Alomardodgers25team

THE DODGERS WIN!

2006-10-16T10:38:00.000-07:00

Down 9-5 going into the bottom of the 9th... Kent leads off the inning and homers. Drew homers. Trevor freakin' Hoffman comes in to pitch. Martin homers. Anderson homers! FOUR HOME RUNS IN A ROW TO TIE IT! Their work wasn't done, though. After giving up a run in the top of the 10th, Kenny Lofton led off the bottom half of the inning with a walk... and then hometown hero (and St. John Bosco graduate) Nomar Garciaparra hit one into the stands to win it and send the Dodgers back into first place! Let's go Dodgers!

More: This was really an amazing game. The Dodgers had just lost first place to the Padres the day before, and whoever won the game would emerge from the series as the division leader with just two weeks left in the season. L.A. had had a terrible time trying to beat the Padres this year, with San Diego beating the Dodgers in 13 of their 17 previous meetings this year. The Dodgers did all sorts of things to make this game more difficult to win, namely:

1. They staked the Padres to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
2. The Padres had baserunners in all 10 innings of play.
3. L.A. committed two errors in the game.
4. After tying up the game at 4-4, the Dodgers let the Padres load the bases in the 5th, though nobody scored.
5. In the 6th, with the score still tied, the Dodgers loaded the bases with nobody out... and yet still failed to score, thanks to Clay Meredith inducing a couple of easy infield grounders.
6. They let the Padres score two runs in the top of the 8th to take a 6-4 lead. The Dodgers got one run back in the bottom half of the inning, but then normally reliable closer Takashi Saito allowed three runs in the top of the 9th to make it 9-5 San Diego.
7. That, of course, set up the amazing bottom of the 9th. But mind you, even after the Dodgers had stunned the Padres and got the crowd on its feet by beginning the inning with 3 consecutive home runs, they were still 3 outs away from losing the game, a run down, nobody on base, and facing the amazing Trevor Hoffman on the mound.
8. And then, after completing their amazing comeback to send the game into extra innings, they fell behind again in the very next half-inning. At that point, the four home runs would have been a valiant effort, but not enough.

So, hats off to Nomar Garciaparra for finishing the job and turning a loss into a victory and vaulting the Dodgers back into first place. It was a great game for recent Dodger pickup Marlon Anderson, too, who went 5-for-5 with two home runs, including the 4th in a row in the 9th. Not just a great finish, but a thrilling white-knuckler of a game from start to finish. About the only thing you can't say about it was that it was well-pitched.

Some thoughts on the game from Baseball Musings, Dodger Thoughts, and the San Diego point-of-view.

Update: ESPN's Page 2 has a lot of quotes from people at Dodger Stadium about Monday's game. And yes, I know that the Dodgers dropped back out of first place yesterday; Monday's game was still great.

Games 149-150 Dodgers vs San Diego Padres 1:2, 11:10

2006-09-25T05:38:00.000-07:00

This will be a pretty quick recap. Marcin asked me to fill in and here i am several days later and a few hospital visits later (food poisoning, no not spinach) here I am.

Game 149, was a nail biter. The Dodgers were lucky to even be in that game. With the Padres success against the Dodgers this year and the lack of offensive output, it is a wonder the game was so close.

Derek Lowe pitched a spectacular game. However, it was all for naught as the Dodgers' bats fell silent once again.

The one shred of silver lining is at least it was the Dodgers who ended the Padres' Cla Meredith's consecutive innings scoreless streak at 34 innings.

Game 150, turned into a nail biter. The entire game, it appeared the Padres were going to take this must win game at Chavez Ravine and with it a one and a half game lead and probably the division flag.

But then a miracle happened; the Dodgers bats had a resurgence. Heads were shaking in disbelief on both sides. Nobody could believe what they had just witnessed.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Dodgers down 9 to 5, something that hadn't happened since 1964 occurred. No, I am not talking about the fans whom had already left actually coming back into the stadium from the parking lot. Although, I am sure it has been at least as long since that phenomena had happened as well. But no, this rare feat is what actually caused the fans to turn around.

