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View Full Version : OT-A broken hearted Dodger fans reflections on another unfulfilled season...



suicide_squeeze
10-24-2009, 12:21 PM
I find myself really angry with the way this season ended. The Dodgers truly had the tools to beat the Phillies this year. I give props to the Phillies, they are truly a great team, dominant in many ways, but the Dodgers were so close. And I guess the real reason I feel the need to vent is because to me, it was sooo easy to predict what was going to happen.

In fact, I predicted it last year. I was just hoping against hope I would be wrong.....but I had it on the nose.


The Dodgers are once again sitting at home because of one person, and one person only. If any of you listened to me last year, you'd know who I'm referring to. I was on ESPN radio on Thursday talking to Brian and Michael (Thompson) about it....

Jonathan Broxton.

For all of you who think he's so great......the NL All-Star this year......let me give you a clue.

He's a proven LOSER.

I can recall at least 6 times this year where he outright just blew a game for the Dodgers that he was handed the ball to win.....after this strong team played there hearts out. That alone.....is no big deal. But when you get to the elite part of the season, and it's ALL ON THE LINE......he's worthless.

TWO YEARS in a row now, he has single-handedly killed the Dodgers. After game four this year, the Dodgers were DONE. There is no way they come back from the bitter defeat Broxton handed his teammates.

Last year, Matt Stairs ruined him. He is psychologically damaged goods. (Has that BOMB Matt hit off of him with the season on the line even landed yet??) Nothing will ever be more evident as when Broxton faced Matt Stairs and had a chance to redeam himself this year. We were THREE outs away from winning the game, and guaranteeing bringing this series back to L.A., no matter what happened in game 5. And for anyone who knows the Dodgers and watched them this year, stringing two wins together in Los Angeles against ANYBODY is more than possible for this strong Dodger team.

Just ask Carpenter and Wainright.


How do you, as a CLOSER, walk Matt Stairs on four straight pitches, only to drill the next batter in the elbow??? Matt wasn't going to win the game this time.....there was nobody on base! Then you follow that up with a BEAN-job??? The SEASON is ON THE LINE, you FAT SLOB!

Then, after getting two outs with the 8th and 9th batters in the line up, he goes 3-0 to Rollins. GREAT job Broxton. You are ONE OUT FROM ENDING THIS GAME, AND TYING UP THE SERIES......and you're back to throwing BALLS???? So now, he HAS to throw a strike, so he goes into "Little League" mode and grooves two straight 99 MPH fastballs right down the middle of the plate. Rollins, taking them BOTH like a professional would, now has his timing down, and is sitting dead red fastball.......Broxton, being the LOSER that he is, oblidges. He throws his perfect 99-MPH batting practice meatball over the plate, and Jimmy being an ex-MVP isn't going to miss that, no. He drives the final stake right into the hearts of what should have been the 2009 World Series winners.

Game over. Season over. NO WAY do they recover from that blow.

If Jonathan Broxton can not develope into a PROFESSIONAL pitcher, and learn to throw the hitters off by changing up speeds with a slider or curve now and then.....what good is he? He is nothing more than a predictable blazing fastball pitcher.....and everyone knows that a professional hitter makes a living off of guys like that. I told my wife last year that if that pitcher, in BAD need of a Jenny Craig course, is still the closer for the Dodgers this year, he would be the end of them again. Gee, what a genius I am.

So as Dodger fans, do we REALLY want to see this guy with the season on the line and the BALL in HIS hand again NEXT YEAR???

Count me as one fan who doesn't.

I say get rid of him if he can't mix his pitches up and consistently throw 3-4 different pitches for strikes. He's a CLOSER. God DAMN IT. Not a batting practice baffoon. He NEEDS to shut it down, not END the season for his teammates.

Sorry for my airing it out, but it's all part of the healing process. So as a true baseball fan, I will be ruiting for the Phillies to absolutely DESTROY the Yankees in the World Series....that is, if the Yankees can finish off the Angels.

We know we'll be looking at better starting pitching next year, but Broxton needs to go away. He's a loser.

Any other Dodger fans thoughts?

suicide_squeeze
10-24-2009, 12:30 PM
lol....I find myself laughing at my "Freudian" typo...

After reading my post, I see in the second to last line I types "rooting" as "ruiting"......because I can't get the Dodgers "ruined" season out of my mind. Sorry :o

grenda12
10-24-2009, 12:36 PM
If anyone I truly feel sorry for is Thome.

