I'm Going to Disneyworld…
Actually, I’m not really going to Disneyworld. I’ll be here in Vero working throughout the day to catch up while the team is in Orlando for the game. But we’ll be on ESPN at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET, with Hiroki Kuroda making his much anticipated Dodger debut. We’re expecting tons of Japanese media on site and I know Joe Torre is slated to be interviewed from the dugout during the game.
Thanks to all of you for the kind words. With the new role, I’ll still operate the blog on a regular basis, but as I mentioned in yesterday’s post, we’ll be adding more contributors so that it’s truly "Inside the Dodgers," not "Inside the PR and Broadcasting Departments of the Dodgers." So keep the questions coming for Ned and we’ll post answers for you regularly.
As for the question about tomorrow’s on-sale date for Coliseum and single-game tickets, here’s all the info you need.
Here’s the lineup in Orlando:
Furcal, SS
Ethier, LF
Kemp, RF
Loney, 1B
LaRoche, 3B
Repko, CF
Bennett, C
Martinez, SS
Kuroda, P
Inside the Dodgers 
First spring training game and the LA Times talks about base running. Keep going 2 for 3 Kemp that will shut them up! I love the line up I hope these guys stay productive to force Torre’s hand and keep these guys in the middle. Jeff Kent is NOT a big league clean up hitter I’ll take him as our seventh hitter.
OK, now this is a decent lineup – even though Martinez is a worthless hitter. Should be fun.
Wait, Martinez should be listed as 2B.
Now this is a great lineup. Thanks for all you do Josh, we LOVE the site. Looking forward to see Kuroda’s stuff today.
I’m more looking forward to seeing Greg Miller pitch (never seen him). Let’s hope he has some command today.
Can’t wait to see that two shortstop defensive alignment! What a great spring game to be on the tube with Kuroda and Miller on the hill. Love 1-4 in the batting order. I would love to see that on opening day!! For 5-8 in the order I’d like to see Jones, Martin, Kent, LaRoche. Not holding my breath…
I just don’t get how players like Kemp and Repko could get to this level with “uncontrolled aggression” that leads them to make mistakes like running to an occupied base, running full out to score after the game is over or crashing into a wall on a play in which there is no chance of catching the ball. Are they really just athletic “animals” who play as if they have no brain? I may be old school, but I remember that even in Little League and Babe Ruth league, I was always thinking about what I would do if something happened before each pitch, both on offense and defense.
I really hope that Torre and Bowa come through and put an end to such incredible stupidity on the part of highly paid professional players. While I appreciate the pure athleticism of these guys, I would like to see them using their brains a little more. Fighter pilots call it “situational awareness” and that concept applies to baseball players as well.
Lighten up, Francis
You need to get a life if you’re complaining about Repko running home yesterday. Who CARES? We won.
WOW luke such anger, lets not forget this is ST not opening day of the 08 regular season! lol
Hey question for NED?:
First of all great job with the way you handled the job of GM this offseason, i think you did an exceptional job with the acquisition of Jones and Kuroda without letting go of the kids. Now onto the question, we all know the logjam is a somewhat problem but if a trade is necessary, wether it be Pierre or Ethier, what would you be looking for in return? Pitching, Fielder, Relief etc..
For those that gave Torre a piece of their mind yesterday about his lineup, lets not forget its ST and if this is not your first ST then you should know that the lineup will continue to change daily especially with a new manager! SO GET USED TO IT!!
What’s with Larry Bowa saying he’s not going to wear the helmet. I say we get rid of the guy. That’s not the way you’re supposed to start out in a new job. Send the whiner back to new york. We don’t need to put up with that **** from a lousy third base coach. This guy needs to learn some respect or stay home.
CZRUSSELL, I agree completely about Bowa. Why should baserunners listen to Bowa when Bowa won’t listen to MLB rules himself? What kind of example is that supposed to set? Plus the excuses Bowa was coming up with, like why don’t umpires have to wear them too are just pathetic. Hey Larry, here’s the answer: Coaches are much closer to the batted balls and have far less time to get out of the way. So Torre/Ned/Frank either needs to get Bowa to shut up and put the **** helmet on or check to see if Rich Donnelly will come back.
Larry, get off your high horse. Shut up, put the helmet on and set a good example for the kids.
elf,
I don’t want Donnelly back – helmet or not…
Bowa doesn’t have to like the rules, but he needs to abide by them like everyone else as long as that’s the rule.
Bad example so far, Bowa, and don’t forget that we kicked the **** out of your Phillies in the 70’s when it mattered!
i think larry is right.
i wouldn’t wear a helmet either…i think that it is stupid. you should be able to get out of the way of a baseball or bat or watever coming your way. of all the years of baseball..someone did…once? thats it. high school, college, minors,and majors…one time! its stupid to make them wear helmets!
*died
1-0 Dodgers
La Roche doubled home Kemp.
Bloaiza picking right up where he left off last year.
