Time To Weigh In....

The Dodgers and Giants rivalry is one of the most storied and fantastic rivalries in all of sports... I was born hating the Giants. I've always despised them, I didn't figure out why until I was a little bit older & by then it was too late. It used to be really bad... Like, I couldn't be friends with someone who was a die-hard fan of that team... A few years back, I was dating a guy who lived in SF, we argued about baseball & it all came to a head when he called me a heartless Dodger fan... Heartless? Me? This coming from a man who was a fan of Barry Bonds... & I'm heartless.... Needless to say, that didn't last long :)
Today, it's a little bit different... I have fun with it.. Do I despise the Giants? Absolutely! Was I sick to my stomach when they won the World Series? You betcha!!! I was rooting for the Rangers like I was a lifelong fan... I was devastated that the Giants won... A few things kept me warm.. One, it was their first WS win since moving to California in the '50s.. My guys have 5 :) And Two... Everyone says the NL West is the worst division in baseball... Welp, the worst division in baseball won the Series... Now what?
Today, I have a plethora of Giants fans in my life... I work with a bunch of them, heck, I got my foot in the door at my awesome job because I was waiting on Giants fans every day for almost 2 years... Today I have fun with it. Today my smart aleck friends photoshop pictures of Giants gear on me & put it up on facebook... & today I laugh at it :) It's fun... It's supposed to be...
I haven't written or said much about what went down on opening night because I wasn't sure what I wanted to say. I've read a lot of editorials that blame everyone, The Dodgers, Frank McCourt, the City of Los Angeles, Beer... but let's place the blame where it should lie.. at the feet of these 2 cowards who did this awful & terrible thing... And it exists, everywhere. Not just at Dodger Stadium, but also at every other stadium in the country... The Giants serve the beer in cups that say Beat LA on them. I heard a rumour that they do this when not even playing the Dodgers... Giants fans hired a plane to fly over Dodger Stadium on opening day with a banner that read"BEAT LA" to which the Blue Birds replied GIANTS SUCK :) Yay for chanting...
It exists... on both sides, but it's time to take a step into the real world... Last season Clayton Kershaw got suspended for hitting a batter, he was retaliating against the Giant pitcher that hit a Dodger.. this is what they do. Let them do it. Let the players battle it out... I go to games with my Dad & my 82 year old grandmother, families bring their kids... Couples go on dates. There's no more beautiful place than Dodger Stadium when the sun is setting & the boys are winning. Baseball is fun, rivalries are fun... All this guy did was go to a game wearing a jersey in support of his team. I'm sure it got rowdy in the stadium & I'm certain that these two idiots had too much to drink. While I'm deeply saddened by this event & my thoughts and prayers are with this young man & his family... I'm glad that this incident is getting so much attention.
It's time to stop this insanity. When I lived in San Diego, I went to every Dodger/Padre game that I could decked in Dodger Blue from head to toe & people talked trash to me & anyone that knows me knows I gave it right back :) I loved going to Charger games. However, I would never go to a Charger/Raider game because of all the disorderly crap that happens. There's always fights. Booze infused testosterone pumping fights...Calm the frik down! It's a game!! It's supposed to be fun...
When did going to the ball park mean going to a war zone?! We have the right to feel safe in our surroundings... I pray to God that this man makes a full recovery & I know that these idiots will be brought to justice...
But maybe, just maybe, some good can come out of this... Maybe with all the attention that this is getting, people will start to wake up... I've talked a lot of trash & held my own when it comes to baseball... I've covered a co-workers desk in Dodger printouts after a sweep, I will do it again too... But I would never ever ever ever resort to violence... This isn't the first time that there has been unnecessary fan violence at my beloved ball park, but hopefully... We've seen the last of it..

Opening Day....

