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ESPNs Buster Olney is on vacation this week, but hes still compiling roundups. View his latest roundup here.I dont know exactly when my grandfather, a construction worker by trade, fell in love with baseball. For as hard as he worked, it never occurred to me that there would be enough time for anything except rest preparing for the next day. But I can still see him listening to the games lying down. And now it all makes sense. I dont know when he became a Los Angeles Dodgers fan, but I can remember when I did.It was the summer of 1967. My friends and I used to play baseball in front of Russell Walkers house. He and I both lived in cul-de-sacs. I didnt realize until much later that cul-de-sac was just a fancy French word for dead-end street.When I saw my grandfathers gray, four-door Pontiac (with a black vinyl top) coming down the street, it usually meant I was in trouble for staying out past my curfew. But that couldnt be it today. The street lights hadnt come on yet. We all stepped aside to let the car circle the street. As he drove by, his drivers-side window rolled down, the smell of Pall Mall Reds wafting from inside the car, he looked at me and said, Get in.We drove north up Interstate 5, and I tried to figure out where we were headed. My first clue was seeing the Stadium Way exit. It was about a mile and a half up Elysian Park Avenue.Ill never forget seeing Dodger Stadium for the first time. Little did I know that going to Dodger games would become a tradition for my family.By the end of the 1980 season, the impact of Fernando Valenzuela had caught everybody off guard. Throwing almost 18 innings of shutout relief was insane, and the reaction of all Dodger fans was like nothing I had ever heard before.But wait, Valenzuela: Thats us. This guy looks like us. He could pitch, he could hit and when he ran, he looked like he was barely going to make it to first base -- just like us.That great move of looking to the sky before every pitch added to his identity. Who doesnt look at home plate when hes pitching? you could overhear people say.My grandmother would say, Hes asking God to help him throw a strike, huh, George? To which I would reply, Yeah, Grandma.Starting the season 8-0 caught the city by surprise. It was almost impossible to get a ticket. But the night that Valenzuela single-handedly beat the San Francisco Giants by driving in a run and shutting them out? I was there, sitting high up in general admission.That was also the night a female fan in a Valenzuela shirt ran on the field, caught Fernando off guard with a kiss and then raised her arms high in the air. We all raised our hands in the air and pumped our fists, too. It was impossible not to take the ride with Valenzuela.He was the subject of what appeared to be every conversation. It got so crazy that instead of people believing he was 20 years old, there was talk that he was in his 40s. No 20-year-old could possibly be that good. Plus, he was born in Mexico and didnt have a birth certificate. That was hilarious.My grandmother worked nights at the time. One morning, I woke up and saw a Fernando Valenzuela T-shirt, hat and button on the counter. I couldnt figure out where they came from. When I asked my grandmother, she said, Oh, there was somebody selling them at work.Wait, there was somebody selling Fernando Valenzuela stuff at a factory in Van Nuys, California?Thats how crazy Fernandomania was.News conferences before a game were unheard of. But Valenzuela would have them and back them up with a win. I cant remember a time before or since that I wouldnt miss a game either on television, radio or in person.Valenzuela galvanized Dodger fans with both his talent and his playfulness. Seeing him kick around a baseball in left field like it was a soccer ball was something fans would go early to watch.Manager Tommy Lasorda would even use him as a pinch hitter. There was nothing Valenzuela couldnt do.Fernando made us believe that no matter where we came from or what we looked like, talent was the equalizer. He did this by showing us, not telling us; hes not comfortable with accolades, which is why I find a way to sneak it in. Ive never forgotten what I learned from Valenzuela, and it has helped me become another living proof example.Ive gone to Dodger Stadium with regularity in the years since Fernandomania. Every time I go, I remember my grandmother and grandfather and how much fun we used to have cheering and feeling proud every time Valenzuela did something great.My seats now are a lot better than my 75-cent ticket to the left field pavilion, but nothing is better than looking out from the seats behind home plate and imagining them both still out there.Ive known Fernando for a few years now. When were both on the field, we always make a point of saying hello. Hes a great guy, and Ill always find a place to tell him how much hes meant to me over the years.And then the conversation will switch to how much we both love golf. Cheap Jordans For Sale Wholesale . The Croatian served 21 aces and hit 42 winners against Sijsling, who double-faulted to give Cilic a 4-3 lead in the deciding set. "All the players, they know me and they were really happy to see me and they were really happy that this is over for me," Cilic said. Cheap Jordans Wholesale . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. http://www.wholesalejordans.us/ . -- Jimmy Walkers first PGA Tour trophy came with a special gift tucked inside. Cheap Retro Jordans Wholesale . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. Wholesale Jordans Cheap . Here are his mid-season NBA awards. MVP: (KEVIN DURANT-Thunder) - Has been sensational this season and more importantly, the most consistent player in the league. Considering that his team has been without star guard Russell Westbrook and with the free agent departure of sharpshooter Kevin Martin, hes had to carry the majority of the load to not only keep his team afloat but more importantly, at an elite level. LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. -- Lucky J Lane won the $57,799 feature by a nose on closing day of the meet Sunday at Los Alamitos, snapping a seven-race skid.Ridden by Martin Garcia, Lucky J Lane ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.85 and paid $13.20, $7.80 and $5 for his first win this year.Garcia lost his whip with about an eighth of a mile to go.Pretentious returned $9.80 and $5..dddddddddddd0, while 24-1 shot Indygo Holiday was another half-length back in third and paid $7.20.Tough It Out, the 3-2 favorite, sixth in the eight-horse field.Lucky J Lane has five wins in 22 career starts and earnings of $272,170. cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '