They're Into The Game! They're Into The Game!

In my business, nothing ever happens on Monday. And especially around holidays. People love to take time off. The entire industry’s mindset goes something like this: “It's the 4th of July on Friday, so let’s take off Wednesday the 2nd and come back… I dunno, how about Thursday the 17th? Half day Friday then we get right back to work on Monday the 21st.”
“What about paying people?”
“Yeah, uh… we’ll pay ‘em as soon as we have time, but we’re very busy. Very, very busy.”

That’s why I love baseball. You can count on it every freakin’ day from April 1st to October whatever. There’s always some team playing, even on Mondays and Thursdays and even if your team is off – except, of course, for the All Star break –the Monday immediately preceding and the Wednesday immediately following the All Star Game. I’m one of the few fans I know who actually still loves the All Star Game. I look forward to it every year. It represents the summer time and youthfulness and hope for me. Hope. I like hope. But what I can’t stand is the STUPID, IDIOTIC, MORONIC significance the late Bud Selig (he’s still alive, but I’m convinced he’s a zombie) has attached to the game. Yes, I mean giving the league that wins the All Star Game – a mere exhibition – home field advantage in the World Series. What a stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid thing. One has absolutely NOTHING to do with the other. They should either make it the way it used to be, where they’d switch leagues every year, or they should do it like they do it in the NBA. The winning team with the best record has home field advantage. Jeeezusss, lord have mercy. Dumbest thing ever.

So, get this, Dodger fans: In the LA Times today, Joe Torre says he’s noticed a change in the Dodgers. He was quoted as saying, “These guys are into the games. It’s a change that I sense right now. To me, it started this road trip.” He‘s happy that they finally seem to be “paying attention.” Andre Ethier added, “It’s fun when you stay involved and it breeds success like it’s doing right now.” Hmm… should we be celebrating now? The Dodger players - many of whom ARE making and most of whom WILL be making millions of dollars a year - are now starting to pay attention to what’s going on out on the field… while they’re playing. That's terrific! They’re INTO the games, now. So, are we to infer that, before this collective epiphany they were texting friends from their positions in the field or playing Game Boys and Nintendo in the dugout between innings? What the hell do you have to pay a ballplayer to get him to be “into the game?” It’s baseball. You work – counting pregame and the actual game – maybe 5 and a half hours a day playing a game that you’re supposed to love. And Joe Torre couldn’t get your undivided attention before July? I would play for free and I would be so into the game they’d have to peel me off the field afterwards. Torre has stressed that they pay attention to what’s happening on the field whether they’re playing or not and they know the situation when they go up to bat, and he’s happy BECAUSE THEY’RE DOING THAT NOW. Jesus Christ!

Can you imagine you’re having open heart surgery and your surgeon isn’t really “into the game?” I could just hear the hospital’s head surgeon: “Look, Dr. Kemp, I really need you to focus and pay attention during this operation today. Know the situation. Like, for instance, if the patient stops breathing or bleeding profusely and stuff. And here…” hands him a scalpel, “you left this in Mrs. Ryan last week. Now pay attention.” UN-BE-LIE-vable.

Well, now that the Dodgers are paying attention, what chance do they have of beating Atlanta and young replacement starter, Jose Campillo tonight? Depends on which Hiroki Kuroda shows up and whether anyone hits. You never know when they’re just going to decide to stop hitting for a few games in a row. Maybe Andruw Jones will hit a ball to the warning track and not strike out 3 times for the second game in a row. Maybe Nomore can stay not that badly hurt for 8 full innings. However, if they win, they’re in a flat-footed tie with the Snakes, both teams still under .500. Nice division. Things do have a way of changing, though.