Disappointed Again

What a terrible game! It was a hot Saturday afternoon filled with flying balls sprayed to all areas of the stadium. There were 4 homeruns- 3 by the Giants and one by Olmedo Saenz. 18 runs were scored in total as the Giants ran over the Dodgers 11-7. We got close, but the evil Giants kept pulling away.

Lowe gave up 4 runs in the 1st before the stadium was half filled. All hope seemed lost. Then the Dodgers came back with 3 in their bottom half of the 2nd inning. New back-up catcher Toby Hall contributed with a groundball single to center to score 2 runs, and Furcal's single to drive in Hall made the game salvageable. We were behind by only one run with 7 to go. Unfortunately, Lowe was inconsistent and proceeded to give up more runs as he allowed 7 earned runs total in 4.2 innings of work. Fortunately, the Dodgers never give up.

Once again, the Dodgers offense came through as Olmedo brought us to within one run again in the 8th inning, 8-7. Broxton, our big Ox in the bullpen came in the 9th to shut down the Giants and keep the Dodgers in it. But fate had other things in mind. He gave up 3 runs, making it 11 to 7, virtually nailing the coffin shut this afternoon. But, the 2006 Dodgers would have nothing to do with that kind of thinking.

A sign of staying power and resilience is when a team learns to never give up when down. The Dodgers showed they can catch up at any time. Even in late innings. They loaded the bases with 2 out in the ninth with hot hitting super future star catcher Russell Martin at the plate. He was the tying run! Russell then hit a high fly to center for the third out. This afternoons game was over. The rally flamed out this time.

I got up from the couch, cleaned off the coffee table and put away my dishes. Oh Well! Even though I saw a ray of hope, I could not help being a little disappointing. We didn't win this game, but you wait til tomorrow. It's a new day.

We Didn't Start the Fire

I found this on YouTube. It's incredible what people can do with a computer these days.



YouTube Link

You gotta love a song that mentions the Dodgers!

A Jackie Robinson At Bat

YouTube Link

Check this out. Its an at bat of the great Dodger Jackie Robinson. It's from the 1952 World Series in the bottom the 5th inning with one man on 3rd. The score is tied 2-2, against the Yankees. This is something you don't see everyday.

Below is a short video about Jackie Robinson and his impact on the country, race and Baseball. I think it's from the Ken Burns "Baseball" documentary.



YouTube Link

Another Dodger Victory!

Nomar is hitting .359 with 11 homeruns, 53 RBI's and 54 runs. Garciaparra also has a 1.015 OPS. Amazing! He is the reason we are even competing in the National League West this year.

Last night he hit a game deciding two run homerun. None of us should have been surprised. Dodgers win and the Giants lose. All is right with the world!

south-park-cartoon-chef comic strip

The National Sports Collectors Convention

This is the event I've been waiting for all year. Finally, after a long hiatus "The National" is coming to Anaheim.

I remember, back in the late eighties, when Southern California was a hot-bed of the sports collectible industry. There use to be 200 to 300 table shows at the Disneyland Hotel, the Anaheim Convention Center, the Inn at the Park Hotel and various malls throughout the Southland on a monthly basis. For the collectophile there was always an event out there to go to. As the early nineties came around the general economy weakened and soon attendance at these shows dropped significantly. Afterall, card collecting is based the collectors discretionary income and those incomes where dropping. Furthermore, over production and massive product differentiation from the card manufacturers diluted the collector and soon turned off people like me. I hated the insert cards! Promoters retired from the business and collectors put their cards in the closet for safe keeping. I focused on school, I had just entered my first year of college in 1990, so cards became relegated to a childhood pastime. Before you knew it a major card show in this part of the country became a thing of the past. Now, only Naxcom puts together a bi-annual card show event at Hollywood Park.

I had alot of fun back then. My hobby transformed into a small business during my freshman year in high school. I use to set up a table at shows on a monthly basis and I use to make a pretty good amount of money. I received a resale license, set up a bank account and purchased directly from manufacturers like Upper Deck, Fleer and Topps. It really became a training ground for my future pursuits after college. I refined my understanding of business and sales. Unfortunately, the early nineties brought the demise of my card business. I still had a alot to learn, but I consider this time period an important lesson for the future.

Then, in 1999 I discovered eBay and I haven't been the same since. I started my personal collection again by focusing on older vintage cards and my favorite team, the Dodgers. I also started selling parts of my collection I chose not to keep and left over inventory from my old business on-line. These days, I eagerly await any card show that shows up and hope that the NSCC finally decides, in all their wisdom, to bring the "Big" event back here. Well, from Wednesday, July 26 to Sunday, July 30 it is here and I can't wait.

I just received my VIP admission pass for all 5 days that includes some free autographs, manufacturer promo cards and special entry in special events. If you plan to go for more than a couple of days then I suggest getting the VIP pass. I plan on taking a bunch of pictures of the show floor and signers as they show up. So please stay tuned.

Update: Check out the autograph list for the show. A very nice list.