, SD 0 SD
1983 3 BAL 11, CWS 1 BAL
1981 2 NYY 13, OAK 3 NYY
1974 4 LAD 12, PIT 1 LAD
The Phillies recognized that they'd won just one game, hardly the series.

"You don't want to get ahead of yourself," Howard said. "Right now you worry about Game 4 and then hopefully take care of business in Game 5. Then you worry about the next opponent you face."

Teams have been pounded in LCS games before, and many of them have come back to either make it a series, or even win the series. The Red Sox did it three times, in 2004, 2007 and 2008.

In Game 3 of the 2004 ALCS, the Yankees beat the Red Sox 19-8 to take a commanding, never-before-blown 3-0 lead in the series. But Boston rallied in unprecedented fashion against New York to win the next four -- the first two at Fenway Park and the last two at Yankee Stadium -- and make history on their way to their first world championship since 1918.

The Red Sox did it again in the 2007 ALCS -- as did the Indians in the same series. After Boston won 10-3 in Game 1, Cleveland came back to take Game 2 by the score of 13-6. The Indians won the next two games, as well, taking a 3-1 series lead.

Boston recovered again, however, winning the final three games

Guess it didn't bold the 5 teams that would be the years of 2004, 2001, 1999, 1993 and 1984

GO DODGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO DODGERS!!!!!!

Damn 1996 Braves.

Of course the media is going to make a big deal ,again, out of Lee going to Philly. Truth be told, I was wondering myself just what we would have had to give up to get the guy.
*

As Alston said back when, " It only counts as one game." Last night would hardly give anyone confidence, but this is long way from over. KEEP THE FAITH !!!!!!!!!

Yeah Angels lol.

LET'S GO DODGERS, LET'S GO!!!!!!!!!!!
.
ROCK US BABY!!!!! ALL NIGHT LONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
.
BRING THE RING TO L.A. IN 2009!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've been asking that question ever since Philly got him, knouff.

When all you're told is that we offered MORE than the Phillies but didn't get him, it raises questions. How many can we think of?

It doesn't make sense. How is that possible? (It's not)
Are we overrating our kids? (Yes)
Is there really a Colletti Premium? (Possibly)
Are we being lied to? (Probably)
Did Lee ask the Indians to keep him on the East Coast? (Doubtful)
Did Lee ask the Indians to NOT trade him to the Dodgers? (Doubtful)

Personally, I think it's the money owed to Lee. It's the one really consistent factor present in just about every late-season trade we make:

Last year
Ramirez - the Red Sox paying remainder of Ramirez' 2008 salary (about $7M) and agreeing to eliminate 2009-10 club options in exchange for Ramirez not exercising right to block trade as 10-and-5 player
Blake - Indians paying all of Blake's 2008 salary

This year
Thome - Chicago paid about $1.4M of Thome's remaining 2009 salary of about $2.415M (we pay him $1mil)
Padilla - signed to a minor-league contract after being waved by Texas (major league minimum?)
Garland - Arizona to pay remaining 2009 salary and 2010 buyout (free)
Sherrill - no notes on the deal, so we can assume we're paying the prorated remainder of his 2009 contract ($2.75M) (1/3 of $2.75 - less than $1mil)
Belliard - Same thing as Sherrill, prorate the last of his $1.9M ($633K)

So those 5 pickups cost a total of $3 million for the balance of '09, by my primitive math.

Now, what is Lee costing the Phils? The prorated 2009 contract of $5.75 million (approx $1.9 mil). There is a club option for '10 at $8 million with a $1 mil buyout, which means the Phils owe him $2.9 million minimum - roughly equal the cost of all of our pickups combined. There are some good bonuses if he wins the Cy Young. His '09 salary jumps from $5.75 mil to $9M, or to $8.75M with 2nd or 3rd place in the voting. Jumping leagues will virtually lock him out of the Cy Young trophy, but 2nd or 3rd is still a possiblity. Sabathia finished 5th - and within a single vote of 4th place - in the NL last year after jumping leagues. That would jump his check from the Phils another million.
These figures are at http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/2005/01/los-angeles-dodgers.html

To me, that's why we didn't get Lee. Not because we offered a better package than the Phils. It was a couple more million kept off the payroll that shrunk from $118,588,536 in 2008 to $100,414,592 in '09. And that's what I'll continue to believe until proven wrong.

Having said that,

C'MON DODGERS!!!! EVEN IT UP!!!!

Dang Buck you mean to his left lol

Wow go Angelssssssssssssssssssssss

Geez Buck how many time you going to mention that Chamberlain was misused.

Nothing is impossible, especially if it happened so many times before.
If we could beat the Cardinals, there's no reason why we can't beat the Phillies.
My experience asked me, "How the heck can we beat the Cardinal?"....Then I saw it happen..WOW.
Now my experience is asking me the same question about the Phillies......???????
GO DODGERS!!!!!!

Before I leave to go home and catch the game...................

We (ITD) are obviously not fair weather fans. We stick with them thru everything, good and bad, and we never truly give up on them. Yea, there are times we might mention walking away or make fun of all the things that go wrong, but we wouldn't be here if we did ever feel it was time to give up on them. I don't know where this journey of theirs will end this season, but the ride gets more and more fun, exciting and intense as the month of October continues on. As I told my Giants fan friend today...............at least we are still on the ride, and he (Ahem!!!) VERY NICELY agreed with me.
LET'S GO DODGERS, LET'S GO!!!!!

Dodgereric - I still laugh about that "Ahem" I got from you a while back. I don't even know what it was for, but the visual I have of you doing that is pretty good.

OH HI EVERYBODY

Ouch Abreu damn

An interesting summary of the salary aspects as you have presented it, eric. I'm not the least bit surprised. In fact, I can't wait until the lawyers start spewing all of the money details about this ill-fated ownership. They should do a realty show about the upcoming fiasco - it should be a real hit.

Like I've said before - Put the screws to him, Jamie. Make him sell everything. Remember that Cash is King. Don't take half ownership in anything. It'll make you feel so much better to break his balls.

In the meantime, let's go get them, Dodgers! Let's make the franchise even more valuable before Frank has to sell it all.

I'm sorry Odog need to play this suck for him.

