Well gang, we made it again. It’s time for Dodger playoff baseball. The team has marched into Atlanta seeking just three wins. Will they triumph like General Sherman and leave Atlanta’s season in flames and ruination? Or will they succumb to the slings, arrows and tomahawks of outrageous fortune? Only in the next few days shall the answer be revealed.
32and53fan
colliethec
crash24now
dodgereric
The Beav
GiveUsBackOurTeam
JhallWally
yunghitters89
trublu4ever
Outside the Dodgers 
Quest for 11 in 10 begins now.
I like the idea of hitting Puig in the 5 hole. Hopefully he will come up with runners on base and the pitchers might have to be a bit more careful. And then again maybe not if Puig continues his aggressive approach. It will be interesting.
Go Kid K and Crew!
The Cards just dropped seven on the Pirates.
Hi Everyone
Here we are in the NLDS and nice to have Kershaw on the mound.
Kershaw had to work to get J. Upton.
We draw first blood! Yay…2-0
Great minds think alike!
🙂
We drew first blood!
Scratched out two Dodger style.
Very good start.
Trying to listen to Vin and watch on tv but the 10 second delay on tv is annoying.
A.GON
WOW!
Dreaded walk and wild pitch. Too many of those the past few seasons. The
Will pitch count be a concern for Kershaw tonight?
He might settle down,
He will be fine….Braves go to pen already.
Clutch hit by M. Ellis.
O.K. Mark
Kersh is doing great!!!
Until he does something like that. C’mon Kersh; I HATE that tommahawk chop!!!
Pitch count too high.
Hi birk. Yeah, I’m starting to see that. I’m just glad to see that we decided to bring our bats to Atlanta.
I don’t care what anyone says but for me Adrian Gonzalez is my Dodger MVP.
Hi All….Let’s Go Dodgers
Hi ZonaDodger!!!
C’mon AJ. Be another pain-in-their-butt again!!!
Second opportunity to blow this game open but they can’t do it.
Let’s just hope it doesn’t come back to haunt us. Bear down Clayton – just like that!!!
Good inning for Kershaw.
HANLEY!!!
Yes…another run!
Yes.
Even if it’s a replay, I still LOVE to see Adrian’s beautiful swing!!!
NOW THAT’S MORE LIKE IT.
My comment is a little late.
Clayton had a sharp 5th inning.
Puig was too anxious on that at bat.
Hey Trumom!!!
Hi…so glad you are here.
Good to see you too! And talk to your daughter to get her over here too. I like talking here. It’s kinda hard to have this kind of convo on FB.
I will…it’s hard getting her out of the gym 😉
Yeah I here she’s lost a lot of weight and is looking good.
She looks awesome…a lot of hard work but, the results are amazing.
You know, I went to the gym the other day and asked the trainer what machine would make me the most desirable to attractive younger women.
He pointed me to the ATM outside.
LMAO!
And OBF!!!
Hi ya there.
So how are things in NY? I’ve missed talking to my Dodger buddies. ITD is deader than the proverbial doornail
Now let’s shut down the Braves.
And the LA Kings won their first game tonight!!! I know, wrong sport but hey, aren’t there LA Kings fans here too?
Hi Carol… It’s nice to see another Ventura County Dodger fan on this site. 🙂
Hey Brian!!! Isn’t there another Ventura County OTDITD poster? I seem to remember there is but now I can’t remember. It’s been a long time since the old ITD days.
And no, my disdain for the tomahawk (am I spelling that right?) chop isn’t just this game against the Dodgers. I’ve NEVER liked it. It’s just annoying as heck
Great pitch Clayton!!!
Great effort by Kershaw tonight.
It sure was.
Way to go Beard.
That beard just does not look real.
I really thought that ball from Hanley was going to be a gapper with Hanley standing on 2nd. Oh well…
15 game 1 strikeouts!!! Great game Dodgers!!! See y’all tomorrow…
Awesome job by Kersh and the Boys. Always nice to get game one!
One down and two to go.
Big win. Keep it up tomorrow.
Hell yeah
I am stoked about the win tonight. We are on the way towards an NLDS win. By the way, the Dodgers are 22-6 when Greinke starts.
