True Blue, True Dodger Blue...

So with the boring nfl season over, that means that we are all just a few weeks away from the start of major league baseball! whoooooo! I decided that I wanted to get ready for the season by taking a tour of Dodger Stadium. It's one of those things I've been meaning to do for a while, but never got around to it.

Being that today is a holiday (Lincoln's Birthday) I wasn't sure if the stadium would be open, given that everyone I know had the day off. Amazingly, I was in luck and the tours were still going. I woke up too late for the 10 am tour, but was right on time for the 11:30 one. Here is my trip report:

The firs thing our tour guide showed us was the unique position where you can look out and see 3 different parts of Los Angeles:

The City Skyline

The Hollywood Sign/Santa Monica Beach - when not smoggy

The Snow Capped Mountains

From here we got in the elevators. Did you know that Dodger Stadium has 9 levels? Level 8 is Dodger Jail and First Aid Center. So I guess that is where you go if you beat someone up, or if you got beat up. We went to a room on that floor where we watched a video on the history of the Dodgers.

Next up we went over to the Press Box/Suite Levels. The Suites I learned go for $4000-$7000 (per game) depending on where its located, the day of the game, and the opponent. So a suite at the far end on a Tuesday afternoon vs. the Nationals is cheaper than a Saturday night game vs. the Giants. At the press box we all sat down with a placard to show which media group usually sits in that location (ESPN, Fox Sports, KFWB, etc). I didn't get anything that exciting:

Next up we went down to the clubhouse level, where you can sit for just $465 per game. It is also where the players from both teams come in and out of so you have a chance of seeing them as well as sharing a drink at the martini bar (which many players do, usually only after a win though). When you get out of the elevator there is a wall of the more than 1600 players that have worn a Dodgers uniform at some point in the team's history.

Our tour guide was able to point out some of the more popular Dodgers like these:

Naturally, being the kind of Dodger fan that I am, I wanted to find those names that truly represent the team that pisses me off year after year. Ah yes, here they are:

Ah....crap. My tour guide saw that I was taking pictures of these players names and he thought I genuinely liked Carlos. Darryl I admit, but more when he was on the mets and not doing crack in the open. When he did it and no one knew he was cooler.

Next we proceeded into the Clubhouse area where they have a bar, tables and lots of memorabilia. Our tour guide tells us that we should be happy we came for a Dodger Stadium tour rather than one for the Giants, because this way we get to see Championship Trophies....see what he did there?

Here is the 1988 World Series Trophy. Look at this team and you'll be amazed they made the playoffs, let alone win a World Series.

Here is Home Plate taken from Ebbets Field when the Dodgers left Brooklyn for Los Angeles.

Vin Scully has been with the Dodgers for 58 years! Here are 2 of his many Emmy Awards.

In 1984, Dodger Stadium hosted events for the Olympics. Other events that the stadium has hosted include: Concert by the Rolling Stones, a visit from Pope John Paul II, and even an exhibition basketball game. They may have hosted some other concert too, not sure who though...

Back to the tour. In order to get to the stadium we pass through the Clubhouse walkway at the end is the locker room, and then a stairway to the field. In the walkway are all the retired Dodger Jerseys, followed by this:

Dodger president Jamie McCourt had this empty frame put up in order to motivate players to try to get their number up there. By last year's showing, it's totally working!

The field...up close.

The Dugout...up close!

Here are the only seats that have covers on them right now at the stadium. Hmm I wonder whose they are?

On the way back to the elevators we passed the Umpire's Dressing Room. Notice the bottom left part of the sign....oh those Dodgers! They bring the funny!

After that we went back to the Top of the Stadium, coincidentally where the big gift shop is, and it was open despite the of-fseason!

That concludes my tour around Dodger Stadium, it was a fun way to kill a couple of hours and get ready for the upcoming season. Our guide told us that this was the year, so I think I'll go to Las Vegas next weekend and put some money on them. I mean, who knows the team more than the tour guide?

