The Trolley Dodger

Chris Jaffe at the Hardball Times has an article up tracing the worst endings to postseason games “10 worst endings to postseason games” — and there have been some doozies, including a couple of Brooklyn Dodger-related items in 1941* and 1947, one good, one not good at all. (Passed ball on the final strikeout, anybody?) As Vin Scully says from time to time about the old days, that’s Dodgers baseball.

* – there’s a “1971″ typo, but it’s ’41.

Browsing around the web, I happened across a great old picture of Vin Scully having a fun time:

Click to enlarge

The other gentleman is the father of the original poster, who uploaded it in a “favorite sports team thread” on city-data.com back in 2008.

The “classy” and “sheer awesomeness” factor of MLB Network will go up tremendously for tomorrow night’s Dodger home opener, with the rest of the nation getting to hear what we in Southern California are blessed to have for yet another season — Vin Scully.

MLB Network will simulcast Vin Scully’s call of the Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers (the Dodgers’ 2010 home opener) on FSN Prime tomorrow, Tuesday, April 13 at 4:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT. MLB Network’s carriage of the game, part of its “30 Games, 30 Clubs, 30 Days” live game schedule, will be blacked out in the Dodgers’ and Diamondbacks’ home television markets.

Speaking of openers, the Inland Empire 66ers (High A affiliate of the Dodgers) have their home opener tonight against the High Desert Mavericks, and although the weather is looking dicey, the rest of the day’s forecast seems good after 1 PM. The team tweeted this earlier:

Even though it is currently raining, WE ARE SCHEDULED to start at 7:05 and tickets are still available!!

A couple of years ago, we had tickets for the same game, which wound up being canceled due to field conditions after heavy rains — we were able to exchange for tickets any time later in the season (apart from big events like the 4th of July).

This picture of a dapper Vin Scully (accompanied by someone who I assume is either a stage assistant or perhaps contestant) on It Takes Two is from the uber-cool photo blog If Charlie Parker Was a Gunslinger, There’d Be a Whole Lot of Dead Copycats. View the original post here.

“If this were a prize fight, they would have stopped it quite a while ago.” – Vin Scully, after Ethier’s 2-run double in the 8th inning last night.

“Beanie Babies” – Jon Weisman’s wittily titled Dodger Thoughts post this morning, in which he wrote, “Events like these tend to divide fans into two camps — those who find the tradition heartening and those who find it infantile.”

If you find the pitch-protection tradition infantile, I’m afraid you’re too grownup for baseball itself.

Trying to intimidate the other team by charging their locker room after the game, on the other hand, is pretty bush league.

Besides, it was a cutter on your thigh, not a fastball at your head. I’m surprised you even felt it, seeing as how you’re so much like a freight train. ;)