GO GREINKE!!!!
Wow! I had said earlier the lack of scoring was worrying me, but last night was great. A struggling (for him) Kershaw was more than enough to shut down the Braves, and a similar performance tonight from Greinke should send us to LA in real good shape.
I think Puig goes yard today.
Hanley too!
Oh yeah
No change in lineup against the lefty Minor.
Go Dodgers!
Interesting that both the Daily News and L.A. Times columnists wrote about Puig’s positive effect on yesterday’s game in spite of the boos directed toward him or his last two at bats.
Blew my prediction of the Braves in three… they actually came to play last night.
O ye, of little faith…
Following up on a conversation I just heard on the Petros & Money show:
The Braves are a home run and strike out hitting team. Kershaw struck them out and didn’t allow a home run. Now what do we expect of Greinke?
He may not be huge on the strikeouts, at least not like Kershaw. He strikes out 7.5 batters per nine innings, as opposed to Kershaw’s 8.8 K/9.
However, Greinke only gave up 13 home runs in 28 games this year. Of those, only five were on the road, and two of those were in Colorado. So the key to Greinke’s success today will be to continue to keep the ball in the ballpark.
Greinke rates above average in K/9.
http://www.fangraphs.com/library/pitching/rate-stats/
As long as he can successfully work around the knees or lower, he should do fine.
Also, if Greinke the hitter is worse than 2-4 I will be disappointed! 🙂
T minus 30
Hi Everybody
I guess we’ll have to wait for the Boston /Tampa Bay game to end since the Dodger game is on the same channel.
Have to follow on Gameday.
Nevermind we’re told to switch to TNT.
Hi Joe!
Let’s go, Dodgers!!
Woo-Hoo…on the board first!
Hanley! Way to get us started!
Bring him around, A-Gon!
Wow a quicker lead than last night.
HANRAM
Helps keep the crowd quiet.
I hate the Braves chant. Loved it last night when A-Gon hit the homer and Vin said the ballpark was as quiet as a library.
Time for Greinke to go to work with a lead.
1-2-3 inning for Greinke! You betcha!
Bear down, Greinke!
Dang it! Starting over, tie score.
Well they got it right back.
Let’s see if the Dodgers can score some runs.
Damn the twin killings. Two in three innings is way too many. Let’s crank this offense up a notch.
What are the odds that Ethier will be ready to start in the Sunday game?
I did not see anything today about Andre but I would be surprised if he started.
I heard he doesn’t need a pinch runner if he hits today. So, maybe that’s a good sign for Sunday.
The sooner the better. When Ethier starts, that moves Puig back up to #1 or #2, moves MEllis down to the bottom of the order, and moves Schumaker out of the lineup.
Stay cool, Greinke. You’re going to need to wait on the offense to score some more runs. Maybe you can start them off in the 5th.
Meanwhile, keep getting those Braves out.
oops.
…and now, for the first time, we are in the hole.
Time to fight back.
Need a 1-2-3 inning from Zach.
RALLY CAPS!!!!!!
Uribe strikes out. Rally fizzles.
Wow, two more hits but two more left on base.
Need a big hit now!
It sure shoking to see they took Minor out.
Wow, another double play. No magic tonight.
These DPs are killing us.
The dreaded lead off walk late in the game.
That didn’t work. The Dodgers have been out pitched tonight.
That could be it for tonight. Could- Maybe.
It’s not over until it’s over.
It’s a one run game again.
…a little better.
Tough night for Adrian. Puig wanted to tie it up on one swing.
So did Adrian.
I have to admire the man with the Beard
That is a lot of whiskers.
A fantastic game, just could get the big hit.
That should be just “couldn’t” get the big hit.
Tough loss. Gordon might have been safe but it was not to be. The hitters could not get it done.
This is on Mattingly.
Kevin Kennedy is breaking down how Mattingly made a couple of bad decisions with his insistence on going by match-ups. Last night he also said it was a bad move having Uribe bunt.
