Dr. Jobe and the Honeymooners
In baseball, the term "honeymoon" usually refers to a new GM or manager who has a grace period after their hiring before fans start to get antsy. Today, I saw something that brought the true meaning of honeymoon to Dodgertown.
Waiting outside the Dodger clubhouse where the fans usually hang out for autographs were Tim and Danielle Monteath of Atascadero, CA. The couple was wearing Dodger jerseys and Mickey Mouse ears that had a top hat and a bride’s veil. They got married on Saturday and Tim, a lifelong Dodger fan, convinced his new bride to come to Vero Beach as part of their honeymoon. We posted a picture of them in today’s photo gallery and I brought them over to the clubhouse where they got a chance to get a close up look at the the players as they headed out to the field. Congratulations to the bride and groom!
Also, for those of you in Vero, there will be an intrasquad game on Tuesday so feel free to drop by. Here’s how the pitching lines up for the first few days of spring:
Tuesday intrasquad: Penny, Park, Kuo
Wednesday simulated game: Lowe and Stults
Thursday home opener: Billingsley and Jason Johnson
Friday on ESPN: Kuroda and Loaiza
To answer the two questions posed in the comments – there are lots of ghost stories from Dodger Stadium and I’m afraid I don’t know all of them. However, there’s supposedly a lady in a red dress who walks around the Top Deck late at night…or at least that’s what a security guard once told me.
And the Star on the Walk of Fame ceremony has been rescheduled for June 20. You’re right, it was originally on the docket in February but due to the passing of Johnny Grant, among other things, we decided to postpone the event. As a matter of fact, we were scheduled to have lunch with Johnny the day he passed, which was obviously quite a shock to everyone who knew him.
And finally, on a much happier note, I’m saving the best news for last, as Dr. Frank Jobe was named Special Advisor to the Chairman today in a well deserved promotion. This man certainly belongs in the Hall of Fame and he has changed the lives of so many baseball players over the years, it’s hard to fathom. We wish him a very hearty congratulations.
Inside the Dodgers 
Thanks for the update Josh. I really like the story on the honeymoon couple. I wished I could have convinced my wife to honeymoon in Vero. Congratulations to Dr. jobe.
I knew it! I will ask around this season and find out what they know. Thank you!
Dr Frank Jobe is one of those people, when you read he’s not in the HOF you’re surprised. The “Tommy John” surgery could have just as well been called the “Dr. Frank Jobe” surgery. It proberbly wasn’t because John was more well known at the time but since then Jobe’s name comes everywhere. I’m sure we’re all familiar with him.****I’m wondering if Furcal is thinking of having an extention(boy-that’ll worry some people)since Andruw is here.****I’ve been thinking of when the Giants signed Bonds. It was a different ownership. It was a group that included Mike Piazza’s father that was rejected by the commissioner but the Jints(BOO) were allowed to keep him. Remember that? The rest is history PEDs or no PEDs. What made me think of that?>>Andruw Jones. *****I like how Torre is working with 3rd base. It looks like he wants to see what developes before making a decision. Smart. But it looks like he’s hoping for Nomar to sub & pinch hit and Andy at 3rd. I think there’s a way Double Switching could help Mr.T with the outfield.
Ok, so I have to brag about my recent honeymoon. I’m a lifelong Dodger fan who grew up in the east and saw the Dodgers on the road when I could (very rarely). I made several trips down to Vero Beach as a single guy, but I had never been to Dodger Stadium. I got engaged last year and we were planning a honeymoon to the San Francisco area. My future wife, who doesn’t follow baseball at all, said that if we are in California we needed to go to a Dodger game. I didn’t put up much of a fight, the Dodgers happened to be at home, and we had a great time wearing our Bride and Groom Dodger jerseys and seeing our names on the scoreboard (surprise treat from our family). And now for our six-month anniversary we’re heading down to Dodgertown! I explained that it’s now or never for one last trip to Vero and I did promise that our next vacation will not be Dodger-related.
“…there’s supposedly a lady in a red dress who walks around the Top Deck late at night…”
Laraine Day? (Naw, she’d probably haunt Ebbets.)
Maybe Carolyn Hughes. Wait, was the dress by Touch? It’s Alyssa Milano!
From Gurnick:
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080221&content_id=2383044&vkey=spt2008news&fext=.jsp&c_id=la
“I’ve been wanting to see Loney swing a bat, so I camped out in one spot, and I was very impressed with the ease with which he swings it,” said Torre. “He has good coverage and doesn’t have to hit to one field. Good stuff.”
In that hitting group was Kemp and Garciaparra, and Torre mentioned Kemp’s power.
“There are guys who hit the ball in the air and it doesn’t come down,” said Torre. “You think he missed it, but the ball carries. It will be fun watching his game.”
