The Dodgers have optioned Hong-Chih Kuo to Triple-A Las Vegas and recalled Giovanni Carrara, who is now in his third stint with the club. On my way downstairs to the clubhouse, I ran into Gio and Shawn Green on the elevator, along with Vin Scully. It was like an old reunion, though Shawn and Gio have known each other since they were teammates at Single-A in 1992. To make room for Gio on the 40-man roster, we moved Ricky Ledee to the 60-day DL, though he’s starting his rehab assignment tomorrow in Jacksonville.

Happy Fourth of July to all…in case you were wondering, In their 116-year history, the Dodgers have played 166 games on July 4 and have posted an 84-80-2 record in those games, including a 23-25 mark since moving to Los Angeles in 1958. The tradition of playing a double header on Independence Day was a regular one until 1960, when L.A. started playing just once on the Fourth of July.  During one particularly fruitful stretch, the Dodgers posted a 17-4 record on July 4 from 1945-1956. Last year, the Dodgers defeated the Rockies, 4-3 in 11 innings on Independence Day. Following tonight’s game, there will be a fireworks show compliments of TD Ameritrade.

Here’s the lineup:

Furcal, SS

Lofton, CF

Nomar, 1B (Vote for Nomar for the final All-Star spot)

Drew, RF

Kent, 2B

Ethier, LF

Izturis, 3B

Martin, C

Sele, P

And a final note on last night’s tri-plunking of Nomar:  He tied a Major League record by getting hit by pitch three times and upon further review from Retrosheet’s Dave Smith, this is the third time that the feat has been accomplished this season, with Toronto’s Reed Johnson having the dubious honor of being the other two times. Garciaparra is the first player in L.A. Dodger history to get hit three times in a game and the 26th in Major League history.

For a unique look at some of the great names in baseball history, check out Game Show Network’s "Hall of Fame Moments," beginning this Saturday. The network will air guest appearances from the game show, "What’s My Line?" Saturday’s two-hour lineup features half-hour episodes with Ted Williams (6 a.m.), Joe DiMaggio (6:30 a.m.), Jackie Robinson (7 a.m.) and Willie Mays (7:30 a.m.).

Following Saturday’s premiere, the classic editions will be aired nightly throughout July and into August during the black-and-white overnight time slot at 12:30 a.m. Scheduled Dodger guests include Duke Snider (July 9), Roy Campanella (July 11), Jackie Robinson (July 30), former Dodger Manager Chuck Dressen (August 3), former Dodger team president Branch Rickey (August 6), Gil Hodges (August 8) and Snider (August 13).

Other famous and unique guests include: Satchel Paige, Giants announcer Russ Hodges, Jimmy Piersall, Yankees owners Del Webb and Dan Topping, announcer Joe Garagiola, umpire Emmett Ashford and Yankees manager Casey Stengel.

The best part of these video clips is the chance to hear something new about an athlete, or remember where they were at that particular point in their career. Campanella’s appearance on Sept. 6, 1953 was during the second of his three National League MVP seasons and was also taped the day he broke Gabby Hartnett’s record for most home runs by a catcher in one season with No. 38. Campy finished with 41 that season. Paige’s appearance in 1971 coincided with his election to the Baseball Hall of Fame. During Robinson’s 1969 appearance, show host Wally Bruner congratulates the former infielder on being the first black player in the Major Leagues, making his debut with Brooklyn in 1947. Robinson makes sure to give credit to Rickey and says the Dodgers’ team president was under more pressure at the time for trying to integrate the majors.

For a complete schedule, go to http://www.gsn.com/corporate/press.php?release_id=211

I’m back at the stadium, so thanks for everyone’s patience with the lineup over the weekend. We really need everyone’s help to get Nomar to the All-Star Game! Every year there are people who get snubbed, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone hitting .360 not make it. Be sure to vote as often as you can, as this really is your last chance to help show the rest of the country what kind of fans we have in Los Angeles.

