The Mitchell Report: Gagne and Lo Duca

The Mitchell Report came out yesterday and I was taken back when I saw two names on the list: Eric Gagne and Paul Lo Duca. These were two of my all time favorite Dodgers and Lo Duca was probably the only baseball player that Genie has ever really cared about. To see that they cheated the game, and their fans, really saddens me.

Paul Lo Duca was somebody who you pulled for because he worked his way through the minor leagues for about 10 years. Finally he gets called up and gets his chance to play in the big time. He puts together some good numbers, not great, but good. But we enjoyed watching him play because of the passion he shows on the field.

We come to find out that Paul was using steroids, giving himself an unfair advantage to the other players he was competing with in the minor leagues. What about the players who were left behind in the minors and never got a chance at playing in the majors? The players who worked hard and did things the right way had their job taken away by a player who used steroids, and that’s really what it comes down to.

Lo Duca would have always been rememberd by me as my wife’s favorite player and a guy who you couldn’t help but like. Now he will be remembered as another player who cheated the game.

 As of Thursday morning, Eric Gagne would have easily made my list of my top 5 Dodgers of all time. His fire and the excitement he brought to Dodger Stadium was unlike anything I’ve seen. Here was another player who you wanted to see succeed because he flopped as a starting pitcher but then accepted the role as reliever and soon became the most dominating closer in the game. He racked up an incredible record streak of 84 consecutive games saved (Genie and I were actually at the game in which the streak ended), and earned a Cy Young Award. He became an icon in Los Angeles. When he left LA and joined Texas, he even bought out a full page AD in the LA Times to thank the fans of Los Angeles for the great support we gave him during his time here. Who does that? Only a great person, that’s who. Or so we thought.

Eric Gagne has also turned out to be nothing better than somebody who cheated his fans. This whole time we were cheering for somebody who was knowingly breaking the rules and giving himself an unfair advantage over the other players in the league. What does his consecutive record streak mean to me now? Nothing really. It should have an asterik on it just as Barry Bond’s HR record should.  Eric Gagne, you let us down.

Now, I don’t think that Lo Duca and Gagne are evil people and should be crucified for this forever. But they, and everyone else on The Mitchell Report, should truly understand what their selfish acts have done to fans like myself and other people who love the game of baseball.

As far as The Mitchell Report and the whole issue of steroids and illegal substances in baseball, I believe everybody knew what was going on. It’s evident in the report that owners and GM’s knew which players were using these drugs and if they cared enough about the integrity of the game they would have put a stop to this a long time ago. Baseball owners should not act surprised and they should not be seen as innocent in this. I also believe that commisioner Bud Selig is and will continue to do a good job in cleaning up this sport.

I will always be a fan of baseball and forever a Dodger fan, however this has made me sick to my stomach. At least we will have a strong belief that the players of today will be accomplishing records and earning their positions the right way, through hard work and practice.

This should end the Steroid Era of baseball.

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells…

I know, I owe it to my 3 dedicated readers to keep this blog going and I apologize for the lack of updates. I’m sure you have lost some sleep wondering if I made it through the month of November. Anyways, things are going well and I’m excited for Christmas and just as excited for 2008.

I need to let you know about LORE Clothing. It’s a clothing company that my brother Kenny and his two buds have put together. Things are starting to come together for them to the point where they are starting to see a reward for all the sleepless nights that have gone into the design and creation of LORE. They have their online store up, so if you are tired of the same 3 shirt designs you see at Pac Sun, head over to www.loreclothing.com and support the family by buying some merchandise.

In other news, the Lagwagon Softball Club finished the regular season with a 4-6 record, which was good enough for the last playoff spot. Not very impressive, but I know we could have easily been 7-3 if it weren’t for shitty umpiring and our streaky hitting. Some games we would score 20 runs and win and other games we would just go silent, get 4 or 5 runs, and lose the game. Wednesday night we take on a team called the Noble Few who finished the regular season 10-0. If we win that game, then we play the championship game immediately following. My prediction? Don’t ask…

Work is going good, I’ve found a balance in maintaining what I’ve learned during my 7 years of working for State Farm and at the same time conforming to the structure of this new agency I work for. I truly enjoy my job now and will have an easier time focusing on finishing my degree now that I don’t have the stress of worrying about being happy in the office.

I’d have to say that November 2007 is going to go down as a great time. I was able to spend Thanksgiving with my brother Kenny for the first time in what feels like 10 years. Then the week after that he came up to be with the family for the annual USC/UCLA party we have at Grandpa Joe’s house. As you know I am a die hard SC fan and I’m stoked they beat FUCLA, but the highlight of the day was doing Yeager bombs with Genie and Kenny and then heading down to the Pier afterwards and spending time together there. It was really the first time we all just went and hung out for the night.

This is a picture that will long be one of my favorites. I can’t wait to see my Grandpa’s face on Christmas when I give him a nice framed 8×10 of this:

Bella’s vocabulary has increased so much over the past few months. Yesterday, just for the heck of it I asked if she has learned any Christmas songs at school. She said, “Yep….Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way……” She started singing the dang song! That just blew me away. I’m so thankful for her and how she’s just growing up so well. Thank the good lord. She has her school Christmas program Thursday night. I’ll see if I can find a way to get video on this page so you can see her. Well, how are you doing on your Christmas shopping? I’m proud to say that I am all done! I look forward to Xmas every year for two reasons…well, 3. The first reason is going to begin this year and that is Bella rushing to the tree and tearing open her presents. Sure this will be her 3rd Christmas, but it’s the first year she has been able to tell us what she wants. Plus she pointed to a picture of Santa today and said, “He’s going to bring me presents.” #2 is Genie. When Genie and I got married and had our first Christmas, we sort of had this understanding that we wanted to keep that feeling of being excited to open presents. Well, in year 1 she must of had me open like 20 something presents, it was insane! I always want to spoil her so much, but especially during Christmas. I just can’t wait until she and Bella are on the floor tearing open their presents. And the #3 reason why I love Christmas is the family traditions. The Xmas eve get together and my Great Aunt and Uncle’s house, and the overall atmosphere of the season. For me it just all comes together and gives me that good feeling.

Well, the clock has passed midnight and it’s now 12:35a. At least it’s one more day closer to Christmas.