The REAL. BIG. Blog

Congratulations to the New York Yankees on winning their 27th World Series title. The exhausting MLB season has finally come to a close, along with the best time of the year for sports…

October and November are some of the most exciting months for sports fans. It is the only time of the year that all 4 major sports are on at the same time.

The MLB Playoffs are nearing the end, where every pitch, every catch and every move matters. This year in the playoff you had two of the more storied franchises in all of sports with the Yankees and Dodgers. Let’s not forget the Red Sox and Cardinals who have both won a World Series title in the past 3 years. And then there are the two most consistent teams in baseball: the Twins and Angels. Year after year, those two teams always seem to be near, or at the top of their respected divisions. After starting 19-28 and firing their head coach, the Rockies came back and made another impressive run to the postseason.

The NFL is in full swing with intriguing story lines, bone-crushing hits and highlight reel plays. There are always surprises with the NFL. Who would have thought that at age 40, Brett Favre would be playing as well as he is… who would have thought that in week 9 we would still have two undefeated teams (Indianapolis and New Orleans both 7-0)… Who would have thought that the Wildcat would make defensive coordinators cringe… From the Ram’s, Lion’s and Buccaneers to the Saints, Colts and Vikings, Sunday’s are days where you can always find excitement with any team.

The NBA season tips off. A clean slate for every team. The Clippers look to spring forward with Blake Griffin, Stephen Curry looks to show off his sweet shot at the professional level, and the rest of the NBA Rookies look to make their mark on the league. This is a league full of superstars. From LeBron and Kobe to Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade, each player brings a different dynamic to the court that can only be classified as incredible.

And finally, the puck drops in the NHL. After a come from behind win against the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Penguins are looking for the first repeat since the Red Wings went back to back in ‘97 and ‘98. With all the free agent moves and offseason trades, the tides may be turning for some teams in the NHL.

Of course, I cannot forget College football. Every sports fan has a favorite NCAA team. With tailgaiting, face painting, BCS discussions, conference title hopes, stadiums with 100,000+ people, and bowl games… College football definitely demonstrates the true passion of fans and athletes.

Ah yes, it really is a great time of year!

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.

By Apryl DeLancey

You know how sports fans sometimes have crazy logic for why we root for certain teams that aren’t from our hometown? Not everyone does this, but a vast majority of sports fans use creative sports logic to justify who they root for. For example, here are “my teams” that I root for and why I chose them:

Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Sparks, Los Angeles Galaxy, Los Angeles Kings: These are all the teams from my hometown. I was born and raised in Los Angeles so this makes sense, yeah? Not very hard to imagine why I’m interested in them. Now for the more “creative” followings:

I’ll follow what I call the “lesser” teams to root for SoCal against all other teams if one of my aforementioned teams are not playing, especially in a playoff position. For example, you’ll see me cheer on the Anaheim Angels, Los Angeles Clippers, Chivas USA, and the Anaheim Ducks. This is ONLY if they are not playing my real L.A. teams or even certain Florida teams in playoff situations but this is not set in stone.

USC and UCLA: Yes, it is blasphemy, but they are both in my hometown and I have many good friends that attended one or the other.

USF: I went to college at the University of Tampa and we did not have a football team. (Well, they did up until 1974 when John Matuszak graduated.) Instead, we were granted admission to USF Bulls games for free. This program has only been around for a short time and they manage to be ranked high in the BCS lately so it’s great to cheer them on. Go Bulls!

University of Miami: I was accepted to college here but decided to be in Tampa instead. I absolutely love the city of Miami and visit when I can. Of course, they cannot be playing one of the teams that were mentioned earlier in any NCAA games. This rooting system for college teams goes for all sports - not just football.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Rays, Tampa Bay Lightning: Again, I went to college in Tampa and had an absolute blast going to all of these games that I could. By default, I might also root for the Orlando Magic since I was able to catch some of their pre-season games in Tampa. On that note the Carolina Panthers can disappear from existence without any tears from me.

Oakland Raiders: The only team to bring a Super Bowl ring to my hometown of Los Angeles. Al Davis is making this a real challenge nowadays.

San Diego Chargers: They are very close and the city loves them!

San Francisco 49ers: Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jerry Rice, Bill Walsh - need I say more?

Manchester United: The Glazers own them. They also own the Bucs. Get it?

When there is any conference final or championship game, I will root for the West Coast or Florida team depending on the circumstances. There is an entire silly grid in my head of the order.

Golf: Phil Mickelson gets my vote since he is a left-handed SoCal native like yours truly. Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa are cheered for because they are class acts. Of course, California native Tiger Woods is a favorite as well.