Something tell me Fuentes going to get a 1 2 3 innings.

Well they ibb Arod hahaha

Damn Tex robbed Figgens

3rd Message to JT: Do not pitch to Ryan howard. Treat him as you did Albert P

The Dodgers are trying to do something tonight they haven't done in 21 years, win 5 games in a postseason.

lol at the Angels having trouble with risp

Thought we get out of the first unscafed but no way.

Well at least this is real postseason experience.

CRAP!

Totally agree, Scott. Blanton barely qualifies as a mediocre pitcher and the Dodgers are making him look like a Cy Young winner. They have hit .295 against him, so why are they looking so freaking lame against him so far? Wolf is a much better pitcher than he is. And where's the emotion? They look like night of the walking dead out there so far and they did last night too. Time to step it up a few notches. C'mon guys!

This strike zone is ridiculous! Wolf doesn't get sure strikes and Blanton gets borderline strikes, it's freaking crazy!!! How much did they pay this Ump??

Come on I'm going to cry we owned Blanton

JAMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/bvsp?playerId=6132

lol Blake 1 for 21 gosh and Manny owned him.

Just got home in time for the bottom of the 2nd, so I see we are down.
.
No worries!!!!
.
Let's go Blue!!!
.
Fire me up baby!!!!!!!!

Um, time to panic? Playing like crap. The Phillies would have 8 runs off of that stiff Blanton by now. 9 up, 9 down - yuck.
,
,
COME ON!!!!!!!

I guess they didn't get the memo from CNN SI...
.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/jon_heyman/10/19/ryan.howard/index.html

No panic from me. All year when they needed a W, they responded.
.
I'm confident they will do this!
.
Wolf had his one woops & now we have righted the ship...
.
Time to bang!!!!!!!!!!!

Ahh....a little life & hope! too bad Blake is in such a funk. Maybe he can do something good before the game is over.

Looks like the bats woke up and there's some life in our boys. GO DODGERS!!!!!

Wolf is typical again tonight.

Gosh back to back 1 2 3 innings damn stupid 1st inning crap.

RRRRrrrrrr! Time warp . . . . GRRRRRR!!!!

& if someone wants to come here & bang on Dodger fans, this is a stupid place to do it.
.
The fans here are awesome as are most of our fans.
.
Obviously if we are on here daily, often till late at night all year long then we are true fans & love our team!
.
So peace out ...

I hate these kind of typical inning.

Just got home in time for the bottom of the 2nd, so I see we are down.
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No worries!!!!
.
Let's go Blue!!!
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Fire me up baby!!!!!!!!

Sweet!!!!
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I'm tellin' ya -- tonight's going to be different!
.
Due to Submission Error... it's taken me since the Loney RBI to post this... That's at least 1 inning!!!

Only Howard would break Gehrig 77 years old record.

Crap, Andre just missed one there. C'mon Manny!

An RBI for JAMES

Way to go, Manny & James! They're starting go get to Blanton. They need to get him out and get to the bp.

Yeah Kemp we need more runnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

Urgh wish that was hit in Boston in RF.

I hate to talk like this but destory this scrub now.

RUSSYY

Gosh it didn't post my Kemp homerunnnnnnnnnnn comment geez.

OOOOOOOOH M A T T Y

Come on that the way to goes 2 outs hit come on team let's still this game so it could be a game 6 at DS.

Blake .083 you're so due.

Oh n/m it surely took them to long.

oops still=steal

I never had one of my post be later than my prior posted. I posted .077 before that yeah Kemp comment.

Gosh Furcal and Blake batting .077 damn it.

WTG MK!!!!!

Great job, Matt! Andre has ripped it his last 2 at bats with nothing to show for it, but if they keep getting good swings like that, they'll get to Blanton.

Checking to see if I'm still in a time warp.

True that BCG. He also ripped that one foul that hit the ump.
.
When Dre just misses on a pitcher, he often get's him later in the game.
.
Let's hope so!!!!!!!!!!!!

I felt sorry for the ump, collie. That must have hurt like hell. Trublu, I've had lots of submission errors tonight.

You are Tru.

Nice. Let's CAPITALIZE!!!!

Yeah come on we need runs more than 3 would be nice.

Yeah ex Giants Feliz made an error let's kill Blanton in this inning.

Belliard does not have the glove that O-Dog does. At least they got one out.

Damn Martin

Yeah Blake finally

Nice hit Bearded one go C A S E Y

Nice catch, Manny!

Well, this is more like it. After a rough start, Wolfie's settled in and our bats finally woke up. With our bullpen, I like our odds in a close game. We've put the TBS Philly coronation on hold and silenced the Philly crowd...Reaalllllllllll small strike zone tonight.........WAY TO GO, BLAKE!!!!! GO GET EM, BLUE!!!!

Whew!!! I just felt the collective exhale of Dodgerdom on that one!!! Let's get some runs!!!!

Blake pulled his .077 batting average to .143

Go Wolf hit a bandbox homerun. Oh my Blake stole a base

DAMN, THIS TIME WARP IS TICKING ME OFF.........YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN!!!!!!!!!!! NICE CATCH, MANNY!!!!!

Wow!! I'm really time warping. My comment was about Manny's shoestring catch to end the Philly 6th!!! LOL!!!

I guess not

Took advantage!
.
Keep it going boys. We can do this!!

yeah, Blake has been terrible so far this postseason. 1-25 against Blanton, thought for sure he was going down. finally brought in a runner. He has stranded so many this postseason.

Yeah Kuo one pitch out. Odog should be in.

They really ought to rename this park Citizen's Bank Phone Booth.

Dang that Furcal.

Damn, I swear that my heart almost stopped when that ball was hit to Manny. Manny picked up Belliard.

Nice. Still have the lead.
.
Let's tack some on...
.
Manny picked up Belly #2. Time for the O to pick up Wolfy!

Odog should be in.

Get that run back and more

I don't know but at least Manny leading off.

Maybe Joe want Manny to lead off next inning. Ok we need a quick 123 innings.

Go Kuo Go.

Maybe Coors Field can send a humidor to Philly?

Come on Kuo don't let's Ruiz kill us again

Evening everyone! I have been out and heard the 2-0 score on the radio and my heart sank, but I am heartened to see a lead. This is critical with two on and one out. We need a DP!!

