The REAL. BIG. Blog

By Apryl DeLancey

I knew it!  I knew it!  I knew it!  I knew that the Los Angeles Dodgers actually making it to the World Series was too good to be true.  On the 20th anniversary of the very day the famous Kirk Gibson home run was hit the season is over.  Argh!  I’m really not surprised.  The Dodgers will always be like that – you know, like that relative that promises to show up to your birthday every year and never does.

Okay Mr. Frank McCourt, you listen here.  First of all, BRING BACK MANNY RAMIREZ.  Let me just be clear about that – BRING BACK MANNY.  You know the guy with the hair that can hit the daylights out of the ball?  Don’t be a total chump and let him go.  He belongs here.  While you’re at it – make sure Rafael Furcal, James Loney, Russell Martin, Matt Kemp, and Jeff Kemp stay too.  Don’t be tempted to trade away Andre Ethier or Blake DeWitt either.  Keep Brad Penny, Jonathan Broxton, and the whole bullpen while you’re at it.  In fact, don’t get rid of anyone that has made a name here in Los Angeles.  Don’t trade away all of the good players just to fund that mall you’re building at Chavez Ravine.

A colleague tried to tell me that I should be grateful that they came this far.  Whippee.  So what?  They made it to the NLCS.  Sure, it is admirable.  It is nothing to be unappreciative of.  But for crying out loud, let’s keep the momentum.  Build a team.  We deserve it.  You get record-breaking attendance all the time.  We show up to the stadium and buy the merchandise.  L.A. DESERVES A WINNING TEAM.  By winning, I mean the entire thing – not just a good record and an appearance in the playoffs.  Why can’t the Dodgers be the elite franchise?  Fans have no interest in waiting 100 years or suffering through anything  remotely similar to what Chicago Cubs endure year after year.

That said – congratulations to all of you Philly fanatics.  Shane Victorino is actually a class act – as much as that sentence makes me want to hurl as I write it.  The Philadelphia Phillies are in the World Series.   I’ll only be watching if the Tampa Bay Rays make it in.  Seriously, I’ve already mentioned how absolutely boring I think a Phillies – Red Sox World Series would be.  Yawn.

Go Rays!

By Apryl DeLancey

Tampa Bay Rays Logo Fathead Wall Graphic

Boston Red Sox Logo Fathead Wall Graphic

Just when I stewing about the fact that Tropicana Field was full of red – lo and behold – Fenway Park had Tampa Bay Rays fans!  Bwahaha.  I’ve read several blogs recently that basically called the Rays fans a bunch of backward folk.  Having gone to college in Tampa, I can say that this is not always the case.  Most of those nuts you see out there have migrated from other places (I’ll spare you the details on the exact locations, but you know what I’m talking about if you’ve been there).  Newsflash:   Florida natives are actually normal people.  They get a bad rap just like we do here in Los Angeles.  Go ahead, ask 95% of those nutty residents where they are from…not originally the Tampa Bay area.  Conversely, there are many transplants that are normal, upstanding citizens as well so I don’t want you to get the totally wrong idea.

At any rate, I’ve complained that Tampa residents need to stand up and claim their Rays –regardless of where they are from.  I didn’t stop being a Dodgers fan when I was in Tampa, but I certainly never disrespected the home stadium of where I was living by wearing the opposing team jersey if they came in to town.  Of course, I had the luxury of that not happening too often since the Rays are in the AL.
But alas, back to my original point…there were several people at Fenway Park wearing Rays garb.  How does that feel Boston Red Sox fans?  You look at those folks with disgust, don’t you?  Ha!  Now you know how the rest of the baseball world feels when you grace us with your presence in our home stadiums.

Oh, and I just have to point out how you all started to bail out in the 8th inning after Rocco Baldelli of the Tampa Bay Rays belted out that three run homer over the Green Monster.  I don’t EVER want to hear you try to talk about Los Angeles Dodgers fans leaving early from games ever again.  The Red Sox “faithful” were leaving the stadium in droves.  So much for “in it until the end,” eh?  By the way, those folks you see arriving late and leaving early to Chavez Ravine are generally posers there to stargaze.  Sure, some fans can’t get there in time since we have no public transportation and traffic can be a challenge.  For the most part, diehards get there and take the abuse until the game is over.  Yeah, if you wait until all of the bandwagoners have left there is no problem leaving the parking lot.