I was fuming in the first few innings. Up 1-0 right from the get-go, a legitimate ace on the mound, momentum being sapped from the ATLs, a team with a lights-out late-inning bullpen…and Donnie “Bigball” allows future hall-of-famers Mark Ellis and Skippy Schumaker to hit into consecutive none-out double plays. I mean, come on. It’s a lightening quick series…three loses and you go home. This ain’t 162 games. Build a little picket fence of one-run innings. Greinke deserved better than Torre’s hand-picked clone playing sit-on-your-hands, American League, Neanderthal baseball. HIndsight? Like I said, I was fuming even before the little dinky ground balls.
Mattingly made a fool of himself in front of the entire baseball-viewing public with his horrible in-game decisions. You got it SO right, Kahli, he’s Torre’s clone for sure. Doesn’t understand NL baseball – never will. Whatever happens for the rest of the post season, the clone must go!
Amen!
Gordon was totally safe. Safe like a vault.
Yes the replay showed that it could’ve gone either way. Wrong umpire, I guess.
I’ll feel better when the series goes to LA on Sunday in front of the home crowd. Things seem to be easier. Well at least it seems that way.
Mattingly may have put a nail in his own coffin tonight. If we lose the NLDS, Kasten can point to Game 2 and tell Donnie Boy to take a hike.
That kinda makes me feel better in a strange way. If we win the NLDS, that’s great. If we lose the NLDS, and Donnie Baseball goes out the door, that’s great too.
Puig has to bat leadoff. He’s a showman, a game-changer. Hanley is hot, make sure someone is on base for him. Puig is good for two hits a game just about every game. He probably hates batting fifth.
Tough loss… And, yes, Donny is a dildo……
But, aside from Torre Jr, the bullpen blew this game…. The bullpen and the fact that we went 2 for 7 with RISP and left 7 on…
And, Crawford sucks….. Bottom line… He is pathetic… And we are stuck with this POS for the next 3-4 years…. He is only playing because he has that huge contract… It makes me sick…..
Uribe is very irratic and inconsistent… If AGon doesn’t have a great game along with Hanley, we’re screwed…..
So on to LA and lets hope Ryu and Nolasco can at least get us a win…….
Dildon really blew it in the bottom of the 7th….. I hope the powers that be are taking notes… Which, I am sure they are… If so, Dildon needs to go… And, no, I do not want Dusty Baker…
Well, tru got it right about Hanley.
*
Donnie is taking heat here and elsewhere. Deserved? Not so sure, except kahli is right about scratching out runs. I’d try a squeeze, delayed steal, SOMETHING to get that run across. But, to quote Catfish Hunter, “The sun don’t shine on the same dogs ass everyday”.
*
Surely want Ryu to be on. Don’t want to leave it up yo Nolasco to tie it up.
Let the second guessing begin. I get it that one important part of a manager’s job is to put players in a position to be successful but sometimes things just do not work. Ask Tommy Lasorda about pitching to Jack Clark. Ask Grady Little about leaving in Pedro Martinez. I am sure we all have done things we wish we had done differently once we saw the results.
Speaking of Dusty Baker, he is the classic example of a guy who the players seem to love, wins a lot of games but has not been able to win the “big” ones. He is considered a good manager by most accounts but like most big league managers (and NFL coaches) wears out his welcome and moves on to another team hoping for different results. All this proves is it is hard to win and keep winning. Sometimes the skill (or luck) of the opposition wins the battle.
As I posted above, I wasn’t tweaked so much by Mattingley’s 7th inning pitching maneuvers (even though Plaschke of the L.A. Times is ripping him a new one) because, as you say, sometimes the other guy wins the battle. It’s baseball. The Braves are obviously a playoff team—one filled with excellent players.
But not playing “little ball” in a very short series, not bunting a leadoff runner over in the early innings with a bonafide ace pitching for your club in a very short series, not putting immediate pressure on an opposing starting pitcher when you already have a one-run lead in a very short series, playing with house money if you will, that’s not a player vs. player battle. It’s a managerial decision……..or non decision. Those two double plays, by first Schumaker and then M. Ellis, were real game-changing moments, real momentum killers, real energy sappers. One couldn’t almost feel Atlanta’s panic after that first run scored for the Dodgers, no sooner than “play ball” had sounded. Granted, Donnie couldn’t foresee those double plays, but this team has been burdened all season with double plays. Ellis and Schumaker are scrappy little marginal players, nothing more. Frankly, I’m surprised neither one bunted on his own. We rip Puig for his lack of baseball acumen. But where was Ellis’ or Skippy’s in the second or third inning? You got Greinke on the mound, for heaven’s sake. Three runs early with him wins you a ball game.