Bottom line – I love sports. Chill out and let’s watch a game! Was this a totally lame post? Maybe…give me a break…I can’t be full of wit and charm every day.

What is your odd sports logic for a team you follow?

By Apryl DeLancey

LA Dodgers Logo Fathead Wall Graphic

I didn’t believe it myself. I was minding my own business the other morning on my way to work and I saw it. There it was, plain as day. A giant donkey with wings, flying over Los Angeles International Airport. It took me a minute to figure out what happened. Suddenly, it hit me. The Los Angeles Dodgers had won a post-season game on the road. In Chicago. Against the Cubs. The beloved Cubs that baseball analysts gush over every chance they get.

Alright, I cannot get too excited yet. Yes, this was allegedly the first playoff game that the Dodgers have won in twenty years. You heard me, twenty years. Oh, and some fan in Chicago had to show how classy he was by trying to pelt Manny Ramirez

with a ball. Nice job dingbat. He was arrested fortunately. Trust me, I can understand frustration, but that was a totally classless act. Grow up. I’ve seen home runs thrown back on to the field when the opposing teams hit them, but never at a player. And you people think we are uncivilized in L.A. Ha!

And then – game two! They beat the Cubs again by a score of 10-3. I am not even sure how to act. I don’t want to talk too much trash nor do I want to gloat. I’m entirely too nervous to do either! Now the series comes back to Los Angeles. The players are healthy. The fans are pumped. The city is holding its breath to see if the team can really get past the Cubs.

Whatever happens, we can be sure that this will certainly motivate our exceptional owner to raise ticket prices and all merchandise at the stadium even more. If the team actually wins, gets far into October, and the star players are re-signed it just might be worth it!

GO BLUE!

By John Fontana

Chicago Cubs Logo Fathead Wall Graphic

If you’re a voodoo-fearing, half-Bartman-half-goat Chicago Cubs fanatic you might want to stop reading now. Really. I mean it. When the Cubs hit the playoffs the question is always: Is this the year?  Well, I’m not asking the question. I’m calling it for the Cubs after 100 years since their last World Series title in 1908.

I’m ready for the Cubs to break the Curse of the Billy Goat.

I live in Denver, have been in Chicago twice in my life, and could care less either way other than it would be another historic sports moment to drink in and would super charge October.

We are past the era – thankfully – when fans showed up to games with goats like Billy Sianis did at Wrigley for Game 4 of the 1945 Series, the event that started it all. So it’s time to forget.

I love the underdog and there is no bigger underdog then when the Cubs and the playoffs get together.
While the Dodgers – Manny, Billingsley, Torre et al. – go into the NLDS as handicappers’ favorite against Chicago, it’s the Cubs that will head to the NLCS and then decorate Wrigley with star-spangled bunting.
The Cubs have a winner at the helm. Many people forget that manager Lou Pinella was the AL rookie of the year in 1969, twice AL manager of the year and is the owner of three World Series rings.

There’s your experience in the club house.

Then you have balance in the lineup: five players with at least 20 home runs, five with at least 74 RBIs, and three pitchers with at least 14 wins. The big names are Carlos Zambrano, Geovany Soto, Mark DeRosa, Ryan Dempster, Kerry Wood, Carlos Marmol and Aramis Ramirez.

And since baseball is a numbers game, here is what the Cubs did as a team. They finished with the second -best record in baseball. The Dodgers started September with a losing record and had to get hot – going 18-5 to close the season – just to make the playoffs.

The Cubs had the best home record and the second best road record in the NL. Their batting average was second best in the NL at .278. They were second in runs scored and fifth in slugging percentage in all of baseball.

Now all the Cubs need is a little magic.

Maybe those ghosts at Yankee Stadium can make a visit to Wrigley, you know, while their house is being torn down.

If you disagree, tell me why the Cubs can’t break the curse.

By Apryl DeLancey

Well, the Dodgers are doing their usual up and down dance as October draws near. It just seems that the same story happens every year – they start out strong, get us all excited, and then leave us feeling robbed. Heck, they dropped something like eight out of nine games recently. I shouldn’t be surprised. This really does happen every year. They sign elderly players as the season progresses to act like they actually want to win a title. Ownership seems to be perfectly happy with as little as a Wild Card berth. Argh! I don’t think it will change any time soon. This city is too big and has too may fans. For every frustrated fan like myself, there are at least 100 more that are happy to buy a ticket. The Dodgers continue to shatter records for attendance every year. I’ve got to move on to another subject before I have an aneurism…

The Galaxy…well, they aren’t so hot either right now. They did a “Dodgers” this year as well. Starting off strong and now they are like 10 points out of first place. They also spent a truckload of money on an aging star…the owners of the Galaxy must be friends with the owner of the Dodgers…

Chivas USA is the sleeper favorite in the MLS around here. No prima donna players (comparatively speaking) and a loyal fan base. You can still get tickets to the games for a reasonable price. Of course, since they don’t have David Beckham they don’t get as much attention. They even play in the same stadium as the Galaxy!