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Every day in RF Joe. Please, every day.
Loazia won’t go to the pen, Pierre won’t be happy as a 4th OF and Nomar won;t be happy as a utility guy…
As the dodgers turn…
But based on the few words Garciaparra said on the subject Thursday, it appears that because of that experience — 11-plus major league seasons and a lifetime as an everyday player — he would have more trouble accepting the transition than one of the up-and-comers in the Dodgers’ camp.
“I’ve never liked it,” Garciaparra said of the idea of not playing every day. “I don’t even think about it. I’m not even worried about it.”
Nice to see the so-called “veteran leadership” is stepping forward…
Like it or not, at this point in his career, Nomar IS a utility player. Looking at it from a purely baseball standpoint, he can play the infield (probably even 2B in a pinch). He’s a first pitch hacker, which makes him a prototype pinch hitter. And at least once or twice a year he goes on the DL. Couple all those things with the fact that him starting is holding back someone younger, stronger and better suited to the position. Torre needs to sell him on the fact that he’ll still get 250-300 ABs as a roll player and be around all year as opposed to 250-300 ABs starting and breaking down like he always does. Pride is one thing, good baseball is something else (not that I wouldn’t react the same way if I was still in my 30s.)
Even I won’t beat the dead horse today…
Loaiza – hey, go out there this spring and wow me into making you the 5th starter, or open some other GMs eyes and we’ll work a deal.
Another possibility with these guys is instead of taking on excess baggage at the trade deadline, let’s lose some for a change. A few extra draft picks or prospects wouldn’t hurt.
Looking forward to seeing Loney and Kemp on a daily basis this year…
I hope they put Nomar, Loaiza, Pierre, and Kent together in one corner of the clubhouse. We’ll call it Boo-Hoo corner. I will be happy when they are all gone.
I don’t blame any of those guys for wanting to start, that’s what makes them Pros..it’s just like if I was Torre I would be thinking, gee thanks Ned.
Good stuff..
VORP is value over replacement player (0)
Starting Pitcher: Hiroki Kuroda, Dodgers, 23.3 Projected VORP. As it was last year, the starting pitcher with the best PECOTA is a Japanese import, albeit a less-heralded one than Daisuke Matsuzaka was. Adding Kuroda gives the Dodgers something that no other team in the National League has: four starting pitchers with a PECOTA-projected VORP over 20.0. True, they’re all scores in the low 20s, but it beats the alternative. Chad Billingsley is highest at 23.7, followed by Kuroda; Derek Lowe is next at 21.0, followed closely by Brad Penny at 20.9. A healthier Jason Schmidt would certainly project that high as well. Only one other team has four equally promising starters in their stable, that being Boston with Josh Beckett (44.6), Daisuke Matsuzaka (34.9), Clay Buchholz (22.8), and Curt Schilling (20.2), although Buchholz is behind John Lester and Tim Wakefield on the depth chart.
Saw an earlier quote from Nomar indicating he wouldn’t be against the utility slot.Enchanted has already shown all the reasons Nomar would be great as a super-sub. Thinking about it the last couple of days, I think he could be more valuable there than as a healthy everyday 3B. Here’s hoping Laroche can win the job and keep it. It’ll be up tp Torre and Ned to get Nomar over any remaining doubts.
knouf – the trouble’s going to be if LR gets off to one of his typically slow starts – going to take a lot of restraint on Torre’s part to let him struggle through it and not fall back on the veteran. Sights and expectations are already [probably too] high on Loney and Kemp. I’d be happy with LR putting up Ron Cey type first year numbers (.245/15/80), though I know LR can do better in the avg. deptartment.
Far as Loaiza goes, this should be Torre’s attitude – show me what you CAN do instead of telling me what you’ll not. Put up a good spring, then we’ll look at the 5th spot objectively between you, Schmidt and Kuo (assuming they’re both healthy enough to start.) If you don’t win, you go to the pen unless we can find a suitor, but the whole point’s moot if we don’t get anything better than what got out of you last year.
Here’s a new Times article repeatedly listing Kemp as a “25 year old”…even though his DOB is 9/23/84…typical sloppy reporting. Pretty big difference idiots!
http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-dodrep23feb23,1,7363313.story?track=rss
I actually saw Dr. Jobe for a consultation before I underwent Tommy John surgery (he didn’t perform the surgery, there was a loooong waiting list for that) and it’s great to see him recognized. The surgery really changed my life, and now I have a functional elbow and great scar to show off that any baseball fan would be proud of.
scott – LOL. Especially when the article touches on the “generational rift in the Dodgers clubhouse last season”. And check out this line: “Kemp, the 25-year-old right fielder with a reputation for being cocky and a knack for making mistakes…” – mistakes like getting the guy’s age wrong? Pay attention Alanis, that actually is ironic.
