The towels worked on TV, especially given the image of complacent Dodger fans.

Is it Thursday yet? The downtime is killing me.

I'm fine with the towels, but they should've been blue, not white! Isn't waving a white towel sort of a self-defeating gesture at a sports event?

Next up: a blue-out, where the Dodgers try to get everyone to show up to the game wearing blue.

Everything Painted Blue.

Oh please! This is a postseason baseball game. Its not like they passed them out at Dorthy Chandler and we all stood up in the second act of La Boheme and waved them. BTW, what makes us think we are better than any other city/sportsfan. We are not supposed to be above this we are supposed to embrace this.

Who's complaining about rally towels really?Ridiculous...

If the Angels comeback to win the series I would expect that Friday game to be moved back to like 4 PM with a 720ish start time for the Angel game. Is that realistic thinking?

7 I was also thinking it would change if Boston was not in it.

Jon, factor in the Jewish holiday Wednesday late afternoon and Thursday, and this is really a short week.

Does anyone know why the schedule has us skipping Tuesday of next week back here in Los Angeles?

worst Yankee nightmare...Red Sox vs Torre and the Dodgers

BP's postseason series odds:

Phillies 46.2%
Dodgers 53.8%

Dodgers are at 21.6% to win the whole smack, still behind the two AL East teams.

10 They put in extra days in between games in case of rainouts.

13

gotcha, thanks

7 No, after the Divisional Series, the latest they will start a game is 8-8:30 p.m. Eastern time.

Given that Dodger fans get hammered for their supposed apathy, I thought the towels were an awesome touch. Like someone else said, they looked great on TV.

I would have liked blue towels, but I believe white towels are cheaper.

The rally towels were great fun, not that the game wasn't exciting enough. I was extremely relieved that they didn't give us noisemaker sticks. I had brought our old rally towel in my bag because of the threatening rain (to dry off our seats).

Added bonus: they make great gym towels when you get home.

I'm already "working from home" next Monday, so it will be difficult to leave Friday at 1pm. I'm toying with the idea of going dark, Jack Bauer style, and attempt to watch the game once I get home.

Then again, I might just leave early anyway. Decisions, decisions!

Jon, are you a Steelers fan?

11. Boston nightmare: Dodgers v. Sox and Manny kills them and Bay sucks. The Fox/ESPN execs would wet themselves at the prospect of a Manny v. RS Nation smackdown. I am guessing Theo & Co. doesn't want any part of the Dodgers. Too risky.

20
We could have a "Sweet Caroline" karaoke contest!

19
I think Jon was a Rams fan back in the day, but is agnostic regarding the NFL now.

Nomar and DeWitt sitting vs. Moyer and Cole?

23
You mean Loney sitting against the LHP? I don't think Torre will bench James "2 GWRBI" Loney in Game 1, but might in Game 3.

I can see Kent talking his way into the lineup for Game 1, but I can also see Torre not wanting to disrupt his undefeated playoff lineup.

24 Really? I'm pretty sure Loney won't be starting games 1 and 3. His LHP splits are just too severe to ignore (.249/.303/.361) and Nomar's are too hard to ignore (.339/.424/.643). I can see Joe not starting Jeff with the simple excuse that this soon after his knee surgery he doesn't have enough lateral movement.

I lost my towel within 10 minutes of getting it.

3
Right, if we have towels lets at least make them blue. Even the Clippers make the effort to make theirs red.

Put me down as someone who doesn't feel the rally towels are beneath us but someone who feels they take away energy instead of delivering it. With everyone waving towels, no one is clapping and I've always felt the clapping and yelling is what makes the best crowd noise. The crowd was very active but I've been to louder games and I blame the rally towels for sedating the noise.

Like doing The Wave, the problem comes when fans wave the rally towels while their own team is pitching. It has the potential to distract the pitcher and infielders, just like that goofy old guy sitting behind home plate who insisted on waving to the camera as he yammered on his cell phone to his adoring fan base.

