If you get no-hit, you...win?

Saturday night, the Dodgers became only the 5th Major League team since 1900 to win a game after being no-hit.

Angels starter Jered Weaver and reliever Jose Arredondo combined for nine innings of no-hit baseball...and lost.

Weaver was not a happy camper afterward.

Now, technically the game wasn't a no-no. A game has to go at least 27 outs (nine full innings) for it to be an official no-hitter. Still, it was something pretty special.

Jered Weaver was untouchable for six innings and Chad Billingsley also pitched a solid game of shutout baseball. The only run came in the fifth, after a series of defensive mishaps.

Matt Kemp hit a comebacker to Weaver, who bobbled the ball and allowed Kemp to reach base. Two pitches later, Kemp stole second and steamed into third when catcher Jeff Mathis threw the putout pitch into center field. Blake DeWitt's sacrifice fly cashed in Kemp's unearned run.

Kemp is learning to make smart baserunning decisions. Hallelujah.

It's the sort of game you definitely don't see every day, and the roar of the crowd after Takashi Saito struck out Reggie Willits to end the game showed that the fans knew it. The Dodgers and Angels knew it too, judging by the stunned jubilation exhibited by the victors and stunned silence of the losers.

This is a perfect example of why I love this game. You think you've seen or heard about almost everything...and then something like this happens. Even the most wizened, jaded fan sits up and takes notice of a game like this. I also take particular satisfaction that we were playing the Angels...as I hate them with the fiery passion of 10,000 suns (suck on that, Anaheim!).

The Rookie DeWitt

I’ve been having a hard time seeing the silver lining in the Dodger rain cloud lately, but…

Congratulations to 3B Blake DeWitt for being named the NL Rookie of the Month for May!

No. 33, baby

DeWitt, who until this season never played above AA, was a last minute replacement at third after both Adam LaRoche and Nomar Garciaparra went down with Spring Training injuries. He’s taken full advantage of the unexpected opportunity, hitting .290 for the season with five home runs and 29 RBIs.

The rookie hit .322 with five home runs and 18 RBIs in May to earn the honor from Major League Baseball, beating out Joey Votto of Cincinnati, Geovany Soto of Chicago and Manny Acosta of the Braves.

From a personal standpoint, DeWitt has been an impressive addition to the Dodgers’ crop of young players. He’s a rook, which means he commits more errors than I’d like (of course, he DOES play third). However, he doesn’t seem to let the pressure get to him.

Some evidence? May 19th versus the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers mounted a 5th inning rally to tie the score at 5-5. In the bottom of the ninth, Reds reliever David Weathers gave up a single to Russell Martin (which he turned into a double on a throwing error by Paul Janish). Jeff Kent advanced Martin to third on a groundout. Weathers then intentionally walked James Loney and Matt Kemp to load the bases for the seven-hole-hitting DeWitt. He responded with a game-winning single.

He's a gamer.

I watched that game up close and personal. It was fantastic. What a kid. It’s a well-deserved honor and I’m excited to see what he’ll offer the team through the rest of the season. There’s ROY potential there (though I know, hard to think someone will beat out Fukudome).

2010: The All-Star Game comes to Southern California?

Your host for the 2010 All-Star Game

ESPN is reporting that Angel Stadium has been awarded the 2010 All-Star Game.

I've been eagerly waiting for an All-Star game to come back to Southern California since I was a kid. I think it would be one of the absolute coolest things to see in person.

Obviously, I'd rather it be at Dodger Stadium. Unfortunately, MLB tends to show a bias toward newer stadiums or ones that have just undergone massive renovations. Dodger Stadium, though it's been improved and changed many times over the years, still essentially looks the same as it did when it opened. That's one of the things I love most about it, but unfortunately it also means that it tends to get ignored or overlooked when the All-Star committee makes their decision.

However, last month the Dodgers announced extensive, expansive renovation plans for Chavez Ravine. While I'm not a big fan of the plans overall, they do mean that we'll probably be angling for the All-Star game in 2013.

Wait until 2013?

Mark your calendars, Southern Californians. The big show is coming to town.

Dodger Stadium: The Next 50 Years

A little more than a week ago, the Dodgers unveiled a plan for “The next 50 years” of Dodger Stadium. I’ve taken that much time to process my thoughts on the changes and “improvements” proposed over the next handful of years.