Piece of random information: There are 1943 names listed in the closing credits to The Matrix Reloaded.

Oww! That probably hurts

Top 5 Sports Injuries. Why? Cause its a slow day and I saw the video of the x-game guy falling 50 feet so I figured it was appropriate.

5. Geoff Jenkins...ankles aren't supposed to do that right?

4. Jason Kendall continues to run, despite his ankle barely being attached

3. Alabama ruins the career of Tyrone Prothro by continuing to play him in a blow out game.

2. Shaun Livingston's Knee is crooked for some reason...oh yeah dislocated

1. Napoleon McCallum gets twisted....be forewarned, its not easy to watch.

Honorable Mentions: Joe Theisman, Willis McGahee, Robin Ventura, Moises Alou.

Satisfaction?

For the past couple of months I have become increasingly annoyed with the am 570 KLAC afternoon drive co-host Petros Papadakis. At my wits end I decided to email the station this letter:

Dear Money and KLAC Management,

Please discontinue Petros Papadakis from being the co-host of the late after show. It is unbearably bad. I can no longer listen to the show that I had enjoyed from its inception because of his constant lack of knowledge on sports subject matter, his constant interruptions, and most of all his yelling and slobbering into the microphone. Matt “Money” Smith can easily hold down the show himself. It would be to the betterment of the show and the station as a whole to rid yourself of Mr. Papadakis as quickly as possible. Until this happens I will have to listen to those other two afternoon hosts on another station, who I find annoying as well, although, at least they know what they are talking about, and do so in a normal calm matter.

Sincerely,

Bradley Hutchins

Just a little bit later, then man himself Petros emailed me back, not just once, but twice!

"thats true that guy sucks
p"

followed up by:

"brad
you are also right about the slobbering
p"

I didn't respond to either of them. Should I or just enjoy the emails I got in return?

Opening Day

After what feels like forever, major league baseball's opening day is finally here for the Dodgers. For all you to enjoy, here is the Dodgers vs. Brewer opening day blog!

Here are some early observations:
I feel bad for the Brewers, I don't even think they sold out half of their stadium
It's good to see the Dodgers with their names on their backs, stupid idea Mr. McCourt.
Sweet! Vin Scully will be doing the game, I know you are thinking..umm Brad he always does. That's where you are wrong, he only goes to western division road games. All the other road games he stays home for.
Okay here we go....Sheets! Lowe! Brewers! Dodgers!

My friend Will has just predicted that if Brady Clark plays he will do something....keep this in mind to see if his premonition comes true.

1st Inning.
No Rafael Furcal today, this is game 1 without the normal projected lineup. What's the line for games with the normal players? It can't be higher than 100.
Ah crap, Pierre reminds me of Delino Deshields the way he wears his helmet. This can't be good. After Vinny mentions Pierre was the hardest guy to strike out last year, what does he do? Yep strike out swinging.....great. Martin and Nomar pop out.

Brewers get two weak hits to open the 1st. I hope Lowe took his ADD medicine. Who has a stronger arm? Pierre, Damon or Bernie Williams? Force out scores 1. Well could have been worse. End of 1. Brewers 1 Dodgers 0

Second Inning
Kent's mustache makes me want to shave today. WHOOO KENT HOMERS! BOOYAH! THE POWER OF THE STACHE!

Wait Craig Counsell still plays? When did this happen? I just tuned over to the Yankees/D-rays game. Eljah Dukes on TB is gonna be a beast. Plus his dad is in jail for murder so you know he is a badass. Okay back to the Dodgers. Fricking Lowe, gives up another run, and now has 2 on with 2 out. Now the bases are loaded for the Brewer's star Bill Hall.....I'm calling double. Deep Fly out..phew
Brewers 2 Dodgers 1

Third Inning
Dodgers do nothing, a bottom of the lineup inning. I should have made lunch.