Mac670
10-24-2009, 01:56 PM
Suicide,

I agree with you 100%. Broxton by himself killed our series with that blown save. I too have seen him come in and start off with one out and then blow the freakin game by walking someone. I went AZ, the series that Kuroda got hit in the head. One of the games, if not that one. he comes in with the lead and If I remember correctly walks one batter and pitches nothing but fastballs to gives up a two run homer to Reynolds. Terrible, Terrible. These are big league hitters who love the fastball, its the other pitches that batters out. :mad:


Anthony

xpress34
10-24-2009, 02:24 PM
SS -

How do you think the Rockies fans felt about Houston Street??? We had Phillies # in Games 3 and 4 and should have won the series at home...

We were in the lead in BOTH games in the 9th and Street blew not ONE, but TWO games in a row for the Rockies and we end up losing the series at home.

- Chris

gingi79
10-24-2009, 03:40 PM
Relief pitching is the bain of ever fan's existence. If John Smoltz didn't decide to force the issue to become a starting pitcher again, the Braves would have won some of the seemingly 150 blown saves they have had in the last 5 years. I still want to punch Chris Reitsma and Dan Kolb in the nuts.

On the flip side, if the Braves had Mariano Rivera, they would have beaten the Yanks in 96, 98 and 99 and shut down the Mets in 2000 and beat the Yanks again. In other words, a closer is the difference between the Braves lone 95 World Series and 5 titles in 6 years! The Yanks are the team of the 90's ONLY BECAUSE OF THEIR CLOSER. Otherwise, the Atlanta Braves are a DYNASTY.

Ask a Mets fan how losing their closer affected them in 2007 and 2008. I know K-Rod and Putz are thrilled they were overpaid for it.

In conclusion, with the exception of the 2001 World Series, Mariano Rivera was the single greatest reason for the Yankees record since 1996 when he was the setup guy for John Wetteland. Talk all you want about the greatness of the Capt., the heart of ONeill and the talent of Tino, Mo is the difference between a team that played in 5 World Series and a team that won 4 of 5.

allstarsplus
10-24-2009, 06:29 PM
Tough finish and looking ahead will be tough considering your owner is going through a divorce that may push the purse strings as it did from 2008 to 2009.

Second, I was not impressed by Torre. Actually outside of his years with the Yankees, what has Torre ever done with his teams? Look at his record. In his 15 seasons managing teams until he got the Yankees job, Torre never won a playoff game. In his 1st 15 years of managing, he only had 5 winning seasons and NEVER won 90 games in a season until the Yankees.

Torre should kiss the ground that Steinbrenner walks on for the opportunity he was given and thank his lucky stars again for getting the helm of the Dodgers.

Like Grenda said, I feel sorry for Thome!

suicide_squeeze
10-24-2009, 09:09 PM
SS -

How do you think the Rockies fans felt about Houston Street??? We had Phillies # in Games 3 and 4 and should have won the series at home...

We were in the lead in BOTH games in the 9th and Street blew not ONE, but TWO games in a row for the Rockies and we end up losing the series at home.

- Chris

I agree.....But the Rockies still would have had to get through the Dodgers, and that wouldn't have happened.

I guess we all need to maybe realize just how GOOD this Phillies team really is? Maybe.....10 years from now we'll all look back, and say "That team was a dynasty."

Well, maybe you guys will. As a Dodger fan, I'm sure I will be dead of a heart attack by then. :(

suicide_squeeze
10-24-2009, 09:11 PM
Relief pitching is the bain of ever fan's existence. If John Smoltz didn't decide to force the issue to become a starting pitcher again, the Braves would have won some of the seemingly 150 blown saves they have had in the last 5 years. I still want to punch Chris Reitsma and Dan Kolb in the nuts.

On the flip side, if the Braves had Mariano Rivera, they would have beaten the Yanks in 96, 98 and 99 and shut down the Mets in 2000 and beat the Yanks again. In other words, a closer is the difference between the Braves lone 95 World Series and 5 titles in 6 years! The Yanks are the team of the 90's ONLY BECAUSE OF THEIR CLOSER. Otherwise, the Atlanta Braves are a DYNASTY.

Ask a Mets fan how losing their closer affected them in 2007 and 2008. I know K-Rod and Putz are thrilled they were overpaid for it.

In conclusion, with the exception of the 2001 World Series, Mariano Rivera was the single greatest reason for the Yankees record since 1996 when he was the setup guy for John Wetteland. Talk all you want about the greatness of the Capt., the heart of ONeill and the talent of Tino, Mo is the difference between a team that played in 5 World Series and a team that won 4 of 5.

