6-4-2 — an Angels/Dodgers double play blog

During civil proceedings against the two men who beat Bryan Stow (all emboldening mine):

"You're saying to the jury, 'They (the Stow family) are saying we're 100 percent liable. But does that mean (Marvin) Norwood and (Louis) Sanchez, who beat this guy up, have no liability? And, does it mean Mr. Stow himself has no liability?'"

...

"I've been doing these cases for 23 years and I have never seen one yet in which it didn't take at least two people to tango," he said, referring to the notion that jurors could decide Stow bears some liability in the attack. "So stay tuned and stand by."

Labels: bryan stow, dodgers, mccourts, scumbags

Some very good news buried in this fairly short Times story by Bill Shaikin on the Dodgers asking for an extension to the deadline to file a bankruptcy plan (to April 25):

Major League Baseball has asked Gross to terminate the Dodgers' exclusivity so the league can propose a reorganization plan of its own — that is, to get the team sold this winter. Gross wrote last month that he intended "a prompt disposition of the key issues" so that the Dodgers could "utilize the approaching off season to prepare for the 2012 season."

That does not sound like the judge favors an extension.

Shaikin's Twitter feed this morning is full of what appears to be an interesting story about today's hearing. In the meantime, he's got another piece up about how MLB calculated Frank "looting" $189M from the Dodgers. Bryan Stow's family are now listed as creditors of the team.

Gross has ruled that Dodger Stadium security is a valid issue in the bankruptcy proceedings, as he determines the condition of the Dodgers. Stow's attorney, Thomas Girardi, has said his client's medical bills could exceed $50 million.

It takes a special kind of self-absorbed arrogance to make this comment:

"[Selig] set about fabricating the public misimpression that security at Dodger Stadium was somehow inadequate," the Dodgers' filing read. "This is, by far, the most unforgivable action taken by the commissioner during this entire saga, and has caused enorrmous and irreparable harm to the Dodgers, Mr. McCourt and the game of baseball."

And, OMG, this:

The Dodgers also charge Selig with bad faith in declaring he would reject any television contract proposed by McCourt. The league claims any deal would necessarily require McCourt to divert some team revenue for personal use, including a $130-million divorce settlement.

That claim, the Dodgers said, is "simply make believe."

So Frank tells Jamie's attorney she gets $130M in the settlement, while the only possible way to get that money is by selling TV rights he is not entitled to auction until after the 2012 season is finished. Insane.

Labels: bryan stow, dodgers, mccourts

Various and sundry on a Wednesday morn:

• T.J. Simers unloads on the McCourts, which these days is shooting fish in a barrel, but they deserves it.
• MLB withdrew a bid to have the McCourts' attorneys disqualified from bankruptcy proceedings.
• The Dodgers and MLB traded charges at yesterday's bankruptcy proceedings, the Dodgers hauling out their "MLB forced us into bankruptcy, boo hoo" schtick again, while Fox threatened not to air the last two years of Dodgers games they were contractually required to do if the Dodgers rebid their TV rights including the final year of the contract and in advance of the negotiating window.

  Under the MLB Constitution, the league cannot strip an owner of his team without providing him a list of charges in writing, extending an opportunity for a hearing and securing the vote of three-fourths of other owners.

  "The commissioner does not have the authority to force an owner to sell," the Dodgers' filing read.

  Instead, the team claims, Selig responded to the "enormous negative publicity" of last year's divorce trial by refusing to let the Dodgers sign a new television contract with Fox, take a loan from Fox or tap into the MLB credit line.

  His lies are getting bigger and bolder over time:

  The Dodgers said it was "unlikely that Fox Sports can assert any meaningful damages" for an early sale of the television rights. In turn, Fox threatened a damages claim so high it would threaten McCourt's promise to repay all creditors in full and "render meaningless" his financial projections.

• Bryan Stow is out of the hospital for good now. Godspeed to him, and I hope Frank pays and pays for that man's misery.
• In Boston and Cubs news, it appears that Theo Epstein has a 5-year/$15M deal with the Cubs, per a report from WEEI, the Red Sox' radio broadcaster.

Labels: bryan stow, cubs, dodgers, front office, mccourts, red sox

Bobby Abreu Did What? Angels 6, Yankees 4

Twitter being this high-speed, low-signal-to-noise medium that it is, I don't now recall who mentioned this, but Abreu had hit one home run per month up until yesterday — at which point he got a pair in a single game, one of them off Mo Rivera. Whether that qualifies as a miracle or not depends on how good you think Rivera is at this stage of his career. He carried a 1.87 ERA into yesterday's game, so you can scarcely complain if you're a Yankees fan.

