Saturday, October 12, 2013

No Need to Worry - LA Teams Have Been Known to Come Back


I suggest you ignore any sign of dread coming from other fans about the Dodgers' fortunes.  We have nothing to worry about.  As the @Dodgers on twitter noted, we have come back from 2 games down on 4 seperate occasions in our history.


Furthermore, an LA team recently did come back from this exact same scenario.

Heck, I should know.  I was there.

During the 2012-13 NHL playoffs the LA Kings faced-off against the St, Louis Blues in the first round.  For those who don't know, the Kings were not favored to win that series.  The Blues were considered an up-'n-coming powerhouse, and most prognosticators believed we would be knocked out immediately.  So, when the Blues took a 2 to 0 series lead at home in the 7 game set they quickly praised themselves for being hockey geniuses.

The Kings and their fans, on the other hand, knew otherwise.  We knew that their words and fancy odds meant nothing.  We had the faith to believe that they would come back in a big way, and the players knew that we had their back.  So, when game 3 came around in Los Angeles we took it to them.

The Kings came out and fought.  They scraped.  They Clawed.  They wouldn't take a loss.  And we fans made sure to let them know we were with them all the way.

You should have heard that crowd.  It was as loud and as raucous as any game I'd seen there.  I like to think we willed them towards a 1 to 0 victory.

So, when Monday comes around remember that history is on our side.  An LA team has played St. Louis in the playoffs and lost the first 2 games.  We came back home licking our wounds, but we  were undeterred.  After all, there's a reason this is a 7 game series.  They have to come to our house now, and I'm certain the Dodger crowd will not go quietly.

BTW, the Kings went on to win the next 4 straight games to win the series.  St. Louis Blues nation was despondent, and I was as happy as ever.

A big thanks to Kings Captain Dustin Brown for reminding me of this on twitter.


Pic at the very top via @Dodgers on twitter

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Cardinals Pitching Beats Dodger Bats


You gotta give credit when credit is due.

The Cardinals are good, and their pitching is better than good.  They are great.  Cardinal pitchers matched up against our best, pitch by pitch, and now leave St. Louis with a 2 to 0 series lead.

Obviously, the Cardinals will not be run over.  We won't get to muscle and intimidate these Red Birds.  Instead, we'll have to scratch, claw and fight.

The Dodgers had a few opportunities to put a run across the board tonight.  They loaded up the bases in the 6th inning, but left a total of 6 runners on base. 

The Dodger bats just couldn't get the job done.  Of course, it doesn't help that both Hanley Ramirez and Andre Ethier came up a lame before the game, but that's not an excuse.  We lost fair and square.  All that is left for us to do now is to lick our wounds and be thankful that we have 3 straight home games coming up to square things up.

On a positive note, Hanley Ramirez received X-Rays during the game and it came back negative.  So, we don't have to worry about Hanley being removed from the roster. 

I expect when Monday comes Dodger fans will match, if not exceed, the roars heard in St. Louis. We need to show our Boys in Blue that we haven't lost hope.  In fact, this is just another hill to climb.  Considering the amount of adversity we've faced this season I have to believe that we've got much more to give.  This series is not done by a long shot.

Pic at the very top via @Dodgers on twitter

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Hanley out of the Lineup, Too


Along with Andre Ethier, Hanley Ramirez will also be out of today's starting lineup.  Via a tweet from David Vassegh:


As Tony Jackson at Dodger Scribe noted this morning, Hanley was sore this morning from getting pelted with a fastball in the ribs by Cardinals starting pitcher Joe Kelly.  If his soreness remains then it's likely he will get X-rays when they return to LA.

Below is this afternoons atrting lineup:




Pic at the very top via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2013

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Ice Cube Loves the Dodgers So Much he Made a Song for Us to Enjoy


DJ Felli Fel, Tyga and Ty Dolla $ign of Power 106 got together with Ice Cube to create a song to honor the Dodgers.  It's called Dodgers Anthem 2013.  Listen to it below.  Hat Tip Cut4.



Song Link here:
Pic above via Tommy Lasorda on twitter:

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Blog Kiosk: 10/12/2013 - Dodgers Links -


I get that Don Mattingly made an ill advised decision to pinch run for Adrian Gonzalez, but I don't believe last nights loss rested solely on that.  The fact remains that the Dodgers left 24 runners on base; including early game rallies that should have yielded more than 2 runs.  Pic above of Mattingly via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2013.
  • Clayton Kershaw has another award for his mantel place.  The Spahn Award is presented annually to the best left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball and is based on a pitcher’s wins, strikeouts and earned run average.



This is the second time he has won the Spahn Award.  Kershaw won it in 2011.
“It is such an honor to represent Warren Spahn and his many accomplishments on the mound,” Kershaw said. “Thank you to the Bricktown Rotary Club for awarding me this prestigious honor. I'm ever so grateful for your ongoing support. Lord willing, I look forward to being a good steward of all this award embodies.”
"That was maybe the best game that I've ever caught in my life back there, as far as what I was receiving from him," Ellis said. "He was in complete command on everything. He had both sides of the plate working, and that was the best curveball's probably been all season long. For me personally, that's what hurts the most about walking out without a win."
  • "Mattingly doesn't regret gamble of pulling Adrian: Removing slugger for pinch-runner twice takes bat out of Hanley's hands," via Phil Rogers at MLB.com.
"It's part of the game," he said. "You know, unfortunately it didn't pan out."



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