6-4-2 — an Angels/Dodgers double play blog: Dodgers Find Winning Ethier Every Day: Dodgers 7, Cubs 4

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Thursday, September 06, 2007

Dodgers Find Winning Ethier Every Day: Dodgers 7, Cubs 4

The Dodgers whittled to 2.5 games the Padres' five-game lead that San Diego started this series with on Monday, convincingly clobbering the Cubs in the top of the ninth after doing next to nothing against Chicago's starting pitching. Andre Ethier's big pinch-hit three-run jack in the ninth was the game-winner, scribbling a big exclamation point on a game dominated offensively by Dodger kids: Ethier, Kemp, and Loney all homered, the latter two solo blasts, and all Dodger batters with RBIs were youth.

It made up for a somewhat mediocre night by Derek Lowe, mediocre, of course, by his usually good standards. Cubs fans, seeing a 4-3 lead erased with their closer in the game — really, the second best pitcher on the team after the suddenly amazing Carlos Marmol (1.45 ERA, 5-1, 12.38 K/9, 2.85 K/BB) — reportedly started chanting his name after anointed closer Ryan Dempster turned the game into a dumpster.

Ethier was a hero, of course, but in small matters we still catch a glimpse of the young men these players are, from Al Yellon:

You all have seen me write about Jenna, my daughter Rachel's friend who was Bat Mitzvah two weeks ago. Today, Jenna's mom came to the ballpark on her day off to get some Dodger autographs that Jenna had wanted. She got Mike Lieberthal to sign, a couple of others, and then went to Russell Martin, who wasn't signing very much, and Ethier, who she said at first she didn't even recognize.
Ethier told her: "I'm only going to sign as much as Martin does." Martin had signed, at that time, only one piece, so Ethier signed only one piece. Then Martin signed a few more, so Ethier did, too -- but only for the men waiting, not for Jenna's mom, who was the only woman around. She asked him, "Aren't you going to sign for me?"
His response will stun you. He said, "I already have five girlfriends, I don't want another one." She responded, "I don't want to be your girlfriend, I just want your autograph." But Ethier continued: "I'm just a Southwestern kind of guy, I like to rope my women in." (He's a native of Phoenix, Arizona.)
Stunned, Jenna's mom handed Ethier's card to one of the men in line and Ethier signed it (a pretty weak-looking signature, too, I might add).
Now, maybe Ethier thinks he was being funny, but it strikes me as being extremely rude. Oh, and in case any of the five girlfriends is reading this: you're not the only one!!!

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