The Dodgers's bats not only came alive in the bottom of the ninth, but they cracked out back-to-back-to-back-to-back homeruns, tying the game at nine a piece.

The Dodgers went into the top of the tenth with what seemed to be all the momentum in the world. But then Aaron Sele decided it just wasn't meant to be. For he, with this huge momentum shift on the side of the Dodgers, decided to let the Padres reclaim the lead.

The Dodgers came up in the bottom half of the tenth, most of the fans who had miraculously returned, had again begun to leave, realizing that their commute home just got prolonged for no good reason.

Well, Sele owes steak dinners to both Kenny Lofton and Nomar Garciaparra. Kenny Lofton drew a walk to lead off the tenth and Nomar, reminiscent of the previous inning, took the ball deep, hitting a walk off home run.

Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.

Note:

The four-game series drew 219,124 which is the largest ever for a four-game series at Dodger Stadium. One can definitely feel the playoffs in the air.

Hollywood Stars Game at Dodger Stadium

2006-08-21T10:50:00.000-07:00

Last night was the 48th Annual Hollywood Stars softball game at Dodger Stadium. It was also the first game I've been to this season and the first time I've been to the remodeled stadium (it's beautiful)
Jonny and Jen played in it. Jonny has been doing this for at least a decade, and Jen kind of just hung out with us on the warning track next to third base. Jonny actually won MVP for getting two "out of the park" home runs and doing better fielding than anyone else out there in his shortstop position. His team won 10-3.
from the Dodgers front page today, Jonny and Jen with Nomar and his wife, Mia Hamm
Here's an article from the Major League Baseball official website

LOS ANGELES -- Think about a company softball game, except the company is the entertainment industry and some very well-known names are taking part. Well, that's what happened at Dodger Stadium on Saturday at the 48th annual Hollywood Stars game.

The annual event started before the Dodgers came to Los Angeles in 1958. Celebrities such as Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole would take part in a yearly baseball game at the old Gilmore Field on Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles, home of the original Hollywood Stars of the old Pacific Coast League. The celebrities moved the game to the Los Angeles Coliseum when the Dodgers came to town and then to Dodger Stadium when it opened its doors in 1962.

Over the years some of the biggest names in entertainment -- including Steve Martin, Robin Williams, Kevin Costner, Billy Crystal, Walter Matthau, Keanu Reeves, Jack Lemmon, Dean Martin and many others -- have lived out their fantasy of playing on a big-league field.

"I thought it was still a hardball game until I got here today; it's now softball," said actor Corbin Bernsen, who starred in the "Major League" films and is currently on the soap opera "General Hospital."

"Back in the original days it was hardball and it was serious hardball with guys like Billy Crystal and Tony Danza really going at it. But I remember a few years ago, when I was on 'L.A. Law' and I played in the game and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played first base and they came out with a 6-foot bat for him to use and you knew they weren't taking this game as seriously as they used to."

In 2004, the Dodgers switched the game from baseball to softball so female celebrities could play instead of serving as "bat girls" as they had previously.

"It's just fun to be out here and meet new people and everyone is just talking about having fun," said soccer legend Mia Hamm, who is also married to Dodgers first baseman Nomar Garciaparra. "People who have played in this game before have told me how much fun it is. I think we all just want to out there, have some fun, not make a fool of ourselves and not get hurt."

Hamm held her own, lining out to left in the first inning. Hamm then roped a clean single to left in the third and was called out at first base on a controversial call at first base by umpire Charley Steiner that ended the game. Replays would later show she was safe, but to no avail.

There are plenty of actors and athletes taking part, but politicians get into the act, too. In this year's game, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa took part and had a great time.

"I'm a better politician who wants to be a ballplayer," said Villaraigosa, who is in his first term as mayor. "I didn't play much baseball growing up, I mainly played football and ran track, so I may struggle out there a little."

The mayor got on base in the first inning and seemed to enjoy just being on the field.

Other celebrities, like the mayor, just loved taking part.

"As a baseball fan you can't beat being on a big-league field," said James Denton, one of the stars of the ABC drama "Desperate Housewives."

"It's just great being at Dodger Stadium; coming out here and taking a few cuts. It's softball, which is obviously a whole different deal, but when they offer you this chance, you don't say no.

