A Competitive Edge

1/26 with runners in scoring position

5 runs in the last 11 games

2/15 for Adrian Gonzalez on the road trip

5/28 in the past 7 games for Hanley Ramirez

6-11 against Arizona who isnt even a playoff team!

I mean how much worse can it get.  I am so tired of seeing headline like, “Another maddening loss for the Dodgers” or “No Help” or even “Yet another shutout”.  Speaking on behalf of every Dodgers fan, lets light a fire in the clubhouse and play with a sense of urgency. I mean there’s ONLY 20 games left.

So the division  race is pretty much over with San Francisco taking a commanding 6 game lead in the NL West, but the wild card is wide open.  It looks like Atlanta is running away with the first wild card spot, but the 2nd spot is up for grabs whether it’s St. Louis, LA, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, or Milwaukee.

The Dodgers are 1 game back to St. Louis with a big 4 game series this upcoming weekend.  Dodgers fans, don’t give up quite yet because I’m feeling a streak is going to breakout.  Mark my words…The Dodgers will make the playoffs!  

Matt Bonfiglio

Matt@acompetitivedge.com

There’s just something different about this newly acquainted dodgers team.  Not a bad different but most certainly a good different.  For a team that is breathing down rival San Francisco for the NL West pennant, they seem pretty calm.  Could it be just plain and simple, confidence?  Could it be the new acquisitions(Ramirez, Victorino, Blanton, Choate, and League)?  Could it just be purely be having a good time?  I think it’s a little of everything because in theory they all correspond with one another.  When Hanley arrived in LA it had a Manny Ramirez like atmosphere…winning and having fun.  If you add that mentality to a team that has Matt Kemp, Dee Gordon, and Clayton Kershaw it’s a recipe for success.  Not to mention ownership thats willing to do whatever it take($$$) to bring a world series to LA again.  Entering August, the Dodgers have found a long lost sense of Swag that they have been missing for the past few years.  Every other MLB team out there should be scared of the Dodgers because they are on the brink of taking off and not looking back.

The injury plague is one that can instantly take your team from title contention to completely forgotten about.  It’s something that you wish there was an “on/off” option in the menu like a video game. It’s for lack of better words “a pain in the ass”.  Your team is rolling atop the division not letting anything bring you down, until…the injury plague strikes.  Your top player has gone down due to a torn Achilles i.e., which happened while jumping in a bounce house for his sons birthday.  It merely was a freak accident which once had you as title contenders to completely out of title contention or basically forgotten about.  Just blasphemy.  Your left sitting there (as a fan) completely in shock without an explanation.  The only question that pops into your mind is, why?   Why sports gods, just why?  The best part about life though is that most injuries heal…MOST.  Unfortunately there are injuries that don’t though.  For example,  Brandon Roy forced into early retirement due to chronic knee issues.  The good old Tommy John surgery that saves some pitchers but also destroys others from once a promising career.  Injuries will always play a part in the world of sports. Its like a ticking time bomb, its only a matter of time, but hopefully not.   

Superman is injured, recuperating from his last encounter with “the villain” and the town slowly begins to fall from being held to a very high standard.  The police force goes down.  Next the fire department.  The merchants are evaporating out of thin air, leaving no food to be bought.  The town self destructed faster than anything I have ever seen.

The good news is that this is only a story so stop worrying, but the bad news is that this is very similar to the LA Dodgers coincidentally.  The Dodgers and Matt Kemp start the season on a tear gaining as large as a 7.5 game lead in the NL West standings.  Mind you this was only the first two months of the seasons…

Strike 1

Matt Kemp’s first stint on the DL was a blow nonetheless, but LA was able to survive.  Andre Ethier and company picked up Matty and reassured him that they got this.  They got contribution from, Dee, Dre, Rivera, [A.J.]Ellis and much more.  This was really pumping up LA fans confidence, showing what they really have this season, something quite special.

Strike 2

Matt Kemp’s second day back from the first stint on the DL ends terribly, something no Dodger fan ever wanted to see…He re-injured the same hamstring forcing him back to the DL for round 2.  With LA’s boosted confidence from his first stint, they remained calm about the whole thing, even though in the back of every Dodgers fans mind they were skeptical on whether or not history could repeat itself.  Unfortunately I wouldn’t be writing this piece if the Dodgers hadn’t slumped, but they slumped hard.  Let’s just say they had a 33 inning scoring drought, 2 runs in a total of 58 innings, not to mention losing 11 of 12 games scoring a total of 15 run…Just plain dismal.  To say that their bats disappeared is an understatement.  Loney went ice cold, Ethier slumped, Ellis slumped, Uribe slumped.  The only two people who managed to somewhat hit the ball was Juan Rivera and Jerry Hairston Jr.  

June gloom in LA for sure.  But its a new month and they have won 2 of 3 producing some runs and things are looking up…I think every Dodgers fan is saying “just get to the all-star break already”, “get Kemp back”…But in all honesty, Dodgers nation is not worried, better to slump now than later..am I right?

I think there is something to be said that the dodgers have four second generation players currently on their roster. Tony Gwynn Jr. Jerry Hairston Jr. Dee Gordon and Scott Van Slyke. Well is it talent or is it nepotism? I’m leaning more towards talent due to the fact that 3 of the 4 players were key in the Dodgers 6-2 win against the rival Giants. Tony Gwynn Jr. with the base clearing triple to put the dodgers up 4-2, Dee Gordon with his phenomenal defense and Scott Van Slyke with his first major league hit and RBI (first Dodger with a pinch hit RBI since 1961, Warwick against the Phillies). Definitely talent!

This just in!

Frank McCourt opted out of the deal with magic Johnson’s group to buy the Dodgers.  Nah I’m just messing with you, but I did give you a good scare.  This is his last home stand as the Dodger owner.  Though it’s been a crazy couple of years, keep in mind he did get us to the playoffs 3 years in his tenure.

Its going to be awesome to see #42 throughout the league on Jackie Robinson day.  I must say though, the Dodgers will look the best in the Brooklyn uniforms.

Remember your first baseball game? Walking up to the ballpark, going through the turnstile, and elderly gent tearing(scanning) your ticket…you find the sign directing you to your section.  Then you walk into a long, dark tunnel.  As you come out, your eyes open wider than your mouth and your heart stands still.  Before you, the most brilliant diamond you have ever seen.  And no matter how often you’ve since walked through that tunnel, every single time you emerge and see that ball field, its your first baseball game all over again.  Baseball isbeautiful and romantic.  So close to opening day.  Im ready to sing “Take me out to the ball game” right?