UPCOMING APPEARANCE / SIGNING : JUSTIN SELLERS

Justin Sellers will be doing a signing on November 12, 2011 at Valley Sports Cards in Tarzana. Stage time is at 12 noon and will last a hour. Price is $20 for any item.  

RECAP : MANNY MOTA / WES PARKER APPEARANCE / SIGNING @ FRANK AND SONS 10-3-2011

This past weekend I went to go get former Dodger great Wes Parker's autograph on a ball and while there I decide to get other former Dodger great and current coach Manny Mota's autograph.

Manny was first up at around 11:00 a.m. and I was probably somewhere around 30-40th in line. Line was a tad slow but had some good conversations with fellow fans while waiting. Once up to the table where he was sitting I found out why it was slower than some other signers as he signs at a slow pace, which makes the actual signature neater, and if you spoke Spanish ( which I don't ) he would converse with you a little more. Received my signature and said thank you and moved on. Pictures were not allowed to be taken with him but you could take one from afar or of him signing your item.

Up next was Wes Parker who started signing roughly at 12:00 p.m. Surprisingly I was first in line as most people were in a separate line awaiting the arrival of Don Newcombe who I met early this year. Better for me and the few other people that were in Wes's line. Before signing he ended up talking to ex-Dodger Tim Leary. Got up to the table and handed him a ball and he was about to side panel me before asking where I would like him to sign. Ugh, I hate side panel signatures unless it is a speciality ball. He noticed my name on my jersey that I was wearing and asked if I remember so-so player and I responded by saying no but I remember his son ( which I didn't but it was an educated guess ) and to my surprise he knew who I was talking about.

So in the end I spent a couple hours with some fellow fans and had some decent conversations and the signers were nice and cordial and the signatures came out great. Next up is the big 1981 World Series Champion reunion next month.

UPCOMING APPEARANCE/SIGNING : WES PARKER / DON NEWCOMBE / TIM LEARY / MANNY MOTA

A reminder that Dodger greats Wes Parker, Don Newcombe, Manny Mota and Tim Leary will be doing a signings on Saturday October 1st at the Frank and Son's Warehouse show.

Noon - 1:00 p.m.

• Small - 29
• Large - 39

11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

• Small - 19
• Large - 29

11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

• Small - 29
• Large - 39

11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

• Small - 29
• Large - 39

KERSHAW - CY YOUNG , TRIPLE CROWN AND BEYOND

This past Wednesday our non-ace as some pundits still like to say that the Dodgers do not have threw yet another brilliant game even though it was only 5+ innings for him. He was thrown out of the game for hitting Parra who he had a shouting match the previous night with as Parra was upstaging the Dodgers after a home run. My belief is with the control Kershaw had that night he hit Parra on purpose but he hit him on the elbow instead of the traditional behind the back or over the head pitches. He made it look like just an inside pitch but the intent was to hit him which he did. I suspect if Kershaw stayed in the game til the end he would have really let one go at Parra if the game was in hand but the time was not just right yet. The umpire, with no previous warning and that is key, decided upon himself that there would be none of that. Bad call by the ump but thankfully Kershaw got the win anyways.

As of today Kershaw leads in all Triple Crown categories ( Wins, E.R.A. and Strikeouts ) and we can go as far as making it a Quad Crown and include W.H.I.P. which he also leads. Not as bad as when Steve Carlton won 27 games on route to a CY Young win back in day with Phillies who only won 50+ games that year but what Kershaw is doing is unbelievable. Yes, Halladay and Lee are great, not taking that away from them but with the team they have behind them they should pull down those numbers. Yes, they play in a hitter's park but we play regular in COL and AZ which are considered hitter's park. His BAA against is a minuscule .207 which is crazy good. Also, flight travel takes its too on players and the Phillie pitchers have a lot less over the course of the year and Kershaw is just getting better and better as the year goes on. Since April the only NL team to tag him with a loss are the Diamondbacks. With Felix Hernandez winning the CY Young last year with only a 13-12 record and a great E.R.A. there is a precedent that a pitcher can win without the run support. With Kershaw's 19-5 and possibly 21-5 record including all the other league leading stats in the end there should be no question on who should win the CY Young.