The most hilaripus part was the ending: with Mark Teixeira at the place, Curtis Granderson erased himself trying to steal second, which sounds like the kind of mistake Mike Scioscia would make. It's what I love about this game: every day, there's something else weird.

Dan Haren pitched well through six, but got into trouble in the seventh that Fernando Rodney predictably amplified by allowing all his inherited baserunners to score, foreclosing on a win for Haren, who surely deserved better.

ESPN Box • Angels recap

Bryan Stow Beating Suspects Plead "Not Guilty"; Stow's Condition Improves

Louie Sanchez and Marvin Norwood pled not guilty to charges they beat Bryan Stow, according AP reports.

In related news, Stow is moving his arm and kissed his sister, according to a press release from his family. Prosecutors in the case say Sanchez and Norwood made 'admissions' regarding the events of the day.

Dodgers To Lose $29M In Attendance Revenue

Wow.

Happy Garret Richards Day!

A fun post in the Register by Sam Miller about what to expect from newbie Garret Richards, lately hauled up from AA Arkansas.

Eddie Bane Speaks Out

He said, she said. I disagree with Sam Miller when he says, "I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bane firing hangs over his head more than any player move he has made. More than Kazmir, more than Wells." That's because Bane drafts weren't that great, and the team wasted picks on some players who clearly weren't going to sign.

Labels: angels, bryan stow, dodgers, recaps, yankees

Some good news. I hope he is able to recuperate soon.

Labels: bryan stow, dodgers

The Times has a story about one of the suspects in the Bryan Stow beating:

Ramirez was booked on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon and is being held on $1 million bail. Because he is accused of kicking Stow while he was unconscious on the ground, police consider Ramirez's foot a deadly weapon.

...

Ramirez, who police said is a documented member of the Varrio Nuevo Estrada street gang, has at least three prior felony convictions. According to police sources, he was convicted of attempted robbery in 1998, robbery in 1999, and firing a weapon in a public place in 2005.

Labels: bryan stow, dodgers

On the home page of the Times, details presumably to follow.

Story, following. Few details (the suspect isn't named).

Labels: bryan stow, dodgers

Really heartwarming story in the aftermath of a tragedy:

Lamar Advertising has some 5,000 billboards in Los Angeles and Orange counties. Curious one morning and feeding a gnawing helplessness, he checked his inventory, knowing spring would be slow, that there would be vacancies, that the busy summer months were weeks away.

Baker contacted his corporate lobbyist, who put him in touch with LAPD Chief Charlie Beck to discuss donating the billboards. Lamar had 200 sites available that day, and another 100 would come free shortly thereafter.

One of the billboards, near the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Marion Avenue a half-mile from Dodger Stadium, looks like the rest. “WANTED,” it pleads across the top, “Attempted Murder at Dodger Stadium.” It offers a reward, lists a phone number, and bears the police sketches of the two alleged attackers.

Labels: bryan stow, dodgers

NBC Sports passes on an AP report that Bryan Stow has opened his eyes and is off one of the five anti-seizure medications he's been placed on. His doctors say it's still a long way from knowing when he will have a diagnosis.

The Dodgers increased the reward for information leading to the arrest of the assailants by $100,000, making the total now $200,000. The LAPD yesterday revealed a woman drove the getaway car of the suspects. Bryan's mother Ann Stow praised the support she received in Los Angeles, saying "This truly is the city of angels" as her son was transferred to a San Francisco hospital.

Labels: bryan stow, dodger stadium, dodgers

Don't Make A Correia Out Of It: Dodgers 10, Pirates 3

As humiliating as yesterday's loss was, today's win was equally amusing, not least because of its unlikeliness. The offense scored ten runs for only the second time this year, while recording only their fourth win since April 25. The Dodgers haven't won a series since, and wow.