"I'm missing the All-Star Game in Pittsburgh this year because we go back to work on July 10th with the show and the game is July 11th, so this may be the only game I may play in this year."

Denton held his own with a clean double to left in the fourth inning.

The game had two award-winning managers -- Cy Young Award winner Bret Saberhagen managing the White Team and Academy Award-winner Lou Gossett Jr. managing the Blue Team.

Paced by two booming home runs off the bat of the game's Most Valuable Player, Jonathan Silverman, the White Team easily beat the Blue Team, 10-3.

No matter what the score was, the game had a happy ending. And what did you expect? This is Hollywood.

LOS ANGELES -- Television and film stars, along with some current and former Dodgers, will be on hand for the 48th annual Hollywood Stars Game. The game will be played Saturday, June 24 at 5:15 p.m. before the Dodgers take on the Pittsburgh Pirates at 7:10 p.m.

Since 2004 when the game was changed to softball from baseball, an auxiliary outfield fence was added to offer greater opportunity for home runs. Fans are also invited to sit on Dodger Stadium's outfield grass and warning track to get a better glimpse of their favorite Hollywood luminaries.

The roster of stars scheduled to appear in the game includes:

James Denton ("Desperate Housewives")
Jonathan Silverman (film and TV)
Jen Finnigan ("Close to Home")
Jimmy Kimmel ("Jimmy Kimmel Live")
Sarah Silverman ("School of Rock")
Matt Gallant (host of "American Inventor")
Brooke Burke (host of CBS's "Rockstar")
Adam Carolla ("The Adam Carolla Show")
Brian White ("Family Stone")
Carlos Mencia ("Mind of Mencia")
Shane Powers ("Survivor Exile Island")
Mario Lopez (film and TV)
Kendra Wilkinson ("Girls Next Door")
James Van Der Beek ("Dawson's Creek")
Michael Clarke Duncan ("Sin City")
Corbin Bernsen ("Psych")
Wolfgang Bodison ("Akeelah and the Bee")
Tony Potts ("Access Hollywood")
Mia Hamm (USA Women's Soccer)
Antonio Villaraigosa (Mayor of Los Angeles)
Michael Rosenbaum ("Smallville")
Scott Patterson ("Gilmore Girls")
Larry Joe Campbell ("According to Jim")
Dave Annable ("Brothers and Sisters")
Louis Gossett Jr. - coach (film and TV)
Tony Todd ("Little Big League")
Ron Cey (former Dodger)
Bret Saberhagen (former Cy Young Award Winner)

Nico from Latino 96.3 will emcee the event. The Dodger Stadium parking lot and turnstiles will open early for the event at 4:45 p.m.

Equipment for the game will be provided by Rawlings, Mizuno and Majestic. Proceeds from the auction of autographed, game-worn player uniforms and memorabilia will benefit the Dodgers Dream Foundation.

I should mention that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa got booed at the stadium. Having been out of town for quite a while and not knowing what the Mayor or even the Governator are up to, but I don't think Dodger fans are going to be voting for the incumbent the next time around. As for the catcher who tagged-out the heroic mayor who tried to steal home, I fear that three summons for Jury Duty may be coming his way soon.

"Last year I went deep off Odalis Perez, but then again, who hasn't? Just kidding, Odalis, it was a joke." --Jonny on the local TV news, one of the funniest things I have ever heard

We went up to a luxury box for the Dodgers vs Pittsburg Pirates game that followed, a game that ended as a Dodgers victory, a 7-0 shutout. In there I chatted it up with Playboy bunnies and taught Carlos Mencia's kids to play 8-ball and then got pranked by Bob the former warm-up guy for The Single Guy. Dodgers are 39-35, 1st Place in NL West and are about to leave the San Diego Padres in the dust 1 game behind assuming that the Dodgers win the game they are currently winning and the Padres lose the game they are currently losing. Seventh inning stretch is over and I now return to the game. Vin Scully\ just talked about last night's celebrity game. Back to Dodgers Baseball...

In Which Rose Blinks In Disbelief

2006-08-11T10:30:00.000-07:00

It's August.