I was not fortunate enough to watch Sandy Koufax pitch but from all the stories I have read Kershaw is in the same mold and if that is anyway true we need to lock him up contract-wise now. He is 23 only and posts a 45-28 record. If in the next 7 years he averages just 15 wins a year he would have 150 at the young age of 30. I think he can do better than that. With Jered Weaver signing a discount contract with the Angels and with Scott Boras as the agent we should be able to get this done. 6-7 year deal with an average of 14-17 should do it and then when he is at age 30 he can line up another big payday contract. The Dodgers need to keep Kershaw and Kemp and need to make it happen now. Even with the McCourt fiasco going on now any new owner needs players to get people to the ballpark and these two are the ones to do. I know Kemp loves Los Angeles and the fans, I have not heard either way for Kershaw but I think he is comfortable here and we need to make him financially comfortable now not later.

BASEBALL AND REMEMBERING 9-11

We are in the stretch run of the baseball season and even though our beloved Dodgers are destined to miss the playoffs we still turn our eye to the team as they are up north in enemy territory and hopefully dispatch any hope of the Giants making the postseason. If we can't go they should not. Only time I want to see them in the postseason is versus us and we beating them on our way to a World Series ring.

I will be turning on the games with great anticipation especially tonight's marquess match up but knowing the date and everything being broadcast on all forms of media we can not escape the anniversary of 9-11-01 and the horrific things transpired that day that still affects our daily lives today. There will be pre-game ceremonies and tributes through all sport events this weekend and that is justified and applauded as we need to pay our respects to those who lost their lives that day and to those who lived but have had their lives altered forever. This anniversary is being presented on a bigger scale as it is a "big" round number (10) and not the common yearly ones, though there is always something on those days as well.

Though I was not directly affected per se by what happened on that tragic day, it did change my views on life and how people are and can be when pushed. It also showed me even if people have different views they can be united under one belief or one cause. We as Americans were together for the first time since WWII no matter what the color of our skin is, our political views, age or our income level. Our will was strong and we vowed to never forget and we went about to right the wrong that happened to us. If has been debated over time that what happened was deserved and coming to us due to our influence on the world. Wherever you stand on what we have or have not done in the world no one deserves what happened to us. Though still wrong and deserving of our vengeance, I can see if someone went after our President and only our President but they went and physically killed 3000+ people of all races and ages and scared millions more. It would be like us wanting to kill Saddam and to do what we felt was right we just bombed all of Iraq to kill him. We didn't do that and whether you agree we should go in and kill this man, we did it the right way by doing our best not to kill innocent people.

Sunday will be a day of remembrance and prayers for those we lost and those still dealing with the pain 10 years later that will never fully be healed or go away. I will be one of millions doing the same but at the same time we, including myself, should not need a day set aside every year to have a silent moment, prayers, ceremonies etc. Everyday we should "never forget " what happened and put in 110% of our efforts to not forget and help let it not happen again. You might think what can you do as you and I are just normal, everyday citizens. You control the ballot box. If you don't like what our government is doing about world events surrounding the war abroad, change it with your voice and vote. Volunteer at any places that needs help. It doesn't even have to be directly connected to anything on the war, but positive energy and deeds go a long way.

I am thankful for my non oppressed life that I get to live in this great country. My political views notwithstanding I want us as a whole to stand up to any form of aggression towards us whether that is by talking and if need be by force. War is not good but when push comes to shove and it is needed we must proceed to defend our country versus her enemies. I don't always remember what was fought for my rights and "forget" events in our past but I am trying to do better on that.

I am posting this today, Friday, and I ask myself and you to remember everyday of what happened on that day and not just this Sunday. Say thank you to those police officers and fire firefighters. They risked their lives that day and everyday before and after as they continue to do a job that a lot of us take for granted. When you see those military service people get off or on a plane take a moment to think what they have or will go through and how you reap what they sow. Our freedom is not a given, it is earned and maintained. So as I don my special USA Flag Dodger cap and root my Dodgers on against the hated Giants, I will try to remember that even though I am emotionally invested in the game it still is just a game in the grand scheme of things. I will strive to remember that and hope you do the same.

