Opinions and Friends: Post-game Wednesday July 25

Welcome to L.A.
I recently wondered why no one wore the #13 on the team.
Clearly it was being saved. 
Lucky #13.
Welcome to L.A., via Miami by way of St. Louis , Hanley Ramirez. A triple and an RBI single. Well played, Sir.
The above shot is one I took from the Reserved level at Dodger Stadium. I love this scene because it reminds me of the beauty that surrounds the game and the team every which way I turn. It reminds me I am in L.A. I am a So Cal native, but I spent some time on an island. More on that some other time.

The Epitome of Bliss
Isabella Rossellini. That face. That shine. That sparkle.
This pretty much says it all for me. This is a mirror image of me after an Ethier walk off home run. Ok, maybe not an exact mirror image. Isabella is much more stunning. But you get my point.
This is what I mean by choose to be in love. Find the joy. Find the beauty.  
For me I find the Dodgers in this picture.
You may wonder why I would choose pictures of someone or something which isn't related directly to the Dodgers or to baseball.
Two reasons:
1. There are already sites and blogs that do that.
2. There should always be a human connection to the game. Just because I see baseball in a lot of .. life moments, doesn't mean everyone else does automatically. If I can make a connection for someone else, I've accomplished something. Hopefully.
And always feel free to see the parallels in other things too: bowling, sunsets, laughter, puppies... but for me this is about the Dodgers.
This was an exciting game for so many reasons. Like when Lindblom got his first pick-off at first in the tenth. Nice! But this is pretty much how I looked tonight anyway, in spite of the loss. (Two in a row. Grr...) Sometimes I looked like this out of excitement, sometimes out of frustration. Sometimes out of frustrated empathy. 
Like when Mattingly got tossed in the tenth.
Let's back track. Jeff Kellogg, tonight's home plate umpire needs glasses. There was no strike zone it seemed for the Cardinals. (No wonder umps don't want instant replay. They prefer job security.) This of course set Donnie's teeth on edge. As Mattingly went out to discuss matters with Josh Lindblom in the tenth, he kept his cool- quite admirably I may add given the circumstances- and got ejected. He wasn't even looking at Kellogg.
Maybe Kellogg has center stage issues. Don't-ignore-me-or-else. Ick. Dunno. Don't care. Just wish he'd get over it.
Now, I have always admired the fact that Mattingly will take one for his team. He didn't just walk away after he got tossed. With nothing to lose at that point, he laid a few more choice words onto Kellogg. Awesome. Mattingly may be a Taurus, but that Aries cusp took center stage tonight after being tossed.

I was talking to a girlfriend earlier today about the roots of friendship. Even when we lose touch for awhile, if they are true friends it doesn't matter- you pick up where you left off. You have each others back. You have a pow-wow on the mound, and if someone with puffed up feathers comes at you while you are talking to your friends, there will be a few choice words. Especially if that ruffled big bird has been getting under your skin all night.

But it's more than that. A team is just that- a team, and a girl's team is made up of her friends. You have your oldest, dearest friends. Those are the veteran players. You have acquaintances. Those are the bench players. You have your closest friends- your BFFs. Those are your starters. And every Girl needs her gay. For me, they are my coaches and managers. I swear, I don't know where I would be without my Jack McFarland(s). I would have no sense of style, vocabulary, attitude or shoes. 
'Nuff said.
But Girls, you know what I am talking about. Friends. This is our team. We stick by each other. They stick by us. I know who to call under various circumstances. For help with my printer, for a ride, for dating advice, for lunch... there is someone for every position. And some are utility players- some can fill more than one role. And if one is on the DL, I call in a back up. All the time, I know my 40 friend roster.

Tonight should have been about a new teammate: Hanley Ramirez. And to a degree it was. He performed well. I'll have more thoughts on him as the season progresses, I am sure. But with his Dodger debut, I am pleased. But for Dodger fans, the evening was slightly overshadowed by some bad calls at the plate. What saves this for me (again, it's always a matter of perspective), is the fact that team leader Donnie had his players backs, and that the team performed well, and that is all anyone can ask. Those are the best moments- when you know your team is there for you. And thank goodness the Giants lost tonight. too. Still only 2.5 back.
It's still July. Good. It's still early.