I've been so excited all day long!! Completely distracted and barely able to focus... I woke up with a flutter... IS it Christmas? Is it a National Holiday? No!! It's better than all of that!! It's opening day!! The one day a year where all teams are in first place :) It's a new year... A new season.. A time when anything can happen and anything usually does...
I'm currently at home with my Dad & my Grandma... Three generations of irrational Dodger fans watching the game... We're in the bottom of the 7th in the middle of an epic pitching duel. I wouldn't expect anything less from Clayton Kershaw, our young ace and Tim Lincecum... The freak with the hair...
Some defensive mishaps have caused my heart to race & listening to the announcers talk about the drama of our ownership & the Dodgers being in financial straights is giving me anxiety... How can the Los Angeles Dodgers be in financial arrears? How is that even possible with one of the most lucrative clubs in all of baseball? Greed!!! It's time for Frank McCourt to do the right thing and sell this team. Ownership issues trickle down to the clubhouse & while we may tell ourselves different, we know it's true...
The sun is setting over Chavez Ravine & I wish I was there.... Going into the top of the 8th.. Kershaw is done leaving a 1 run lead for Kuo...
Can we do it???
Not throwing 4 straight balls like Kuo just did... Late inning walks will kill ya every time.
In the bottom of the 8th Kemp draws a walk, getting on base for the 4th time.. Steals second like the Matt Kemp I know & love... Big James hits a double & now we've got a little bit more insurance against the dreaded Giants...
Big JB comes in to try & shut the lights out here... Nice play by Loney for out number 1...
96 pitches... 9 strikeouts & 1 walk for young Kersh.... The young ace gets the win!!
Ball Game!!!!
I'll take it!!!Man alive!!! What a nail biter this one was!!! This is what baseball is all about.. Rapid heart rates, good base running solid hits...
Opening Day... Way to open the season... On a win... Against the Giants...
I know that we're not going 162-0, but work out some of these kinks & we've got ourselves a season!!!

I can't imagine anything sweeter :)

Getting Closer...

As opening day draws near... I can't help but be excited. Right now my Dodgers look like a ragtag bunch of misfits... and oddly, I'm okay with that. Starting the season with a bench clearing brawl (Thank you San Diego... Stay Classy), some injuries and much to my chagrin, no Jeff Weaver.
There's folks who hate Jeff Weaver as much as I love him, but I can't help it. The guy is all heart, he's got the soul of a gamer and gnarly attitude and I flip out every time I see him step on the bump.
I'm an emotional and often times irrational Dodger fan. I don't think about the business side of the game, I'm heartbroken when my favorite guys leave Blue Heaven for greener pastures.. Eric Karros, Paul LoDuca (dumbest trade ever) and Shawn Green. I have no interest in the business side of things and while I'm happy about free agency because it gave players the control of their careers, what started as a good intention has turned into a travesty.
These guys get to play baseball for a living!! I can't imagine anything better!!
Gimem a day dreamer in right who comes through in the clutch and hits the long ball...
Gimme a middle reliever with a snarl on his face and a frik ton of movement on his pitches...
Gimme a closer with ice water in his veins...
It's time... We're ready....
Let's go Dodger Blue!!!!

Big League Weekend

Every Spring in Las Vegas, we have Big League Weekend, when a few big league ball clubs invade our fair city and play a split squad Spring Training game. It's a fun chance to see major league ball players for a few innings as well as getting a gander at the future :) Last year, my Dodgers got smoked by the Reds... I think Joey Vatto hit a grand slam or something crazy & it was an awful windy & cold night.
This year's was a much better experience,! I didn't get to see my two favorite guys, Dre was in AZ battling against the White Sox & Casey Blake was hurt, but it was a fun day nonetheless.. Any day at ANY ball park is a great day. Except that we lost.
We lost to the Cubs in 10 innings. I watched Matt Kemp strike out with the bases loaded and got hammed up at 2nd base... Maybe my fears about bad baserunning are legit...
I know Spring Training is NOT ABOUT WINNING... I know that in my head, but in my baseball beating heart.. it's a different story altogether..
Dee Gordon was looking good at short and Raffy was dirty by the second inning, which is just the way that I want him to be...
Big James Loney looks great as first & I think we saw just about every pitching prospect that we have in the Dodgers organization... All in all it was a gorgeous day, and got me even more pumped for the regular season.
Baseball is baseball, I love it any time & any where... But Big League Weekend.. it ain't nothin like the real thing!

Back To Basics..