God Bless America
God Bless You and Your Loved Ones
and God Bless the 2012 World Series Champion Dodgers

10.....9....8...7..6..5.Season Over.....?

And so it begins. Today's elimination magic number is at 10. Any combination of Dodger losses and Diamondback wins totalling up to 10 will officially end any small hopes that the Dodgers and their unwavering fans have of making the playoffs. So in theory that day can come up this weekend in San Francisco. I think though they will make it to at least next week and still be "in it". This season has been unsatisfying on so many levels for us fans. From the continuing McCourt divorce drama which has evolved into the potential sale of the team to us all just waiting in limbo for him to just leave. Even with all this planted before the season the horizon still looked bright enough for the team to compete in the a weakened division. To this day, take out the overachieving D-Backs and we are sitting there battling for first place. But unless they fall off the cliff and we basically win every game we are not going to sniff anything remotely of October baseball. It seems so long ago that we were feeling deflated of not winning the NLCS for the second season in a row against the Phillies but with the past two seasons I would take a loss there anytime than to deal with another season of wasted effort by Kemp, Kershaw etc. There have been many bright spots to admire this year but way too many bad efforts and just plain stupid decision making by higher management. If we didn't have money to spend that is one thing but spending money on players that have historically haven't performed to what this teams needs is unacceptable. So we are now left with us wondering what our team will look like next March. I for one still think with tweaking here and there we can have a competitive team in this division. I have no delusions of grandeur and know full well that if in this team was in the AL or east division we would stand no chance. To end this on a positive note here are the things I think will make a marked improvement next year based on what happened this year. Go Blue !!

• KEMP - Triple Crown threat and maturing into a leader
• KERSHAW - Same as Kemp and getting better everyday
• NAVARRO - gone, won't be back
• DEE - rough around the edges but is capable of holding down SS at a low cost. .275 AVG with lots of steals and messing with opposing pitchers is fine with me.
• VELEZ - still here but will be gone. Management figured out this or anything remotely like it won't fly for next year.
• NAVARRO - still gone....
• ETHIER - we know what we have. So we can either trade him at the deadline or know what not to pay him and offer arbatration
• YOUNG PITCHERS - Guerra, Rubby, Evoladi, Jansen etc. Have shown they can handle the big show and will only get better.
• MINOR LEAGUES - A lot better prospects than expected with more to come.
• NAVARRO - one last time... still G O N E !!!

THE DEVIL YOU KNOW VS. THE DEVIL YOU DON'T

It's September and so here we are with less than a month left in the season with our beloved Dodgers looking like they will miss the playoffs for a second straight year ( see other post for hope springs eternal in my mind ) and we may or may not be closer to the end of the McCourt saga. It has been reported on many websites and blogs now that there is a 1.2 BILLION cash deal on the table from the former owner of the L.A. Marathon to buy the Dodgers. On face value this looks like a great deal for everyone as we get rid of the Boston idiot that has tainted our team.