I consider myself a purist when it comes to ballparks. A ballpark needs to have an atmosphere, a history, a beautiful simplicity that invites people to sit down with friends and family on a Sunday afternoon and watch a game. No frills are necessary, nor should they be required. All you need is your seat, the field in front of you and possibly a hot dog.

Artist rendering of the "new and improved" Dodger Stadium

I don’t need a cascading fountain in centerfield with flumes of water that shoot up when someone hits a home run. I don’t need a giant slide in left center that the mascot uses as part of his shtick. I don’t need a friggin’ pool in right center that people can rent out and watch the game from. In fact, add-ons like that only detract from the baseball experience. Things like that are unnecessary and silly and, in my opinion, suck the soul out of a stadium. For that reason, I dislike most of the newer ballparks. Give me the simple majesty of a Fenway Park or Dodger Stadium or even (god forbid) Yankee Stadium any day. Walking into one of those stadiums just has an inexplicably different feel – it’s just amazing.

That said, imagine my trepidation to learn that the Dodgers were planning tons of “upgrades” and “improvements” to my favorite place in the world. After looking over the plans put forth by owner Frank McCourt…I’m pretty worried. I’m afraid that these changes will alter the soul of the stadium in a way it can never recover from.

Pulled directly from the Dodgers website, here are three main changes that McCourt and company plan to implement:

Dodger Way - A dramatic, new tree-lined entrance will lead to a beautifully landscaped grand plaza where fans can gather beyond center field. The plaza will connect to a modern, bustling promenade that features restaurants, shops and the Dodger Experience museum showcasing the history of the Dodgers in an interactive setting.

The new main entrance - can you even SEE the stadium?

Green Necklace - The vibrant street setting of Dodger Way links to a beautiful perimeter around Dodger Stadium, enabling fans to walk around the park, outdoors yet inside the stadium gates. This Green Necklace will transform acres of parking lots into a landscaped outdoor walkway connecting the plaza and promenade to the rest of the ballpark.

Top of the Park - The Green Necklace connects to a large scale outdoor plaza featuring breathtaking 360 degree views spanning the downtown skyline and Santa Monica Bay, the Santa Monica and San Gabriel Mountains, and the Dodger Stadium diamond.

The way the website describes the changes, it seems like they’re trying to turn it into a vacation destination or a shopping mall that just happens to have a baseball stadium in the middle of it. It seems less about baseball and more about how much money they can squeeze out of the internationally-recognized organization (that “LA” logo has long since ceased to just stand for a baseball team). I fear that by building out and up, they’ll suffocate the life out of one of the most beautiful parks in all of baseball. I think it would kill my soul to see the Dodger Stadium I know now disappear under glitz and shops and stores and frankly, corporate bullshit.

Buy, buy, buy. Oh, and there's also a game happening somewhere.

I’m all for making a stadium more eco-friendly and improving things like restrooms, food facilities, the parking situation and improved office space for employees and media (all also part of the future plans). But when baseball stadiums become more about what you can DO as opposed to what you’re going to SEE and experience…there’s a problem. I’ve watched it happen to other teams with a wrinkled nose and sense of disdain.

Call me a snob, paranoid or archaic…I don’t care. I go to a baseball game for the baseball and the atmosphere, period. I love that stadium more than words can express, and if it turned into something unrecognizable and corporate and fake…I think it would kill my soul a little. Just play baseball, guys. That’s all we need. I fear for the next 50 years of Dodger baseball, frankly.

RIP Buzzie Bavasi

Yesterday marked the passing of great Dodger General Manager Buzzie Bavasi, who led the Dodgers to four of their six World Championships, including their only one in Brooklyn. He was 93.

Buzzie worked as an executive in the Dodgers’ minor league system in the 1940s, helping Branch Rickey guide and integrate players like Jackie Robinson, Don Newcombe and Roy Campenella into the major leagues. Bavasi was also instrumental in creating the now-legendary Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida.

In 1950, the Dodgers promoted him to GM, a position he held until the close of the 1968 season. During his tenure, the Dodgers beat the powerhouse Yankees to capture their first World Series title. Following their move to Los Angeles, Buzzie crafted the teams that won three other Series – in 1959, 1963 and 1965 – and eight National League pennants.

One of Bavasi’s sons, Bill, is now the General Manager of the Seattle Mariners.

By all accounts (see the official press release here and ESPN’s take here) Bavasi was a true baseball man with countless admirers. He leaves behind a legacy virtually unmatched by anyone else in the game, and he will be missed.

*sigh* I’m hoping the 50th anniversary year of the Dodgers doesn’t end up marked by too many more of these…

The Dodgers: One Week In

Barely a week into the 2008 Major League Baseball season and my Dodgers are 4-2, having taken 2-of-3 from the Giants (at home) and the Padres (at Petco).

Here’s what I’m liking:

- The defense of Andruw Jones. Him and his 10 Gold Gloves have already proved valuable out in center. I breathe much easier knowing that he’s out there instead of Pierre (he of the mad hustle but the anemic arm).

- Hiroki Kuroda, who was absolutely brilliant in his MLB debut on Friday, giving up three this and only one run in a 7-1 Dodger victory. He exhibited excellent control and a few absolutely filthy pitches. I can’t wait to watch him do his thing for the rest of the year.

Kuroda: ready to rock the Ravine.

- A 100% healthy Rafael Furcal. You can absolutely see the difference and it’s incredibly heartening. His range defensively has improved and he’s already had at least three or four fantastic defensive plays this year.

- A staff 1.70 ERA, the lowest in the Majors. Our pitching has pulled us through tough spots so far, and we have a very solid 1-4 rotation. Our bullpen, a weakness in recent years past, has thus far held strong (such a positive sign).

- Blake DeWitt. Third base (and their default choice to fill the hole) was suspect at the beginning of the season. But DeWitt has been solid at the plate – three runs and five hits in 18 at-bats – and even better defensively. He showed up to play and hopefully will continue trying to make Torre think long and hard about getting rid of him once Nomar and LaRoche return.


Here’s what I’m not liking:

- Our .229 team batting average as a team, the fourth worst in the Majors. Jones, Martin and Kent (among others) are all off to sluggish starts, and for a team not really known for their power and amazing run production even when they’re ON…this is troubling.

Peavy: One scary mo-fo.

- A continuing inability to beat top pitchers. Our only loss to San Diego came when we put our ace (Penny) up against theirs (reigning Cy Young award winner Jake Peavy). Peavy made every single person in that lineup look absolutely silly. As LA Daily News beat reporter Tony Jackson points out, “Since the start of last season, the No. 1 starters for the Rockies, Padres and Diamondbacks -- Jeff Francis, Jake Peavy and Brandon Webb, respectively -- are now a combined 11-0 with a 1.71 ERA in 14 starts against the Dodgers, who are 1-13 in those 14 games.” They’ll never go away, so we have to find a way to beat No. 1 starters…especially in our own division.


Here’s a big question mark:

- Torre. He’s got the biggest spotlight in town shining on him right now, and a ton of questions hanging over his head. It’s hard to say anything one way or another about his managerial skills a mere one week in. Two months from now, I may be saying the same thing. It’s really hard to say. There’s not much to call in to question and, conversely, there’s not a lot to praise to the heavens (thus far). I’ll say that I’m very comfortable with him at the helm; hopeful but not unrealistic. He doesn’t quite know our team completely yet, but he knows the game inside out. I trust in his experience and his skill, and I’m very interested to watch how much (if any) of an AL managerial style he tries to bring into an NL world.

Dodgers' Opening Day: 50 Years Later

The “Field of Dreams” music started playing over the loudspeakers and out across the empty baseball field. All 56,000 of us knew that the Dodgers were planning something special for Opening Day 2008, the 50th anniversary of the team’s arrival in Los Angeles. Many of us, less than 48 hours before, watched the Dodgers play the Boston Red Sox at the LA Coliseum. That was pretty special by itself. I wasn’t sure how they’d top the nostalgic majesty of the Saturday night game.

Opening Day 2008: what a beautiful sight.

But then the center field wall swung open, and Duke Snider ambled slowly out onto the grass. He stopped in center field, his home for 15 years with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers, and waved to an awestruck stadium full of Dodgers faithful. The silence that pervaded while people processed what exactly they were seeing was deafening; the cheering that followed, ear-splitting.

