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Let the Nomar LoveFest begin!
New Daddy and Dodger leader was back in the lineup tonight and the difference was like night and day. Nomar went a cool, 3 for 3 as the Dodgers CLOBBERED the Angels, 13-4. The rest of the Dodgers went medieval on Halo asses, knocking the covers off balls for a total of 18 hits on the night.
Betemit, Martin and Kemp all homered (schyeah right, no power indeed). Kemp's shot was a BOMB BLAST that almost landed in my lap in the left field pavilion...well, not really, but hell, he hit it a mile! Juan Pierre went 3 for 3, while successfully stealing a base. Olmedo "the Tomato" Saenz went 2 for 2 and Jason Schmit pitched pretty well for 4 innings, then the rest of the staff came in to finish the job. Everything fell into place. Bottomline, it was sweet revenge for last night's horrific game, which I'm still trying to scrub out of my memory bank. Bleh!
The rubber game is tomorrow night in Anaheim, then the real fun begins on Monday in Milwaukee, where the Dodgers kick off the 2007 season.
HEY HO, LET'S GO!
In all my years as a baseball fan, I've never witnessed one first hand. NEVER! Not in the Majors, not in High School, not in Little League, not in T-Ball, not anywhere! What am I referring to?
Brady Clark, who was acquired by the Dodgers this week in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewer for Elmer Dessens, had a hell of a first at bat. One he will never forget. One I'll never forget! Clark hit into a....
TRIPLE PLAY
The Dodgers had runners on first and second with no outs and in the blink of an eye, the inning was over. Ouch, that hurt!
So yeah, I know this is a friendly meaningless Spring Training game. I know it doesn't matter or count...but DAMN IT, I hate the fracking Angels and their fans, who invade Chavez Ravine with their silly ass rally monkeys! Ugh!
The game was a lop-sided affair and unfortunately for the Dodgers, they were on the wrong side. Everything that could go wrong, did. First, the Dodgers line-up did everything in its power to make the Angel pitching staff look like aces. Dodger bats were dead silent. It didn't help any that Nomar was given an extra night off, so he could spend time with his newly born daughters. I'll give him a pass on that one. Second, our jackrabbit, Juan Pierre, was thrown out at second in his very first attempt at a stolen base in front of the home crowd. Not the way to win fans over buddy. Third, a punk ass kid, Nick something or other, obviously felt it was necessary to barrel over Dodger catcher, Mike Leiberthal, in a play at the plate.
FINE. I love hard nosed baseball, who doesn't? I just sometimes wish baseball were a contact sport like soccer, where a little payback would be forthcoming. Pitchers sure the hell don't protect their teammates anymore, otherwise, Nicky whatever his name is, takes a fastball to the ribs! But hey, that's just me! Dodgers lose, 6-1.
Finally, the parking mess and prices in general. The McCourts raised parking fees from $10.00 to $15.00. Good thing I didn't roll up in my limousine, otherwise, I'm out $35 bucks. Sheesh! Food prices went up and up and up. I paid $4.50 for a Dodger Dog, $5.50 for a bag of peanuts, $4.50 for a bag of potato chips and $2.50 for a 12 oz cup of coffee. Almost $20 for food. I didn't even check the beer prices...I was afraid to look.
All in all, I had a great time! I love the Dodgers, I love the Stadium, I love it all.
Female umpire to make MLB debut
Ria Cortesio will be a base umpire for the Diamondbacks and Cubs on Thursday.
The Associated Press
March 28, 2007
A rookie fresh from the minors is about to change the face of baseball: A female umpire is set to work a major league exhibition game for the first time in almost 20 years.
Ria Cortesio, ready to start the season in Double-A, will be on the bases Thursday for a game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs in Mesa, Ariz.
“I’m looking forward to it,” she said Monday night. “There will be a lot more people in the stands than I’m used to.”
No female umpire has ever worked in the majors during the regular season. Pam Postema was the last female ump to call big league exhibitions, back in 1989 — she was in spring training for two years before getting released.
Cortesio is the only female umpire in professional baseball. At 30, she is starting her ninth year overall and fifth in Double-A.
Slender and athletic, she cut her ponytail a few years ago so she wouldn’t stand out on the field. She also uses a low grunt to call strikes.
“It’s awesome,” Cubs star Derrek Lee said. “I think it’s about time. Female eyes are as good as male eyes. Why can’t they be umpires? Good for her.”
Triple-A and Double-A umpires routinely join major league crews in spring training, especially when extra games fill the schedule.
“I was kind of expecting it,” Cortesio said. “Umpires with my seniority usually get picked.”
Cubs reliever Scott Eyre liked the idea. “She’s doing our game? Oh, cool,” he said. “How do I feel about it? I could care less. If she can call a game, she can call a game.”
