Long Lasting

Last night I was listening to the Dodgers-Diamondbacks game on the radio- a game which a few years ago I would have called a Diamondbacks-Dodgers tilt. I was listening on the radio because whereas there were before only a few LA games on free TV, there now are none. For most Angelenos, those games are inaccessible no matter what you're ready to spend- the consequence of setting up a new cable channel. You can see it upsets me.

That stuff isn't the point I'm trying to make. A while ago, I was getting tickets to almost every game from a friend. Every other week, I was at Dodger Stadium either six or seven nights in a row. Though it was enjoyable, it became routine, and I started to want for nothing more than speedy, punctually-concluded games. The games mostly would start at 7:10, and I was ready for them to be over just as soon as the clock struck 10. Even earlier was preferable, but almost impossible.

Engagement Zone

Another baseball season is upon us, and while I am ordinarily loathe to be topical in my writing, here's something on baseball in the general area of the season's first day. In fact, it was a couple days ago, but the point is that I am a fan and I watch baseball games, or listen to them on the radio. Sometimes I even attend, but that's seldom these days. When I went to nearly every Dodgers home game, it was easy to stay engaged, but it's harder now.

I'm too busy to take in many games. I'm out of the house or indisposed many evenings and weekend afternoons, and even when I could be watching a game, there are other things I want to do and am not willing to let drop for the duration of the season. Still, I can catch a game every now and then, whether it is on free TV or the radio. I'll make one game in person if it kills me, but it'll mainly be those two things.

Dolled Up, Fouled Up

I used to go to a lot of Dodgers games. My best estimate is that in the first three years I lived in LA, I went to something like 200 home games in person. That's a lot even for someone with season tickets such as the ones I had the use of. Consequently, I wound up with a lot of give-away items. I may have made mention of the many blankets, posters and little radios built only to bring in the station which then broadcasted games.

There were also the bobble-heads. There may have been more, but I'm presently looking at five on the table adjacent to my computer. There's Takashi Saito, Rafael Furcal, Tommy Lasorda and Russell Martin. I believe that only Lasorda is presently affiliated with the team. The rest are gone, and so are many pieces from these bobble-head doppelgangers. One is missing arms, another is missing the plaque he originally carried, and all are missing bits of fingers, I think.

Deportes de Calder

Today was a pretty big day in terms of sporting events in which I had an emotional stake. In the midst of countless other games, my focus was on two in particular: Game Three of the National League Divisional Series featured the LA Dodgers (beloved team of my adopted home) and the St. Louis Cardinals. Perhaps due in part to their protracted struggle to finally clinch the NL West, the Dodgers were set as an underdog in the series by most prognosticators I heard from. This just goes to show that anyone who goes by that designation knows less than nothing and is lucky to be engaged in any employment more desirable and lucrative than digging ditches.

The events of the day

Yesterday featured some notable events for me. Thursdays, as my loyal band of readers will recall, are the day that I have Toastmasters. I was ballot counter, but hope to give my next speech in a week or two. I'm not sure if I'll work with the speech I wrote about late night talk shows. I don't entirely like it as is, but it might work with some reorganization. Anyway, it was a good meeting in spite of being held in the smaller room this week. Concessions must be made occasionally to Warner Brothers.

Just prior to leaving for that meeting, I had discovered that I missed an express delivery through USPS. A friend had overnighted me tickets to the Dodgers' three exhibitions at Dodger Stadium prior to the opening of the regular season, and the first of the three was yesterday night. According to the slip left behind by the delivery man, the earliest I would be able to retrieve the shipment was the following morning- not an acceptable state of affairs! After the meeting, I called the post office, and was advised that I might possibly track down the mailman in my neighborhood and get the package from him before he returned to the post office. As I made my way back from the meeting, I plotted my plan of attack on finding my quarry.

Beisbol, el juego bonita verdad

Baseball season is about upon us, and with my beloved Suns doing so little to distract me from it, you may well hear my thoughts on the Pastime from time to time between now and the fall, especially on the occasions when I should wander into Dodger Stadium for a game. This isn't a sports blog, so as always, this subject will fit within the context of my day to day life.