Speaking of getting tickets…getting Lakers tickets is never an easy task. This Los Angeles team has actually had many championships in recent memory. Except for this last year. Is it just me, or did Kobe Bryant seem to try harder in the Olympics? Pau Gasol looked more attentive playing for his native country as well. I’m convinced that the entire team was asleep in the series with Boston.

The NFL football season in Los Angeles means that we got to have the Dallas Cowboys practice in nearby Oxnard for the last time and other long drives to catch any action. We get to either drive close to three hours to catch LaDainian Tomlinson and the San Diego Chargers or head north about six plus hours to take in a San Francisco 49ers or Oakland Raiders game.

Ah, to be a sports fanatic in Los Angeles…I wouldn’t change it for anything…

By Apryl DeLancey

I was in a conference call when suddenly the voices on the other end sounded in awe.  “Manny went to the Dodgers”, one of them finally said.  I immediately grabbed my cell phone to search the web…sure enough…it was true!  Funny, as I was watching the sports news that morning I asked why he or Ken Griffey Jr. didn’t come here.  After all, the Dodgers have a history of getting older players.  It’s as if Chavez Ravine is the retirement waiting room for baseball.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m very happy to have Manny here.  I’m just hoping he produces and then continues to do so.  One colleague of mine, a Diamondbacks fan, immediately informed me that the Dodgers locker room was now poisoned.  Granted, that was before they won two out of three against the D’backs over the weekend.  Manny’s performance for his inaugural weekend in Los Angeles was nothing short of awesome.  On Sunday, he had his first four hit game of the season and turned in a .615 batting average, two homers, and 5 RBIs in his 13 at-bats with the team.  The locker room is apparently happy to have him as well.  Joe Torre believes he will make the others better.  His overall stats for the year are a .310 batting average, 22 homers, 73 RBIs, and even a stolen base.  I’ll take it.  If he’s happy here, maybe he’ll even improve on those!

As for me, the Everyfan, I’m very pumped about his debut.  I really want the “good vibes” and sweet stats to continue.  I’d like to see him really perform for the year and then stay for a few more.

At any rate – welcome to Los Angeles, Manny!  Please don’t take the Dodgers or we the fans for granted.  We are a loyal bunch that deserves a winning team and a superstar player.  Be good to us and you’ll never hear us chant that you, um, suck.  We’ll stick by you and wear your jersey.  Stick around for a while, you’ll like it here.

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!

By Apryl DeLancey

A native of the city, I have had a love affair with my Los Angeles Dodgers since I can remember. As a young girl some of my fondest memories are watching the game with my dad – listening to Vin Scully and Jerry Doggett on a summer afternoon. I vividly remember Fernando Valenzuela’s arrival and Fernandomania throughout the Southland. That awesome team with Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, and Ron Cey that brought us a championship all those years ago still gives me goose bumps! And Tommy! Oh yes, Tommy Lasorda – I remember being at Chávez Ravine, feeling the ground shake as he ran out to scream at the umpire. Those were the days…

More recently, I have not had so much to be excited about. However, like the rest of the Los Angeles Dodgers loyal, I put up with the high ticket prices, dubious ownership, and lack of a well-thought out plan. I’m there, every season hoping that this one will be different. When popular players like Eric Gagne and Paul LoDuca are traded away, I humbly take the ensuing punishment. When the new owner adds seats to the stadium and makes my usual lower box placement less desirable, I buy another beer and act like it never happened.

But alas, a ray of hope! Joe Torre has arrived! Of course, my first instinct was cautious elation. What good would a manager do without a team? I felt bad for poor Grady Little as well – although he did not bring us a title, he didn’t exactly run the team into the ground either. At any rate, I could only hope that Torre’s arrival did not mean that Frank McCourt had figured that he opened up his wallet enough to appease the fans for now. Luckily, we did get a few more…Jeff Kent is staying and they have signed Andruw Jones. There is even rumor that they are looking to sign Japanese pitching star Hiroki Kuroda. Great! Let’s not stop there! Keep it coming Frank! Unfortunately, Jones has done nothing, Rafael Furcal has been out, and the rest of the team is hit and miss.

Meanwhile, Frank McCourt keeps finding ways to bleed fans of every dollar. No more going early for batting practice unless you have one of those really pricey tickets. In addition, he’s going to build us a mall at the stadium. Sure it will be fun, but another reason to part fans with their money. Great.

How about spending some money on players…that are not past their prime…please!