The Dodgers have some new players.

Good new players.

The only guys missing are unproven, wouldn't be seeing regular playing time, or have... issues.

The players on whom the team's future supposedly rests are still there.

Could it be that the Dodgers finally have a front office team that wants to... you know... win?

Before the season started, Ned Colletti put together an impressive team on short notice. They looked good coming out of the gate. Then the injuries set in. The bullpen disintegrated. A team that started off a carefully balanced mix of veterans and up-and-comers was a taped-together mess of rookies -- great rookies, mind you, but still learning the big-league game -- and veterans playing out of position. Offensively, they were spiraling downward. Mostly-decent starting pitching isn't going to do you much good if the team can't score some runs to back it up.

Pretty typical July scenario in the City of Angels.

Except something happened, something that I don't remember seeing since the O'Malleys owned the team:

They made good trades.

The first trade of note was the Odalis Perez-for-Elmer Dessens deal. Odalis Perez, as you may recall, was put in the bullpen after blowing a few too many starts, and was downright disgruntled about it. He was a good candidate to be dealt away. The question was, what team would be desperate enough to want him?

Go on, take a guess.

Odalis Perez is now a Kansas City Royal. He was accompanied by some minor leaguers who may or may not work out.

Elmer Dessens seems very happy to be a Dodger again. Or maybe he's just thrilled about no longer being a Royal. Six of one...

That seems to be a theme among the new Dodger acquisitions: They're happy to be playing for a team that hasn't given up hope of making the playoffs.

"It's nice to have a reason to pitch besides doing it for myself," Greg Maddux told the LA Times. "That's what happens when your team falls out of the race. We are absolutely still in it."

Wait a minute. Greg Maddux?

The Dodgers collectively joined me in that disbelieving blink. Greg Maddux. Greg Maddux? Greg freakin' Maddux is a Dodger?

"I still can't believe we have him. It's like a miracle," coach Rich Donnelly marveled to the Times.

Catcher Russell Martin, who's just a little more than half Maddux' age: "He's so prepared. This guy knows exactly what he wants to do. I just hope he likes me."

(How cute is that? Russell Martin is so my new fake baby boyfriend.)

The people who called in to the postgame radio show were miffed, of course. Why else would you call a postgame show? They couldn't see why Ned Colletti would trade a young, proven shortstop for an aging pitcher who would probably only be there for the remainder of the season.

Does six innings of no-hit ball answer their question? What the naysayers are missing is that Maddux is built for the long haul. He's a very technical pitcher who can put the ball exactly where he wants it, without putting undue strain on his body. Heck, he might even stick around after this season. Who knows?

There's also the little matter of Cesar Izturis hitting barely above the Mendoza line. The best pitching in the world doesn't matter if it's not backed up by a little offense.

That's the other thing that has me blinking: The Dodgers have remembered how to hit a ball with a stick.

As I'm sure you noticed, dear reader, the Dodgers had a pretty dismal July. In the two weeks after the All-Star break, they won one and lost thirteen.

Things got so bad that manager Grady Little, GM Ned Colletti and owner Frank McCourt went on the radio to have a "what's wrong with the Dodgers?" roundtable. As you can imagine, the callers weren't happy. All the guys could do was say, in essence, "Look: You try things. Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don't. And right now, they aren't."

And now they are.

Maybe it's the new players. Maybe it was the day off after that awful two-week stretch. Maybe it was Tommy Lasorda's threat of a hunger strike. Whatever it is, the Dodgers are winning. Today made it eight wins in a row. Yeah, it was just the Nationals, Reds and Marlins, but still: A win's a win, and eight of them go a long way towards balancing out the losing streak.

I'm still getting emails which say, "What's up with the Dodgers?" The inflection is just different.

With 162 games in a season, baseball lends itself to streaks. If a team is a .500 ballclub, then statistically it doesn't matter whether they alternate wins and losses by the game or by the streak.

