July 26, 2005
Braves move into first place with "walk-off" walk
It appeared as though the Braves would drop the opener of this crucial series with Washington and fall a game behind in the race for the NL East. But Adam LaRoche tied the game with a sac fly in the ninth. Then, Andruw Jones drew a four-pitch, bases-loaded walk that allowed pinch-runner Jeff Francoeur to casually stroll home with the winning run amid the loud cheers of a home crowd that got to enjoy the fact that their Braves had finally overtaken the Nationals and assumed sole possession of first place for the first time since June 4. (Story at Atlanta Braves.)What a funny way to win and take over first place. We'll take it any way we can. I'll be there at the game Wednesday night sitting behind home plate and offering friendly advice to the home plate umpire.
No, this doesn't have anything to do with politics. So what?
UPDATE:
For our friend Jim Hitchcock--a vision from the past for a true blue Dodgers fan:
Pic: Tommy Lasorda explaining strike zone to umpire
Hey, I'll be at the Dodger game behind home plate, Woody! Oh, and above...way way above.
Posted by jim hitchcock at July 27, 2005 12:37 AM
As an aside, it's pretty clear that sports wins over politics when it comes to popular ways to spend ones free time. At the end of tonight's game, DodgerThoughts had 660 posts. Last night it was onlt 528.
Is it any wonder our politicians get away with such perfidy? :)
Posted by jim hitchcock at July 27, 2005 12:42 AM
Jim, I have season tickets that are high, because I sit on row 1 on top of the press box. The infield camera is just to my right. I have been all over the ball park, but I like these the best--and they're the best value. When you are down low, you can't follow the ball off of the bat because it gets lost in the shirts of the fans in the outfied. When you're up higher, you can easily see the ball against the green of the field. And, believe it or not, I really can call balls and strikes from where I sit--even if Blue disagrees with me sometimes. The other day we were talking about when there have been parades for the Braves and how the politicians get in cars and ride along although they have nothing to do with the Braves championships. They just like to be seen with a winner. I can't stand them.
Posted by Woody at July 27, 2005 01:02 AM
The RED SOX are in front of the Yankees by a game, they have taken two straight from the Devil Ray's in extra innings, all's right with the world. ;-)
Posted by GM at July 27, 2005 06:17 AM
Compared to the Braves and Red Sox, the Dodgers are certainly guilty of general suckiness this year, but at least we still have Vin Scully.
Are you guys familiar with Eric Neel from ESPN.com? Looks like I'm going to be doing an e-mail interview with him later today as part of a Scully interview. Cool!
______________
Jim, that's pretty neat. Let us know where it's posted and how it is that you're doing that.
Woody
Posted by jim hitchcock at July 27, 2005 10:15 AM
They swept the Nationals. Tonight a friend of mine will make it seven straight years of attending Braves games without missing one. Then, the streak ends as he has a conflict and has decided to let the streak die at that point.
Posted by Woody at July 28, 2005 04:29 PM
Wow, that's quite a record by your friend.
Re: the interview: Eric Neel, in planning to do an article about Vinny from a fan's POV, contacted Jon Weisman at Dodger Thoughts:
"because he'd "really like to include the thoughts, impressions, and experiences of longtime listeners/Dodger fans ... what sets Scully apart in their minds, what some of their favorite memories of him (and his calls) are, what kind of role they feel he's played for Los Angeles (as a community and identity) over the years, etc.?"
He picked up on about nine of our reponses and and will be contacting us further.
Posted by jim hitchcock at July 28, 2005 07:30 PM
Here's a shot of a few of us Dodger Thoughts posters meeting for the first time before the game last night. I'm in the back row, the goofy looking guy in the green shirt.
Posted by jim hitchcock at July 28, 2005 08:57 PM
Re: the update. Please, make it stop!
Posted by jim hitchcock at July 28, 2005 09:18 PM
Jim, that is great! Also, now we get to see what you look like! It's a lot harder to interview people than others might realize. I'm guessing that your favorite memory is Kurt Gibson's HR. (Mine is seeing Sid Bream slide into home for the Braves to win the NL pennant against the Pirates and watching Barry Bonds just sitting dazed out in left field while everyone was going crazy.)
The Braves won today and swept the Nationals. My buddy has been a prisoner to his "perfect attendance" record, and I told him that now he didn't have to come to every game anymore if he was sick or his car broken down. In fact, last night his car actually did break down, so he had to take MARTA to the game and got there in the third inning. Once, he was interviewed by the AJC and they had a big article on page 1 of the sports section about him. In it he said that he didn't care what his wife thought about him going to all of the games because she knew what he was like when she married him. Last night he brought me up on the status of his divorce--really.
Thanks for sharing your story with us. I'm impressed! I made an update to the entry just for you.
Posted by Woody at July 28, 2005 09:22 PM
I think the update is Lasorda explaining the strike zone to the plate umpire.
By the way, I have to share this with you. The only picture I have of my grandfather on my father's side is one with him talking with Branch Rickey at some minor league event in Alabama. My grandfather was a judge, but he was very active in baseball and had something to do with the mill leagues and small town teams in the South. The picture was taken some time in the 1930s, and I like it better than some oil painting with him sitting at a bench.