Johnny Estrada, as Vin just told us is a huge Raider fan. My new least favorite player ladies and gentlemen! Brewers get another one on a Sac Fly. Andre Ethier did just make an awesome catch on the play.
Brewers 3 Dodgers 1

Fourth Inning
3 lazy fly ball outs for the Dodgers. Ben Sheets doesn't even look like he is trying.

Well Lowe also doesn't look like he is trying, but I think its not quite the same thing. Seriously, can Lowe go through 1 inning without putting two men on? Fine, how about not giving up a run? hmm not so much. Warm up Billingsly please. Old-man Gonzalez just lost a ball in the dome, cost the dodgers 2 runs. Its okay though, cause he has never played in a dome before right? wait...what?...oh well at least the yankees are losing too.
Brewers 6 Dodgers 1.

Fifth Inning
Gonzo totally makes up for his misplay by....flying out. 12 straight Dodgers have failed to reach base, just wanted to point that out.

Dodgers take out Lowe and Gonzo and replace them with Mark Hendrickson and Brady Clark...ooh maybe Will's premonition will come true!
Shocking no runs!
Brewers 6 Dodgers 1

Sixth Inning
Update: The shots of the empty stadium were taken earlier, there is a big crowd there. Good for the Brewers. No good Dodger news 15 in a row retired by Sheets. I'm gonna go make a sandwich.

Seventh Inning
Back again after making lunch, I missed a Brewers Home run...Bill Hall. I did make it back in time to see the Sausage Race. The rookie Chorizo sausage looks like he still needs more seasoning (zing!). The veteran Italian pulled off the victory, way to go Italian sausage!

Dodgers go out in order again.
Brewers 7 Dodgers 1 - no brewer 7th inning update. I'm gonna eat my lunch now.

8th inning
Okay I'm back. Update: I was mistaken, Ethier came out for Brady Clark, not Gonzo....which makes total sense cause Ethier made an awesome defensive play, where Gonzo lost a ball, so naturally you take out the better one. It's science.
Ben Sheets has now retired 21 straight Dodgers. Either he is really good or the Dodgers are that crappy. Today it could be a combo of the two. The Bottom of the lineup is coming up for the Dodgers, I'm pretty sure no one is gonna reach.
Brewers 7 Dodgers 1

9th Inning
Well Will was right, Brady Clark just hit a double! watch out now. Well that was the end of any rally. Ben Sheets gets the complete game 2 hitter.
Final Brewers 7 Dodgers 1.

Final Thoughts: If the season ended today, then we'd be in last place. Stupid Dodgers. Oh well, tomorrow is a new day right?

It's here

So as the comments in the previous blogged explained. The "Special Agent: BSH2" is my new bowling ball. I knew I wasn't throwing my ball properly since I wasn't using my thumb, but lately my fingers had been really swollen and I was having some pain in my wrist and elbow after bowling. Because of this I went to the pro shop at my bowling alley. The pro informed me that only 1 pro bowler has ever thrown with no thumb and hooking the ball.......today that bowler can't do anything having gone through 10 elbow and 5 wrist surgeries. Needless to say this was my version of scared straight. I ordered my new ball and it arrived today. With my Las Vegas bowling trip this weekend I decided it was time to redo my technique. I like to think of myself as Tiger Woods of bowling, I mean he redid his swing and won 7 tournaments in a row....I can easily do the same. I know many of you are thinking, why change right before an important trip? Well, Vegas lanes are oiled a lot more than normal lanes and the "Excalibur BSH" doesn't work well with oily lanes. The "Special Agent BSH2" is made for oily lanes as it is sanded and cuts through any surface (yes I know I'm a bowling nerd). I took it out today for 8 games, four at 2 different places. My avg was about 35 pins less than what it normally is, but its okay, I'm still learning and I plan on practicing a lot.

For your enjoyment, here are some pics of it.

You maybe a bit off on this one....

Everyday ESPN.com has the "Poll Question of the Day" in which they ask a multiple-choice question on some sports related item. Whats cool is that they give you the breakdown of each state, as well as international voters as well. I usually answer the question just so I can see the map come up and see which way the country is leaning. What I find entertaining is when one state is just completely out of the loop with the rest of the nation. Here is today's question and results:

What is wrong with you Nebraska? Why are you so different than the rest of the world? There are other teams out there besides the Cornhuskers. In case you were curious, in the state of Nebraska only 16% agreed that the Bulls had the best season, while 77% thought the Cornhuskers did.

Yes I know this is a stupid post, but graphs like this entertain me.

Superbowl Sunday

Congrats to the Colts for winning the game today. Although I never though I would cheer for Peyton Manning, I felt he deserved it. Overall it was just an okay game with below average commercials in my opinion. Watching the Superbowl made me think of my favorite game:



I can watch these highlights over and over again and it still gives me chills. To watch John Mobley knock that ball away to clinch it...goosebumps.

So know we are only about 364 more days til the next big game. Hopefully Cutler can bring the magic back to Mile High!

Happy 100th!!

In just under 1 year I have put together 100 blogs for you, my fellow readers to comment, mock, and occasionally enjoy. I would like to thank you all encouraging me to continue this website, as well as giving me ideas on which to blog on.


Here are some Brad updates:

-My car still has no engine. Well it has an engine, but it doesn't work. I am waiting to hear back from corporate. My current lines are that there is an 85% chance they are going to do nothing, and I will be in charge of paying for it all; 10% chance they will assist me some way; and a 5% chance they will get me a new engine. Maybe I'm being a pessimist, but hey its a car company, why shouldn't I?

-I have been at my new job for 1 month now. I have to say that thus far it has been pretty much what I expected, which really means nothing. Its getting old trying to find things to read and look over. I listen in on conference calls, and read budget stuff, not exactly glamorous by any stretch of the means. I am waiting to see how much it will pick it in the weeks to come as bills start being written.

-Me and my teammates have our World Series of Pop Culture interview this weekend, so lets hope all my useless knowledge finally comes in handy.

-Haven't seen many of the possible best picture movies. Oscars nominations come out tomorrow. I would like to see "The Departed" and "Borat" get nominated, just because I found them both to be enjoyable. I recently watched "United 93" and it was hard enough to watch on my computer, in the theater, probably would have been too much.

One last thing, after watching the AFC championship last night, I guess I have to say that I'm okay with it.........

I'm not a chiefs fan at all, but....

Well......

1. Well Jay Cutler had his first start tonight. He wasn't overly impressive and I think Shanahan tried to limit how many mistakes he could make by running the ball a majority of the time. There were a few glimpses where he looked pretty good, and other times where I thought it was the second coming of the left-handed throwing Plummer. Next week will be a huge test as the team goes to San Diego. Right now I really can't say that I expect a whole bunch this year.



2. As usual, the BS-C....err I mean BCS computers got the game wrong. Everyone who watched college football this year can pretty much see that the top 2 teams this year were the University of Michigan and ohio state universtiy (all teams I don't like are never capitalized, in case you haven't noticed). Alas though, the computers somehow put the university of florida in the big game instead. For all of you who don't know the SEC is entirely overrated, but like to talk about how hard their schedule is. Its pretty annoying. If only USC had won yesterday, none of this talk would even be necessary, so thanks a lot (f)ucla! I could go on about this, but I'd get upset, although the games aren't for a month, so I'll have more time to vent later.



3. Yeah, the beard thing is still kinda itchy. Sure it looks nice, but it actually takes a bit of up-keep. Thoughts?

In case you didn't know........

Yeah, I am not a fan of that school on the western part of the city.

I did it!

That's right, I was able to do 30 blogs in 30 days. Some blogs weren't my best writing, but I did accomplish this goal. I must say that it was a lot of fun. So much fun actually that I am gonna see how long I can keep this going. So for all my fans, thank you for visiting, and keep the comments coming!


