Inside the Dodgers

A new thread

2008-07-05T16:24:13Z

Just starting a new thread for everyone to use...had I been able to post, I probably would've pointed out the Colletti Q&A by Diamond Leung and the Yahoo Sports story on Kim Ng by Tim Brown...looks like you guys are on top of it.

Great comeback win yesterday...I hope some of you will be dressed in blue in the Bay Area tonight...a big game and a chance to take over the division lead!

Long weekend...

2008-07-04T00:01:12Z

It's been a busy day, so I hadn't had the chance to post until now. With the long weekend, there's a chance I won't get to post very regularly but will do my best to start new threads.

I hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday weekend!

Leading off...

2008-07-02T22:17:46Z

Kemp stays in the leadoff spot in Houston...good to see the team regroup last night after giving up the lead and pull out the victory. Before tonight's game, the Dodgers optioned Clayton Kershaw to make room for Hiroki Kuroda, who gets the start. I'm not with the team, so I can't explain the reasoning but I'm sure Joe Torre will do so shortly...obviously someone had to go for Kuroda to be activated and it makes sense if we have six starters for the most recent one to get a little respite heading into the All-Star Break. At least that's my sense at this point.

Hope to see some of you tonight at the Hollywood Bowl show saluting the Dodgers. Vin Scully, Tommy Lasorda and Nancy Bea Hefley will all be a part of it this evening. So will fireworks all three nights (as well as July 12 at Dodger Stadium).

After the game tonight, James Loney Before the Bigs will premiere on FSN Prime Ticket so keep the TV tuned in.

And finally, I'm not sure what the comment means about numbering the blogs like DodgerThoughts does. I tried to look and see what that was referring to but do not see what you want us to do.

UPDATE: The lineup...oops

Kemp, CF

Ethier, RF

Martin, C

Kent, 2B

Loney, 1B

DeWitt, 3B

Young, LF

Maza, SS

Kuroda, P

Texas kids come home...

2008-07-01T22:19:29Z

Kershaw on the bump tonight in Houston, TX, his home state. I'm sure he'd love to get his first win out of the way so we'll all stop asking about it.

Loney is also back in the town where he grew up. Perfect timing for the launch of James Loney, Before the Bigs, which airs tomorrow night after the game on FSN Prime Ticket.

As for the lineup, well, you knew it would get interesting eventually with Pierre out due to the knee injury. Sitting atop it is none other than...

Kemp, CF

Young, LF

Martin, C

Kent, 2B

Loney, 1B

LaRoche, 3B

Ethier, RF

Maza, SS

Kershaw, P

Houston, we have a series

2008-06-30T21:30:29Z

Juan Pierre is headed to the DL, and fortunately, it's an MCL sprain that will not require surgery. He's on crutches today, but we'll see how he continues to progress. In the meantime, Jason Repko is being recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas to take his place.

I did notice that there was a comment a few days ago about Davey Lopes and the Dodgers failure to include him in the things we do and I can assure you that is not the case. He was invited to take part in the 70s reunion and unfortunately, he could not attend. As you probably know, he's a coach for the Phillies, which would usually preclude him from doing things in-season but on top of that, he has been out with cancer, too. So, when the Phillies were in town, he was not here with the club.

We've certainly had him out here in the past as part of the record-breaking infield and he'll continue to be invited to all of these sorts of events.

Also, for those who haven't seen it, Ozomatli recorded a version of Take Me Out to the Ballgame as part of the 100th anniversary celebration of the song. Fans can vote on the best version at ESPN.com's Baseball Tonight clubouse, so get behind our hometown band and check out their video. It's pretty cool and they're all decked out in Dodger gear.

Here's today's lineup in Houston...

Repko, CF

Ethier, RF

Martin, C

Kent, 2B

Loney, 1B

Young, 2B

DeWitt, 3B

Maza, SS

Stults, P

No way!

2008-06-29T16:41:32Z

Were you here? 55,000-plus fans can actually say they were at Dodger Stadium last night for history in the making. Not exactly the type of history we want to be making, but a win is a win, right?

It was just the fifth time in the modern era that a team managed to win a game without the benefit of a hit. As you can imagine, our department was looking up interesting tidbits for quite some time, so I'll post those below.

Now the question for you all is, how many no-hitters have you seen in person? By my count, Vin Scully has seen 20, though I'll have to check with him to see if perhaps he was off doing a game of the week when one of these took place.

Boston's Vern Bickford against the Dodgers in 1950.

