NOOOOOOOO! An Overtime Loss for the Kings

It was a great Game 1 in the quarterfinal playoff game between the Kings and the Canucks. Unfortunately, it ended up in a loss for the Kings as Vancouver scored in overtime to win.

Yes, I am a little down, but I'm far from discouraged. The Kings came out roaring as tight and hard checking ruled day from the early going. They cycled well, scored 2 power play goals, and goaltender Jonathon Quick was sharp in his playoff debut. I know, given another time in space this game could easily have been a win for the LA team.

Fortunately, this is a 7 game series and one loss does not mean a thing. There will be another day and this fan is looking forward to that next match. One item of concern was defenseman Jack Johnson as he committed a delay of game- puck over the glass penalty that lead to a Canuck power play goal. That's a foul that should not be happening in the playoffs. Nevertheless, he played well enough the rest of the way to warrant my forgiveness.

This coming Saturday is Game 2 and I expect I'll be glued to the television waiting for the Kings to avenge this loss.

Check Out This Active Roster

The Dodgers go all out on this day. Everyone wears #42 today and the rosters online reflect it at Dodgers.com.

Hat Tip: LADodgersTwitter:

Red Barber on Jackie Robinson

Thanks to Alyssa Milano's Twitter I bring to you this video interview of former Dodger broadcaster Red Barber on Jackie Robinson.

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Happy Jackie Robinson Day

Today is the day all of Baseball celebrates the official integration of Major League Baseball. It is Jackie Robinson Day. This is a kind of holiday to commemorate a great man and a great Dodger for his great accomplishments that many thought would never come. Jackie Robinson did the heroic. He battled in the field while battling fans and opposing players. For those first few years he turned the other cheek, and was rewarded with the respect he deserved by birth. Then, he spoke up and helped America understand why. Jackie was a trailblazer and a true leader.

On this day, many players will wear #42 throughout the day as stories and commentaries will be read from coast to coast. At this evenings Dodger game Tommy Davis, "Sweet" Lou Johnson, Tommy Lasorda, Frank Robinson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will be introduced on the field. All players will be wearing #42 jerseys, and Don Newcombe, Jackie's former roommate, will throw out the first pitch to our center fielder Matt Kemp.

It will be a day of pomp and circumstance, but let's not forget the struggle that brought us here.

(Pics of card front and back from The Beckett Blog)

Let's Go Kings!

Today is the day.

Tonight, at 7:00 PM, the Kings face-off against the Vancouver Canucks for game 1 in their first playoff appearance in 8 years, and I couldn't be happier.

The suffering, the frustration and the hand wringing has been all worth it.

Can we shine? Will the boys on the ice come through like they have all year? Can we continue with the hard checking, the 2nd efforts, and productive cycles?

I just can't wait to find out. Bring on the second season.

For your reading pleasure check out this article in the Wall Street Journal (Hat Tip: LA Kings Insider) about this resurgent team and its loyal fans.

They've long attracted a curious breed of passionate and profoundly patient fans.

This year the team is drawing an average of 17,313 at each game, up from 16,489 the season prior. They haven't drawn below 16,000 fans, on average, in any season since moving to the Staples Center in 1999. In other words, much of the L.A. region is just arriving to a party that was already pretty crowded.

...
Kings fans tend to come largely from far-flung suburban communities like Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley and spend lots of time on the Internet (team research shows they spend more time on the team's official Web site than any other fan base in the NHL except Vancouver's). The fans seem to prefer the cheap seats to the expensive ones on the floor, which sometimes go empty. They also trend toward the dark: recent topics on a Kings fan forum range from Russian metal bands and horror films to fantasy videogames.

Yes, we are a bunch of rabid, long-suffering, maniacs.

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Hat Tip: Life in Hockeywood:

eBay: Vintage Dodger Pics

Henry Yee is running his always great eBay auctions that include some great Dodger related vintage photos.

Here is the original 1910's Underwood & Underwood Press photo of Charles Ebbets, of Ebbets Field fame.

eBay Auction Link:

Now take a look at a original photo of the 1913 Dodgers posing at their brand new home, Ebbets Field.

eBay Auction Link:

Now this is a crazy photo. Take close look at the wire fence near the 297 ft. sign. There is a kid walking along the outfield billboards trying to get his hands on a PeeWee Reese homerun ball that got lodged in the wire fence. This was taken on October 1, 1950 in a game between the Dodger and the Philadelphia Phillies. It was the last game of the year with the Dodger only one game back. A Dodger win would bring them to a tie and a potential one game playoff for the pennant. Unfortunately, the Dodgers lost, and I can imagine Brooklyn fans blaming this kids for cursing the Blue Crew. You know, if this were the Cubs this crazy loon would be infamous.

eBay Auction Link:

Below, Jackie Robinson is waiting on the set during the filming of "The Jackie Robinson Story."

eBay Auction Link: