I Needed To See Kershaw Pitch One More Time. Oh, And I Got Some Autographs Too

I made it up to Dodger Stadium tonight to see Clayton Kershaw pitch one last time this season and also to pick up a few autographs. The wife and I got there right as the gates opened, and we went straight to the field. We got lucky, running into Matt Kemp before he headed into the clubhouse. I thanked him for the pizza a couple weeks ago, and he signed two cards for us. Then we waited, and a couple of the guys came by, including Trent Oeltjen and Josh Linblom, but it was pretty dead otherwise.

Matt Kemp is the man! Thank you Bison.

We waited for a little bit longer when Steve Lyons strolled by. He was his usual "Psycho" self, joking around and making fun of the picture on his 1990 baseball card. We waited a bit longer, with no success, then headed over to get some autos from the guys in the bullpen.

Psycho signing

The relief pitchers didn't sign very long, but we did manage to get Javy Guerra, Nathan Eovaldi and a few others. It's been dead at the stadium all year long, giving many autograph-seekers some great opportunities to pick up sigs.

Who are these two studs? Javy and DB!

I like this Nathan Eovaldi kid.  I think he'll be around for a while.

Honeycutt smudge

Psycho, John Ely, Trent Oeltjen and Ramon Troncoso

Oh yeah, Clayton pitched a nice game, until he got thrown out in the sixth inning for beaning Gerardo Parra. Of course we all saw the retaliation coming after Parra's homerun admiration the night before, and Clayton letting him know how he felt about it. But it wasn't something Clayton should have been ejected for, especially without any warnings from the umpire. He did end up with the win though, and even lowered his era to 2.30,  bringing him one step closer to a Cy Young Award. I'm glad I got to see him pitch again before the season ends.

An Embarrassing Anniversary For Psycho

On this day twenty years ago, Dodger color commentator Steve "Psycho" Lyons, then a member of the Chicago White Sox, made one of the biggest bone-head moves ever seen in a baseball game.

Psycho's White Sox were playing the Detroit Tigers. After dragging a bunt down the right side of the infield,  Lyons raced to first base and slid into the bag. He was called safe. He got up, felt dirt in his pants, and then, without thinking,  began unbuckling his belt. He dropped his pants past his knees,and dusted off before he realized what he had done. An embarrassing moment on TV and in front of the 20,000 fans in attendance. Here's the footage:



Nice mullet.