Outstanding post, and I agree 100%.

whatupyos
10-24-2009, 09:35 PM
Suicide- I hear you on the season. I am not a fan but I was rooting for the Dodgers this year. If my team isn't in the playoffs its nice to root for new teams that haven't won in a while. I work with a Dodger fan who was bummed. The reason why, in my humble opinion the Doders lost was starting pitching. Not going to argue with you on Broxton. He didn't do well either. The Dodgers did have the tools to go all the way, but their pitching is nothing compared to the Phils. Point blank period.

Aaron

suicide_squeeze
10-24-2009, 09:43 PM
Tough finish and looking ahead will be tough considering your owner is going through a divorce that may push the purse strings as it did from 2008 to 2009.

Second, I was not impressed by Torre. Actually outside of his years with the Yankees, what has Torre ever done with his teams? Look at his record. In his 15 seasons managing teams until he got the Yankees job, Torre never won a playoff game. In his 1st 15 years of managing, he only had 5 winning seasons and NEVER won 90 games in a season until the Yankees.

Torre should kiss the ground that Steinbrenner walks on for the opportunity he was given and thank his lucky stars again for getting the helm of the Dodgers.

Like Grenda said, I feel sorry for Thome!


Andrew,

You hit on the second most accurate reason the Dodgers are done. But, if Broxton wasn't such a LOSER, we would have been handed a loss anyway somewhere down the line because of some pitching change Torre would have made at the wrong time.

You see, the difference between Torre and a guy like Lasorda....is.....well, a world of difference. Torre is mindless, no feeling.....by-the-book.

Lasorda is a genius.....a TRUE baseball mind......someone who can draw from the "GUT" when it matters, and has INSTINCTS to do the right thing because his HEART tells him "DO IT!" He doesn't resort to the "easy way out" and do what every manager would do in the same situation......no, if his heart tells him to put in a guy with two bad wheels because he has the GUTS to go with his instincts.....he DOES it.

Torre? Pfffffftttttttttttt! And a stinky one at that. He sits there in the Dugout, looking like someone just told him his 401K has dropped 60%. He makes me SICK! He's a WEAK manager!!!

The dude sucked his whole managing career, until (like gingi79 correctly stated) he was handed a great team who could win no matter what, and the greatest closer in the history of the game. His 4 rings were nothing more than a GIFT handed to the manager of the team......it could have been the most dysfunctional manager in the game, and he would have won the 4 rings for nothing more than looking at the scoreboard and saying..."Oh, look, it's the ninth, bring in Mariano!"

With the Dodgers, it's like Torre's got a new girl in his hand every song at the prom. I can't think of more than a three game run where this TURD Torre didn't change the line-up.

Matt kemp batted in EVERY SINGLE position in the line-up this year, except ninth. Andre Ethier hit in second, third, forth, fifth, and six positions this year, AND was benched for two straight games when he was in a minor slump. Russell Martin hit in the lead-off position, second, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth places. Casey Blake also was positioned as "Flavor of the day" in 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th places this season. My man Loney.....same thing. He occupied third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh over the dance to October.

I mean.....are you f&%king KIDDING ME??? PICK a GALL DARN LINE UP Joe, and let the dudes PLAY! Let them get COMFORTABLE with their spots, and gel as a team. Don't make them feel like every game they are faced with a tiny little embarrassing "demotion" in the line-up because they're 1-for-12 in the last three games!! They are PRO'S JOE......and it's high time you start treating them like so you ass!

When you talk about the Phillies.....and you throw a NAME out there, you can automatically (without any brain-strain) assign their batting order position like it was second nature......

HOWARD......clean-up!

ROLLINS.......lead-off....

UTLEY.........third

WERTH........five-hole

FELIZ..........8th man

THE CRAZY HAWAIIAN........SECOND!!!!!


Are you getting the PICTURE Torre? The team is SET......The players know their PLACE on the team, in the order, and they can concentrate on what's important......WINNING!!!!

Charlie Manuel is about the closest thing to a retarded manager as one could find, and the dude is probably going to be wearing at LEAST two fat rings by the time he is put out to graze the hillsides. He is Torre #2 in the great land of "gift" managerialships.

Good for you, Charlie, you illiterate dumb ass!!! Take the ride as long as they'll have your mumbling drunken delivery.

Life is amazing................and God has made me pay somewhere for being a Dodger fan! What did I do wrong??