As for today’s game, Grady shook up the lineup a bit. Here it is:

Lofton, CF

Izturis, 3B

Nomar, 1B (vote)

Drew, RF

Kent, 2B

Ethier, LF

Furcal, SS

Martin, C

Lowe, P

My apologies that no lineup was posted yesterday. I’m actually not in Anaheim this weekend, so getting it up there in a timely fashion probably won’t happen much in the next day or so. But, since we won last night when I wasn’t there, maybe I should stay away for a little while anyway!

We already know that Mark Hendrickson and Toby Hall will both be starting today from Ken Gurnick’s latest article. Beyond that, hopefully you guys can live with Gameday this weekend, which posts the lineup about an hour early.

There are some really great stories out there today about the Dodgers. Tim Brown wrote an awesome article about the farm system’s rejuvenation and all the people who have had a hand in it, from Dan Evans, Kevin Malone, Paul DePodesta and Ned Colletti to some of the names you don’t hear as much, like Terry Collins, Jon Debus, Ken Howell, Dann Bilardello, Jeff Schugel, Kim Ng and several others. And, in case you missed it last week, Tim’s article on Jim Abbott is one of my favorite reads all year.

Among the other interesting reads today is Tony Jackson’s article that focuses on Olmedo Saenz and Ramon Martinez, two guys that don’t get nearly enough attention, in my opinion. I didn’t know that Ramon had an interest in being a manager someday, much like Sandy Alomar, until I read this. Another interesting fact about Ramon that he mentioned to me on the bus the other day – his grandmother in Philadelphia is 102 years young.

Bill Plunkett writes about what it will take to win the West in his off-day feature while his colleague, Mark Whicker (who does great Jim Tracy impressions) ponders a new divisional alignment that would have the Dodgers and Angels face off 16 times a year.

In the Riverside Press Enterprise, there’s a series of articles on our rookies by Allison Otto, Diamond Leung and Kevin Pearson that’s definitely worth reading.

Also in the LA Times online edition, Lewis Abraham Leader gives his all-time Dodger/Angel teams for those gearing up for the Freeway Series.

It should be a great weekend for California baseball.

Tim Kurkjian of ESPN.com has a great piece today about five players whose selfless approach helps their team more tham most people realize. Not surprisingly, Sandy Alomar Jr. is the first guy mentioned and I can’t put into words how much this guy adds to our club. It’s like having an extra coach who happens to hit .400 with runners in scoring position. There’s little doubt in my mind that he’s going to make a great manager someday and will be a valuable asset during the second half as a pinch-hitter, as Grady will be able to use him without worrying about not having another catcher in case of an injury.

Also, Tom Verducci wrote a piece for the CNNSI website and SI Magazine that talks about all the great rookies in baseball. Despite the bad captioning (it shows James Loney and talks about Matt Kemp), it’s another good read.

Enjoy the day away from the game. Hopefully we’ll come back recharged tomorrow after a tough three games in Minnesota.

We get the first of two Cy Young Award winners today and the sixth since April 17. Let’s see if we can make Santana more like Pedro and not like Maddux, Glavine and Zito.

Furcal, SS

Lofton, CF

Kemp, RF

Kent, 2B

Saenz, 1B

Alomar, C

Cruz, LF

Izzy, 3B

Martin, DH

Perez, P

For what it’s worth, I’m thrilled we’ve got such fervent fans out there. Whether you think this was a good trade or not, I’m happy to see so many people voicing their opinions on this blog.

We’ll know more in a few months whether this trade worked out or not and rest assured, Ned Colletti knows that this isn’t the only move that has to be made to improve the club. Right now, it’s a move that he believes really helps us and I personally agree. I’ve put my faith in him and our talented scouting staff that really sees something in Hendrickson and Hall.