Before we all had time to fully digest the Duke, out walked Wally Moon from the right field bullpen. Then Don Newcombe trotted in from the left field bullpen. Back and forth it went, the bullpens propelling “Sweet” Lou Johnson, Steve Yeager, Bill Russell, Ron Cey, Tommy Davis, Maury Wills, Steve Garvey, Jerry Reuss, Carl Erskine, Eric Karros, Steve Finley, Steve Sax, Fernando Valenzuela and Tommy Lasorda to their former positions.

Not without reason, I assumed that Tommy was the last of them. I leaned over to my roommate, who accompanied me to the game, and said, “I wish they could’ve gotten Sandy Koufax to come out. That’s the only thing that would’ve made this better. But he’s pretty private and almost never comes out to anything official anymore.” The second those words left my mouth, a slender, silver-haired man in jeans and a navy blazer walked out of the Dodger dugout. I swear my heart stopped for a second.

Sandy Koufax walked out to the baseball mound where he pitched a perfect game on September 9, 1965 (among other accomplishments too numerous to mention here) and the crowd went absolutely crazy. I honestly couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The parade started with one of the greatest centerfielders to ever play the game and ended with arguably the greatest pitcher baseball has ever seen. When Koufax walked up to Snider and shook his hand, I thought I was going to die of joy on the spot.

Erskine, Koufax and Newcombe: too awesome for words.

Honestly, the Dodgers could have lost the game that followed 12-0 and I wouldn’t have cared at all. Thankfully, they won only their second Opening Day game in the last seven years (both, funnily enough, against the Giants). Brad Penny, though he struggled with his control in the first few innings, impressed in his 2008 debut, giving up no runs and scattering five hits over 6 2/3 innings. Offensively, the Dodgers scored three runs in the bottom of the first, two off of Jeff Kent’s fifth career Opening Day home run. They added two more runs, one in the second and one in the sixth, to coast to an easy 5-0 victory over San Francisco.

Without a doubt, yesterday was the greatest baseball experience I have ever had…and possibly one of the best days of my life. I know my dad was watching from somewhere as well, loving every minute.



NOTE: My own pictures to come, once I get them off of my camera.

Make like it's 1958

Last night, I, along with 115,299 other people, watched the Dodgers play baseball at the Los Angeles Coliseum for the first time in 47 years. As part of their season-long celebration of 50 years of Los Angeles Dodgers baseball, the organization held a one-night-only exhibition game versus the World Champion Boston Red Sox.

Both teams during pregame introductions.

I’m not exaggerating at all to say it was one of the greatest experiences of my life.

In 1958, when the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles, they were the first team to foray into California. However, they had no stadium. So, from 1958-1962 (while Dodger Stadium was being built in Chavez Ravine) the Dodgers played baseball at the Los Angeles Coliseum…a venue designed for football. Squeezing a baseball diamond into a football field created some interesting dimensions, to say the least. A standard baseball field is about 375 feet down the left-and-right field lines and about 400 feet to straightaway center. The left field foul pole inside the LA Coliseum was a mere 251 feet from home plate, which they compensated for by erecting a 42-foot high fence (hoping to discourage easy home runs). Centerfield and right field were also a bit further away. Righties salivated, while lefties like Dodger legend Duke Snider saw their productivity decline. Dodger lefty Wally Moon so perfected pulling homers to left that they dubbed balls that cleared that fence "moon shots."

It was definitely an odd place to play, but the Dodgers made it work for their first four seasons in Los Angeles, before their current home opened on April 10, 1962. Late in 2007, I heard a rumor that the Dodgers would be returning to their first LA home for one night only. Immediately, I promised myself I’d do anything (selling a kidney, performing a hit, etcetera) to get my hands on a pair of tickets.

I don’t know that I can adequately describe what it was like to sit through that game. My late father grew up in Los Angeles and undoubtedly saw at least a couple games in the Coliseum with his two brothers and my grandfather. When I was a small child, he taught me to love the Dodgers and, more importantly, the game. Playing baseball and going to games bonded us throughout my childhood and up until his death two years ago (indeed, the last thing we did together was go see Japan face Mexico in the World Baseball Classic at Angel Stadium in Anaheim).

Being there was absolutely overwhelming for me as a daughter, a lifelong (and incredibly die hard) Dodger fan and as a lover of the game of baseball. Before the game, the Coliseum commission dedicated a plaque to legendary Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully. Vin has been the voice of the Dodgers since 1950, when they were still in Brooklyn. His is one of the most beloved, enduring voices in all of sports. The roar of the crowd in mere anticipation of his introduction was deafening. When he stepped to the podium the applause and cheering died down and picked back up again three times. After the first of such resurgences, Scully, ever the humble man, said, “Aw c’mon, it’s just me.” He then rededicated his award to each of the 138 million fans who have come to see the Dodgers over the last 50 years, because he sees himself in the same boat as us: a man, standing on the curb who was lucky enough to watch all of the “heroes” pass by.

Because of Coliseum renovations, the left field foul pole was a mere 201 feet away.

Center and right field during pregame warmups.

It’s hard to get an idea of how ridiculous the dimensions really are without seeing them in person. The Dodgers essentially employed a five-man infield (at one point, CF Andruw Jones took a putout at second). A shallow pop fly was halfway to a home run. Balls that hit the net in left field dropped like rocks. It wasn’t the prettiest of games: the Dodgers went down 7-1 before coming back late to score one in the eighth. Boston brought Jonathan Papelbon on in the bottom of the ninth and the Dodgers mounted one of their trademark mini-comebacks that fell a bit short: Papelbon gave up a two-run shot to Double-A player (and probable Opening Day third baseman) Blake DeWitt to bring the Dodgers within three…but that was it. The Dodgers lost, 7-4.

I could’ve cared less. I mean, I got to be there. I got to see it and imagine what it must have felt like to be a fan 50 years ago, when baseball was brand new to Southern California and many people were seeing a game for the very first time. The Dodgers came to Brooklyn three years removed from their very first World Championship and won their second in their second year at the Coliseum. I don’t know that there’s anything that can top what I saw last night for the sheer joy that it brought me.

Me, pretty much the happiest girl alive.

Go Blue!

Oh, I almost forgot. One of my favorite moments of the night: someone started the wave, and it went around the massive stadium six times…and every time it passed the Boston and Los Angeles dugouts, the players themselves stood up and joined in. It was just that kind of night.

Starting at Third for the Los Angeles Dodgers...

Not that they ever really had one to begin with, but the Dodgers have lost both of their potential starting third basemen to injury over the past couple weeks.

Andy LaRoche tore a ligament in his right thumb during a Spring Training game on March 7. The injury required surgery and will keep him out of the lineup until at least mid-May. He and Nomar Garciaparra were expected to battle it out for the starting spot in the hot corner, but Garciaparra was hit on the wrist by a pitch later in the same game.

Garciaparra continued playing in Spring Training, but the pain in his wrist worsened over the course of this week. An MRI on Wednesday revealed a microfracture, akin to a bad bone bruise, on his right wrist. It’s possible that he won’t be ready for Opening Day.

Blake Dewitt, a 22-year-old who has never played above Double A (though that was the case with Matt Kemp as well and look how he turned out) and Tony Abreu (still not 100% after abdominal surgery) are the leading candidates to start at third if Nomar isn’t ready by the 31st.

Nomar: more wrist woes (is this 1999? Or 2001?)

Because the injuries to LaRoche and Garciaparra are short term, General Manager Ned Colletti resisted any suggestion of looking for outside help to fill the hole at third. Here’s the thing, though: I’m not convinced that either one will be what the team needs at the hot corner. The Dodgers haven’t had a truly permanent third baseman since Adrian Beltre left in 2004. Even then, Beltre was an above average fielder and a solid (but not spectacular save for his 2004 breakout season) hitter. Over the past three seasons, countless forgettable players have drifted in and out of the five spot, always failing to impress enough to stick around.

LaRoche: Future master of the LA hot corner?

Garciaparra is a shortstop-converted-into-a-first-baseman-then-shuffled-to-third-by-default when James Loney stepped up his game and became a minor phenomenon in the second half of 2007. LaRoche is a third baseman, but a very young one who failed to impress in his limited time in The Show in 2007. Now, fingers crossed that one of them will step up this year and bring back some pride to the position at Dodger Stadium. If not…well I’ll be sighing a lot during the season wondering why we didn’t go after Miguel Cabrera harder when he had the chance.

Early Vero Beach Nostalgia

Anyone who has worked in or around baseball knows that in January and February, I can be REALLY tough to fill column inches with interesting stories. Papers send their baseball beat writers to Spring Training in early February…right around the time pitchers and catchers report. Those two groups report earlier than the position players to start working out and warming up for the Spring. However, most of what they're doing is really boring and lasts only an hour or two per day.

Dodgers beat writers were more fortunate than most. 2008 is the last year the Dodgers will hold Spring Training at Holman Stadium in historic Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida. Starting in 2009, the Dodgers will have a brand new, bells-and-whistles facility in Glendale, Arizona. The team has been trudging down to Vero Beach for 60 years. Players like Robinson, Newcome, Campanella, Koufax, Drysdale, Garvey, Valenzuela, Gibson and Hershiser brought their gear there every February to gear up for the coming season.

Soon to be nothing but a memory.

By all accounts it's a magical place rich with history and full of nostalgia. Old players still drop by (often unannounced) to visit with old friends, swap stories, give pointers and check out the fresh talent. Sandy Koufax, who lives nearby, visited Dodgertown twice last week. Since prospective Dodgers are pulling on their cleats and running the bases there for the very last time, stories are cropping up all over the place trying to capture the essence of Dodgertown before it's gone forever (they will likely tear down most, if not all, of it to move the Orioles in next Spring).

I find it interesting that for every story that looks back fondly on Holman Stadium and bemoans the fact that the Dodgers are leaving (because there will undoubtedly never be another place like it), there's another that looks back fondly on the place while asserting "we're leaving – hallelujah!"

I have to admit, I was never fortunate enough to go to Spring Training. I really wanted to make it out this year before they left, but it's (sadly) way too expensive. I'm torn – like the writers seem to be – about whether or not I'm upset about it or not.

I understand the economics. Moving to Arizona means a newer, nice facility. The city of Glendale is providing the team with excellent incentives to "come and stay a while." It means a 6 hour drive instead of a 6 hour plane ride for Dodgers fans. It means a family of four can make the entire trip in 2009 for what it would cost for a single person to go in 2008. I also understand that the new stadium will have zero history. There will be no "ghosts of Dodgers past" haunting the halls; no more having an old-timer point to a part of the complex and tell an amazing story about something that happened there. There will be no more history, no more roots.

The new stadium will probably be soulless...but geographically closer!

On the one hand, I'm really sad that I won't be able to ever set foot in Dodgertown. I'm a huge fan of and believer in tradition and history (don't get me started on my rant about why newfangled baseball stadiums have no soul). On the other hand, next February I'll actually get to GO to Spring Training. I'll get to help be a part of imbuing the NEW Dodgertown with new tradition and history. I'll actually get to be a part of it instead of watching from afar. And I'm already so excited about it I can hardly contain myself.


The stories and memories will live forever, and let's be honest: if you're not a part of the Dodger organization or part of the media group that covers them, you aren't privy to most of the history and memories that are being tossed around in the media lately. So those moments have always been secondhand. Bottom line for me: next year the dream of being able to attend Spring Training and see all the players prepare for the upcoming season in a more relaxed atmosphere will actually be a reachable reality. That trumps pretty much everything – it's much cooler to be able to be a part of the history than to have to watch it, longingly, from afar.

Johnny Podres: 1932 - 2008

I'm a little late on this front, but it's been a crazy couple days.

As a Dodgers fan and a fan of the game in general, I mourn the passing of Johnny Podres, who died Sunday at the age of 75.

The Dodgers have quite a history with legendary lefties

Without Johnny Podres, the Dodgers wouldn't have won their very first World Series in 1955. Most sports fans know the lore: The Dodgers faced the Yankees in the World Series five times before 1955 and lost every single time. Despite being a consistent Top 5 team, Brooklyn could never manage to clinch the Series.

In 1955, the Dodgers faced the Yankees in the World Series for the 6th time. After losing the first two games, 23-year-old lefty Podres pitched a complete 7-hit game and lead the Dodgers to a Game 3 victory. In a now infamous story, Podres told his teammates before the climactic Game 7 at Yankee Stadium to just get him one run and he would guarantee them victory. The team got him two and Podres pitched a complete game shutout, leading the Dodgers to their first World Series championship (and only one in Brooklyn). His performance in the Series earned him the first-ever World Series MVP award and ended the decades-long suffering of the Brooklyn faithful.

At Yankee Stadium, just after the final out of Game 7 in 1955.