Nomar on the bench is valuable. He can be both Olmedo (right-handed PH) and Ramon Martinez (utility IF) while occupying only one roster spot. As previously mentioned, I wouldn’t mind watching Nomar’s hacktastic batting approach when PHing against hard-throwing closers and setup-guys who often are just trying to blow fastballs by batters.
Nomar vs. Mariano Rivera, career: .364/.364/.545/.909
(OK, only 22 PAs – small sample size – and I’m cherry-picking the stat now…)
To me, Kemp has a reputation of knocking the cover off the ball and being an aggressive base runner who shook off the advice of a 3B coach who once got 2 guys thrown out at home on the same play…Hopefully, Bowa will be an improvement.
Let’s not forget what a terrible base runner Jeff Kent was last year despite being a wise ol’ veteran.
Fogey~
Nomar is perfect for that role.
enchanted- I think it would depend on how well the team was doing if LaRoche got off to a slow start. A winning team can afford to be patient with someone with ability. And I would definitely settle for another Ron Cey.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AsDlDes.c_Sf6FpsuKVhATUd0bYF?slug=ap-dodgers-garciaparra&prov=ap&type=lgns
Read this article, I think its a bit clearer. It seems Nomar has the right attitude. He wants to start but who can blame him? I think he handled the move to 3rd last year with alot of class. I think eventually the best player between the two will rise to the challenge. Look at what happened last year with Loney, they put alot of road blocks in front of him, but he eventually earned the starting spot because he has the talent. I think if LaRoche is truly the player we hope he is, eventually he will start. I just hope they don’t wait so long when its so obvious (like last year).
We got our first legitimate snowfall today here in Brooklyn. We still got some more time left in February, usually our snowiest month, then there is crazy March. It will be fun watching ST games on MLB-TV, maybe in a snow storm. I enjoyed reading how Kemp & Jones are getting along add Raffy and I guess they hang out together. I was commenting on that Dodger Thoughts thread on Bill James, last night. When I was making my broken lineup I got quite a sansation typing in names like Loney, Martin, Kemp, Jones, Kent etc,,etc,, I don’t know what it was but I felt very confident. I think it’s going to be an exciting year. Anybody read about Meatloaf? No not the singer, a cat who crawled into a storage container in Florida and emerged in Arizona. Maybe it’s not that big a distance. Man with Jones in center and Kemp in right, those are two big guys. That should make up for that crowd in left. I’m glad that Nomar is understanding that situation at Billy Cox & Ron Cey’s old spot. DY back in the infield. Even though it’s at second he should keep an eye on third IMO.
In fact, DY is now working at 3B:
http://www.insidesocal.com/dodgers/
For some guys 3B is easier than 2B – no DP pivot, more pure reaction plays – as long as they have the arm; I think DY’s arm is good enough.
DY at 3B is also in Gurnick’s article, which is more notable for the Russell Martin playing main portion, but here is the DY part:
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080222&content_id=2385045&vkey=spt2008news&fext=.jsp&c_id=la
Another player out of options, outfielder Delwyn Young, will soon add third base to his ever-growing resume of positions. He’s been taking ground balls this week at second base, where he hasn’t played since 2005.
“We want to make him — as Yogi [Berra] would say — make him necessary,” said Torre. “He’s willing to do it. [Infield coach Larry] Bowa has talked about him at third. Especially with a guy who can hit like him at the corners, we want to get him back in the infield mix.”
all in all very good quotes today on everyone…Let’s just hope everyone stays healthy…
best one so far:
New Dodgers manager Joe Torre sees potential in LaRoche.
“He has some tools,” Torre said. “He is a third baseman that can catch it and throw it. He has a good, true arm, and he has a good approach with the bat.”
Yesterday was a pleasantly positive posting day…it was light traffice but not the same old story line.
Why Dr Jobe has not been put in the HOF is not even fathomable! He literally changed future generations of ballplayers by giving them a new lease on life. Before Tommy John any elbow injury was the kiss of death and now they pitch afterwards and sometimes throw harder. No excuse to the Vet committee or the writers for not putting where he belongs.
Nice article on the Minor League camp prospects.
One player the organization is eager to see develop is Franklin Jacobs, a right-handed hitting first baseman from North Carolina. He’s 19, 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds and, according to assistant general manager Logan White, “has ungodly power.”
Jacobs was a 17th-round pick in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft who gave up football and basketball to pursue a professional baseball career. He hit .250 with two homers in 96 at-bats last year in the Gulf Coast League.
