Game 67: Dodgers @ Oakland Athletics 3:7
Here's Blue Man Matt's account of the first Oakland game of the three played over last weekend. Two more to follow. Great job, Matt! :) Just too bad you were tomkoed, like most of us following games do every fifth (or so) night lately... ;)
**********************
Take me out to the ballgame is supposed to be a song loved and sang
by millions of baseball fans around the world. But before the first
pitch had been thrown in Friday's game against the American League
leading Athletics, not many Dodger fans felt the joy of that song.
Myself included.
As I headed out on the BART train leaving San Francisco, with
my hair dyed blue, I didn't feel nostalgia, like most would expect.
Instead, I felt hopelessness. Not at the Dodgers, per se, but at the
crushing fact that Brett Tomko was taking the mound. I even
stayed in the office longer than I normally would on game day.
It was the first time in my life I hadn't wanted to rush out of
the office right away and head to the game.
That is what gets me most. I had been looking forward to this
series all year. My beloved Dodgers were returning to Oakland.
My anticipation disappeared a few days before when I realized who
was scheduled to pitch. Not only were the Dodgers pitching their flop
of a starter, but we were facing the A's potential Cy Young candidate.
Talk about overmatched and unfair.
I finally reached Oakland Coliseum, or Network Associates or McAfee
Field--whatever it's called this year, about a half hour before the first
pitch. It's a nice ball park, considering its location. The tarping of the
Upper Deck was done tactfully. I maneuvered my way around the
ballpark, and was disappointed when I came to my seats. I had
bought tickets for this series off the internet which I have had a lot
of luck with using.
Unfortunately, the person who sold me these tickets, erroneously
told me that they were on the Dodgers side. So, instead of sitting ten
rows behind the Dodger dugout, I found myself ten rows behind
the Athletic dugout. Being so close to game time, I realized I didn't
have much of a chance to even try sneaking onto the other side,
so I sat down.
The game time temperature was just below 70 degrees. A lot hotter
than I expected for a game in the Bay Area. I was surprised to see
how many Dodger fans were in Oakland. I am used to going to games
in San Francisco, San Diego and Phoenix where there are large
contingencies of Dodger fans, but Oakland didn't seem like the type
of place to me. I guess A's fans aren't as loyal as Raider fans, which
explains why so many Dodger fans were able to get tickets--
Dodger fans from all over came to the game.
Walking around, mingling with other fans, I talked to some fans from
Los Angeles, Sacramento, New Mexico, and even a couple from Japan
who mistakenly thought Hideo Nomo still played for the Dodgers.
Unfortunately, the Dodgers themselves didn't seem to come out for
this game. They definitely didn't bring their patience. Seven Dodgers
struck out at least once. Matt Kemp did it three times and Rafael
Furcal and Russ Martin each had a pair. This, coupled with the
zero walks, explains the lack of offense.
Tomko teased us a little bit, looking alright for the first three innings
when he only gave up one run. But then reality sank in. Tomko
succeeded in losing his fifth straight start, helping Dodger fans forget
his remarkable start. Tomko failed to strike a batter out for the
second time in his last three starts.
About the only bright spot in Friday's loss was Jeff Kent. Kent
doubled twice, moving into a three-way tie with Lou Brock and Billy
Herman for 54th place on the all time list. It truly is sad when
moving into a tie for 54th place is the bright spot.
The anticipation of seeing Milton Bradley, who was acquired from
the Dodgers in an off season trade that also sent Antonio Perez to
Oakland for minor leaguer Andre Ethier, failed to materialize when
Bradley wasn't in the starting lineup.
Some random observations from Oakland:
1) For those of you who were able to watch the game on TV,
how apparent was it that at least a quarter of the fans seemed to be
cheering for the Dodgers? I am still surprised by how much blue was
being worn, and at the amount of applause the Dodgers received
in an opposing ballpark not in Florida.
2) Now that Tomko has succeeded in bombing his last five starts,
I think the time is long past due to send him down. I would much
rather him hurt the 51s than I would the Dodgers. Maybe he can
regain his form in the minors? Any debate?
3) If released or sent down, that poses the question, who should
replace him?