1955 is, without a doubt, the most pivotal year in Dodgers history, and it wouldn't have happened without Podres. Nothing is held more dear by Dodgers fans than that first championship: we had to fight like dogs to get it, running into the seemingly untouchable behemoth that was (and is) the Yankees over and over again. Just when it seemed like it would never happen, we finally broke through and beat the unbeatable Yankees. And it wouldn't have happened without Podres' masterful performances.

I want to paste the following paragraph from Wikipedia, just because it's nothing short of amazing: "In his 15-season career, Podres compiled a 148-116 record with 1435 strikeouts, a 3.68 ERA, and 24 shutouts in 440 games. He was at his best in the World Series, losing his first Series game (in 1953), then winning four straight decisions over the next decade. In six Series games, he allowed only 29 hits in 38⅓ innings, with a 2.11 ERA adorning his 4-1 won/loss record."

Podres was also on the Dodgers' championship teams in 1959, 1963 and 1965. I would feel like a blasphemer if I even deigned to think that he was better than Koufax (because no one is or has been better in the history of the game) but his contribution to the sport of baseball and to the rich history of the Dodgers is almost beyond measure.

His presence in the baseball world will be sorely missed.

Dodgers Sign Kuroda

This weekend, the Dodgers won the (quiet) bidding war for Japanese right-handed pitcherHiroki Kuroda. Kuroda, 32, has a 3.69 lifetime ERA and 103-89 record and is coming off the most successful year of his career. He will get $35.3 million over the next three years to pitch in Dodger blue.

Experts call him a ground ball pitcher with exellent control and the ability to step up and take command late in a game (the 6th and 7th innings). He's probably going to slip into the Number 3 starter role, behind Derek Lowe and Brad Penny.

Los Angeles? Hmmm..I hear the weather is nice there.

I'm liking our winter signings thus far because we're actually doing what we said we set out to do. We needed a power bat, so we signed Andruw Jones to a two-year deal. I already commented on my slight misgivings about that deal, but I really think last year was an abberation and, now that he's healthy, Jones will step up and do what we need him to in 2008.

We needed another solid starting pitching arm and in comes Kuroda. I'm waiting for more word to start coming out on him, but I like what I'm hearing so far. Our rotation will consist of Lowe, penny, Kuroda, Billingsley and either Loaiza or Schmidt (the preferable option, in my opinion, if he's healthy). Not the most impressive in baseball, but definitely solid.

Those two acquisitions cost us a lot of money (if you're doing the math, which I am). However, we signed both of these guys without giving up a single young prospect. Martin, LaRoche, Kemp, Ethier, Billingsley and Broxton are all still in Dodger Blue and at least three of them figure to be significant contributors to the team in 2008. I call it a win-win.

I still think there's work to be done. I'd love to add a bat at third, but the market was thin to begin with and Lowell and Rodrigguez re-signing with their current teams and Cabrera going to the Tigers, I'm not sure who else is out there that's really worth having. We may end up having to count on Garciaparra to step back up to his 2006 Comeback Player of the Year form or on Andy LaRoche to mature enough to step up to the Big League level. This concerns me...

I simply cannot do it...a-looooooone!

I also would feel better having another solid lefty arm in the bullpen. Broxton shouldered most of that weight by himself last year and, toward the end of the season, he started to chow the strain. Injuries have decimated our bullpen in the last few years, and it got to the poitn where it was a total crapshoot what you'd get on any given night: a lights-out strikeout machine or a ragtag troupe who couldn't get an out to save their lives. It hurt my heart.

Still, heading into the holidays, I'm happier about the way we're shaping up than I have been in the past few years. Though I do tend to be an offseason optimist...

Jones dons Dodger blue

Andruw Jones. Two years, 36.2 million.

2007 STATS

G HR RBI R OBP AVG
154 26 94 83 .311 .222

AVG CAREER STATS

G HR RBI R OBP AVG SLG OPS
162 34 103 96 .342 .263 .497 .839

Watch the bad arm, guys!

Jones supposedly played most of 2007 with a hyperextended elbow, which contributed to his unimpressive season. In theory, this seems like a good get. Jones is an outstanding defensive player AND (usually) a potent bat in the center of a lineup. The Dodgers have been in dire need of a power bat for a long, long time. Having him behind speedsters Furcal and Pierre (in my opinion, not nearly as big a disappointment as all the bloggers on ESPN.com bemoan) in the lineup could prove to be an RBI gold mine.

