The Jell-o’s Not Quite Jiggling…
…But looks like the Dodgers are on the way to signing Manny, and judging from the L.A. Times report, it’s going to be the Manny with something to prove the Dodgers saw last year. Of course, that all depends on performance, so we’ll see how that goes.
Blogging from my Wii now, so forgive me if the article reads funny, if so, should be fixed tomorrow.
Yet, something tells me that the drama is just beginning, for better or for worse. Of course, the news media LOVES creating drama, so that shouldn’t come as a surprise.
I’ll save you any more wee hour ramblings, just had to say something now that there is something to say…. um… according to an unnamed source who spoke with ESPNDeportes.
Disconnected
“I’m disconnected by your smile
I disconnect a million miles
And what you promised me I hope will set you free
I’m disconnected by your smile…”
- The Smashing Pumpkins, ”The Aeroplane Flies High (Turns Left, Looks Right)“
As I am about to trudge off to my slightly-more-than-minimum-wage job to put in a lot less than a full day’s work in a place like much of the businesses in America is seeing dwindling business lately, please excuse me if I feel a little out of touch right now.
At least it’s spring training, but I feel like I had to get this one off my chest (photoshopped, heheh). I’m sure many feel the same way. We love you Manny, but you’re playing with our emotions. Take the money and run. Please. We want you back.
My spirit has not been broken, but I’m flabbergasted.
NorthStateBlues is @ Twitter now.
“And in my heart I know you’re there…
And in my heart I know you care…
And in my heart I know you’re gone”
- TSP, “TAFH (TLLR)”
Top Ten Time
Okay, from the Home Office in Chico, California: Top Ten Reasons why NorthStateBlues hasn’t blogged in a month:
10.) Jane Austen held me hostage with Pride AND Prejudice.
9.) All the NorCal “cardholders” are giving me a contact buzz.
8.) A self-held criterion that I have to include a drawing with every post.
7.) My Loney has a first name, it’s L-O-N-E-Y… oh wait, that’s the Dodgers’ #7 (Thanks to leekfink and Lny4Loney).
6.) After getting a Nintendo Wii and MLB Power Pros 2008, it’s tough to decide whether to write about baseball or play it.
5.) This offseason and the loss of L.A.’s pitching depth bring the Golden Rule to mind.
4.) A bunch of angry Giants fans tracked me down and gave my computer a Splash Landing.
3.) Jeff Gillooly.
2.) I’ve been keeping Joe Torre company leaning on the railing in the dugout.
And the number one reason NorthStateBlues hasn’t blogged in a month:
1.) I’m on strike ’til the return of Mannywood.
David Letterman is the man. I’m just a ripoff.
P.S.: Follow me on Twitter for updates on new posts and baseball thoughts. it’s NorthStateBlues.
Oh, Happy Day: From Dreams to Change
“The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball.
America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers.
It’s been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again.
But baseball has marked the time.
This field, this game, is a part of our past, Ray.
It reminds us of all that once was good, and that could be again.
Oh people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come”
-Terrence Mann – “Field of Dreams”
They say a picture says 1,000 words. I burnt the midnight oil doing this one, so for now, the picture will have to say most of what I wanted.
Don Newcombe once commented on Martin Luther King Jr. thanking him for what him, Campy and Jackie did in Brooklyn, saying they made the road that much easier for him to follow. What Jackie, Newk, Campy and Larry Doby did in the late 40′s didn’t just affect baseball, it affected the nation for decades to come.
Regardless of politics, today we enter a new era in this country, an era where our country is beginning to make good on MLK’s dream in a big way. May better times follow in the days to come.
I’ll try to update this more elequently by the end of the day. As for now, I’m beat.
Fifteen K’s (14 1/2 Fingers)
In Game 1 of the 1963 World Series, Sandy Koufax struck out 15 Yankees in a 5-2 complete game win over Whitey Ford and the Bronx Bombers. In Yankee Stadium, nonetheless. John Roseboro not only gave Koufax a hand in this photo (well, the original photo), but gave him a hand in the box score with a 3-run HR in the 2nd as well. The Dodgers would go on to sweep the Yanks out of the Series, winning their 3rd championship in 10 years.
In the original drawing, I didn’t realize until it was too late that I was going to end up cutting off part of one of Sandy’s hands, which is the focal part of the photo. The drawing was already mostly finished, though, so I left it as is. Definitely something to think about next time.
(original photo from Whitingham’s “Illustrated History of the Dodgers”)
The Squire Comes to Pigtown
On this day in 1912, Charles Ebbets, “The Squire of Flatbush”, announced he had acquired land in the Pigtown section of Brooklyn for a ballpark. Construction would start later that year, and the ballpark would open by Opening Day the next year. The name of the park: Ebbets Field (like you couldn’t guess, heh).
