OFFICIAL 2009 DODGERS SEASON THREAD : Season Over. Congratulations Phillies.

[Los Angeles]

Damn sounds like a long @%* day. How's the job so far? Did you hit up any joints I told you bout?

Once you get your feet wet, I need me some mlb / nfl / nba packages

 

[cincoseisdos]

i'll keep that in mind.

The job so far this week in training has been all book work. Tomorrow we'll actually be out in the bastard IE sun for the first time learning the approvedladder lifts and using it on the poles and so on. I'm gonna get darker

Lunch , we hit up Carls yesterday, and Today we went to this place called The Wok Experience. It was okay, typical chinese fast food which isn't ever topnotch.

I didn't know Cardenas was located outside of Ontario so that's a must

There's one on Van Buren and I think Arlington in the same complex asthe Wok.

I'm gonna try the spot on pioneer you mentioned maybe tomorrow. A coworker keeps telling me to go to Pinoy Pinay. Aint been there in some time, which isbest?

 

[Los Angeles]

trust me man, hit up the one off Pioneer (get the lumpia forsure because that's what they're known for and crispy pata, hell order the whole list Ityped out - each dish is like $5-6 and it isn't those fast food type joints).

Dude, Cardenas is the spot!!!@#$%^& that's probably gonna be one of the biggest things living in the IE that we're gonna miss

There's a Superior like 15mins away but Cardenas got the game on lock.

Man they got you out in the IE like its bootcamp.

I wonder if FB23 came out like a bandit

 

[mr jordan04]

bright nikes wrote:

Once you get your feet wet, I need me some mlb / nfl / nba packages

word.
do you get a reward if you catch people who have "free" cable?

 

[Los Angeles]

Btw 562, if you do go the spot is like across from Del Taco and the whole building I think is under construction (could be done) but its a little hole in thewall spot.

Damn I'm hungry.

 

[cincoseisdos]

right on dude i'll probably pick up before I relax to watch the Futbol tomorrow

Yeah dude it feels like some sort of bootcamp. It was gusty today but that @%$! was disgusting, like 100 people surrounding you just breathing hard, hot *!%breeze

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Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times

A Manny Ramirez bobblehead doll was the promotional giveaway Wednesday night. Ramirez joked that the doll would play left field for him when he removed himself from the lineup before the game.

DODGERS FYI

[h1]{Manny Ramirez wasn't up to starting} {He was originally in the lineup, but asked to be taken out because his hand was still sore.}[/h1]

Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times

A Manny Ramirez bobblehead doll was the promotional giveaway Wednesday night. Ramirez joked that the doll would play left field for him when he removed himself from the lineup before the game.

By Dylan Hernandez and Bill Shaikin
July 23, 2009
Manny Ramirez took one look at the lineup posted on the wall and shouted across the clubhouse.

"Change the lineup, Joe!" he hollered as he laughed.


Over the next 10 minutes, Manager Joe Torre drew up a new alignment, this one without Ramirez's name.

Hit on the left hand the previous night by a fastball from Cincinnati Reds starter Homer Bailey, Ramirez said he expected to be back in the lineup when the Dodgers open a three-game series against the Florida Marlins on Friday.

X-rays taken of Ramirez's hand were negative. The left fielder didn't take batting practice and was fitted for a protective pad for his left hand by the training staff.
Torre said that Ramirez told him he would be available to pinch-hit. And he did in dramatic style, hitting a grand slam in the sixth inning of Wednesday's win over Cincinnati.

Asked if he was worried that he had broken his hand when he was hit, Ramirez replied, "Yeah, I was worried. Thank God the X-rays came back negative. . . . It was bad. It was real sore."

But Ramirez was in a jovial mood, walking around the clubhouse holding the bobblehead made in his image that the Dodgers handed out to the first 50,000 fans that night.

"I'm going to send my bobblehead to left field," he said. "It's going to be in left field with Juan Pierre."

Ramirez said he liked the detail on the bobblehead, pointing to the dirt on the batting helmet and the dreadlocks, including a colored braid.

"I love it," he said.