1 more out

Did Wolf get a standing ovation in Philly yeah I know but it Wolf and they used to love him?

Good evening all.
I just got in from work in time to see Matt hit one out. Once again, the home plate ump is inconsistent with his calls. Russ had a legit argument on his strikeout.
BTW, I saw the replay of Howard's dinger in the 1st. That was a warning track fly ball at best in Dodger stadium.
GO DODGERS!!!

No Belliard! Come on Ronnie!

Time to destory Madson again

Belliard may be swinging a warmer bat these days, but O-Dog turns that DP easily.
WTG Manny! Nice catch!

Manny giveth, Manny taketh away! what a catch, after the blown DP attempt

What the heck was Andre going for? I find it hard to believe that Bowa called that one.

Damn, I swear my heart almost stopped when that ball was hit to Manny but he did it!!!

This "redirect" sh#$t is a real pain in the .......

BCG -- He was trying to get into scoring position in case Manny got a hit. It was a gamble that didn't work out.
.
Let's go Kuo!!!

It is annoying Sky.

I know Collie, but as much as I love Dre, base stealing is not his forte, lol. His speed isn't too bad once he gets moving and he has good speed getting to balls in the outfield, but he needs to work on the base stealing.

Status Kuo!!! Nice job!!!

This game is way too close for comfort! I'm a nervous wreck!!

HELP...I'M IN A TIME WARP AND CAN'T GET OUT!!!!!!

Way to battle James!

Hey, jhall. Great to see you.

BonJour BleuFille'!!! Merci!! Same here!!! Always a pleasure to see you!!! I'd sure like some more runs!!!

good to see some stolen base come on Martin let's get that run in.

Come on Blake right in the stand would be nice.

Blake dang come on

Pins and needles

God damn it

Let's go, bullpen. We've got 6 outs to get. This is the key inning; the heart of their order.

Come on pen, hold this one!

PINS and NEEDLES

This inning is huge gang!! Come on George!!!!

Nice job Brox! Do it again 3 more times!

I don't feel good make me eat some crow Sherrill.

I loved seeing Utley spiked. He's been begging for it. Do you think Ronnie drew any blood? He and Victorino play a little on the dirty side.

Ouch thanks good Rollins didn't take the 3-1 pitch

Come on Brim! Shut them them down.

Come on Sherrill k's him

Urgh gosh damn it

My nerves can't take much more. Pass the flask, seesky.

LET'S GO DODGERS, LET'S GO!!!!!
LET'S GO DODGERS, LET'S GO!!!!!
LET'S GO DODGERS, LET'S GO!!!!!

Double crap

This what happen last year don't want a repeat.

Well, we get to see if George has the nads now!!!

dp now

There's one nut!!!

Whew!!! One more George!!!!!!!!!

Well, nevermind...........herrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre's Johnny!!!!!!!

That was a big out one more Werth only have 1 hit in this series.

come oh broxton..one out

Cohones grandes wally!

Come on Kemp

That was big for Sherrill down the road in the playoffs (thinking positively) to get Howard out like that. C'mon Brox, get it done!

Heeeeeeeeeere's Johnny!!!!

Gosh double switch with Broxton one more out.

LMAO VL!!!

Hey boys and girls!!!!! Take deep breaths - breath in, breath out............................ breath in, breath out :))))))

GO, JOHNNY, GO!!!!

LOL Nelly, tell me when to push!!!

I finally got out of the time warp! YAY!!

LMAO Jhall!!!!!!!!!!!!

Urgh come on K's Werthless.

Whew!!!
Big Jon throwing flames!!!!!!

Way to go, Brox!

Whew, it's a beautiful baby fly out to right. I think I'll name it Phan!!! LOL!!!

BIG BLUE BROX!!

This is too close for comfort. Get some insurance runs.

Whewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I can breath more

I want to see Thome but we had to do that double switch. Let's go Odog.

Jhall ~ that would be Phantastic!!!!

C'mon boys! Get some insurance runs!!!

I need some Johnny says gang!!!

You got that right, nelly. I had to tell myself to breathe that inning....3 great pitches by Sherrill on Howard and Johnny B's express gets it done. 3 more outs to get.

LMAO, jhall! I was waving my Dodger rally towel from game during the bottom of the 8th. Not sure if it helped at all, but it made me feel better.

LOL, jhall. That fly ball was Phantastic!!!!!!!!!!

Keep it going BleuFille', it can't hurt!!! My sphincters tight and my fingers are crossed!!! I'm swearing to my god and on my mama's grave, I'll love Brox to the end of time!!!! LOL!!!

Wow that was a tough innnnnning!

LET'S GO DODGERS, LET'S GO!!!!!
LET'S GO DODGERS, LET'S GO!!!!!
LET'S GO DODGERS, LET'S GO!!!!!

Someone bring Ferk home!

Pins and needles.

Gosh the double switch should be with Blake hopefully Broxton spot dont come up with runners on base

Go home Ferk! Are you too good for your home? :)

Hell, I'll even find a prayer rug and point myself towards Mecca if I can figure out what direction that is from SLC!!!

Kemp hit a bomb please

lol seesky

It's more like a bed of nails Oldbrooklynfan :)

LOL Seesky!!!!!!

Come on Dre!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They could ibb Ethier and Manny to get to Broxton if they want to.

oh n/m forgot Loney in front of Broxton

Wow, that last pitch to Dre was off the plate, hope that doesn't come back to haunt us.

Well, it was close, but it wasn't Andre's pitch to hit.

Herrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre's Johnny Again!!!!!!!

That looked like a ball to me on strike 3, but this ump has been all over the place tonight.

Let's get a 1 2 3 innings please no drama.

This could be the biggest inning of the NLCS.
GO BROXTON.

With this ump it's not smart to take anything with 2 strikes.
.
Very inconsistent.
.
Let's go Brox. Stay within yourself & don't overthrow. Get this 1st dude out!

I thought it was low and outside perumike, but the ump has been calling screwy all night, so it wasn't a surprise. Just mad because it wasn't Andre's pitch.

C'mon Johnny! Nail this one down!!!

