Day One, Spring Training
Day One, Spring Training
"The one constant through all the years…has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it’s a part of our past. … It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh… people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come."
— James Earl Jones, Field of Dreams
Today the Dodgers are launching a team blog which will be called, "Inside the Dodgers." It is our sincere hope that much like the cornfields in Iowa, "if we build it, you will come."
As many of you may know, the White Sox began a blog midway though the 2005 season and look how it turned out for them! The Rangers followed suit and as the Director of Public Relations of the Dodgers, I will be joining several other members of our team in bringing you the ins and outs and ups and downs of Dodger baseball in 2006. Among the contributors will be myself (Josh Rawitch), team historian Mark Langill and Vice President of Player Development and Scouting Roy Smith, who will all be giving our fans a taste of what goes on behind the scenes at the Dodgers.
So on this, the first day of Spring Training, I am posting this entry from my office at Dodgertown, where the first Grapefruit League game takes place in just 15 days. We’ve already seen most of the pitchers and catchers who are reporting today, as well as several position players like Nomar Garciaparra, Jayson Werth and Willy Aybar.
Check back often, as we’ll be updating the blog daily throughout Spring Training and the regular season, and please ask questions and give us your input. While we might not be able to reply to every single comment, we want to keep this blog as interactive as possible.
Inside the Dodgers 
Looking forward to your blog and looking forward to “Our Dodgers” winning the NL West this year.
Congrats on the launch, Josh – here’s hoping we get a great community going among of those of us bleeding Dodger Blue year-round.
Glad you guys have a place for the fans to talk with official brass of the LAD. Who exactly will be reading this blog from the front office?
Dear Josh,
Thanks to you, Mark and Roy for taking the time to keep us loyal fans updated. A blog is not only a great way to keep us up to date, but also a great way for the fans to connect with each other. I hope you’ll be able to post some photos as well!
All the best,
Su-Kim
This is great Josh… looking forward to some great insights from the Dodger camp!
I love it! This blog certainly seems like a great way to keep the true blue fans more connected to the ins and outs of the Dodger organization. And I second the other posters who are wishing for some photos from spring training- seeing them really gets us hyped!
Looking forward to a healthy and exciting year from our boys in blue.
Another great quote: It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone.
Unfortunately for you Dodgers fans, the Giants are about to win the season series for the second year in a row, along with the division. With such an injury prone offense (Izturis, Garciaparra, Drew, etc.) and a questionable bullpen (who knows how Gagne will be after surgery?)and a slightly inferior starting rotation to the black and orange, I fully expect the Giants to overcome the Dodgers by the end of the season.
That said, best of luck to you guys this year. Here’s to the feud, and may be the best team win (which, unfortunately for you, is the Giants).
This blog makes me extremely happy to be a Dodgers Fan. Here’s to Barry not lasting half the season and J.D. and Nomar being healthy for at least 140 games each.
GO BLUE.
I always thought that Yankee fans were the rudest and ugliest – boy did a Dodgers vs. Giants game prove me wrong! … And Eric’s post proves it!
I’m sure there are normal, respectful, human-like Giants fans out there, but at the game I attended they were loud, rude, stupid, obnoxious, disrespectful and drunker than I ever would have imagined possible on Miller Lite. Some of the loudest cheering was elicited whenever a Giants fan was ejected from Dodgers stadium.
Hey, Eric, the Dodgers may be injury-prone, but at least we still have a chance when one of our guys goes down…
…unlike the Giants who disintegrate if Bonds isn’t in the lineup. 😉
But best of luck to you guys, too, as the other half of the best rivalry in baseball.*
(*Some people claim it’s the Red Sox/Yankees, but that wasn’t a rivalry — that was ownership. 😉
a suggestion:
terry collins should be a contributor with a weekly down on the farm report. Or if roy smith wants to do that, he can do that. But a dodger prospect report on this blog should be crucial.
This is a fantastic idea and I hope that all of the fans use it as a great forum and not as a reactionary trough for malcontents. Go Blue!
As I sit here on my Authentic Dodger Stadium Seats, I am so looking forward to the new season. As of now we are undefeated. Good luck to the new Dodgers and let’s get behind the new Dodgers and root them into October.
what a great day. been waiting for this day since oct 3rd. looking forward to checking this out. sounds like a great idea. I am so ready to start this season. april 3rd cant get here soon enough
hey, are you guys gonna be talking to any prospects?.. i would love it if they could somehow be involved
Here’s the first official post from a Dodger fan in Arizona…
Go Dodgers!
Gerry
I’m real excited about this site!! Can’t wait for the season to begin!! Nothing left in the hoops season after the HORRIFIC exhibition by the Lakers tonight. The Lakers need a GM like Colletti; someone who makes bold, exciting moves to improve the team. It’ll be a great ’06!!
Giants ****!
Go Dodgers!! I can just about guarantee that Bonds has reinjured that knee… (trust me, i know) Dodgers will dominate! .. Think Blue*
The Dodgers still need another outfielder and maybe a pitcher. Do you think any of these players will be aquired before opening day?
This is Great! I love having another way to stay connected with the Dodgers. Looking forward to a Great year. Is it April yet ?
Thanks! This is wonderful. Can’t wait for that first Grapefruit league game. I’ll be there on April 3rd to launch a new and successful season! And I’ll be here as often as I can.
This will be a great season for our Boys In Blue! Unlike the Halloween costume color wearing team from the Bay, we don’t need to rely on an old, washed up, has been on steriods. Oops, sorry, “flaxseed oil”. I can’t wait to hear those timeless words uttered every spring….”PLAY BALL!” GO DODGERS!!
What a great idea!! I’m sure happy spring training has begun and we can start talking baseball again, the True American Sport. As Vin Scully says “It’s time for Dodger baseball”
Hey Josh,
What a great idea to start a blog for all the Dodger fans. I will be telling everyone I know in the San Fernando valley who is a Dodger fan to log in and check this out! Good luck this year and have fun in Florida
As a Dodger fan living in Atlanta longing for Blue Bleeders, this is awesome. I can see them once a year and almost never on t.v. so I would love to hear from the locals. Go Blue….Giants ****!
mcleanbr, try mlb tv for the year. you wont be dissapointed and you can catch all the games all year! here’s to a great year!
Dodger Blog – Very cool! What I especially like is that I get to read the articles/blog entries by people I’ve only read about — Josh Rawitch, Roy Smith…can’t wait to see what Ned Colleti has to say.
HI Mark, Congratulation on the new blog. This is something great where the fans can comunicate with the people close to the org. I hope to see you in Vero on the 5th. I will be there