Maybe God, with a little help from Coletti and "The cheating McCourts reality show" money will buy us some pitching........AND A REAL CLOSER!!!! ........and he'll allow us off of our hands and knees once again.

suicide_squeeze
10-24-2009, 09:55 PM
Suicide- I hear you on the season. I am not a fan but I was rooting for the Dodgers this year. If my team isn't in the playoffs its nice to root for new teams that haven't won in a while. I work with a Dodger fan who was bummed. The reason why, in my humble opinion the Doders lost was starting pitching. Not going to argue with you on Broxton. He didn't do well either. The Dodgers did have the tools to go all the way, but their pitching is nothing compared to the Phils. Point blank period.

Aaron

Aaron,

I hear ya brotha, and pitching is the reason they're done, no doubt.

But that's why, even more than EVER, when the ball is handed to that big fat slob who fooled everyone into believing he should be an ALL-STAR for Christ'sake......I mean......HE'S GOT TO GET IT DONE!!! When the season is on the line, and they hand it to him, and they say "Here, MONGO.....EAT!!!".....He's GOT to show some friggin LIFE!!!!

Maybe, as Totte or that Joke of a pitching coach Honeycutt walks off the mound, just before leaving, they should turn around and hurl a 2 x 4 into the back of the lunch-cases hammy, or in the shins......you know, PISS HIM OFF!!! MAKE HIM MAD!!! Maybe THEN, he could close it out when it matters most.

Christ, I'm exhausted. The whole year is feeling like it's on my back, and I just want to get it off of me.



F YOU, Broxton......"F" you!!!!

Signed, the city of L.A.

skyking26
10-24-2009, 11:42 PM
If anyone I truly feel sorry for is Thome.
The whole trade was not one well thought out. Thome had 30 minutes to decide. He just wanted another chance to win so he took it... Going to a team in the NL, sitting on the pine to PH was a worthless investment by the Dodgers and served no purpose.


Hopefully Jim can sign with a AL contender like Detroit, MN, etc who could use his stick as a DH. As he put it, he can't field at all - so AL and DH is all there is left before a logical managing career. I think he's a given there...

frikativ54
10-24-2009, 11:48 PM
If anyone I truly feel sorry for is Thome.

Thome's the last person I feel sorry for. Earn a ring by playing on the team the whole year...I am glad he didn't get his cheap excuse of a ring this year. After all, he didn't earn it, and just because you play the game of baseball, does not mean that you automatically deserve a ring. The only ring Thome deserves is on his telephone!

suicide_squeeze
10-25-2009, 12:16 AM
Thome's the last person I feel sorry for. Earn a ring by playing on the team the whole year...I am glad he didn't get his cheap excuse of a ring this year. After all, he didn't earn it, and just because you play the game of baseball, does not mean that you automatically deserve a ring. The only ring Thome deserves is on his telephone!


Wow.....frik......what the fruk?

You're too young to be so filled with anger and venom. Relax, Jim Thome is a decent guy. Can't blame him for taking a shot?

In fact, I would think most who understand the players and their ego's would say this was a sign of just how decent this guy is. He knew his "stats" would take a hit....albeit a small one in regards to less at bats, thereby less career home run opportunities.....but it didn't keep him from making a move to try to be on a winner. That says SOMETHING for the guy, doesn't it? He wasn't ALL about himself and his stats, right?

You can't blame the guy for trying to win a World Series for Christsake? I mean, he was fooled like we all were that this was the Dodgers year......

If you really want to bash someone, please, bash Jonathan Broxton. He deserves it!!! ;)

thomecollector
10-25-2009, 03:07 AM
Wow.....frik......what the fruk?

You're too young to be so filled with anger and venom. Relax, Jim Thome is a decent guy. Can't blame him for taking a shot?

In fact, I would think most who understand the players and their ego's would say this was a sign of just how decent this guy is. He knew his "stats" would take a hit....albeit a small one in regards to less at bats, thereby less career home run opportunities.....but it didn't keep him from making a move to try to be on a winner. That says SOMETHING for the guy, doesn't it? He wasn't ALL about himself and his stats, right?

You can't blame the guy for trying to win a World Series for Christsake? I mean, he was fooled like we all were that this was the Dodgers year......

If you really want to bash someone, please, bash Jonathan Broxton. He deserves it!!! ;)
--

frikativ54
10-25-2009, 11:50 AM
We can disagree, but why do differences of opinion have to warrant ad hominem attacks?

I don't hate Thome; I just think his pursuit of a ring is a bit cheap and is unwarranted.

grenda12
10-25-2009, 11:56 AM
We can disagree, but why do differences of opinion have to warrant ad hominem attacks?

I don't hate Thome; I just think his pursuit of a ring is a bit cheap and is unwarranted.

Dont start with the health and sexiest issues. If you dont want someone to come back at you for the comments you make, dont post it. Simple as that. Learn to ignore it.

suicide_squeeze
10-25-2009, 12:45 PM
We can disagree, but why do differences of opinion have to warrant ad hominem attacks?