Ted Lilly kept the Buccos off the board until the sixth, when Andrew McCutcheon hit a leadoff blast to nudge Pittsburgh to a 4-1 deficit, and later gave up a sac fly to Neil Walker to make it 4-2. But that was as close at the Pirates ever got, because the Dodgers got one of those back on Jerry Sands' infield single that scored Rod Barajas from third in the seventh, and then proceeded to blow the game open in the eighth against Mike Crotta (who failed to make an out) and Chris Resop (who allowed all three of his inherited baserunners to score). Resop even graciously allowed consecutive bases-loaded walks to Jerry Sands and — I am not making this up — reliever Matt Guerrier, for whom yesterday's plate appearance was his third all-time. When you're cold, you're cold.

ESPN Box • Dodgers recap

Update: Bad me, reusing a hed.

Return Of The Offense: Angels 6, White Sox 2

A real lollipop of a win compared to yesterday, the Angels held the lead from first inning on, drubbing John Danks for three runs and never looking back. Plus, rally masks, and a game I wish I could have attended. Joel Pineiro pitched another home gem — the announcers mentioned that in his last seven home starts he has some unearthly one point something ERA. The funny part of all that was seeing Howie Kendrick penciled in as a starting left fielder; but the canny Mike Scioscia knew the groundball-inducing Pineiro wouldn't allow any fly balls to left, and so it was. No balls even found Howie, and the only ball hit to left was Alexei Ramirez' single in the eighth, by which time Howie had been safely switched back to first base.

The Angels will get to face Jake Peavy in the finale, which could be great or terrible, considering. Peavy was a winner in his May 5 rehab start with AAA Charlotte, giving up five runs over seven innings, all earned.

ESPN Box • Angels recap

Frank Will Try To Charm The Other Owners After All Other Options Exhausted

Good luck with that. Great story by Bill Shaikin that really gives us some more insight into why the owners would fall in lockstep behind Bud Selig on the takeover of the Dodgers, and the eviction of Frank McCourt:

Among baseball's owners, McCourt appears to have what the Lakers' Andrew Bynum would call "trust issues."

Some owners did not appreciate McCourt and his ex-wife, Jamie McCourt, contesting their divorce so publicly and bitterly. The revelations about all that spending on estates and hairdressers and private jets have threatened the credibility of every other owner who pledges to funnel profits back into his team.

The owners were disturbed to read that McCourt had set up a mechanism by which the Dodgers paid rent to play in a stadium they owned, millions of dollars that might otherwise have gone toward baseball's revenue-sharing plan. The owners were more disturbed to learn that the league had approved the mechanism, apparently without the due diligence that Schieffer has now been installed to provide.

The owners grew concerned when McCourt proclaimed he had stadium security under control after the Bryan Stow beating, only to see the Los Angeles Police Department temporarily take over and Selig dispatch a six-man task force. The owners do not need fans wondering whether their favorite team employs a full-time head of security, since the Dodgers had left the position vacant for four months.

The owners are astonished that McCourt needed a loan to make his first payroll of the season, even more surprised by the plummeting attendance at Dodger Stadium, all those empty seats meaning millions more dollars disappearing from the revenue-sharing pool.

One major league owner referred to it as a "fan boycott."

Josh Fisher has more thinking on the possibility of a bankruptcy filing.

Labels: angels, bryan stow, dodgers, mccourts, pirates, recaps, white sox

From Yahoo's Tim Brown:

“The question is, do we deserve a chance?” Steve Soboroff, the new man on owner Frank McCourt’s staff, said. “We’re getting the death penalty for, maybe there were some traffic tickets.”

Mr. Bryan Stow would disagree, were he conscious to do so. So:

“If they’re doing an investigation, where are the people?” Soboroff demanded. “Unless they’ve already figured out the answer and this whole thing is a rope-a-dope.”

Bingo.

Labels: bryan stow, dodgers, mccourts, stfu, stupid ideas

When I started this blog in 2004 (!), one of its aims if not its principal goal was to cheer on the exit of the McCourts. The McCourts make great villains: greedy, spendthrift, and foreign, they nonetheless provided a useful backdrop for what has turned out to be some remarkably good years, considering their late history under Peter O'Malley.

But the divorce exposed them for who they really were, and that was a story of wasted resources, of an unprecedented looting of team finances to support unimaginable personal opulence. The Bryan Stow beating may not have been the last straw, as Jon suggested yesterday, but it certainly was an additional warning sign that the McCourts had no particular concern about the team (recall that at the time of the beating, there was no head of security).

