I have no clue if any of you guys have any singing ability, but if you do, here’s your chance to sing the National Anthem before a game at Dodger Stadium. Maybe we can get the Daily News’ Tom Hoffarth to do it (yesterday, he blogged about ESPN’s Steve Mason’s anthem last year).

And while we’re on the subject of fan participation, I found one of the funniest videos ever on YouTube.

No, the headline doesn’t refer to any of the rookies at Dodgertown but rather, Diamond Leung of the Riverside Press Enterprise, who continues to find interesting new angles during his first month on the Dodger beat. This morning, he wrote a fantastic piece about Hong-Chih Kuo and his journey to the Majors. For those of us who watched Kuo rehab here at the stadium year over the past few years, it really is cool to see him back on a mound and healthy, given all that he’s been through. And to top it all off, you couldn’t find a nicer person in the big leagues.  It’s hard to believe he’s only 25 years old…Kuo, that is. Then again, Diamond is 25 also, and both are of Chinese descent, which makes for an interesting coincidence. Their paths to the Major Leagues have been different but today their stories kind of came together.

And then we go from the new kid on the block to the veteran, Kevin Modesti of the Daily News, who arrived in Dodgertown and penned an awesome first column that recounted some his fondest memories of Vero Beach.

The rest of the news today was mostly rehashing the J.D. Drew story, which I understand has to be done because we were playing the Red Sox but I have to admit, is getting a little tired. I’d like to think that with this game now in the past, both sides can move on peacefully and that maybe sometime in the next five years, the Dodgers can be playing against him in the postseason, as that would mean that it worked out for both J.D. and more importantly, for the Dodgers.

I’m sure that many of you were a part of the huge crowd at Dodger Stadium yesterday. While I was in the air from Vero Beach, almost four thousand fans were buying tickets for the first time in 2007 and Opening Day sold out in less than 15 minutes. Plus, at one point during the morning, we passed the two-million mark in tickets sold faster than at any point since 1993. That says a lot about the excitement there is for this year’s team and from all of us, a big thank you for coming out and being a part of the festivities.

For those who didn’t get Opening Day tickets but are planning on coming out a decent amount this year, you can still be at the stadium on April 9 by purchasing one of the mini plans available now. You can actually purchase as few as 15 games and still get the most coveted ticket in town – Opening Day. I know I sound like a salesman, but I know there are people who really wanted to come to Opening Day and might not have gotten their tickets, so I figured I’d point out the best way to do so.

Meanwhile, back in Vero, we had a couple of losses in split squad action today, but several guys had good days, including Brett Tomko, Jason Repko and Jeff Kent. For Tomko and Repko, every game is a little more important, as Brett is hoping to crack the rotation and Jason is looking to solidify his spot as a fourth outfielder, if not as an everyday player.

I meant to point this out a few days ago, but in case you missed it, here’s Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects entering 2007.

And finally, be sure to listen to DodgerTalk tonight on KFWB 980 at 8 p.m. Ned Colletti will be the guest and it’s one of the best ways to keep up with everything that’s happening in Vero.

It was a nice come-from-behind win today at the home opener here at Holman Stadium, yet there’s still a sense of loss over the passing of Clem Labine. So many people here in Vero Beach knew Clem from his many years as an instructor at Fantasy Camp and our deepest thoughts and sympathies are with his entire family today and in the coming weeks.

I’m heading back to Los Angeles tomorrow morning so that we can prepare Dodger Stadium for Opening Day and I’ll be back in Vero Beach later in the month. I’ll continue to post from LA with updates on what’s going on in both places.

It was a tough first day for the Dodgers, as they lost in Orlando and from what I hear, there were not many highlights to speak of. But, I was actually back in Vero Beach today because we became truly "national" league team today – at least one of us did.

As I mentioned just a week ago on this post, Ken Gurnick unearthed a story about Matt White that all die hard Dodger fans now know very well.  It immediately dawned on me that this story was something different than most and so our department set out to try and let people know just how interesting this journeyman left-hander was. As stories began to run on KCAL and FSN Prime Ticket, we reached out to a few different "non-traditional" media outlets like CNBC and the Today Show, which both had immediate interest in the story. (CNBC will air a piece tomorrow at 8:40 and 11:30 ET).

But it wasn’t until I mentioned it to John Nadel from the Associated Press that this thing really began to take off. His version ran yesterday and today this thing really became not only a national story, but a global one. In addition to coordinating features on ABC World News Tonight and CNBC, we’ve been fielding requests from news outlets that never cover baseball or the Dodgers because of this unique story. CNN, CBS News with Katie Couric, Inside Edition…you name it, I think we’ve spoken with them today about a possible story on Matt.

All the while, he really just wants to focus on making the team, which is extremely admirable. I should make this clear – he’s definitely not a billionaire, nor does he act like one. Around here, he seems like just another guy trying to reach the big leagues while living on a minor leaguer’s salary. His good fortune has certainly given him some fame that he never asked for or expected and it’s definitely given the PR Department some extra work these days, albeit as a positive news story. With requests pouring in, we’re hoping to help him cut this off with one more "media conference" that will keep everyone happy, but that’s not an easy task.