I never edit myself but, “one COULD almost feel Atlanta’s panic…”
I would have to go back and read everything, which I am not going to do but I don’t know for sure if anyone besides you is more concerned with the “small ball” question than the pitching decisions later in the game. You may have a more legitimate question about that but since they happened early in the game perhaps those situations have been overlooked. As OBF says below, if the Braves do not score in the 7th inning and the Dodgers end up winning the game 3-2, those early double plays are just a footnote.
If it’s still 2-1 I doubt Hanley gets a pitch to hit, anyway. But seriously, lbirk, doesn’t small ball make sense in a short series with an upper hand in starting pitching?
I agree Ibirken, Sometimes things work out and sometimes they don’t. If we would’ve gotten out of that 7th inning still trailing 2-1, nobody would’ve even remembered it and Donnie would’ve gotten very little credit for it. I’ve been following this game for over 60 years and it’s no different than shooting crap.
Nobody knows what the outcome of these games will be.
At the risk of jinxing Ryu, the Dodgers are 19-11 when Ryu starts.
Fire Nedcompoop and let Dildon walk…… Please…..
Dildon cost us game 2 because he is incompetent and in over his head…..
Yes, please get rid of them!
….I do believe Donnie will be let go…however, Neddie will probably stay.
I wonder what Tim Wallach really thinks about Mattingly’s decisions? He always spouts the company line when interviewed.
Mattingly made a decision to go lefty on lefty which he’s done often in the past with success but nobody knows how these moves will come out. Sometimes they work sometimes they don’t.
We really really need a win today.
Small ball, little ball, big ball, just hit the ball and drive in runs. Sounds so simple.
Pirates up 5-3 over the Cards. We need to take care of our own business. I agree with lbirken. Let’s give Ryu lots of run support!
Pirates up 2 games to 1.
and that’s good, trash those Cruds.
Hi Everybody
Must win tonight.
Hi OBF.
Let’s go, Dodgers!
First time Braves draw first blood.
C C
WOO-HOO….WE ARE BACK! YES!!!!
Big Clutch HR for Crawford.
Well that lead didn’t last long. Ryu doesn’t have anything tonight.
Now…let’s keep the lead and add to it!
It’s up to Cappy to hold it.
TBS team worst announcing team ever.
Go Blue!!
I agree…hands down the worst!
They suck
Nice going HENLEY.
Who’s Henley?
Don Henley?
ICU is on fire!
Keep it going boys…it’s only the 4th inning.
Jazz Hands! It’s looking better, but keep the offense going.
Cappy’s doing a pretty good job so far. Fear LA – Fear LA!!
I’m chillin’ after a nice day celebrating my birthday at my mom’s house. It is a good feeling now that the Dodgers up by six.
Yes…we can relax a tiny bit.
Capuano had trouble painting the corners but managed to stay out of trouble.
Nice HOLD by Howell.
Sorry no hold but a fine job.
Fantastic catch, Carl!
Atta way Beli.
Paco’s having a rough NLDS.
Nice win…let’s close it out tomorrow!
Woo-Hoo!!! Win Streak!!!
I’ll be there tomorrow deep in the right field stands stuffing down as many nacho-cheese-drenched hot dogs as I can.
Tough time getting those last outs, but overall a good game. Get ’em tomorrow guys!!
This was a VERY BIG WIN but it’s far from over. I would love to get a win tomorrow night and avoid going back to Turner Field.
I hope Nolasco doesn’t have the trouble Ryu had tonight.
