Turning a corner?

At the start of the Dodger telecast here locally, a graphic came up that asked which rookie Dodger fans were most excited about for the future of Dodger baseball.  Jerry Sands, Rubby De La Rosa, or Dee Gordon…

After about the 4^th inning, Sands was in the lead by a small margin.  I’m not sure how that poll ended up, but I can guarantee it wasn’t how it started off.

Sands, I’m not trying to kill on you brother, I’m just saying…and I want you to know that I went to bat for you around the water cooler.  Your stats aren’t much to look at (25 hits, 17 RBI’s, 2 HR’s, batting .200), but I can see the potential.  Designating Jay Gibbons might not have looked the right move on paper, but I believe it’s the right move for a franchise that too often lately has been noticeably moving in the wrong direction.  “Having all of the tools” is one thing, and I love the fact that you’re now headed the Peyton Manning route of learning on the field vs. being “tutored” like Aaron Rodgers (how many rings did that cost the Pack) down in Triple A – now I just expect one thing – make me look like a genius.

Rubby (I don’t care if you call him Ruby, I will be calling him RUB-BY) looked sick.  Dodgers appear to have found a legit bookend to Kershaw for the first time in a really long time.  Not hating on Lilly or Billingsly too hard – and not anointing this new dynamic duo at the Koufax/Drysdale level, but there was a lot to be excited about last night.  The first time I saw him pitch a couple of weeks ago I had to do a double take.  From a 97-mile fastball to some wicked dropping nastiness – Rubby looks like he has it all.  I know, I know, one game does not make a career, but there hasn’t been a lot to get excited about in Dodgertown since the announcement of bobble-head week at the stadium – I am going to go out on a limb here and call him the real deal –  you watch him & get back with me on it if I’m wrong.

Dee Gordon – Stormin’, like Flash Gordon…I don’t know, going back to my white rapper days, I don’t even know if you can rhyme Gordon with Gordon.  I know he’s got the Kid N’ Play high top fade, but damn, Dee’s debut made me forget about Rubby for a minute and that wasn’t easy.  This kid would be fun to watch wearing any uniform, but wearing Dodger Blue?  Fuggeddaboudit.  Kenny posted a link to a YouTube video of Gordon scoring from first on a bunt a few weeks ago, I spread that thing around the Internet like chest pics of Anthony Weiner (too soon?).  My son came in the room right when Dee hit a routine shot to Utley (yes, 4-time All Star, yes, potentially a little rusty) at second and beat him to first by about 5 steps (OK, maybe it was only 2.5, but still).  Utley trying to get the ball out of his glove was similar to some Triple A plays I saw coaching youth baseball this season – it was comedy, panic set in as the slingshot was engaged and I think everybody in the stadium did a bit of a double take.  Gordon is Mike Vick/Jake Locker/Darrel Green fast.  If you don’t have a DVR (first of all, this is a quality of life issue, start recycling BL Lime cans so you can pay the extra $10/month) go get one, you are going to want to hit rewind a few times this season.

To think that the Dawyers (affectionately not misspelled) actually did the right thing and pulled up some talent instead of the same old journeyman bullpoo of late, instead of the McCourt soap opera nonsense, instead of low attendance stats, instead of a few thugs who give the real fans at Dodger Stadium a bad name, was like a breath of fresh air in the midst of a smog alert.

Yesterday actually helped a lot of people, the Dodgers notwithstanding, turn the corner back into Dodger fans again.

Jump in the poll and let us know what you think: