Blogger: Mr. LA Sports Fan

LA Fan

Just a sports fan wandering about the greater Los Angeles Area, making brief stops at the Coliseum, Staples Center, and Dodger Stadium along the way. I know my way around most of the LA sports world, though the Dodgers are my strength.


Website: Mr. LA Sports Fan

I’m Here to Play: The Ballad of Manny Ramirez

He brought hope one year, despair the next.  He was the shining beacon of baseball in LA, and then he shut off the light.  Long before the McCourts decided to hate each other, Manny Ramirez made the Dodgers the focal point of baseball for both good and bad. On July 31, 2008, ... 29Aug2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

All In: Dodgers Need to Press Forward

The Dodgers gambled at the trade deadline.  They dealt a host of young talent, including two players from the big league roster, to convince themselves and fans that a playoff spot would still be salvageable.  But August hit, and it hit hard.  A sweep at the hands of the hated Giants to start the month.  Crushing losses to Philadelphia and ... 26Aug2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

Dear T.J. Simers: You’re Awful, I Hate You

The latest "article" to come from the mouth of T.J. Simers is a confusing batch of hackneyed expressions, ever-changing concepts, and very poor grammar.  And this has nothing to do with what he actually wrote about.  In journalism, especially in opinion pieces, how you convey your message is just as important as the message itself.  By the looks of ... 15Aug2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 1 comment | Continued

Big Mistake: Dodgers Pull Dumbest Deal at the Deadline

I like Ted Lilly.  But he is nowhere close to being worth the price tag the Dodgers just put down on him.  Ned Colletti pulled the trigger on the deal for Lilly, inadvertently shooting himself in the foot in the process by sending Blake DeWitt, Brett Wallach, and Kyle Smit to Chicago.  The Dodgers also receive the under-performing Ryan Theriot, ... 31Jul2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 1 comment | Continued

At the Deadline: What Should the Dodgers Do?

The Dodgers' pitching woes are becoming more and more obvious everyday.  The bullpen is stretched thin, relying on the likes of Jack Traschner and Travis Schlichting to make end's meet.  The much-maligned rotation is improving now that Vicente Padilla has hit his stride, and could improve if Chad Billingsley's last start is any indication of his future performance.  But still, ... 25Jul2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

Neighbor Invaders: Dodgers Play Big Role in NL’s Win

Anaheim hosted the Major League Baseball All Star Game this year, but Los Angeles stole the show.  The Dodgers had a heavy presence in Orange County, sending four men to represent the team: Andre Ethier, Rafael Furcal, Hong-Chih Kuo, and Jonathan Broxton.  Ethier started the game in center, the first time he roamed that part of the field since his ... 13Jul2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

Classic Dilemma: Complexities of the All Star Game

By now you've heard the debate raging in the baseball world concerning the All Star fate of one Stephen Strasburg.  Should he play? Does he deserve to play? What will that mean for Matt Capps, who's 22 saves have people backing his campaign for a trip to Anaheim?  While Strasburg did not garner enough support for an All Star bid, ... 4Jul2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

Stretched Thin: Bullpen Woes Starting to Seap Through

Everyone talked about the rotation.  No ace, no dependable starter to get a win every fifth day.  Somebody to look at the lineup of the Phillies and not quiver with fear.  But everybody forgot about the bullpen.  The Dodgers' supposed saving grace last season, with two All Star closers in Jonathan Broxton and George Sherrill to anchor Hong-Chih Kuo, Ronald ... 28Jun2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

What Divorce? Dodgers Draft LSU Football Commit with First-Round Pick

The Dodgers have had success recently with their first-round draft picks.  James Loney, Chad Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw.  They know what they're doing.  Which is why there is no doubt that the Dodgers intend to bypass this year's draft by selecting Zach Lee, a RHP from McKinney, Texas.  Why, do you ask, is selecting Lee an automatic forfeiture of a pick? ... 7Jun2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued
missed the tag

The Call Heard ‘Round the World: Gallaraga, Joyce, and the Future of Baseball

It was a bad call.

A really bad call. One of those no-doubt-about-it, safe-by-a-mile, how-could-you-possibly-miss-it calls.

It's a call that will change the very course of baseball itself.  Remember where you were on June 2, 2010, when a seemingly innocuous decision sent the sports world into a ... 3Jun2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 3 comments | Continued

Between a Rock: Monasterios Stuck in Limbo

What do you do when you're Carlos Monasterios?  The Dodgers saw enough in the young gun to pay the Mets the Rule 5 pick, having been originally plucked from the Phillies' system.  He pitched well in Spring Training, and the club decided to take a chance on the kid, using a bullpen slot just to try their best and keep ... 30May2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

Lucky Rabbit: Can (and Should) the Dodgers Make a Play for Oswalt?

Roy Oswalt wants out.  He can't stand Houston's ineptitude, and he has requested a one-way ticket away from the Astros.  Ready to become the Roy Halladay of the 2010 season, Oswalt will be the creme de la creme of the trade market, that is, until Seattle decides to fold.  But until then, all we can wonder about is whether the ... 23May2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

Double Standard: Steriods in MLB and NFL will Never Be Equal

By now you've probably heard about Brian Cushing, former USC standout and current Texans defensive star.  He tested positive for a performance enhancing substance and will be suspended for the first four games of the 2010 NFL season.  Cushing is not the first football player to use PEDs; the Chargers' Shawne Merriman is the ... 13May2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 1 comment | Continued

Murphy’s Law: Dodgers Trying to Get Good Luck

The famed Murphy's Law states that anything that can go wrong will go wrong.  If everything has not gone wrong for the Dodgers, it sure seems like it.  In case you need a recap... 9-14 record for April 4-10 record against the Pirates, Mets, Reds and Nationals during April Manny Ramirez, Jeff Weaver, and Vicente Padilla ... 3May2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

Dr. Bullpen, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Pitching Staff

The Dodgers' woes are painfully clear: the pitching.  Chad Billingsley is up and down.  Vicente Padilla's out.  Clayton Kershaw and Charlie Haeger can't find the strike zone.  Ramon Troncoso takes the rubber almost every game.  Jeff Weaver is already on the DL after appearing in nine games to start the season.  Jonathan Broxton has ... 25Apr2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

Week One Review: East Coast Swing

The Dodgers had a very disappointing Opening Week.  An 11-5 loss to the Pirates is not the greatest way to start a season. But then again, neither is a 4-3 10 inning loss the next day.  Thankfully, the bats woke up just in time to avoid a sweep at the hands of Pittsburgh, beating the Buccos 10-2.  It was then ... 11Apr2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

99 Questions, and His Swing is One

According to Josh Rawitch, Manny Ramirez recently sported a shirt saying "I've got 99 problems but my swing ain't one."  This got me thinking: what are the Dodgers' 99 questions entering the new season?  Here they are, in their full glory: Will Manny get his swing back? Will Matt Kemp keep his swing? Will Chad Billingsley return to first-half 2009 form? Will Andre Ethier ... 4Apr2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 1 comment | Continued

Runeth Over: What do the Dodgers do with so many pitchers?

The Dodgers threw the spaghetti against the wall to see what would stick, and as of now there are a lot more viable candidates than spots available.  The pitching staff had these locks when entering Spring Training: Rotation: Clayton Kershaw, Vicente Padilla, Hiroki Kuroda, Chad Billingsley Bullpen: Jonathan Broxton, George Sherrill, Ramon Troncoso Hong-Chih Kuo and Corey ... 28Mar2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 1 comment | Continued

Spring Training: Belisario Returns, Mientkiewicz Leaves

Ronald Belisario reported to Glendale today after spending the last month stuck in his native Venezuela due to visa issues, which were possibly connected to his DUI last year.  Belisario was immediately placed in the restricted list after arriving, and will likely not make the Opening Day roster.  However, his situation is complicated by his lack of minor-league options.  Belisario ... 27Mar2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

Spring Training: Split Squad, Rumors, Releases

The Dodgers fell to the Angels in a split squad game 4-2 on Monday.  Carlos Monasterios was roughed up for three runs in four innings of work.  Jonathan Broxton had a scoreless frame, and Jeff Weaver had two shutout innings.  Garret Anderson had a double and an RBI, and James Loney had two hits. The other half of the team defeated ... 24Mar2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

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