There's still a lot that can happen in two months. The pitching staff could gel or collapse. (I've a feeling I'll be making a few posts about the pitching either way.) The veterans could get better, or they could be out for the season -- or longer. Russell Martin and Andre Ethier could continue to be Rookie of the Year contenders, or they could burn out. An infield made up of position players-turned-utility guys could work out, as it's been doing, or start having trouble remembering where to throw the ball. When the roster expands, the minor league prospects might be ready, or not.

Two months to go. This is getting good.

By the by, I have an extra ticket for this Monday evening's game at Dodger Stadium versus the Rockies. My, as the kids say, "crew" will be sitting in the top deck behind home plate -- the best, and cheapest, seats in the house. If you or anyone you know wants to join us, you can email me for details at rose.auerbach at gmail dot com. (There's a handy-dandy link over at my other blog, for those of you who don't feel like re-typing the address with proper symbols.)

And, yes, I'll explain the infield fly rule, if you ask nicely. Devin can breathe a little more easily.

RIP Thomas Gregory Arthur

2006-07-31T21:37:00.000-07:00

John Ryan, of the San Jose Mercury News put it best: "A little bit of heartache with the heartburn today: Thomas Gregory Arthur, creator of the Dodger Dog, has died."

``Besides peanuts and Cracker Jack, it's probably the most famous delicacy in baseball,'' Dodgers team historian Mark Langill said Tuesday.

Arthur died June 8 in St. Louis at 84, but his creation lives on. The World War II veteran came up with the idea when Dodger Stadium opened in 1962. It started as a homage to the dogs he fell in love with at Nathan's. But . . .

``He called it the foot-long dog, but it was actually only 10 inches. It was before truth in advertising, but he decided to call them Dodger Dogs,'' his son Steve said.
``It's one of the best dogs in the country. It's not the meat. The secret is the spices.''

Next time you are at Dodger Stadium, be sure to have a Dodger Dog in his memory.

Pickoff Moves

2006-07-29T16:17:00.000-07:00

Hot Dogs, Heat and Homers: A Passion of the Weiss Baseball Review

2006-07-27T10:23:00.000-07:00

After attending my first Dodger game of the year it's always reassuring to find out that despite the constant price hikes for parking and concessions, some things will never change. Dodger fans will always show up in the third inning and leave in the eighth, the female fans in attendence will always be primarily made up of the ugliest one percent of Los Angeles (this is very similar to the movie Twins, with Lakers fans equating to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dodgers Fans being Danny Devito) the music will always be terrible, and that I will always hate the Dodgers.

My animosity towards my home team always strikes most people as weird, considering that not only was I born and raised in Los Angeles, but so was my mother. And as for my father, he might as well be a native considering that he moved here from NYC when he was six years old. But despite these entrenched LA roots, one of the few constants throughout my life has been the Weiss clan's passionate hate of all things related to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The reasons behind this lie shrouded in mystery and myth. Though sources can't verify it, rumor has it that the Weiss clan's hate of the Dodgers stems from Walter O' Malley's decision to build Dodger Stadium without water fountains, a move that inevitably angered my father and caused him to begin a life-long hate towards the team, a hate that now spans generation.s We Weiss men are many things. Stubborn, yes. Strange...obviously. Contrarian, absolutely. But above all, our chief characteristic is that we hold a grudge when we feel like we aren't getting a good deal. A couple water fountains here, a couple water fountains there, and the Dodgers could've had two of their most die-hard supporters. Instead, they only receive unbridled hate and spite. Its your loss, Los Angeles Dodgers organization. It's your loss. And it all stems from that fateful day in 1957, when the treacherous O' Malley decided to trick his fans into buying vast amounts of soda. That my friends was the water fountain heard round the world.

Accordingly, this loathing of all things Dodger causes me to avoid paying for Dodgers games, figuring that withholding the middling sum that I would contribute to their coffers will inevitably cause financial ruin and damn the Dodgers to playing sub-.500 baseball. This is my logic and I am sticking to it. Nonetheless, there is no sweeter sound to a Jewish man than the word free. That being said, a friend of mine happens to date a singer, one who was slated to sing the National Anthem today. Alas, the Dodgers shifted her singing date at the last minute, leaving her with five tickets, which brought me to Chavez Ravine, to see the twin cavalcade of mediocre music and baseball that only Dodger Stadium can bring.