My own view of Selig's motivations is that Jay Jaffe is right: Selig has the votes needed to force a sale of the team. Why would that be? The obvious reasons to me are twofold:

1. Frank's indebtedness directly attacks the valuation of the Dodgers, which in turn erodes the value of all other franchises. If, as the Forbes analysis is correct, McCourt's scheming and borrowing had eroded the amount of equity remaining in the team. All it could be sold for would be perhaps $300M — a pittance. With a sale imminent, either of partial or full ownership, there was simply no way the other owners could watch such a debacle.
2. For Bud, it's personal. The other team that is likely to go on the auction block soon is that of his close friend, Fred Wilpon, who may need to liquidate the team in order to satisfy a judgement against him thanks to his witless involvement with Bernie Madoff. Selig cannot stop that from happening, but a low valuation for the Dodgers would be reflected in the sale price of the Mets. For the Wilpons, that could be the difference between penury and survival.

The last-ditch attempt to get a personal loan from Fox, backed by the Bingham McCutcheon lawsuit shows just how dire Frank's cash situation was. If Bud hadn't pulled the plug yesterday, it would be a bankruptcy court, or maybe a disgruntled player whose six-figure paycheck bounced. While embarrassing to the league, none of that would have been enough to justify taking over the team. Only a direct threat to other owners could do that.

I hope that this will be the real beginning of the end. We've had so many false endings with the McCourts that it's been like a bad slasher picture.

---

Update: Mike Ozanian once again:

... Selig will prevail because he will use “The Best Interests of Baseball” power of his office (which he has widened under his stay in office) to say that McCourt violated his fiduciary duty to the Dodgers by using the team’s finances to buy real estate.

Update 2: New employee (?) Steve Soboroff defends his boss:

Soboroff, a former advisor to former Mayor Richard Riordan, a mayoral candidate and the developer of Playa Vista, was hired by McCourt on Tuesday. In a meeting with reporters, Soboroff said, "Frank McCourt is financially fine."

Selig was said to be aghast at that statement, but Soboroff did not back down. He cited the Fox deal, potential real estate development in the Dodger Stadium parking lot and unidentified "other potential new revenue sources" as untapped sources of revenue for McCourt.

...

"We need more people like Frank McCourt."

Okay, Steve, I'll take that as a vote for "I, too, wish to be hated and derided like the sycophant I am." Yesterday's statement — nowhere to be found on the Dodgers' website — sent out by Josh Rawitch, was telling in what it did not say:

"Major League Baseball sets strict financial guidelines which all 30 teams must follow. The Dodgers are in compliance with these guidelines. On this basis, it is hard to understand the Commissioner's action today."

Up is down, and down is up.

Also: belated thanks to Jay Jaffe for forwarding an audio clip of Vinny's characteristically we're-here-to-watch-a-baseball-game remarks prior to yesterday's CG.

Update 3: I think I would read the phone book if it had Craig Calcaterra's byline.

If you’re thinking that this is a warning shot from McCourt to Bud Selig, you’re right. That kind of claim — baseball is interfering with our right to make money! — is the stuff of a tort action. And while I was somewhat dismissive of the prospects of a lawsuit in my posts earlier this morning [links mine -- RLM] — and on a straight “does baseball have the right to do this” basis, I still think McCourt has no legitimate claim — these comments (and some more research into Frank McCourt’s more-litigious-than-I-remembered history) make me wonder if we’re not ready for Armageddon.

Labels: bryan stow, dodgers, mccourts

Via MSTI, Bill Shaikin tweets that MLB will take over the Dodgers this afternoon. HALLELUJAH!

Update: Times report of the press release from Bud Selig:

"Pursuant to my authority as Commissioner, I informed Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt today that I will appoint a representative to oversee all aspects of the business and the day-to-day operations of the Club. I have taken this action because of my deep concerns regarding the finances and operations of the Dodgers and to protect the best interests of the Club, its great fans and all of Major League Baseball. My office will continue its thorough investigation into the operations and finances of the Dodgers and related entities during the period of Mr. McCourt's ownership. I will announce the name of my representative in the next several days. The Dodgers have been one of the most prestigious franchises in all of sports, and we owe it to their legion of loyal fans to ensure that this club is being operated properly now and will be guided appropriately in the future."

Update 2: Bill Shaikin says McCourt was informed of this move late last night, and was given a letter outlining specific issues. I would lurve to get my hands on a copy of that correspondence.

Update 3: There is no truth to the rumor — at least as far as I can tell — that Vin Scully's contract will be sold to a Korean team to make payroll.

