I like baseball. I really like the Dodgers, having grown up in SoCal watching them (live and on the tele). I wasn't quite into it when they won it all in 1981, but I remember 1988 vividly. Unlike other teams (some of which have been waiting years and years to even make it to the World Series) the Dodgers have had their share of success.
Since then, it's been frustration after frustration. They seem to be always in it, they make a trade for a "seasoned veteran" who can get them back to the series, they fade away. The "seasoned veteran" ends up being unable to hit his weight, and certainly cannot hit worth his exorbitant contract. They have great pitching and terrible hitting. Hitters come to LA to die.
We're seeing it again this year. They are first in the majors in many major pitching categories. They have one of the three greatest closers in the game today. Their setup men are off the hook. But their batting just sucks it. One regular hitting over .300 (Lo Duca). Their infield has 4 combined HR. It's not that they have a couple of guys in a slump--their team batting average is only matched in (the lack of) quality by the worst team ever and a couple of below-.500 teams (who have better slugging and OBP than the Dodgers). As a team, they have fewer home runs than the top two NL individuals combined. Watching them play is maddening; if their pitching gives even up three runs, they march to their inexorable death by 3-0 or 3-1. If I have to see another groundball to the shortstop with the bases loaded, or a little infield pop-up with runners in scoring position, I don't know what I'll do.
Why don't they just GET hitting? Remember how I mentioned LA is where hitters go to die? Lessee... Fred McGriff, Bobby Bonilla, and Ron Coomer are a few names that come to mind. Each of these guys was brought over to bring some clout, and each ended up hitting forty points or more under their career average. The hitters that DO work out (I'm thinking Gary Sheffield) are viruses in the clubhouse.
The Angels just went up 2-1 in the bottom of the 6th. This is a prime example of what I'm saying; there's almost no reason to hold out any hope that they will be able to come back. You just don't do that with a .246 team average. Now I have to listen to the retarded Angels announcers gloat about the "Woot Dog" and "Sean Rootin' Tootin' Wooten" and other such playground idiocies.
Ah well... when does hockey start again?
Posted by pcg at June 28, 2003 8:53 PMLest you think I'm speaking in hyperbole, I just watched LA get swept by Anaheim. Just for fun, I checked a number of hitting stats and the Dodger's major league place in each (out of thirty teams):
20 Major Events that have happened since the Cubs last won a World Series.
1. Radio was invented; Cubs fans got to hear their team lose.
2. TV was invented; Cubs fans got to see their team lose.
3. Baseball added 14 teams; Cubs fans get to see and hear their team lose to more clubs.
4. George Burns celebrated his 10th, 20th, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th, 70th, 80th, 90th and 100th birthdays.
5. Haley's comet passed Earth twice.
6. Harry Caray was born....and died.
7. The NBA, NHL and NFL were formed, and Chicago teams won championships in each league.
8. Man landed on the moon.
9. Sixteen U.S. presidents were elected.
10. There were 11 amendments added to the Constitution.
11. Prohibition was created and repealed.
12. The Titanic was built, set sail, sank, was discovered and became the subject of major motion pictures.
13. Wrigley Field was built and becomes the oldest park in the National League.
14. Flag poles were erected on Wrigley Field roof to hold all of the team's future World Series pennants. Those flag poles have since rusted and been taken down.
15. A combination of 40 Summer and Winter Olympics have been held.
16. Thirteen baseball players have won the Triple Crown.
17. Bell-bottoms came in style, went out of style and came back instyle; disco did the same.
18. The Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox and Florida Marlins have all won the World Series.
19. The Cubs played 14,153 regular-season games; they lost the majority of them.
20. Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Oklahoma and New Mexico were admitted to the Union.
Being a fan kinda sucks.
Go Tigers!
Posted by: topher1kenobe on June 30, 2003 4:05 PMRight now my favorite player in all of baseball is Eric Gagne. How can you not lose a guy who looks a little overweight, wears glasses, constantly has one of the dirtier hats in all of baseball, and yet is arguably the most dominating closer in the game today?
e;
Posted by: e on July 1, 2003 12:46 PMGagne's great; if only he weren't French Canadian...
Posted by: pcg on July 1, 2003 1:02 PM