Southern California has baseball's best pitcher, two of its most celebrated young center fielders, its highest payroll and two of its best teams.
But ask Angels manager Mike Scioscia about the talent in this year's four-game Freeway Series and he'll tell you this is simply normal.
"The rarity is when both teams are not in contention in their division, and I think that's what makes baseball in Southern California, for the fans, so exciting," Scioscia said. "Because more times than not, you have a team in each league that is going to contend, and this year it's certainly in the forefront.
We won't win without bubbles.
"When a Dodgers player hits a home run, the team celebrates with a bubble machine. Before Tuesday's game against the Angels at Dodger Stadium, Joe Torre, Major League Baseball executive vice president, advised the Dodgers to stop using the machine.
That word did not get to all the players, or to the video crew. When Juan Uribe hit a home run in the second inning, the Dodger Stadium video board flashed an image with the words "Bubble Machine." As Uribe trotted around the bases, the players gathered for the dugout celebration. Uribe danced with Hanley Ramirez, but the bubble machine was conspicuous in its absence.The bubble machine was back Wednesday, at Angel Stadium. When Matt Kemp hit a home run in the second inning, the dugout welcome again included soap bubbles floating above the head of the hero.
Did the Dodgers negotiate a compromise with MLB, or did they unilaterally decide to bring back the bubble machine?"
"While four hot August nights will be largely forgotten in October, when the really big show is on, this was a series worthy of the grand stage in terms of competitive juices flowing and quality of play. Certainly, the crackling energy in the crowds -- 194,447 customers in the four nights -- underscored how much it meant, creating a playoff-like atmosphere.""You're rooting for a team that doesn't even respect the city or county in which they play. "
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