Well, you knew this wouldn't be easy. Remember to breathe this inning, kids. After all, there's Dodger Blue and turning blue. DO IT TO IT, JOHNNY B!!!!!!

Oh please no Stairs also lol

DE'JA VU

I thought they had it. Very disappointing loss. They still have a chance if they can win on Wed. since the next 2 will be at home.

seesky - thanks for the tip :)

awwww **** I knew it

Come on, Brox.....get this game over!!!

Come on Brox!!!!!! You can do this!!!!!

Damn Broxton scare of Stairs?

Crap!!!! Not now!!!!!!!!!!!

Broxton is not looking too good right now.

Am I the only one who'll need a manicure after this game?

awwwwww fk you kidding me?

One more thanks dobbs

I won't need on vl4, no nails left!

Choke Rollins Choke.

CRAPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!

Crap, I don't believe this!!!

I knew that would happen. Dodgers are not championship material unfortunately.

Unbelievable!!!

Gosh damn it

It's not the hits; it's the damn walks.

It's going to be an ETERNAL day off.

Unacceptable!!©. Total bullsh*t!!! Brox still ain't ready for prime time!!!!

The only hit the bullpen gave up tonight. This was last year.

Unacceptable!!©. Total bullsh*t!!! Brox still ain't ready for prime time!!!!

Nite all, try to sleep well!

What a horrible pitch by Broxton. Straight as an arrow, right in the center of the plate, just below waist high. Just unbelievable that he could not execute when needed most.

ummm...time to panic...

LOL!! Scared of Stairs.

Goodnight gang!!!

Deja vu all over again!
They will need divine intervention to win this LCS now. Coming back from a 3-1 defecit is a HUGE obstacle to overcome.
Padilla will be in the pressure cooker next game.

WE LOVE OUR DODGERS THE WHOLE YEAR THRU!!!!
This hurt, but it is still the best toy store around. They gave it everything they got. It was just one damaging pitch too many. It's an uphill battle now, but it can be done.

.....Unprintable...........

Unf******gbelievable! Walk and a hit batter in that situation.

What can you say. Brox was what we saw all year.
.
Over throws and nibbles. So walks & hits a batter then is in love with his fastball and starts grooving them.
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Hats off to them they came back & won. They took advantage of our mistakes.
.
That being said, this series still isn't over.

die phan die you **********.

Good Night Jhall!!!! sigh :))

Collie - That's what the post season is all about..........capitalizing on mistakes, and Brox made a mistake.

Dodgers are a good gutsy team. They just happen to be playing a better, gutsier team. JRoll has sucked, but there is something there inside when it is on the line. And he's not the only one. Too many weapons.
They can't get to Lidge, and Broxton coughs it Up? C'mon dudes, props!!!

That pitch by Broxton was screaming "HIT ME" all the way to the plate but the HBP and the BB really was the key..... A long day off tomorrow and hope Padilla can come up big in Game 5. Good night, all.

It is not over yet but the Dodgers just don't look like they are in the same league with the boys in red.
In the post game interview Rollins said "I got a good pitch..."
No ****! Why couldn't you throw a down and in slider or something on the edge of the plate, Broxton? Geez, I could have put some wood on that pitch.

Charlie in the presser:
My players can handle the moment.

I'd love a win on Wednesday and bring it back to LA.
Let them work for that last win.

Yeah it over when we should had tied it 2-2 last year and lost.

Oh shut up the ump was on your side all night bite me *******

Well that's just about the most painful Dodger loss in many, many, many moons...and I've been watching these things for 40 years. Was at the stadium a year ago when Dodgers lost game 4 on Stairs' HR, was in the stadium for Jack Clark's bomb, but this one feel so much worse, probably because it's right now. Nobody's fault. Yeah, Broxton might wear the goat horns, but it's a team loss. Sure, sure, the Dodgers are still alive. But this one will hurt ALL winter long.

Jhall - Are you watching this? LMAO!!!!!!!! Weren't you the one that mentioned this? LMAO!!!!! We called it didn't we? LMAO!!!!!!!!!! This brings back memories of our infamous night we became the Cleaver family.

Bluecrewgirl - All we have is faith at this point, and I am not giving up on them. We have seen them do some incredible things this season, and we have learned anything is possible and nothing is impossible when it comes to this Dodgers team.

Stairs has been bad all year and hasn't gotten enough at-bats. There was no way he was going to catch up to Broxton's fastball. Broxton turtled up for you guys, big time.

oldbrooklynfan ~ Just got back from the diner. I'm devastated. To use a quote from a happier Dodger moment, " I don't believe what I just saw" I can't believe it. Two years in a row with a chance to tie the series 2-2, Broxton blows it. I guess he's not a big time closer. What a shame they worked so hard to come back in that game. Sherrill's strike out of Howard in the eight inning was so great. I have no confidence in them for Wednesday game. They're done. I'm ready for the off season.

Let's do the time warp again.

bluecrewgirl - I time warped you again.

Brad Lidge does not have a blown save in the postseason.

But he does have a win.

Dude, Brad Lidge does not have a blown save this postseason.
But he does have a win.

Game Notes
WP: B. Lidge (1-8)
LP: J. Broxton (7-3)

lol yahoo Lidge first win this year to bad it won't count

Jhall - I think these two deserve each other, don't you? They are perfect for each other because they speak the same language. Just think...............if they get together and bug the crap out of each other, this could get very entertaining to watch.

It is a hard,hard loss and it's a tough road ahead, but not impossible. Remember what the Red Sox did against the Yankees in the ALCS the year they won their first World Series. If they can win on Wed., winning two in LA is not at all impossible. Keep the faith!

Go figure it had to be another closer to blow a save. Now it's Lidge and Rivera turned.

So far in thr 2009 playoffs we got:

Jonathan Paplebon: 1 blown save
Joe Nathan: 2 blown saves
Brad Lidge: 1 blown save
Brian Fuentes: 1 blown save
Jonathan Broxton: 1 blown save
Huston Street; 2 blown saves

If I were Mariano Rivera, I'd be a little nervous.

I am totally depressed.

Bring back Gagne he would never done this twice.

Gagne would owned Stairs.

