Take me out to the ball game
Except on Vin Scully bobblehead night
Cuz if you run late
(Let’s face it, if you live in LA, who doesn’t run late?)
They’ll make you wait
Outside the gate for an hour
If your son scoots, scoots, scoots away from you
Security will make you stay
For it’s one, two, three innings you’ll miss
At the old ball game.
Suffice it to say, not a good time was had by all at Vin Scully bobblehead night at Dodger Stadium. Not only did the Dodgers lose to the Arizona Diamondbacks, 2-0, but it took nearly an hour to get into the stadium while Vin Scully bobbleheads were passed out at the gates.
Photo: Fans waited for about an hour to get into Dodger Stadium on Vin Scully bobblehead night. (Credit: Tim Haddock)
It’s bad enough the new-look Dodgers are playing at about a .500 clip since trading for Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Nick Punto and Carl Crawford.
The Dodgers probably should have held onto 13, otherwise known as Hanley Ramirez, instead of bringing in a bunch of disgruntled Red Sox and Phillies. In Ramirez’s first 37 games with the Dodgers, he was hitting .283 with nine home runs and 35 RBIs.
Shane Victorino and Joe Blanton, former Phills who were traded to the Dodgers, have not been very productive. It took Blanton five starts to win his first game as a Dodger. In those five starts, he compiled a 6.67 ERA. Victorino’s first 29 games with the Dodgers produced nine RBIs and a .248 batting average.
The Red Sox brigade hasn’t been much better.
Gonzalez is hitting only .211 with eight hits in his first nine games with the Dodgers. To Gonzalez’s credit, though, two of those hits were pretty big. He hit a three-run home run in his first at-bat with the Dodgers. His two-run double in the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sept. 2 capped a come-from-behind win.
Punto saw limited action in his first seven games with the Dodgers. He had only two hits, both singles, in 10 at-bats. No one really knows when or if Crawford will ever play again.
At least Beckett looked good in his second start for the Dodgers. He pitched into the seventh inning and held the Diamondbacks to one run on six hits. The Dodgers won the game, 2-1, and Beckett struck out nine and walked one.
As of Sept. 2, the Dodgers trailed the punchless San Francisco Giants by 4 ½ games in the National League West standings. The National League wild card race isn’t much brighter. The Dodgers are a half-game behind the Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals for the two wild card playoff spots.
If the playoffs started on Sept. 2, the Dodgers would not be in them.
…
The Hart High football team started the high school season as the top-ranked team in the CIF Southern Section Northern Division. Canyon was ranked No. 2.
Both teams had tough tests in the first couple weeks of the season.
Hart traveled to Orange County to play Tesoro, the No. 4 team in the Southern Section Pac-5 Division. Most, including Hart High coach Mike Herrington, expected a shootout. Instead, the two teams had a defensive tussle.
Tesoro won, 10-7, and beat Hart for the second year in a row.
For its second game of the season, Canyon traveled to Fresno to play Clovis West, which reached the semifinals of the Central Section Division II playoffs last year.
Canyon lit up the scoreboard with eight touchdowns and won, 56-48.
Canyon improved to 2-0 and was the only undefeated team in the Foothill League after the first two weeks of the season.
Saugus and West Ranch each have a win and a loss. In its opening game, Saugus beat Calabasas, with Marshall Faulk Jr. at fullback, but lost to Simi Valley the following week.
West Ranch was shut out by Moorpark to open the season, but rebounded and beat Burbank, 28-7, on the road the next week.
Golden Valley lost a heartbreaker in its season opener. The Grizzlies led 20-9 midway through the fourth quarter against Royal. But Royal scored two touchdowns in the final three minutes and beat Golden Valley, 24-20, at Canyon High School.
Quarterback Chase Lewis had a nice game against Royal. He rushed for 147 yards and scored two touchdowns. Running back Leon Jacobs gained 67 yards on 18 carries (3.7 yards per carry) and had a 91-yard touchdown run called back on a holding penalty.
Valencia is in the same boat as Hart and Golden Valley after losing its season opener to Palmdale. It was the first time Palmdale beat Valencia in eight games, including the past six in a row.
Palmdale running back Damario Richard rushed for 201 yards and scored three touchdowns in his team’s 35-21 win.
…
Canyon High receiver Drew Wolitarsky is in pursuit of two state records. He is on pace to pass Steve Smith for most catches and receiving yards.
In the first two games of the season, Wolitarsky caught 15 passes for 187 yards. He has 207 catches and 4,060 yards receiving in his career at Canyon.
Smith, who played at Woodland Hills Taft in high school and is a receiver with the St. Louis Rams, caught 271 passes and had 4,545 yards receiving in his high school career.
Wolitarsky’s had 10 catches for 129 yards against Clovis West in Canyon’s second game of the season.
…
The Saugus girls cross country team was ranked No. 1 in the CIF Southern Section Division II preseason poll. But the Saugus girls have bigger goals than a Southern Section championship.
The Lady Centurions have won six CIF state titles in a row. They are gunning for an unprecedented seven in a row.
One of their biggest challenges will come from a Foothill League rival. The Canyon girls were ranked No. 7 in the Southern Section Division II preseason poll. The Foothill League meets should be, at the very least, entertaining.
…
Valencia High graduate Steven Manfro got in the mix in the Bruins’ win over Rice to open the season. He caught three passes, but made an even greater impact on special teams.
He returned three kickoffs for 49 yards.
UCLA won the game, 49-24, and Bruins running back Jonathan Franklin, who rushed for 214 yards and three touchdowns, was selected as the Pac-12 player of the week.
…
USC won its season opener, too. When they lose, if the Trojans lose, then it will be news.
Tim Haddock is the sports director at KHTS AM 1220. He also writes for the Santa Clarita Gazette, Ventura County Star and has his own website Sports by Haddock. He can be reached by e-mail at tim@hometownstation.com. Follow him on Twitter @thaddock.
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