If you know me, you know that my home away from home is Dodger Stadium so for me the word Escape brings to mind being at Dodger Stadium.   Nothing makes me happier than to head to my Blue Heaven on Earth, Dodger Stadium or as I like to call it OLOCR, Our Lady of Chavez Ravine so here are some pictures that means my Escape to a happy place

From Opening Day

I like sitting in my seats, watch game, listen with my headphones and keep score.

My view as I exit the stadium

I am in the minority but I don’t think Mattingly is getting fired and I don’t think he should be fired.

Firing Mattingly seems like a sign of desperation. I doubt they find someone available that is better at this stage in the season. If management wants to do something they should have done it in the offseason.

I don’t think you can blame Mattingly for the Dodgers poor performance. I think that Mattingly is doing a fairly good job especially with all of the injuries plaguing the team. I do think that he should give Kemp a day off here and there and the same goes for Ethier and Crawford. If Van Slyke is fairly hot, play him.

So here is Thursday, a Dodger day off and the day that some think Mattingly will be fired. The Dodgers open up a three game series with the Cardinals. I think Mattingly will be there.

The matchups for this weekend:
Friday: Capuano faces Lance Lynn.   Capuano had two pretty good starts in his last two starts. 

Saturday: The game starts at 4:15 on Jaime Jarrin Bobblehead Night. Ted Lilly returns from the DL to face John Gast. I hope Ted Lilly pitches like he pitched on his first start instead of his second. It is also Jaime Jarrin Bobblehead day!  Game on Fox.

Sunday: Clayton Kershaw against Shelby Miller.  I have not missed a game this year and I especially make it a point not to miss Kershaw’s games.  This game promised to be a good matchup.

It was a tough weekend in Atlanta where the Dodgers were leading in all three games but the bullpen let it get away. The bullpen collapse and the light hitting undermined the starters pitching.

Off to Milwaukee they go with their tails between their legs.

It seems like the season is slipping away, like Jaime Jarrin’s shirt says “Se Va, Se Va, y Despidala con un Beso”

Tonight’s matchup
Lefty NIÑO de ORO, Clayton Kershaw

against Mexican righty Yovani Gallardo

The Dodgers won two of three from the Brewers in a late April series this season, while Milwaukee won six of seven games between the teams in 2012.

When the Dodgers are in Miwaukee, we always remember the time Shawn Green hit four home runs in one game at Milwaukee .   Shawn did that on 5/23.02.     The Dodger with the highest home runs this year for the Dodgers is Crawford with five.  Adrian Gonzalez has four, Ethier and Scott Van Slyke have three.  A.J. Ellis, Mark Ellis and Uribe have two.   Kemp, Ramirez, Hairston, Gordon), Sellers, Kerhshaw and Punto each have one.

Let’s go Dodgers!  Let’s go!

Yeah that is Rue (Ruda) for good luck

By the clubhouse entrance there are many Dodger yearbooks and Dodger programs framed forming a nice pattern.   I could have taken just one picture of the whole thing but it would have been too small so I took seeveral.

Here is the collection:

I wish I had some of those programs

Deuce has an arm! But don’t worry Logan White already is scouting him

Here is Deuce, Devon Ethier and I

http://mlblogscrzblue.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/oct20201020048.jpg

Are the Dodgers cursed?
If so let’s reverse
and work toward first

Marlins are in town
their record 10-25
Time to beat them down

Magill on the mound
Fernandez for the Marlins
Bums don’t make us frown

Dodgers we beg you
Please start your winnings tonight
We are feeling Blue

I want to hear cheers
Want to hear I LOVE LA
Want to celebrate

tonight be the night
to stop Dodgers losing streak
and start winning feast

But really, is there some kind of curse on the Dodgers? Did it start when Manny Mota stopped being part of the coaching staff? no matter, I hope it stops tonight!

Go Dodgers!

Herrera has been optioned back to the minors and Van Slyke is back!  Van Slyke was crushing the Pacific Coast League with a .397 batting average, 9 Homeruns.

Dodgers lineup:

Crawford, LF
Punto 3B
Gonzalez, I B   YAY!  He is back!
Kemp CF
Ethier RF
Ellis C
Schumaker 2B
Gordon SS
Magill P

Marlins lineup:
Pierre LF
Hechavarria Ss
Polanco 3B
Ruggiano CF
Dobbs 1
Ozuna RF
Dietrich 2B
Brantly C
Fernandez P

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9253247/clayton-kershaw-best-pitcher-league-blasphemy-compare-sandy-koufax

So in honor of the article and Kershaw pitching tonight here are some more haikus for today:

Kershaw and Ryu
Then what do the Dodgers do?
I don’t know, do you?

Nino de Oro
he reminds us of Koufax
and of El Toro

The basement is cold
The losing streak is at six
but Kershaw is gold!

13 and 19
The Dodgers current record
Let’s get to 14!

attendance last night
was only 33K
with shirt giveaway

My bet for tonigh
attendance will be higher
With Kershaw all right!

Let’s go Dodgers!  Let’s start a winning streak tonight!

Happy birthday to El Titan Adrian Gonzalez!  He turns 31 tonight!  @Dodgers, Make sure you play “El Mariachi Loco” for all his at bats!  We like to dance to his at bat song.

Dodger news:  Justin Sellers has been sent down and Tim Federowicz has been called up!

So in honor of Matt Kemp here are some humbling haikus

Swept by the Giants
Kemp comes up big with a kid
He Hit a Grand Slam

Cancer striken kid
Received jersey, ball and cleats
from goodwill Matt Kemp

Kemp could have walked out
After Dodgers lost series
But Kemp made us proud!

Stripped of self-pity
“Life is bigger than Baseball”
Said Kemp afterwards

We love you Matty!

At Kershaw Cy Young Award press conference, Kemp taking the time to pose with me.

Here is Kemp with Alyssa, a beautiful little girl that passed away with Cancer.  Since that happened, Kemp updated his twitter profile picture with a picture with Alyssa.

Kemp stopped by to take a picture with me at the Bluetopia movie premier in 2008.

Here is Kemp again posing with me one day I was on the field prior to a game.

With the theme in mind I reviewed some of my pictures.  I found this one that I took from above, the  last row of the Top Deck (the last level) of Dodger Stadium.

From above to below the field, Matt Kemp at the plate on a Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.  Note the  shadows, the location of the ball as it makes a hole on his shadow, the umpire in position and the catcher ready to catch the ball.

That game was Sunday,  September 9, 2012.  Dodgers lost the game against the Cardinals in 12 inning with the score of 5-2.  Kemp went 1 for 5 with a groundball in the first inning, a strikeout in the 3rd, a double in the 6th, a strikeout in the 8th and in the 10th inning with the bases full and two outs, Kemp flied out out to center field.

Here is a recent panoramic picture I took from my seats in the Top Deck

It is a long way down but I like the view from above.  I see the game, I see the mountains, I get a panoramic view of the game.

Today Tuesday,  May 7, 2013,  the Dodgers find themselves way below in last place in their division.  They need to crawl out and rise above.

I like the diversity of cultures in Los Angeles so with that in mind I am posting these pictures:

At one of the Viva Los Dodgers festivals at Dodger Stadium.

Korean pop star Psy performing at Dodger Stadium.

Hello Kitty

Our friend James with his two sons

With amigos at Dodger Stadium all decked out in our Dodgers ponchos.