Playoffs, here we come.

For the first time in my life, I've got playoff tickets -- game 2 of the Division Series. Hopefully the Dodgers win in 4 games! :)

That last game should be LA at NY.

I must say, when the season started, I was the least emotionally invested in these Dodgers than I have ever been for any ballclub. I saw the season as a bridge to a new era, and didn't really care how the season went. "Buncha one year rentals," I said, with a heavy dose of indifference. I was wrong

Not only has this season been a blast, I've enjoyed breaking out of the two year lurker status at DT, and engaging in pleasant conversation with the great folks here.

What a treat.

does anyone know the game time info? what time would the dodgers play wednesday and thursday if they play the mets?

Sorry I couldn't join the party, but I heard the final two innings while sitting in my car outside my son's music lesson -- hence I heard Scully call it, and had to imagine Saito's twisty pitches. Perfect ending that he struck the guy out.

The Giants looked asleep today. But it still feels very earned, since the reason they were so demoralized was the stunning way LA won last night. I still can't believe Lofton and Kent scored on those plays, or that Maddux stole second, or that Niekro let that double on the line go past him.

I also can't believe Russell Martin. Is he going for the Iron Man award, catchers' division? During the radio post-game, Charlie Steiner was interviewing who you'd expect, and then all of a sudden he's asking Toby Hall how he feels. He said all the normal cliches, but I secretly wished Steiner would then ask him, "And you do what for the Dodgers? Hose out the locker room?"

If it's L.A. New York, I think I get to go to the Saturday game. I say Little starts Robles at pitcher tomorrow...

The Rockies and Cubs are in a rain-delayed 9-9 game in the 11th.

Play two tomorrow!

i'm already stressing on how i'm gonna get postseason ticks, i can't miss it this time around i missed '04 & i just can't let this season go buy with out leaving the experiance of '06 playoffs.

9

living the experiance, sorry.

It's sort of an obvious point, but one thing I really love about baseball is how the weight of the long season builds up over time and then sometimes just all comes to rest on a single moment. Spezio up with bases loaded, his formerly dominant team fallen back to earth, down 2-0 in the eighth. If you're watching something like that closely, it feels like months and months, and sometimes years and years, of hope and loss just hover there, swinging back and forth with every pitch.

Down 0-2, a season slipping away.
Bases clearing triple, a completely fresh start.

Or the Phillies -- an incredible September run, right in the thick of things, than it basically just all slips away in a cold, wet, empty stadium in the dead middle of the night.

Great game.

Jon: Thanks for the site. If all your contributors were gathered in a room, I wouldn't recognize a single one of them, but it's been great communicating with them and reading their insights, hopes and frustrations. In a remarkably up-and-down year, today's game was particularly sweet....50 years ago today, Sept. 30, 1956, Don Newcombe beat the Pirates, 8-6, in the final game of the season, and the Dodgers won the pennant by 1 game over the Milwaukee Braves, who also won that day. Cincinnati finished third, 2 games out. On the previous day, Sal Maglie and Clem Labine, in a rare start, beat the Pirates in a doubleheader. I spent that day at the L.A. County Fair in Pomona...On to the playoffs...

Now we can all exhale.

Here is hoping that:

Nomar will be healthy enough to provide a few more game-winning HRs
Maddux continues to show flashes of the master that he has been for most of his illustrious career
Lowe can provide some of the magic of his 2004 postseason with the Red Sox to the 2006 Dodger postseason
Kuo and Broxton don't realize that they are now pitching in October baseball
Furcal and Lofton continue to set the table for Drew and Kent
Merlin continues his wizardly for a few more weeks
And the strains of Randy Newman's "I Love L.A." can continue to reverberate in our ears and in Dodger Stadium until late October

The Dodgers have been a team of streaks in 2006. Will we now see the Dodger team that lost 13 of 14 after the All-Star break or are they in the middle of a streak like the one where they won 17 of 18 to get back into the pennant race? Here is hoping for the later.

2004 provided us with small taste of winning in the postseason. Here is hoping that 2006 leaves us drunk with postseason success.

Uh, yeah, if we end up in NY, and anyone finds themselves stuck with an extra ticket or something, I'd imagine I can get leave to get to Queens . . .

Thanks, Ken.

8 - I'm rooting for the Rockies to finish third.

Congrats to the Dodgers. DePo should take a bow too. Drew has had a solid year and without the first half of Brad Penny this team would not be playing past the first day of October. Ned made some good moves too and has not blocked young players with the aging vets he has brought in. Lowe, Maddux and Kuo give this team a better chance to advance in the postseason than the 2004 edition.

Stan from Tacoma

3 run homer for Shawn Green in the Mets squashin of the Nationals B-squad. Now 9-0.

The only two players to play in both the Dodgers playoff clinching games of 2004 and 2006 were Ray Durham and Steve Finley.

Barry Bonds, Brett Tomko, Gio Carrara, Elmer Dessens, and Olmedo Saenz all got to watch.

There back in action at Wrigley and they're in the 12th!

my stupid cousin has season ticks, so i know he has playoff tickets as well i'm gonna have to call him & ask him if i can by one from him, his girldfriend is gonna have to bite the bullet for one game.

I should really think about driving down to the Rose Bowl soon?

Should I wear the checkered jersey?

21

when i say stupid i mean it in a jealous kind of way o.k. dont' get me wrong.

22 I'm trying to decide if that would be defeatist. I guess it would be accurate at this moment.

6 I sure hope that if the Dodgers win the World Series that Vin does the victorious clubhouse interviews. It would be such a pleasure to hear him do that again.

Stan from Tacoma

I have more confidence in this team than I did in the 2004 edition, what with all the offense generated this year. I expect we'll have to wait till tomorrow for Bob's updates of all the records set by this amazing group.

Every time I hear Nomar interviewed he says the word "team" over and over and over again; I'm forced to believe he's sincere.

I've never seen Kent grin as broadly as he did this afternoon (a couple of times, too!), and Saito looks to be the happiest Japanese import there's ever been in MLB.

25. popup
I sure hope that if the Dodgers win the World Series that Vin does the victorious clubhouse interviews. It would be such a pleasure to hear him do that again.
Stan from Tacoma

Stan: My only worry is that Vin would then choose the occasion to retire...

24
The bigger problem is wearing red and white clothing to a UCLA-Stanford game.

I think back to when I thought we should trade Nomar and Kent and play for next year right after the all-star break and how the season ended with such magic and wonder... and I just believe. This team has been so special, and compared to the other 3 NL teams (I am assumed the Cards are in, though the Stros still have a slight chance) we have less obvious holes. Our pitching is better than the Cards and the Mets, our hitting is better than the Cards and the Padres, we have a deep bench and our playoff bullpen will be a force to be reckoned with. Go Blue! I have high hopes at finally winning a playoff series or three!!!

I really love watching Nomar play. He is so enthused after a game-breaking or game-winning hit. Same with Saito. I'm excited for October baseball!

27 No way. Vin doesn't do what he does because he roots for the Dodgers. Ever notice how much he enjoys the tense moments even when we want to throw something? He does this because he love to do it and has said he wants to keep going as long as he is up to it. Also, he knows that would dampen the happiness of Dodger fans and he hasn't made a selfish move in his life. Oh, and he has a contract and probably isn't big on breaking his word.

Stan: My only worry is that Vin would then choose the occasion to retire...

the day will come, it's funny how Bob Jon & me have known nobody else but Vinnie, & i'm talking about age diffrences.

Woo hoo. I know it's too early for x's and o's but I will say this much. I can accept getting bounced in the first round. I just insist that this 800+ run offense puts up 5-6 runs/game and makes the thing competitive. If Glavine and El Duque go 7 scoreless, and I have to hear about their October resumes I will lose it.

