Dodger Blue

Ever since I've become a hockey fan, baseball has fallen by the wayside for me in terms of time spent dedicated to it. From a pure speed comparison, watching a baseball game after following a little black puck around at 90 mph is the visual equivalent of watching grass grow. But I guess I should consider a summer watching baseball as rest for my eyes and preparation for another season of Drew-cam operating.

Back in the day I was an enormous Mike Piazza fan, and following his every exploit and achievement got the same amount of my attention as the Kings now receive. But even though I'm not obsessive about baseball anymore, I still enjoy a good game. Luckily my friend Micah has season tickets with some friends, and he invited me to tonight's game - my first Dodgers adventure of the season.

Traffic is always the most frustrating part of any sporting event in LA, but it gave me a chance to test the capabilities of my iPhone camera in different lighting conditions. Not bad...

We got there a little late, and the concession lines were enormous, so we decided to hold off on getting our requisite Dodger Dogs and nachos until a little later. Beer, on the other hand, could not wait, because really, how do you even start to enjoy a baseball game without a beer?

After winning a West Division Championship last year, the Dodgers are off to flying start this season. For the first time since 1946, when they were the Brooklyn Dodgers playing at Ebbetts Field, they're 7-0 at home, including the win tonight. The game started off pretty rough, with the starting pitcher (some wet-behind-the-ears rookie, I think) only lasting 2 innings. Luckily a Orlando Hudson-Manny Ramirez-Andre Ethier home run fest got things going in the 4th inning, and the Dodgers never looked back.

I know it's impossible to tell, but this is Manny Ramirez at the plate right before hitting his first homer of the night. Key iPhone camera limitation...no zoom.

By the end of the 7th we were starving, and figured the hot dog lines would have died down, so we left our seats to get some food. The lines were shorter, alright, but moving at the speed of frozen molasses.

It took us AT LEAST 40 minutes and 2 innings to get 2 Dodger Dogs and nachos. But a Dodger Dog is worth the wait, at least the way I make one....

Ketchup, relish, and BROWN stadium mustard, not the neon yellow crap. The only way to dress a dog.

The Padres pulled to a tie a couple of times later in the game, but the Big Blue Machine got the job done and finished with an 8-5 win.

At least the 2nd round of the Stanley Cup play-offs start today, so I'll have something faster to watch this weekend....GO CAPS!