(To the Tune of “Making Love Out of Nothing At All” by Air Supply)
MAKING RUNS OUT OF NOTHING AT ALL
He knows just how to fly past first base
And he knows how to round second too
And he knows how to slide into third
With explosiveness and grace
CHORUS
Puig is making runs
Out of nothing at all
Making runs out of nothing
Puig is making runs out of
Nothing at all
END CHORUS
I remember Candy’s cannon arm
And I remember Mondy’s gun
But I’ve never seen anything
Like the lasers Puig is throwin’ in the sun
CHORUS
Puig is making runs
Out of nothing at all
Making runs out of nothing
Puig is making runs out of
Nothing at all
END CHORUS
Well his speed forces bad throws
And an out becomes a hit
Then he goes another base on the error
And takes another on pure grit
CHORUS
Puig is making runs
Out of nothing at all
Making runs out of nothing
Puig is making runs out of
Nothing at all
END CHORUS
Well I don’t know how he does it
And I’ll never, ever lie
Puig is my favorite Dodger since
Nineteen-hundred-and-seventy-five
CHORUS
Puig is making runs
Out of nothing at all
Making runs out of nothing
Puig is making runs out of
Nothing at all
He’s making ruuuuns out of nothing at all
…
Very nice!
Fabulous!
Outstanding!!!!! Bravo….
Nice work!!!
Way to go Capuano!!! Nice job!!
PuigLover- My doc says to lay off the fatty foods, so maybe you can stuff down one of those dogs for me. If one of our guys hits a dinger out there tonight maybe you can wave one for the tv camera.
I can’t wait for this NLDS to end. the quicker the better, I hope it ends tonight. I’d hate to go back to Atlanta.
Much better to end it tonight and start the championship series with Kershaw.
I think Paco wants to be with family, despite what critique we give Donnie on managing the bullpen, who gets the call must execute, Paco has been like league, let’s trust Ricky N delivers well into the 7th, with several runs of cushion lead tonight, because between Ryu not delivering and Paco doing the same, the braves might have snuck up on the dodgers if the lead were much less! The braves are not going away unless the Dodgers blow them away, with Authority! There was no reason Kenley should of pitched last night, with Howell, belisario used, it seems withrow and wilson are the only rested ones, yea Jensen can go some more, but Beli never seems right pitching the next day. Complete kudos to Capuano!
Of the three left-handers in the bullpen:
Cappy went three innings, so he is definitely not available tonight.
Paco is maybe used up for the year.
JP Howell went 1 1/3 innings. He could go again tonight, especially in a LOOGY situation.
Withrow could go two innings if need be. Therefore, we need five solid innings from Nolasco.
Let’s hope the Dodgers can finally put together two good offensive nights in a row and end this series. Funny how things work out: Cappy gets an opportunity and makes the most of it while Ryu cannot get the job done and all the while Puig has been more of positive factor than negative. I support the decision to go with Nolasco tonight and hopefully he will rise to the occasion.
Looks like we will never know how Nolasco would have done because Kershaw is getting the start. Bold move? Desperate move? Hope it is the smart move.
Wow. I hope this goes well. I think Kershaw is up to it.
But what does this do to our starting rotation when we get to the NLCS?
NLCS starts Friday. If the Dodgers win tonight I would guess Zach would open the series and Kersh would follow, so in theory it should not be too big a deal. If the Dodgers have to play Wednesday, Zach would most likely start that game and then it is anybody’s guess what would happen should the Dodgers win.
But all of this is depends on winning tonight.
Somehow this move has gotten me even more amped up about tonight’s game. Go Dodgers!
Medlen only threw 70 pitches in Game 1. The Braves have got to be starting him instead of Freddy Garcia??
I have to say I was surprised to use up all the lefties last night with such a big lead. Donnie says they’re all vital because of the abundance of Atlanta’s left-handed hitters…but, what’s left for tonight? Anyway, I look for Nolasco to be far more successful than Ryu was.
Im not comfortable with this move. I think the dodgers are hitting the ball so well that Nolasco would have plenty of support, why use Kershaw in a game that is not “must win”, if he gets hit, how quickly will Mattingly change him out? Not very, he will stick with him.
Even if kersh wins, Great. Then Nolasco gets in the league series without being in a game since the regular season, not good.
If kersh loses, then the braves are pumped, momentum shifter, they won once when grieke started already, why not do it again.