One detail was missed, however.

"My pocket's not out," Ramirez said, pointing to the bobblehead's rear end. "They screwed up on that one."

Trade deadline near

As the Dodgers pursue Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay, one of the Blue Jays' top scouts watched the Dodgers play Tuesday and Wednesday. Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti, asked whether he had exchanged names with the Blue Jays, said: "We know who they have interest in."

The Dodgers have assigned scouts to watch Halladay's last two starts. Logan White, the Dodgers' assistant general manager for scouting, watched Halladay and Cleveland Indians ace Cliff Lee this week, although it is uncertain whether the Indians would trade Lee.

The Dodgers do not plan to include Clayton Kershaw in a Halladay trade offer. Steve Springer, the Blue Jays' scout in attendance at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday and Wednesday, could help Toronto determine whether another player on the Dodgers' roster might fit in a package for Halladay.

The Dodgers consider minor league shortstop Devaris Gordon all but untouchable, although they could reconsider if the Blue Jays would discuss a package that did not include a major leaguer. Other minor leaguers who could be of interest include pitchers Josh Lindblom, Ethan Martin and Chris Withrow, third baseman Josh Bell and outfielder Andrew Lambo.

Short hops

On the night the Dodgers gave away bobbleheads made in the image of a player who was suspended for violating baseball's drug policy, the ceremonial first pitch was thrown out by one of the godfathers of marijuana humor, Cheech Marin. The comedian is a spokesman for San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino, which sponsored the Ramirez bobblehead. . . . Hong-Chih Kuo pitched in back-to-back games for Class A Inland Empire on Monday and Tuesday and could be activated next week. He will pitch in the minors again Friday.

Times staff writer Helene Elliott contributed to this report.

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[email protected]

DODGERS 6, CINCINNATI 2

[h1]Manny Ramirez shakes things up for Dodgers[/h1]

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Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times

Manny Ramirez passes by third base coach Larry Bowa after hitting a grand slam against Cincinnati in the sixth inning.

His pinch-hit grand slam on his bobblehead doll night lifts the Dodgers past Cincinnati.

By DYLAN HERNANDEZ, On The Dodgers
July 23, 2009
Dodger Stadium was probably never louder this season.

But the roar of the capacity crowd turned into something that pierced eardrums the moment Manny Ramirez drove the only pitch thrown to him on Wednesday night and sent it screaming into the section of seats named in his honor.


Grand slam.

The four runs Ramirez drove in with that single stroke in his pinch-hit at-bat did more than break a sixth-inning tie and send the Dodgers on their way to a 6-2, sweep-sealing victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

The home run off reliever Nick Masset, the first long ball ever hit by a Dodger on his bobblehead night, turned the ballpark into a madhouse.
Fans lured to Chavez Ravine by the promotional Ramirez dolls held the boxes containing the prized toys high above their heads. Others violently tugged at their replica No. 99 jerseys.

"Kind of crazy," said Ramirez, who wasn't expected to play because he was struck by a pitch on his left hand the previous night.

Then Ramirez came out for a curtain call.

More noise, more madness.

"I guess Manny's hand wasn't as bad as we thought," Reds Manager Dusty Baker said.

Juan Pierre stepped into the batter's box next, but fans were still standing and screaming. Pierre missed a fastball, but that did nothing to decrease the decibel level.

The crowd erupted again when Ramirez took a curtain call at the end of the inning. And again when Ramirez emerged to conduct a postgame television interview.

Man-ny! Man-ny!

With the interview played over the stadium's public-address system, Ramirez said, "It was an unbelievable moment for me in my career. I'm just happy it happened here. I'm just happy to be a part of all this."

Baker was left shaking his head.

"That's the stuff you see out of Barry Bonds and Hank Aaron," Baker said. "You go home seeing what you came to see."

The pinch-hit home run was the first of Ramirez's 17-season career. The grand slam was his 21st, second all-time behind Lou Gehrig's 23.

"It was a perfect situation, obviously," Manager Joe Torre said. "They couldn't walk him."

Not everyone was pleased.