Alright, I’ve gotten off point several times here – the intent was to point out that the Boston Red Sox bandwagon must be broken since I saw Tampa Bay Rays fans in the stands.  I was just as amused by that and the home team fans leaving early as I was with the Red Sox loss.  No, I’m not talking trash guaranteeing a Rays win of the ALDS.  I would hate to jinx them like that.  For now, I’ll remain cautiously optimistic and dream of a Dodgers – Rays World Series.  Deal with it.

Disclaimer: Fathead, LLC in no way endorses the opinion of this writer or any bloggers who respond to this post.

To Apryl, LA Fans and the people throwing goat cheese at my house: I meant to post this on the blog way back when the boys from La La Land clinched the series, but lost and found the email. So to Apryl and her passionate (rabidly so) fans…my sincere apologies.  To Cubs Fans Who Don’t Read My Disclaimers: YOU CAN STOP WHIPPING GOAT CHEESE AT MY HOUSE NOW!   And, from now on, my disclaimers will go in the front of each post: The opinions of this writer are in no way shared, subscribed to or supported by Fathead, LLC.  Fathead supports/loves all major league teams equally and, to prove it, next summer, I’ll be blogging from every major league ballpark in the nation…just to root for YOUR favorite team.  Now, on to to the IMPORTANT stuff…Apryl’s kick-%$# post…

So Sorry…

I know you have all suffered for what, over 100 years?  I know that you had something like the best record in the NL.  I know that all of the sports outlets and media have always favored you and said this was your year.  It is in fashion to be a fan of your team every year, in fact.  Every single year we have to hear about your greatness and how much better you are than any team in the West.

NOT!

Can you say SWEEP?  I really don’t like to talk trash but I am so giddy that I can barely contain myself!  All year I’ve had to hear how the Los Angeles Dodgers were going nowhere.  Heck, I’ve written it myself.  But I tell you what; it feels so good to be vindicated!  Guess what?  The Chicago Cubs are not better that the Los Angeles Dodgers!  The Blue Crew stuck it to the Cubbies twice at home and brought the sweet victory home.

OH MY GOSH!

We seriously don’t know how to act!  The guys on the team do – they ran into the stands to celebrate with the home crowd.  You see, they know who supports them (unlike a certain owner but see an earlier post for that!).

In fact, when a reported asked Manny Ramirez what he had to say to Boston fans he happily replied NOTHING, I’m in Los Angeles now!

Don’t worry though Cubs fans.   The Philadelphia Phillies are up next for the Dodgers and they always give them a very hard time.  We’ll likely be joining you soon in going back to feeling sorry for ourselves.

As they say in Chicago…better luck next year!

By Apryl DeLancey

Oakland Raiders Helmet Fathead Wall Graphic (No LA Raiders Fathead Available. Sorry, Apryl!)

Alright, I’ve previously written about my feeling of nostalgia and connection to the Oakland Raiders.  During the time they played in my hometown of Los Angeles they brought a Super Bowl win to the area.  It was a happy time.  The eccentricities of Al Davis didn’t seem so bad.  Everyone knew he was nuts.  Raiders fans dealt with it.  The team was winning.  The Black Hole was in full force and a scary place to be without a silver and black jersey.  Well, actually that last part hasn’t changed.

But what now?  I still wear my faded Los Angeles Raiders t-shirt and Super Bowl champion t-shirt from their win against the Washington Redskins back in 1984.  At times I get snarky comments from non-Angelinos and other smarty pants fans.  I have no problem wearing these around town.  I can tell my fellow Angelinos as they are the ones smiling and giving me fist pumps as I pass by.  You just aren’t a Los Angeles native unless you own at least one article of clothing or cap that says RAIDERS on it.

I have to admit – Al Davis is making this a very difficult time to continue wearing my garb.  I’m not even one of those die-hards that gets all dressed up in the chains and face paint.  What are these fans thinking?  How can they bear to put on the costume every Sunday and feel good about themselves?