I don't hate Thome; I just think his pursuit of a ring is a bit cheap and is unwarranted.[/quote]

frik,

there are no sexist comments thrown your way, ever. If so, please point them out. I don't think you'll find any directed at you. You really should lighten up about that.

What I do find interesting is your sense of righteousness on issues, which by the way I often agree with, while all the time idolizing Jeff Bagwell.

I understand that you have met him, and have a genuine liking for the guy, and therefore have collected his stuff. But it's no secret that he was one of the biggest steroid abusers in the game. In fact, his use appears to have very well added to his early exit from the severe deterioration in his shoulder of all of his connective tissues.

You can certainly speak your mind here, but just try to keep it in perspective. As a Bagwell fan, you just might come off as insincere, otherwise.

bigtime59
10-25-2009, 12:55 PM
Relief pitching is the bain of ever fan's existence. If John Smoltz didn't decide to force the issue to become a starting pitcher again, the Braves would have won some of the seemingly 150 blown saves they have had in the last 5 years. I still want to punch Chris Reitsma and Dan Kolb in the nuts.

On the flip side, if the Braves had Mariano Rivera, they would have beaten the Yanks in 96, 98 and 99 and shut down the Mets in 2000 and beat the Yanks again. In other words, a closer is the difference between the Braves lone 95 World Series and 5 titles in 6 years! The Yanks are the team of the 90's ONLY BECAUSE OF THEIR CLOSER. Otherwise, the Atlanta Braves are a DYNASTY.

Ask a Mets fan how losing their closer affected them in 2007 and 2008. I know K-Rod and Putz are thrilled they were overpaid for it.

In conclusion, with the exception of the 2001 World Series, Mariano Rivera was the single greatest reason for the Yankees record since 1996 when he was the setup guy for John Wetteland. Talk all you want about the greatness of the Capt., the heart of ONeill and the talent of Tino, Mo is the difference between a team that played in 5 World Series and a team that won 4 of 5.

The Braves did the hardest part...14 consecutive times...without outspending the league by an absurd amount. They were a dynasty, despite the paucity of WS trophies.
The Yankee$ were the "team of the 90s" only because George III was sent on an 18-month vacation (otherwise known as his second "lifetime ban" from MLB) and Bob Watson and Gene Michael drafted and traded incredibly well.

frikativ54
10-25-2009, 01:01 PM
frik,

there are no sexist comments thrown your way, ever. If so, please point them out. I don't think you'll find any directed at you. You really should lighten up about that.

What I do find interesting is your sense of righteousness on issues, which by the way I often agree with, while all the time idolizing Jeff Bagwell.

I understand that you have met him, and have a genuine liking for the guy, and therefore have collected his stuff. But it's no secret that he was one of the biggest steroid abusers in the game. In fact, his use appears to have very well added to his early exit from the severe deterioration in his shoulder of all of his connective tissues.

You can certainly speak your mind here, but just try to keep it in perspective. As a Bagwell fan, you just might come off as insincere, otherwise.

I agree with you that Bagwell was likely a steroid user - he, along with the other 79.99% of big-leaguers. There's no way that he got to look like he did without the juice. Plus, look at how skinny Bagwell is now, proving that his body-build is naturally nowhere near the way he looked in the steroid-era.

Plus, Bagwell admitted to using andro back in 1998. But taking the era he played in as a whole, I am still a Bagwell fan, given that his likely steroid use was no different from what his peers were doing. However, that doesn't mean that I condone steroids, and I really wish that Bagwell would have played the game clean.

As for my comments about Thome, I have always liked him as a player, but I believe it's cheap to win a ring based upon pinch-hitting for a team down the stretch. That's just my opinion.

Do I think that Thome is a great player? Of course. Do I find his team-hopping to contenders a little self-serving? Without a doubt. I think we can have disagreements about ballplayers, and keep those issues to baseball.

thomecollector
10-25-2009, 01:44 PM
Frik,
I apologize for the cheetos remark. I think it is a bit over the top to keep throwing out the sexist,pity card, however. I don't recall saying anything of the sort. Now, back to the Thome thing. Jim has played for some good teams in the past. But, he wasn't able to acquire a ring. When the Sox approached him about the Dodgers trade , he had very little time to decide. He was on the fence. But
his team mates talked him into it. Knowing that He may never get another shot. If you were him. Wouldn't you want that chance? Yes!
Jim is one of the most stand up guys in baseball. For you to talk smack is hilarious. He never asked to be traded.....period.;)