Loaiza is just another example of Ned’s expensive panic moves. Hopefully we don’t have to keep him on the roster for the season just because Ned screwed up again. It also looks to me like Miller doesn’t belong anywhere near a major league roster, and he should not even rate among the top prospects.
Come on Kuo!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry, I mistook Miller for Riley, who’s the one being beat around. Never heard of Riley.
messagebear…
Agree about Loiaza, and whoever is pitching after him…Except for Kuroda, the pitching looks awful…and it seems we have another back up catcher who won’t hit…I hope our lineup can produce…but my main concern is no left handed starter in our rotation..BIG MISTAKE in my mind..
Doors open Mr Kuo or Mr Stults.
Both Miller and Riley have been awful this inning. But it’s not as if they’re going to be anywhere near the roster this season. Kuroda looked very good, which is the only thing that matters in this game. Road spring training games are pretty much worthless, you only need to bring 4 regulars.
Ethier didn’t get a hit….where’s all the smack talk that JP gets?
I’m not saying I don’t like Andre, let’s jsut be fair.
Yes, the bright side is that Kuroda looked real good. That’s of considerably more value than Miller and Riley, who probably will never see Dodger Stadium unless they buy a ticket.
Boys I am afraid Greg Miller will never recover. He cannot get his confidence back. I wonder if he has been to a sports pyshciatrist? It is a shame because he was headed for stardom before the injury. It does not seem as if we have had a whole lot of luck over the last 20 years with pitchers. Dan Opperman, Kiki Jones, Jamie McAndrews, a kid named Walden, Greg Miller, and this is from memory. I am hoping that Kershaw, Elbert (get healthy) will reverse this trend.
I knew that Loaiza was a bad sign last year and I want to think that he will bounce back, but as bad as some of you think Pierre is, if we have to watch Loaiza pitch you will not be a happy camper. Please release him now before he becomes the next trigger. For his own mercy and I do not want to develop into a negative blogger.
Old_fogey,
I wish I would have listen to you. I ended up going to bed around 1:30ish. Coupled that with someone messing with my alarm clock, I missed the first two trains to work but all is well, we got Dodger baseball on TV! -Emma
i dont really think the red numbers on the front ruin the jersey, i just think that it is kinda random lol. i always just wondered where they started that tradition. thanks for the story old fogey!
i still wish that they would wear blue alternate jerseys once in a while…i mean they are dodger blue…the only other team that doesnt wear alternate jerseys our the yankees, but they are famous for their pinstrips. the dodgers used to wear some blue jerseys, now they havent for the past couple years…i just think that they were pretty sick
Josh,
Just out of curiosity… with the Dodgers moving their spring training site to Arizona does that mean you will be able to broadcast more spring games on tv?
OK, I’m willing to give Loaiza one more outing before he goes by his DH name – Buttermilk (Dale Evans’ horse.) That was awful.
Tough outting for Miller – I agree with you dodgerboy.
Let’s hope Schmidt’s arm isn’t really dead, and that Kuo keeps his recovery moving forward…
Randy please do not conjure up the spirits…let sleeping dogs sleep. Please.
I had a load of trouble trying to sign in yesterday, so I want to send a belated thank you to Alex for doing the play-by-play again. I had school yesterday, and didn’t get home til the 7th, so it was nice to be caught up as soon as I walked through the door.
Today’s game was alright by me. Kuroda did well, looks like we got another ground-ball pitcher, which will be good as long as the D can turn those grounders into outs. I was disappointed in Loaiza’s performance, hoping he would’ve come back stronger, but there’s still the rest of spring.
It was the second-stringers that let the fake game get away, and we got the only run in the first two innings, when it matters in Spring Training. Not a lot of pop off the lumber, but you have to think it’d be a different story if Russ and Andruw had made the trip.
esteban “batting practice” loaiza. kuroda looked great with all those ground ball outs today, which was very intriguing. can’t wait to see andruw start getting hot!……and how he catches balls with his eyes closed. do you guys notice that? pretty cool, but he’s just asking for a tongue lashing.
I just hope everyone stays healthy….
swood – I post at Dodger Thoughts under two names: jasonungar07 and swood. 😉
I’m not going to get excited or agitated over two ST games and what happens. Heck, Johan Santana got knocked around a little today too. Loaiza claimed to be working on some mechanics. In ST, the exact results don’t matter much – a seeing-eye single means less than a smoked liner into a glove.
I liked that Torre said LaRoche looked “comfortable” out there when so many writers said he looked “overwhelmed” last season.
Diamond Leung, I think, wrote that Bowa really likes Repko. That doesn’t surprise me.
Speaking of Bowa, he needs to shut the heck up about helmets. As elforman pointed out above, he’s the kind of guy that expects the players to do what he says, so he’d better set the example and do what he’s told by his superiors.
Why aren’t all the Pierre haters jumping on Ethier for not getting a hit, as well as running off the field thinking there were 3 outs when there were only 2. Dude’s got to get his head in the game…
Actually it was Kemp who was ready to run off the field after two outs. I’m also perfectly satisfied if the ST competition between Pierre and Ethier determines who starts in LF, or let’s even include Kemp in that scenario. Let’s just make that playing field level, however, without giving Pierre and his big contract an advantage in making that “best player should start” decision off the ST performance.
Randy and Edwcarter,
Ethier wasn’t great today, but he is still a better choice than Pierre in the long run. Perhaps if Pierre would have made the trip and had some at bats to compare it to we would have more to say. There is a lot of spring to go. We will see. I would still take Ethier/Young/Repko over Phewerre everyday and twice on Sundays.
WOW! I wish all loses could feel like this even when you get trounced. One good thing___IT DON’T COUNT___Kuroda made it look easy but as it seems we always show our worst on National T.V. *****Ethier, Repko & Kemp..The way it could’ve been. Should’ve? Maybove. *****Did you really expect them to win without Pierre?…lol I repeat: lol. *****I know I keep saying how disappointed I am in the missing Brooklyn guys from the “Good Bye” to Vero. Remember were we came from when we first went there in 1 9 4 8. *****Anyway Brooklyn’s having more problems…we never get a break… The new crowned Miss Brooklyn is not from here. Reason=Not enough candidates. Maybe that’s the problem in the “farewell” to Dodgertown. Can Chan Ho Park be our “El Duque” the Mets 5th starter? *****Pray for Bobby Murcer.*****Bowa’s right the helmets should be “grandfathered” in. For the major league coaches, it should be up to their disgression.*****I don’t like what’s going on with Schmitty, if he doesn’t feel better soon and it becomes an ongoing thing…well let’s just hope for the best. *****The best news I heard…Torre said that LaRoche looked “comfortable” today.
nnnnn
MESSAGEBEARER***You’re right that Ethier, Kemp & Pierre should be judged on their performance. If they’re not there is truly something that is rotten in Denmark ….or L.A.
joey_rock5 –
The Dodgers (at least since they have been in LA) have always worn “Home Whites” and “Road Grays” during the regular season. If you want to see the alternate jerseys, I suggest you follow another team.
I like the jerseys or shirts the Dodgers wore today. Blue with the white lettering. I don’t know why they hardly wear them during the regular season. A dark shirt gives them a tough look. I don’t say they should wear them all the time but on occasion.
sgjoerger
haha some fan you are. i bet YOU just came from another team..maybe the padres? angels? lol. they used to have blue alternate jersesy that they used to wear in LA!!
the last time i remember them was in 99 or 2000. i know they were wearing them when chan ho park drop kicked that angel pitcher…but you prolly didnt see that.
chan ho will always have a special place in my heart because of that
btw *uck U
I have already told myself that Pierre will start. It’s easier this way. The dodgers seem very concerned about baserunning (and why not) are they gonna bench their best baserunner? So yeah. Nomar and Pierre. Starting. Because they basically have already griped if they don’t start. Loazia is already sounding like Tomko. Not that it’s his fault. I mean he is asked about. I just wish these guys would say come on reporter guy, it’s my first time on the mound to real hitters in 4 months (or whatever) ask me how my New Years was (or whatever) yep no ******* and moaning till April..just reportin…
So get a load of this dodger fun stuff (joking) to help make some of your weekends more relaxing:
http://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2008/03/inge_to_dodgers_tigers_talk_tr.html
that word **outed was what you do over a toilet, just to clarify, not exactly a bad word, what is this russia 1937?
Fun game..
right now who would you rather own right now as a businessman?
Jason Schmidt 33 million
Esteban Loazia 8 million
Danny Baez 6 million
Lance Carter 550k (retired)
24 year old edwin jackson. 392k.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080229&content_id=2397368&vkey=spt2008news&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
The Dodgers only started wearing the blue batting practice jerseys in the mid-to-late 1990’s, when they wore them Think Blue week, which is when Chan Ho Park kicked Tim Belcher on June 5th, 1999.
I favor the Dodgers wearing traditional whites and grays during the season, but the Dodgers were trying out innovative jerseys as early as 1944, when they experimented with the satin jersey seen here:
http://homerderby.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/dodgers-durocher-1944.jpg
The reason for the satin jerseys was that they thought the players would be easier to see during night games. They also had a satin jersey that was the same colors as the home whites.
Geez were Baez and Carter a waste. If E. Jackson and J. Guzman ever do anything, that trade will really look bad.
I don’t know that much about Inge, but I “caught” the reference that he could be re-converted to catching. That is an interesting prospect, since it seems like we’ve otherwise got another of those “no can hit” substitute catchers for 2008, which will necessarily overwork Martin once again during the season. Inge, if he can substitute at catcher and at third, could become a valuable commodity off the bench.
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will depend on who you’re giving them to and your industry (average life time value of a
client not what’s customary in your industry; don’t copy your competitors,
it’s rarely a good idea). Pins come in a variety of
styles and are considered a nice little corporate gift
that can be easily customized according to a company’s logo, name or design style.