SOMETHING MISSING?...

At this point, it's just sad. That's how I feel when I see Nomar Garciparra come up to bat. He looks lost, confused, and beaten at the plate. Nomar came into the game tonight with ONE home run! this was supposed to be our three hitter. I have been thinking about this all season long, and trying to come up with a conclusion on Nomar's power drought. My best answer: he's done. It pains me to say it, but it's true. He seems to have lost the sweet swing that brought him two hitting titles. Unless Nomar can somehow find or solve whatever might be wrong with him, the Dodgers need to move him. Nomar who is now being played at third base might be better suited to come off the bench as a super utility type player in the Tony Phillips mold. But, he can no longer be an everyday player. I recently saw We Still Believe: The Boston Redsox Movie, this is a documentary done about the 2003 Redsox. Nomar of course, was a main player during that season. To look at him killing the ball, playing with confidence, and scarring the hell out of the pitchers... made me long for that Nomar. It's just sad how low a player can fall..


BELIEVE IN BLUE!

COME WITH SOMETHING BETTER...

The ninth inning had been something of a spiritual, and emotional tradition at Dodger Stadium for the past four years. This was because Eric Gagne was "entering the jungle". Countless times, Eric strolled out from the bullpen onto the mound while electrifying the crowd. Eric would then go on and thoroughly embarrass the opposition. As for this year, Takashi Saito has been mowing down hitters a-la Gagne. He is about to make his first All-Star game, but still... something is missing. That my friends is a decent entrance song. Saito has been coming into games while "Bad to the bone" plays on the stadium speakers. The song is simply dread full. Get with the times, and pick something better. I get no rush of emotions when I see Takashi stroll in. I do have some suggestions. The first being "Empire" by Kasabian. If you listen to the song, you know what I mean. My second choice is "Hang me up to dry" by Cold War Kids. Simply awesome tune. At this point I'm willing to take a cheesy 80's Hair metal song.

BELIEVE IN BLUE!

ABOUT TIME...

All I can say is about time!. The Cardinals had owned the Dodgers since 2004. They been abused by them in every way. Most of the contests where one sided. That has changed. The Dodgers finally took a series from them. It didn't start off well though. On Monday, the Cardinals beat up on the Dodgers, and every Dodger fan in the world had the feeling of the past 3 years. "we just can't beat these guys". Things changed. The Dodgers came back and took the next two games. My favorite part of the series was seeing Tony LaRussa go down. I can't stand him. This still doesn't take away from the hurt they have caused Dodger fans these last years, but it felt pretty good. I'll keep it short for today as I've got things to do. This weekend, the Dodgers travel to Disney Land to take on the Mickey Mouse gang. I can't wait.


BELIEVE IN BLUE!

SEEING RED...

The Dodgers completed a three game sweep over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday with a 10-5 victory. The sweep leaves the Dodgers with a 23-15 record, and in first place by themselves in the national league west. But, not everything is well in Los Angeles. The starting rotation, who had been the strong point all season long is starting to show some cracks. I'm speaking about Brett Tomko, and Mark Hendrickson of course. It seems that the true Tomko, and Hendrickson are starting to show up show up and Grady Little needs to wake up and make the necessary adjustments. The first move I would make is move Chad Billingsley into the starting rotation, and getting rid of Tomko. Chad has been lights out lately, and deserves to be in the rotation. As for Hendrickson, I might be more inclined to give him more time to prove himself. But, not too much time.

As for the Third base spot, Andy LaRoche should keep getting the most playing time. He is currently batting .333, with 11 walks. Andy has proven to have a great batting eye, and a solid glove. As for Wilson Betemit, he keeps doing the job at pinch hitting. Maybe he's found his calling card. This week we have the St. Louis Cardinals coming into town, and they have owned the Dodgers in recent years. Hopefully, things change.


BELIEVE IN BLUE!

GOD BLESS LA ROCHE!...

On Sunday morning, the Dodgers made the long awaited move. They brought up Andy LaRoche to solve the black hole at third base. At which point, I attended church as God had said yes to the pact I offered. La Roche looked good on Sunday. He ended up going 1-4, but could have easily had 2 hits. His first major league hit was a double to right-center field. Eerily enough, it was the same Stadium, and spot where his brother Adam La Roche hit his major league hit. More to come from Andy.

As for the team, they dropped another series. Their record now stands at 18-13. That is good enough for first place, but the teams seams to be stagnant. Just as they seem to take off, the come back down to earth. Next up for the Blue Crew is the Florida Marlins. They meet in a 4 game series. And, if the Dodgers don't win at least 3, something is seriously wrong.

Also, I can already see people clamoring about the teams lack of power. My response: So what. As long as the team hits, and pitches the way it can, they will be more than good. As for the Betemit watch, he managed to hit 2 pinch hit home runs. This scares me. His two lucky shots might get him more playing time. Let's just hope he stays on the bench.


BELIEVE IN BLUE!