Blog Kiosk: 5/24/2016 - Dodgers Links - Urias, Calhoun and Clayton Kershaw

This is a tradition that I'm sure many are going to miss.  Featured above, via a pic by Jon SooHoo, are the umpires from last nights game tipping their caps to the Vin Scully.

For years umpires from throughout the league have honored the man behind the mic with this symbolic gesture before the start of a game, and it'll be strange to not see this ritual once he's gone.

As for the game... Well, Clayton Kershaw is the best.  Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com:

"It speaks to Clayton. He knows where we're at, where our bullpen is at, how taxed they've been," said A.J. Ellis, who caught all 17 innings Sunday and was back in there Monday with Yasmani Grandal nursing a bruised foot. "For Clayton to meet that challenge and expectations every night, it seems like every time he's pitching it's coming off a tired bullpen. What he's done so far, giving those guys a blow, you should have seen the reception he got coming in from those guys. Expectations are off the charts, they seem unmeetable and he keeps meeting them. His consistency is mindblowing. Our expectations are unfair, what we expect him to do. Yet, he meets them.

"We all know how fortunate we are. I hope all of baseball realizes what they're watching right now. I know Los Angeles, with the ovation he gets going out there for the ninth inning, appreciates his work and completing his job. We don't take it for granted. We see what he puts into it. We are in awe with the consistency, and it's fair to say we all raise our game on the day he pitches."

Dodgers defeated the Reds 1-0.  The only run in the game scored on a double-play ball in the sixth inning.  Go here to check out some pics from the game via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2016.  Below are more links to check:

• This Day in Dodgers History:  In 1973 Willie Davis recorded six hits in an 19 inning loss to the Mets.  BTW, both teams established a NL record for hitting into an combined nine double plays.
• Happy Birthday, Brad Penny!

Blog Kiosk: 4/26/2016 - Dodgers Links - Vin Scully, Don Mattingly and Rick Monday's Day

Yesterday's pregame activities included a ceremony celebrating Rick Monday's fantastic save of an American flag on that date in 1976.  Listen to Vin Scully talk about it here.  You can also go here to check out a bunch of photos from the evening.  Per Tracy Ringolsby at MLB.com:

"They were going to put the match to the flag, and it was soaked in lighter fluid," remember Monday. "My attitude was if they don't have it, they can't light it, so I scooped the flag up and kept running. I didn't know if it was on fire or not, but I did know one of the guys was not a [baseball prospect]. He threw the can of lighter fluid at me, but he didn't have a good enough arm to hit me."

Featured above is a photo, via Bill Shaikin on twitter, of Monday and his wife Barbaralee with that flag.

The story about Rick Monday's deed is well known and roundly celebrated throughout the country - as it should be.  What isn't well known, however, is the circumstances surrounding the two protestors who attempted to burn that flag.  In fact, no one really knows much about them, but Vice reporter David Davis does his best to uncover the story.  Unfortunately, we don't really know much more than what we already know (which isn't much):

With their disappearance, with their refusal to address the past, they leave behind questions that seem likely to remain unanswered: What pain and rage led them out on to the field that day, and what did it have to do with that mental institution in Missouri? Why burn an American flag as a method of protest, and why at Dodger Stadium? And, why did a father use his 11-year-old son as an accomplice? In the long silence that followed the moment, there are surely other questions—questions of regret, questions about what it has been like to live with this for 40 years.

Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History:  In 2008 Vin Scully received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Pepperdine University.  He would later give an stirring commencement speech to the graduating Class of Seaver College at Peppederine that you can watch a snippet of here.  Also, during that evenings game in Colorado Brad Penny would hurl an 93-mph fastball that is missed by catcher Russell Martin and knocks out homeplate umpire Kerwin Danley.  He would be stretchered off the field.

Blog Kiosk: 3/18/2016 - Dodgers Links - Team Mexico Eked Out a Victory in First Game

Three Dodgers were in Mexicali, Mexico for the first game of the WBC qualifying tournament.  One as a broadcaster, another to throw out the first pitch and the third to play the game.  Seated from left to right in the photo above are Alex Cora, Fernando Valenzuela and Adrian Gonzalez, as tweeted by Alex Cora.  Fortunately, all three would walk away happy from the days results.  Team Mexico squeaked out a victory against an upstart Czech Republic team.  Via Mark Newman at WorldBaseballClassic.com:

Mexico, a huge favorite in this four-nation qualifier and playing in a party atmosphere at home, scratched out two runs in the first inning and then withstood an eighth-inning homer by Matej Hejma before escaping with a 2-1 victory Thursday over a resilient Czech Republic team.
...
On Thursday, Adrian Gonzalez, the local hero and Dodgers first baseman, walked three times and scored one of the two runs in the first inning. That all happened after he caught the ceremonial first pitch from Fernando Valenzuela, part of a 45-minute pregame spectacle.

"I'm great," Gonzalez said before the game. "Being able to play here in Mexico in the great town of Mexicali, they have a great fan base and people are here from all over to watch us play. Our crowd is one of the best in every WBC. They bring noise and lift us up."

Below are more links to check out:

• More cuts in Dodgers spring camp were announced yesterday.  Via Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider, "Urias, De Leon among seven sent to minors."
• In news that is not entire surprising, Dave Roberts named Kershaw, Kazmie, Maeda and Wood as his starting four, via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA:

Mike Bolsinger, Brandon Beachy and Zach Lee are the three candidates for the fifth starter spot. Though Beachy isn't currently on the 40-man roster, all three have options should the Dodgers decide to use multiple pitchers in the role in April. But Roberts wouldn't rule out Urias just yet, based on talent alone.

• Audio:  Listen to Tony Gwynn Jr with Darren Smith at the Mighty 1090AM radio show.  He chats about the Dodgers pitching concerns, what it was like to grow up as a kid in the Padres clubhouse and his perspective on the Adam LaRoche controversy. (Link Here)
• Video:  Yasiel Puig won't be suspended over nightclub incident. He talks about moving on and his latest outing in Spring Training. (Link Here)
• Former Dodger pitcher Brad Penny to retire, via Jeff Todd at MLB Trade Reports.
• Via Barry Bloom at MLB.com, "Wood returns as Dodgers shape pitching staff."
• With Domingo Ayala's recent contract he decides to tour Jerry Hariston's home in order to make an offer.

Video Link:

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Blog Kiosk: 3/5/2015 - Dodger Links - Joc has Good Start

So, who got the first Dodger hit of Spring Training?

Highly rated rookie Joc Pederson, of course!

He hit a single to the right side with one out in the third inning of yesterdays game.  It was off former Dodger hurler Brad Penny, and through a shift (as described by JP Hoornstra on twitter).  Pederson would also score the first run of Spring later that inning on a par of singles by Jimmy Rollins and Carl Crawford.  Overall, he went 2 for 2; adding a double off the centerfield wall in his next at-bat.  BTW, the photo above was tweeted out by his older brother Tyger (a one-time Dodger draft pick-33rd round in 2013).

It looks like he was able to battle through any nervous energy, via a tweet by JP Hoornstra.

Joc Pederson, who takes medication for ADD, said he was pacing in the dugout throughout this game. Finished 2-for-2 as the #Dodgers' DH.
— J.P. Hoornstra (@jphoornstra) March 4, 2015

I should add, although I always wonder if it's necessary, that you shouldn't take too seriously the results of an early spring game.  This is practice, and many ballplayers (especially regulars) spend the early going retooling for the season.  That means focusing attention on minute details of the game that may not necessarily lead to a positive result at that time, but will hopefully lead to success once the season begins.  It's all about preparing for the season.

That being said, though, Joc Pederson's fast start out of the gate can only bolster his confidence.  Via a quote shared by Mark Saxon at ESPNLosAngeles.com from Don Mattingly:

“Obviously, it probably helps him if he gets a couple hits early so he can relax instead of starting out 0-for-15 or something.”

FYI, the Dodgers lost the game to the White Sox 6-4. Ho-hum.

Below are some more links to check out:

• Via Jon Heyman at CBS Sports, "To move him, Dodgers offering to pay down Ethier's contract by half."

Their offer to pay down the contract to the point where Ethier is making only about $10 million a year, or perhaps a bit less than that, may seem more than reasonable. But it apparently hasn't enticed teams to the point of a trade.

I don't want to pile on more negative thoughts onto Andre since just about everyone else has or will.  Instead, I'd like to say that I firmly believe he still has value.  It's just that finding a sweet spot that makes both economic and baseball sense can be a difficult endeavor.  I trust a solution is at hand, and we just need to allow the process to continue.  Ethier can still play ball, and he could just surprise the lot of you.

• Via Mark Saxon at ESPNLosAngeles.com, "Erik Bedard ticketed for Triple-A."

“I know where I stand. It feels fine,” Bedard said. “The game’s still fun and I like playing baseball is, basically, what it comes down to.” 

• Panini releases their first Baseball card set of the 2015 season next week.  It is their Donruss brand.  Check out a sneak peek preview of one of the subsets here.  The Yasiel Puig card is on the right.  On a side note, I've never liked the original 1981 Donruss design (that Panini uses for this set), but I gotta say that they look nice in the photos.
• Vie Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Clayton Kershaw, Yasiel Puig highlight Dodgers' Thursday lineup."
• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Ramon Martinez joins Orioles as special assignment pitching coordinator."
• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "(Bruce Hurst named field coordinator for Dodgers' Dominican academy."
• Via Chris Long at The Players' Tribune, "The Creepiest Mascot in Sports."  I would put that new Dodger mascot thingy (the giant Dodger bobblehead man) in the top 10; without a doubt.

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A Brad Penny Auto Facts Baseball Card

Brad Penny had a couple of great seasons for the Dodgers in the mid-2000's.  During the 2006 to 2007 seasons he won 32 games with a 3.65 ERA.  He also was effective at keeping the ball in the park and represented the Dodgers in the All-Star game those seasons (the only times he's taken part in the mid-season classic). 

Since this time, Penny has had a rocky road.  He has played for 6 different franchises; including a short stint in Japan with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.  Last year he came back to the Majors and pitched for the eventual World Series Champion Giants out of the bullpen, but was left off the playoff team roster.  Currently, he remains unsigned for 2013.

Featured here is a 2005 Upper deck Auto Facts card of Brad Penny.

Below are his career stats, via Baseball Reference.

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Collection: Brad Penny 2005 Leaf Autograph

Here is something I had forgotten.  Via Wikipedia:

On September 23, 2006, against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Penny joined the small club of pitchers who have struck out four batters in one inning. Due to the uncaught third strike rule, Penny was credited with striking out Chad Tracy, but because catcher Russell Martin failed to catch the ball cleanly, Tracy was allowed to attempt to run to first base, and made it there before he could be thrown out. Despite giving up three runs in the inning, Penny recorded three more strikeouts to complete the four-strikeout inning.

Featured above and below is a 2005 Leaf Century Collection autographed card of Brad Penny, numbered 015 out of 250 in my collection.

Here are his career stats.

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Buying Coffey with a Penny in Japan While Waiting for the Caravan

Considering how poorly the Dodgers relief staff did last season, it should not come as a surprise that they continue to add depth. On Friday it was announced that the team signed Todd Coffey. He was good out of the pen last year with Washington and figures on providing some quality innings of middle relief. From the Dodgers press release:

The 31-year-old went 5-1 with a 3.62 ERA and limited opposing hitters to a .244 batting average in 69 games last season with Washington. Against right-handed hitters, Coffey posted a .193 opponents’ batting average with just a .250 on-base percentage and a .290 slugging percentage. He also limited first batters faced to a .175 mark (11-for-63) with 17 strikeouts last season.

(Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images North America)

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In todays "whatever happened to that guy" report, we find out that former Dodger Brad Penny has just signed a 1 year contract to play for the Softbank Hawks of the Japanese Pacific League, via SI. Ken Rosenthal expands further and notes that it's a $4Mil deal plus $3.5Mil in performance bonuses. It is the largest largest contract given by a Japanese team to an American pitcher on their first contract with them.