I was able to see him take BP last year and if you are familiar with Dodgertown Field 2 has the stream behind it and in 8 swings 6 went over it. It was unbelievable to watch. Awesome power, will he be the next David Ortiz or the next Sam Horn?
this one is rad…
“We all know Kemp has certainly been trumpeted as this heir apparent and the guy who has a big upside,” Torre said. “All those things are true. But there are certain nuances and subtleties in this game that you get when you’re older. Andruw was young at one time. You watched him mature. What we all try to do is to give the young players the benefit of our experience.”
I think that lady in the Red Dress that walked around the Top Deck at night at Dodger Stadium was Alysis Milano. If I’m right you won’t be seeing her anymore up there because she’s back on her blog. I don’t think Russell’ll be sitting for a day game after a night game since Torre is giving him enough rest. Kuo looks like a long(early innings) reliever to me unless somebody is lost in the rotation. I hope DY gets plenty of playing time. Good move, dispite his defense, putting him to work around 3rd base. This kid who looked so good last year at the plate is a better option than Nomar to take 3rd if Andy still can’t find the handle. He may even help T.Abreu back up Kent. Annnnd if necessary could still look back at the outfield. I think it’s good he’s out of options and the Dem Bums have him pretty busy. That’s the advantage of being a right handed fielded, Pierre. They must think John Lindsey’s an ex N.Y. mayor the way they treaded him. He may even be a power hitter against us, some day. Congrats to the Repkos on their baby boy. LET’S GO YA BUMS.
I was really wanting the Dodgers to sign Torii Hunter for the leadership skills, but maybe Andruw will prove to be the one to take a couple of the young guys under his wing. Very encouraging.
I’m encouraged by the Ds grooming DY to become the next “super-sub.” Seems he may not have all the tools to be an everyday kind of player, but has enough stick to need to find ways for him to use it, and would be a better than adequate fill-in for someone on the DL. May not see too many reps this season with Nomar and JP/Ethier ahead of him on the depth chart, but ’09 could see him assume Nomar’s [expected] ’08 roll, and presumably be the 4th OF as well (assuming the current OF situation resolves itself by trading away one its members at some point in time.)
Things look to be shaping up most interestingly…
The way I see it, if Delwyn hitting last season, with the Dodgers doesn’t prove to be a fluke there is no reason to figure he can’t get a starting rule. Many times players like him end up in the starting lineup. How it will happen, nobody knows.
http://www.sportshubla.com/2008/02/21/the-dodgers-arrive-in-vero-and-other-spring-training-noise/
http://www.sportshubla.com/2008/02/23/dodger-decisions/
Good site and great read. Enjoy!! GO DODGERS!!
When Pierre comes to the plate I feel like I have to psych myself into thinking of him as a middle infielder. I’m so use to thinking of a guy who bunts, runs, steals, or takes an extra base as a guy who plays shortstop or second base fielding ground balls and making the double plays. I almost have to tell myself that Kent is an outfielder since he does all the things that you would expect of one when he comes to the plate. I have to make a switch in my head and tell myself it evens out. It’s not easy to do but it’s a lot harder when they go back on the field. Sometimes I wonder if others feel the same way. I hope the starting pitchers could average 6+ on their outtings. I hope Schmiddy doesn’t shows us that he hasn’t improved. I always felt that our bullpen is the best part of this team. I just read that Koufax said that Dodger fans from N.Y. are no longer with us. He’s absolutely right. Most of these kids around here weren’t even born when they left. Gone are even the Dodger & O’Malley haters for they were the last of the breed. There may be very few left of us who still honor the D O D G E R S
Those who we say are gone, if you are out there please let us know.
(Hypothetical) 2 outs in the ninth. Down a run. Seems like a time where you say ok come on Pierre get on and get into scoring position..seems like a time where you say, if Pierre can get on, he has speed, can steal, all those things he does well, this is his game..this is why we got him. U sweat it out… So let’s take a look..We will use the baseline numbers of previous 843 Plate apperances….(u will see why soon)
**Juan Pierre will result in..(this is fact people, not bashing)-36 times he will hit the ball and end up in scoring position..1 time he will win the game with a home run…In any case out of 100 times, he will reach base 32 times to extend the inning.
**Andre Ethier in same 843 trips to plate (his career total, Juan Pierre 2007+ Sept 2006 total)-85 times he gets to 2nd or better…24 times he wins the game with a home run…35 out of 100 he gets on to extend the inning.
jungar – I think your scenario is where “pinch runner” Pierre becomes valuable after E gets on.
As I said awhile back, if they use JP smartly in situations where they’ve set him up for success instead of failure (in otherwords, picking his spots), he can be a valuable member of this team.
I understand he’s working on his bunting, but I thought that was a skill he pretty well had mastered. What Wills should be working on is getting the most out of his speed – meaning chopping at the ball and grounding it the other way where his speed truely becomes an asset. Nothing wrong with several “Baltimore Chop” hits – anything to take advantage of his one true gift. He hits far too many pop-ups and weak flies as it stands now.