On one hand McCourt no matter what happens, I think in the end he has to sell the team. Too much pressure from the ex wife, Bud, BK Courts, etc but with this offer I'm not sure its the right time for him to let go. Being a season ticket holder it irks me every year I renew that I know my money is going into one of his many shell companies. But when the Dodgers make and win the world series I for damn sure will be there and knowing that I was there for the lean times. At this rate there is no way that if McCourt is still owner of the team during the FA signing period that he will be splurging on any big offense minded player ( i.e. Fielder ). Also the clock keeps ticking on locking up Kemp and Kershaw. It also has been stated by them and Ethier that they are frustrated with the fan turnout and everything else attached to it. Problem is though that fans are still boycotting the team because of McCourt and won't be returning to the stadium en mass until there is change at the top. Now, if this offer goes through we are now in bed potentially with a government owned Chinese bank. I don't know about you but I don't want any government in my entertainment especially the Dodgers. I was around for the Fox years and like them I think the Bank will just be looking at the bottom line. Maybe they will splurge on FA ( Kemp ) but then not pursue others or retain our own ( Kershaw , Pujols ). Fox sold off the franchise face in Piazza because they didn't want to give him that few extra million that he thought (rightfully so) he was due. So instead of watching a catcher have his HOF numbers in Dodger blue we had to watch him in New York and instead we got Charles Johnson to replace him amongst other missteps. I liked Kevin Brown as a player but if you are going to pay that type of money you pay it to a everyday player that is already loved in the city. So if you are looking at the bottom line saving that extra few million in Piazza cost you alot in public relations and at the gate as people were turned off. So obviously you lost money there. That is my fear here with the potential in this proposed deal or any other deal that does not involve someone that has a passion for either baseball or winning or preferably both.

McCourt needs to go for the better of the Dodgers and baseball but at the same time I rather risk another year or so of waiting him out til the inevitable end of him selling off rather than a rash and rushed decision to sell off to someone that is looking at the bottom line again and really would be managing only by spreadsheets and not also by baseball knowledge and what it takes to be a winner once more in this town. I personally am holding out/hoping for either Mark Cuban or someone in the same vein and mold as him. We can't afford someone that will buy the team on hedging or someone that doesn't understand the passion of baseball and is only looking at making a quick buck at the expense of a championship caliber team on the field.

MATT KEMP : MVP ? TRIPLE CROWN ? BOTH ? NEITHER ?

As this season winds down to the probable non-playoff appearance of the Dodgers we are left at just trying to find some positives within this otherwise dismal season. Obviously one the main bright spots has been Matt Kemp and his maturity to becoming the face and force of the Dodgers off and on the field. His off the field personality has never been in question as since he was brought up years ago he has constantly been a very approachable player even through the horrors of last year. No matter what was happening within the lines or in his personal life he took time to converse with fans and still does to this day.

This year though, with obviously Davey Lopes help, his on field performance is matching his off field personality. As this entry is being typed he is 4th in AVG, 1st in HR and 1st in RBI. With one month to go does he have what it takes to get 1st in all categories and accomplish the unthinkable on this team and get the batting triple crown? In the AL it hasn't been done since Carl Yastrzemski did in 1967 and even longer since it was done in the NL by Chuck Klein back in 1933. Almost 80 years ago for the senior circuit. What makes this conversation even more remarkable is that Kemp really is the lone big bat in this sometimes AAAA club. The AVG. part can be taken care by him and with his ever growing maturity in taking walks that can only help in the pursuit. The HR's and RBI's are a different matter though. He needs the rest of the team to produce enough to be on base when he comes up so he can drive them in. Even though they have been hitting of late can it continue for 28 more games to give him the chance to do this? 

If at the end of the year Kemp ends up either winning the triple crown or leading two of the three categories does he deserve the MVP? A lot of pundits think unless your team is in contention which the Dodgers have not been in since late June ( which is debatable ) then you shouldn't even really be considered. But think where this team would be without him. I would say last place is the realistic place. I can understand the other candidates but here is my view on that :

• Prince Fielder - similar stats but has Braun to protect him in the lineup
• Ryan Braun - see Prince Fielder
• Roy Halladay - have no problem with pitchers winning, but without him the Phillies are still a playoff team and have 3 other premier pitchers
• Troy Tulowitski - good stats as well but just a click less than Kemp and if you consider Troy then you have to really consider Kemp as LA is above COL in the standings

MVP stands for player and not team. If you take that player off said team where does that leave the team. The 4 players I think that are the MVP race can all be removed from their team and still have roughly the same result at the end of the year and other than COL the teams will be in the playoffs no matter what. So if Kemp continues at the same pace for this last month and is at the top of the at least two categories I believe he deserves the MVP no matter where the Dodgers end up in the standings.

