I had the great pleasure of spending my birthday in Seattle with my sons, Eric and Joel, and my 7-year-old grandson Arie. We spent my birthday and the following day attending the Dodgers vs Mariners games. Seattle blessed us with two breathtakingly beautiful days of sunshine. Having snow-capped Mt. Ranier in the background as the city’s crown jewel adds to the splendor. Having that environment was nice, but watching Dodgers baseball with your sons and grandson is, for me, an absolutely incredible and memorable experience. There’s nothing like watching the joy of a seven-year-old as he takes in all the sights and sounds of the game! Not only did I have the joy of watching my grandson, but it brought back a flood of memories of when I would take my 7-year-old sons to Dodger Stadium and what a joy that was.
I’m writing these reflections with a heart that’s so full of the wonder of it all. I’ve written that baseball is a game for all ages, but it is in it’s fundamental splendor, a kid’s game.
● I enjoyed T-Mobile Park. It doesn’t have the classic beauty and scenery of Dodger Stadium, but it is a pleasant place to watch a ball game. It is located in the SoDo district of Seattle, which is an industrial area, with many restaurants and food stands dotting your walk from the hotel past Lumen Field(formerly CenturyLink Field) to T-Mobile Park. It was approximately a half-mile walk from our hotel to the stadium. On the walk, you pass several old block buildings that had been refurbished to house pubs and restaurants. Although my formerly skinny rear end is out of shape, I enjoyed this experience, as compared to driving to Dodger Stadium, parking, and then going straight into the stadium. Of course, you can go to Philippe’s and get a french dip sandwich and take the shuttle to the stadium, but that doesn’t provide the fan vibe that the walk to T-Mobile Park does. Moreover, after the game, the walk back to the hotel and seeing all the fans enjoy the local eateries was a lot more relaxing and pleasant, than getting into your car and sitting in traffic for an hour as you exit the stadium parking lot.
● Inside the stadium, it is very easy to get around. Of course, this was helped by the fact that only 9,000 or so fans were allowed into the stadium. There was plenty of good food choices, and the overall experience was very pleasant. The only complaint I had, and it’s a minor complaint, is that most of the stadium attendants were elderly folks, and while mostly nice to chat with, some of them were particularly overzealous about their jobs. We sat field level, third base side, on the left-field side of third base where the infield dirt ended and had a great view of all the action. If you get a chance to see a ball game there I would highly recommend it. It is comparable to watching a game at Petco Park in San Diego, although the T-Mobile Park gives you a better viewing experience.
● Another thing I enjoyed about T-Mobile Park was that the music and announcements weren’t anywhere near as loud as Dodger Stadium has become. The last few times I have gone to Dodger Stadium, it was so loud, I could barely hear myself think, and speaking with your friends or family was next to impossible. Other than a few occasions, everything was fairly chill as far as the noise factor goes.
● At both games, over 50% of the fans were Dodgers fans. There was Dodger Blue throughout the stadium. The numerous “Let’s Go Dodgers” chants overwhelmed anything the Mariner’s fans attempted. It truly felt like a home game.
● On Monday we watched Dodger’s take batting practice before the game. One thing that stood out was that each hitter spent a great deal of time hitting the ball the other way. I’m surprised they devoted so much time to that bit of hitting since the Dodgers seem incapable of doing that during a game with the same consistency. Not surprisingly, the two better hitters at going the other way were JT and Seager.
● The most impressive hitter during batting practice, bar none, was Max Muncy. He can hit the ball a long, long way! He was consistently jacking the ball out of the park. A. J. Pollock was a close second. He couldn’t match Muncy for the number of balls hit over the fence, but he consistently hit everything hard. So for you Pollock deniers, there may yet be hope!
● On the other side of the ledger, Edwin Rios was the most disappointing hitter. I was certain he would hit like Muncy, but he was strictly a feast or famine hitter, but mostly famine. A few were hit deep, but mostly he just hit pop-ups or lazy fly balls.
● Dino Ebel is a very good batting practice pitcher. He keeps things moving and he has great control. After the starters took their hacks, Ebel was replaced by another pitcher, but I did not know who he was. He also kept the ball hittable and kept things moving.
● The didn’t take batting practice before the day game, but we did get to watch them warm-up. All I have to say about that is, that the Dodgers are a much better team with Betts, Bellinger and Lux in the lineup.