4 I'm with you, Mr. Brock. I entered this season with very low expectations, figuring the Dodgers might have a slim chance at a division title, but it would be a hollow victory in a weak, dull divion, followed by an immediate playoff blowout. 2007 would be the year for excitement.

I guess there could still be an immediate playoff blowout, but this year has been anything but hollow, weak or dull. Sometimes you just gotta love being wrong. What a team!

And I'm certainly glad you, Mr. Brock, quit lurking and started playing. Your practicality and sense of humor is a real treat.

26 Linkmeister
I have more confidence in this team than I did in the 2004 edition,...

I would agree with that too. This team is streaky and they're hot, and there aren't any big distractions like there was in 2004.
With the emergence of Kuo they have a shot at winning the pennant.

17 - I wish I could send Depo some thank you letters. He made some mistakes (Hello Odalis!), but our best starter in the 1st and 2nd halfs (they aren't the same person) and our best hitter were all acquired by him. I don't know if he would have gotten the right team together to get here, but more than anything about this year I regret how he was treated. Even a World Series won't make me like McCourt because of that firing. Today however, there is enough goodwill to go around! Go Dodgers!

It's nice going into the playoffs and not feeling like you're walking into a nuclear buzzsaw.

Not that the other teams aren't very good and intimidating; they're just not the '98 Yankees, or frankly the 2004 Cardinals.

Hitting records set or with chances to be broken:

Doubles - New record (305)
Total bases - New record (2420)
XBH - New record (515)
LOB - Currently 1214, record 1223
Batting average - New record (.276) The Dodgers would have to bat 0 for 135 to blow that.
Slugging percentage - New record (.433). The old record was .431, so that should hold up.
OBP - The Dodgers came in at .348, .006 better than the old record.

No pitching records were set.

The 7 passed balls were one off the record for fewest in a season. The Dodgers allowed just 6 in 1958.

37 - I remember that I was hoping and praying for some miracle in 2004, my line of thought was something like: "Well at least we have Odalis Perez and Jeff Weaver, they are solid starters and I bet they can get the job done at least a game or two." Now look at them.

My feeling is the Dodgers have an excellent chance against any of the NL teams. They could very well get to the World Series. Winning the World Series is another story, but it would be fun to watch them try.

My biggest worry right now is that they are pretty banged up. Hopefully there is more days off between games in the post season. I can't remember.

36

he wasn't a good communicator.

48 players, including 18 pitchers used so far in Chicago.

34 Thanks, I really appreciate it. Like every lurker, I have four great fears when deciding to contribute...

1) Will I be hated
2) Do I deserve to be hated
3) Am I contributing anything
4) Does my belt match my shoes.

Okay, the last one really isn't important, but the other three are.

40

never forget that playoff adrenaline works wonders.

Pitcher 19 comes in to the game in Chicago. The record has been tied!

4) Does my belt match my shoes.

dude! you don't even know, you just opened up pandoras box.

Dusty is trying to get one last injury out of all his pitchers before he's fired...

We have a record in Chicago. Pitcher #20 coming in! Clint Hurdle is going for platoon advantages in the 13th!

Cesar Izturis is the only Cub position player not to get into the game. Derek Lee played and he was supposed to be taking the rest of the year off!

No Cub pitcher has thrown more than 2 innings today.

You mean Endora's box?

I have a problem with matching as well.

36 I agree.

32 Vin is amazing. His first major league broadcast was a spring training game in 1950 between Brooklyn and the Philadelphia A's. Connie Mack was managing the A's at the time. How I wish I could hear a recording of Vin's broadcast of that spring training game.

Stan from Tacoma

I am surprised Ohio State vs Iowa is already at 24 combined points.

Time to head off to the Rose Bowl.

If the Astros hold on, the Griddle will not be updated.

http://tinyurl.com/e6nv5

Not sure if this has been posted but I though you all might like to see the schedule of when the potential games at Dodger stadium would be. See you there!