Sorry but Donnie does not get genius points for a dodgers win tonight, but if the dodgers lose, complacent hitting, cause Kersh is on the mound, then ouch, we face the must win game wednesday without Kersh. For those that want Donnie gone, that last scenario would be one that Kasten could lowe rthe boom on, but wait didnt Kasten OK this move? Now Im anxious, let the game going and see, what Kersh does on short rest and throwing over 120 pitches, and you know the braves batter will make him work
I’m anxious too. I can’t wait for the game to start.
I was out of town last Thursday…did not know Kershaw threw that many pitches. A huge roll of the dice…we shall see…..
I’m in no hurry to see Donnie leave, but I agree with koufax 1963. If this backfires we have indeed seen the last of Mattingly. I’m not comfortable with this either. Obviously management doesn’t have any faith in Nolasco.
Got my Puig shirt ready for tonight. Wore it yesterday and haven’t washed it.
I also don’t think Mattingley could have made this decision in a vacuum. Kershaw’s the best pitcher in baseball, a young cornerstone of the franchise, in a non-elimination game. If Kasten and, to a lesser extent, Colletti, didn’t sign off on this, no way Donnie pulls this delicate trigger by himself.
per Tony Jackson (dodgerscribe)
Says decision was “by committee” but Ned Colletti is only name he mentions
Kershaw wanted the damn ball and Donnie Boy couldn’t veto him.
The baseball is in the right hands tonight!!
Hey Girls and Guys
Just think, the NLDS could end tonight.
I hope so….fingers crossed.
Starting early GO CC.
Let’s keep it up!
Crawford again.
Very sloppy inning and we’re back to square one.
TBS FINALLY put the Dodgers on. Vinny did just fine painting word pictures about Kershaw and Crawford so I didn’t miss much.
it was on TNT while the Rays game was on.
Doesn’t look good.
If they don’t make a comeback, it’s going to be real tough winning in Atlanta.
Puig, Uribe & Schumaker.
VIVA, URIBE!
U…R…I…B …E
This is it.
GOING FOR THE PENNANT.
On to the next round!
Uribe is fantastic!
What an emotional roller coaster.
AGon owes Uribe a huge steak dinner, case of Tequila, or whatever Juan wants.
Who knew!!!!
So happy to see Uribe coming through like this. This has been his year, not only in the post season but throughout the season. Maybe a one-year contract is in the offing.
I had the good fortune to attend Monday’s game and it was definitely an exciting, frustrating, surprising and highly rewarding experience. Who would ever think Uribe would be the “hero” and loved by all after the horrible first two seasons? Who could expect the Dodgers to win a game in which Agon makes two errors and the Dodgers continue to leave runners on base? And how sweet is it that Uribe hits what turns out to be the game winning homerun after failing to lay down a bunt? And with the Braves closer in the bullpen.
But even with all the excitement let us not forget that while the Dodgers have accomplished a lot so far, all they have won is the right to continue playing. Enjoy the victory now and bring on the Pirates or Cards. There is still a lot of work ahead.
Exactly Birk… The going is gonna get tougher…… I think this team has the cahoonas to go all the way…
Uribe has been awesome.. He stunk it up his first 2 years, but, this year he has earned his keep….. Playing for that next contract…… I won’t be surprised if Ned signs him up for another 2 years…. To be honest, I would. We don’t have anything coming up at 3rd. I would not go over 2 years however. And I would make the 2nd year conditional on performance….
Awesome you were there, lbirk. I’m jealous!
I’ve heard it two ways. It was Kershaw’s idea and then management’s with Kershaw eventually buying in. However. It worked in spite of some ragged fielding. Didn’t look to good there for awhile, But Uribe showed them what the tomahawk chop was all about. It took three years for him to start paying off, but I wouldn’t mind seeing him withe Dodgers next year.
Woo-Hoo, Win Streak and on to the NLCS…….. Kersh is awesome… And, Crawford and Uribe have really stepped it up….
Go Dodgers!!!!!
It’s no coincidence that Uribe found his form once Puig arrived. Hanley, Uribe and Puig are all tight and they feed off each other. Uribe has become their teddy bear. I’d also like to know if Punto contracted a communicable disease. Mark Ellis has been marginal at best; give Punto a shot.
