A couple of things about last night’s 10th inning debacle. It would have never happened had Hawksworth covered 1st base. So maybe it's best to just pretend that he covered first base and they won.
Most importantly, It was much easier to stomach that loss knowing that the Dodgers were not in the pennant race. Had the Dodgers been in the pennant race, people would be jumping off buildings after that train wreck.
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| Juan Rivera looks up in the stands as Ryan Roberts game winning grand slam homer is deposited in the left field seats |
That has probably the worst choke job I have ever seen since this, that coincidently, I wrote about a little over a month ago:
I only hope that ESPN isn’t replaying it 20 years from now. Being that it was the Dodgers, I’m sure that they will though.
Hopefully we take the series finale and will be looking at a winning box score for months to come. I say that because on the dodger web site in the past they posted the results of the last game of the season, and they remain on there for months on end during the winter. Around Christmas time I’d like to be looking at a box score showing that Kemp hit two homers and the Dodgers won 8-0, something like that. It would be nice to see them end the year on a positive note.
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There was an intriguing interview with Dave Stewart on the Diamondbacks telecast in the bottom of the 5th inning last night. In the stands, reporter Mark McClune caught up with Dave Stewart, who had some interesting things to say. What caught my attention was his praising of Mattingly, Lopes and the Dodger coaching staff and without saying it, his dig at Torre/Bowa/Schaeffer from last year. He didn’t mention the last year staff, but there was no secret in the issues that his client had with them. Below is a word for word transcript of what was said in the first part of the interview, you be the judge.
McClune: Dave Stewart joining us, taking in Jarrod Parker’s major league debut, watching his client, actually the agent to Matt kemp, Let’s start with Parker, who just went into the dugout. As you look back on your big league debut in late September if ’78, does it take you back at all, to when you took the mound for the first time?
Stewart: Well it does, taking the mound for the first time, but we were in different roles. My first time out was as a reliever and Jarrod’s is as a starting pitcher. He’s doing an outstanding job. You can see why they’ve called him to the big leagues and they’ve given him a starting assignment. I mean he’s got great stuff. good command of his fastball, It looks like he’s got great composure out there. He’s doing a good job by following the catcher and hitting his locations. He’s doing an outstanding job.
McClune: One of the three hits off him tonight is from Matt Kemp, a man that you know very well, getting some serious MVP consideration. Now there’s the old argument, is it the best player or is it the best player on a winning team that should be the MVP? Your his agent, so this puts you in an interesting situation. Where do you come out on it?
Stewart: Well, I’ve not been in an MVP race, but through the years that I played, I mean it’s gone all over the map. As you know, Kirk Gibson, the manager of this ball club, I think it was the ’88 Dodgers, he didn’t necessarily have tremendous numbers. He won the MVP for being a clubhouse leader, being a guy that uh, got the Dodgers going that year. You also have situations like Andre Dawson with the Chicago Cubs. Where that ball club, traditionally the Cubs have not been a good ball club and that year, I think they took last place. He had tremendous numbers and he did a great job that year. his numbers were so outstanding that they had to vote him MVP. I think in Matt’s case, you’ve got to look at the Dodgers without him, where would they be? I mean, they are a ball club right now that’s two or three games above .500. I think without Matt, they’re in a different planet.
McClune: Now Matt has worked closely with Mattingly and with Davey Lopes. What has been the biggest reason in your opinion for his astronomical season he’s put together.
Stewart: Well, one, you’ve got to look at his off-season program. He got right to work as soon as the season was over last year. He came and he dedicated himself to make himself a better player. Both physically and he put himself in a better mental state. I’m always going to say that though the Dodgers are not winning this year, they’ve got a better coaching staff. A coaching staff that caters to teaching the players. A coaching staff that wants players to be successful. Davey’s done a great job with him. He’s got great confidence in Don Mattingly. And, he comes to the ball park and he’s said it a thousand times, he’s happy being at the park.
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For a chuckle, O-Dog's reaction to Dee Gordon's Gumby outfit:
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