Posted by Woody at July 28, 2005 09:29 PM
Yeah, the Gibby HR still stands out, as does the last inning of the last game last year against the hated Giants, though I'd have to say the memories that mean the most to me were just the times with my Dad; either at a game, watching on T.V., or sitting in the station wagon in Yosemite listening to Vinny call a game. I'm sure you know what I mean.
Cool! Judge McNair chatting with Branch Rickey! Man, I could just imagine sitting in the stands watching one of those games, on a hot and sultry day, fanning myself with a hat...
Posted by jim hitchcock at July 28, 2005 09:49 PM
Jim, I talked with G.M. about a post on the minor league games and the old Negro leagues. When I was a kid, I would go watch the Birmingham Barons play the Atlanta Crackers. I also remember many, many games on the radio. One other thing, Willie Mays used to play for the Birmingham Black Barons. Bimingham has the oldest ballpark in the country at Rickwood Field. (It is still used in movies and was the field in "Cobb.") Each year they have a 'classic" game in the old uniforms, and this year is supposed to feature a lot of the old black players. What do you think about something like that and could you possibly help out if you thought it might be a good story?
I'm off for the rest of the night. Thanks for sharing your stories with us.
+++++++++++++++++++
Woody, Jim, lets Git-R-Done!
GM
Posted by Woody at July 28, 2005 10:02 PM
Woody, if you've never seen the HBO movie `Soul of the Game', make an effort to do so. It was a well done depiction of Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and Jackie Robinson, plus a kicker at the end about Willie Mays VERY early career. I know you'll love it.
I'd love to read a post about the Negro Leagues, though my knowledge is not what it should be. You might want to check with Steve to see if he could fill in any gaps.
Posted by jim hitchcock at July 28, 2005 10:10 PM
Thought I'd share my reply to the interview with Eric Neel, in case it winds up on the cutting room floor!
> Does his voice inspire in you thoughts of your own life and experience, even
> those separate from baseball?
>
> And do you have a particular phrase, stylistic feature, or on-air habit that
> you find especially appealing in Vin?
>
> Thanks very much.
>
> Eric
>
>
>
>
Hi, Eric,
My early years of listening to Vinnie bring back memories of bouncing a rubber ball against the wall of my bedroom, jumping up and down in excitement everytime Koufax registered another strikeout, so intensely into the game because of the picture Vin was painting in my mind. Or of sitting in the station wagon with my dad while camping in Yosemite, listening to Vin call a game.
I once asked my Dad back when I was pitching in Pony League where he had acquired his encylopaedic knowledge of baseball. In typical Dad fashion, he replied "listening to Vin Scully". Small wonder I consider Vinnie part of the family.
Nowadays, I tune in to Vinny every night because, well, shucks, unlike any other broadcaster, he's there to hold a conversation with ME. I love it when he pokes gentle fun at himself, as in "Naw, Vinnie!" when he has to correct himself on a minor detail. And, seriously, I don't fell silly at all when, after he ends every broadcast with his trademark "Goodnight, everybody!", I reply right back with "Goodnight, Vinny!"
Posted by jim hitchcock at July 29, 2005 03:05 PM
If that ends up on the cutting room floor, then someone has made a big mistake. You explained what a lot of people feel, even though the locations and teams may be different.
Many people who don't particularly like the game don't understand how it connects kids and dads and the memories it brings of listening or playing. One of the best summaries of the emotions of baseball was said by James Earl Jones in "The Field of Dreams," but it means more to hear the way he delivered this:
The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers; it has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again. Ohhhh, people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come.
Those are the words, here's the link to the wav file:
http://www.moviewavs.com/cgi-bin/mp3s.cgi?Field_Of_Dreams=baseball.mp3
If listening to that doesn't bring a tear to your eye, then you have no connection with the game or no emotions.
One more. I'm not going to tell you what it is, but in eighteen seconds it can put a lump in your throat.
http://www.moviewavs.com/cgi-bin/moviewavs.cgi?Field_Of_Dreams=catch.wav
Posted by Woody at July 29, 2005 03:49 PM
I just rewatched FOD a couple of weeks ago, Woody. That scene and the one where Ray plays catch with his Dad are THE memorable ones. FOD is one of those rare gems that really captures it, ande get better with every viewing.
Of course, no sooner do I type that, then I start thinking of `Moonlight' Graham and Frank Whaley as the `rookie'...
Posted by jim hitchcock at July 29, 2005 04:02 PM
Hah! I posted the last comment before playing the wav file...
Posted by jim hitchcock at July 29, 2005 04:04 PM
I agree with you. In fact, I was hastily adding the "play catch" clip to my comment while you were thinking and writing the same thing. I think we're going to have to have a new baseball entry very soon.
Posted by Woody at July 29, 2005 04:07 PM
JEFF FRANCOEUR IS HOT AND I DONT CARE WHAT ANYONES SAY HE'S HOT!
Posted by MYRA at September 5, 2005 05:04 PM