I have an ancient Dodger rally towel still attached to my golf bag. They make great golf towels, as well.

For those at the game, was the "Fernando" tribute awesome or what? I still don't understand the age gate question with Fernando. He looked every bit the boy of 20 when he arrived.

30
The Fernando tribute was outstanding! I also really enjoyed the "great moments" montage (not just due to the Steve Perry factor) and the Lasorda piece as well, although his tumble as all-star 3B coach should have been included too. :)

I think it would be cool if Mike Piazza threw out the first pitch at one of the upcoming playoff games.

It looked like the crowd enjoyed their rally towels. I would not want to be in the stands with them swirling around my head. It is more fun to be at games when the crowd is really into the game and just the same, I also enjoy a laid back crowd relaxing through a game. I prefer our west cost beach balls over rally towels. Can't the Dodgers just give away water balloons?

I'm back! Saw the first 6 innings of Saturday night's finale before the 10:00 show at the Mirage in Vegas! I watchd it in the sports book bar at the Mirage with all the TV's and the rabid college football fans with their eyes on the pigskin games. I glanced at those but watched Kiroda and the Dodgers take a 3-0 lead through six innings. When the "Love" show ended, I checked the cell and texted mlb and saw the Dodgers held on to win! An added bonus to my 22nd wedding anniversary.
The one bad thing for LCS so far is that game #2 - day game on Friday. No vacation/sick time at work stored up. I'll have to get updates in the afternoon on Gameday, I guess. I have tickets for Sunday! Congratulations to the Dodgers for their first postseries win in 20 years.
We need a split in Philly to feel good about coming home for Game 3. Phillies pose some different matchup problems for us and this series will be a more difficult test as the Phillies do not have the weight of all those expectations the Cubs did. Also, the bandbox of a park plays to their advantage and the Dodgers will have to play and pitch and hit better than they did in late August if they are going to capture a game in Philly.

I shoved my towel in my jacket. I'll keep it in my car in case I need to wipe stuff off of my windshield.

33
I prefer our west cost beach balls over rally towels

I'm angrily shaking my fist in your direction now. :)

I think this series is a great chance to finally payback the Phillies for this game:

http://tinyurl.com/2wsvzb

At True Blue we have 28 entries in our post season contest and in a very Southern California bias 12 entries picked the Dodgers to win the World Series but no one picked the Dodgers to sweep the Cubs. Andrew Shimmin had big enough balls to predict a Cubs sweep.

No one picked the Phillies to win the World Series.

36 - Okay, in that case let me change that to I prefer the west coast wave over rally towels. But, what about my water balloon idea?

36
Aren't the Phillies still wanting payback from 77/78?

I just want to give a quick THANKS! to the poster who recommended the sports bar in Portland owned by a former Dodger minor leaguer. Finding a place to watch the game was a frustrating experience, as nearly every public TV in the city was tuned to the SC-Oregon game. We finally decided to make the trek out to Tom's Pizza, and when we walked in the Dodger game was on most TVs (even the sound was on the ballgame!), the bartender was decked out in Dodger gear, and just about everyone there was a Cub or Dodger fan. It was a fantastic experience. Thanks again.

As for the game and my subsequent emotional reaction, let's just say that if LA is lucky enough to win the World Series this year, I am going to be an absolute wreck. Just winning a playoff series pushed me to the point of tears. Go Blue!

32 Just think of the burn T.J. Simers could come up with.

19 - The Steelers were my second-favorite team in the 70s. They were electrifying.

12 , say that again? The Tampa Bay Playoff Rays have better odds of winning the World Series than either National League team??