I think we all need to realize and admit that Broxton is not a closer. He never was, and he never will be. He does not have the mental makeup to be a big time pitcher, and that just can't be taught. As long as he's our closer, we are not going to win the World Series. I think Papelbon is available in the offseason. Dodgers need to make an offer.

Yeah you right but Lidge came close to blowing one. Like I said earlier Lidge and Rivera are due.

Shad - coming close to blowing a save and blowing a save are two totally different things. It's like saying Brox came close to getting the save. He either got the save or didn't,and in this case, he obviously didn't - LOL!!!!

Broxton road ERA= is not a safe bet. I knew once Stairs got walk he was going to blow it.

GIVE UP NOW!!!!!!!! NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!
.
IT IS WIN OR GO HOME TIME !!!!!! THIS IS WHERE WINNING REALLY BECOMES A WHOLE LOT OF FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!
.
You all said it was just one game...That still applies, besides what kind of ball club would that make us if we gave up now!!!!!!!!!
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The road ahead isn't an easy one, that's for sure, but it isn't impossible. A win tomorrow will get it back in front of the fans in blue and that is very attainable.... and then we go from there.
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GO DODGERS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BRING THE RING TO L..A. IN 2009!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Good Night everyone and God Bless have a great day tomorrow.
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We need to keep fighting....Nothing else we can do except keep fighting......We need to punch harder and smarter than we have though.....The Phillies are going to come out swinging that is a given.

Gagne is GONE, guys. He was good when he was doing steroids, but he doesn't anymore.

Stairs vs Gagne 1/6 3 k's page Eric Gagne please come back and take the paycut.

Nelly, I don't know why, but I really feel like they are going to come back and win it. If they win on Wed., winning two in a row at home is entirely possible. Andre came so close to a home run on his second at bat and he tagged it on the next one too. So close, yet so far.

You go Dodger4life!!!!!!

bluecrewgirl - I am NOT giving up on this team either. The season is over when the last out of our season is made, and until that happens, I will always have faith that anything is possible and nothing is impossible with this fabulous Dodger team.

If Broxton just grooved one for Stairs to hit a home run, he probably would have come back and got the game in control after that. But as wild as Broxton was tonight, it was the lack of the hitters to score more runs that lost the game.
It is clear that the Phillies and probably the Angels and Yankees are better than the Dodgers. Our team could still win it all but it would require lots of lucky breaks. We have a good team but not a great one. We Dodger fans tend to overrate our players and ignore the fact that there are other good organizations with really good players too.
I have had fun this year and I hope the team can win the next three games. It would be nice to make it to the Fall Classic but I am not going to be holding my breath.

i like all the positive talk..but lets be realistic here..broxton is a big soft teddy bear. This guy has no gutts what so ever. this is not the first time he does this..we played our assssss off to have this happend..you guys remember last year..same team game four..broxton on the mound..i swear this guy better not be with us next year......thank you broxton..long live the memories of gagne and saito...god im so upset...can't beve what i just saw

Actually Oct 12 he should've had blow that game but the ump give him that last k's to strike him out. I known I watch that game and the Rockies got hose on that pitch.

http://dodgerblues.com/content/news.html ..im glad i can relate to this..for all frustrated dodger fans

There is no doubt that Brox blew it big time once again, and yes, I do think that issue needs to be addressed. So,let's hope it is. However, with the upcoming off season, it's going to be all about the split between Frank and Jamie, and then talk about drama.

Shad - bad calls or not, he didn't blow the save, nor does any record reflect that. Records don't deal in almosts. It either happened or it didn't.

Btw I think I'm calm down if phan I'm sorry about the die comment.

To bad Broxton would be back he need to move to the 7th innings Kuo 8th and Sherrill 9th on the road.

I am glad you are calmed down Shad. It's really not worth it. Obviously he is not going to change and be nice about the whole thing so you need to take the higher road and try your very best not to get upset about it. It's really hard, we know, but you have to try. If it helps, type it out so you get it out of your system, but just don't post it.

If Padilla can get us a win in Game 5, I know Clayton will shut them down in Game 6 when I'm in Dodger Stadium. Then it's Wolf v. Lee for a trip to the Fall Classic, and I know Lee isn't going to throw another shutout.
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This thing is far from over.

Well........ crap. Losses like this one are tough. It's easy to overreact at these. What the hell happened?
We outhit them 8 to 5.
We each hit one out.
We each got 4 walks.
We stole 3 bases to their none.
They had an error and we didn't.
We were 3 for 8 w/RISP, they were 2 of 7.
We saw 169 pitches to their 146.
We both got 4 - 2 out RBIs.

The difference? The ump behind the plate? Yeah, he sucked big time. Either that 'strike zone' chart on TV is completely unreliable or the umpire is. But the difference? No. Winners celebrate and losers blame the umps, so let's not go there.

The difference was Broxton walking that 'holy terror' Stairs (you know, the 41-year-old one-trick-pony nobody with the .194 batting average) on 4 pitches and then compounding that by hitting Ruiz with the next pitch. That gives your defense no chance at all and it has to stop. I still like Broxton, because if he ever starts to trust his stuff and stop giving the other hitters too much credit he's going to be a fine closer for a long time to come. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, but you have to choose it to be so.

I know I'll fight to the end. It's not over. All it takes is one in Philly and we can win it at home. But obviously we need to stand up now. Kershaw and Padilla can get us to Game 7, but it sure would be nice if we could hit us a home run or at least a double with 2 or 3 on for a change. It seems like a while since I've seen one of those. That's a fine club over there, but they're beatable.

Hey lny4loney!!!! It's great to see you on ITD once again. I am thinking this series will come back to LA as well. And now that you are going to be there with all of your chants and the James Loney Song, it's a definite.

Dodgereric - The ump was equally bad for both teams IMO. When the announcers said both pitchers had to pitch into a tea cup to get a strike, I figured the ump had his own personal strike zone, which is a whole other topic for a later time, isn't it? As for Brox, I don't know what to think. These are the times you wish you knew what they were thinking.

So, your household is all calm after the football game. I had checked once during the Dodger game, and the Chargers were winning,and then obviously, the Broncos found a way to win. Good for Matt, not so good for you and Chris:)

Who is this Kikuchi?

http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091019&content_id=7499432&vkey=news_la&fext=.jsp&c_id=la

There was a time when being able to ump in the postseason was a reward for excellence during the year. It might still be technically so, but not in reality. There have been way too many horrible calls this year. And did you see that ump tonight take a good long look at Martin after he took that called 3rd strike? He was itching to run him, and that's something I can't stand. No one in history has ever bought a ticket to watch an umpire work.

That being said, I'm not blaming anyone but the Dodgers for this loss. It's on the players. All of them. We want to hang it on Broxton, but it's still a team game and there's a lot that goes on before the ninth. As was noted earlier, just about every closer in the game has blown a save in the playoffs this year. Is every team going to dump their guy?

They've got to get it done. If they don't, I'll tip my cap to the Phils. Just not yet. We have to stop giving them base runners and we have to get THE BIG HIT.

Regarding our house tonight, luckily Matt is a gracious winner. Mostly because he cares more about his mom's feelings than the Broncos. The two of them had to calm me down early on. Watching both games at once got me way too critical for them to stomach.

PHILADELPHIA -- The Dodgers blazed the trail with Japanese pitchers, from Hideo Nomo to Kaz Ishii to Hiroki Kuroda, and now they are after another.

Japanese media outlets report that Dodgers assistant general manager Logan White traveled to Japan this week to meet with 18-year-old left-handed pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, who is considering become the first high school player from Japan to sign with a Major League franchise and bypass the Japan League draft.

Nomo, Ishii and Kuroda came to the Major Leagues having already played in the Japan League.

Eight Major League clubs are believed to be interested in Kikuchi, whose fastball has been clocked at 95 mph by American scouts. Among the clubs reportedly in on Kikuchi are the Yankees, Red Sox and Mariners.

Of course I didn't mean it but everytime I get mad I always say something stupid.

LOL!!! So, the coffee table is still intact (not broken into toothpicks)..............that's good. Well, I think I was more in a state of shock to be honest. I really didn't say much.

Back to the umps ~ I certainly don't pay the money to go watch umpires. I just don't understand how their strike zone is based on their personality.

And as far as a team loss..............that is for sure, and I am sure every guy in the clubhouse feels the same way.

No matter what happens, you gotta learn how to win or lose gracefully. Most of us can do it, some (we have seen) can not. Shad, you hang in there. I'm a work-in-progress just like you and I'm getting better at it. Just ignore him. He's not worth the energy.

I’ve survived the Rams losing the Super Bowl in 1980.
I’ve survived the Kings losing the Cup in ’92.
I’ve survived the Lakers losing in the Finals in ’68, ’69, ‘70, ’73, ‘83, ’84, ’89, ’91, ’04 and ’08.
I’ve survived the Dodgers losing the Series in ’66, ’74, ’77, and ’78.

But only because I’ve stuck with my teams, I’ve celebrated with the Lakers in ’72, ’80, ’82, ’85, ’87, ’88, ’00, ’01, ’02 and ’09.
And I’ve won along with my Dodgers in ’59, ’63, ’66, ’81 and ’88. And I intend to do so again, whether it’s sooner or later, because I NEVER SAY DIE!

May God Bless each and every one of us, and we'll take another try at it come Wednesday.

Shad - I know you didn't mean to, but do ITD a favor. Next time he makes a post just try your hardest not to react to what he says. It's hard. I know. It's hard for me too. It's hard for all of us, but you have to try. As long as there is somebody here he can push buttons and make upset, the more he will be around pushing those buttons.

Well, I haven't been around that long, but yes, we are sticking to our teams no matter what. That is our job as a true fans..........................sticking with your teams thru the good times, the hard times and the bad times, and it seems like this season, we have been through it all with the Dodgers..................the good, the hard and the bad.

LOL!!!!! I am sorry Eric. That first line did not sound too nice. It sounded like I was calling you old :)

I agree with posters from the previous thread who have commented that you've gotta stick around for the hard times to fully appreciate the good times.
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It's been a long 21 years since Kirk Gibson hit that magical homerun. Until very recently (Game 1 of the NLDS) I could say that I had been in attendance for every post-season home victory in those 21 years -- all three of them.
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In that time I've seen the devastating consequences of Pedro-for-Delino, seen the O'Malleys dreams of a Dodgers football team (and much more importantly continued O'Malley ownership of the baseball Dodgers) dashed by L.A. City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas and fellow Coliseum-lovers; saw the Piazza-Karros-Mondesi years go by without a single playoff victory; saw that era cut off before it could bear fruit by the devastating and so-much-more-obviously-stupid-at-the-time-it-was-done-than-Pedro-for-Delino trading of Mike Piazza; the pathetic attempts to replace the irreplaceable Piazza with the likes of Todd Hundley; the pretty good but ultimately soulless teams of the early '90s; the deeply soul-wrenching strike of 1994; the cheapening of baseball in general by steroids and other misdeeds under the "guidance" of a man whose name makes me sick -- Bud Selig; and so much more. In some ways it's been a very long 21 years.
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But I've also enjoyed our run of Rookies of the Year: Karros, Piazza, Mondesi, Nomo, Hollandsworth; Hideo Nomo, the first important Asian ballplayer; watching Ramon Martinez throw 18 strikeouts through 8 innings; the United Nations rotation of 1998 -- Nomo, Park, Candiotti (Canada), Ramon Martinez, pick-an-American; having fans around me and my brother wonder what the heck our "229" chant meant until Eric Karros broke Ron Cey's L.A. Dodger record with his 229th homerun; eating Krispy Kreme donuts after the Dodgers scored 10 runs in a home victory in the first years of the millenium; "Game Over" Eric Gagne; restraining my joy somewhat so as not to completely scare the wits out of the two neighborhood girls who were helping me set up my wife's blowout 40th birthday party when Steve Finley hit the grand slam to send the Dodgers to the 2004 playoffs; the Lima Game against the Mets in those '04 playoffs and my appearance on local TV that night which my wife later compared to Jimmy Fallon at spring training in "Fever Pitch"; the back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs of 2006; the two virtual must-win victories at Arizona in late August of 2008 that propelled us into the post-season; finally winning a post-season series last year and again this year and so much more.
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Yes, it's been a long 21 years, but I wouldn't trade it with any Yankees, Braves, or Red Sox fan.
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And when the Dodgers do win the World Series again, all the suffering, all the unfulfilled optimism, will make the victory celebration so much sweeter.
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I've been actively trying for not 21 years, but at least 32, to go to a World Series Game. I've been denied for reasons ranging from lack of any inkling of natural athletic ability and thus lack of actual participation, to the poverty of youth, broken Ticketmaster machines, college geography, and of course the team itself, from ever seeing a World Series Game.
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Please, oh, please, 2009 Dodgers, make the dream of my life come true.