Reds starter Bronson Arroyo, who set the stage for Ramirez by loading the bases on a single he gave up to Russell Martin, didn't want to hand the ball to Baker. Arroyo was a teammate of Ramirez in Boston.

"I played with the guy long enough," Arroyo said. "I probably have a better insight of his mind than anybody else here."

Of Baker, he said, "that's his call, that's his job, not mine."

For the player for whom Ramirez pinch hit, the line-drive shot was the difference between earning his long-awaited 10th victory and extending his winless streak to seven starts.

"I wasn't really expecting a home run," Chad Billingsley said. "A double or something, maybe. That's just Manny being Manny."

Billingsley, who was 0-2 with a 6.55 earned-run average in his last six starts, was charged with two runs and seven hits over six innings. But he talked more about the atmosphere in the ballpark than he did about the way he pitched.

"We were so into that crowd," he said. "After that ball that he hit, it was electrifying. Everyone in the dugout went crazy. The crowd went crazy."

The Dodgers improved to a season-best 27 games over .500 and maintained their nine-game lead over second-place Colorado in the NL West.

Times staff writers Bill Shaikin and Kevin Baxter contributed to this report.

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[h1]http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2009/07/manny-ramirez-grand-slam-homer-bobblehead.html[/h1]

[h1]Manny Ramirez blasts pinch-hit grand slam into Mannywood[/h1]
11:17 PM, July 22, 2009



Vin Scully called the reaction of tonight's pinch-hit grand slam by Manny Ramirez off the first pitch by Red reliever Nick Masset the loudest he's heard Dodger Stadium in 20 years.

Much more, and many photos after the jump...
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Everything about the situation was Hollywood: Manny had to sit out of the starting lineup, his hand hurt so bad he didn't take batting practice, the bases were loaded, a sold-out crowd, it was Manny bobblehead night, he connected on the first pitch, and the ball got deposited into the left field seats known as Mannywood.

"Just the way he was sort of stalking around the dugout, I had a feeling he would do something if he got the opportunity," Dodger Manager Joe Torre said.

The grand slam is Ramirez's 21st, which is only two behind all-time leader Lou Gehrig.

It was Manny's first pinch-hit homer of his career, one that helped the Dodgers sweep the Reds.

But the question is did losing Manager Dusty Baker end up getting a bobblehead for his 10-year old son, who Baker told Yahoo Sports Manny has been kind to.

With the Dodgers now on a five-game winning streak and 27 games over .500, even with the drama surrounding the 50-game suspension, it's hard to believe that at this point any Dodgers fan wouldn't feel like Manny has been kind to them after this dramatic blast.

The only truly vocal anti-Manny group whose eyes were on the game (other than Reds fans) was heathcare giant Kaiser Permanente. Apparently Kaiser was scheduled to sponsor the 50,000 bobbleheads that were given away tonight at Dodger Stadium, but they pulled their funding once Ramirez was found in violation of MLB's drug policy.

For more details and conversation about the game, the granny, and all things Dodgers, head over to Dodger Thoughts which should be buzzing all night tonight. Meanwhile here are some more photos from the dramatic dinger:






-- Tony Pierce

Bobblehead photo by Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times; game photos by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US Presswire

Chris Erskine:

[h1]L.A. has a lot to offer Toronto in trade[/h1]

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Christopher Pasatieri / U.S. Presswire; Robert Giroux / Getty Images; Warner Bros. Pictures

The Dodgers need an ace pitcher, such as Toronto's Roy Hallady, left; Los Angeles has plenty to offer in return, including celebrities, like Angelina Jolie, top right, or perhaps a role in " Harry Potter Beats the Red Sox in Five," which would presumably star Daniel Radcliffe in the title role.

Dodgers need that ace pitcher, so we should be willing to give up some Hollywood types, or other local stars, or even some landmarks, to make it happen.

Chris Erskine
July 23, 2009
With baseball's trade deadline rapidly approaching, here's what we're prepared to offer:

Quentin Tarantino, Angelina Jolie and eight unaired episodes of that sitcom "Joey," which had its moments, just not enough of them (wait till you see the one where Joey learns to read).

