The eighth inning of game four of the 2008 Major League Baseball National League Championship Series made any Dodger fan feel sour.

Lets recap

Hong Chih Kuo pitched to Ryan Howard in the top of the eighth, only to see Howard smack a single on a 2-0 count.  Torre replaces Kuo with Cory Wade, who promptly made Pat Burrell fly out to second baseman, Angel Berroa.  Shane Victorino came up to bat.  He then hit a line drive home run that made all Dodger fans groan.  Watching Victorino circling the bases with that smirk of his (Do I only see this?) and high-fiving his teammates irritated me. 

We lost the lead

Pedro Feliz came up to bat, only to lineout to Manny.  We had two outs in top of eighth.  As much as I hated losing the lead, we were still tied, 5-5. Carlos Ruiz came up to bat and swung on the first pitch that was delivered to him and smacked a single to Manny.  Torre saw enough and took Wade out and called Jonathan Broxton in.

It's coming

Broxton came in to face Matt Stairs, a lefty 40-year-old whom the Phillies picked up in the season.

Closer

Broxton battled Matt Stairs to a 3-1 count with 2 outs in the eighth with Carlos Ruiz on first.  Dodger fans in Dodger Stadium cheering Broxton on.  Broxton pitches his fastball right down the pipe...

BOOM!

Ladies and gentlemen.  These are the Phillies we are facing.  This is the team that ended our season last year.  This is the team that won the war against us.  This is the team who cheered victory in our house to get into the World Series. 

We wanted a rematch, we begged for a rematch, we cried for a rematch (I did anyway).  As it states in the bible:

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

                                                                                                                              -Matthew 7:7

 We got our rematch.

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Lets put rivalries aside.

Just for right now.

I was reading the New York Times Sunday edition and read an article by Billy Witz titled "After Son's Kidnapping Ordeal, Player Finds Refuge in Baseball".  It was an article on Yorvit Torrealba and the struggles and horrors he went through on his son's kidnapping.

We can all agree that Torrealba's number were forgettable in April and May.  As if his baseball career was going through a terrible period, news got worse when he received a call from his wife on June 2nd telling him that his son was kidnapped at school in Venezuela.  Miles and miles away from Colorado.

Hurdle and Tracy gave him the O.K. to leave the team to help himself out. 

The kidnappers asked Torrealba's wife, Milangela, a ransom of $500,000 or her son will die.  The kidnappers lowered their demands at $50,000. Police officers, disguised as relatives, delivered the money and the kidnappers released Torrealba's son and others.

You can read the rest of the story here.

After getting his son back, Yorvit found light in life.  He says he thanks God for having his son back unharmed.

Nobody wants to be in Torrealba's situation, nobody.  Nobody ever wants to face the horror, pain, and suffering Torrealba and his family faced.  The most remarkable aspect of this story is how Torrealba handled himself after the whole ordeal.  He made himself more positive than negative.

After receiving his son back, Yorvit made a huge rebound anybody can ask of him. When he returned on July 5th to now, he's batting .317 with only 22 strikeouts in 123 plate appearances.  Add his clutch hitting he's been having and you can tell he's enjoying baseball again.   

The Rockies comeback is a big story this year.

Yorvit Torrealba's comeback?

Even bigger

Will the real James Loney please stand up?

You were great in April. Okay in May. Bad in June. Great in July. And now you're terrible.

Since August 1st, you are hitting for a .211 average. In 80 plate appearences, you have only been on base 18 times.  In 71 at bats, you have only hit three extra base hits, which equals to a .254 slugging percentage.  What does all this add too?  A .554 OPS percentage.

It's been one hell of a month for you.

Hopefully, and I say hopefully, you change this around come September.  You will be facing the Diamondbacks, which will be a huge challenge for you already.  You will be facing San Diego, who fear you.  You will be facing the Giants, who really don't fear you at all.  You will be facing Pittsburg, who don't know you this year.  You will be facing the Nationals, who barely know you. You will be facing four teams with losing records in a time where it really counts. Time to step it up, you have the Reds in three days.

We support you everyday you're on the field, and countless of times you disappoint.  Last night was no different when you went hitless in five at bats and reached base on an error, I mean, you're Mr. Coors right?

Nobody wants to see these "not our guy" posts anymore.  Is it too much to ask for a little more production out of your bat?  People are already talking about who is going to replace you next year, will you even be a Dodger?  I know you want to stay and be a part of the Dodgers organization and this August hasn't helped your cause.  Just quit it with the lousy ground balls or the lazy fly balls, you're hitting under .200 when you do.

It has really been one hell of a month for you.

It has been almost 2 weeks since Eric last posted an update on the Dodger's 65th pick of the 2009 mlb draft, Garrett Gould.

Yesterday, we exchanged messages via through email and received some news:

On the arm and the draft:

The Arm is feeling great, I'm ready to get back to playing in some games..
draft was great... Not many 17 year old kids get to go through that so it was definitely a great time in my life..

On attending college or playing with the big boys:

I'm not really leaning one way or the other right now... Just waiting to see on the offer... Either way ill be put in a great position

On the negotiations with the Dodgers:

They are going good as far as I know... They are pretty much just talking to my adviser and working things out.

Not much new news since the last update, but this is for those who are itching for new Garrett Gould news. August 17th is the deadline for teams to sign their draft picks.

As of today, the Dodgers club record is 65 wins, 40 losses. 

Best in the majors

Those words make every Dodger fan proud.  Who doesn’t enjoy being the best of the best?  Thus far we have enjoyed 65 games of living on cloud nine and a measly 40 games of living in hell. All in all, it has been a great season and I’m sure it will only get better. 

One night after a Dodgers victory, I took it upon myself to dine at a local In-N-Out restaurant to celebrate. While waiting for my order, I couldn't help overhear a conversation that two guys sitting next to me were having.  Guy number one asked, "Define a Dodger fan".  I was baffled by the question, mostly because I assumed anyone living in Los Angeles could tell you their own definition of being a Dodger fan. The second man responded, "To be a Dodger fan, you have to attend games every year."  I chuckled and shook my head to his answer because, well, there really is no real definition of being a Dodger fan.  Maybe there are levels or stages of being a Dodger fan, but not one true definition. 

So without further ado, here, ladies and gentlemen, are what I believe are the ten levels/stages of a Dodger fan.

Level 1: You don't know much about sports, let alone baseball.  Couldn't care less if the Dodgers won or lost, but you are interested.

Level 2: You own a Dodger cap.  You know a thing or two about baseball.  Wouldn't care much if the Dodgers won or lost, but you are interested.  

Level 3: This is the "bandwagon" fan. You don't know much about the Dodgers except for their more publicized players or coaches(Manny Ramirez and Joe Torre).  You attend a game or two with your buddies, but don't really understand what this bock business is all about.  Even so, you’re willing to play along, but prefer to leave after the seventh-inning stretch.

Level 4: Same as the level 3 fan, except now you know details about the prominent players in the club and like to hear what the commentators mention about them. You won’t go to a game if it isn't Loge or better. You understand the game of baseball. You watch a program on television and skip to the dodger game to see what the score is, but that's it. You are a real baseball fan.

 Level 5: Welcome to the realm of "being a true Dodger fan".  You attend games with your Dodgers fitted in tow and own at least two Ts and a home jersey. You hate the Giants and strongly dislike the Angels. You follow the crowd's rallies and booing.  Know the Dodger players and personnel.  You eat a Dodger Dog and enjoy it. You mostly attend Dodger games on giveaway nights (i.e. Bobblehead day), but enjoy the games nonetheless. A loss hurts and a victory is grand.

 Level 6: Same as level 5, but now you research the clubs' history and appreciate being a fan of the Dodgers.  You can care less if you sit at the top level, you are happy that you are at the game. You give high fives to people around you when the Dodgers score. You know the key stats of every Dodger player.

Level 7: You start to begin "bleeding Dodger blue".  You make the effort to attend games regardless of where you sit.  You know the stats of the Dodgers and follow their farm system.  Dodger dogs never tasted so good.  You start buying Dodger memorabilia besides a cap, shirt, or jersey.  You want stay for the whole game.

Level 8:  Same as level 7, but you TiVo Dodger games, even post-game extras, and replay your favorite highlights over and over.  A loss feels as if you get punched in your gut and puts you in a bad mood for a few hours. A win is nirvana and completely makes your day. You attend games regularly and don't care about the seats. 

Level 9: Same as level 8, except you arrive early for batting practice and stay for the entire game even if we’re down by more than five runs after the eighth inning.  You scream out "Dodgers" when it’s time for the line, “Let me root, root, root for THE DODGERSSS" during “Take me out to the ball game". You accept the Dodgers as being part of your family, you are sad if one leaves.  You watch all of the game you missed, even if you know the results.  You are a stat person, even know stats of the Dodgers' farm system.  Tommy Lasorda is your hero. 