43
Could be that AL has home field advantage. Would be interesting to see the odds if NL had home field advantage.

39 Nah. They got that in '83.

When I think of the Phillies, I think of the following:

1) Mike Schmidt
2) Greg Luzinski playing LF ten feet from the foul line, and facing the foul line
3) Don Carman tripping while running the bases and face planting into 3B
4) The Phillie Phanatic crashing his ATC and taking a header over the front
5) The blown 11-1 game, in the days when CNN Headline Sports at :20 and :50 of each hour provided updates
6) The Pete Rose catch in foul territory off of Bob Boone's glove, followed by Rose bouncing the ball off the turf like a basketball

44 - Seems strange that homefield advantage (or whatever it is justifying those odds) would trump the fact the Rays haven't yet advanced past the first round yet. I can't imagine why LA (or the Phils) wouldn't be more favored that any team still currently playing in the first round.

No one picked the Phillies to win the World Series.

I was the only one to pick them to make it to the WS.

Maybe it's just because I'm the right age for these to be my memories but to me, Philadelphia is always the stop before the World Series. Or it always was when I was a kid. I guess we've only been to the WS once since I was a kid. I can name every player from the late 70's Phils and probably can't for any other non Dodger team. There has to be a reason for that.

30 - My brother and I both felt there was some new blood behind all the great video tributes Saturday.

50
The Squeeze® was included in the highlight montage, no? I could have sworn I saw it for a split second.

Somewhere, in a closet, I have the rosin bag from the final game of what I now know was the 1977 NLCS. Back in the old days, you could run on the field after a game like that and they wouldn't beat you up. I knew Sutton pitched the game but couldn't remember if it was '77 or '78. The internet is why the present is cool. Being able to run on the field at 10 years old and getting the rosin bag from a clinching game is why the past was cool.

The Squeeze was in the montage. Although I do wonder if Tommy really knows what day it is.

51 - Yep, it was there.

Weren't those tributes the same ones they showed a every night during at least the final homestand? I don't pay as much attention to the board for fear of seeing that Simpsons commercial or a race of colored balls.

To prove that it is in fact the Dodgers' turn for payback, the timeline is as follows:

1950: Dodgers head into final day 1 game behind the Whiz Kid Phillies, but lost to Robin Roberts

1977: Payback for 1950

1978: Extra payback for 1950

1983: Phillies' payback for 1978

1991: Phillies have the nerve to come back when the Dodgers have an 11-1 lead in the 8th

2008: Dodgers turn

55 - No, there was some new stuff I'm almost sure.

0

Myron Cope... oh how I'll miss him!

Wow, Jon likes the Steelers too? This is pretty cool. I'm a big Steelers fan myself, and I always said if the Rams came back here, they'd be my second team.

One thing I didn't learn until just a year ago: the Steelers had terrible towels way back in the 70's. I didn't find out until I saw a replay of Super Bowl XIII and Curt Gowdy mentioned them.

---

Something SOSG mentioned and I noticed it too: Did you guys know the Dodgers didn't flash the "make some noise" sign even once? Not a one. The crowd brought it big time on Saturday night, and I couldn't be more proud of them!

We also didn't have a single wave during the game.

50
I agree, maybe the guy they brought from Boston to help market the club. For once they were classy. I've always wondered how you can't match up a Fernando montage with that cheezy Fernando song. The best part however was Fernando really responding to the crowd. In the past he would just give a little wave, this time he seemed moved but maybe I'm projecting my own emotion.

40 My pleasure. I'm glad you made it out to Tom's. Every time I make it back up to Portland, my buddies and I plan at least one Tom's night of pizza, beer, and sports.

58 Agreed. BUT... Baron Davis did attempt to start one which I thought was pretty funny. He got his section going but that was it. The crowed eschewed even a Baron Davis generated wave. Awesome.

I know Sandy Koufax mostly sticks to the private life these days, but how cool would it be to see him toss out the first pitch in the next week or two?

I think it would be cool to have The Infield™ all throw out first pitches simultaneously, especially since they were such a big part of the 77/78 teams that beat the Phillies. However, Davey Lopes is the first base coach for Philly so that might be tough. :)

Joe Carter and Mitch Williams is my most etched Phillie moment. I was a big BlueJay fan at the time.