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(Pic via Jon SooHoo/ LA Dodgers)

The Dodgers 2012 Community Caravan will happen this coming week. They'll be visiting hospitals, schools, and various community non-profits on Tuesday and Wednesday. Unfortunately, nearly all of the events are not open to the public except for one. On Tuesday, February 7th, the team will dine at an unannounced location from 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM. Via the Dodgers Press Release:

The Dodgers will lunch in South Los Angeles at a location that will be unveiled via the Dodgers’ Twitter @dodgers at 12:30 p.m.

So, if you are lucky enough to be nearby and can make it out to meet some Dodgers be sure to check out their twitter account. The following folks are expected to be on the bus:

Day one of the Dodgers’ Community Caravan will feature Dodgers Dee Gordon, Tony Gwynn, Kenley Jansen, Adam Kennedy, Josh Lindblom and Ramon Troncoso. Dodger Alumni Tommy Davis, Al Ferrara, Shawn Green and Dennis Powell and Dodger broadcaster Eric Collins.

Collection: Brad Penny 2005 Donruss Studio Auto

Here is another card from my collection of Dodgers autographed cards. This is a 2005 Donruss Studio Private Signings card featuring Brad Penny. It is numbered 15 out of 50.

Brad was pretty good for a couple of seasons. From 2006 to 2007 he recorded 32 wins and only 13 loses. These two fantastic season were sandwiched between a couple of poorer seasons in his 4+ years in Blue. During those two great years in Los Angeles he made his only trips to the All Star Game, and placed third in Cy Young voting in 2007.

Auto Collection: Brad Penny Diamond King

Here's a Brad Penny 2005 autographed Diamond Kings card with a burgundy frame numbered to 50.

Blog Kiosk: 4/29/2011

• Bark at the Park at Dodger Stadium on May 28th.
• Bob Lemke unveils possibly the rarest Pee Wee Reese card around- a Masquerade Party.
• A radar gun conspiracy? Via AZ Central.com.

  "I know for a fact that every time Brad Penny pitched for the Dodgers in San Diego it was probably the lowest velocities he ever had. He liked velocity. He'd stare at the board. He was throwing 95-96 (mph), but we'd have it at 91 and he'd get pissed off and throw harder and harder and start elevating."

• Here is another story about the possible public ownership of the Dodgers. This has been talked about for quite some time. I doubt it could happen, but the thought of it is pretty damn intoxicating. This LA Weekly story does a good job of explaining the hurdles.
  
• Schoolhouse Rocks!

YouTube Link:

Box Break: 2009 Goudey

(click to enlarge)

Yesterday I wrote that I had stopped into a Target and left with a blaster box of 2009 Topps Heritage. Well, there is a little more to that story. I actually walked out with 2 blaster boxes. The other being the 2009 Goudey Baseball box by Upper Deck.

I had refrained from mentioning it because, well, I didn't get a whole lot. Although, I did get a bunch of Dodgers. Overall, it was a weak box. Anyway, as you may know, this new set from Upper Deck borrows its design from the 1933 Goudey Gum card set which is famous for having 4 different Babe Ruth cards in it. So, putting together a complete vintage set is very cost prohibitive.

Check out the 6 different Dodgers I pulled in the box above; including cards of Brad Penny and Takashi Saito- both of whom are now with the Red Sox. It's funny that both of those cards actually designate them as Boston players, but keeps their uniforms in Dodger Blue. Nevertheless, since they are still wearing the right colors they go in my collection. Below are the back of the cards.

(click to enlarge)

In addition to the base set show above there are 3 main subset or short printed sets within the set. Below are examples of the 3 sets. On the left is the "4 in 1" insert set of the Rays that take its design from the 1935 Goudey set. Center is Reggie Jackson in the "Heads Up" subset that is fashioned after the 1938 Goudey set. Finally, on the right is Tony Gwynn in the "Sports Royalty" subset. The Gwynn card copies the design of the 1933 Sport Kings Gum set.