 Level 10: This fan is "the" fanatic.  You are truly "bleeding Dodger blue".  A win is a high of eternal bliss.  A loss feels as if you are being stabbed in the heart.  You attend Dodger games frequently.  You start the rallies, the wave, and the booing.  You wear Dodger memorabilia all over, even paint your face blue.  You verbally abuse the opposing team and their fans, maybe throw your dodger dog at them.  You know the Dodgers history, personnel, and stats of the Dodgers club and their affiliates (i.e. You know Kyle Orr has two sacrifice flies for the Ogden Raptors). You attend a Giants game at their field, wearing Dodger memorabilia all over and waving a Dodger flag to represent your team and cheese off the Giants fans.  You even brought a Dodger dog that you saved to bring to AT&T Park. You have a "Go Blue" license plate. Level 4 fans want to be you someday.

 As I have stated before, there is no real definition of being a Dodger fan. Anyone can root for the Dodgers.  The most important thing of being a fan is being a fan.  Whether the Dodgers win or lose, being a fan makes it all the better because you are never alone. Every fan cheers, every fan cries. 

Well It's that time again.

The trade deadline has come and gone and now the contenders must now play with their full potential.  Not only to make it to the playoffs, but to show themselves, their fans, contending teams, and all of baseball who is boss.  Okay, maybe I am being slightly dramatic but do not blame me.  I am still a little hurt that we did not pick up a starter or more relief help (As if we don't have enough, it's never enough!). 

But since we didn't get the players we want or need, it is also that time when we recognize what we have.  To fans, Randy Wolf does not jump out as a pitcher that would be reliable in the post-season.  He would probably be recognized as a great long-relief arm and that's it.   For Wolf's respect, let me run down a few interesting stats Dodgers fans would not know about. I am comparing the stats to what Dodgers fan think will start in the post-season with Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley.  Cliff Lee as well to those fans who feel sore that we didn't pick him up.  Apologies to Hiroki Kuroda.

First off, he's leading the club in WHIP (Walks and hits per innings pitched) with 1.15. 15th in the MLB! Ahead of Clayton Kershaw (1.23), Bills (1.31), and Cliff Lee (1.30).

Impressed?  No?  Let me give you more...

One of the most respected stat lines in the game, opponent's batting average (OBA), he's 16th in MLB with .235!  Kershaw's OBA is .200 (2nd in the MLB, behind Dan Haren), Bills' is .241, Cliff Lee's is .278.  Not impressed yet?  Against lefties, Wolf has an OBA of... Get ready... .104 ! Incase the Dodgers go against the Phillies in the National League Championship Series, stats would say their most potent bats would have problems against Wolf.  

I'm just sayin

Wolf would have a better record if not for the lack of runs the Dodgers give him.  Maybe that would give the average Dodgers fan a better look, but he still has a solid ERA of 3.43.  His K/BB (Strikeouts/walk) ratio is a solid 2.68 with 37 walks in 134 innings pitched, not too shabby.  Wolf is also second in the club in Quality starts with 14, behind Chad Bills' 16, in 22 starts.  

So Dodgers fans, do not be sorely disappointed.  We have a great staff and we traded for more relief help that would back our starters.  Lets all give Wolf our eyes he deserves and appreciate the work he is giving the Dodgers.  

It's that time.

As the trade deadline looms, the Dodgers certainly accomplished what they wanted to do in the first place.

Be better.

With the addition of George Sherrill, they have arguably the best bull pen in major league baseball.  Belisario is in the DL, but could be back soon.  The return of Hong Chih Kuo couldn't have come better against the Cardinals, even wanted to pitch against the best hitter in the league.  Our pen has been worked up the ass, but with the help of Sherrill (and maybe more ) our bull-pen can contribute a whole lot in the post-season. 

People forget that Kershaw is 21.  As we learned from Mark Prior and Kerry Wood, the Dodgers need to preserve his arm.  He has already surpassed his IP (Innings pitched)  from last season and is projected to pitch 191 innings this season. That is a lot for a young arm, I mean, he pitched in high school two years ago.  My guess is that Colletti and the Dodgers are looking for more bull-pen help to save an inning or two from our young starters (Bills and Kersh) to limit them to five innings or pitch less than 80 pitches in the post-season. 

Yes, it's fair to say that Kershaw is now the ace of the staff and should have a better record than he has now.  But the way the Dodgers are working him right now, they need to start limiting him now even if he is having a terrific game.  Kershaw pitched 112 pitches in 8 innings against the Cards, but he pitched "for contact" instead of pitching for strike-outs and I think he should keep doing that because it really worked well for him. 

Look, I want Roy Halladay too. With him, we would arguably be the team to beat in the post-season.  But with the bull-pen aid Colletti is trading for, it is fair to say that gaining bull-pen help is one of the most important ways to accomplish our goal in picking up our seventh World Series trophy.

And we just started to accomplish