Update 4: The New York Times analysis:

The two people with knowledge of Selig’s thinking would not be identified because they had not been authorized to talk publicly about the commissioner’s possible plan of action.

They said Selig believes that McCourt has badly damaged the value and reputation of the Dodgers while concerned only with his own profits and perks.

...

Although McCourt is not part of Selig’s inner circle, like Fred Wilpon, the principal owner of the Mets, another troubled franchise, it might not be easy to force out even an unpopular owner [emphasis mine].

Ya think??!

Jay Jaffe:

I have to think Bud's got the votes he needs among other owners to push McCourt out. Guy never acts without knowing he's got consensus.

Update 5: Via Craig Calcaterra, TMZ.com reports the McCourts are being investigated by the IRS. This should not come as a surprise; Dodger Divorce wrote about their distributions hiding as tax-free "loans" from their various operating entities back in February.

Update 6: Joshua Fisher at Dodger Divorce finally gets away from his more prosaic pursuits (law school? Bah!) and gives us an earful:

Jamie, for her part, released a statement expressing approval of baseball's actions (link above). However, the necessity of MLB intervention in the first place is likely terrible news for her. Her biggest payday was going to come from either a sale of the team at market value or a massive check coming from the infusion of new capital in Frank's ownership of the Dodgers, through a sale of a minority share, the creation of a new cable network, or a lucrative extension of the club's current TV deal. Now, everything is in limbo.

Update 7: Via Dodger Thoughts, AP via ESPN is reporting the Dodgers could ultimately land on the auction block:

A person familiar with Selig's thinking said the commissioner may choose to force a sale. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because Selig's statement did not mention that.

Update 8: Dylan O. Hernandez tweets that Ned Colletti has not been told who his new boss is.

Update 9: Tim Brown at Yahoo:

This, you should know, is not only about Frank McCourt’s inability to make payroll last week, for which he secured a $30 million loan from Fox, as the Los Angeles Times reported. Nor was it only about firing the security chief just before he let all the people into his building. Nor was it only about funding his divorce through season-ticket and beer sales. Nor was it only about a team that sometimes looks like it should be in Pittsburgh and not the second-largest market in the country.

This was about all of it, every stinkin’ inch McCourt has taken, when he should have given two. This was about a franchise that can’t know how it will live tomorrow, since it never thinks about tomorrow, since it’s already borrowed against all of tomorrow’s money. This was about an owner securing a $30 million loan, using as collateral the settlement he expects to win from suing his own former attorneys at Boston’s Bingham McCutchen, which drafted the faulty marital property agreement. And then about being so desperate to take a below-value television deal in L.A, potentially devaluing other owners’ future contracts in places that aren’t L.A.

That, and the fact that with the team so very indebted, the clearing price for a forced sale would be around the $300M remaining in equity estimated by Forbes. With the Wilpons on the hot seat due to the ongoing lawsuit that could conceivably wipe them out, the last thing Selig wants to see is a transaction that could erode franchise values — especially one that would be used as a comp for his friends' team.

Steve Dilbeck in the Times has more. Apparently the Fox loan was collateralized by a promise to give Fox any proceeds from a suit against Bingham McCutcheon in case of default.

"No accountant would even let you put that on your balance sheet," said Raman Sain, principal at Holthouse, Van Carlin & Trigt, a Southern California accounting firm that reviewed the Dodgers' financial records for The Times last year.

Sain said the nature of the loan -- as opposed to McCourt getting a traditional bank loan or line of credit -- indicated the Dodgers' financial situation was "pretty dire."

Update 10: More from Josh Fisher:

Total MLB takeover is a real possibility, but I want to spend a moment talking about one not quite as public at the moment: a sale in bankruptcy. A factor leading to bankruptcy, of course, is insolvency. I have no idea if the McCourt Enterprise's debts exceed its assets. But we have strong evidence that the Dodgers were very near the point of being unable to pay bills as they came due. MLB's intervention might keep the McCourt regime from having to declare bankruptcy, but there may come a point at which availing himself of bankruptcy protections and the opportunity to reorganize his finances might be attractive to Frank from a business standpoint.

Jamie, he writes, "might be seeing a 9-figure payday vanish into thin air", and I'm inclined to agree. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see both of them in irons at a Club Fed near you.