RECAP : DEE GORDON APPEARANCE / SIGNING @ OC DUGOUT 8-27-2011

...So back I go to OC Dugout for an autograph signing. Considering the experience I had last week with the Salmon signing ( see previous blog entry ) I did not expect much but since it was for a Dodger I would try it again. Very pleasantly surprised that it was a complete 180 from last week. Dodgers were playing a day game that ended up going into extra innings til KemVp ended it with a Bison Bomb. Was listening to the game on the radio and once the final out was recorded I started to head down to Anaheim. Got there around 6:20ish and there were no more than 60 or so people in front of me. The OC guys were passing out pizza and bottled water. Must of heard about Kemp's delivery service from the previous day. A nice touch by the guys there. Thank you. I didn't expect many people as it was a pay signing and it wasn't someone big ( yet ). Kind of reminded me of Kemp and Ethier paid signings years ago before they got big. Now even paid events for both of those players are hundreds long of people. Dee arrived around 7:00 in his new Dodger Challenger. Being in the auto industry I can appreciate nice rides and this one is a nice one. Probably one of my favorites from recent years. Nothing beats classic muscle cars though from back in the day. Had to take a picture of me and the car. Admire but respect so no touching. Once there they started letting people in about 5 or so at a time. Waiting wasn't bad as I chatted up a few people. One young boy and his family who were mostly Angel fans told me that the son already had 100+ autograph balls and 4 bats filled with autographs and I would say he was no more than 8. Kind of jealous. Once we were let into the store the line slowed a tad but that was ok because it was caused by Dee being courteous with everyone and talking to each person. If asked for a photo he actually got out from behind the table and stood up with you. Not like some where you just do a lean in photo ( which I have no problem with ). Dee was great and hope his rehab goes well and hope to see him on the field this week.

TWITTER , FACEBOOK , BLOGS , FANS AND DODGERS

                                          

Got up this morning and logged into my computer and checked my email. Did some work and then took my allotted break of about 15 minutes. I then proceeded to check facebook, this blog and many others as I continue to check twitter as I look for that little news snip it or insult or just some dumb comment by a misinformed individual. I personally enjoy doing all these things and love getting new information just for the sake of having it compute in my brain.

A few of the Dodgers have facebook and twitter accounts and our obsession with our team got me to wondering if as Dodger and/or baseball fans do we take it too far? Case in point, yesterday on twitter someone created an account to just slam Matt Kemp and how he "communicates" on there. I like many people responded and defended one of if not most popular players on our team. Now I ask, if we saw this in an everyday situation between ordinary people would we care or even bother butting in? Is all this because we love our team and look up to them and take care of our own? Do we identify with them in some aspect or do we just love being part of a "family"? I think it is a little bit of everything.

I started this blog right after I and 11 other people participated in and won a Dodger sponsored scavenger hunt that was communicated through twitter which I only joined a few months prior so I can keep up on the gossip of people and my beloved Dodgers. So I am one many that uses social media now to check on status of people or tweet on something that I just found out or like now write out some rambling thoughts in my head. I know people in my life that think I am obsessed with social media now amongst other things but I feel that if I didn't do these things I would be left out of the loop and not be as well informed as I would like. I fully understand where those people stand and how others see no need in their life for anything computer related or for social media interaction but for me it is something I do and something I really enjoy. Without these outlets I would have never met those other scavenger hunt players and made new friends. If I didn't read and join blogs I possibly would miss out on some new Dodger, movie, comic, gossip news or upcoming appearance/signing ( another subject for a future post ). All this allows me to also learn about worldly developments as well so it's just not for hobby material but real life events that matter.

So, to the people that don't like us tweeters or facebook updaters each and every hour of the day or blog reader I say, fine, that's your right and you are allowed to have that belief just as I and many other have the right to do the things you think are trivial or time wasting in your eyes.

So as I look internally I say no, I am not obsessed. Our lives are just that, ours. I like meeting new friends via twitter, signings and reading blogs that give me that information that I crave. I love having this blog, even though not a lot of followers as of yet but still a great place to just write out my thoughts. The Dodgers are our team so they are our family and we will defend them as such and when and where we see fit. Comics are still a great read. Movies are a fun escape with all the real world problems. And acquiring autographs and meeting players is just a fun and different experience each time. So I will continue to do all these things as that is what I like to do along with "normal" things as I think it is part of life and no matter what you do, good or bad, aggressive or passive, everything enhances you and molds you into who and what you are.

