As interleague continues, the South Siders are coming to town. We’re hanging on to No. 1, but these mokes from the Windy City are going to do their best to change that. Hopefully, they will fail, as so many things from Chicago do. Keep it up, K-man and Company!
Diamond Dogs Be Blessed
(White Sox @ Dodgers, June 15-17, 2012)
Diamond Dogs be blessed
Beware the Midwest evil!
Strike the ChiSox down
A burn that chars and eats away.
Best record in baseball! Even after losing our best player to injury. Who woulda thunk it? Charlie Steiner calls the kids “The Glendale All-Stars”: Herrera, De Jesus, Castellanos, Sands, Sellers, Van Slyke. These guys have come up and done amazing things for the team. They have picked up where injured vets like Rivera, Uribe and Kemp had left off. It’s the gutty kind of team that hangs in there, no matter what. Down 6-1 in the final innings? No problem! Just score five in the 7th and two more in the 9th. It’s not brain surgery! Granted, it doesn’t always work, but the key is always thinking that it can.
Halo Fans Fly In!
(Angels @ Dodgers, June 11-13, 2012)
Halo fans fly in!
It’s a bobblehead for Mike.
The fun cop is back!
Dark memories that twist and burn
Ancient Mariners
(Dodgers @ Mariners, June 8-10, 2012)
Ancient Mariners
Our blue baseball teeth sink deep
Swamp Seattle’s fleet
Thick dreams fused with memories ______________________________________________________________
Dogs Rip Fanatics
(Dodgers @ Phillies, June 4-7, 2012)
Dogs rip fanatics
Monster blue is on the march
A brotherly sweep?
The dust of our skin and dreams ______________________________________________________________
Now We’re a Mile High
(Dodgers @ Rockies, June 1-3, 2012)
Now we’re a mile high!
Blue kids just hafta step up
Let’s not start slumpin’
A dwelling filled with dust ______________________________________________________________
The Beermakers Brawl
(Brewers @ Dodgers, May 28-31, 2012)
The beermakers brawl?
We’re still numero uno
Let’s not get distilled
The ground they both shall dwell in ______________________________________________________________
‘Stros Fly In to Play
(Astros @ Dodgers, May 25-27, 2012)
‘Stros fly in to play
Lasso those stars from the sky
Gotta cool their jets
Have not found that common ground ______________________________________________________________
The Snakes’ Fangs Are Out
(Dodgers @ Diamondbacks, May 21-23, 2012)
The snakes’ fangs are out!
Our Glendale all-stars produce
Who could’a thunk it?
The class of haves and have-nots ______________________________________________________________
Go After the Champs
(Cardinals @ Dodgers, May 18-20, 2012)
Go after the champs
No more Tony & Albert
Let’s pluck St. Louis!
Split apart by money and class ______________________________________________________________
The Padres Are Down
(Dodgers @ Padres, May 16-17, 2012)
The Padres are down
But the mad monks are not out!
Black’s boys start praying
A society that is split ______________________________________________________________
That’s How They Want It?
(Diamondbacks @ Dodgers, May 14-15, 2012)
That’s how they want it?
They want some Gibby bean ball?
The head hunt is on!
A mirror on our society ______________________________________________________________
Exciters of Hope?
(Rockies @ Dodgers, May 11-13, 2012)
Exciters of hope?
Or the destroyers of dreams
What’s our fate to be?
A game of smoke and mirrors ______________________________________________________________
Roll Out the Barrel
(Giants @ Dodgers, May 7-9, 2012)
Roll out the barrel
We got the Giants on the run!
Blue bats up the orange
Is this just a game?
Showers of wins, I mean, and flowers that blossom into a commanding lead. As of this writing, the boys in blue have a 23-11 record. And that’s with Matt Kemp in a slump. I’ve been a little slow in posting my latest paintings, but I’m gonna drop a half-dozen on you right now, just like the team did yesterday on the Rockies in the bottom of the 5th.
We Should Steamroll This
(Dodgers @ Cubs, May 4-6, 2012)
We should steamroll this
Be careful of the hubris!
The blue bull pen blows
Oh no! Reality creeps in! ______________________________________________________________
New Bosses in Town!
