6-4-2 — an Angels/Dodgers double play blog: Dodgers Eight Their Fill: Padres 6, Dodgers 1

Proceeds from the ads below will be donated to the Bob Wuesthoff scholarship fund.

Friday, April 22, 2005

Dodgers Eight Their Fill: Padres 6, Dodgers 1

So the Dodgers lost a game last night. It's all good, really, because the Dodgers' eight-game winning streak made me actually start to sympathize with the anonymous dude who writes Dodger Blues, Bill Plaschke, and T.J. Simers, perverse as it may seem; the DePo Dodgers being off to their best start since the Brooklyn days, practically, gives these guys not a whole lot to write about:

I told Jeff Kent, "I'm with you guys win or lose," and he groaned, and for the record you should probably know that no matter what I say to Kent, his first response is always to groan.
"When I was on other teams, I'd read your stuff and feel sorry for the Dodgers," Kent said, and I think we can all recall times when we felt sorry for the Dodgers.

Of course Kent's groaning; look at this column:

[Darin Erstad] is just like Jeff Kent on the baseball field. I'm not saying I like Kent, of course, because Kent still remains a little condescending, and certainly removed from any small talk that might be interpreted as having a good time.

You get a thick skin reading such stuff, but from Simers, when the team's on a real, middle-of-August, fry-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk hot streak, about all Simers can grouse about is Kent's grunting in the presence of a certifiable ass.

Of course, I don't mean by this that Dodger Blues deserves to be lumped in with the Times' terrible two. The Blues writer, whoever he may be, is obviously annoyed with the Dodgers' mediocrity, but he's not out to roast the team at all costs (like Simers); consider this after last year's incredible comeback division-clinching win:

Going in to the bottom of the ninth, it looked like the Dodgers were dead. They were barely breathing, and already showing signs of rigormortis. A couple walks, a couple hits, and a grand slam later, however, the Dodgers had turned the tables. Let's get one thing straight right now though: Steve Finley's grand slam is NOT going to replace the Kirk Gibson home run counter. They won the West, not the goddamn World Series. That said, pretty incredible fucking day. [...] A 3-run lead, an error, a bullpen collapse, a game-tying hit off a former Dodgers, a walk-off slam... we couldn't ask for anything more.

That is, the difference between Simers and Blues is that Simers needs the Dodgers to play badly; Dodger Blues actively cheers for them when they do well.

In the midst of this, Bradley's hitting streak ended, but Jason Phillips' continued. I won't naysay this team -- not yet, anyway, not until they hit .500. Heading to Colorado, they stand a good chance of going 2-1 against a reeling Rockies team. That would make them 14-4, still a heck of a good record.

Recap

// posted by Rob @ 9:25 AM link // 0 comments