Every year before I go to the my first game of the season, I tell myself that this will be the year that I turn apathetic and just won't care any more. But every year, I walk through the turnstile, see the palm trees cresting out over the horizon, see the gorgeous emerald green diamond and see those players wearing Dodger Blue and suddenly, my only thought is, "I hope these guys fucking lose. Bad!!"

Indeed, I am a Cincinnati Reds fan, tried and true, having made the decision to like the Reds in a very scientific manner. IE: They were my T-Ball team. People mock me for this, but I think its as good a reason as any, and quite frankly at this point in my life, anything I can do to separate myself from the vast masses of yokels, con artists, and poseurs that abound in this town is a damn good thing. Seinfeld said it best: Ultimately, we root for uniforms.

To my satisfaction, the game was quick and excellent, meaning that the Dodgers made three errors and managed to blow a solid pitching performance from Derek Hughes...I mean Lowe.
Of course, there were several thoughts that crept into my mind during the game, other than my enmity towards the team.

#1: Most Dodger Fans Are Stupid. Very stupid: I'm not sure if it's just that baseball fans in general are dumb, but I don't think that's necessarily the case. I'm been to games in at least a half dozen other cities and the fans there know the difference between an obvious pop fly and a home run. But every time a ball is hit in the air, Dodger fans ooh and aah like the batter just crushed it 450 ft. Learn the difference. It has been my experience that that most Dodger fans come to Dodger games for two things: Dodger Dogs and ice cream. And while both foods are inarguably delicious, there are more interesting things than missing two innings to eat lukewarm hot dogs and runny "so-called" ice cream

Also, when Dodger fans aren't stupid and actually know the game, they are inevitably strange and generally act like escapees from a local mental institution. For example, the guy sitting behind me went on for about 20 minutes about how a Dodger Game specifically caused the downfall of his marriage. I am not making this up. Then he proceeded to reminisce about Fernando Valenzuela. I'm not sure how the two were related, but I imagine this link is something that probably should be addressed in psycho-therapy. Lots of it.

#2: Is it possible for Dodger Games to Play at Least One Song that Isn't Only Played at Sorority Houses?

So I'll admit I liked Jet's "Are You Gonna' Be My Girl?" when it first came out in 2003. Upon a friend's recommendation I even bought the entire album, which was listened to exactly one time to a variety of screams, shouts and curses. But at this point, I've heard that one single about 4,322 times. Stop playing it. There is never a good time to play that song at this point. It is one of those songs like "Hollaback Girl" or even "Hey Ya," that probably should not be played for the next ten years, if ever again. Calling this song played out is doing a disservice to played out songs. This song never had that much life to begin with. Stop squeezing even more life out of it. Playing this song is very similar to Puffy's attempts to wring more out of Biggie's catalogue. It's been over for a long time. Deal with it.

Additionally, if I ever hear "Let's Get It Started in Here," one more time at a sporting event, I might have to start shooting random civilians. This song makes "Hollaback Girl," look like "A Day in the Life." On top of this indignity, they always play the song at the wrong times, like when the Dodger's are down 4-1 in the eigth inning and someone hits a single. A man on first with one out does not make a rally. Learn the fucking difference. Why don't the Dodgers bring back their organist Nancy Bea Heffley. Hopefully, she isn't dead. Though I seem to recall once having heard that she plays the organ during the 7th inning stretch. At any rate, either bring the organ back full time or start playing decent music. I don't need to hear the Tapes N' Tapes album, but how about playing something from the Strokes or Franz Ferdinand. Anything that doesn't involve the name, Fergie, a name that should not be spoken around me unless used in the context of the sentence, "You Know Who I fucking hate...Fergie!"

For all this rambling and anger, there still is nothing like a Dodger game, particularly when they lose and I get the schaudenfreude of watching all of these disconsolate Dodger fans traveling home with downcast faces, while I savor the fact that the Reds are in first place. Times are good. It is May. It is warm. And now that Dodger Stadium has water fountains, not only can I watch the Dodgers lose, but I can quence my thirst while doing so. For free. And somewhere, Walter O' Malley's ghost is shaking his head and saying, "if only...if only."

Booth movement and some major college football news.....in MAY

2006-07-06T18:34:00.000-07:00

So because they no longer have the rites to Monday Night Football, ABC is pooling their resources to put together a major college football primetime package beginning this season with Notre Dame at Georgia Tech.

The goal is to pair some of the top match-ups of the season in this package, and get the "big named" teams their primetime slot. Among the teams featured, Notre Dame will be on three times, against Tech, Michigan State and USC (and maybe again in the Rose Bowl if they fall there), Ohio State is featured twice, Michigan twice, and USC three times.

(Editors note: The highlight for me personally is that October 14th game with the Alma Mater extracting revenge on Mecheatagain at Beaver Stadium. Finally we get them at University Park for the first time since 2001. Go ask THE Ohio State's Troy Smith how much he enjoyed last year's primetime game at the Beav. Oh, and your homegrown referees won't save your ass this year either.)

But the package itself is a great idea, it's the first time that network television will carry a college football primetime series, and the weeks where there is a dual broadcast, the other game will be picked up by either ESPN or ESPN2 meaning you get three primetime games likely in one weekend.

ABC is smart in the sense that they have picked college football "cash cows" USC, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Michigan to lead this new adventure and they are also going with a 12-day selection package too, meaning that games from November 11 on, they will select the games they will air 12-days before hand. Good choice, this way, much like the NFL Flex schedule they can get the best match ups from the conferences they choose to air.

ABC is also carrying the Rose Bowl (only) during the BCS, so they keep some of the traditional Rose Bowl teams like Ohio State, Michigan, and USC close to the vest in the hopes that maybe they can land a match up with any one of those three in their lone BCS game. Remember the other three BCS games move to Fox beginning this season.

There are other movments in the college football world as well.

NFL Network will air the Insight.com bowl beginning this year, this to go along with their airing of live regular season NFL games for the first time. That, plus they will take the top five games from each week and re-air them in full, it's the network broadcast too.

Keith Jackson announced his retirement weeks ago, so ABC will scramble to fill his shoes and the booths are being switched around right and left. Brent Musberger will work with Bob Davie on the ABC Primetime game, Mike Patrick and Todd Blackledge (who moved from CBS) will do the ESPN primetime game, and former ABC'er Gary Danielson takes Blackledge's roll as lead analyst on CBS' coverage of the SEC this season. This means that (my idol) Brad Nessler and Bob Greise will be the lead afternoon team on ABC and they will keep Gary Thorne on the other game during the afternoon (Since Mike Tirico is now the MNF guy)

All we know about Fox's coverage of the BCS is that Thom Brennaman will call one of the games (the title game, maybe the "Plus-one" game?) and the rest of the crew, analysts and all will be named later. You could stay in house and get guys like Joe Buck or Troy Aikman, but it might be wise to go outside and get someone else. As long as it isn't the guys they use on the Fox Sports Net studio show during Saturday telecasts, it'll be OK. But Fox definitely has the shallowest of broadcasting talent pools, specifically when it comes to play-by-play and college sports.

Those changes are inline with what the NFL booths look like with Greg Gumball moving back to play-by-play, James Brown jumping from Fox to CBS and Michaels and Madden jumping to NBC, Collonsworth and Bryant Gumball jumping to NFL Network.

It just goes to show that the booth movement is almost as crazy as free agency in other sports.

Dodgers

2006-05-07T21:59:00.000-07:00

The Dodgers played their home games from 1958 to 1961 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a gargantuan football and track-and-field stadium that had been built to host the 1932 Summer Olympics. The Coliseum's dimensions were not optimal for baseball, and the only way to fit a diamond into the oval-shaped stadium was to lay the third-base line along the short axis of the oval, and the first-base line along the long axis.This resulted in a left-field fence that was only some 250 feet from home plate, and a 40-foot screen was erected to prevent home runs from becoming too easy to hit.

Dodgers Stadium

2006-02-26T19:44:00.000-08:00

Dodgers Stadium, in Los Angeles, California, has been the home of the Los Angeles Major League Baseball team since 1962. It was also the home of the Los Angeles Angels between 1962 and 1965.