Welcome, Joe Torre.

[TripletDaddy]

Grady, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Torre will be a much needed respected presence in that crazy clubhouse right now.

And I wonder what offseason moves we will see now that a player's coach like Torre is running the show?

The dodgers need a power bat.....and I think there is one available right now on the market...

[cougjunkie]

Originally Posted by TripletDaddy

Grady, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Torre will be a much needed respected presence in that crazy clubhouse right now.

And I wonder what offseason moves we will see now that a player's coach like Torre is running the show?

The dodgers need a power bat.....and I think there is one available right now on the market...

Yes congrats on the Joe Torre signing, he would have been a great hire if this was 1996. The game has passed him by, expect the same old dodgers this year. Maybe 80-85 wins, a huge payroll, and watching the playoffs from home.

[TripletDaddy]

Originally Posted by cougjunkie

Yes congrats on the Joe Torre signing, he would have been a great hire if this was 1996. The game has passed him by, expect the same old dodgers this year. Maybe 80-85 wins, a huge payroll, and watching the playoffs from home.

I am not expecting Torre to win 4 rings in LA. I am hoping he can get the team to get along and focus.

You are right...until they sign a power bat and one more pitcher (unless Schmidt isnt injured), they are not a contender.

I seem to recall the Yankee faithful panning the Torre signing back in the day. "Clueless Joe" was the infamous headline that he saved and hung on his office wall.

Junkie, being in Utah, which baseball team do you co-opt? Or do you not care about baseball?

[cougjunkie]

Originally Posted by TripletDaddy

I am not expecting Torre to win 4 rings in LA. I am hoping he can get the team to get along and focus.

You are right...until they sign a power bat and one more pitcher (unless Schmidt isnt injured), they are not a contender.

I seem to recall the Yankee faithful panning the Torre signing back in the day. "Clueless Joe" was the infamous headline that he saved and hung on his office wall.

Junkie, being in Utah, which baseball team do you co-opt? Or do you not care about baseball?

I grew up in the bay area so I am a Giants fan. My favorite player of All-time is Will Clark. I still have a shirt that says: "Bay Area Bombers" on it and it has WIll Clark, Kevin Mitchell, and Matt Williams

[TripletDaddy]

Originally Posted by cougjunkie

I grew up in the bay area so I am a Giants fan. My favorite player of All-time is Will Clark. I still have a shirt that says: "Bay Area Bombers" on it and it has WIll Clark, Kevin Mitchell, and Matt Williams

My 2 favorite AL teams....the As, who prevented a Giants championship in 89 and the Angels, who prevented one a few years back.

The only thing less bleak than the current Dodger outlook is the current Giants outlook.

If you are ever in SoCal, we should take in a Giants/Dodgers game together at the Ravine. We can sit in the left field pavilion and you can wear your Giants gear. It will be fun!

[YOhio]

Where do you guys rank the Giants-Dodgers rivalry? Second only to the Yankees-Red Sox?

I know Cubs and White Sox fans hate each other pretty bad, but it doesn't really count as a rivalry because they rarely play each other. When they do it doesn't feel right. I can't really think of any other fierce rivalry's in the MLB.

[il Padrino Ute]

I think the Dodgers/Giants rivalry is just behind the Sox/Yankees. Those are the two big ones.

I'm surprised that the Phillies/Pirates isn't a great rivalry.

[TripletDaddy]

Originally Posted by YOhio

Where do you guys rank the Giants-Dodgers rivalry? Second only to the Yankees-Red Sox?

I know Cubs and White Sox fans hate each other pretty bad, but it doesn't really count as a rivalry because they rarely play each other. When they do it doesn't feel right. I can't really think of any other fierce rivalry's in the MLB.

I definitely put it behind the Sox/Yanks, but only as far as media pimping goes. If you go back to the late 80s and mid 90s when both teams sucked, nobody on the west coast watched those games. Yankee stadium was mostly empty and Fenway didnt even sell out. Admittedly, since the Yankees rebirth, it has become the best rivalry in baseball.

Having grown up with the LA/SF rivalry, I can tell you that the ravine is a great place to be when the Giants are in town, esp the pavilions. Remember, a giant fan got shot and killed several years ago after the game for fighting in the pavilion. It was because of this rivalry that the dodgers stopped selling beer in the pavilion seats and there are always cops all over the place for that series. I have personally seen about 10 fights over the years and I cant count how many food items I have seen thrown at Giants fans. I always hate if a Giant fan sits near me because it usually means I am going to get hit with something.

If you ever see replays of the Angels WS, you will see Dodger fans in the stands....simply there to cheer against the Giants. When you havent won a series in 20 years, this is all you have to live for...everything is fine as long as the Giants dont win.

[il Padrino Ute]

So, Triplet D, how many times have you personally thrown food items at Giants fans?

[TripletDaddy]

Originally Posted by il Padrino Ute

So, Triplet D, how many times have you personally thrown food items at Giants fans?

When I was younger I may have partaken a bit. some water bottles or maybe popcorn here or there.

I was hit with a hot dog from sitting next to a giant fan.

For anyone who has ever sat in the pavilion...there is only one staircase in and out of that place..right at the bottom of the entire section of seats, so pretty much everyone in that section has to use that stairway to get to their seats, to go down for food, bathrooms, etc.. It is tradition to watch people as they arrive at the Pav and either cheer or razz people as they come to the top of the stairs and look for their seats, depending on what gear they are wearing. This one guy was wearing Giants gear. He took his verbal ribbing, but made the mistake of standing there and putting his middle finger in the air. It was like something out of a cartoon or an old 3 stooges movie. Within seconds, the poor guy was bombared...and I mean BOMBARDED, with cokes, hot dogs, trash, programs, and anything else you could think of, not to mention a shocking amount of profanity. He was filthy and soaked. He did take a seat, but security eventually had to escort him away.

Another time, a giants fan threw something at Marquis Grissom when he was going to catch a fly ball. More hot dogs and cokes flew.

Another weird tradition at the ravine is the beach ball thing. I dont know why, but it is an institution in LA. For years, I never even touched the beach ball. Everyone I went with touched the beach ball. Finally, I broke through a few years ago. It was actually a seminal event in my baseball life.

My other oddball goal in life is to roll down my window on the freeway and catch a plastic bag when it is floating there in the lane. That one is tough!