So follow me on twitter, @senor_penguino , check my status on facebook, read and join my blog and after I watch my movie Saturday and catch the Dodger score come join me in Anaheim and meet Dodger Dee Gordon for an autograph signing. 

= )  

2011 PLAYOFFS... DO WE WANT THEM TO MAKE A PUSH ???

Entertain my thinking for just a moment. Since we got an unexpected win last night thanks to some "clutch" hitting and a moth to the head of one of the Cardinals two big hitters it got me looking at the standings at which we stand "just" 10 1/2 games out. As I have been saying to myself for two months now this season is done for us but I wanted to play devil's advocate for a moment. Let's take a look at the next 16 games for the Dodgers and 15 games for the Giants and D-Backs. I am excluding the Rockies directly as we are playing them as well as the D-Backs. The Dodgers schedule is :

• @ STL for 2 - win 2  Dodgers win 2 out of 2. check
• vs COL for 3 - win 2  Dodgers win 2 out of 3. check
• vs SD for 3 - win 3 Doders win 3 out of 3. check
• @ PIT for 1 - win 1 Dodgers win the game. check
• @ ATL for 3 - win 1 Dodgers did one better. double check
• @ WAS for 4 - win 3

For that 16 game stretch that would put them at 12-4. The key I believe is the next two nights and the only reason I am saying we can win both is that we have Kershaw and Kuroda up next for us. I think the only other "stretch" would be the three out of four in Washington. Still doable though.
Giants schedule is :

• vs SD for 2 - win 1   Giants win 1 out of 2. check
• vs HOU for 4 - win 2  Giants win 2 out of 4. check
• vs CHI for 3 - win 2 Giants win 1 out of 3. double check
• vs AZ for 3 - win 2 Giants win 1 out of 3. They are done and costing us at the same time
• @ SD for 3 - win 1

For that 15 game stretch that would put them at 8-7. This can only happen if Houston gives them just enough hard time to split the series and and San Diego to also give them a hard time. Both have happened recently and can happen again. The D-Backs schedule is :

• @ WAS for 3 - win 2  D-Backs win 3 out of 3. Missed by one.
• vs SD for 3 - win 2  D-Backs win 3 out of 3. Missed by one. Ugh
• vs COL for 3 - win 2 D-Backs win 3 out of 3. Missed again by one. U-G-H !!!
• @ SF for 3 - win 1 D-Backs win 2 out of 3. At least its not the Giants who will win the west.
• @ COL for 3 - win 1

For that 15 game stretch that would put them at 8-7. Though I think Washington might be able to get two wins I will stickwith just the one.
If all of these scenarios come close that should put the Dodgers 7 games back of the division leader heading into the last part of the season with 6 games against each the Giants and D-Backs and "easier" games vs the Pirates and Padres. So question comes do we want them to do well enough to get our hopes up and possibly get dashed at the end or do just want the season to end and possibly get a good pick? And if the Dodgers succeed that means more money into McCourt's pocket which none of us want. What say you?

UPCOMING APPEARANCE/SIGNING : MAURY WILLS, BILL MADLOCK AND PETE ROSE

Diamond Star Sports Cards will be hosting their second sport cards and memorabilia show of the year at the Glendale Civic Auditorium this upcoming October 28 - October 30. Two guests have been announced so far. Back in May they had four guests and they state they will announce more so I expect at least a couple more to be added to the list. I've met both before. Both are talkers and personable and have good stories to share if they are not rushed and have the time.

Bill Madlock and Vida Blue have now been added to the list of people that will be appearing. I don't expect anymore to be added but if so I will update as needed.

