Fun Times At Dodger Stadium

Yesterday was a fun day of getting autographs of a couple Dodger players.  You can check out my post about it here.  The Dodger game that I attended last night was a bore and left me discouraged about the team's offense.  I know that there offense has been struggling all year but, last night just seemed more painful than usual.  But, today's game against the Florida Marlins was the complete opposite.

First off, the Dodgers were having a handful of players signing autographs and were taking donations to help out with tornado relief.  I got there later than I should have and the line was super long.  Sadly, I struck out on getting some autos of players that I don't have any of such as Ted Lilly or Scott Elbert.  But, the line to meet one of my least favorite Dodgers of all time was pretty short.  Awesome!

I got to get my picture taken with Darren Dreifort and he also signed a baseball card for me.  He was the second overall pick just after A-Rod in the 1993 draft.  Dreifort was the top pitcher in college baseball that year and seemed destined to be a force in the Dodger rotation for many years to come.  Sadly for Dodger fans and Dreifort himself, injuries ruined his career.  So, did signing a 55 million dollar contract despite being mediocre at the time of the signing.  The contract hurt him because it made the fans expect more and when he didn't deliver he was booed.  Not all of his pitching troubles were his fault.  He had what seemed to be hundreds of major surgeries. 

I am still happy to get his autograph despite my feelings about him during his playing career.  Dreifort became a poster child for brittleness and being overpaid.  Neither of which is his fault.  I am just giving you the perspective of some Dodger fans out there.  Maybe I am kind of sounding like an ass but, I expect Dodger players to perform well when they sign a big contract.  Enough of Darren Dreifort, I also met Tony the Tiger!

Frosted Flakes used to be my favorite cereal as a child.  A box of Frosted Flakes adorning the cartoon photo of Tony the Tiger would stare me in the face as I ate breakfast before school on a near daily basis.  I was pretty happy to see him hanging out at the pre-game festivities at Dodger Stadium.

Oh yeah, there was also a game played today.  My parents got really sweet seats for this game.  I got to see Clayton Kershaw dominated the Marlins.  Keshaw pitched a complete game shutout with the Dodgers winning 8-0.  He cruised through most of the game.  The only trouble came when Jay Gibbons misplayed a fly ball and Rafael Furcal dropped a pop up to give the Marlins a couple base runners.  That was the only trouble Kershaw got in and it wasn't his doing.

Kershaw also had a couple hits and an RBI.  He was even hustling on the base paths, taking an extra base when he saw the opportunity and beating out a double play grounder.

Kershaw was a hyped prospect when the Dodgers picked him in the first round about 5 years ago.  He has delivered since his debut in 2008.  He has gotten progressively better each season.  The Dodgers need to do what they did with Dreifort and show Kershaw the money.

I am pleading with whomever seizes control of the Dodgers from the evil hands of the McCourts to please lock him up long term.  Please don't let Kershaw become a Yankee in a few years.  Kershaw was a hyped prospect that has the goods to reach great heights. 

This was a fun day at the ballpark.  Kershaw dominated, Dreifort signed my baseball card and I met Tony the Tiger.  All in all it was a great day to be remembered.