As for bowling today, nothing to spectacular: 169,171,181...I think I found what I was doing wrong, I was throwing it to hard and over-rotating. I think I have fixed it for the most part.

The time has come

Let's see what the kid can do.....

Off to another game

Off to another exciting game today. This could be the difference maker between the Rose Bowl and the BCS championship. Let's go SC!

Home again

Hello everyone. Sorry for my lame couple of posts that past couple of days, I was away from my home computer and didn't feel like spending too much time using other people's.

Phoenix was a lot of fun, I would post pictures but in case you didn't know my camera was stolen a few weeks ago. This was a nice ongoing joke for the trip though, as either myself or one of the other guys would as me to take pictures for memories.

This was pretty much ultimate sports weekend as I watched the Suns/Sixers game on Friday night, spent Saturday at "The Library" and "Hooters" watching the Michigan/OSU and USC/Cal games. As you probably guessed the two places I mentioned were both bars, and also needless to say I think I drank my fair share. Lucky for me I took a nap later in the evening and was fine the next morning. John, however, not quite as lucky that night.

Sunday we went to the Cardinals/Lions game. I think the best thing I can say is that the University of Phoenix Stadium is quite impressive and seems to have a good atmosphere. The teams, the parking and the food however weren't as good though.

Overall I have to say it was a pretty fun trip, and Phoenix was a pretty happening place. The roads all seem to be torn up, but driving around isn't too difficult we found.

I think my favorite part of the trip happened while having a conversation with our friend Dong after we passed the local greyhound race track.

Dong: You guys ever bet on dogs?
Rest of Us: No just horses, what about you?
Dong: No way man! Dogs are crazy!

So yes, never bet on dogs in a race, cause they are crazy. Follow that advice and you'll go far.

Thrilling Matchup!

I am on my way to the classic NFL powerhouse matchup of the Detroit Lions vs. the Arizona Cardinals. Needless to say I am pumped up about this one............

Let's Go!

Today is a very important day for college football. I will be watching two games with BCS implications at hand. With any hope the two teams I want to win, will do so, and thus make my day of sitting in a bar drinking a more pleasurable experience. So with that

FIGHT ON!!!!

and

HAIL TO THE VICTORS!

Random Thoughts

Here are 5 thoughts to think about today:

1. ESPN is getting screwed with their Monday Night Football schedule. They get crappy games (c'mon 2 raider games?!??!?!?) and they get to watch NBC get a flex schedule where they choose their own games. Sucks to be you ESPN.

2. It's odd, but it looks like the BCS may have just got it right this year. Trust me this is hard to admit, but look at the top 8 teams, they all play one another in the upcoming weeks. In a way it's like their own playoff.

3. I wish we would hurry up and get some real winter weather. Just last week it was 90 degrees. Where is the rain, where is the wind, where is the cold?

4. What looks cooler the Playstation 3 or the Nintendo Wii? Both look cool, but I'll refrain from either for the time being.

5. Which movie series would you like to see me do a movie log of?

Sorry if this was lame, not feeling overly creative right now.

Thanks for the memories

Thanks for deciding to opt out of your contract. To say that I won't miss your lame strike out swing, the constant fear of you getting hurt, and of course your awesome personality is and understatement. Nothing is going to give me a bigger smile than not seeing you in the lineup or the dl. I hope your agent gets you the deal you really want, and I look forward to you coming back to Dodger Stadium next year. So long and good night.

I am tired

*Sigh*

What to do, what to do?

I hate hard decisions, especially when I have to make them.

Oh well, what can you do right?

I am currently watching the two "elite" big east football teams, Louisville and Rutgers. Needless to say I am being extremely sarcastic and if either of these two teams make it to the championship game something is really really wrong with the BCS....oh wait something is wrong with the BCS.

Lets look at every college athletic program for men and women's sports. How many do not have a playoff system....

1!!! - college football!! What is wrong here?