I know a sweep by the Giants at home was a bad turn of events for the Blue Crew, but you never know what the next few weeks will hold. We could zoom ahead and the SF team could falter. It could happen! But if Blanton stays in the rotation and Kemp keeps hitting only air, it’s going to be difficult to make it into the post season, no matter what the dreaded Bay Area brawlers do. Plus now we have the D’backs nipping at our heels. It’s hard out here for a Dodgers fan.

String Up the Guppies!

(Marlins @ Dodgers, Aug. 24-26, 2012)

String up the guppies!
The Marlins stink up Ravine!
Let’s grill up Ozzie

You’d better laugh now and cry later.

(Image: Hanley Ramirez, short stop)

The Dodgers’ chances may have improved with the 50-game suspension of San Francisco’s best hitter, and they need to make the best of the Giants’ misfortune to solidify a lead in the division. But it’s good that they are not gloating, a) because it’s just basic decency not to revel in someone else’s hard times (leave that to reality TV); and b) because it would be bad karma and hypocritical, given our history with Manny Ramirez. So let’s keep winning like we did on the road, and not crow over spilt Melk.

The ‘Milk Man’ Was Juiced!

(Giants @ Dodgers, Aug. 20-22, 2012)

The “Milk Man” was juiced!
Now, they’re down in our funhouse
Slay the Giants down

Laugh till they think you’re crazy.

(Image: Mark Ellis, second baseman)

Alone in first place. Main competition without its best hitter. Let’s not rest on the 5-2 start to this road trip. We need to sock it to the Braves. Hit ’em good. Pittsburgh went just as we had hoped, other than that fuster cluck with the umps in the fourth and final game. The drive to the finish is upon us. Now is the time to really eat, drink and Think Blue!

We Keep On Tryin’

(Dodgers @ Braves, Aug. 17-19, 2012)

We keep on tryin’
With the Flyin’ Hawaiian.
Shane’s a Brave scalper!

Keep on laughing through the fears.

(Image: Shane Victorino, left fielder)

The Pirates are a winning team for the first time in decades! Aaarrrrggghhh! Now our Doggers have to change all that. The little showdown in South Beach worked out all right. Every time Ozzie challenged or dissed Hanley, the loudmouthed manager got spanked for it. Nice to see. The bats came alive, the pitching most of the time was right on target. Could you believe the two-hitter from Chris Capuano? But still we trail those dastards of the north by one game. The chemistry was clicking in Miami. Let’s hope it can reduce Steel City to a pile of rubble … metaphorically, of course.

Rip Their Eye Patch Off!

(Dodgers @ Pirates, Aug. 13-16, 2012)

Rip their eye patch off!
Hang those Blackbeard imposters
Chop ’em up for chum!

So start laughing with the fools!

(Image: Adam Kennedy, utility infielder)

Hanley’s got an ax to grind, let’s hope he grinds it good! The 6-4 win over the Rockies showed how the Dodgers should be playing all the time (except for the bases-loaded/no-out debacle that yielded only one run … on a walk). At this writing, San Fran is just one game above us. This 10-game road trip feels especially important. We’ve got all the pieces in their proper order. There are no more excuses for not winning every series.

Handy Hanley’s Hot

(Dodgers @ Marlins, Aug. 10-12, 2012)

Handy Hanley’s hot
He’s out to exact revenge
How you like me now?

We’re all in the ground to stay?

(Image: Ted Lilly, starting pitcher)

We sweep, we get swept, we sweep again! A Dodger fan could develop bipolar disorder! The lineup Don Mattingly presented against the Cubs this past weekend was impressive, and, unlike so many other combinations he has tried because of injury this year, it felt solid and reliable. We now have the Flyin’ Hawaiian, Mark “The Man” Ellis, Matt KeMVP, Andre the Giant, Hanleywood, “Crazy Eyes” Loney, Luis “Cruz Control” and “All that Jazz” Ellis. Now that Kershaw and Billingsley seem to have found their sea legs, and we added Blanton to the rotation, maybe the roller coaster will stay on the upswing for a little while and we can gain some ground on the Jints!

Wham! Bam! ‘You see me?’

(Rockies @ Dodgers, Aug. 6-8, 2012)

Wham! Bam! “You see me?”
Our big bad bats be blazin’!
“I see you,” sez Blue!

And wise men say, it doesn’t matter now.

(Image: Josh Lindblom, former relief pitcher)

We gotta watch out for the slither. While the Doggers do-si-do over the division lead with the Giants, those blasted Arizona vipers are sneaking up behind us both. That sweep was painful — and I mean physically, literally, psychically excruciating. Let’s try to revive our mojo with a visit from the pathetic Cubs. We got Hanley and the Flyin’ Hawaiian, we got Matt and Andre, we got K-K-K-Kershaw. We should be on a roll, but it seems like every step forward leads to a giant step back. Put the damn engine in Drive and let’s roll!

Cubbies Come Clawing

(Cubs @ Dodgers, Aug. 3-5, 2012)

Cubbies come clawing
No ursus horribilis?
Shake ’em off like fleas!

The bones of fools & wise men.

(Image: Jerry Hairston Jr., utility man)