Miami is barely beating Houston! Oh how the mighty have fallen.

50

it's funny how chicks still dig us with our stupid male flaws.

And LaRoche has homered to tie it up in Atlanta.

Have fun at the game Bob. Hopefully a Bruin crushing happens.

Is there anywhere online I can watch the celebrating? I want some company in my joy, even if it is only on my computer screen (I already called my dad and brother so it is not like I am on some island, I just want to see it!).

54 Of course the FIRST round schedule is posted above but that link has the next two rounds for those who are making plans.

59
I have been unsuccessful in trying to find a video of the celebration. I think since it was Fox cameras and they did not decide to show it no one has any feed of the celebration.

has Jon ever written anything about Saito? that just accured to me.

IMO Lowe is very tipsy at the moment & is telling everybody how much he loves them.

ps that's what i do when something this huge happens.

62
Yeah, he has written about Saito.

test {tm}

hey! how can i make the trademark thing appear on my posts??

test (tm)

59 Well there isn't any video yet but if you go to:
http://tinyurl.com/qe6p8
You can see a picture that matches nicely to post 63
Then if you scorll towards the bottom there is a link to a nice gallery of pictures of the celebration.

It's the end of an era tomorrow. No more Bonds and Schmidt for San Fran which means the Dodgers Giants rivalry is going to be in the cellar next year and maybe for a while. No more Barry sucks chants. Kind of sad now that I think about it.

19 I'm a bit confused, which is not unheard of...

I thought Dessens started the Finley grand slam walkoff game in '04 when the Dodgers clinched.

But I'm probably wrong, which also is not unheard of...

70 Dessens and Tomko started as per lastnight's AFLAC trivia.

Of course, that duck might be confused, too.

70 - But Dessens didn't play today. He said those were the only players that played.

Does anybody know what the local broadcast schedule and station(s) will be for the division series? I seem to recall that two years ago the then-local broadcast station was able to broadcast the ESPN feed and was wondering if KCAL is planning/able to do the same thing this year. These rights issues seem to change every year, and I'm wondering if I have to make sure to be someplace with cable to see all the games...thanks for any info.

Anyone hear about the Dodger's A-team moving to San Bernardino?

75

Jon posted the info about 3 days ago.

75 caseybarker, I've got links out to various sites with full info here:

http://www.celsius1414.com/node/1169

76 I should've read the posts I missed.

By the way, now that Bob's not here ... Go Stanford!

53

Astros win .... ergo The Griddle will not be updated ...

79
Boooo

War Bruins!!!!

Celebrate, everyone. And then get ready for the big stuff next week.
I'm definitely going to be out celebrating tonight. My friends probably won't understand why I'm in such a good mood.

First forced punt of the season?!!!

whoooooooooo
:pours champagne on everybody:
:passes out drunk on lawn:

I just took a gander at McCovey Chronicles. The resignation and despair was almost enough to make me feel bad for them. Hehehehehe.

I'm tremendously jealous of anyone who has post-season tickets -- or even of anyone who got to hear Vin deliver the game. I'm stuck up here in Oregon, wishing I was 14 again, sitting in the right field bleachers for Game 4 of the 1963 Series.

Olson looks like poop.

I have to already give Stanford some credit. They are banged up like crazy, but are making a game of it.

UCLA's mental mistakes are killing them.

This is like watching the Raiders vs Browns, which means I am going to see that game twice this week.

The Times said Royster was fired at Vegas.

Then there's this, which seems more balanced and more likely to be accurate.

Does anyone have a take on it that he really was fired and it wasn't mutual as this story indicates? If so, why?

http://tinyurl.com/mcevx

Ok folks, time for my amazing where-I-was-when-the-Dodgers-clinched story. I had a buddy from LA visiting me here in NYC this weekend, so I got tickets for the Yankee game today, thinking it was at 1 pm. It was actually at 4 pm, unfortunately coinciding with the game at Phone Co. Park.