I started writing this blog because I love baseball... And over the last few months I've gotten away from that.. well,.. Well because there hasn't been baseball to write about.. I've been super focused on football and boys and haven't paid much attention in the off season to the one sport that I hold most dear to my heart.. Baseball..
I have a running bet with a friend of mine that if the Dodgers are over .500 at the All Star Break, he'll take me to lunch/dinner.. The same rule applies if my boys have a winning season. I have nothing but faith that I'll have two tasty meals in my belly courtesy of said friend :)
Spring training is well underway and my beloved boys in blue sit at .500. With two wins coming VIA Clayton Kershaw & John Ely.. Both kids.. all heart. Nothing makes me happier than this time of year & for some reason that I have yet to put my finger on, I'm more pumped about this season than I have been in seasons past...
Maybe it's because I feel something different.. A new skipper.. Donnie Baseball seems to have a great rapport with the team. Matt Kemp and Rhi Rhi broke up, so I'm hoping that he remembers how to run bases this year & Dre is all shined up completely healed from his freak finger injury that ailed him last season... Hopefully, their terrible owners will do what's right & sell the team.. Mark Cuban anyone? But more than that, I hope my guys can leave all that crap in the front office where it belongs.
Before the first pitch is thrown the umpire shouts Play Ball.. Not Work Ball.. So let's go!!! Sit in the sunshine, enjoy a Dodger Dog.. Spit seeds and delight in the wonderful drama that is baseball..
Go Dodgers!!!!

The Trifecta...

Today is a special day. Not because of flowers and candy and kisses.. Happy Valentines Day to all my married and hugged up friends.. Happy Single Awareness Day to those that aren't :) Today is a special day.. Pitchers and Catchers report to Spring Training today, which for me is better than Christmas.. It means that soon, I'll hear the crack of a bat and I'll be basking in the sunshine of Blue Heaven on Earth.. AKA Dodger Stadium..
Today is a special day for me.. Today marks my 6th anniversary of being set free from the bondage of drugs and alcohol. I'll never forget the anxiety and fear that I felt when I walked into that hospital. I'll never forget how alone I felt and how overwhelming life seemed. I'll never forget the overwhelming feeling of how badly I had burned down my life.
I am a blessed woman. I have a host of family and friends who supported me through my darkest time, but the day came that enough was enough and I was given a choice, get help, or get gone. I chose to get help & it was the scariest, hardest & most painful choice I have ever made in my life.
Don't get it twisted, I love being sober but giving up my best friends, meth and vodka, was too big a task to handle. I had reached a point of no return.. I couldn't imagine life with or without these things...
So here I am.. six years later. Blessed beyond belief, I've been given a life that I absolutely 100 percent do not deserve. The road has not been easy. It's painful and it's hard a d it's glorious and it's rewarding and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I love my life.. It's not beyond my wildest dreams.. my wild dreams involve Costa Rica & a baseball player :)
I have a life that I didn't know I wanted. I get to be a daughter, a friend, a mentor, a mentee, an employee.. A productive member of society who pays her bills on time.. who pays her bills! And while these things may not seem like a big deal to the average bear, they're a big deal to me.
I can never repay the gift I have been given, nor are there enough words to express the gratitude I have for my family & my friends. All the glory goes to God for giving me a new path. I have been able to live two lives in one lifetime...
I'll end with this, it's not mine.. but it's on point.

"Justice is getting what we deserve... Mercy is NOT getting what we deserve.. Grace is getting a lot of things that we don't deserve"..

God and His infinite grace....

Beware of Girls Chasing Boys!!!

I had an epiphany last night.. something hit me like a ton of bricks & while I'm not that thrilled to discover this information about myself, it's real and it's valid and it needs to be dealt with.
I want romance! I want flowers at work! I want sweet text messages in the morning.. I want to be chased and it dawned on me last night that I never have been. I've never ever in umpteen years of dating, allowed myself to be courted, romanced, pursued.. chased.. And that's all I want!
The problem lies with me.. According to a dear friend, I'm one of the last "dope bitches" on the planet.. but I never give any man the chance to see that because I'm too busy chasing his ass!
Ughh!! Annoying right?! Don't let the tattoos fool you.. I'm an old-fashioned woman. I want the door opened for me, I want my cigarette lit & if we're walking down the street, I expect you to walk on the street side.. Protecting me from any cars that might jump the curb :) (lots of guys don't know that trick.. you're welcome).
I've never been pursued.. I've just seen something I wanted and went for it, thereby emasculating the man I'm interested in and becoming part of the problem that i consistently bitch about.. DUH!
This is my third year of being single in Sin City... I have an amazing life. I'm grateful for my career, my sobriety, my friends, my family & my relationship with God (not at all in that order)but there's a part of my wheel that's missing and when nothing is going my way.. I gotta take a look inside..
So.. If you find yourself being chased by me, kick me in the shin & remind me that I'm not chasing anymore..
After all, I'm a dope bitch.. and dope bitches don't NEED to chase!