The 2010 Baseball Thread

[Brian]

Time begins on opening day. My third annual thread starts at midnight afterwards, as it must, because the Dodgers played in the postseason the previous two years and I'm a little superstitious.

Am I picking the Dodgers to win the National League West again? Is anybody? I'm not concerned about hitting or defense, but as the six pitchers proved today in Pittsburgh, pitching will be a problem without Randy Wolf. Jim Tracy's Rockies are favored.

Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times picks the Reds to come in second in the Central Division, as many pundits did last season, because of talent like first baseman Joey Votto, pitchers Edinson Volquez and Aroldis Chapman and shortstop Orlando Cabrera.

Today every team can dream about representing the National League in the World Series. Even the Cubs.

[Brian]

Because of work, I can't remember the last time I attended a baseball game in April. I used to go to Opening Day at Chavez Ravine, now I learn the score on the car radio that evening. The season doesn't feel real until I can sit in front of the television and tune into Vin Scully's voice, which will hopefully be tonight, already the eighth game, a bad clash of his schedule and mine.

I went to 20 games a year in the early 1980's when I was a newspaper editor. (Thanks, Dan!) Nowadays, only three. I suppose I could afford more, but going to Dodger Stadium is becoming more trouble as the cost of a complete visit, including scorecard magazine, tops $100 for Anni and me. I know exactly where to park and where to sit from 30 years of experience. But now I have to buy from Ticketmaster instead of the friendly phone lines that Walter O'Malley installed, to give just one example.

I used to be one of those people playing the radio for everyone to hear Vin, Ross Porter and Jerry Doggett throughout the stands. Now the multimedia bombast between innings -- and even during the game -- can overwhelm your senses, while others around you are texting, talking on their cellpones or taking flash photos. Those who need Vin are taking him in through earpods.

I keep my Dodger cap low and my eyes on the field and I'm happy. Baseball is still the greatest game.

[Sharon W]

Here's a story with a bit of a baseball angle. It's about an old friend of ours, www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2010/04/27_baseball.shtml

I wanted to share something other than crime warnings!

[Roberta]

Suddenly, inexplicably, I'm intriqued by the question Sharon's friend raises Why are there so many Jewish Deadheads? Who knew there were, let alone why?

Well, I can't find the definitive lecture, but I did find this summary:

www.jweekly.com/article/full/12349/deadheads-do-kabbalah-local-scholar-riffs-on-parallels/

[Sharon W]

Boy have we derailed this thread!

Leora is right - All the symbols in the album cover art and poetic language are much like a religion. Even those of us who kept our day jobs and didn't follow the Dead to every show got into a ritualistic cycle.

That's like baseball fans - to get back on topic.

[Brian]

There is no derailment here as far as I'm concerned -- I enjoy the conversation wherever it leads, along with both articles about Sharon's friend Leora Lawton!

I met my first Jewish Deadhead in 1979 when I went to work for message board member Dan, who edited a chain of Southern California Jewish newspapers. So I knew they were prevalent -- now I have a better understanding of why.

Speaking of derailment, the Dodgers are now playing the Detroit Tigers in an interleague game that started at 4 p.m. in Chavez Ravine. Los Angeles is tied for first place in the National League West with San Diego -- and I know this game counts, it's not spring training -- but I'm leaving to get the oil changed in the Kinkmobile.

[Sharon W]

I met my first Jewish Deadhead in 1978 - and married him in 81.

[Brian]

I figured that the Dodgers were in a rain delay in Cincinnati when I turned on my car radio an hour after game time and heard some right-wingnut. Long after I got home, there was still nothing on Channel 9.

When Anni went to bed, I discovered that the Dodgers were leading 12-0 in the top of the ninth in a near empty stadium. A sizable percentage of the few hundred fans remaining at 12:30 on a Thursday morning after waiting two and a half hours for the first pitch were wearing Dodger blue. Roberta always reminds me about the traditional exodus out of Dodger Stadium after the seventh inning. Apparently, Reds fans only leave after five hours and 12 unanswered runs.

On the verge of the summer solstice, I'm pleased yet flabbergasted that the Dodgers are half a game out of first place. The hitting has been great all season -- even when Andre, Rafael and Manny were injured -- while the defense and pitching has improved so much that I've almost forgotten about April.

[anni]

Jun 15, 2010 23:00:42 GMT -8 Brian said:

I discovered that the Dodgers were leading 12-0 in the top of the ninth in a near empty stadium. A sizable percentage of the few hundred fans remaining at 12:30 on a Thursday morning after waiting two and a half hours for the first pitch were wearing Dodger blue. Roberta always reminds me about the traditional exodus out of Dodger Stadium after the seventh inning. Apparently, Reds fans only leave after five hours and 12 unanswered runs.

...and as Brian always reminds me, "EXCITING" Dodger baseball.
Indeed, my love.

[Brian]

Yikes, the Hated Ones have slipped in between the Dodgers and the amazing first place Daddy Team after the Dodgers were swept by the Red Sox in Fenway this weekend. Suddenly, I care a lot more about the standings in the National League West -- and get scared looking at their schedule for the next ten days.

It's past midnight now, but the Dodgers are hours away from landing in Los Angeles. They play the Angels in Anaheim starting Tuesday before returning to Chavez Ravine for just three games, the over-hyped series against the Yankees. Then they're off to San Francisco.

Could the Dodgers still be third in the NL West -- or worse, fourth behind the Iraqis -- at the All Star break?