County supervisor Mike Antonavich wants to see Peter O'Malley run the team as an agent of MLB. I agree with others, who say that Kim Ng, recently transported to the Commissioner's office, would be in the best possible position to land here and become the team's overlord.

Update 11: One last post before tackling the day's games: Jon Weisman on the irredeemable Frank McCourt. Excerpt:

... as I walked through all the different stories about today's news, as if I were a shopper in a McCourt Mall of Horrors, I found myself thinking about the person whose name has been in the news, top of mind, every day this month until today: Bryan Stow.

The Giants fan whose horrifying beating in the gloaming of Opening Day in the Dodger Stadium parking lot March 31 will not be found on any McCourt spreadsheet. The severity of the event, sadly enough, wasn't even unprecedented in Dodger Stadium history.

But in the days after it occurred, as you felt the groundswell of horror and shame sweep through the world of the Dodgers - an emotional wave that only gained momentum with McCourt's initial public declaration that nothing could have been done to prevent it - I began to feel that Stow's beating, more than any rising parking fees, inconsistent spending on players or appalling revelations of greed in court documents related to McCourt's divorce from wife Jamie, was the baseball world's "Network" moment.

It was just too ugly, and people weren't going to take it anymore.

I think McCourt realized this too, which is why, at a certain point this month, you started to see almost daily press releases, press conferences or other kinds of announcements determined to show his commitment to rehabilitating the Dodgers' (and in turn, his) relationship with the fans and baseball.

If Jon's analysis is right — and there's good reason to think that it is — there's a tremendous irony in the prospect that the senseless bludgeoning of a Giants fan at Dodger Stadium impelled Bud Selig to finally eject the McCourts from their ownership position.

Labels: bryan stow, dodgers, good riddance, mccourts

Bryan Stow, the Giants fan beaten at opening day at Dodger Stadium, went into seizures today and was placed back in a medically-induced coma. He remains in critical condition.

Labels: bryan stow, dodger stadium, dodgers

I hate the blame-the-substance thinking that goes into this, but given the circumstances, it makes a certain amount of sense: the Dodgers are canceling plans to hold half-price alcohol sales at six games this year. Of course, we have no idea whether Bryan Stow's attackers were drunk at the time.

Labels: bryan stow, dodger stadium, dodgers

I am not generally in the habit of posting team press releases anymore, but owing to the critical nature of this effort it's worth it: on Monday, April 11 from 8 AM to 3 PM, the Dodgers in concert with the Times, KCAL 9, KABC radio, and Univision radio, will host a drive-through relief event for Bryan Stow, the Giants fan sent to the hospital. At 12:00, the team will make a spokesman available. The event will occur at Parking Lot 1, directly to the left from Gate A at the Sunset and Elysian Park entrance. Cash and checks made out to the "Bryan Stow Fund" will be accepted.

For those wishing to pay by PayPal, the address for donations is stowdonations@gmail.com. The fund is also accepting donations online at www.sfpcu.org.

Labels: bryan stow, dodgers

Bryan Stow was a Santa Clara County paramedic (via Vin Scully Is My Homeboy).

In another case of wanting to check my principles and/or my facts, T.J. Simers' weekend column blaming the McCourts for lax security is spot-on. McCourt's tone-deaf response on Saturday once more reaffirms how utterly out-of-touch he is with things on the ground. That 72 people were arrested on opening day says something about the sort of place Dodger Stadium has become under McCourt ownership.

Labels: bryan stow, dodgers

I'm going to get the Dodgers winning part out of the way first because it was the good part of the evening; the offense didn't look impressive at all getting there, in the end requiring a gift fielding screwup by San Francisco starter Carlos Sanchez that allowed pinch-hitter Hector Gimenez to reach on the ensuing error; but other parts of it were pretty good, as Matt Kemp's ground rule double in the third, and Rafael Furcal's RBI single in the sixth. More, Blake Hawksworth bent but did not break, getting out of a bases-loaded, two-out jam. It wasn't a great outing for him, but it worked.

No, the irritating part was the stadium security throwing Brandon Belt's home run ball back into the crowd. I know they're not too interested in getting things right there, but is it too much to ask that a guy's first major league knock go back to his own dugout? As with yesterday's beating of a Giants fan that resulted in said fan being hospitalized (possibly with permanent brain damage), Dodger Stadium security seems to be doing the wrong thing at the wrong time every game this season so far.

ESPN Box

Labels: bryan stow, dodgers, giants, recaps