**********************
Take me out to the ballgame is supposed to be a song loved and sang
by millions of baseball fans around the world. But before the first
pitch had been thrown in Friday's game against the American League
leading Athletics, not many Dodger fans felt the joy of that song.
Myself included.
As I headed out on the BART train leaving San Francisco, with
my hair dyed blue, I didn't feel nostalgia, like most would expect.
Instead, I felt hopelessness. Not at the Dodgers, per se, but at the
crushing fact that Brett Tomko was taking the mound. I even
stayed in the office longer than I normally would on game day.
It was the first time in my life I hadn't wanted to rush out of
the office right away and head to the game.
That is what gets me most. I had been looking forward to this
series all year. My beloved Dodgers were returning to Oakland.
My anticipation disappeared a few days before when I realized who
was scheduled to pitch. Not only were the Dodgers pitching their flop
of a starter, but we were facing the A's potential Cy Young candidate.
Talk about overmatched and unfair.
I finally reached Oakland Coliseum, or Network Associates or McAfee
Field--whatever it's called this year, about a half hour before the first
pitch. It's a nice ball park, considering its location. The tarping of the
Upper Deck was done tactfully. I maneuvered my way around the
ballpark, and was disappointed when I came to my seats. I had
bought tickets for this series off the internet which I have had a lot
of luck with using.
Unfortunately, the person who sold me these tickets, erroneously
told me that they were on the Dodgers side. So, instead of sitting ten
rows behind the Dodger dugout, I found myself ten rows behind
the Athletic dugout. Being so close to game time, I realized I didn't
have much of a chance to even try sneaking onto the other side,
so I sat down.
The game time temperature was just below 70 degrees. A lot hotter
than I expected for a game in the Bay Area. I was surprised to see
how many Dodger fans were in Oakland. I am used to going to games
in San Francisco, San Diego and Phoenix where there are large
contingencies of Dodger fans, but Oakland didn't seem like the type
of place to me. I guess A's fans aren't as loyal as Raider fans, which
explains why so many Dodger fans were able to get tickets--
Dodger fans from all over came to the game.
Walking around, mingling with other fans, I talked to some fans from
Los Angeles, Sacramento, New Mexico, and even a couple from Japan
who mistakenly thought Hideo Nomo still played for the Dodgers.
Unfortunately, the Dodgers themselves didn't seem to come out for
this game. They definitely didn't bring their patience. Seven Dodgers
struck out at least once. Matt Kemp did it three times and Rafael
Furcal and Russ Martin each had a pair. This, coupled with the
zero walks, explains the lack of offense.
Tomko teased us a little bit, looking alright for the first three innings
when he only gave up one run. But then reality sank in. Tomko
succeeded in losing his fifth straight start, helping Dodger fans forget
his remarkable start. Tomko failed to strike a batter out for the
second time in his last three starts.
About the only bright spot in Friday's loss was Jeff Kent. Kent
doubled twice, moving into a three-way tie with Lou Brock and Billy
Herman for 54th place on the all time list. It truly is sad when
moving into a tie for 54th place is the bright spot.
The anticipation of seeing Milton Bradley, who was acquired from
the Dodgers in an off season trade that also sent Antonio Perez to
Oakland for minor leaguer Andre Ethier, failed to materialize when
Bradley wasn't in the starting lineup.
Some random observations from Oakland:
1) For those of you who were able to watch the game on TV,
how apparent was it that at least a quarter of the fans seemed to be
cheering for the Dodgers? I am still surprised by how much blue was
being worn, and at the amount of applause the Dodgers received
in an opposing ballpark not in Florida.
2) Now that Tomko has succeeded in bombing his last five starts,
I think the time is long past due to send him down. I would much
rather him hurt the 51s than I would the Dodgers. Maybe he can
regain his form in the minors? Any debate?
3) If released or sent down, that poses the question, who should
replace him?
posted by Harry | 9:28 PM
1 Comments:
Hello there... by chance I stumbled on this blog by doing a search on Oakland and Dodgers.
The big question is... Is there anywhere for a dodger fan to catch a dodger broadcast of opening day IN oakland (or anywhere in the bay area for that matter).
I moved up 3 months ago, have no cable so obviously no "extra innings" package.
Any leads would be greatly appreciated. There HAS to be somewhere up here for dodger fans to converge, right?
~d
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