Only Hours ‘Til Game Time

March 21, 2014 //
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dodgers 2014Well, there’s much to be excited about, and even more to be disgusted by. Here are the pros and cons of Dodger baseball this season, as I see them:

IMG_0829Pro
Clayton Kershaw is a wondrous pitcher and a good-hearted person who should make every Dodger fan just a little bit prouder.

Brandon-League-390x220Con
Brandon League is still on the roster. Someone needs to face the fact that he should no longer be playing the game.

vin and michaelPro
Vin Scully will once again be the man behind the mic on Dodger TV broadcasts from home games and away games west of the Rockies.

dollar-signCon
Hardly anyone in L.A. will be able to see those games because of the greediness of Time Warner Cable and the Dodgers’ management.

radioPro
Poor people and those in areas that can’t get Time Warner Cable will still be able to listen to the games on the radio.

IMG_0710Con
I’m assuming Charlie Steiner is still calling the plays over the airwaves. One classic that never gets old: “Swing and a miss! That’s one ball and no strikes.”

diamondbacksPro
The new baseball season starts a little after midnight tonight with a matchup with the hated Arizona Diamondbacks in Australia.

kangarooCon
The season opener is in AUSTRALIA! So the first pitch here in the Pacific time zone is at 1 a.m., meaning I’ll be up until 4.

WS_trophyPro
I caved from my boycott and got season tickets, because there is every reason to believe they will bring it home this year.

090402-stadium-newfor2009-182Con
I caved from my boycott and am a little ashamed of myself for succumbing to my lifelong love of Dodger baseball and buying season tickets from Mr. Potter (a.k.a. $tan Ka$ten).

Now, now, before I get another call from Dodger middle management telling me what a good guy he is, read this quote from the L.A. Times Business section today: “As for the lack of games on free television hurting financially strapped fans, Kasten said most people now consume television via pay TV. ‘It is just a part of modern business.'” That’s like saying, “Fuck the financially strapped fans.” In other words, “We don’t care about financially strapped fans, because they aren’t going to give us any money anyway.”

All about the moolah with those guys.

Oh, and on this new SportsNet L.A., the Dodgers advertise a link to ineedmydodgers.com, which asks us fans to put the screws to their cable companies so they will bend over and let TWC do anything they want.

This quote from the same L.A. Times article sums up my sentiment about that exactly: “I don’t care if the Dodgers start with a 25-0 record, I’m not going to call DirecTV and ask that they please carry the station,” said George Newberry of San Pedro, who has been following the team since 1958. “I see this as nothing but greed from Time Warner Cable, and the Dodgers are contributing to it.”

OK. So that being said, I am really excited about watching the first game of the 2014 season tonight at a house where I know they have Time Warner Cable. I have to travel for it, but Kershaw is on the mound, so it will be worth it.

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Categories 2014

A Happy Madness

February 27, 2014 //
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Outfielder Andre Ethier signs balls for people at Camelback Ranch in 2012.

Outfielder Andre Ethier signs balls for fans at Camelback Ranch a few years ago.

The blue is on the green again, and it means that baseball is on its way.

Usually this time of year, Steve and I pack up the Saturn and head to the Grand Canyon State to see the Dodgers up close and personal at Camelback Ranch. Often, we get to meet up with my nephew Daniel and his girl, Jaycee. We all drink beer in our favorite seats in the shade and watch the Dodgers limber up for the new season.

The last time this actually happened was just after I got laid off from my job in 2012. The trip had already been planned, and just as I was hitting the road for Arizona, my chickenshit boss called to say my 22-year career with the Los Angeles Times was over. Although this put a damper on the outing to Glendale, we still ended up having a great time, visiting my dad and his wife, and playing pool until all hours of the night at a Holiday Inn off the I-10. My nephew Daniel owes me a lot of marbles!

Last year, I was mad at the Dodgers, so we didn’t go to Spring Training because we were boycotting them. Halfway through the season, however, they started playing real well and had a remarkable run that made me love them again.

Now, I’m a 2014 season ticket holder, but I’m also a documentary filmmaker in the midst of a rugged production schedule, so Camelback will have to wait ’til next year. But in the meantime, there’s TV. I got to watch my first Dodger baseball game of the season yesterday. Kershaw got pounded, but I know he often does in the first games of the year, so I’m not worried.

The madness is beginning again. Vin Scully, Dodger Dogs, the Manna from Havana, and King K on the mound. Thank heavens for baseball!

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Categories 2014

What!? No Paper Tickets?

February 5, 2014 //
1

I went to Select-A-Seat on Friday, and I was happy to get Top Deck season tickets more or less where I wanted. I would like to thank David Kirkpatrick, the very nice Dodger official who helped me get two precious white tags in the coveted and sold-out Upper Top Deck.

dodgers tixHowever, the Dodgers always seem to take one step forward and two steps back in making us loyal Dodger fans happy. I got this email from the organization that put a dent in my excitement for the new season. I am not thrilled to find that the Dodgers are going paperless. As my friend, Emma Amaya, has written on her excellent blog, it’s exciting to receive that packet of all the tickets for all the home games of the coming season. It’s a shame that we will miss that from now on.

The digital age, so wonderful in many ways, is making life lose some of its luster.

In 1990, I was in the stands for Fernando Valenzuela’s no-hitter, and I saved my stub. Years later, he autographed my ticket stub from that game, the most exciting sporting event I have ever witnessed firsthand. If that happened now, would I have to have him sign my iPhone?

I know, I know. We have to save the trees, blah-blah-blah. I wouldn’t mind if they made the tickets out of recycled soda cups or hot dog wrappers. That would be fine. Nothing beats a real ticket stub.

About That Super Bowl
Peyton Manning is still the man.

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Categories 2014
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