● I know many people have issues with Trevor Bauer, but I can tell you, he is amazing when it comes to interacting with the fans. Unlike any of the other players(except Bellinger at the second game), Bauer spent a great deal of time signing autographs and taking pictures with fans, mostly youngsters before both games. He did that for at least 45 minutes before each game. You could tell that he truly enjoyed interacting with the fans, and particularly the young fans. I give him much kuddos for that.
● Before the day game, Cody Bellinger was on the field playing catch doing other warm-up drills. He doesn’t look too far away from returning to the line-up. In addition to playing catch, Bellinger also spent at least 45-60 minutes signing autographs and taking pictures with the young fans. Bellinger would point at a young fan, they would throw him a ball, hat, or glove and then he would sign and return it. It was a cool way of doing it and it was way to make certain that the kids would get their autograph. At one point, he even walked into the stands and took pictures with young fans. My grandson had a ball signed by Bauer and Bellinger and he was over the moon with excitement and happiness!! I know that players have a lot of demands placed on them, but I sincerely appreciate that Bauer and Bellinger took the time to make these young fans’ day so very happy. My respect for both of them has grown exponentially.
● Dustin May has some exceptionally electric stuff. Barring injury, he is going to be an outstanding pitcher. He’s almost there now. The Dodgers did not lose the first game because of May. They lost because the Mariners, who are a scrappy team, made very play defensively and had a couple of timely hits. They took advantage of every mistake the Dodgers made, primarily Taylor’s error, and the Dodgers didn’t.
● I like Will Smith as a hitter and a player, but he has no business being the Dodgers clean-up hitter. He needs to hit 6th or 7th in the lineup.
● Julio Urias has so much composure on the mound. He repeats his delivery very well and makes everything look so effortless. He differs from May in that regard. Dustin is more of a maximum effort-looking pitcher. The times May was more relaxed, he just blew hitters away.
● Urias’s performance was one for the ages. A one-hitter which, from my perspective, could have been fielded more quickly than it was. Admittedly, it was a softly hit grounder and Haniger is a decent runner, but because of the shift, Muncy had to come quite a ways to field the ball, and he didn’t have a good jump.
● That was the best pitched game, I have ever seen in person. While not quite the Koufax vs Hendley battle, 1-0 with only 3 hits in the game is fairly close. That’s one of the things that makes baseball so special. A 1-0 game with little “action” can equally exciting as a 12-6 game with lots of home runs.
● I like Victor Gonzalez more and more. He’s not quite as composed on the mound as Urias, but he’s close. He was the victim of a few poor calls, but he otherwise pitched well.
● Kenley Jansen, well he looked like Kenley of old. Before we could see the speed o his pitches on the speed gun, we could tell the difference by the sound of the ball hitting Will Smith’s glove. If he can consistently do that for the rest of the year, we’ll be just fine.
● Zack McKinstry is also proving himself to be a “junkyard dog” as Mark likes to call them. He plays hard and stays composed. I look for him to continue to improve as the season goes on. He has a nice, repeatable, swing and, unlike Kike, he rarely chases balls out of the zone. Like all players, he gets fooled at times, but not with the regularity that Kike did.
● The highlight of the two games was certainly my grandson getting the Bauer and Bellinger autographs. For him, unfortunately, that also came with some disappointment. Arie, who brought his Dodger Blue glove, was forever throwing the ball into his glove, pretending to make different pitches to different hitters. Once he got the signatures, we stopped him from doing that so he wouldn’t smudge the signatures. That made him fidget for a few innings, but fortunately, Coach Ebel fielded a ground foul hit by Will Smith and tossed it into the stands to my grandson. All was well with the world after that.
Because I watched the game in Seattle my song for the day is Jimi Hendrix’ version of “All Along the Watchtower.” Hendrix is, arguably, the greatest musician Seattle has produced.
Great article thanks for sharing the experience. Can’t wait get up there and check it out.
Great article . I’m glad you enjoyed the game with your family ,especially your grandson. Keeping them entertained at that age can be quite a chore. I know of their impatience when I brought my 4 grandkids between the ages of 5 and 9, two boys and two girls to a Dodger’s Met game in NY in 2018. They wore me out between trips to the bathroom and buying food. Thank God my son was there to help out and keep them amused.
Awesome. I’ve not been to either of the Mariner or Seahawk stadiums, but I want to. Seattle is a really pretty city with great food options, so cant’ wait to go up there for a Bears/Seattle (or Rams/Seattle) game.
2d2 Thx for sharing your time together with your boys and your grandson. Nothing better! Brought back a ton of memories for me and my son when he was young at Dodger Stadium! And it continues to this day! Both of us love our Dodgers!