Dunn in the Outfield?

Since Manny prefers to wait, the Dodger decide that they can't let time waste away. They have apparently made calls about slugger (and strike out machine) Adam Dunn.

The Dodgers contacted Dunn's agent, Greg Genske, over the holidays, according to an executive of a team interested in Dunn... The Dodgers, meanwhile, need to infuse power into a lineup that finished 14th in the National League in home runs last season. And with no certainty that they can re-sign Ramirez, they seem to have decided that Dunn represents their best alternative... Dunn also would require no draft-pick compensation because his former team, Arizona, didn't offer him arbitration.

I like his power, but fear his gift at striking out.

Pic Link: The Nasty Boys:

UPDATE:
I also found a website that is running their 2nd Annual Douchie Awards and Brad Penny is in the running for a prize. Penny had emptied out his locker at Dodger Stadium and disappeared without telling a soul before the playoffs started this past October. What a Douche! Go here to check it out and vote.

UPDATE II:
In some additional free agency news, Bobby Abreu appears to be in our sights as well and the Mets are thinking trade for Andruw Jones.

Penny Is No Longer a Dodger

Diamond Leung let's us know that starter Brad Penny will no longer be wearing blue.

The Dodgers declined the $9.25 million option on Brad Penny's contract in 2009, choosing to give him a $2 million buyout instead.

With the exception of this past season, Penny was a great pitcher for us. He won 16 games and was selected to the All-Star team in 2006 and 2007. He was also third in the Cy Young voting in 2007.

Best of all, Brad Penny provided great fodder to us all due to his past relationship with vixen super-blogger Alyssa Milano.

Thank You! This Dodger fan will always be thankful for your service.

Videos: Penny and Torre on Racing

Here are a series of videos featuring an interview with Brad Penny from TVG about the horses.

YouTube Link: tvgnetwork:


YouTube Link: tvgnetwork:

Here is Joe Torre and Penny with TVG talking about horse racing.

YouTube Link: tvgnetwork:

Now Sweet Lou Johnson and Penny talk about Big Brown.

YouTube Link: tvgnetwork:

Gloom

Overall, yesterday was a gloomy day. The sky was filled with clouds. It was chilly- unseasonable cold for a June day in Southern California. The recent weather sure seemed to foreshadow the evenings game, if not the Dodgers past couple of weeks.

I felt fortunate to have tickets. A friend received 4 choice seats from his work. They were easily the best seats I've ever had at Dodger Stadium. We were six rows back in the field section directly behind were Lasorda usually sits. I felt like reaching out to him for consolation.

The Dodgers are cold- Alaska cold. Their pitching has been terrible. Even when they get a quality start their bats turn off. They can't hit a lick, save the occasional outburst. Watching games have been as difficult as watching a political debate. You want to turn it off, but you worry that you might miss something historic.
The Dodgers wasted a decent start from their struggling ace. Brad Penny twisted and turned enough to walk away with giving up only 2 runs. It was a miracle. Unfortunately, they couldn't follow up his performance with offense.

There was a bit of emotion though. As I'm sure most of you know there was a bench-clearing scuffle at the stadium last night. The crowd was forcibly awoken from it's slumber.
Matt Kemp and Yorvit Torrealba pushed, shoved and wrestled to the ground. Torrealba went so far as to give Kemp a little love tap on his chin while holding the ball. There is nothing like getting hit with a loaded hand. The scrum in front of the Rockies bench looked like a rugby match as players lined up on their side and pushed. I believe it was Ken Levine on Dodger Talk last night who said, "we went to a Baseball game and a hockey game broke out."

The game had a sense of hope after the brawl. The crowd was fired up and the Dodgers were only down by two runs. Three outs is more than enough time to catch up. Unfortunately, a solo homerun on the first pitch of the ninth inning by Rockies replacement catcher Chris Iannetta sealed the deal. The Dodgers followed by putting two guys on with DeWitt up to bat with two outs. He fouled out to right as the rightfield leaned over the railing to catch the last out. With that the stadium and the team deflated like a tire that had run over a pile of nails.