62
Just a little little.

Davey looked good. I think he and my Dad were diagnosed around the same time. I don't know what treatment Davey choose but my Dad used the radioactive seeds and they worked. Only problem now is that his plumbing is out of kilter and he won't be making any plans outside of the house that take more then two hours.

60 - Yeah thanks again. I guess "Tom" wasn't there, but I met his mom. I tried to explain how we ended up there (see there's this website for Dodger fans on this internet thingy, and this guy that I don't know told me about this place and about Tom, and so here we are!) but I think it kinda went over her head. Nice people though.

63
Did you see the Phillies had Mitch Williams throw out the first pitch at one of their home games? That was shocking to me.

My cousin suggested Joe Carter should have been standing in the batters' box.

66 , he's been doing postgame and ripping into every Phillies pitcher not named Lidge for the entire season now. After a couple of years owning the Chickie & Pete's where MollyKnight wants to meet everybody. Mitch Williams = class act.

And I owe my own special thanks to the Dodgers, because in retrospect 8/25/95 was probably the day I fully recovered from that 2-2 pitch to Carter...

The video tributes in general, and the Fernando tribute in specific, were outstanding. I kinda wish they'd set the Fernando tribute to the Baseball Project song about him ("Fernando, Fernando / We need you now") but it's hard to argue with ABBA.

Also, I loved the new photography on the screen when the players came to bat. No more Media Guide headshots -- instead, action shots and highlights from the season. It was sharp.

Also, +1 on the confusion about why anyone would hate the rally towels. I waved my towel and had fun doing it while the bride cheered. Then I passed the towel to Bride of Kavula and she waved it while I cheered.

65 Awesome, really glad you guys had a good time. If you're ever down there during the regular season and need a place to catch the game, they have the MLB package and will show every Dodger game.

Was it just me watching, or did it look like only about half of the people had towels? That's what got me.

I think everybody got a towel when they came in, but I'm sure Cubs fans didn't take one. And then there were people like me who just didn't wave them because they are no fun.

I didn't wave my towel - I held it like John Wooden held his program. Like ToyCannon, I prefer clapping. But I did enjoy the sight of it all.

This is an interesting, if possibly rather meaningless, stat from Inside Edge (via ESPN):

SLG vs. non-fastballs (2008 postseason)
Team SLG
Dodgers .529
Rays .472
Red Sox .452
Phillies .442
White Sox .344
Angels .324
Cubs .214
Brewers .211

72 If I'd been there on towel night, I would've put it in my mouth all night, Jerry Tarkanian style.

55

I'm pretty sure all the tributes were new. I was at a few games in the last homestand and they were showing the same homerun highlight reels from the rest of the year I think. I agree with everyone that the new tributes were great. And the rally towels as well. I was sitting deep in the reserve section out in left field and even from that far away there was a constant roar- people shouting as loud as they could the whole game. It was amazing. There were quite a few Cubs fans in attendance but Dodger fans really did there part to make it feel like an electrice home game.

I'm heading to NYC on Wednesday and will be on a train to Philly thursday. Let's hope it's a safe and triumphant game for the DTers who make it there. Can't wait to see some of you at Chickie and Petes.

I didn't wave my towel, but mostly because I'm an uncoordinated dork that would inevitably hit the Bob Timmermanns of the world when waving the towel.

I'm more of a clap guy, so much so that my hands hurt after a game sometimes. It's a good feeling.

One note from the loge:

Generally speaking, the crowd near my seats can be tough on people rooting for the opposite side. They reserve their worst judgement for fans of NL West opponent fans, of course, but really, all other teams are in for at least the "_______ Suck" chant.

And don't get me wrong -- there was plenty of "Cubbies Suck" going on (which I found a little odd -- isn't "Cubbies" the terms of endearment reserved for fans of that team?) as well as some scattered booing of folks in Cubs paraphernalia. It happened...

