Have You Heard The News Today...Oh Boy!!!

 First of all: 

YAAAAAAAAHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

The Dodgers clinched the NL West title this afternoon, and although it was frustrating for a bit there, I've gotta admit - I'm a bit glad it happened the way it did.

For those of you who missed it, here's what happened, and why I'm happy about it.  The Dodgers drew first blood with a Hanley Ramirez 3-run homer that suggested we were tired of  pussy-footing around and we were claiming that Western division crown TO - DAY!

That feeling didn't last very long however, because as Vin Scully said, before the Dodgers were finished celebrating their lead, it disappeared.  Dodger starter Rickey Nolasco immediately gave the 3 runs back, and a couple of innings later, the Snakes had built it into a 6-3 lead.

Enter the frustration.  I'm sure at that point plenty of Dodger fans were feeling like tossing a beach chair out the window, or at least tossing back a few stiff ones to numb the pain, but I saw it as a chance for the Dodgers to prove (to themselves) that they really deserve the division - and they have what it takes to win all the marbles in The World Series.

We just needed the bullpen to hold the Snakes, and we definitely needed the Dodger bats to wake the heck up!! When runs are scarce, a team needs the pitchers to step up and win 2-1.  By the same token, when pitching isn't getting the job done, the bats have to prove they can score 6 or 7 runs when needed.  THAT'S what championship teams do, and that's EXACTLY what the Dodgers did today. 

The bullpen stopped the bleeding, Hanley Ramirez blasted his second homer of the day, and A.J. Ellis reminded us all of his power when he hit the go-ahead home run.  The Dodgers fought for that win - and earned it!  Nice work, boys.

But the frosting on the cake wasn't the locker room celebration - although it was sweet to enjoy.  No, the best part of the celebration for me was to see how the Boys in Blue reacted to Arizona's insistence that they not celebrate on the Diamondback field.  They of throwing at Puig and Greinke's heads!

They wanted us to serenely and calmly clelebrate - and by gum, stay off their field!

This was the Western Division Champion Dodgers' answer to that (I love the fact that The Jaguar is the first in with an awesome pool bomb)

From me to Night Owl, GCRL, Speigel, Petethan, Zawkin and all my fellow members of Dodger Nation ....

YAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!