Check out the Video below for highlights of the game.

Video Link: Redlasso:

Nice to Get a Victory

Last nights win was a perfect antidote to the lackluster showing our team displayed this weekend against our regional rivals, the Anaheim Angels. I still have not been able to put into words how disappointed I was in those games. It's like being kicked around by a younger sibling after years of being the master of the house. Now the kid is all grown up.

Anyway, beating the Reds has put me at ease. Sure, our starter -our #1 pitcher Brad Penny- did not instill much confidence. He consistently got into trouble by giving up 5 runs on 9 hits while walking 4 batters. Fortunately, Bronson Arroyo was just as bad. He gave 5 runs in 5 innings of work while giving up 9 hits and walking 3. By the time the ninth inning came around the Dodgers and Reds were tied at 5.

At the top of the ninth inning Saito quickly disposed of the Reds- 1, 2, 3. The Reds could not do the same against the Dodgers. In fact, an evening filled with errors and mistakes finally unraveled and doomed the Reds in the ninth inning.

Russell Martin hit a ground ball to the shortstop who threw wildly to first base. The ball sailed into the dugout and Martin ended up at second base. Kent grounded out to the right side of the infield allowing Martin to advance to third base with just one out.

Then, Dusty Baker did something crazy. With Loney and Kemp up next he chose to walk both intentionally to get at Dewitt with the bases loaded. I guess he figured that, given his choices, he was better off facing Dewitt and Hu rather than Loney and Kemp.

Dusty's mistake was our gain. Dewitt had been 5 for 5 in bases loaded situations this season and he did not disappoint. He slapped a single to the left side and Russell Martin walked across the plate easily. Our young hero has certainly been a huge bright spot this season.

Reflections on the First Homestand

What a great week it has been so far. It started early with the Dodgers hosting the Red Sox in an unforgettable game at the LA Coliseum. The parking lot was filled with tailgater's. BBQ's were set up and drinks were plentiful- almost too plentiful. Beer was poured easily from can to cup. To top it off, Kareem Abdul Jabbar threw a commemorative skyhook over the plate. Good Times. Even though the Dodgers lost the game nothing could stain this historic event.

Opening Day continued the magic. Players from the Dodgers past showed up in large numbers to ring in the new season. Our ace, Brad Penny was in top form as he pitched 6+ scoreless innings. Jeff Kent roared back from Spring leg problems to hit a homerun. Saito looked sharp even though he looked terrible in March. The Giants are horrendous as a team. So far the season is turning out just right.

The second game was just as exciting. Larry Bowa displayed a rare fierceness not seen within the confines of Chavez Ravine in many years. For his troubles he was given a 3 game suspension. In his stead, Mariano Duncan became the thirdbase coach and probably had a large hand in the double steal that Dewitt and Hu pulled off in the 7th inning. It eventually led to the Dodgers tying the game. Derek Lowe was shaky in his start, but was still able to scatter 9 hits while giving up only 2 runs. The Dodgers relief staff is looking solid. Who is this Troncoso kid? Then, our new Pee Wee, Delwyn Young, recorded his first hit of the year with a walk-off game-winning infield single to score Furcal in the bottom of the 9th inning. It's good to be undefeated.

The rubber game was a bit of a let down. It was a day of rain, starting pitching confusion and our first loss of the year. Billingsley and Lincecum were scheduled to start, but didn't get into the game until the 4th inning. Both coaches opted to start a relief pitcher with the belief that the rains would be coming shortly after the start of the game. Why ruin the pace of your starters routine when they can come in after a long rain delay. Unfortunately, the rains came later than expected and the coaches were forced to hinder their routine anyway. (Who says Torre is perfect?) Offense was hard to come by as the Dodgers lost a squeaker 2 to 1. Of special note, that Giant pitcher, Lincecum, is impressive.

So what did we learn after just three games.

• Even Torre can make some mistakes.
• Larry Bowa is exactly who he has been billed as.
  
• There's a new Pee Wee in the clubhouse.

Really not that much, eh? I guess it's too early to tell. All I do know, though, is that I can't wait for my first Dodger dog of the season.