So, while the enormity of this is a little overwhelming for everyone involved, I thought it was interesting enough to write about because it shows a little bit about what our department does on a daily basis.

Tomorrow’s the first home game at Holman Stadium. I know some of you had some issues with Gameday Audio and I’m sorry to say that it is not available for free during Spring Training. But, $14.95 for 190-plus games is pretty reasonable, I’d say.

The intrasquad game today was certainly enough to whet the appetite of Dodger fans. It was only 4 1/2 innings of baseball, but two Dodger squads squared off against each other at Holman Stadium this morning in front of several hundred fans, media and staff members, all wanting to get their first glimpse of the 2007 Dodgers. The “home” team ended up winning 8-3, in a game where the teams banged out 17 hits, thus defying the old adage that pitchers are ahead of hitters this time of year. Fernando Tatis keyed a four-run third inning with a three-run homer for the winning team and Larry Bigbie ripped a solo shot for the losers. Andre Ethier went 2-for-2 with two line drive singles and Jason Repko was 1-for-1 with an RBI. Matt Kemp made the only defensive gem of the day while playing center field by diving to rob Juan Pierre of a single. Luis Gonzalez was hit on the arm by Mike Megrew, but stayed in the game and the team came out of the contest without injury. Derek Lowe, Joe Mays and D.J. Houlton all tossed two innings, while Megrew, Zach Hammes and Scott Elbert worked one frame apiece.

We had CNBC here today to film a piece on Matt White which will air throughout the day tomorrow (Thursday), including confirmed hits at 8:20 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1:55 p.m. The Associated Press also wrote an article that will now circulate around the country, but this will probably be the end of this story for a while, as Matt is obviously trying to focus on making the team rather than this truly unique article that has captivated tons of people.

Another part of our day was spent meeting with individual players about their intended efforts in the community in 2007 and the various things they’d like to do. This is a huge part of what our organization is about and we’ve got some guys this year that are really looking to do some unique things, so be on the lookout for more of that.

Meanwhile, after a Vero Beach bowling outing last night, tonight was the annual softball game between the L.A. Dodger employees and the ones here from Vero and I’m sorry to say that despite taking a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh and final inning, the L.A. Dodgers somehow lost, 5-4. It was a tough loss and we’re all trying to get over it. I just won’t sleep much knowing that we couldn’t hold the lead.

The night is slowly coming to an end, as we just spent two hours meeting with our broadcasters and Ned Colletti. Every year during spring, Jaime, Pepe, Rick, Charley, A Martinez and any others that are in town get to sit down with the general manager and let him recreate the offseason for them so that they can pass that along to the fans. Tonight, Ned gave them two hours of interesting information that will make the spring broadcasts far more enjoyable.

And with that, be sure to tune in tomorrow on KFWB 980 and dodgers.com for the first game, which will start at 1:05 p.m. ET. Time to get things going…

Things are definitely picking up here at Dodgertown, with the intrasquad game coming tomorrow. Today has been a crazy one, with our annual photo day among the many requests that have been flowing in. The amount of national coverage the Dodgers are getting these days is truly astonishing. Eric Neel from ESPN the Magazine arrived today and we’ve already seen the national baseball writers from Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, CNNSI.com, USA Today and countless others.

As for the KFWB comments, we truly do appreciate your sentiments and will take all of this into consideration. One thing that they are doing this year that they’ve never done is podcasting, so check out this page for regular interviews from Dodgertown. They are certainly aware of your comments and doing all they can to provide the die-hard fans with unique, original content and this is one example of that.

For anyone who missed the Saito piece by John Donovan, it’s definitely worth a look. Otherwise, we’re just gearing up for some real pitches to be thrown on Thursday.

On a sad note, I’m bummed to pass along the news that Maury Wills, Don Newcombe, Gil Hodges, Walter O’Malley and Buzzie Bavasi all fell short of the Hall of Fame balloting today. These guys really do all belong in Cooperstown and it’s a shame that they’re not in there, but we’ll keep hoping that eventually the voters realize just what they’re missing. T.J. Simers wrote about Maury Wills this morning, and he sums it up well in this morning’s L.A. Times.

As they always said in Brooklyn, we’ll wait ’til next year.

In today’s Los Angeles Times, there is a great feature on Juan Pierre by Kevin Baxter, who just re-joined the newspaper after several years at the Miami Herald. Kevin, who also speaks Spanish, should bring a different perspective to many of the baseball articles throughout the year and we’re looking forward to having him around at Dodger Stadium.

Another thing I really want to point out is the photo album on the front of dodgers.com. As far as I know, we’re the only team in all of baseball that has a daily photo album from Spring Training. Jon SooHoo does an awesome job trying to give fans an idea of what is going on down here on a daily basis and just in case some of you don’t get to look at it each day, you should make it a point to check these out.

In regards to the trade winds that you’re asking about, it’s safe to say they’re always blowing this time of year. While I don’t really ask Ned or Kim about what’s about to happen, I do know that there are a lot of GMs talking to one another right now because teams are getting a better idea of what they have in camp, the health of their team and what they are able to part with. That’s not to say we’re going to make a trade anytime soon, but it’s safe to say that it’s a possibility. I know that’s vague, but that’s the best I can tell you right now.