Two by Carl Erskine 1952 and 1956.

Don Larsen's World Series perfecto.

Sal Maglie's in 1956.

Four by Koufax.

Bill Singer in 1970.

John Candelaria in 1976 against the Dodgers.

Jerry Reuss in 1980 at Candlestick.

Nolan Ryan for Houston in 1981 against the Dodgers.

Tom Browning's perfect game in 1988 against the Dodgers.

Fernando's on this date in 1990.

Dennis Martinez's perfect game in 1991.

Kevin Gross the next year.

Kent Mercker in 1994.

Ramon Martinez in 1995.

Hideo Nomo in 1996.

Still, even Vin had never seen what we saw last night. As for me, that's only the second I've ever attended, as I was a fan down the right field line at Dodger Stadium for Mercker's 1994 gem. How about all of you?

UPDATE: Just spoke to Vin and he missed Browning's perfect game, but was at Jack Morris' for a game of the week, so we still think it's 20!

Here's today's lineup:

Pierre, LF

Ethier, RF

Martin, C

Kent, 2B

Loney, 1B

Kemp, CF

DeWitt, 3B

Berroa, SS

Lowe, P

NO-HIT NOTES

Last night's game marked the fifth time since 1900 that a team won a game without the benefit of a hit. The four previous ones:

- April 12, 1992 (first game of a doubleheader) - The Indians beat Boston, 2-1, in Cleveland despite getting no-hit for 8.0 innings by Pasadena-born left-hander Matt Young.

- July 1, 1990 - The White Sox defeat the New York Yankees, 4-0, in Chicago despite facing 8.0 no-hit innings from right-hander Andy Hawkins.

- April 30, 1967 (first game of a doubleheader) - The Tigers defeat the Orioles, 2-1, in Baltimore despite a no-hit effort from Steve Barber (8.2) and Stu Miller (0.1).

- April 23, 1964 - The Reds defeated the Houston Colt 45s, 1-0, in Houston despite 9.0 innings of no-hit ball from Ken Johnson.

The Dodgers were held hitless last night for the first time since April 8, 1994, when Atlanta's Kent Mercker turned the trick in a 6-0 win at Dodger Stadium...the only other time the Dodgers have been held hitless at Dodger Stadium was July 28, 1991, when Dennis Martinez pitched a perfect game for the Montreal Expos.

The game last night marked the 17th time that the Dodgers did not get a hit in a game, which includes Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series. On two occasions, the Dodgers have been held hitless for nine innings, only to notch a hit in extra innings and go on to win the game:

- April 15, 1909 when the New York Giants' Leon Ames made his Major League debut and pitched 9.1 hitless innings but lost the game in the 13th inning, 3-0

- July 26, 1991 when the Montreal Expos' Mark Gardner pitched 9.0 hitless innings but gave up a hit and lost the game in the 10th inning

There have been 82 players who have played for the Dodgers and Angels in their career and incredibly, six have thrown no-hitters - John Candelaria (8/19/1976), Kevin Gross (8/17.1992), Jerry Reuss (6/27/1980), Bill Singer (7/20/1970), Fernando Valenzuela (6/29/1990), Hoyt Wilhelm (9/20/58). Though last night's Angel pitcher Jered Weaver does not fit that category, his older brother, Jeff, does.

Today marks the 18th anniversary of Dodger great Fernando Valenzuela's no-hitter against St. Louis at Dodger Stadium. In silencing the Cardinals, 6-0, on June 29, 1990, the southpaw walked three batters and struck out seven. On that same Friday night, Dave Stewart, a former Dodger, tossed a no-hitter for Oakland at Toronto. Speaking of no-hitters, tomorrow marks the 46th anniversary of Sandy Koufax's National League-record fourth no-hitter. On June 30, 1962, the Hall of Famer recorded 13 strikeouts in no-hitting the New York Mets.

Today's Dodger starter, Derek Lowe, threw a no-hitter on April 27, 2002 for Boston while facing the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Lowe joins Dennis Eckersley as the only two pitchers in Major League history with a 20-win season, a 40-save season and a no-hitter.

That 70s game...

2008-06-28T20:37:54Z

Believe it or not, back when Fox used to own the team and I was starting out here full-time, we had a day at Dodger Stadium to launch something called "That 70s Show." It was really one of the first times the Dodgers had tried something so unique - most of the time we just had cap night or baseball night (which was ended after the debacle of '95 when I was an intern).

I never thought in a million years that the show would have an eight-year run on TV or be in syndication around the world, but I guess it just goes to show the love that Americans have for that decade. So, it should come as no surprise that the luncheon we held today for the 70s reunion of Dodger players was an overwhelming success. In fact, so many people came we might have to move the 1980s one to the Stadium Club for more room, but if you're interested in attending that one on Aug. 2, email fanfeedback@ladodgers.com

Three-fourth of the record-setting infield were in attendance today, as were countless others like Tommy Lasorda, Rick Monday, Jerry Reuss, Tom Paciorek, Lee Lacy, Billy Grabarkewitz, Bobby Castillo, Kenny Landreaux, and many more. It's very cool to have a history like that to celebrate and now we just need to start winning in the 2000s so that the kids growing up this decade know what it's like to have a World Championship. Of course, we didn't win any titles in the 1970s, but we were in the Fall Classic three times, which I'd certainly settle for in '08, '09 and 2010.

But, before we start thinking about championships, we have to be able to get to the postseason and beat some of the best teams in baseball and the Angels' record would seemingly put them in that group. Here's tonight's lineup against them, with a pregame ceremony to honor the 70s players, so come on down if you've got no plans yet for tonight.

Pierre, LF

Ethier, RF

Martin, C

Kent, 2B

Loney, 1B

Kemp, CF

DeWitt, 3B

Berroa, SS

Billingsley

The latest from the Ravine...

2008-06-28T01:28:46Z

If you're going to be in Vegas next week, be sure to hit up a 51s game. It looks like Furcal, Andruw and possibly Nomar could be playing for Triple-A on Monday throughout much of the week. All three have rehab assignments coming up and hopefully we're getting closer to being at full strength.

Scott Proctor came back from the doctor with an MRI that showed no structural damage, so rest and rehab is what should get him back on the right track. Given that he has pitched in more games than just about anyone else in baseball over the last two years, and he had been pretty good until late, I think this is very positive news. That said, Cory Wade, Hong-Chih Kuo and others have done a solid job in his place.

The lineup for tonight is:

Pierre, LF

Kemp, CF

Martin, C

Kent, 2B

Loney, 1B

LaRoche, 3B

Young, RF

Berroa, SS

Park, P

Today's lineup

2008-06-26T17:04:36Z

Pierre, LF

Kemp, CF

Martin, C

Loney, 1B

LaRoche, 2B

Young, RF

Berroa, SS

Ardoin, C

Kershaw, P

Lunch, moves, lineup

2008-06-25T21:54:47Z

Had the chance to grab lunch today with my White Sox counterpart, Scott Reifert, who was the one you all have to thank for Inside the Dodgers. He started Inside the White Sox midway through a season and they finished with a World Championship. If only it were that easy! In any event, it's somewhat normal for us to try and get together with our colleagues at other teams when they're in town and this was a very welcome exchange of ideas, especially since we'll be sharing a Spring Training complex with them in years to come.

After lunch, we officially made the move to purchase the contract of Brian Falkenborg and put Scott Proctor on the 15-day DL. Making room for Brian on the 40-man came by putting Gary Bennett on the 60-day DL.

As for tonight's lineup, here it is...

Pierre, LF

Ethier, RF

Kent, 2B

Martin, C

Loney, 1B

Kemp, CF

DeWitt, 3B

Berroa, SS

Stults, P

Jaime!

2008-06-25T16:47:05Z

I got tied up in meetings yesterday afternoon and then I was involved in the salute to Jaime Jarrin, who was honored yesterday for 50 years in the Dodger broadcast booth. It's hard to even fathom that and he quite obviously belongs in any conversation about the most significant people in the history of the Dodgers. He oozes class, he epitomizes dignity and he deserves all the honors that come his way.

In case somehow you missed it, Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times wrote a very nice feature about Jaime and for those of you Spanish speakers, Hoy had a great piece, too, that you can see here: P30_Dodgers.pdf

Needless to say, it was a very special night for Jaime and if you've never had a chance to hear him, do yourself a favor and tune into 930 AM during a game sometime when you're driving. Even if you don't understand Spanish, you'll understand why he's been so successful at his trade. He's helped me learn the language and he's truly a legend in Los Angeles.

Of course, by the time there was a chance to post a lineup last night, the game was over. That's Mark Buehrle, I guess. But, the Snakes lost again so we're still four games back. Hard to imagine how far ahead we could be if we were playing up to our potential, but the silver lining is that we remain in the race and there's plenty of room for improvement.

Thanks...

2008-06-23T19:46:01Z

A big thanks to those of you who took the time to share your thoughts on Dodgers Magazine. We'll definitely take the input to heart and hope you will continue to share your thoughts on the things you see that make the fan experience better, both inside and outside Dodger Stadium. There was one comment about how they don't like to buy it at the stadium and in case some of you are unaware, you can purchase it for subscription here so it comes to your home.

I know a lot of you like to follow the minor leagues, too, so take a look at milb.com's new daily minor league update. It looks like these will be updated regularly and are a good way to keep up with what's going on in Vegas, Jacksonville, Inland Empire, Ogden, Great Lakes, etc.

Also, for those of you kids of the 70s, you can meet a bunch of the Dodgers stars from that decade next Saturday at the 70s luncheon we're hosting. Tommy, Cey, Garvey, Russell, Monday and many more will be on hand and you can get autographs from them all, plus Q&A and lots more for $75, which benefits the Dodgers Dream Foundation.

And finally, if you've got kids, bring 'em to the yard on Thursday and they can run the bases on the field after the game as part of a McDonald's promotion we've got going.

That's all I've got for today. It's an off day for the players but we're in the office preparing for the series against the Sox and all that's going on at the stadium.

Sunday's game

2008-06-22T17:55:09Z

Ned will be on DodgerTalk postgame today while at the same time, Nomar's Carne Asada Sunday will be taking place on the Loge Level Terrace. Hope you'll all be out here for one thing or another...

In a rush to go set up a photo shoot right now for next month's Dodgers Magazine. As you've hopefully seen, we've had a current player with a Dodger legend each month (Andruw/Duke, Furcal/Wills, Nomar/Garvey/Cey) and July's magazine will feature Fernando and Saito. A very cool theme, I think, but you tell me. Do any of you guys read the magazine and if so, what are your thoughts?

Today's lineup is:

Pierre, LF

Kemp, CF

Loney, 1B

Martin, C

DeWitt, 3B

Ethier, RF

Berroa, SS

Maza, 2B

Billingsley, P

Gonna make it hot, hot, hot

2008-06-21T17:08:44Z

It's the start of summer and if you couldn't tell by the date on the calendar, perhaps the 115-degree on field temperature will confirm that. Even in places with air conditioning, it's warm.

Today's game is on FOX, followed by the Hollywood Stars Game on the field. Kareem Abdul Jabbar is going to give the lineups on TV, so that should be pretty cool.

Before I post the lineup, here's a really cool story about a former Dodger beat writer in the 1950s and 60s who went on to work for the Angels, George Lederer. If you take a few minutes to read it, I guarantee you'll learn something new. I know I did.

Also, for those of you who tuned into DodgerTalk last night, we wound up postponing Ned's appearance because the show didn't start until close to midnight. He's going to do it on another day this homestand, so keep tuning in.

Pierre, LF

Kemp, CF

Kent, 2B

Martin, C

Young, RF

Loney, 1B

LaRoche, 3B

Berroa, SS

Park, P

Dodgers go to Hollywood...

2008-06-20T20:54:16Z

This morning's visit to Tinseltown was pretty cool and I hope a few of you were able to make it out there. We had tons of current and former Dodger players, coaches, broadcasters and other luminaries and despite the heat, I think it was a pretty special event.

Over at DodgerThoughts, Jon Weisman married his career with his passion, as we worked together to create a special section of Daily Variety that honored the Dodgers for their 50th anniversary in Los Angeles. There are a ton of stories in today's edition, many of which are written by Jon and his DT readers, so be sure to take a look. It's easily the most extensive coverage of the Dodgers' Hollywood history as I've ever seen and arguably the best that exists.

I'm a day late, but congrats go out to former Dodger coach Jim Riggleman, who is now the manager of the Mariners. While I'm sure he isn't happy with the way it came to be, I know that he had always wanted to manage again and that's mainly why he left here as Jim Tracy's bench coach. Riggs is a solid person and a longtime baseball veteran and it's nice to see good things happen to good people.

As a reminder, Ned Colletti will take some calls tonight on DodgerTalk on KABC 790 after the game, so tune in to the show with Ken Levine and Josh Suchon.

Lineup to be posted shortly...once it's up in the clubhouse (Troncoso is here, by the way, in place of Hiroki).

UPDATE: TONIGHT'S LINEUP

Pierre, LF

Kemp, CF

Kent, 2B

Loney, 1B

LaRoche, 3B

Ethier, RF

Berroa, SS

Ardoin, C

Kershaw, P