Spring in Arizona

Today was a historic moment. The Dodgers played their first cactus league game in Arizona and ended up routing the White Sox 8 to 2. Good Times.

Furcal hit a monstrous homer to left in the third inning while Penny pitched an effective 6 innings. The Dodgers put the game away in the seventh inning when they scored 5 runs on the back of Kemp's three run homerun. Unfortunately, Saito and Broxton looked a bit shaky in their one inning stints, but, for know, I'm not worried. The sun was shinning and the realization that the Dodgers will be just a 5 hour drive away next Spring made me smile a bit. Sure, I'm gonna miss the charm of Dodgertown, but imagine the upside. The Dodgers are closer to home. My hope is that Dodgertown of the West maintains the charm and closeness experienced in Vero Beach.

Check out my photoalbum featring photos from this Spring.

Above is the first pitch of the game, and the first Dodger pitch in Arizona.

Brad Penny pitching in the first inning.

Saito in his windup.

An added bonus to this short Spring trip is that I had a chance to see my first Kings game outside of Southern California tonight. The Phoenix Coyotes have owned the Kings all year, having gone unbeaten in this seasons previous 6 games. As luck would have it, the Kings scrapped a 6 to 5 win in overtime. How about that. Three LA teams win on the same day- the Dodgers, Kings and Lakers.
I'd like to send a special shout out to my Alma Mater. Congratulations to the CSU Fullerton Titans on winning the Big West and on their opportunity to play in the big show against Wisconsin. Unfortunately, their Cinderella bid ended before it could really start, but, as we Dodger fans know, championship teams aren't built overnight. It must be nurtured and built from the ground up and it seems the Titans are working on doing that. Maybe someday soon Fullerton will be known for more than their Baseball program.

Check out some more pics from the hockey game in my photoalbum.

Weekly Blog Kiosk 3/9/2008

This weeks favorite places to visit.

• Peggy has some great photos from Spring Training 2008.

• Mark Timmons of LA Dodger Talk is headed for Vero. I can't wait to see your pics.
  
• Cardboard Junkie reminds me of a book I've been meaning to read: Ball Four. Does anyone else have a Spring ritual like his?
• Dodger Sims studies Dodger steals.

  Ok, now what does all of this tell us. It says that Juan Pierre's base stealing exploits were worth nearly 6.8 runs or 0.648 wins last year. So while Juan Pierre is about 0.21 wins below "replacement level" as a left fielder his base running abilities are the only thing keeping him in the league.

• tagvestibule captures Don Mattingly.
• The Dodger blogroll just gets bigger. I've added Young Sports, Rockin' the Ravine and Guo Mania.
  
• Check out the Dodger podcast from the Tivens Brothers.
  
• Roberto lets us know about a Steve Garvey signing event in Southern California in April.
  
• NASA photographed, for the first time, an avalanche on Mars. This NASA website is one of my all time favorites. Go around and explore. They have a ton of really great videos.

BP's 2007 Internet Baseball Awards

Baseball Prospectus just released their 16th annual 2007 Internet Baseball Awards. Over 1,400 fans participated in online voting. As you might have expected no Dodger made the top of the list, but we do have some notables worth mentioning.

Brad Penny had his best year as a Dodger. He won 16 games with only 4 losses, and his ERA was at 3.03. He ended up third on BP's NL Cy Young voting. Takashi Saito was the highest ranking reliever at #12 as he continued to impress the league with a 1.40 ERA, 39 saves and 78 strike outs versus only 13 walks in 64 innings.

In Rookie of the Year voting James Loney came in at 7th place. If given a chance to play all year he could very well have won this race. He hit .331 with 67 RBI's and 15 homeruns in just 344 at-bats. He has solidified his position as the Dodgers first baseman of the future, and, I suspect, will only get better. I believe several Gold Gloves and batting titles will follow this young man.

In spite of the recent turmoil currently embroiling management we have a lot to look forward to. All three gentleman above will be in Blue next season and, hopefully, for much longer than that.

Story Link: BP: