Quite a day…
It’s going to be a great day here at Dodgertown, with a record crowd in attendance and a ceremony honoring Vin Scully and Jaime Jarrin. Everyone in the front office has been here since 7 a.m. preparing for a day that no one in attendance will soon forget.
On top of all the great things going on, Daisuke Matsuzaka is pitching for the Red Sox, and with that comes about 25-50 additional reporters from Japan, so the press box and the balcony of our offices will all be overflowing.
You can catch it all on KCAL 9 at 1 p.m., so pull up a chair, as Vin might say, and enjoy the day. Hopefully it’ll have an outcome like yesterday’s game.
Here’s the lineup:
Pierre, LF
Martin, C
Loney, 1B
Jones, DH
Kemp, CF
Ethier, RF
Hu, 2B
Martinez, 3B
DeJesus, SS
Loaiza, P
Inside the Dodgers 
I would love to see DeWitt in there. I know he doesn’t have a real shot but this would be a way for us to see how far away he might be from helping us. We already know what Ramon brings to the table. Delwyn Young also should be given a little bit of time there while the games don’t count.
lv – I think DeWitt will get a couple more looks, but he’s so raw I think they’ll play out all available options (Abreu, Hu, Young, Martinez) and even a trade before they turn to Blake. Still, if you’d play Ethier in left for some pop, you could bring DeWitt in on an everyday basis and still have a solid line-up.
underdog – Plaschke thinks he’s the pied piper when in fact he’s the village idiot.
KERSHAW TODAY!
This is what baseball is all about…hearing Vinnie on the radio listening to my boys…the only thing greater would to be back in Vero…
Bloiza is up to his old ways…please Kershaw develop quickly…I would rather see Chan Ho in there. Maybe being back in Dodger Blue he will find the magic of his earlier days.
Plaschke and Ned both Enchanted.
The Minotaur!!!
Kemp as back up CF. Is Juan Jealous. Nah, he needs to get his work in
In case you did not notice Loaiza is my Pierre…I know be positive…but I do not want him on the roster opening day…And he just struck out Ortiz…okay I will stop…
Considering the first base umpire completely blew the call at first on Loney’s ‘error’, that was extremely impressive work by Loaiza.
Wow! Who’d have thunk it?! Loaiza smoked them.
wait how is Kershaw pitching today?
I know jhall, I did not, but here it to hoping that he will pitch well and get some trade value and maybe we pick up a young prospect. It will not be a top prospect but you never know what may develop.
MATT KEMP IS YOUR FATHER! WHAT A SHOT!
what a blast by Kemp….WOW!!!
Woo-Hoo!!!
Kershaw is pitching today because Diamond Leung says so.
P.S. Kemp rules!
With Schmidt on the DL and Kuo’s injury history, it would be a huge bonus if Loaiza can come thru in the 5 spot. Don’t need much. Go 6 innings and keep the ERA around 4.00 to 4.40. I’d take it.
Kershaw I cannot wait..you will see magic boys…he makes it look easy.
Great inning! Nice shot by Kemp!
If he would do that jhall, yes it would be bearable…but his track record does not suggest that…If he can be effective until June, by then Kershaw will be smoking them in Triple A…I would be happy.
Me too DodgerBoy. Loaiza walking around salty right now. LOL.
The frustration that I have is that we do not get the runner to 3rd…it happens too often.
All Ramon had to do was put the ball in play to the right side. How can you take that pitch 2 and 2. Geez.
Kemp looked like Raul Mondesi on that strikeout.
KERSHAW!!!
OH…MY…GOD…
WOW! WOW! WOOOOOOOOOOW!
did you see that curve….WOW…
Holy Smoke Batman!!!
What an inning Kershaw!! AWESOME!
“Every day in every way, Matt Kemp impresses.”
-Vin Scully
wow. now i see what all the hype is about. this Kershaw is gonna be great!!
That’s what an arm will do for you. See that Juan?
momoracci@yahoo.com are you setting up fantasy baseball? If so I forgot to e-mail you..If you already have it full then cool, but if you need another let me know..
Well that was the worst bunt I’ve ever seen
Poperre. What a clown.
thats what all that hard work on bunting amounts to….nothing.
I see by the box score and your comments that JPs having another stellar day…
Yeah good idea, let’s platoon Ethier and Kemp.
jungar, no I’m not doing fantasy baseball.
great game today…Andruw jones is my biggest worry right now…looks mighty slow swinging the bat…Kershaw looked great, Miller 2 outings in a row has not allowed a run…Sandy Koufax has been talking to him alot..it is encouraging to see him look more comfortable out there…the talent is still there, now the confidence has to come back.
Good game gang!! Pitching was outstanding. We took alot of pitches today and worked counts. I think it changes the complexion of a game when you can do that. It wears on a pitcher and finally they groove one or just run out of gas. I would have liked to have seen more small ball with the bottom of our order today. With Ethier or Hu on I think Joe should have had Martinez and DeJesus sacrificing and trying to move runners up instead of swinging away. Other than that, and you know who, very nice effort.
Your right DodgerBoy, Jones is not looking ready. Slow bat. Somebody should have shown him the NutriSystem weight loss program this winter. ****, if he loses 25-30 pounds, he can get on their commercials.
Impressive 4-0 win by our Los Angeles Dodgers over the World Champion Red Sox.Matt Kemp’s motto is “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet”.Let’s all give a tremendous hand to the pitching staff!Great job,guys!Everybody hang on to your baseball caps, because We are in for a fun ride!
Bombko getting lit up. LOL.
It is very nice not to have to watch Bombko and Timber this year. Those guys and Pierre was just pathetic last year. We must be true blue to have gone thru that and still be fans.
Nomo has pitched better than Bombko for KC this spring. LOL
Is this thing on? But seriously folks.
I am soooo hoping they send Kershaw to Vegas instead of Jax so that I might get an opportunity to drive up and see him in Albuquerque. For those that have seen him, do you liken him to a young Koufax or a young Tanana? Either way it sounds af if he’ll be solidly in the rotation by 2009.
Unless Loaiza totally blows these last three weeks, looks like he’s #5 for awhile. Can’t see Chan Ho beating him out, and I believe Torre’s already taken Kuo out of consideration.
New question for everyone:
Who’s your surprise pick to make the team out of ST?
ENCHANTED TOO YOUNG TO COMPARE TO KOUFAX…TANANA WAS A FLAMETHROWER WHEN HE FIRST CAME UP… sorry forgot about caps…I do not know who he compares to, but I have a feeling he will be setting his own comparisons…he is so much better in person. And I saw his shaky outing last Tuesday…
I was saying I am too young to compare to koufax I was born in 63..
Great game loney,martin, kemp, ethier look good! biggest concerns are pierre and his ****** atbats and he looks like anoobie in lf as he did in cf. and my biggest concern is jones who looks like **** and his at bats look like ****. all ive seen from him is constantly being down in counts and then striking out. seems like a preview of what he’ll be doing in the season.
mcdonald didnt impress me at all! and hes suppose to be good as kershaw?
Koufax couldn’t get the ball over the plate at Kershaws age. He had to take something off his pitches to finally get control. He didn’t hit his huge stride until the early 60’s.
But wow, Koufax from 61 to 66 was as good as it ever got.
Could be Penny, Billz, Kuroda, Schmidt, Kershaw in 09. WOW!!!
Thinking Blue:
Let’s not forget the special guest appearance made by the (Super Fan), all the way from West Virginia “Troy” — he flew down to Vero beach for his very first spring training [mission] experience…
He got to meet his hero and legend, Los Angeles Dodger pitcher, Joe “The Bible” Bemeil, and exchanged pleasantries while soaking up all the fun in Dodgertown!
Go Troy!
I’d really love to see that kid in person. I’ve always wanted to just once stand in the batters box against a ML pitcher throwing 97-98+ just to see what it was like.
So when do we open up the debate of who should play center – JP or AJ? Every report and comment I read say that AJs bat speed looks slow and he’s K-ing A LOT. Maybe a little loss of weight on both he and the bat might help?
Was thumbing through a Fox blog (for some unknown reason) and someone in defense of JP made the statement, “At least you know what you’re getting with Pierre.” Unfortunately we all do – NOTHING. Another nice Ofer at the top of the line-up, though I guess he walked once. At least his batting average and OBP no longer coincide.
Especially if Kuo doesn’t make the team, or is on the DL, my “surprise” pick so far for the team out of ST would be Mike Myers.
jhall – I’d like to see us get one good year out of Schmidt (2009), but its starting to look like he’s through. Are there insurance policies on contracts like his? Or did Ned just take a stroll down old Giants memory lane and find a shaft? Could become another “special assistant” I suppose 🙂
Ned threw him a retirement bone. I am hoping he can contribute something in second half 08 and 09. Not holding my breath.
Everyone but Ned and Conte knew he was toast.
I’ve never understood why Ned brought in Conte. Was it to deal with aging vets? (of which he had plenty of practice dealing with in SF.) Or was it specifically to give his stamp of approval on Schidt? er, I mean Schmidt?
Schidt. Classic. ****.
Pour that man a Schlitz!!
Ned brought in Conte because that is his boy. And in the mean time he screwed a 20 year veteran employee in Stan Johnston. It is a shame that Stan got fired 1 year before he was fully vested in the pension plan. Not a nice way to treat 20 year employees. So far Contes track record of preventing injuries does not seem to be working real well.
Anyway if anyone is expecting anything out of Schmidt, do not hold your breath.
09 will be Billz, Kershaw, Kuroda, Penny (last year of contract), I hope they trade him . He is such an ****…I got within 2 feet of him and he will not even acknowledge you. His reputation is as being very surly. The 5th position hopefully will be Justin Orenduff. He is healthy after shoulder surgery and will spend most if not all of this year in Vegas. He has good stuff as does Meloan. But lets get thru 08 first.
Andruw wake up..or it is going to be 2 long years of watching Jones and Schmidt…
I also had to stop reading “Sarah’s Take” (I generally find it either somewhat reminiscent or a somewhat bemusing perspective) about half way through… Yes, LR has had some injuries in the past, but I don’t think you can chalk up a freak injury that wasn’t his fault to his being “injury prone.” Also, LR can run rings around Nomar’s fielding.
I must be getting old and crotchity – that article really irritated me…
“So far Contes track record of preventing injuries does not seem to be working real well”
EXACTLY my thought db.
I wasn’t aware of how bad they Schidt on Stan Johnson. I’m not surprised however. Ned had to get a yes man. I lose more and more respect for our organization every day. Not your father’s Dodgers anymore. Darn shame.
From Peter Gammons:
The talk of Dodgers camp has been 19-year old left-hander Clayton Kershaw. “He’s going to help us this year,” says Russell Martin. “He has dominant stuff, a great curveball you can almost hear.” Some of the coaches suggest Kershaw might be able to help right now, but more likely he will open the season in the minors. Kershaw has only five starts above the A level, but between A and AA last season struck out 163 in 122 innings. Also in Dodgers camp, Larry Bowa is sold on the future of SS Chin-Lung Hu. “He can really play defense,” says Bowa.>The torn ligament in Andy LaRoche’s thumb is a significant blow to the Dodgers, as LaRoche had opened many eyes and has a chance to be a legitimate power bat at the corner. Unless they change their minds and trade for Brandon Inge — which doesn’t seem likely — that means Nomar Garciaparra will open the season as the third baseman. Dodgers coaches say Garciaparra has had a very good spring swinging the bat, and they appreciate that his all-out, unorthodox fielding style is not easily translated to third base. But it had been a majority opinion on the staff that Nomar would not have been happy as LaRoche’s caddy or as a utilityman, so the loss of LaRoche probably ensures that the Dodgers will not have to make a decision on whether or not to eat his contract.>6. Russell Martin: The game’s best catcher approaches his craft like Varitek, accepts responsibility for his pitchers, and has been a leader amid the veterans/kids media war of last winter. Larry Bowa loves to watch him take ground balls at his original position, shortstop. “We could put him at shortstop,” says Bowa, “and he’d be fine.”<
Greetings from Vero Beach! I am having a ball here! Got here at 6:30 am Saturday and headed to Jupiter to meet with my friends that had been in town since Thursday night. One got here a few days before with her camper so we stayed there. My friend Jan and her hubby (Cards fans)hosted 4 of us women, two of us Dodger fans and 2 Cardinal fans. we had a great time! I have found St Louis people to be very hospitable, friendly and wonderful people. Now they have all gone so now I am at a hotel.
I met fans that are season tickets at Dodger Stadium from the Reserved(one of those guys said he has seen me at D.S!), Top Deck (a sweet couple of retirees) and one that I already knew from the Field level that I did not know she was here and others I knew were here from L.A. I am having a ball! Tomorrow is the Women’s baseball clinic which I signed up for. i am teaming up with a a friend that I just met here but we knew each other thru emails because of a mutual friend. Let me just say that Baseball is great not only because we love the game and the team, but all the friends that we meet because we share the same passion for the game of baseball. Anyway, my new friend is a retired school teacher who is here with her husband and she used to be Billingsley’s teacher! She has not been able to see him and talk to him but I told her maybe tomorrow.
Like I said, I am having a great time! I said hello to Josh, john Soo Hoo, Pepe, Tony Kinkade. It was wonderful having our beloved Vin today and for him and Jaime Jarrin to be honored! the place was packed! Kershaw was great! The bomb that Kemp hit went over my head and saw the guy that caught the ball that was over the fence! I had tickets in the berm as that was the only thing I was able to get but I was visiting other friends that I knew where they were seated. I was surprised that I got sunburned up to my ears! Emma.
p.s. Thanks Josh for the info about the Women’s baseball clinic! I called the # you gave me and left a message about the glove inquiry. -Emma
Sean Casey on Kershaw:
“That was some of the best stuff I have seen in a long time as far as a new arm,” Casey said. “The first pitch was a hammer, and I hate to say it was almost (Barry) Zito-like, but it broke with this 12-6 tilt. Imagine that from a guy who hits 97 (mph) with his fastball. Then he threw me another one that froze me. That was great stuff, big-league stuff, and I think he could help that team this year.”
I spend the day with my daughter buying tickets at Shea(Dodgers May 31 & June 1 among them)) & Yankee Stadium and afterward we ate at a sports bar across the street from YS. I could see on the TV screen that we were winning 3-0, when we arrived. The score didn’t change when we were leaving, so I new we were getting good pitching. When I read the recap I was estatic. I can’t express how happy I am about Loaiza’s performance and everybody is raving about Kershaw. I see the rest of the guys were equally good and Kemp was responsible for the big 3 on the scoreboard. I got such a shock today when I saw Citifield. Although it is still being built, facing the enterence it looks like Ebbet’s Field just came out of storage. I’m glad for all of you who made the trip to Vero Beach. You are true fans.
Good for you CRZBlue. That place is wonderful.
Dodgers coaches say Garciaparra has had a very good spring swinging the bat, and they appreciate that his all-out, unorthodox fielding style is not easily translated to third base. But it had been a majority opinion on the staff that Nomar would not have been happy as LaRoche’s caddy or as a utilityman, so the loss of LaRoche probably ensures that the Dodgers will not have to make a decision on whether or not to eat his contract.>6
Jungar, this took me by surprise. I guess Nomar is not such the amiable guy he tries to portray. Interesting. Seems like Nomar has a passive-aggressive personality. Smiling in your face, and grumbling behind the scenes. At least Kent has the guts to come right out and say what he feels.
Although I’ve never been to Vero Beach, I’ve been hearing & reading about it and seeing it on TV, since I was 9 years old, To me it was just part of the team. That’s what makes it sad to me. I understand that many of the fans that go to the games are fans of the opposing team, mainly because they live closer. A western team on eastern land. I regret that it will be even harder to see them now, but for them it is for the best. GO DODGERS
I made my first trek to Dodgertown this spring and I will honestly say it just feels like the greatest place on earth. Most of the players are more than gracious to talk and sign autographs. It was an experience I will NEVER forget. I loved every minute of it and I am sad they are leaving. Again, it is much easier for me to get to AZ so I am interested to see how that is as well.
Yeah enchanted and everybody else sarahs take are WACKKKKK…those articles she does irritates me too