Legendary thoughts, by Clayton Kershaw

Damn, that was special.

You hope for moments like that, but by God they don't come around often, and when you have the good fortune to actually be in the presence of legendary performances, you have a memory that will last a lifetime. Every time you recall the moment, a tear will come, a swelling of the chest, a warmness in the heart. Am I making to much of this? Ask 55,000 people five years from now for your answer. Ask them ten years from now for your answer.

Very very few of the sold out crowd ever had the luck to see Sandy Koufax pitch, but when he came out to throw the first pitch, he was given the welcome well deserved for the greatest Dodger pitcher ever.

I tell you what. Saying that last line was always a slam dunk, but hey ho, it may not be for much longer. Sandy was still getting bench slivers at the age that Clayton Kershaw has already turned into the best pitcher of his generation. Clayton may never pitch a perfect game in the classic sense but if what he did today was not perfect, I don't understand the definition.

Long ago when Clayton arrived he was given a mythical moniker of the Minotaur. A few years later his story is becoming mythical. Games like today are the things legends are made off. Normally you need to embellish to create a legend. You couldn't embellish what Clayton did today if you tried.

Clayton's home run capped off a splendid opening day. The Ravine looked beautiful after her facelift, with several large improvements (video boards), and subtle smart ones like the drinking rails. I love the rails, it was a great place to hang with Craig, David, and HJ two hours before game time. They will be quite useful as the season progresses. Hat tip to the designer who had forethought to add the AC connections and stunning HD screens.

Seeing the smiling faces of Craig, David, and Hollywood Joe as we met each other in the Loge section reminded me how lucky I was to have such Dodger friends. Later as HJ and I lived, and died for seven in a half innings, the explosion of emotion after the improbable home run made it even better. Every Dodger fan within high five distance was your best friend. Even USChris, who thankfully did not knock my arm off.

These are the Dodger moments you live for. Maybe we will get a season of them. We are off to a great start.