Opening Day

(I lied about another music post, I wanted to post about the shocking events of yesterday first)

Well it was a fine opening day for our boys in blue was it not? O-Dog hit for the cycle, Ethier crushed two balls after being moved around in the lineup, and the old nemesis Randy Johnson was shown to be the washed-up hack that he is. An 11-1 drubbing of the Giants? What more could you ask for? My father-in-law Dave was visiting the wife and I from Indiana. He works at a small radio station in Martinsville, IN broadcasting high school boys basketball games. Whenever he comes to visit he finagles tickets and a press credential to baseball games, Angels, Dodgers, whatever. This year we went to opening day at Petco and the Dodgers home opener yesterday. There were more people at Dodgers Stadium than I had ever seen, the fans around us were great, there was a party atmosphere as the boys kept piling on the runs, and everyone was having a good time.

After the game Dave went down to the locker room for interviews and I wandered around the stadium and gift shop. We didn't get in the car until around 5:30 or so. As we were waiting to leave at Gate 6 (Elysian Park and Sunset) I see Casey Blake and his kids pull up in the car to our right. I roll down the window and give Casey an "Atta Boy!!!" but he's not looking my way, instead he's looking at the truck to his right. I peer over to see what the commotion was and a guy had jumped out of the truck and was talking shit to another guy. I really hate to stereotype but both guys looked like Latino gangsters; wife beater, bald, goatee, baggy jeans, tats, etc. Pretty soon they start trading blows and I tell Dave "those guys are fighting!" So we both are watching the fight and within seconds I see one of the guys get stabbed and fall to the ground with blood gushing from his right side. The other guy jumps back in the truck and speeds off. Dave jumps out of the car and tries to get a look at the license plate but can't see it. He tells a rent-a-cop security person to notify the police because there's been a stabbing while I'm still waiting to exit. It doesn't take long for a crowd to gather and bike police to come on the scene. Before we hit the highway there's a ghetto bird in the air and by the time we get home its on the news.

This article from MLB.com claims the man suffered a non-life-threatening stab to the arm, but man, that wasn't the case. I'm afraid this article from the LA Times is much closer to the truth and lists the victim in serious condition.

I've never seen someone get stabbed before. It was a pretty dark way to end a great day. For some reason I'm really concerned that this guy pulls through even though I have no clue what the altercation was about or who he is. I guess when you get 55,000 people together some bad shit is bound to happen.