I have a little catch up to do, so I thought I’d give some random thoughts as the Dodgers take 1 game.  Just knowing the Dodgers are pretty much out doesn’t give a lot of urgency to write posts.  The Giants are better, and the fans up here know it.  They enjoy rubbing it in…but it’s not over the top.   The Giants aren’t in the playoffs either yet, so they know like us that both of our seasons may be ending with no playoff baseball.

I love seeing Chad Billingsley pitch well. He’s supposed to be an ace and he looked like it tonight.  Hung Chi Kuo looked solid tonight too.

Rod Barajas is the man.  It’s amazing to have a catcher with power…

I love that Casey Blake has hit another streak. When he is hot, he is hot, and right now he has just been in the mix most of the time when the Dodgers win.

These divorce proceedings with the McCourts are a trip. If you haven’t been looking at the L.A. Times of late, it’s a lesson in marriage dynamics and the dynamics of owning a baseball team. I had no idea that the Dodgers were so much in debt, and it obviously divided and ruined their marriage.

I’m still waiting to see an article on Juan Pierre. If you ever wondered if God had a sense of humor…now you know. I know from articles that Juan is a christian, and believe me he is probably shaking his head on God’s strategy. He signs his dream contract with the Dodgers, then told he isn’t a good enough player and then is replaced by Andruw Jones and then by Manny Ramirez. He bites his tongue, honors his team, and finally gets a trade…only to have Andruw Jones and now Manny Ramirez follow him. Thankfully he isn’t competing against them now for starting time, but what an amazing story. He has truly turned into a story of perseverance and honor.

It’s a funny thing that the Dodgers may serve as a spoiler against the Giants this year.  A friend asked me up here if I was going to start rooting for the Giants since the Dodgers are out.  (He obviously doesn’t know me well…)  I said no way!.  Now it’s just time to start rooting for the Dodgers to knock the Giants out of the playoffs.  If we can’t go, then maybe they won’t be able to either.  All is fair in love and war and I know all my Giants fans would do/say the same thing.  (They’ve done it the last few years so I know it is true!)

Here’s hoping the Dodgers can take two of three this weekend.  It’s too bad because the Dodgers pitching is really strong right now…they just lost their offense.

Go Blue.

Manny Ramirez - Tim Defrisco - SI

Well, if you haven’t heard the news…this could be Manny’s last weekend in Dodger Blue. If you haven’t heard, I’m assuming that you have been out of the country, because once again he is the talk of baseball.

The rumor right now is that the Dodgers and White Sox already have a deal in place and are just hoping no other team can claim him.

I have to admit, I’m a little mixed on his leaving. He was fun for a time, and he gave me a great picture at the top of this page, but his leaving is no surprise…and honestly it’s just time.

Manny has been on the DL three times this year.  He has not produced as expected and definitely has not earned his 20 million dollar paycheck.  They have already taken the “Mannywood” signs down in Dodger stadium making it obvious that the front office is also ready to move on.  Manny leaving saves the Dodgers some money in the next few years and honestly does get rid of a major distraction to the team.  The team is on a little tear since he got back, but it’s not like he has done that much.  He sat out yesterday after a night game the day before.  That in itself is still ironic with him.  Manny can’t play a day game right after a night game.  There is too much risk of injury.  Think about that for a minute.  The thought of keeping someone for that price who is so fragile just makes me shake my head.

To me though, I think Manny has been ready to go for a long time.  Manny is at his best when he is cracking jokes and making a scene.  This year after the suspension last year, he has been no where to be seen.  He won’t talk lest he say something wrong or right.  He went into a shell and thus hasn’t been the presence or force he once was.  I think he’s still embarrassed by his suspension and just doesn’t feel comfortable in L.A. any more.

The rumor right now is that he will waive his no trade clause if the next teams gives him an extension for 1 year.  That in itself is funny to me.  It makes sense that he wants something guaranteed, but he hasn’t really played this year.  He just wants to lock up the potential of him playing next year. 

There’s no way the Dodgers would give him an extension for next year, so it is funny that through this trade and his agent that he can lock a team into paying him next year.  Once again Manny can play the game and come out ahead.  There’s no guarantee that he will produce or even be healthy, but there is that potential and therefore he will get paid. 

Really, Manny has to go because he needs to end his career as a DH.  He may be able to pull out a few more years and actually contribute again.  If he stays with the Dodgers, and especially if he goes on the DL, he’ll be in for a major pay cut next year. 

It was a fun ride…at times, but it’s time for the Dodgers to move on.  Get a good solid player who can play everyday, and couple that with good pitching early and late. 

This could be the start of some major changes with the Dodgers.  It will depend on the divorce outcome, but I really wonder if this year will be the end of Joe Torre too.  If they can lock up Ted Lilly they will actually have the solid pitching staff they have wanted for years.  This could keep Joe, but I do believe he’s frustrated with the divorce limitations.

Well, so long Manny.  Everyone knew going in that signing you could be a mixed bag.  That it was.  Thanks for the memories, but buyer beware.

Jonathan Broxton Rookie Card

Got a great tip today about Jonathan Broxton signing autographs in Pasadena on August 21st. See below for details. I’m hoping he can win the starting closer job back by then, but either way, he would still be worth getting an autograph from. He is an All-Star closer and will be around for many years to come.