...but generally, the crowd was very well-behaved -- the best I've seen in a while. I'm sure this was entirely due to the fact that the team was in the playoffs with a 2-0 lead in the series and had the lead for the entire game... but still, Dodgers and Cubs fans should be friends, and on Saturday night, we were.

From my experience, there are far fewer displaced Phillies fans than there are displaced Cubs fans, so the crowd should be a bit louder.

Except that the tickets cost more.

77 - The Dodger fan in front of me was no peach when it came to the Cub fans, unfortunately.

The only complaint I have is that they are showing the playoff stats instead of the season stats. For us that is no big deal but for the number of casual fans who go to playoff games they don't grasp that someone is hitting 0.00.

I watched the video of future Dodger Stadium a few times now and I have no clue what they are doing other then the fact it looks pretty on paper.

I for one can't wait for all the "Ph" for "F" substitutions made in headlines regarding the NLCS.

80
I still don't know how feasible that whole CF entrance is going to be. There still needs to be a batters eye, and in all the drawings thus far it doesn't look like they've accounted for that.

79 That's unfortunate. And I don't want to overstate -- there was certainly some ribbing going on. But it seemed good-natured.

My hat is especially off to the guy two rows in front of me, who showed the right way to rub it in: gently, gently, gently, and always with a hey-we're-all-friends smile. I'm not sure I could pull that off without coming off the wrong way, so I don't rub it in at all, but this guy really did it well.

79 I put my towel in my bag and it stayed there for the whole night.

Part of my non-waving demeanor is because I am keeping score so I don't really have a free hand to wave the towel without upsetting all my stuff.

But like most, I appreciated everyone doing it from the beginning of the game.

An aside, when Kuroda had two strikes on Lee or Ramirez in the first, many of the people in my section stood up and waved their towels, I could hear behind me, someone saying, you're standing already, its only the 1st inning.

By the 9th inning everyone was standing.

I hoped the "Overrated" chant would take hold instead of the "Cubs Suck" chant. The "1908" chant was also funny.

On the way out of the stadium a large Cub fan and his young son were headed to the parking lot. I heard his son ask why they had stayed to watch the Dodgers celebrate. He replied that you don't often get to see a team celebrate a win at home so even if they were the Dodgers it should be enjoyed.

My wife was impressed and apologized to him for our team winning.

So are we supposed to chant "1980" on Sunday?

77 The drunken idiots were still there, ruining the reputation of Dodger fans:

http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2008/10/5/628527/i-was-at-the-game-tonight

85
That's a pretty cool story.

I went to the 2005 ALCS clincher in Anaheim, but since my brother was driving I missed almost all of the White Sox celebration. I wanted to stay; I mean, how often do you get to see a team clinch a pennant in person?

86
Makes it easier for the 4 guys that painted their stomachs.

86 "WORST team EVer!" Clap, clap, clap-clap-clap?

80 - That was the weirdest of the videos. The music and look were straight out of a Dunder-Mifflin corporate video or "Eye on Springfield." Michael Scott would have done a better job.

87
Not that I'm an expert in crowd control but I'm amazed at the lack of preemptive crowd control at DS. If the ushers had wireless sets hooked into the real security they could easily identify potential trouble spots and have them warned very early on. From a fans perspective it is easy to see where the trouble is going to come from. I saw several Cub fans ejected but I'm sure it was because they finally retaliated against constant hazing.

80
Thanks, I thought I was just not getting it.

I can't decide which moniker I like better for a situation in which just about every pitcher is available:

All Hands on Deck, or Johnny Wholestaff

I feel like an idiot, but I can't find this video of future Dodger Stadium, any help?

Brock was more twirling his towel than waving it.

There was a Cub fan sitting next to the Cub fan I brought with me. The foreign Cub fan was your classic Chicago fan. Gave no credit to the Dodgers. Thought the Dodgers bull pen was lousy. I stopped talking to him. The only saving grace he had was that he was scoring.