Tarantino, meanwhile, would be a perfect fit in many clubhouses -- a darker, more-violent Carlos Zambrano. As for Jolie, you probably wouldn't expect her to be trade bait. To be honest, we've had our fill of her, that exquisite face and all that humanitarian work. Yacks left, bats right. If she wants the Nobel Prize, why doesn't she just say so? In the meantime, she makes women here feel inferior and our men seem not quite up to the task, so please take her off our hands.

All we ask in return is a steely starting pitcher with the nerves of a vampire.

Not enough? You're killing us here. We're not made of movie stars, you know.

OK, how about we throw in that Beckham fella too, whose act is getting a little stale. He's not even the best player on the Galaxy, so how much do we really care? The guy may be considered great looking in other parts of the world, but out here he's just another wanna-be wiping down tables. Take him, he's yours (we'll keep that Posh, though; she completes us).

You want more? More than Jolie and Beckham? Go ahead, make us an offer.

See, here in the City of Sequins, we think this really is the Dodgers' year. They are as close to perfect as any team in baseball, yet we'd like to have a little more pitching. Pitching is like hair -- you can never have too much.

What we're missing right now is an animal, someone you can hand the ball to in the playoffs, someone with foam around the fangs. So tell us what you want, Toronto: Money? Yoga lessons? How about your own show, "CSI: Saskatchewan"?

We know people who know people, and it's not impossible that we can get you two points on the back end of the next J.K. Rowling flick: "Harry Potter Beats the Red Sox in Five."

Look, we're tired of being outspent by a team from New York's skankiest borough. We're tired of spending Halloween at home.

To sweeten any deal, we're willing to pony up Santa Anita Race Track, the old Pickford estate, and the young hurler out of Hollywood, Lindsay Lohan. Sensational kid, good energy. Just keep her away from the Gatorade.

Now, we'll confess that in offering these trades, we're not exactly sure of all the rules. Baseball is notorious for having one trade deadline, and before you know it, along comes another trade deadline. When is a deadline not a deadline? When it's a Major League Baseball deadline.

There's the non-waiver deadline, then there's the waiver deadline. After that, there's some other way to acquire players -- I think involving witchcraft. Former Dodgers GM Dan Evans, who has sculpted many deals in his time, tried to explain it all at the ballpark the other evening.

"OK, after July 31, they have to clear waivers, then what?" I remember asking, then swallowing my tongue.

All I know is the Dodgers need some pitching and we mean business. We've got Emmys. We've got Oscars. If it's leadership you're looking for, we'll offer up our governor, whose steroid issues are mostly behind him.

As a gesture of good faith, we'd like to throw in 12 copies of our new treatise, "How to Argue With Umpires in Three Languages at Once (It Really Messes With Their Heads)."

We realize it's a long title, but it's a very short book. Like the Bible itself, it is full of one-syllable words of enormous consequence. It was inspired by my buddy Paul who, during the World Cup of Softball, became enamored of watching the Italian coach argue with the Australian umpire, both in (sort of) English. Which reminded us very much of our own Larry Bowa.

Anyway, that's our offer, please mull it over. No rush, though note that you're not the only organization we're talking with. We might also work out a trade with AC Milan for a goalkeeper and 17 yards of top-grade Italian silk.

That poor Jamie McCourt has to wear something.

Erskine also writes "Man of the House" in Saturday's Home section.

[email protected]

Bowa catching a bit of air during the high five

Who could the Jays possibly be looking at?

 

[cincoseisdos]

Originally Posted by Mr Jordan04

bright nikes wrote:

Once you get your feet wet, I need me some mlb / nfl / nba packages

word.
do you get a reward if you catch people who have "free" cable?

i'm not even sure. Haven't asked. I should right?

