All posts in West Coast Corespondent

Lorenzo Lamas “sang” the national anthem. It was as bad as you can imagine.

LOS ANGELES– I defend baseball quite a bit. Too boring they say and i concede to them it can be a little dull in spots, but I tell them, “When its great there is nothing better.” The tension and excitement can be so intense you want to explode. I long for that feeling again, because my Reds just don’t have it in them anymore.

I swear this team needs a group heart transplant. Where is the pride? 0 for their last 11 at Dodger Stadium? Man up and get a win. This is pathetic.

Until this team has someone who takes losing personally and gets on his teammates things won’t change. A small market team can’t hang with the big boys on talent alone. Smaller teams need an edge and that edge is attitude and a killer instinct. Not coasting into 2nd and getting thrown out.

NOTES FROM THE TOP DECK (AKA BEST SEATS IN THE HOUSE FOR THE PRICE)

• CHEAP AND GOOD: Shh. Don’t tell anyone. Top Deck seats at Dodger Stadium are $9. They are also very good seats. Much better than higher priced seats closer to the action. Close isn’t always better. Sure, i’d like to sit lower stadium behind home plate, those seats are great, but middle deck…down the line are terrible seats and much more expensive. I was a top-six guy at Riverfront and a Top Deck guy at Dodger Stadium.

• FOREIGN EXCHANGE: I bought my ticket the day they went on sale. So did 250 people in a group of foreign exchange families. I was surrounded by German kids, Brazilians, Canadians, and a adorable Finnish girl who sat next to me and was quiet as a church mouse. It was actually pretty fun. I asked to be adopted as foreign exchange student from Cincinnati. They were having a great time and i’m pretty sure none of them were watching the game.

• SUNSET: The sunset view from the stadium was about 500X better than the game.

• CAN YOU GUESS THE ANSWER?: My Cracker Jack prize dropped a little knowledge on me.

• I’M NOT VERY NICE: I enjoyed it when Homer plunked Man-Ram. I was hoping a fight would break out b/c that was the only way to salvage that mess.

This guy here was recording his own play by play. Really.

• ONE CAN HOPE: Will tonight’s Manny Bobblehead come with a syringe?

LOS ANGELES– I had a feeling this would happen. The Reds jump out to a quick 3-0 lead in the top of the first against a guy who hasn’t thrown a major league pitch in 2 years. They had him on the ropes. This could be their night. It wasn’t even their inning. Dodgers get 4 in the bottom f the first to take the lead…and they never looked back.
The Reds made some noise later, but no one in the stands seemed to think it was going anywhere…they were right.

Some keen sharp-witted observations from the Left Field Pavillion.

• STATE OF CHEER: Californians (at least SOUTHERN Californians) are all cheerleaders inside. They love to cheer. Yell. Whatever. Chant. Clap. Its like a stadium full of kindergarteners.They started the wave in the 2nd inning….They were bored by the 2nd inning! Some believe i’m just a cranky midwesterner. Guilty.

• BEACH BALLS. I HATE BEACH BALLS: So, the game is so dull you have to amuse yourself with beachballs. Fine, whatever. Have fun…oh wait., the beach ball might be smacked in my face by a some kid or worse…an adult that never grew up? Great. So even if i want to ignore the beach ball I have to be on guard for it?
2 years ago I grabbed one and gave it to the security guard who disposed of it. EVERYONE boo’d. Proudest moment of my life.
• LIGHTEN UP, FRANCIS: Ok, its not that bad and i’m not that cranky. One thing I love about California is they are head over heels in love with Baseball. Lots of people play and tons of big time players come from here. I can respect that.

• DODGER STADIUM IS GREAT: Its old, it lacks luxury boxes (it has some, but not what a team in LA should have) and the parking is $15, but the setting is grand, the views are spectacular and the weather (normally) is perfect. Later this summer i’ll head to Aneheim to compare.

• TONIGHT WILL BE DIFFERENT: I hope. My seats tonight are behind home plate in the uppper, upper deck. Still, not bad for $9. I have an aversion to paying too much for tickets. I go for quantity over quality. Hopefully Homer can continue to shine and shut these clowns down. I need a win.