96 I will say that the Cubs fan I was near refused to believe that The Bull was actually throwing 100mph.

96
It is more fun beating those kind of fans. The bitterness of losing to an inferior team will fester with him all winter. If he just admitted that the Cubs lost to a superior team he would sleep better this winter.

95
I think they were referring to the video shown at the stadium Saturday. There is more information here, including a video with drawings but I don't think it's the same one shown two nights ago.

http://tinyurl.com/4s55sj

My Cub fan friend actually believes in the curse.

99 Thanks!

87

That makes me sad.

87

I find that really upsetting. I have to say, I was embarassed many times this season with the way certain Dodger fans treated visiting club's fans. Some friendly chiding is of course acceptable, and if the fans taunt the crowd I think they probably deserve what they get, but too often I see quiet respectful visitors to our park get things thrown at them and overly agressive fans yelling in their face. It's so embarassing.

At least with the Cubs, as opposed to the Red Sox or White Sox, the "curse" involves black magic juju. It actually was, y'know, a curse.

I don't believe that curses are real or have the power to make teams lose games. But it is still a fact that the Cubs were cursed. There was a guy, and he cursed the Cubs. (To no effect.)

You could argue the curse is having a placebo effect

6 *Who's complaining about rally towels really? Ridiculous..."

Everyone, til Jon made you feel like crap about it.

80, 82 Do either of you have a link to that video?

107
Closest thing is the link in 99

I hate to admit this, but I am more nervous about this series than I was against the Cubs. I was cautiously optimistic about the last series but this series has me fearing those LH sticks vs. our RH arms.

102/103. That was one fans experience. One blogging unhappy frustrated Cubs fan. I'm not saying it doesn't happen but in a ballpark of 56,000 exuberant fans, someone will get their feelings hurt and blog about it. I don't think it was representative of the atmosphere. There were a lot more Cubs fans that I expected there and I didn't see much ugliness.

This is the series where we will miss Kuo and his shutdown ability on LHH. On the other hand I think we will score plenty of runs and the Phillies will be afraid to use Hamels three times in this series.

As Loney came up with some big hits in the 1st series it might be Kent or Nomar doing the damage against Hamels/Moyer.

It turns out at least one person was following Thursday's Dodger/Cubs game who really shouldn't have been:

http://tinyurl.com/4cjlo9

111 Are we certain Kuo will be out for this one as well? I thought there was some hope he might be ready...

87/etc. - I have a BleedCubbie log in but don't really feel like posting there, but I'm sorta tempted to do so. Does anyone else have a FanNation log in who was at the game, feel like posting something there?

Bob Timmermann will like my new temporary Facebook profile picture.

The Phillies are an excellent team. The depth of their lineup makes it tough for pitchers to get a breather after the middle of their order bats. If we have any advantage, it's that after Hamels throws, our starters match up favorably with theirs.

I see this series coming down to the bullpens. We are obviously going to have to put up runs to stay with them, but I see at least a few games going into the later innings still undecided (something that really didn't happen with Chicago until game 3).

To stay consistent, I feel the Phillies deserve to be favored. One Weismanesque thought to end on, however: With a longer series, we should expect several momentum-changing moments. Last series it was Loney's slam and everything afterwards. This time around, it will likely more be complex.

If any fellow DTers want to go to Monday's game (Game 4), I have two extra tickets (top deck, section 4, row O). You will get the privilege of (or have to endure) sitting with Jacob Burch & I as we discuss the 2000 NBA Finals.

Tickets are $58.50 each (including all fees). If you are interested, please email me at eric d stephen (all together) at gmail.com.

111 I totally agree, Kuo is a huge loss in this series. Do you want Kent and Nomar starting over Loney and Dewitt right now? I think our line-up (defense not withstanding) is gelling perfectly and I'd hate to see that compromised unless neccessary. I can see Kent's no-range defense costing us more than his stick will help.

111 - Haven't heard how his bullpen session went on Sunday, but if there's anything encouraging from it, I suspect Kuo will be on the roster, even if he can't pitch in the first couple of games.