And finally, as for an email address where you can send your complaints regarding any issues with KFWB, this is just as good of an outlet as any, as broadcasting is also part of my responsibilities at the Dodgers. As I’ve stated in the past, we’re working very hard with KFWB to try and make this a partnership that works for the fans and though I’m not fully aware of what happened last night since I’m here in Florida and it took place at 11 p.m., I will certainly check in with my contacts there and try to figure out how to avoid those problems again.

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It seems like this time ever year, Spring Training feels more like an exercise in patience than anything else. It’s kind of like the poker games that seem to take place nightly in the Dodgertown lounge. But, we’ve still got four more days until the intrasquad game and five until we head to Orlando for the first game and I know just about everyone here is itching for some competition.

There were some interesting stories in today’s papers. Ken Gurnick’s story about Andre Ethier seems to tell a lot about why he struggled last season and Ken has another one about Andy La Roche that shows why he seems more comfortable this spring. In the Daily News, Tony Jackson touches on the same two subjects in one article.

I’ve also got to continue pointing out Tony’s blog because he seems to be posting three times a day, which puts Inside the Dodgers to shame. They’re all quick hits that can keep a Dodger fan entertained throughout the day.

In the L.A. Times, Steve Henson points out that Randy Wolf can hit and for anyone who grew up in the Valley and saw him tear it up in high school or college, it’s nice to know that he could see an occasional early-inning pinch-hit appearance in the bigs. Randy will also start the spring opener in Orlando on Thursday, Grady announced yesterday.

Over at the Orange County Register, new Dodger beat writer Al Balderas has a piece on Jonathan Broxton and Chad Billingsley that’s definitely worth a read.

And our other new beat reporter, Diamond Leung of the Riverside Press Enterprise, has an interesting story about Jason Repko in which he admits that if there are other teams that want him, he’d be open to being traded. I’m sure that’s a tough thing to say when you’ve been with one organization as long as he has, but just like anyone in the working world, the opportunity for more responsibility or in this case, playing time, is the issue. Still, given that Jason is one of the nicest guys on the team, I’m certain that he’ll continue to play his heart out here in Los Angeles as long as he’s here.

Our AP reporter, John Nadel, is in town for a week and his first article is on Joe Beimel, which hopefully puts that story to rest. But keep an eye on the newswire all week, as stories about the club will be posted there regularly while John is at Dodgertown.

And finally, don’t forget tonight’s DodgerTalk at 8 p.m. PT. If you’ve got Tivo or DVR, it’s the perfect chance to record the Oscars, listen to DodgerTalk on KFWB and then watch the Oscars almost commercial free for the rest of the night.

When I posted the leadoff note yesterday morning, I had every intention to come back later in the day and add more to it, but I got swamped with work and never did. I just jumped on about 26 hours later and was stunned to see all the comments. I was starting to think that everyone had become bored of posting, but I guess not. Glad to see you guys are all fired up.

Things here are going very well but starting to pick up. We’ve got TV crews coming all week from FSN Prime Ticket, MLB Productions, MLB.com, TBS (our new postseason rightsholders) and of course, the guys from Dodgers on Demand, among others. Plus, we’ve got each player spending time with the DodgerVision crew so that you guys can be entertained between innings and throughout the home games in Los Angeles. It’s all part of the things that our office coordinates during Spring Training at Dodgertown and across baseball.

Speaking of Dodgertown, I have to say I’m surprised by all the stories that have come out so far with the "Farewell to Dodgertown" theme. Today was USA Today and we’ve already seen them in Sports Illustrated, among others. Of course, understanding the history and tradition here, I’m not surprised that there are people who want to cover our potential move but I guess I’m just a little stunned that these all seem to make it look like this is our last spring. We will obviously be here next year, for sure, so hopefully everyone doesn’t get too far ahead of themselves.

However, in the interest of making sure all of our players and staff know about the history here at Dodgertown, Grady Little had a guest speaker at this morning’s team meeting and it was Billy DeLury, who has been working for the team for more than 55 years. It’s hard to even fathom the kind of dedication and commitment to anything that Billy has shown to this organization and it’s a testament to him that Grady asked him to speak to the players.

Switching subjects, there were a couple of interesting stories to point out today. First is Diamond Leung’s piece on Matt Kemp’s contact lenses in the Riverside Press Enterprise. Also, I mentioned the other day that both Tony Jackson from the Daily News and Diamond are doing blogs this spring that they’re updating regularly. Tony’s today is about Dave Collins and Diamond’s post has an interesting bit right now about Damian Jackson’s tatoos, including one in memory of Mike Darr.  I got chills reading it, to be honest, because when I was a reporter from 2001-02, I actually covered Mike’s funeral and I have to say that that was by far the hardest assignment I’ve ever undertaken.

That’s about it from Dodgertown right now. Keep the chatter going and keep throwing out your ideas and questions. We’ll try to answer what we can, when we can.