Thanks to mobile game updates, we were able to track along progress of the Dodger game. Around the 7th inning or so, Saito threw his final pitch, and there was a wild two-person celebration in the seats just behind the plexiglass left-field wall at Yankee Stadium. Being able to celebrate a Dodger playoff clinch at the House that Some Fat Guy Built was a truly memorable moment. I'll treasure that for a long time.

Incidentally, the seats we had right behind the plexiglass were very cool. If any of you have MLB.tv, go to the archived game and forward it to the 56-minute mark. On Sheffield's homerun, which landed just behind us in the left-field seats, my buddy and I are visible behind/through the wall turning to watch the ball land. I'm the guy wearing the brown t-shirt.

I am now wondering how much after-market seats are for the possible Dodgers-Mets division series at Shea. I don't have the heart to look it up.

Call me crazy,but I would really like to see the Dodgers and Yankees in the World Series.That in my mind is what is hallowed ground in baseball,the rivalry for the ages.Cookie Lavighetto,Pete Reiser,Big Newk,Whitey Ford,Junior Gilliam ,Billy Martin,the Duke of Flatbush,Mantle and Maris,Jackie,Larry Sherry,Bob Welch,Reggie Jackson.....
It will be interesting to see what the postseason roster looks like.

88
Stanford is hanging in the game because Karl Dorrell is a horrible football coach, and he makes every opponent look better.

Karl Dorrell is our Paul Hackett. A total abortion. Fire him.

90
That story is what I exactly heard. Royster wants to manage in the bigs and the Dodgers don't want to stand in his way.

I really don't think the organization cares that much frankly.

93
Pretty much lol.

UCLA better win. I am missing Girlfriends on BET for this!

And Degrassi!

93 - I don't know how it became tolerable or even humorous for "abortion" to be used as a casual pejorative. Clearly, it has - I see it often. But it really escapes me. This is not a political comment and it's nothing personal - I'd just rather not see it.

I haven't posted in awhile, but now is the time to let my wide smile radiate to all you. I started being a FAN, in the most trying definition of the word, in the 03 season mainly because I was away from LA and Jon's site was a way to connect back to my home. Jon, another great season of keeping me connected, and since I am only 22, the most satisfying season of Dodger baseball I have had. I think this is the season that starts a trend, but that comes with high expectations. This is better than 04 simply because I was at the games; not the 4 homer magical night, but I stuck through the 16 inning persistence agianst the Reds, as well as the Russel Martin 10 inning homerun triumph. Any one of those by itself would have made this season memorable. As a result, I have bought NLCS tickets; let us not only enjoy, but embrace our wealth. GO DODGERS! and I hope to still see many strangers smiling and high-fiving in two weeks time.

Hey Jon -

It seems things are a bit quiet here, and I think you're reading now, so it seems a perfect time for this... Thanks for this site, I read it everyday, and it makes the season so much more enjoyable. It's nice to have good, clean, thoughtful commentary about baseball, and someone with the talent to make it entertaining. Best of luck to you, sir, thanks for dodgerthoughts.com

At least UCLA's defense came to play.

98 That's the first time I've ever been chastised by the Philosopher King.

The shame I feel knows no bounds.

98 Sorry, Jon. It was a throw away line. Didn't mean to offend.

[92] you're crazy. :)

i mean, have you seen their lineup? they'd win. i don't want the dodgers to be responsible for #27. i want us to play oakland if we get to the WS. that way whoever wins i'm happy.

98 I could be mistaken, but I think the sense in which Greg Brock meant it -- e.g. a disaster, a botched job -- is an accepted definition of the word, separate from the medical meaning. I'll do some homework on it. Obviously, in our culture now, it is impossible to escape the other connotation, but I think people having been using it the way Greg Brock used it for a long time.

103 - Again, it was nothing personal.

If we play the Mets, I'll go to both games at the Sheadium!

YESSSSSSS!!!!

We can't rely on Lugo's sac flies like yesterday.