Two years in a row! (10/3/09)

Two years in a row have the Dodgers clinched the National League Western Division Champion title ... and both years I was at the game when they clinched!

Starting off, I called Nina to see if she was going to the game with me. I was going to take Jason, but he backed out. And Nina was originally going to go to the game with me. She was at the L.A. Country Fair with her family. But, she wanted to go. So, I dropped the ticket off at her house and left her some money to pay for parking. My cousin Jenny dropped me off at the gate and I went in. Tonight was calendar night and the first 50,000 fans received the "2009 Team Calendar" ... except for one thing. They've done this both years I have gone to Team Calendar night. They don't hand out the calendars till the end of the game. But, instead, I did get to see the Star Wars: Clone Wars characters walking by. Snapped a few quick picks.























Did you see the one guy who saw me taking pictures? LOL. Sorry if some of them aren't in focus. I was taking them too quickly.
I got Brad Ausmus to sign Julia's birthday ball. He was one of the handful of players she named she wanted. Her list was Andre Ethier, Russell Martin, Randy Wolf, and Brad A-use-mus. That's how she said his name the first time she tried to say it. And it stuck in our heads. Well, she is nine you know. She turns ten in less than two weeks. Manny might've been one of the names on the list too, but I was like ... fat chance me getting Manny's autograph. I got Randy's before the game started. I was talking with an usher (one I hadn't talked to before too!) when I noticed Randy was signing autographs.

He was standing on the top step of the dugout and signing autographs for the kids in the dugout club. Okay, so I know I was in the field level and no way was I getting in the dugout club. But, there is a wall that separates the dugout club from the field level. I went to the very first row that was directly behind Randy. I pulled out the ball and my Wolf mask. I grabbed it at the last second when I was leaving the house . You never know when it'll come in handy.  Like tonight. I noticed Randy already had something he was signing wit h. Good. There was no way I was going to be able to throw a pen that far. As it was, it was hard enough to throw the ball that far.

Okay, not really that hard.  I didn't give it m 100% effort. I didn't want the ball to end up on the field. Ask anyone who's played catch or softball with me... or even volleyball!  They'll tell you. Anyway, so I waited for the right moment to get Randy's attention. Didn't take me very long. I called out his name, held up the ball and the Wolf hat (so he'd remember who I was). He looked right at me and pointed to me (okay, so the picture is of Brad Ausmus pointing. And no, Brad wasn't pointing at me). I threw the ball to him. It was a soft toss so it landed just a little short. Remember. I didn't want to embarrass myself by throwing the ball onto the field. He signed it and threw it back to me.
I was a little surprised that I was able to get something signed.
The players usually don't sign for people in the field level, just the dugout club. Well, not that I've seen anyway. The throw back was a little high and a little over my head. I was afraid of not catching it (again) or it bouncing to someone else or into the dugout club. Well, I jumped up and it tried to catch it. Just got my hands on it. The ball hit my right hand pretty much in the same spot where it got hit last time. I didn't close my hands on it ... but it landed in my purse!

Good thing it didn't land in the dugout club! And sure enough, after I got my ball, all these other kids showed up trying to get an autograph. I didn't see any players sign for anyone in the field level. Just the kids behind the dugout. There was one kid next to me who asked me if that was Lamar Odom in the dugout. I had no idea. Probably not. But the kid kept calling him anyway. He also asked me who was the guy with the award (Juan Pierre) and what the award (Roy Campenella Award) was for. And then when it was time for the National Anthem, he got all excited because the players were lining up. I told him to quiet down because it was time for the National Anthem. And to take off his cap.


This was one of the funniest things I happen to see, hanging behind the dugout. Well, I was in the field seats behind the wall that separates the field level from the dugout level. Wonder who's hands those are... I was looking for a fourth hand, but I didn't see it.

So, tonight's game started off with a very fast 1-2-3 first inning. How fast? Kershaw struck out the first three batters. Of course, I didn't see any of this because I was waiting for the elevator to go to the Top Deck. But what did I see? Ron Cey (he went in the opposite direction or you know I would've gotten an autograph. No picture, I had the wrong lenses on). Steve Lyons (he went straight into the Press Box, but he did say hi and ask me how I was doing). And Vic the Brick (I think that's how you spell it). After the first three struck out, Kershaw struck out two more to make it five consecutive strike outs before he allowed Chris Ianetta to fly out to Juan Pierre. That's okay, because in the next inning he struck out Brad Hawpe and Jorge DeLaRosa with a ground out in between. Oh, and the Dodgers' bench coach Bob Schaefer got thrown out of the game in the bottom of the third inning.

After they showed Tommy Lasorda on the screen, the guy sitting next to Nina asked me if I knew when did Tommy Lasorda retired. I told him I didn't know. I guessed in the 90's, mid-90's. I told him I've only been a fan for 3 years. That wasn't the funny part. The funny part was when he asked me, he and the four or five guys sitting with him were all looking at me for the answer. Nina thought it was hilarious too because they all expected me to know the answer. Quite funny to see six guys in a row all leaning over to find out the answer. One head right after the other. Not sure how to describe the picture, but imagine six heads right on top of each other lined up on a doorway and that's close to what it was.