A Team Effort...

No pictures, no time tonight. But wanted to write: 
In spite of the fact League blew the save (grrr...), and never mind the fact that Wall allowed the Mets to walk off with a Grand Slam in the tenth (double grrr...), I would be an irresponsible fan if I didn't mention (and perhaps simply focus on) Matt Kemp hitting his first home run of the year. Nice!!! Not without a little mild controversy of course: from a distance it looked as if the ball was still in play. Turns out, as instant replay served its purpose, the ball went over the wall, bounced into and then out of someone's hands and bounced right back over the wall. No fan interference- the guy's hands were clearly on his side of the wall. No harm, no foul. Kemp stood at third with at least a triple, awaiting the result while the umpires reviewed. Yay Kemp! Watching him make the jog to home from third was delayed gratification- for Kempo and Dodger fans. But what a relief- he was definitely overdue. He hadn't hit a home run since September last year. Congrats! 

Ted Lily showed some strong stuff tonight too. Not gonna lie- I was worried before the game started.  But he looked strong, he looked confident. It's been awhile for Lily, and I certainly wouldn't mind seeing more of him. Good to have him back at what looks to be 100%.

Kershaw came to bunt in the tenth... what the...?? Heh. Well, he IS one our best bunters... Plus using him in a pinch hit situation makes me happy. Means Mattingly is thinkin' outside the box. Kershaw executes and delivers, and the runner advances. Just wanted to throw that out there. Seeing Kershaw contribute on a night when he's not pitching RE emphasizes what a Team Player the guy is. Nothing we didn't already know. Nice!!

Let's discuss, shall we, the agility of Jerry Hairston. THIS is why I love the guy- who saw that catch in the ninth? Runs into the wall, underhands the catch by leaning over and immediately spins to face forward again. Watching Hairston is like watching Cirque du Soleil.  

Ladies, tonight's game was a great example of that nail biting fun stuff the game is made of. Dodgers took an early lead, Mets tied it up, Dodgers regained the lead, Mets tied it up... When it becomes a Team making the plays, and it isn't dependent on one Player,... when it once again becomes a game... THAT'S what brings it all to life. Our lives are rarely static, or if they are, they usually don't stay that way for long: friends, family, jobs, significant others, pets,... there's always something happening. And half the fun is just watching these Players do their thing. Sure there are slow moments, slower days. And other times we have a lot of runs being scored. But hopefully we have more days like tonight's game: a nice even flow, a balance if you will, of push, pull, give, take, and finally there is one clear winner. Hopefully that winner is us. Tonight wasn't in the cards for us, but tomorrow is a whole new day... GO Blue!