BASEBALL MEMORIES-LOS ANGELES DODGERS

More Baseball memories, as spring training draws near..

Whenever the Dodgers come to town, its an event. I was too young to remember the Brooklyn Dodgers, but knew of their history and lore. Ebbets Field, Jackie Robinson, the Whiz Kids beating the Dodgers for the 1950 National league pennant.

The Dodgers were the first visiting team I ever saw at Philadelphia's Connie Mack Stadium. It was an afternoon game, a beautiful summer day, and we had box seats on the third base side, me and my dad. I remember how blue the Dodger hats and jackets were, against the Phillies red and the parrot-green grass. And I vividly recall Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale, the famous Los Angeles pitching duo, strolling by our seats before the game.

Koufax and Drysdale..even though you feared both, you hoped they would pitch when they came to Philly. Especially Koufax. It seemed like the only time I saw him on TV was during the World Series. Not all of the games were on TV back then.One of my fondest childhood memories was listening to the late West Coast games- especially those from Dodger Stadium- on my transistor radio in bed while falling asleep. By Saam, Bill Campbell and Richie Ashburn were the Phils' announcers back then. If I fell asleep before the game ended, I remember how my dad left me a note when I got up with the late night final score.

It's too bad Sandy Koufax' career was cut short by arthritis in his left elbow. he was dominating. You were almost disappointed when he didn't pitch a no-hitter or strike -out 16 batters. His fastball was blazing, his curveball was drop-dead sharp, and his control was pinpoint. He "painted" the corners of the plate like an artist, yet he could blow hitters away with white-hot fastballs over the plate.

Back in the 60s, the Dodgers' main rivals were the San Francisco Giants. Koufax and Drysdale vs. Marichal and Perry. Koufax against Willie Mays and Willie McCovey. Power against power. Fun tsuff.

The Dodgers match-ups with the Yankees in the World Series became legendary. They have met a total of 11 times over the years, the last in 1981, the Yanks winning 8 of 11.

I also remember,..Orel Hershier..his 59 inning scoreless streak in 1988..Fernando Valenzuela, and his screwball, his battles with Steve Carlton in the early 80s...The Dodger infield of 1b Steve Garvey, 2B Davey Lopes, SS Bill Russell, and 3B Ron (The Penguin) Cey. They killed the Phillies in the 70s and 80s, when the Phils were trying to get over the hump and play in their first World Series since 1950.

I especially remember the dreaded playoffs vs. Los Angeles in 1977. Especially the Black Friday game. It was Game 3 of the 1977 National league Championship Series. The series was tied at 1-1, after a split in LA. The Phils were up, 5-3 with two out in the nnith and no one on base. A win would give the Phillies a 2-1 lead in the series, with their ace, Steve Carlton, going  the next day for Game 4.

With two outs , the Dodgers rallied with 4 straight hits, all of them odd, from a perfectly placed drag bunt, to a rocket-deflected ball and a bang-bang play at first, called incorrectly, which did not go the Phillies' way. When the smoke cleared, the Dodgers took the lead in the ninth and won the game, 5-4.

The Dodgers needed a perfect storm in the bottom of the ninth with two outs  and no one on base to win that game- and they got it. Everything went perfectly for LA.

Even to this day, I have never been more depressed about the outcome of a sporting event. I was literally sick. It took me a long time to forget, and even now, I still find it hard to believe that the Phillies didn't win that game and the series. Until the Phils finally won their first world championship in 1980, the Dodgers would always be hated as the main rival.

The Phillies got their revenge in the 1983 playoffs against the Dodgers, beating the Dodgers 3-1 in the series and going to the Wprld series vs. Baltimore.

I remember the duo of Tommy Lasorda and Mike Piazza. Lasorda was Dodger manger between 1956-1996. Tommy is a Norristown, PA. native and I knew one of his brothers, Smokey. Mike Piazza is a Phoenixville kid who broke the all-time high school home run record at Phoenixville, and went onto play for the Dodgers (among other teams), and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame last year. Piazza hit more home runs than any catcher ever in the history of the game, ( 393 out of 429 total).

My mom knew Mike's grandmother. She was in my mom's wedding, and she also knew Mike's mother. The Piazzas attended the same church as my family, Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Phoenixville.

I remember..iconic Dodger Stadium, only seen on TV during the World Series when I was a kid, with it's amazing views of the California hills  and it's lush palm trees over the outfield fences. Vin Scully just retired form the Dodgers broadcasting booth, having aired 67 years worth of play-by-play. And I remember Dodger Dogs, the jumbo hot dog made famous at Dodger Stadium. Whenever watching a Dodger game on TV, it was always cool when a celebrity would be shown in the crowd. Nowadays, guys like Larry King can be seen behind home plate at almost every game.

Now, the Dodgers have become Phillies West. Recent Phillies who have made their way to Dodger Blue have been Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Carlos Ruiz and Joe Blanton.

The Dodgers have always been known for their great farm system. Rarely are they out of contention in national league West, not only because the pipeline of young players keeps flowing, but because Los Angeles can also out-spend most teams in free agency.

Pitcihng, pitching, pitching...has always been the Dodgers formula. Good defense and great pitching in a ballpark which is spacious and ideal for low-scoring games, even back to the days of Koufax and Drysdale. Back then, groundskeepers were accused of making the pitching mound too high, giving the LA pitchers an advantage over visiting National league hitters. Today, Clayton Kershaw continues the tradition of excellent pitching in Los Angeles.

It's hard to believe that the legendary Dodgers haven't been in a World Series since 1988. With good young players like Corey Seeger shining brightly, I have a feeling it won't be long before another championship returns to LA.