(Dodgers @ Rockies, April 30-May2, 2012)
New bosses in town!
Magic makes Frank disappear
It’s a blue hat trick!
Do we get fooled again? ______________________________________________________________
Gotta Keep Playin’
(Nationals @ Dodgers, April 27-29, 2012)
Gotta keep playin’
‘Til the umpire stops ya
Make that triple play!
This game is life itself. ______________________________________________________________
Snatch Those Tomahawks
(Braves @ Dodgers, April 23-25, 2012)
Snatch those tomahawks
Give ’em a taste of their chops
See how they are brave!
“It is said that baseball is only a game. Yes, and the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona.”
— George F. Will, A Baseball Game Is Not an Iowa Caucus ______________________________________________________________
We Roll on Their Turf
(Dodgers @ Astros, April 20-22, 2012)
We roll on their turf
Silence those Colt 45’s
Blast off astronauts
“Baseball is a mirror in which we can see the whole of America.”
— Ken Burns, Baseball ______________________________________________________________
In Old Milwaukee
(Dodgers @ Brewers, April 17-19, 2012)
In old Milwaukee
We got a song for their umps
It’s called “3 Blind Mice!”
“Baseball is almost the only orderly thing in a very unorderly world.”
— Bill Veeck, Sports Illustrated ______________________________________________________________
I’m still a couple of series behind, but I’ll be caught up soon. Come back in a few days, and I’ll be back with more.
Yeah, yeah, there will be those that say the Dodgers are only beating less-than-stellar teams, and that’s why they are the best in baseball, 9-1, to start the season. All I know is THEY ARE THE BEST IN BASEBALL, 9-1. Nothing else matters. And Matt Kemp (or KEMVP as new T-shirts are proclaiming) is unbelievable! He leads the majors in like six categories, including batting average (.487), home runs (6) and RBIs (16). Are you kidding me? Those numbers are sick! Player of the Week both the first weeks!
It’s a good time to be a Dodgers fan, even if McCrook still has his sticky little fingers on the crust of the pie.
Captain Kemp Clobbers
(Padres @ Dodgers, April 13-15, 2012)
Captain Kemp clobbers
He’s our blue home run machine
Matt’s worth the long green
“Baseball is drama with an endless run and an ever-changing cast.”
— Joe Garagiola, Baseball Is a Funny Game
April 10 marked the 50th anniversary of the opening of Dodger Stadium. Back then we had Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. Today, it’s Clayton Kershaw (who may end up being as good as Koufax and Drysdale put together!). See what I mean in this painting? Opening Day fills me with hope. Another thing that does that is Andre Ethier slugging it out over the right-field wall, which he did to mark his 30th birthday, winning the game against the Pirates, 2-1, and getting the fans excited about the first season under new ownership. Let’s keep it up, boys!
The Home Opener
(Pirates @ Dodgers, April 10-12, 2012)
The home opener
Always gives me hope!
Makes me feel alive!
“You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat.”
— Roger Kahn, The Boys of Summer
The Dodgers opened their season with a four-game series at Petco Park against the San Diego Padres. This alliterative painting marks a stellar season debut of shortstop Dee Gordon (pictured). The Dodgers had their best start since 1999, winning the first three games before letting the Friars have the last one. Homers by Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier bode well for the bats of the Boys in Blue.
Bold Bunts
(Dodgers @ Padres, April 5-8, 2012)
Bold bunts, big beautiful bombs
Brown brothers bang bats
Blue baseball battles begin
“Every baseball season has its share of satisfactions and disillusionment, its thrills and despair.”
— Jim Brosnan, The Long Season
This year, as the 2012 season progresses, I will be posting my new baseball paintings as they are completed. For the exhibition Freeway Series between the Dodgers and the Angels, I present this first in a series of Baseball Bobblehead works. The paintings this year will break from the strict 17-syllable haiku, and will feature literary references about the national pastime.
Springtime Exhibitionists (April 2-4, 2012)
Springtime exhibitionists
Crack those maple bats
Break out that old blue magic
“And when you love the game of baseball, you eat it and sleep it.”
— Mark Harris, The Southpaw
The L.A. Blue Bum 