Well. I've decided not to watch tonights game. Will tape it and see what the outcome is. I'm thouroughly disgusted. Broxton needs to work on something besides his fastball. I'd like to punch him out when I get bigger. Will see tomorrow if we're still in it.
Good luck Dodgers.

If anyone can do it, it's THESE Dodgers.

I've got a feeling...

I have a somewhat different take on the bullpen blowup - in fact two ineffective performances now. The name is George Sherrill. Remember game 1? Big control pitcher walks two and then BOOM. Last night - lack of control makes Joe bring in Brox in the eighth instead of the normal ninth inning to close it out. In between he's sitting in the cold dugout like 20 minutes. It's obvious when he comes out for the ninth that he's lost his control. If it wasn't for the walk and the hit batter ahead of Rollins, Rollins' hit would likely just still leave him on the bases. Brox didn't get the job done? Yes. Torre screwed up by relying on Sherrill? I say also YES. The guy's proven to be a loser in playoff situations so far. That's the way the cookie crumbles.

IT AIN'T OVER TIL THE FAT LADY SINGS!
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So I will not listen to music today (to avoid singing) and I just hope the Phillies did not hire ROSEANN to sing at the game.
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I still have hope.....LET'S GO DODGERS!

Oh yeah, and who was it that brought us Sherrill instead of Lee?

NED and the TEMPORARY TEAM OWNER FRANK.

As an east coast Dodger fan it is really hard to see my favorite team play on a consistent basis. Last night i was at the game an never before have i been so mad or hated Philadelphia as much. I had to sit in a seat apart from my brother and cousins by myself for the last two innings and the second i sat down the guy behind me started going into a rant about how all east coast dodger fans are bandwagons and posers and just started liking them this year. I didn't respond because i knew that i know more about our single a team then he does about the phillies. Then when they started waving those stupid rally towels he started hitting me in the head with his. At that point i was ready to snap but i contained myself because i wanted to gloat at the end of the game. But when rollinsgot the hit he started rubbing my head and grabbing me so i elbowed him in the chest and swung at him. Luckily somebody pushed me away or else id be in jail right now but wow i hate the city of philadelphia so much right now and all of their cocky fans! I know the boys can pull it off and i will now be rooting harder than ever before for them to do so

I'VE GOT A FEELING.............

I can always tell how despondent I am after a Dodger game by the way I sleep. And I can tell you, not very well last night. Funny, being a fan, I mean. So I can only imagine how the players felt last night. I expected in the aftermath of the loss--being such a heartbreaking, depressing affair--that any "normal" Phils phan would just stay away from smack, at least for a night. Even mangy dogs give wide berth to a sickly one. But no, a certain author treated us to the same tired, hindsight crap, crap so "creative" that it was copied and pasted on the Phils' blog as well. "There's a little black spot on the sun today, same old thing as yesterday."

Mike ~ I feel sorry for you and your experience in Philly. I'd be afraid to wear my Dodger Blue there....here, it's the same going to a Raiders game wearing the other teams colors...you really take the chance of being assaulted, both physically and verbally.

I remember, yes it is true, Padilla, Kershaw and Wolf, pitched 3 games in a row and the Dodgers beat the Cardinals three in a row recently. The magic is there.

Mike - I am soooo very sorry to read about your experience at the game last night. It's bad enough be taunted on our DODGER blog, but it's quite another having it done live and in person. It's hard enough being a Dodger fan in another team's territory, but you should still be able to enjoy a baseball game no matter which team you are cheering for. I should know..............I live in Giants Country, but fortunately, I have not had the awful experience at AT&T Park like you had there. There's a big difference between rivalry and cruelty, and I think what you experienced is just cruel. Once again, sorry to read that :(

F*****G WALKS! It's going to be a long time before I ever accept this loss! If I had 5 dollars for everytime I've shook my head and said Unf*****gbelievable since last night, we could all retire to Tahiti. Game four, same set up. Brox took the loss,but Sherrill did his share to set it up. Unf******believable!

How you Dodgers fans feeling now!!!! The Phillies have your number. Never count out the World Champs.
MLB.com, right before Rollins' game winning hit, posted that the Dodgers had won and tied the series 2-2. They should be ashamed of themselves for disrespecting the Phillies and their fans.

The Champs get no respect. Hope your not panicking!!!!!!

OK, I had to get that out. No giving up here either. Tough as that one is to swallow, now is when you find out what kind of fan you are. I would not get rid of Brox. Who would you replace him with?

Oh shut up Gary you guys are **** without your bandbox stadium. You had your owners paying the umps off in game 4. Your mean chump you would not even won last year if it wasn't for the Mets choke. Philly stick suck and I hope you choke of a cheesestreak.

You know, the Phillies are obviously a good team. I just wonder what their dip-s**t fans ever did to deserve them.

I'm sorry to hear that Mike and they think we're bad.

btw why are you telling us go back to your pathetic Philly blog. You guys are dumb to trash Ethier blog last year and I haven't check Kemp blog in week but I know you guy did the same thing.

MIKE - sorry to hear about your experience at the game last night. Some phans can be so freaken annoying and just about all teams have a few of them.
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The ump was just making sooooo many bad calls last night.
What goes around will come around.

My 2 cents:
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Broxton is going to have to earn my respect back after that wussy performance last night. Walking Stairs because of last year? You see anyone afraid of crappy Manny just because of last year? Then hitting Ruiz? Man, if you can't throw your 100mph fastball at the bottom of the order then you are no major league closer IMO. Rollins should have never been up and at least the winning run should not have been on. Wuss.
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B L E H

It is hard to keep the faith in blue after the last two games the Dodgers played. This is the division series not little league. The guys need to step up their game or they will be going home with their tails between their legs AGAIN. Come on guys lets give our skipper one more ring before he retires.