110

That is a good point, and I am sure that some Cubbie fans would be the same.

118 I agree. What's the downside? No Ozuna?

116 I sent you an e mail, Eric.

Wow. I <3 those start times. Thursday I get off class @ 4:00. Friday I get off at 11:00 and am busy after 6:00. And any time Sunday after noon (church) works.

120 More like no McDonald. Which isn't a downside either. He isn't going to be used much.

It's Monday, and the adrenaline from Sat. night has finally left my body, to be replaced with anticipatory anxiety once again.

What a game. My voice was hoarse, and when the last 98mph fast ball whipped by, I turned to my boyfriend in disbelief.

"We won...? We actually - WE WON!!!! WE WON!!!"

I was in field level seats, thanks to njr, and stayed until the bitter end, shrieking, yelling, jumping, high-fiving.

Martin and Kemp reappearing, and leaping into the stands to spray champagne was a post-game highlight, as was this little voice suddenly, somewhat quietly in the middle of the hub-bub stating over the speaker system,"My name is Hiroki Kuroda. Thank you very much."

Just a great, great game. And btw, I had two towels waving and an old foam finger pointing throughout, mustering whatever mo-jo/ju-ju I could, along with giving foamy claps and rebel yells.

Also, I highly recommend bringing a big bunch of grapes to the game - gives you an opportunity to continually stuff your face nervously, without winding up with a regrettable belly full of peanuts or garlic fries at game's end.

Go Dodgers! Happy 50th anniversary to us all.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/statistics/postseasonodds.php

BP gives the Dodgers 53% of winning the NLCS.

anyone planning on going to games 1 or 2?

Check out Andre's diningwithdre blog. He seemed to appreciate the towels.

Does anyone know about what speed a hard hit infield ground ball is travelling? And the speed of a infield line drive?

I have this strange thought that I want to know which baseball owner has lost the most billions in the last two weeks.

127
We would have appreciated a hit from Andre during the series.

Lines for Thur
Philly -145
Dodgers +135

Over/Under 7.5

If the Phillies' bats are thundering the way they were against us back in August, we're toast. We're not going to win any slugfests with them. As good as Lowe, Bills and Kuroda were against the Cubs, they're going to need to step up a level or two against Philly, which will be tough to do against those lefty hitters.

And I hate to say it, but:

Kuo : Dodgers-Phils :: Andrew Bynum : Lakers-Celtics

132
But don't you expect us to also make hay against anybody not named Hamels/Lidge.

The Cubs had a new curse put on them without their knowledge:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/45qzv5

131 Do you know what the lines are for the whole series?

Dodgers NLCS History

Starting on the Road
1974: Won two in Pittsburgh, including a Sutton shutout in Game 1
1978: Won two in Philly, including a Tommy John shutout in Game 2

I think we see a clear pattern here. :)

Starting at Home
1977: Lost Game 1 in the 9th (Elias Sosa allowed a Schmidt RBI single followed by a balk), won Game 2 handily, 7-1
1981: Won Game 1 5-1 behind Burt Hooton and HRs from Guerrero and Scioscia; got shutout by Montreal's Ray Burriss in Game 2
1983: Steve Carlton outdueled Jerry Reuss 1-0 in Game 1; Fernando and the boys rebounded for a 4-1 win in Game 2
1985: Dodgers won 4-1 and 8-2, no doubt crushing the hopes of the Cardinals
1988: Orel extended his streak to 67 innings before Jay Howell blew a 2-0 lead in the 9th of Game 1; Dodgers jumped on David Cone for 5 runs in the first two innings and won Game 2, 6-3

133 Yeah maybe, but I'm sure the Phils' scouts were watching the Cubs' series, and they saw Ethier and Kemp struggle hitting behind Manny. The book on the Dodgers is now pretty straightforward: Don't give Manny anything to hit.

131
Dodgers +135

It's almost like I'm destined to attend the World Series for free.