 

[mr jordan04]

Originally Posted by CincoSeisDos

Originally Posted by Mr Jordan04

bright nikes wrote:

Once you get your feet wet, I need me some mlb / nfl / nba packages

word.
do you get a reward if you catch people who have "free" cable?

i'm not even sure. Haven't asked. I should right?

i gotta make sure before i start asking some questions

 

[frenchblue23]

I didn't get my bobblehead either, but what I did see was scandalous, I saw those teenage dudes that hand out the bobbleheads, take off with 2-3 boxes fullof them near the entrance where I was waiting. Shady.

What's up with that IronMan?
These kids need to get a back round check beforehand.

And it's not the first time it's happened, I know that for sure.

That's why I didn't get my bobblehead.

 

[eyegiantjackpot]

oh man.. that game was fun.. love being a dodger fan.

funny how everyone left after manny hit that bomb. people are funny. came what they needed to see.

 

[VinMillerHearn58]

Anyone going to be at the games during August 5th and/or 8th?

 

[Lizakers]

what a sick game last night

manny in the dugout with the bobble head had me dyin

first pitch.....GONE........amazing

 

[Los Angeles]

Damn FB23 that +$*% sucks.

I'm sure ironman has some stashed away somewhere

 

[frenchblue23]

Originally Posted by bright nikes

Damn FB23 that +$*% sucks.

I'm sure ironman has some stashed away somewhere

Oh man, you don't know how pissed off I was.

Parking was a nightmare, I parked in the mountain where the Think Blue sign is.

 

[sinser13]

there's a bunch in ebay, but i don't feel like paying 50-60 for a bobble head.

 

[Los Angeles]

those bastards.

562 update if you get the filipino grub

 

[frenchblue23]

Originally Posted by sinser13

there's a bunch in ebay, but i don't feel like paying 50-60 for a bobble head.

I knew as soon as I was heading up to park that I was not gonna get one, and I expected them to sell at that price too.

 

[beermann2]

562, You work at Time warner?

That sucks FB23. You didn't ask the usher or anyone at the park?

I wish I could have gone. It was a night to remember.

I'm sure Ironman got away with a few BH.

I'm picturing you sneaking out with a box.

Ebay selling them for $50 bucks and up, Dam I'll wait til the hype comes down, if it ever does.

 

[mr jordan04]

$50?? **manny** WOW! Just wait 2-3 weeks and you'll be able to get em for at least half price

 

[Los Angeles]

finally got this %#$% back up!

Verizon Fios is

 

[paul is on tilt]

I know it's been a few days from Schmidt's start, but how did his velocity look like? How was his control? Was he still pitching fastballs andchangeups for most of the game? I didn't get a chance to see the game and I want to know how former Giant, Jason Schmidt, did. Thanks.

 

[eyegiantjackpot]

paul i keep staring at your avy.

how many dogs does she eat?

 

[paul is on tilt]

Originally Posted by eyegiantjackpot

paul i keep staring at your avy.

how many dogs does she eat?

Joey Chestnut status.

 

[cincoseisdos]

Originally Posted by Paul Is On Tilt

I know it's been a few days from Schmidt's start, but how did his velocity look like? How was his control? Was he still pitching fastballs and changeups for most of the game? I didn't get a chance to see the game and I want to know how former Giant, Jason Schmidt, did. Thanks.

After the shaky first he settled in. A LOT of off speed stuff since his heater doesn't exist anymore. He allowed maybe 1 hit that I remember of after hisrough first frame.

I'm kinda looking forward to seeing his next start, see how he settles into the rotation and if he's here to stay or not

 

[paul is on tilt]

Originally Posted by CincoSeisDos

Originally Posted by Paul Is On Tilt

I know it's been a few days from Schmidt's start, but how did his velocity look like? How was his control? Was he still pitching fastballs and changeups for most of the game? I didn't get a chance to see the game and I want to know how former Giant, Jason Schmidt, did. Thanks.

After the shaky first he settled in. A LOT of off speed stuff since his heater doesn't exist anymore. He allowed maybe 1 hit that I remember of after his rough first frame.

I'm kinda looking forward to seeing his next start, see how he settles into the rotation and if he's here to stay or not

Thanks. Though Schmidt won't be his old self, I'm hoping Schmidt does well.