So, the boys are heading to Arizona after having recaptured the division lead. The All-Star Game is Tuesday, and our injury-plagued team can sure use the break. Ethier joins the way-too-long DL, and now Gordon thumbs a ride to Disabledville! The good news, however, is Mark Ellis is up and running, and Matt Kemp will rejoin the team after he takes a bow in Kansas City (and maybe wins the Home Run Derby).

A Pint of Blue Sweat

(Dodgers @ Diamondbacks, July 5-8, 2012)

A pint of blue sweat
Will save gallons of blue blood!
Vanquish the vipers!

Delights that seduce and lull the mind.

Yikes! That was a bad month of “baseball.” But yesterday, the boys began July with a bang! Getting key hits and capitalizing on the Mets’ shoddy defense. (Although in the beginning, our own D[ee] was questionable.) KKKKKKKKKershaw greeted Hello Kitty with a strong win. And both he and Matt Kemp made the All-Star squad for the second year in a row. Loney got two clutch RBIs to break out of his epic slump, and Juan Uribe walked (twice!). Things are looking up, at least for today. Porkopolis is in town, and we’re seeing Red!

Cin City’s No Match

(Reds @ Dodgers, July 2-4, 2012)

Cin City’s no match!
Tie the Red Hose up in knots
A rusted machine?

My Eden of visual delights.

As we near the end of the first half of the season, our boys have hit a bit of a slump. Good thing they got off to such a great start. As of this writing, the Dodgers are tied for No. 1 with the dreaded Giants. But Mr. Kemp (N.L. Home Run Derby captain, to you) will return to the lineup after the All-Star break, and hopefully the new management will spring for  another starter and a bat to fill the void left by the wild swings of Loney and Uribe. It’s not panic time, just time to realize that magic and wishing hard only take you so far. Meanwhile, in the Ravine, we face the Mets for four games. Hopefully, yesterday, they used up all their run allotment for the week when they walloped the Orioles, 17-1.

June Bugs ‘n’ Pop Flies

(Mets @ Dodgers, June 28-July 1, 2012)

June bugs ‘n’ pop flies
Give the cheer to Flushing’s guys
Whack ’em in Ravine!

To be banished from my garden of Eden.

You see, there’s some Giants we need to slay — but good. We are three games ahead of S.F. and now we face them for three games. Of course, it’s still the first half, but the boys in blue need to get their mojo back (or their Matt Kemp, which may be the same thing). No need to panic yet, but the Dodgers are just more fun to watch when they are winning.

That Ol’ Summer Fog

(Dodgers @ Giants, June 25-27, 2012)

That ol’ summer fog
Memories of Candlestick
Ancient rivalries!

And you hear that you are mortal.

OK. That was bad. Not only did we get the broom, but we were barely in the game up in Oakland. Let’s hope the boys can turn it around down in Anaheim. Hurry up and get better, Mr. Kemp! The lineup needs you now more than ever.

The Trumbo Trout Show?

(Dodgers @ Angels, June 22-24, 2012)

The Trumbo Trout show?
Our blue hounds go for a walk
Escape the red yard

That rattle of doubt that shakes in your ear.

Our Dodgers are in the city of Jack London and Green Day, ready to take on the Moneyballers at possibly the ugliest stadium in the U.S. Sometimes, our scrappy boys hit a roadblock when facing a less-promising team. They can sweep the World Champion St. Louis Cards and then get swept by the Brewers. But one thing is for sure, it doesn’t matter how far behind they are in a game — or how many bad calls go against them — they still have the wherewithal to come back and win it, or at least make it interesting!

Norcal Moneyball?

(Dodgers @ A’s, June 19-21, 2012)

Norcal moneyball?
Let’s do the Oakland junket
The A’s run amok

And chews on the fruit of doubt.

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.