“If she rings somebody up for me, I don’t care. You know what I mean? I wouldn’t have a problem with it,” he said.
For several years, she’s been an instructor at the Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring.
This year, Cortesio hopes to move to Triple-A — she’s on deck for promotion when the next vacancy occurs. Once umpires reach Triple-A, they are evaluated by major league supervisors, rather than minor league staff.
Life in Double-A isn’t luxurious. Last year, she made about $2,600 a month for the six-month season and her per diem was $25, with her hotel room paid for; big league umps can earn well over $100,000 and get $357 daily to pay for their meals and hotel.
Plus, there’s the travel. Major league umpires jet around the country, a three-person crew in the Southern League drives itself 24,000 miles over a full season.
All that, and no guarantee they’ll ever make the majors because jobs rarely open up. Fact is, a player in Double-A has a much better chance of reaching the big leagues than an umpire.
“I think I’m as excited about that as anything,” she said.
This is great news. Personally, I don't see why there aren't female umpires in the Majors. Baseball is probably the easiest game to officiate. So much so, that I could call a game (and have, many times in my livingroom). The NBA has a female referee, so I think it's time for MLB to turn that corner.
What impresses me about Cortesio is the fact that she is not demanding a position in the Majors. Demanding is what most modern day feminists do. Cortesio is patiently waiting her turn, while working her ass off. Furthermore, she cut hair and did away with her ponytail in order to not draw attention to herself. It's all about the game! I hope Ria makes the Bigs one day. Good luck!
Garciaparra becomes a father
He gets the call in Florida on Tuesday evening, flies back to California to be with his wife Mia Hamm and twin girls shortly after their birth.
By Steve Henson
LA Times Staff Writer
10:22 AM PDT, March 28, 2007
LAKELAND, Fla. — Nomar Garciaparra got a call during dinner Tuesday that his wife, Mia Hamm, was close to giving birth. About six hours later, Garciaparra was at the side of Hamm and their newborn twin daughters in L.A. because he had a private jet on standby at Vero Beach Airport.
Hamm gave birth to healthy twin girls, each weighing more than five pounds, Wednesday morning. They are the couple's first children.
During the flight, Garciaparra was on the phone with the delivery room when the babies were born.
"He was excited and nervous at the same time," said Manager Grady Little, who was dining at the same restaurant as Garciaparra when word came.
Congrats to the happy couple! At one point, Mia Hamm was by far, the best female soccer player in the world. She almost singlehandedly put American soccer on the map. What more could she possibly do? For one, she could marry my favorite baseball player and Dodger, Nomar Garicaparra, and then have babies! Should the twins inherit even an ounce of their parent's genes, I'm certain these girls will SuperBabies!
The 2007 baseball season and Opening Day is just around the corner.
Naturally, I find it is time to fan the flames of the rivalry.Giants SUCK!
Happiness is...
a summer's day
at the Ravine!
$320K settlement for man with TV show alibi in murder case
ASSOCIATED PRESS
3:46 a.m. March 8, 2007
LOS ANGELES – A man who was cleared of murder when outtakes from the HBO comedy “Curb Your Enthusiasm” put him at Dodger Stadium when the crime occurred will get $320,000 in a settlement with the city.
The Los Angeles City Council agreed Wednesday to settle the police misconduct lawsuit filed by Juan Catalan, who spent nearly five months in jail before footage from the show cemented his alibi.
Catalan, 28, was arrested for the May 2003 slaying of Martha Puebla, 16, outside her Sun Valley home. He told detectives he was innocent and was at a Dodgers game when the crime occurred.
His defense lawyer, Todd Melnik, went through footage of crowd shots from the televised game between the Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves, but did not find his client. Then he learned that the HBO comedy starring former “Seinfeld” co-creator Larry David had been shooting at the ballpark that day.
“There he was in the outtakes,” said Gary S. Casselman, the attorney handling Catalan's lawsuit. “He's glad it's over.”
The scene, which ended up on the cutting room floor, showed Catalan with his 6-year-old daughter and two friends. The footage was time coded, confirming that Catalan was at the ballpark shortly before the time of the murder 20 miles away.
Records of a cell phone call, made from Dodger Stadium, between Catalan and his girlfriend also helped persuade a judge to release him.
Someone else is now being prosecuted for the slaying, Casselman said.
Catalan was not a fan of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” before his time in jail.
“He is now,” Casselman said.
Wow! I always believed being a Dodger fan had its benefits, but this is surreal!
Dodgertown, Vero Beach, Florida
Holman Stadium
Baseball is back! Today, the Dodgers will take the field against the Atlanta Braves in their first scheduled ST game. For those of you in the LA area, the Dodgers flagship station is 980 AM KFWB. Check out their Dodger page, it's loaded with the links to latest Dodger news.
I love my Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let's Go Blue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
