Archives for the month of: July, 2013

Ian KennedyThe best revenge is beating them at their own game.

Arizona has dominated the National League West most of the season so far. SO FAR. The Dodgers are making a great play for a little domination of their own, moving up from the cellar to within 2½ games of first. They did that by beating the D’bags, 6-1, two days in a row.

On Monday, Zack Greinke gave up fewer hits than he himself had, going 3-for-3 while allowing the Snakes to only hit twice. That guy has a .370 batting average. Who does he think he is, Babe Ruth? (BTW, not looking a gift horse in the mouth or anything, but the Dodgers had 17 hits in that game. How come they only managed to score six times?)

On Tuesday, despite one batter from each team being struck by a pitch, no melees broke out when Ian “Beanball” Kennedy took the mound. There’s some interesting chatter going on that suggests the antagonism of these two teams is only getting deeper and more adament. MLB.com reports: [Yasiel] Puig’s all-out style of play can be an irritant to opposing teams, and Kennedy referred to it when discussing the play at the plate. “He plays with a lot of arrogance,” Kennedy said.

I think a lot of baseball players play “with a lot of arrogance,” starting with a pitcher who hits more batters (more often than not on purpose) than anyone else in the majors and then hightails it to the dugout when the benches start to clear.

When I met Ian in Puerto Rico, he told me he had always been a Dodger fan. We texted each other after some great games during Mannywood days. Now he is Public Enemy No. 1 for any and all true Dodger fans. Funny how time changes things, huh?

Adrian Gonzalez and Yasiel Puig, both contenders for the National League All-Star Final Vote, celebrate with Andre Ethier after scoring on a double by catcher A.J. Ellis at ATT&T Park.

Adrian Gonzalez and Yasiel Puig, both contenders for the National League All-Star Final Vote, celebrate with Andre Ethier after scoring on a double by catcher A.J. Ellis at ATT&T Park.

What a way to beat the Giants, a 3-run double in the top of the ninth, with those chants of “Beat L.A.” fading in despair as Sergio “Baby Beard” Romo proves he’s human, after all. With a 4-1 shellacking of San Francisco, the Dodgers head to the real test, Arizona, for three with the first-place D-bags.

Catcher A.J. Ellis

Catcher A.J. Ellis

The hero of Sunday’s game, A.J. Ellis, may not be an All-Star this year, but he will get there one day soon, I have no doubt. In the meantime, we need to vote and vote often for Yasiel Puig. I hear even his competition for the final vote, teammate Adrian Gonzalez, wants him to get it. That’s pretty classy. And of course, A.J.’s beautiful hit helped three-time All-Star pitcher Clayton Kershaw cement his claim to be the most appropriate starting pitcher for the National League in the summer classic, which is being played July 16 at Citi Field. Can’t wait.

Now, expanding on my earlier uneasy feelings about Carl Crawford’s commitment to the city of the Angels, the Dodgers and all L.A. fans everywhere, did you see his comments in the paper today about former Laker star Dwight Howard? He’s glad Howard left, because he’s a Houston fan! I don’t know… I’m thinking he is not a good fit in this town. His only saving grace might be helping the Dodgers win the World Series. I might accept him then. We’ll see.

On Opening Day 2010, Ian Kennedy was, at once, both friend and foe.

On Opening Day 2010, Ian Kennedy was, at once, both friend and foe.

Well, before all of L.A. began their hate affair with Ian Kennedy (beanball pitcher extraordinaire) of the Arizona Diamondbacks, I took a photo of him at an opening day game when he got shelled by numerous home runs. (The photo at right is a different one from the same day. You don’t think I’m going to just give you the photo, do you? I want you to see it in the exhibit!)

In the exhibited photograph, Ian stands on the mound defeated and perplexed, and since he was a friend of mine, as I took the picture, I felt conflicted by joy at a sure Dodger victory and pathos for my suffering friend.

That photo and a little story about it are featured in a new Baseball Reliquary exhibit opening today all about photography and baseball. You all should check it out at the Pasadena Library.

Baseball Photo Exhibition Flyer