From what I’ve read, he decided to name the park after himself. And after working his way up with the Brooklyn Base Ball Club from errand boy/vendor in 1884 to team president in 1897 (meaning he was there from practically the beginning), I think he earned it. Plus, I’d pity the guy who would’ve suggested otherwise, Hercules was Ebbets’ middle name. Really.
While the Ebbets-inspired, soon-to-open Citi Field in Queens cost $600 million to build, Ebbets Field was build for less than a thousandth of that: $450,000. Today, that would get you close to 5 years of choice season tickets at the new Yankee Stadium.
(Picture inspired by photo in Whittingham’s Illustrated History of the Dodgers , and info found on Baseball Reference.com , Whittingham, and the Citi Field page on Ballparks.com .)
Like Clockwork
This is a drawing I pulled from a new book I got for Christmas, Illustrated History of the Los Angeles Dodgers by Richard Whittingham. This was June 4th, 1968 when Don Drysdale pitched his 6th consecutive shutout, which broke a longstanding record by Doc White of the White Sox, who had thrown 5 consecutive. That’s Dodgers catcher Tom Haller behind the plate. Drysdale’s streak will prove a rare highlight that year, as 1968 wasn’t too kind to the Dodgers.
Batting is Willie Stargell, who would become the only person to hit a home run outside of Dodger Stadium, until Mike Piazza did the same in the mid-90′s. Of course, Stargell hit it out twice, so we’ll see if that records’ ever broken.
Let me know what you think of this new throwback direction in the comments section. Of course, I’ll still do current stuff as well, but in January it’s slim pickins.
Hope everyone’s having a great new year!
Resgresa del Campo Corto
It’s been a while, but no more classes means a bit more free time, which means more time for the blog.
I’m stoked to see Rafael Furcal back in blue. When this guy is on it, the whole team benefits. It took Manny to fill the void Furcal’s injury created, as far as the role of catalyst is concerned. If we had both, we’d be going places more often (C’mon Frank, let’s get this deal done already!).
If you like the pic, feel free to show some love in the comments section. And feel free to borrow the images for fansites, etc., provided that you give me credit, as I’ll be giving credit for the images that have inspired me. This particular one was based on a pic from Chris Carlson of the Associated Press ( http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2008-12/44000484.gif ). One day, who knows, I might even draw backgrounds.
Anyway, hope everyone’s having a great holiday season!
Hot Stove Cold Pencil
Haven’t done much drawing lately, school and work have taken my time up lately (two upper-division literature classes will do that to you). Hope to start drawing again soon, but I won’t make any empty promises as to when.
As for the last season, it was a fun ride, and I’m glad to have seen them go that far, a good touchstone for upcoming seasons. Hope Manny chooses to stay, the ball’s in his court.
Personally, I would hope he would take a 2-3 year contract, and head to the AL after that for the remainder of his career (and hopefully his Dodgers years will help him to get that killer contract). Of course, I’m no GM, but there’s a lot of value in not being tied up for too long. he’ll make his money now, Boras will make his money, and in two years, they can do this again.
Whatever happens, I don’t have much of an NFL team at the moment, so the HSL (Hot Stove League) will more than suffice. My favorite time of the offseason, the baseball equivalent of gawking at tabloid headlines while in line at the grocery store. Let the games begin.
Driving to the Championship
For what it’s worth, talking about the Dodgers clinching the West might be a day late and a dollar short, with all eyes on what’s going on with the Phils, Brewers and Mets. But this drawing took me a while to get where I wanted it to be. I feel this image perfectly captures the feeling of the Dodgers in 2008. Seeing our younger players get onto the October stage, of course with help from Manny. The oddity of clinching the division while driving to the ballpark. And the milk, well, I’m not sure what that’s about, but it evokes the Indy 500 winner’s circle in a strange way.
But getting there is only the beginning, we’ll see what happens once things get rolling. One thing I can say, though, is I think these guys aren’t carrying the 20-year old monkey-on-the-back that has haunted the franchise. And with legitimate offensive threats in our lineup, as well as an awesome pitching staff and great bullpen, the Dodgers have the chance to do some long-term damage, not the limping-into-the-playoffs performance we had in ’06.
Now it’s just the Giants, then waiting to see who we face. With all the rain back east, I heard on the radio that the Dodgers might fall into a scenario where they take to the air not knowing what city their flight will end up. If deciding games go into extra innings, that means the Dodgers will have a layover at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago until the game’s been decided. Strange for sure.
But (and here comes the Great Cliche) October 1st, it’s a new season, and all eight teams are equal. I’m ready, but I think the fans in San Francisco want two more chances to get the last digs at their “hated Dodgers” before it’s all done. Me, I’ll be working during the first half of the game, so I guess I might be missing out on the fun. Those Dodgers-Giants games are almost always worth the price of admission.
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