2012 Lineup

If the Dodgers pull another 2011 they will be playing in front of crowds like this in 2012 if they don't make any real changes. I am assuming McCourt will still be owning the team even if it is obvious it wont be for long. The Dodgers are not a terrible team but not a very good one as well. Their pitching is solid if not great. They truly just need some offense. Kemp's MVP type season is being wasted because other than Either there really is no one else that gives other teams any reservation to pitching to in key moments. Makes Kemp's stats that more impressive. I don't think the team needs to be blown up but it does need to adjusted. I love Pujols and would love to have him on our team but at his age and asking price I wouldn't pull the trigger. Now, if you can get him at a high annual ( 30M ) over 3-4 years than maybe that is doable. Other than that the Dodgers are going to have to overpay to get someone of worth here. I think if you can get Prince Fielder to come here at a 5 yr 125-140M you can secure the present and future at the same time. So if you can get him for only 5 years and not the crazy 8-10 year deals that are out there you won't be saddled with an aging star at 37 but one that you can let go at 33 and bring up someup from the minors or another free agent and he can on to be a great DH in the AL. The two most important members of the team are Kemp and Kershaw and we need to show them that we are serious of winning or you can say goodbye to Kemp in 2013 no matter how much he says he loves LA. Man wants to win. Using Prince as your 1st baseman I would set up the lineup as such.

• SS Dee Gordon
• RF Andre Either
• CF Matt Kemp
• 1B Prince Fielder
• 3B Juan Uribe
• LF Jerry Sands
• C A.J. Ellis ( or another minor leaguer )
• 2B Justin Sellers
• P

Bench would include Gwynn, Rivera, Carroll and obviously you would need some other players. Andre is not your typically 2 hole player but it is what it is. You can keep your lefty righty split and finally have some protection for Kemp and if Andre comes into form then that is a formidable 2-4. I fully expect Andre to have his last go around next year but with Kemp and Prince in the lineup with hopefully the maturity of Dee and Jerry you can build on the future while contending in the present. I plugged in Sellers for 2B but that can be worked on if that is not the solution. We have money coming off the books this year ( Broxton, Loney, Blake, Kuroda though I hope he stays and might with a brighter future, Barajas, Navarro, etc ) that this is feasible. I think McCourt can make either one big purchase or alot of little ones. This past year proved that alot of "little" ones hasn't worked. Time to go for the big gun and get some offense so when your starting pitchers in two games give up just two runs to the hottest team in baseball that you don't think its already a lost game. Time to man up Dodgers.

UPCOMING APPEARANCE/SIGNING : DEE GORDON

Dee Gordon is doing a signing at OC Dugout on August 27th around 5:00 p.m. All depends on the Dodger/Rockie game that starts at 1:10 p.m.

• Small $ 20
• Large $ 30
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Think Clue Winner's Week

I had the privilege to meet a lot of great people this past week from being one of the winners of the recent Dodgers hosted #thinkclue scavenger hunt. A shout out to Adam from the Dodgers who hosted the event at the stadium. My father in law and I were in a heated battle with a group consisting of Steve and Josh. Not gonna get into it but the debate is still ongoing to who actually came in first. To lessen the fights I will go with 1 and 1A. But Adam has confirmed whose "tweet" registered first. Ha Ha. Tito and his niece had car issues but their determination held strong and they were one of the 5. Connie with her James Loney love also completed the race in time to get the opportunity of possibly meeting him on the field. Which we did. Good for you Connie. Frank and his son came in "last" but 5th was still good enough for the prize we won. We all got to go on field this past Saturday to watch batting practice on the field and have a meet and greet with Don Mattingly the Dodger manager. On top of that we all received two field level tickets to all six games this past week. Frank wanted more air time so he went and caught two foul balls during the game which were caught on tv. Though I personally would have loved to meet more players on the field (Kemp is the man) I can not complain on what we did and won. Our Dodger love propelled us to winning the scavenger hunt and our reward was to experience something that most fans will never get to know. The bonus was getting to meet some new friends that have a common interest and having debates (Navarro still sucks) and taking in a lot of entertaining games. Congrats to us all. We will always be the first THINKCLUE winniners. See you guys next year. Game on.