Excellent writeup 2d2. The photos made it even better. Felt as though I was there with you sharing the experience.
I was at that Koufax-Hendley game. Definitely the best game I ever saw in person, by far.
Glad to see that Bauer is engaging the fans. For those who care to follow him, he’s doing a vlog on YouTube. Some really good stuff there if you want some extra insight as to the ballplayer life at home and on the road. He’s also very free with his time when other guys on the pitching staff ask for it. In his most recent video he was showing one of them (I think it was Santana) how he grips one of his pitches.
I’ve been to a couple of games with my 7 year old grandson and, yes, they can certainly get a case of the fidgets. Between myself, my son-in-law and my son, we managed to keep him occupied when the action on the field wasn’t too exciting.
Cool stuff. You are the man.
Great name, I love it. Even better than Drew P. Bawls (okay they are very close).
Just sayin. The Padres are coming in hurt, drained and down. If we were to sweep them they’d be 10 games down in the loss column. That could be tough to recover from. Making up 10 games on this Dodger club would be a tall order! Our starters need to bring their A game for that to happen.
I would love to sweep them or even 3 out of 4. Maybe that would take some of the starch out of their britches and some humility towards the Dodgers.
Awesome. I remember the first time my son went to Dodger Stadium with me. Was a double header with the Expos. They split the games. We waited by the players parking lot to get a couple of autographs. He wanted Strawberry’s or Eric Davis who was his favorite player. Neither signed anything. But he got a couple from second stringers and the pitcher who started game one for the Expo’s, Kent Bottenfield.
A fun to read article, and I am glad that you and your family had such a good time. Heartwarming to read how Bauer and Bellinger liked to interact with young fans. I hope that the Dodgers try very hard to extend both of them. Bauer is essential for when Kershaw retires; and he was a major acquisition for us. And I don’t see too much hitting prowess in the minor league pipeline, though those more knowledgeable about that, might.
Our lineup needs Bellinger even though his last 150 games or so of regular season batting have not been impressive. Sometimes we get a diamond in the rough like Turner or Muncy, and sometimes they don’t work out nearly as well. Rios may be an example of that, but hopefully the hole in his swing can be lessened. Now, Pollack was a semi-star with the Diamondbacks, but has been pretty much of a disappointment here. Bellinger still has the ability to be a big star; he has speed, and is a superb fielder; he does have periods where he mostly strikes out or hits fly ball outs, but the potential is certainly there
Right now, our lineup needs an infusion, whether it is the return of Bellinger, or picking up a better right-handed bat than Pollack. And I agree that Smith should not bat fourth.
This is a distinctly minority view, but I would rather listen to Seattle-born Penelope Houston, than Hendrix, who certainly was a great guitar player, but did not write that many great songs in my opinion. Penelope is a very good songwriter who writes superb lyrics; her genre is more pop/rock with melody, than classic rock. She is well worth a listen, and although she has lived in San Francisco for years, I got to see her a couple of years ago, and she has a great oeuvre. As a teenager, I actually saw Hendrix open for the Mamas and Papas, a rather unusual pairing, but John and Michelle Phillips were instrumental in organizing the Monterey Pop Festival, and were very impressed as were so many, by his work there.
My sister and cousin saw Hendrix at Shea stadium. He opened for the Monkees. Guess Hendrix had some strange gigs.
Presley opened for Ernest Tubb…..can’t get any more strange than that.
Thank you so much for sharing your story with the rest of us. It feels like I was there with you.
Can’t wait to share that experience with my grandsons in a few years.
Glad you had a wonderful trip.
I’m so glad you had such a great time at the Mariners game 2D2. It really is a nice stadium and experience. Seattle has it’s issues but it, along with Vancouver BC, are spectacular on a sunny day. The ballpark and the brew company across the street are terrific especially when packed on a sunny day. And you got to see a terrific pitcher’s dual. The Mariners are way better and have nice young players. Taking a ferry ride to Bremerton for fun or a trip to Alki Point or the Farmer’s Market is also very fun. Your experiences with you sons and grandson are precious and at the heart of baseball. You’re a lucky man and I’m glad you enjoyed your “So-Do Mojo”.
Tonight’s line up. Betts, Seager, Turner, Smith, Muncy, Taylor, Pollock, McKinstry, Buehler.
I sure hope we come out of some slumps with the day off yesterday. Get to that lefty and put more pressure on that weary pen.