Now let’s hope we can knock off a pair of Cy Young Award winners in the next couple games…

Furcal, SS

Izzy, 3B

Nomar, 1B

Kent, 2B

Drew, RF

Saenz, DH

Kemp, CF

Cruz, LF

Martin, C

Lowe, P

More on the Hendrickson trade below…as for my "spin," I should have said that he has been one of the top lefties in the AL this season. There’s no debating that, statisically. Plus, he’s gotten 3.1 runs per game from his offense and I’m told from my counterpart over there that he could easily by 7-4 this year. An ERA under 4.00 in the AL is pretty impressive and it seems the turf in TB did not help his numbers. When he’s on grass, he’s pretty darn good.

Jon Soohoo / Dodgers

The rumors are true. We’ve acquired Mark Hendrickson, one of the top lefties in the AL this year and catcher Toby Hall, plus cash, for Dioner Navarro, Jae Seo and a player to be named later. I’ve pasted the press release below. We’re also putting Brett Tomko on the 15-day DL, so we’ll carry three catchers at this time.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Public Relations
Tuesday, June 27, 2006 (323) 224-1301

DODGERS ACQUIRE HENDRICKSON AND HALL FROM TAMPA BAY FOR NAVARRO AND SEO

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers announced today that they have acquired left-handed pitcher Mark Hendrickson and catcher Toby Hall from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, along with cash considerations for right-handed pitcher Jae Seo, minor league catcher Dioner Navarro and a player to be named later, according to Dodger General Manager Ned Colletti.

“Mark will add some depth to our starting rotation as we head into the second half of the season,” said Colletti. “Toby is an experienced catcher who will serve us well both behind the plate and off the bench.”

Hendrickson, who turned 32 on Friday, has been among the top left-handers in the American League this season, posting a 2.20 ERA on the road, the lowest mark in the league. He has also held AL batters to a .241 batting average which ranks eighth in the league. Overall, he has posted a 4-8 record and 3.81 ERA in 13 starts, going six or more innings in 11 of those outings while receiving just 3.1 runs per start by his offense (40 runs/13 starts).

Among AL lefties, Hendrickson ranks eighth in ERA behind Johan Santana (2.75), Scott Kazmir (3.21), Mark Buehrle (3.27), Barry Zito (3.36), Nate Robertson (3.38), Kenny Rogers (3.44) and Jamie Moyer (3.51).

Hendrickson began his professional baseball career in 2000 following a four-year career in the National Basketball Association. The six-foot, nine-inch southpaw was a second-round pick of the Philadelphia 76ers in 1996 and spent four season with Philadelphia (1996-7), Sacramento (1997-8), New Jersey (1998-99) and Cleveland (1999-2000), averaging 3.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in his 114-game career and became the 10th player in Major League history to also appear in the NBA. He will become the tallest player in Dodger history and joins teammate Derek Lowe as two of the 12 players in franchise history to top six-feet, six-inches in height.

The Washington native played baseball and basketball at Washington State University and was drafted six times in baseball from 1992-97. He made his big league debut in 2002 and has won 37 games in the Majors, including team-high totals of 11 victories in 2005 and 10 wins in 2004. This season, most of his success has come on natural grass, where he has a 2.09 ERA in six starts, compared to a 5.40 mark on artificial turf.

Hall, 30, is hitting .231 with eight homers and 23 RBI in 64 games this season. In seven Major League campaigns with the Devil Rays, he has a lifetime average of .262 with 44 homers and 251 RBI, including career-highs of .287 in 2005, 12 homers in 2003 and 60 RBI in 2004. He has thrown out 35 percent of runners attempting to steal off him in his career (145-for-412).

Navarro, 22, batted .280 with two homers and eight RBI for the Dodgers before suffering a contusion to his right wrist and being placed on the 15-day disabled list on May 5. The Tampa resident was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on June 15 after being reinstated from the DL.

Seo, 29, appeared in 19 games for the Dodgers, including 10 starts, posting a 2-4 record and 5.78 ERA. In 90 career big league games (76 starts), the right-hander has a 24-26 record and 4.13 ERA.