LAist.com

I've recently begun a new gig writing some commentary about the Dodgers and their season on the website: LAist.com. Please check out my first story here. I hope it provides some good experience. Furthermore, I plan on continuing my regular blogging here and promise to not skip a beat.

And the Sun Shined Through

The game started with puffy thick clouds in the sky that caused an overwhelming darkness over the crowd. All you could hear were the screams and chants from the Dodger faithful in blue. The orange and black clad home fans were made sullen by the start of today's festivities. For the second day in a row the Dodgers would fire the first shot. JD Drew slammed his 12th homerun of the year in the first inning and the Blue Crew was up by two.

But the clouds would not stick around forever. Darkness would turn into light. As the sun shined through a Dodger pitcher who has a 3.97 ERA and is batting less than .100 would welcome it with a bang. The sun has some special resonance here. It brings a warmth that satisfies the soul. It's an assurance that everything is going in the right direction. Light allows us to see what we are doing well. Right now the Dodgers are playing good Baseball. They are hitting and they are pitching with all of the focus expected of a professional team.

During the top of the 2nd inning the Dodgers again had another rally. Ethier was on third base and Martin was on first. Derek Lowe came up to the plate with one out. This would be a typical sacrifice situation with a non-hitting pitcher up to bat. Unfortunately for the Giants, the sun made its first appearance. It peeked out during Lowe's at bat and seemed to provide this Dodgers team with a big boost. Vin Scully made the call on the telecast as Lowe decided to take a swing. He hit a single to left. The Dodgers fortunes continue to be good. The surging Dodgers now had a 3 run lead as a result of Lowe's RBI.

To not be undone, Derek Lowe proceeded to pitch a masterful game. He went 8 innings and only stuttered in the ninth. A unfortunate error by Kent on a potential double play ball forced Grady Little to pull him after he loaded the bases with no outs. The score was 5-1 and the tying run would be up to bat. Rock solid Saito was put in and effortlessly struck out 3 Giants. Only one additional run scored on a walk to Bonds. The Dodgers take the series two games to one.

The mark of a team ready for the big show is the ability to climb out of a hole when fortunes turn. The Dodgers had lost two straight for the first time in weeks. The stretch drive was visible for all of the players to see. Oftentimes that strain can kill a team. The Dodgers don't want the momentum created over this past winning streaks to stop. Fridays' game was just dreadful and the prospects for a bummer roadtrip was at hand. Game two of the series came around and the Dodgers proved they are still in command. They slammed the Giants with authority. Now the Dodgers have a new two game winning streak to maintain as the final few laps of the race approach. May the checkered flag wave with shades of Blue.

Gratifying

So my buddy walks into the TV room and says, "This is embarrassing."

I reply back with a snap. "No it's not! ... I'll tell you what's embarrassing. Losing to the Giants- that's embarrassing." Then I add, "now scoring 10 runs in the first two innings... that's gratifying!"

eBay Find: Honus Wagner Vintage Photos

eBay is such a great place. If you look hard enough you can find some great vintage one of a kind items. Recently concluded were two auctions of rare photographs of Honus Wagner that match that description. You can check out the listing here: #1, #2.

Wagner isn't on the field getting ready for a ground ball or sitting in the dugout with his managers uniform on. Instead, he's hanging out with the boys. They go driving into the country ready for an afternoon of fishing by a trusted river. Unfortunately, it looks like they had a pretty slow day with only 2 trouts in tow. Honus has a fishing pole in hand in the middle. He doesn't look disappointed in the days catch. In fact, he looks like he's ready for more as he holds his pole straight up ready for bait and another try. I guess that man never quits. I had asked the seller if they originally came from the Honus Wagner estate sale through SportscardsPlus in 2003. Unfortunately, he did not know. They were consigned to him from a private collector and that information was not provided. Nevertheless, they are 2 very rare items and excellent additions for any vintage collector. They are postcards sized.

Below are Honus and friends posing for the camera in a model T type of car. Wagner is sitting in the front passenger seat.

It's good to be in 1st

Tonight we get to enjoy a game that can only be made in a Blue Heaven. The Dodgers are in 1st place. The Giants are in last place. Our ace, Brad Penny, is 13-5 for the year with a 3.48 ERA. Their ace, Jason Schmidt is 9-7 with a 3.00 ERA. Schmidt has been slightly better according to some numbers, but that doesn't mean a thing because nothing can stop the Blue now. We are like a steaming freight train full of fuel and ready to run forever. The tracks are aligned, our convoy is prepared and we are unstoppable. I am full of bravado as the match between bitter rivals takes place this weekend. I look forward to single after single, double after double and triple after triple. Heck, we might even see a few homeruns from the men in Blue. Everything is right in the world.

eBay Find: Billy Sunday Real Photo Postcard

This is one of the most unusual eBay items available right now. It is a Real Photo Postcard, circa 1920's- 1930's, of former 19th Century ballplayer and famed preacher Billy Sunday. What is unusual about this auction is that it's an actual postcard of Billy Sunday in a Baseball uniform. Other than the handful of vintage items available, like the one Old Judge card below, cards or photos of him in a uniform are difficult to find. This postcard is a rarity.

As some of you may know he played ball during Baseball's infancy. Billy was originally signed by Hall of Famer Cap Anson and was known as Baseballs fastest runner. In his first game he struck out four times- a record in Baseball at that point.

"It is said that the expression, "You can't steal first," originally referred to Sunday. "

In 1891, Billy Sunday, after becoming an devote Christian, left Baseball to become a street minister. The rest is history.