Wow, a game ball and two big name signatures? That’s one of the times that all the stars aligned. When my boy was younger about 11 or 12 my company hosted an event for clients at Dodgers stadium. My son got the opportunity to run out on the field before the game and get a ball signed by a player on the field. That was the rookie, Matt Kemp in right field. He also got a couple of bobbleheads from the staff and when we go to the suite, he got to meat Dodgers great Ron Cey. My son’s experience was a bit staged because of the event we were hosting. Your grandson’s was more organic being in the right place at the right time.
Baseball is an especially fun sport for having the opportunities for balls hit in the stands and the player’s accessibility for autographs.
2D2, you did a nice job of painting the picture of your experience. Thanks for sharing.
This is what baseball is all about. Shared experiences. A child meeting his heroes. Having a memento he will share with his own kids or grand kids. You can’t put a price on this.
Late lineup change.
CT3 scratched (no reason given).
ZMac to right
Mookie to center.
Neuse starts at 2nd.
Lower back stiffness. Must have caught it from Mookie.
Time for Betts and Seager to step up this series and do some damage. If you want to be an MVP this is your time! I’m looking for Striker to lay some 99’s down tonight! How sweet would it be to eliminate the Padres before April is even over with a sweep this series!
If you want to be an MVP this is your time!
Really?
Really!
Nah, let’s make it interesting.
Time for Neuse to be a hero.
Great article, 2D2!
Love the insights on the ballpark, and the description of pregame activities. You can learn so much more about the players observing in person at the ballpark.
I appreciate that Bauer and Bellinger were so generous with their time and interacting with the fans. There is no better way to promote the game to our youth.
Thanks for the tremendous article. I hope to visit T-mobile park someday!
“Max” Neusey!!!!! You called it STB!!!!!!
He can’t be the hero if we lose, so he’ll have to hit a walk off now.
He may have just saved a run in the field. Really looks pretty good as a second baseman.
Got to keep Treinen away from left-handed batters. They ate him up again tonight.
Graterol has the same problem.
I really hate the three batter minimum rule.
Cmon Eric, two of those”hits” were seeing eye balls! Here his chance STB!
I’m just giving you the stats.
I hate the three batter minimum rule.
You and many others might hate it, but it was implemented to stop managers from bringing in a new pitcher for each hitter and lengthening the game, In that sense it works. As for what happened to Treinen, if the offense was scoring and runs, it would not have mattered, You cannot win if you do not hit, and the offense is in a major funk right now.. They still are 4 games ahead of SD and you cannot blame a reliever who gives up one run on a couple of squibbers
That was a Mookie repay! What a play!
The Dodgers wasted another quality start, this time from Buehler.
All teams are going to have slumps in a 162 season, and the Dodgers are definitely in a deep offensive slump now.
Only 10 runs in the last five games, and a high level of strikeouts.
While it is hard to complain about the team with the best record in baseball, some recent trends are concerning.
The Padres have consistently baffled the Dodgers with off-speed pitching, especially the Padres starters.
In 4 games, Padre starters have only yielded 5 hits and 3 runs in 22 innings. An ERA just over 1.00, and a batting a average under .100. Absolute domination by the Padre starters.
I trust that the bats will come around, but the most obvious advantage the Padres have shown to date is in base running. They have run on the pitchers, Smith and Barnes repeatedly. And they have aggressively taken the extra base. Two of their runs tonight were aided by a stolen base and going from first to third. The Dodgers seem very reluctant to create runs by running, bunting or moving runners over. In the 8th inning today they certainly had the chance to create a run or two by bunting or a sacrifice fly. Neuse did get robbed, but in that situation any ground ball can end the inning.
After 4 intense, head to head games with Padres, the teams look very close. The little things, like base running, holding runners, and execution can be the difference makers.
I listened to a delayed radio broadcast.
Charlie Steiner did not disappoint! On two occasions he referred to Weathers as “Mathews.” Rick Monday did not correct him–at least on the air. Later Steiner said “Walter Buh, er..hah hah..Walker Buhler.” At least he caught himself that time.
As for the Dodgers, I was pleased with their grit. When they were down 2-0 and Pollock, Neuse and Raley were scheduled to bat, I thought, “Oh well. ..” I was not optimistic.
But then Pollock and Neuse came through. And later, with the bases loaded, Cronenworth had to make a great play on Neuse’s shot.
When is the last time the Dodgers got shut out? How many times in the last 162 games? And how many shutouts have the Dodgers recorded during that time?