But I can't shake my lingering suspicion that the Dodgers are developing a reputation for coming just a little too late to the party. I think they have a tendency to overpay for players JUST after they've passed their prime and end up with egg on their faces (to varying degrees) come October. Juan Pierre. Eric Gagne (when they re-signed). Darren Dreifort. Kevin Brown. Need I go on?

When it comes to the boys in blue, however, I am the eternal optimist. I sincerely hope Jones' 2007 season was an aberration rather than an ominous sign of things to come. Bringing him on board creates a surplus of talent in the outfield (I'm talking Ethier or Kemp; I'm not going to get into the debate raging over whether to try and unload Pierre just yet) that may prove important in a trade for a starting pitcher.

I like this move overall. Assuming his elbow is healthy, Jones is a serious offensive (and defensive) threat. He's 30 years old with more than 10 years of major league experience (and a wealth of postseason experience as well) and 10 Gold Gloves. While he's no wunderkind or magical fix-all, landing him is a huge (if overly expensive) positive.

Sporting Event + LA Coliseum = Baseball?

If there was a contest entitled "The best news you've ever heard ever," the following article would win, hands down.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3128938

The Dodgers are returning to the Los Angeles Coliseum, where they played from 1958-1961, to play a one game exhibition against the World Series champion Boston Red Sox. March 29, 2007 aka "the day I will possibly REALLY die of happiness."



I find the fact that they will be playing the Red Sox, who have the green monster, in this setup extremely fitting. They'll feel right at home with the fence erected in left field for "moon shots."

There is no way that I'm going to miss being one of the 94,000 people who cram into that place (I mean, I did it every other weekend for four years for football) and watch this game. It will be like stepping back in time to when baseball first came to Los Angeles.

I will, possibly, be watching the game like my father did as a boy. He was born and raised outside of LA and was a Dodgers fan from a very young age. They're bringing players from that period back, and though I've met quite a few of them in the flesh already, seeing them on that field in this context is going to be pretty damn special.

I. Can't. WAIT.

Who's that manager?

The Latest from Los Angeles:


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IN?






















We'll set aside for a moment how I had to fight the urge to punch myself in the face for putting a picture of anyone (let alone Torre) in a Yankees uniform on my blog. It makes me feel a little bit dirty.

Grady Little resigned as manager of the Dodgers yesterday. Can you blame the guy, really? I mean, he's not exactly a slouch as a manager. All of the teams he's managed had a winning record. He took the 2003 Red Sox to the ALCS in his second year at the helm (those of you piping up with "But...Pedro!" right now, sit down and be quiet). In his first year with the Dodgers, he took them to the NLDS (somewhere they'd been only twice before since winning the '88 World Series). On top of that, he's one of the most genuinely nice guys you're ever going to meet. And yes, I know that firsthand.

The problem? He's not Joe Torre.

I understand why those four words make such a strong argument. I know you can't compare Little, with his four seasons of managerial experience, to the man who steered the mighty Yankees dynasty for 12 years - into 12 postseasons and six World Series (four of which resulted in Championships). It's apples and oranges. But he deserved better.


There are reports of end-of-season unrest between veteran and rookie players and a blowup between Colletti and Little. The latter is said to have lead to Grady deciding to step down. I hope that's true. I hope that Little resigned of his own accord and not because Dodgers upper-level management realized there might have been something better out there. A classy guy like Grady (who was quoted trying to debunk any rumors that the decision to leave wasn't entirely his own) deserved that much.

When Torre declined Steinbrenner's offer, I'll bet there wasn't an owner or GM out there that didn't daydream for a moment or two about good old Joe donning their team's cap and filling out lineup cards. I bet there wasn't a manager out there who didn't wonder in the back of his mind about his job security. Unfortunately for Little, his wondering turned into reality. But you know what? That's baseball. That's business.

There is no deal yet between Torre and the Dodgers. Ned Colletti was barely willing to admit that the two parties had spoken at all. But these stories never come from nowhere, so I'd say, should all the details of contact and coaching staff and whatnot get sorted out (and we all know how easily THAT can go awry), Torre may very well be steering my boys in blue come March.

How I feel about that is something I'm still working out. He IS a friggin' Yankee, after all.