Call me crazy! Call me crazy! Call me crazy!!
That’s right, I’m feeling crazy good this morn’!!!
Oh yes I’m feeling good! Uribe saved so many blunders and second guesses.
Is it just me or did the TBS broadcast crew side so strongly with the Braves that they seemed to be in mourning at what should have been a tremendous celebration with the Dodgers moving on? Every comment seemed to be cloaked in negativity toward the Blue. It got so bad for me I listened to Vinny, even though he was easily 10 seconds ahead of the TV. So when he called Uribe’s shot the pitcher was still getting his sign from the catcher on the tube. So I got to enjoy it twice!!!!
They sure did!
Thanks to TBS pulling their programming, in my area, I have been enjoying Vinny, with only the highlight reel for visual…
.
I can’t thank TBS enough….
The TBS crew was horribly biased towards the Braves. Let us not forget that the Braves were for a long time owned by Ted Turner, the owner of TBS.
Listening to that garbage for the whole game made it even sweeter when Uribe hit his bomb. He was like FU Braves, FU TBS. I just loved Uribe’s interview with TBS after the game. His response to their first question was unintelligible, at least to me. His response to their second question was intelligible, but not responsive to their question.
I wonder if now that the Braves are gone, will TBS coverage become less biased?
It wasn’t to long ago that I spent an evening listening to this rebroadcast of an old Dodger game… I have been listening to Vinny, for the past several weeks as well…. It is my humble opinion that, he has only become better with time. His relaxed wisdom, when calling a game these days, shows, to me at least, just how well he has become at mastering his craft.
.
Thank You, Mr. Scully
.
Thank you, very, very much Dodger4life.
Thanks for bringing us back some 56 years. It sounded like it was yesterday. A special thanks from me for the National anthem song by Gladys Goodding (wow did that bring me back), I always wanted a recording of that. I think she sang in a most thrilling way.
Jerry & Vinny sounded great too.
Thanks Again.
Those old broadcasts are a treasure, D4.
One final footnote on TBS, especially Ron Darling (who when last seen in Dodger Stadium was getting absolutely torched in Game 7 NLCS 1988). When the bottom of the 8th opened he was gloating that Fredi Gonzalez would never burden Kimbrell with a six-out save–asking him to do something he’d never done before–unlike the Dodgers who had asked Kershaw to do something he had never done before (pitch on 3 days rest). How sweet when the smoke cleared that Darling’s mean-spirited premise is the reason the Brave are playing golf today.
Wow. I thought sure Donnie’d find a way to lose this series.
Who’d have thought Uribe would be a hero when just about all of us wanted him ridden out of town on a rail?
And how ironic is it that Ned’s affinity for anything ex-Gnat actually paid-off after 7 years of crappy acquisitions trying?
The irony is that if Uribe gets down Donnie’s bunt, Gonzalez probably counters with Kimbrel, the never-to-be-seen-ace-in-the-hole…
That was Donnie trying to lose the game by giving the Braves an automatic out (the bunt). Uribe’s bunting ineptness effectively took away Donnie’s ability to lose the game. In other words, Uribe saved Donnie from himself.
If Uribe got the bunt down and moved Puig to third, Puig would’ve most likely remained there LOB, as they so often are.
It’s a good thing Donnie got some help from above.
Another sweet part of last night’s game was Brian McCann striking out four times (a perfect 4 for 4).
Especially when he apologized to the umpire after blowing up at him over a called third strike on strikeout #1. That one was due to a beautiful Kershaw curve ball. My wife said he was apologizing, just based on his body english and mannerisms, before the TBS crew said that he was apologizing.
Funny how things work out in life and sports, which for most of us is so much a part of our lives. You all felt the frustration when the Dodgers squandered opportunity after opportunity, not just last night but all through the season. And you all felt the joy when Uribe hit the home run, a most improbable homerun given if he had been successful getting the bunt down, the homerun never happens. No one even mentioned the situations earlier in the game when the Dodgers did not even try bunting a runner to second. Anyway, winning seems to make us forget the other stuff.
