Plaschke... You Ding Bat

This morning I stumbled out of bed as my faithful dog, Miko, walked along behind me. Where are my slippers? I thought to myself. "Dammit... Did you hide them Miko?" Oftentimes, I'll discover that she had kicked them under the bed or is laying right on top of them. On this morning, however, I find my slippers in the most unusual place- right where they are suppose to be. I missed them in my daze and confusion. So, I put them on, walked out of my room, strolled through the living area and out the front door while rubbing the sleep from my eyes. The morning paper was in my sight and the daily sports page was my goal. I grabbed the paper, pulled out the sports section and proceeded to read it as I sat on the porcelain throne. This is my usual routine most morning as I prepare for another day of work.

Let's see. "AL Triples Its Pleasure in 9th." Ya know, that was a great game. Probably the most exciting All Star Game I've seen in a long time. Michael Young is having a fantastic year.

Ah... Danica Patrick might join NASCAR. Lisa Leslie is having the best season of her career. Kwame Brown will not face sex assault charges. Quite a full boat of news there.

Plaschke! That dreaded sports editorial writer. He has a column about the Dodgers up. This should be good.

"Trade Wasn't Worth a Penny."

Yup... Another Plaschke special. This guy aggravates me to no end. So much so I will refuse to link to him.

He is a constant whiner. Not only that, he is mistaken about the facts. I believe we did just fine in that trade.

Gagne was not overused in 2004. As 6-4-2 states,

"he pitched the exact same number of innings in 2004 as he did in 2003."

LoDuca would not be with the team today, leadership or not, if he was not traded then. Just remember, Russell Martin was heading up the prospect ladder and his progress would have meant Dukies departure. (BTW, Paul LoDuca still remains my favorite Dodger, post millennium. But lets face it. You just can't keep everyone if you want to win. Hard choices must be made.) Guillermo Mota has been absolutely terrible since that trade. Mota had a 4.81 ERA in 2004 after the trade, a 4.70 ERA for the Marlins in 2005 and has a ERA of 5.94 with the Indians this year. He would not have solidified the relief corps. Choi, on the other hand, has been terrible. There's one point Plaschke does win. The saving grace, though, is the emergence of Mr. Penny. Brad, the only other player still with the team they were traded to, has blossomed into our staff ace. Enough said!

All Star Break Cartoon Funnies

No All Star game can be complete without a litle bit of humor. Below is one of the true Baseball cartoon classics. "Baseball Bugs" with Bugs Bunny and friends.



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Update: This carton first came out in 1946. It's incredible that it still resonates today. Did you know that

"among the ads on the fence is one for "Mike Maltese, Ace Detective" featuring a picture of Mike Maltese (the writer of "Baseball Bugs") with a fedora and a pistol?"

The Great LA Dodgers Blue Heaven Sleepover

Ya know, If I had found out about this ahead of time I would have seriously considered going. Furthermore, if I had known that they would call this event the "Blue Heaven Sleepover" I would have definitely been a participant. Oh Well. There's always next year.

Tom Hoffarth of Farther Off the Wall writes about the experience. He also was kind enough to post some pictures. Go and check it out.

5:35 a.m.: Daybreak. There's something you'll never get to see, no matter how many extra innings a game might go: The sun coming up over the right field pavilion. The chirping from the birds and cackling from the crows picking over the garbage still left from the previous day's game echo loudly through the empty seats and serve as an interesting wake-up call.

Wow. I think I will be going the next time they do this.

Hattip: Dodger Thoughts

All Star Funnies - Part II

This is a batters worse nightmare. Bam! Right on the cup!



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This is something I thought I would never see.

All Star Break Funnies

How many of these video games classics do you remember?



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And below, a really bad pitch.



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Penny Starts All Star Game

Brad Penny has been chosen to be the All Star Game starter for the National League. Wow! Brad has had a really good first half having gone 10-2 with a 2.91 ERA. Furthermore, he has had 82 strike outs with only 28 walks- that's nearly a 3 to 1 ratio! Penny has definitely been our best starting pitcher this year.

Also, when I got this news I suddenly realized that Brad Penny would be throwing to the National League starting catcher who happens to be our old friend Paul LoDuca of the New York Mets. Didn't we trade Pauly to the Marlins for Penny? Man-O-Live. Life is funny sometimes, aint it?