Dodger 2010 Season Top Five

Well the season is over.  After a few good years acquiring good offense, somehow holding together a decent pitching staff and rising to the top of the West again, it all fell apart this year.


Starting pitching was good to very good, but our bats fell silent this year.  I can't count how many (or maybe i just don't want to) quality starts we got from the mound only to succumb to defeat due to our lack of hitting and our horrible bullpen.  Haegar was a huge disappointment and an experiment run too long.  Elymania was quickly subdued, but i still have faith in that kid–a bit longer in AAA will do him well.  Padilla was in and out with injuries and i seriously question keeping him around.  The core was mostly solid, save for a couple embarrassing starts each for Billingsly and Kershaw.  Kuroda was consistent, but again, no offensive support.  Do i even need to mention Broxton's downward spiral?!  Monasterios seems better suited as a reliever than a starter.  Kuo was the lone bright spot in our pullpen.  The addition of Lilly looks promising.  Hopefully we'll pick up some quality relievers in the offseason.


Not even reaching the post season was disappointing enough, but what truly made this one of the absolute saddest seasons in Dodger history is not how poorly we placed, what really made my Dodger blue blood boil, was that the fucking giants actually won the damn Worl—i can't bring myself to say it.  We all know what happened though.  Couldn't even enjoy Halloween this year as i came to HATE the color orange!  So much does the color disgust me, i declared the color banned from the City of Los Angeles; Anyone caught wearing that hideous color shall be taken outside the city limits, tied to a post a left to rot!


We play them on Opening Day, you know.  We damn well better beat the crap out of them!  I'll be there rooting on my boys in blue and you better be there too.  Anyways, this blog was supposed to be about the few good things we can smile about from this otherwise abysmal season.  So here we go, the top five highlights of 2010 from Dodgertown, 90090:

5.  Jameson Moss.

Who, you ask?!??  Why you probably know him as the "Don't Stop Believing guy."  Part way through the '09 season he started his song and dance interpretation, and it has rallied the fans to their feet and brought forth some of the loudest applause during many games–particularly this season.  Even during a rout, when we really had no business believin, Mr Moss got us pumped.  The Sons of Steve Garvey blog got an interview with him, read it here.

4.  The fans

That's us!  Dodgers fans who trek to the ravine game after game to support our Boys In Blue no matter where we are in the standings.  Sure we had a few games with disappointing attendance, but it is us True Blue fans who are loud enough and plentiful enough to cheer our boys on even with a third of the stadium empty.  Dodger fans, salute yourselves on the season.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame at Dodger Stadium from Drew Post on Vimeo.

3.  Nancy Bea

A Dodger great, Nancy Bea Hefley, or just Nancy Bea, has delighted us on the Dodger Stadium organ for over 20 years now.  Though her role during games has diminished over the years, due to execs preferring CD tracks, Nancy Bea still provides the overall soundtrack to our Dodger Stadium experience.  Nancy Bea never brings sheet music to game, for she knows by heart over 2000 songs and can pick just the right one for any given occasion.  If you don't get to other ball parks very often, you may not realize just how much of a privilege it is to have her here.  There are only a tiny handful of organists at MLB ball parks in this day in age.  To those of us who frequent Dodger Stadium, hearing an organ play is as much a baseball experience as smelling Dodger Dogs grill, holding a bag of warm peanuts or hearing the crack of the bat–it just wouldn't be baseball without the organ playing.  It is a shame to think that a younger generation of fans across the country won't get to hear the power of such an instrument.  Nancy Bea can happily and calmly ease you into your seat before the first pitch or get riled up for a rally.  Nancy is a treasure of Los Angeles, the Dodger organization and the institution of baseball.  Read the Nancy Bea Hefley bio from dodgerfan.net.

2.  Dodger Dogs & cold beer

Seriously, this season sometimes it was the best part of showing up at the stadium!  Not having a Dodger Dog at Dodger Stadium is like going to STK and ordering tofu!  That is, by the way, me and my meal (well, my first one anyways) on 30 April 2010.  (I like a lot of mustard!)  Honestly, Carl's can keep their over heated burgers with lettuce that's turned to sour kraut and their fries that go stale after 15 minutes–it takes 8 minutes just to get back into your seat!  I'll bypass the sushi and chicken wraps, thank you very much.  This is baseball, people, no dieting allowed!  Get yo game food on!

1.  Vinny!

It had to be you, Vinny–it just had to!  Managers and players come and go, but Vinny!  Well, how can the voice of the Dodgers for the past 60 years not be number one on the list, after all he's number one in our hearts (and ears).  The absolute best news to come out of Dodgertown this year was the announcement that Vin Scully would be back in the booth for 2011. 


Vinny, color commentator and play-by-play man all in one doesn't need another voice in the both or on the mic.  Any other game, it can get annoying listening to two or three people vying for mic time and engaging in silly banter.  And Vinny, well, even he doesn't compete with himself.  A master at painting a word picture, he knows just when to let the sounds on the field and in the stands paint the picture for us as well (listen to his call of the Gibson HR, for instance).  The greatest asset that Dodgers baseball will ever have is named Vin Scully.



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Rocking the Boat: How I'll Vote.

Since turning 18 in 1995, i have been a registered Democrat.  After seeing Ralph Nader speak and following his candidacy in 2000, i increasingly began voting Green Party candidates for the highest offices, yet most of my votes were still to Democratic candidates.  This year for the first time, i will be voting more third party candidates than Democratic.  Two of the four Democrats for whom i'm voting, i only do so because there is no Green or socialist candidate in that particular race.  By the March election i will no longer be a registered Democrat.


I know that the majority of my candidates will not be elected to office, but don't you dare tell me i am throwing my vote away.  My votes for third party candidates are my free speech. They are my message to the status quo that i am tired of the system as is.  So many of you, whether you be Democrats or Republicans are fed up with your government and your candidates as well.  Many of you resort to voting for the "lesser of two evils."  You all need to WAKE UP!!!  There are more than just the "two evils!"  Check out your local or national third party platforms and candidates.  If all the people who are fed up with the status quo voted third party we could really start to see some change in politics and how the government is run.  


The system is broken.  Or should i say, it is "fixed?"  Fixed to keep third party candidates out of the electoral spotlight.  Why do rarely see third party candidates in any debates for office? Because the system is set up that way.  If we heard what they had to say, we might actually be inclined to vote for them--gosh forbid!  Dems and Republicans screen out the embarrassing or troublesome questions from so-called "debates."  Most of the time, these same questions or issues are exactly what the third party candidates want to bring up, although that is not what keeps them from "debates" all the time.  There are also voting thresholds to be reached to be able to participate.  In any case it is well past time to mix things up. 


I live in Venice, Los Angeles, California; here's how i'm voting:


Carlos Alvarez for Governor (Peace and Freedom), 
Gavin Newsom for Lieutenant Governor (Democratic), 
Mary Lou Cabral for Secretary of State (Peace and Freedom), 
Karen Martinez for Controller (Peace and Freedom), 
Charles Crittenden for Treasurer (Green),
Peter Allen for Attorney General (Green),
Dina Josephine Padilla for Insurance Commissioner (Peace and Freedom),
Marsha Feinland for US Senator (Peace and Freedom),
Jane Harman for US Representative, 36th District (Democratic)*,
Jenny Oropeza for State Senator, 28th District (Democratic)*,
Betsy Butler for Member of the State Assembly 52rd District (Democratic)


*only voting Democratic because there is no Green or Peace and Freedom (socialist) candidate.


NO for Ming W. Chin for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of California
YES for Carlos R. Moreno for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of California
YES for Judith M. Ashmann for Associate Justice, Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division Five
YES for Orville "Jack" Armstrong for Associate Justice, Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division Six
YES for Steven Z. Perren for Associate Justice, Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division Five
 
Prop 19 - Yes
Prop 20 - Yes 
Prop 21 - No
Prop 22 - No
Prop 23 - No 
Prop 24 - Yes
Prop 25 - Yes 
Prop 26 - No
Prop 27 - No


Here is a link to Republican , Democratic, Green and Peace and Freedom Party Voting Guides on the California propositions: http://www.schnap.it/doufew