Then the top of the 10th and I "watched" the Padres go ahead by one. Silent screams of agony at LA's wasted comeback.

Then Nomar rocks the baseball world and I could contain myself no longer. I wake my wife and she smiles politely before going back to sleep. The next day I check Dodger Thoughts and relive the magic.

I had the same experience "watching" Steve Finley's walkoff, division-clinching Grand Slam against the Giants in 2004 on ESPN's ticker. What a frustrating way to keep up with a game. Nobody was home to babble to, so I called my brother in law. He wasn't home, but my sister agreed to listen to me go on and on.

Again, the Dodgers were tied with the Padres for first place going into the game and before the seats got warm, they were quickly behind. But they clawed back and tied the game (for the first time that evening after trailing by 4 runs).

The bottom of 6th saw the frustration of loading the bases and then not scoring.

The reliable Broxton and Saito both had rough outings that saw the Padres take that 4 run lead.

But, despite all that, the large crowd (the Dodgers had set an all-time attendance record for a 4 game series that weekend) was buzzing and there was a sense that something could happen.

Finally, you know you love DT when despite being caught up in all the excitement at the Stadium, you think to yourself, "I wonder what is going on Dodgerthoughts right now?"

We were at the game the Saturday prior when Billingsley came back and got absolutely shelled and we were down something like 8-1 in the 4th. That was the first game I left early all year and I guess it was contageous going into the regular week.

Q: Why does the Los Angeles Times print so many more stories about the Dodgers? I hate the Dodgers. I'd prefer that The Times only write about the Angels.

Rob Simpson

A: Haven't discussed this with my sports editor, Rob, but my guess is that since the Dodgers draw more than 3 million fans annually, garner solid television ratings, have won five World Series titles in Los Angeles, have one of the game's greatest broadcasters in Vin Scully and are located in the heart of the paper's circulation area, which happens to be the second-largest market in the U.S., we might want to drop a few paragraphs about them into The Times every now and then.

(Oh...and hello Tom, I loved your piece last year on playing for the Bluejays..)

LOL, LOL, LOL.

That's because the average fans want to read a newspaper that covers an event and has writers who reflect a viewpoint that is 99.5% in accord with theirs.

9. I'm pretty sure it was "gleeful sarcasm", as I am pretty much all about sarcasm. The gleeful part, I had to think about for a few seconds, but overall I am pretty gleeful about the description. It's just too bad he didn't quote one of my anti-tv/movie talk posts. Those are true classics! :)
vr, Xei

And now the internet gives us all a place to make fun of them.

Congrats to Tom Verducci for getting his article linked. It would have meant even more if the article wasn't pay-per-view so that I could read it. Maybe one day I'll run across the magazine in a doctor's office and get a chance to read it, but I don't get sick much.

Well, you're cursed now. I hope your affairs are in order.

It's great stuff. I still remember watching the game sorta-live the next morning on the mlb.tv archive.

I'll probably see it bc I'm a sucker for inspirational sports movies.

"Wildcats" was one of my favorite movies growing up, and its no classic by any means.

I believe

I thought we'd get a NVR during movie talk, but Xeifrank is always respectful, even when he wants to ductape our keyboards.

I'd never seen that before. I should try that. Maybe VTR (very truly yours) or RY (respectfully yours).

VTR, MB

Yours in peace. ;)

It's got the advantage of being pronounceable.

I always thought "vr" stood for "VORP Rules!"

...and now you guys know I am not the only PSUer who hangs out here at Jon's house ;)

DUH, MB

Oh. And here I thought it was Talk Like Scooby Doo day!

http://tinyurl.com/yje3n8

Not only was XeiFrank's entire entry quoted but many others. It does capture what was going on in the blogosphere.

I'm hoping Verducci meant "childlike"

http://dodgerthoughts.baseballtoaster.com/archives/393628.html

Start at 115 and go to 136. Beware of extraneous, though not profane, Beowulf references.

It was true!

Three hundred preselected families received a complimentary holiday ham donated by Farmer John and fixings provided by Ralphs and Food4Less.

Who likes ketchup on waffles?

But I'm pretty sure any waffles discussion would violate Rule #4.

When you have to coddle the monsters in medieval literature, the terrorists have won.

http://pvspade.com/Sartre/cookbook.html

On the list of lazy pre-Christmas time videos to whittle away the remaining office hours with, this one might be the most cringe-inducing. It's part 1 of a half-hour "musical adventure" -- here's Part Two and Part Three -- involving the 1987 Mets, some extremely annoying children and a "nerd" who illustrates that the "Moneyball" debate has been going on for an awfully long time. Your actors are Gary Carter, Roger McDowell and Mookie Wilson.

Think Rockie Horror meets the Super Bowl Shuffle. It is nausea-inducing. Enjoy.

http://www.deadspin.com/

(scroll down a story or two)

Because the former Miss Shibata is significantly older than Matsuzaka (she's 31, he's 26), she was viciously criticized in the Japanese media for "seducing" Matsuzaka when the couple began their liason in 2000 when he was only 19 years old. Because of the difference in their ages, they began dating in secret, and a huge scandal errupted when it came out that Matsuzaka's car had been towed for being illegally parked overnight in front of Shibata's house (it was such a big scandal that the Seibu Lions even suspended Matsuzaka for a few games).

Wow. Suspended by the team for sleeping over at your girlfriend's house? What would the Japanese do with Lindsay Lohan? Or Demi and Ashton?

(BTW: Did I mention that I get a fee for every person I link to Deadspin?)

No, but I think that violates rule 11.

By which I mean, I threw up in my mouth a little.

But can we have an unofficial ban on the throwing up in your mouth line? It's just turning me off in a big way.

http://tinyurl.com/y6ttle

What's wrong with me that I still think of #11 as Pat Haden and #12 as Joe Namath or Terry Bradshaw?

#11 Thou shall not post while drunk -- and brag about the experience?

Right

vr, MB

I love A Confederacy of Dunces, whereas my wife gets two paragraphs in -- the description of Igantius Reilly's clothes and his views on the ways others dress -- and quits every time. I can't figure it out.

And Meche, of course.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6290182

VR,
Sushi

...does McDowell get to wear #42 again now that he is coaching for the Braves?

I think Spinal Tap is just fundamentally a male thing. Though it is certainly sublime! I recently addressed the sublimity in a recent eBay posting (I'm selling a copy of the Criterion laserdisc):

http://tinyurl.com/tqyvd

I feel honored to share the same message forum as Xei.

vr, DL

I'm so proud. It's like seeing my kid graduate from high school. Or hitting 11 on the amplifier.

vr, MB

Haha! The 80s were horrible confusing, to be sure! Try growing up during such a time -- my goodness! "Tears For Fears" "Phil Collins" The mind boggles.

But "Spinal Tap" is still such a rocking-cool good time that holds up just fine nowadays in the Age of Irony.

Leg warmers