WHAT:

On Saturday, August 21, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Jonathan Broxton will be at the Pasadena Foothill AT&T Store signing autographs and taking pictures with area residents and fans. Broxton made his MLB debut with the Dodgers on July 29, 2005. In 2009 and 2010, Broxton was chosen by fans, players, coaches, and mangers to take part in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. In 2007 and 2008, Broxton and his wife took part in a back-to-school shopping spree for underserved youth at the Staples in Hawthorne.

Event attendees will have an opportunity to receive free tickets to shows at the Canyon Club given away by Dodgers radio, as well as take advantage of promotional discounts on the new Motorola Backflip with MOTOBLUR* ($49.99 after mail-in rebate and 2-year agreement.), the first Android-based smartphone on the nation’s fastest 3G network.

WHEN:
Saturday, August 21, 2010
11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

WHERE:
AT&T Retail Store
3699 E Foothill Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91107

For the complete array of AT&T offerings, visit http://www.att.com.

P.S.  If you want a jersey for the signing, here’s the authentic one on Amazon:
Los Angeles Dodgers Jonathan Broxton Cool Base Authentic Home Jersey (44 Large)

When it comes to great baseball rivalries or the best rivalries in all of sports look at no further than the Giants and Dodgers. The ill-will between fans, players and ownership crosses decades, a century and the continental United States. This is the longest running and the most storied rivalry in all of baseball history. Both franchise’ date as far back as the nineteenth century, played in New York City and were National League teams. While the rivalry began in New York between the two at the Polo Grounds located in Manhattan and Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, it was suddenly moved to California in 1958. The feud has been fueled by pennant races and playoff runs in which one of these National League teams prevents the other from a bid into the post season. The historical significance of this great rivalry has led to increases in jersey sales and taunting of team jersey pride in each other’s ballparks.

The Dodgers Jersey

Like the most traditional baseball franchises the Dodgers jersey has remained mostly the same for close to 70 years. The home jersey is bright white with the “Dodgers” logo written in blue cursive lettering across the chest, finished with a classic swoosh coming of the “s”. The away jersey is identical except in an off white or grayish color. The jersey first saw the “Dodgers” name across the chest back in 1933 when the color’s team outfit was white with red pinstripes. Throughout the 1937 season, the team wore uniforms outlines in green with green caps before devoting themselves to “Dodger Blue“. The team jersey has remained the same since 1939 with very minor changes, most notably the removal of “Brooklyn” from the “away” jerseys.

The Giants Jersey

Unlike their adversary, the Giants have made many more changes to their jerseys through the years. After the move to California in 1958 they kept the jerseys with bold block print curved across the chest, and orange outlines but obviously changed the “New York” with “San Francisco“. In 1973 the team saw its first major amendment to the jersey by reversing the colors for the “Giants ” logo across the chest. In 1977 the Giants made the switch from the classic button down jerseys to pullovers, keeping up with baseball’s style changes. They then created a new front logo replacing the block lettering with a script font in orange and black and a uniform number placed on the front. The Giants, furthermore, had the same home jersey in black and the road jersey was orange with block lettering “San Francisco” across the front. In 1978 the team would forgo the block lettering and keep the “Giants” script logo on the away jersey as well.

In 1983 the franchise let go of the pullover jersey adopted in the 70’s to go back to the traditional button down style. The same year they also used white home jerseys and gray away jerseys with a new nontraditional block-like typography logo across the chest. Continuing to stay traditional but with a modern appearance in 1994 the team once again changed their logo, this time back to classic jerseys of their history with block lettering. Through the years after the Giants have made only minor changes, keeping with a traditional old school look but with contemporary accents. In 2000 they eliminated the player’s names across the back of the jersey and changed the color from white to cream from the franchises’ early history. The final major change to the Giant’s jersey came in 2001 when they made an alternate style in black. The jersey was identical to the cream ones being used at the time and only used for away games during the 20002 season. The black jerseys were worn with the standard cream (home) and white (away) pants.

Fan Jerseys

Today fans wear their team jerseys with great pride and admiration. Baseball jerseys in general have become a very popular and stylish clothing fashion, from rock stars, hip-hop artists and even grandmothers around the world. The legitimate jerseys sold to the public are the real deal and exactly what the players are wearing on the field. Furthermore, to gain popularity are the throwback jerseys which fans can purchase for any player of any era just the way they were worn in baseballs historical past. Whenever there is a heated rivalry between two great teams, with the Dodgers and Giants, and each has a history of amazing moments, players and fans the team jerseys of today and yesterday will be the most desired. The differences of the teams can be traced right through to their jerseys, the unchanged tradition “Dodger Blue” and the ever changing modern styling of the San Francisco Giants. One thing that cannot change is this unrelenting rivalry, which has woven itself into the fabric of not just baseball history but American culture.

Reviews and tips for getting <A HREF=”http://www.reedstickets.net/the-addams-family-tickets.html“>The Addams Family Tickets for Broadway</A> as well as resources for all New York City entertainment.

I’ve got a guest writer this week to mix it up a little.  The Dodgers are literally going down the toilet and the Giants can’t seem to lose, so it was time to mix it up.

This week, we’ve got a special article on the history of the Dodgers/Giants Jerseys.  I have a contact who helps sell tickets to broadway shows in New York, but happens to know a lot about the Dodgers/Giants rivalry.  The next post will be his and there will be a link at the bottom on where to find tickets to the Addams Family show in New York.  You can also find other show tickets through this link:

http://www.reedstickets.net/index.html

Thanks again Reed for the great history lesson.  Enjoy the post everybody.