Let me just put it out there – I think firing Lane Kiffin was a bad move.  I refuse to believe that the son of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive mastermind Monte Kiffin could possibly be that bad of a coach!  Warren Sapp reportedly said that when he was a player for the Oakland Raiders that they only gave the younger Kiffin half of the team to coach.  The offense and defense never got to meet together.  What the heck sort of plan is that?  Even Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan weighed in on how absurd Davis’ firing was.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – someone please take the team away from Davis before he hurts anyone else.  This is not the 1970s and 1980s.  The game has changed.  You have a massive fan base.  They deserve more!

Help us…someone…anyone…

By Apryl DeLancey

LaDainian Tomlinson Fathead wall graphic

What is going on? Is this backwards day (again) for the second Sunday of the regular NFL season? LaDainian Tomlinson was the first pick in almost everyone’s Fantasy draft this year. His athletic ability is amazing and his demeanor admirable. No trash talk – just a hard-working guy that lets his game do the talking. So what’s the story? Why the low output so far? Is football boring him? He hasn’t delivered his usual multiple TD performance yet – and he certainly doesn’t look very LT-like. What happened to his “better” being better than everyone else’s?

Do you remember the Charger’s last game of the ‘07 season? Tomlinson was reportedly injured and sat on the bench – hiding with the helmet on. It was as if he wanted to disappear from his own existence. Everyone wondered what was going on with him. Why was he just sitting there? It looked like he could still play….

Fantasy Owners and Chargers’ fans are now left wondering: what will happen for the rest of the season? These first two weeks of the NFL has the Chargers losing by the slimmest of margins. One loss was to a very lucky Carolina Panthers team and the next to an equally fortunate Denver Broncos team. If Tomlinson had been “on” and performing up to expectations, these games may have taken a very different turn. Seriously, had LT racked up a few touchdowns, then the pass on the last play from Jake Delhomme would have been for ego and not the win. Had LT turned in a “normal” LT day, it wouldn’t have mattered that Ed Hochuli blew the call at the end of the game that led to the Broncos win.

Come back, LaDainian! We miss your breakout performances! We long for those games where you rush, catch, and throw for a touchdown. Where are those games where you rack up unheard of numbers? Please, come back very soon. I won’t be able to bear it if I see you on the free agent wire in my Fantasy League….

Fathead Disclaimer: While Apryl’s opinions are in no way endorsed by Fathead, we can legally concur with several points: 1) LT does have amazing athletic ability and an admirable demeanor. 2) The Carolina Panthers are a lucky team: they have two of the leagues top 20 runners this season and Steve Smith is back on the roster too. 3) The Broncos are fortunate: not only did they have John Elway for years, they now have the Cutler/Royal dynamic duo! Okay, this wasn’t much of a disclaimer…we just wanted to get our two cents in!

By Apryl DeLancey

I came home today to find my Dodgers Logo Fathead had finally arrived. Talk about excited, I couldn’t wait to open it up and see what it looked like! Out of the box, it came in a tube that protected it from getting damaged. Nice. I took it out and unrolled it on the floor. I was pretty happy since it looked just as I had pictured – real, big, and…well…it’s very cool. Okay, now what? Where was I going to put the new “toy?” Well, I decided to put it on the wall in my “office” area of the house near my computer desk since most of my other Dodgers memorabilia was already there. Yeah, it would work well there.

I found the “how to” video online at the Fathead website and simply followed the instructions. Really. It isn’t that difficult. The instructions come with it as well; I just wanted to see how it worked visually. I wiped down the wall it was going to be on, got someone to help me put it up in place, and smoothed it out. Simple. The whole operation took under about 15 minutes from start to finish. The result looks great if I do say so myself. Everyone who has seen it has also told me that it looks really cool on the wall. Not too gaudy, just the right amount of fandom for my office area. It’s a great addition to my collection for sure.

In fact, it looks better than the team does right now. Sure, the Dodgers are back and forth behind the Diamondbacks in the NL West. However, it seems like they do this every single year. One day they are in first place and the next they’re two games back! When will the Dodgers make it to the World Series again? Los Angeles fans deserve it. We’ll see how this year pans out. At least my new Fathead looks good!