My parents are going to mainland China on vacation tomorrow for 3 weeks. I'm not very sad about them leaving. I guess its a sign that I've become less attached to them, which is good. But its sad that I'm not even nostalgic about not being sad. Oh well.

Onto more awesome things! Jose Lima is pimpmaster general! He pitches a complete game shutout against the vaunted Cardinals who had scored 8 runs in the previous two games against the Dodgers? At one point he retired two full innings in a row, thats 6 outs, on 11 pitches! Can everyone say Lima Time? LIMA TIME! After watching him dominate (I had to skip work to do it, even though I had semi-legitimate reasons for calling out in the first place) I'm tempted to call out tomorrow. But I realized that after a long season and watching the Dodgers struggle through two playoff games like a cricket trying to jump with only one leg, seeing Lima Time once more, seeing Shawn Green slam 2 homers off Matt Morris (a guy who shut out the Dodgers earlier this year) and seeing Beltre do his patented charge along the baseline and throw off-balance to get the runner at first for a final time this year, I'm happy. Even if they lose tomorrow its been a solid year. I decided to just listen to what I can of the game on my way to work and hope Odalis can bring some of that double Barry strikeout game mojo to dominate against Albert, Jim and Scotty Rolen. But just in case, I bought tickets to the NLCS, the next round of the playoffs. Just in case, you know.


I was thinking about Italy. In the information packets they tell me to make sure to not look like a tourist. You know, don't wear baseball caps with American teams, don't wear too much clothing with english on it. But with all this election hoopla and voting registration I was thinking, wouldn't it be cool if I got of the plane with like a giant American flag shirt? Just a thought.

Franz Ferdinand - auf acshe

The best Dodgers game EVER happened today! With the Dodgers needing one win this weekend against the hated San Francisco Giants to clinch the National League West title, we trotted Elmer Dessens out to the mound. Who is that you ask? Exactly. This literal no-name was sent out to pitch a game that could decide the entire season for the Dodgers. Otherwise we'd have to rely on Odalis Perez in Sunday's season finale, who'd pitched just three days earlier. Well Elmer did well but by the 9th inning, the Dodgers had managed a measley ZERO runs and like 4 hits and trailed 3-0 going into the ninth inning. Then the improbable happened. Shawn Green hit a pop-fly that the best hitter in the planet Barry Bonds tried to slide and catch, but couldn't. (Gee, you'd think the MVP would be able to play defense, like Adrian Awesome Beltre) So Green has a single. Then Robin Ventura walked. Alex Cora struck out, unfortunately. But Jose Hernandez walks to load the bases. Then Hee-Seop Choi comes to bat. Not to be racist or anything, but I've seen Korean baseball players in clutch situations, and man do they suck at it. (re: Byung-Hyung Kim vs. Yankees, 2001 World Series) But he walks! Then what looks like a double play ball from Cesar Izturis is kicked by Cody Ransom, the "defensive replacement" shortstop! Jayson Werth comes up and singles, so its now 3-2 Giants. Steve Finley to the plate. 0-1 pitch and he takes it for a big tall ride to right center field. a Grand Slam!

Holy crap, I was listening to this game on my way to work and when I got to the parking lot I was yelling and screaming in my car. I jumped out of my car and was jumping up and down alone in the parking lot. Luckily a fellow Dodger fan from Attractions drove up was there to share in the SUPER AWESOMENESS that is the Dodgers beating the sorry Giants. Shes even crazier than me! Words cannot describe how great it was to hear the Grand Slam called! I cannot wait for the playoffs! Now I know that I was right not to goto Italy for Fall Quarter. I would've missed the best sports ever.

Anyways, just a quick update on other stuff since people complain about my Dodgers posts. My hearing has returned. I can hear crickets again. But I'm pretty sure I lost some hearing. You'd think I'd have learned a lesson, but on Thursday Jimmy Eat World came to UCR and played for only $10. How could I NOT go? Exactly, so I went to and got as close as I could. But luckily Jimmy wasn't as loud as Green Day and I had no ringing in my ears when I left the concert. I guess I didn't really learn anything from my Green Day experience. But somehow I think I was trying to disprove my "If its too loud, you're too old" statement about myself. I'm not old yet! Not THAT old, right?

Keane - Your Eyes Open