I do have a comment about the decision to replace Nolasco with Kershaw. I have no doubt this was not a planned decision based on scenarios the Dodgers discussed either prior or during the series. And clearly it was not just one person making the decision and I am o.k. with all of that. I find it interesting that most of the so called experts, including the TBS pregame crew made up of former players all had questions about the decision and at least two of them referred to the decision as one of “panic”. It seemed to me they were as surprised as the rest of us when we learned that Kershaw was starting the game so they were unprepared to discuss it and did not really analyze it. The crux of the criticism was on whether or not the Dodgers won the game. Losing meant the decision was wrong, regardless of how well Kershaw performed and winning the game validated the decision. In fact, if the Dodgers were concerned with how Nolasco would perform were they not already conceding defeat by making this change? And did the Dodgers not already have a great option for Wednesday even if they lost last night’s game with Kershaw on the mound? Clearly the Dodgers felt they had a better chance to win and close out the series with Kershaw than going with Nolasco but if things did not work out, they still had Zach for Wednesday and should that work out well, still have Kershaw to open the next series. The issue with Kershaw risking injury is unfounded as there is that risk with every pitch whether on the mound or in the bullpen. Of course the second guessing would have engulfed the Dodgers had Kershaw done poorly and suffered an injury but that did not happen. So it seems like the right decision no matter what happened.
Keep watching Juan’s HR… that wasn’t a cheap Carl Crawford right inside the foul pole job, that thing was a majestic shot 3/4 the way to the back of the bullpen.
Be interesting to see if that humbling experience makes Carpenter a better pitcher, or if he pulls a Niedenfuer on them.
Watching these short playoffs makes me despise the DH and all the pitching strategy it throws out the window. And please, no Red Sox or Cards. Something about those teams just leave me cold.
As for Kemp, he was adamant in his disgust for Braun–not that that means anything in the era of liar PED users–but I just feel sorry for him. He’s such a big kid at heart. This experience must be horrible for him.
Kemp’s situation should be of big concern but I doubt PED’s have anything to do with it. We all saw him crash into the wall and we all saw him make that awful slide into home. Perhaps whatever else ails him is the result of compensating for those injuries and trying to come back when his body clearly was not ready. I can understand the speculation about the Dodger medical staff but none of us has sufficient information to know. The fact is athletes put a lot of stress on their bodies and my guess is few of them leave the game without some physical problems that manifest later in life.
Kemp is a non topic until Spring Training… Ethier is a bigger question… I hope he can go in the NLCS…
Absolutely. If Ethier can go into the lineup on Friday, that’s a huge improvement in both offense and defense. Schumaker is okay on defense, but just okay. Ethier in CF gives the team more confidence, plus he’s got a better arm. He’s also got the gravitas to be able to tell Puig what to do. Schumaker cannot quite pull that off.
I’m not totally sure about this lineup, tell me what you think. With Ethier having been out and Uribe hot, I’m leaning towards Uribe in front of Ethier. Kinda strange given Uribe’s non-production in 2011 and 2012. But you know how Donnie likes the RLRLRL type of lineup:
Puig RF
Crawford LF
Ramirez SS
Gonzalez 1B
Uribe 3B
Ethier CF
Ellis 2B
Ellis C
Pitcher
Put Mark Ellis squarely on the bench, insert Nick Punto, and I’ll be a happy man!
It would be great to have Ethier back in the lineup and in centerfield if he is physically able. I would not expect a lot offensively from him just because he has not played in live games for a while but I still would give him the nod over Schumaker. My guess is Donnie would as well.
The RLRL has it’s advantages, but I still like Uribe lurking there towards the bottom. Similar to what the Yankees used to do with Bill Skowron.
What about:
Crawford
Ellis
Hanley
Adrian
Puig
Andre
Uribe
Ellis
pitcher
griz, I think Puig’s energy and disruptive presence is wasted in the 5 hole. I’d bat him one or two. And as I stated above, Mark Ellis needs to take a seat in favor of Punto, who brings a similar energy level as Puig
kahli-in that case I’d bat Crawford second and let Puig lead off. After thinking about it, it could be time to give Punto a shot. He must be well past ready to get involved by now.
Off to St. Louis we go!