The Trolley Dodger

Congratulations to Landon Donovan, David Beckham, Robbie Keane, and the rest of the LA Galaxy, the 2011 champions of Major League Soccer!

Watching the Galaxy has been a mostly safe escape from the doldrums of Dodger baseball this season, especially with their 14-game unbeaten streak going. However, last night’s “embarrassing defeat” in Portland, combined with the Dodgers’ failure to sweep the Padres (plus continuing bad news), made for some depressing channel switching this year.

The Galaxy will be fine, I’m sure, and the Dodgers…well, sometimes the old maxim about not saying anything if you don’t have anything nice to say is probably a good idea.

With no NFL (yet), no NBA, and the NHL season still to come, I think I’m going to need to find a new escape. As the weather cools down from the summertime 9000-degree heat and humidity out here in the Inland Empire, other options should present themselves.

There’s always the English Premier League, which starts up a week from Saturday. I’ve been following Everton FC ever since Landon Donovan had his stint there. Hopefully they’ll be able to overcome off-field worries and make a good showing.

Well, according to some pundits, this was the Gold Cup final that everybody was hoping for (everybody, that is, except for the populations of the other countries involved in the tourney, I reckon ;), and it should be a good one: USA v Mexico, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. If I’d been on top of things some months back, I should’ve gotten tickets. Saturday at 5:30 Pacific on the Fox Soccer Channel.

I didn’t catch the second game last night, but the USA v Panama game was a good one, if only for a single moment of Freddy Adu to Landon Donovan to Clint Dempsey. One of those moments when everything just works. Of course you spend hundreds of hours practicing to make that moment “just work,” but you know what I mean. :D

Anyhow, Freddy has matured far beyond his wild youth when he was touted as the savior of US Soccer, Donovan’s pass was just plain brilliant as hell, and Dempsey’s follow through and goal was as meaningful as the subsequent celebration when he kept pointing at Landon and Freddy. Well done, boys. Highlights of both games below.

(Cross post from celsius1414.com)

That bright light outdoors must mean that Spring has officially sprung and the sounds of baseball are in the air.

Yes, this is not news to most online fans, those who have been religiously following and commenting on every last organizational wiggle since the end of the 2009 season. Having been one of those bloggers and one of those fans in off-seasons past, I had to take a step back this time around. A sort of palate cleansing, if you will.

After the McCourts’ implosion news threatened to turn the 2010 baseball season into a year-long episode of Divorce Court, I took a mental step back from MLB and turned my attention to the Lakers’ title defense, the Kings’ rebuilding plan coming to fruition, World Cup 2010 preparations, and Landon Donovan’s successful run with Everton FC.

Which is not to say I haven’t been keeping up on Dodger developments.

Storylines I’m especially curious about at the moment:

• The Eric Gagné Experiment, now moved to the minor league camp.
• Just how awesomely lethal the Kemp-Ethier combo could be this year.
• Just how awesomely lethal the Kershaw-Billingsley combo could be this year.
• Whether Furcal is as revitalized as he thinks he is.
• Where James McDonald winds up pitching, and whether he’s starting or relieving.
• Is Ramon Ortiz for real?
• What’s the severity of Kuo’s current elbow injury?
• Whither Belisario?
• What’s up with Russell Martin?
• Will the revised Union Station -> Dodger Stadium shuttle stick this time around?
• What does Garrett Anderson have in the tank?

So, with my baseball batteries recharged, I can finally relax a bit, look forward to the Spring’s first hot dog at the first ball game, and feel excited about the Dodgers again. :)

Congrats!

Belated congratulations to Jon Weisman and Tony Jackson for their respective moves to ESPN Los Angeles. Not to mention blogger Bob Timmermann joining LA Observed. Much success to them all!

Finally, an especial congratulations and thanks to Trolley-favorite Nomar Garciaparra, who recently announced his retirement. Thanks for the classiness, the carne asada, and the memories.