Shad - It's good to read that some Phans are taking their win graciously and not slamming it in our faces. Many of us just like baseball, but the Dodgers just happen to be our favorite team.

I see their a Philles fan now becoming a Kemp fan

I am a phillies fan, and a baseball fan that goes to a lot of games both at home and on the road. I was at last nights game sitting in center field. A Philly fan was really on Matt Kemp and was out of control. Kemp showed real class and handled it like the professional he is. I have to say I am now a Matt Kemp fan. All the best except in game 5.

Mike

By pjams@verizon.net on October 20, 2009 11:45 AM

Another Philly fan think Broxton should've been puilled after he hit Ruiz.

I didn't think it was possible for Philly fans to be nice over there

A very disappointing and devastating loss last night, but you have to give the Phillies credit. They get the job done when they have to. Our guys have failed repeatedly when they had scoring chances and our pitchers have walked/hit way too many batters that later scored. Then there are the series pitching selections and moves by Joe. In my opinion he overuses his bullpen and eventually that comes back to haunt you. Starters on our team all season long were not expected or allowed to complete ballgames. What a change from the old days when pitchers were expected to go nine innings. Don Newcombe even pitched the first game of a double header (which he won) and then pitched into the seventh inning of the second game, which he lost by a score of 3-2 if memory serves me right. But I know this is a different era. Now starters are expected to go six innings and then you bring on your 7th inning specialist followed by your 8th inning specialist followed by your 9th inning specialist. Maybe next year we'll have a 6th inning specialist too.

I think Joe made some poor choices in his starting rotation for this series, and I think that his use of Broxton in the 8th inning last night was a big mistake. A fresh Broxton who wasn't on the bench for a long half inning would have probably provided a different result. But that's the way Joe manages and it's not going to change. Maybe he thinks Broxton is another Mariano Rivera, but unfortunately that's not the case.

Miracles can still happen, and it's never over until it's over (as we found out last night) but it's looking pretty bleak right now. And if season ends in the next three games, there have been some great moments during the season to remember and enough blame to pass around for another failure. And that blame certainly starts at the top with Frank and Ned, continues with Joe, and finally gets down to some players.

But in the meantime, GO DODGERS! Show that you have what it takes to be World Champions and make us all proud - and ashamed for doubting your chances!

Colletti to get extension today :(

A very good post, redfox, and it sums everything up very well.

The key thing now is to get ready for tomorrow's game, both mentally and physically. I'm sure Andre is getting some extra batting practice. I sure hope the rest of the team is doing the same. Nothing else matters right now. Not last night's game. Not the potential of games 6 & 7 in Dodger Stadium. Just be ready to win tomorrow night.

This got to me maybe Blake should had drop that and got the dp not like it was going to be the infield fly rule.

Only three guys in baseball history have hit a walk-off, extra-base hit when their teams were one out away from losing a postseason game.

Player, Team Year Hit
Jimmy Rollins, PHI 2009 2B
Kirk Gibson, LAD 1988 HR
Cookie Lavagetto, BRO 1947 2B

It sure would be a welcomed site to see the Boys get some early runs across the plate tomorrow........
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I know it is Hammels at home and that is a tough task but we can do anything we set our minds on......
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Ain't Nothin To It .....But.....To Do It!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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GO DODGERS GO!!!!!!!!!!!
BRING THE RING TO L.A. IN 2009!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Enjoy your afternoon and evening everyone :-)

The only bad choice was Kuroda in game 3 and Wolf in game 4. I don't blame him using Kuroda in game 3 consider history but it didnt work out right.

To bad Sherrill didn't do his job. Broxton should've never had came in the 9th. We could had Thome(probably would got a standing ovation) leading off instead of that double switch.

Come on Torre, Odog doesn't deserve to be on the bench he should be starting and batting 2nd.

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
Winston Churchill

“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results.”
Willie Nelson

“When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”
Harriet Beecher Stowe

“The basis of optimism is sheer terror.”
Oscar Wilde
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Oops.....

The only thing that should have been different was Brox acting like a puss with Stairs. <-period

“That's my gift. I let that negativity roll off me like water off a duck's back. If it's not positive, I didn't hear it. If you can overcome that, fights are easy.”
George Foreman

I agree that O-dog should be playing. Belliard is valuable but he's not in O-Dog's class defensively OR offensively. Let's be real here.

"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will."
Vince Lombardi

From Plaschke, on Broxton facing Stairs:
"Another closer might have felt like shouting, 'I've been waiting a year for this!''

That's right, Kahli!

I agree with Scott's post from October 20, 2009 12:05 PM. I would like to add that I feel that Broxton has a closer's arm but not a closer psyche. Hopefully he can develop that in time. Also after Martin singled to tie the score at 2 in the 4th Casey Blake grounded out to end the inning. Wouldn't it have been nice if he would have gotten a bases clearing double. It seems lately we never get the big hit to open up the lead. We are always going into the 9th with either a 1 or 2 run lead and Broxton never has any margin for error. Tomorrow I will root like crazy for the Dodgers, but after last night I don't have any confidence in them to win one game let alone three.

I agree with Scott's post from October 20, 2009 12:05 PM. I would like to add that I feel that Broxton has a closer's arm but not a closer psyche. Hopefully he can develop that in time. Also after Martin singled to tie the score at 2 in the 4th Casey Blake grounded out to end the inning. Wouldn't it have been nice if he would have gotten a bases clearing double. It seems lately we never get the big hit to open up the lead. We are always going into the 9th with either a 1 or 2 run lead and Broxton never has any margin for error. Tomorrow I will root like crazy for the Dodgers, but after last night I don't have any confidence in them to win one game let alone three.

I suppose Ned getting an extension is supposed to rally the troops?
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Eric ~ keep up the positive posts to balance out my negativity!

"If you aren't fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm."
Vince Lombardi

Two nasty little columns by Jeff Passan directed at Manny and Joe:
(http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AhhuBK6ErHxrFdU6M6a9ticRvLYF?slug=jp-torre102009&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Au3aFQ9pbyE1mC3JQQlfTyMRvLYF?slug=jp-mannyshower102009&prov=yhoo&type=lgns