I gotta say that Russell has been a big difference maker.

The Phillies have a very good mix of lefty and righty killers, so we can't just throw Beimel in there to shut them down sadly.

135 No. The website I use has not yet put up their exoctics for the series (exact games, 1st HR, Series line, etc.)

137 Not too surprising, but I still think it'll fail in the long run. Didn't Bill James put Babe Ruth 1921 into a lineup of all-time stiffs and find that the walk-Babe-all-the-time lineup did better than the let-Babe-hit lineup?

Granted, a best-of-seven series is not the long run, but that's even more to the point... anything can happen.

If the Dodgers lose, it will be because (a) The Phillies are a better team than the Dodgers and/or (b) they outplay the Dodgers. Pitching around Manny will have little to do with it.

142 Yep, there's no one good enough that you should walk them all the time.

Now walking them every time with two outs is another story.

Actually, I can't think of a more interesting opponent for the Dodgers than the Phillies. They came to town in August and got their hats handed to them, losing four straight to us. Then, a week later, Philadelphia returned the favor on their home turf.

This could be a very, very interesting series.

144 I would like to take back my phrase "hats handed to them." That seems a little strong for a four-game series in which no game was decided by more than two runs. Still, they got swept at a time when they were neck and neck with the Mets and could really have used the wins.

67--We don't have to meet at Chickie & Pete's if people have a better idea. It's just that it's big and it's close to the stadium.

But I'm all ears! I'm thinking Thursday at 3. Or 2:30 if people are paranoid about missing the first pitch.

We all know Howard and Utley are awesome hitters, and lefties so extremely dangerous. My question is what about the Phillies switch hitters? Is Victorino decent batting from the left side? How about Rollins?

Not having Kuo would be a huge letdown. Biemel was great agains the Phillies big lefties this year, but he's not good for more then an inning. I have faith that Lowe, Bills, and Kuroda can at least keep us in the game, but after the 5th inning, those left handed bats could be the difference, esp. without Kuo.

I like my towel. The collective effect of everyone waving them gave an exciting visual presence to the otherwise laconic Los Angelinos. I think we're gonna need more of that...

87 I was in what is usually the rowdiest part of the stadium, there were Cub fans mixed into it, and I saw absolutely nothing happen that Dodger fans should be embarassed about.

The "leaving-early" canard is tried and true, but false. From our seats I could clearly see the Academy Drive and Stadium Way exit lanes and they were empty, or virtually so, until the end of the game. From my seat in the last row, I could also turn around and see the departures through the Reserved Gate, and they didn't start until the bottom of the eighth -- and most of them were people wearing Cub gear! Moreover, about 20 percent of the crowd if not more hung around to wait for the Dodgers to retake the field after the champagne celebration.

The Cub fan writing that lament 87 linked to saw what he saw, so I can't challenge it. I can only speak to the behavior of a few hundred people in my sight lines. However, if you read what he said he objected to, I'd have to call him a bit oversensitive. What did he expect, a hug?

NPUT

145 Game 1 was a blowout that the Dodger bullpen eased off on, and let them back into the game. The other 3 games were closer but I don't remember feeling like the Dodgers were in danger of losing. IIRC, the Dodgers had just come back from that awful weekend in SF.

142 You made me look at the '21 Yankees. They led the league with 481 K's in 1364 IP. Supposedly the strike zone was arm pits to knee's back than too. Dude's must been throwing the 70s back than.

DeWitt seems to hit the lefties better than Loney, who looks a little like Soriano against lefties. I'd probably go with DeWitt and Nomar in Game 1. But I don't think it would be wrong to start Kent.

i will say that as a Steelers fan i love nothing more than to watch Steelers away game and see nothing but Terrible Towels waving in the stands. It doesn't matter if they are in Denver, San Diego, Jacksonville, or Cleveland they are flying in mass. So i loved those little dodger towels and eve stole my mom and brothers...stinking cubs fans...