Harold Uhlman brought up a good point in his comment concerning the Dodgers expecting too much of our prospects. It is an age old concern and one we wrestle with internally. With the advent of the Internet and publications such as Baseball America which are devoted to minor league baseball, prospects get more publicity than ever. Therefore, the fans are more aware of the players’ names and statistics and we get asked about them more often.

We are very proud of our minor league system and our players’ accomplishments. However, it is important that the organization ***** the individual players’ abilities correctly and place them at levels in the system where they have the best chance of succeeding and progressing. The most important thing is that we develop these players to be Major Leaguers, not only to get to the big leagues but to stay. While it helps that the perception of our players is positive, especially with other teams, we as an organization must be blind and deaf to the hype and evaluate our prospects as we see them.      

Towards that end, we signed some veteran Major Leaguers in the off-season not only to improve the team, which is most important, but to give our young minor leaguers time to hone their skills and not be rushed. There will be some failures along the way, no doubt, as player evaluation is an inexact science and injuries always happen. But we feel good about our current crop and have faith in our development staff to get them ready for Dodger Stadium.

A quiet morning at Dodgertown…here’s the lineup for today’s game against the Mets: Kenny Lofton, CF…Sandy Alomar, C…Nomar Garciaparra, 1B…Joel Guzman, DH…Andre Ethier, LF…Bill Mueller, 3B…Matt Kemp, RF…Oscar Robles, SS…Martinez, 2B…Derek Lowe, P.

I’m sure it looks weird to see a DH at a game at Holman Stadium, but with so many players gone at the World Baseball Classic, MLB has mixed up the rules a bit and allowed National League teams to use a DH at their discretion.

Today’s game can be heard live on KFWB…and don’t forget to head to Dodger Stadium to pick up your tickets for Opening Day and other games that haven’t been available until today.

The lineup against the Orioles: Willy Aybar, 2B…Delwyn Young, LF…Nomar Garciaparra, 1B…Joel Guzman, DH…Matt Kemp, CF…Dioner Navarro, C…Jason Repko, RF…Chris Truby, 3B…Tony Abreu, SS…D.J. Houlton (P)

A walk-off three-run shot is never a good way to end the day, but today was still a very productive day for the Dodgers. The team rapped out 17 hits (three each from Jason Repko and Ramon Martinez, who both added two RBI), but in the end the Braves came out on top. Still, there were plenty of bright spots.

It’s always a good thing when your starting pitcher has to go back to the bullpen after he comes out of the game so that he can finish getting his work in. Brett Tomko pitched two perfect innings and made only 16 pitches, so he retreated down the left field line to finish up his workout during the game. Takashi Saito also threw two perfect innings in his first appearances outside of a game in Japan.

J.D. Drew was back in action for the first time since early July and went 1-for-1 with a walk and told reporters after the game he felt pretty good about how things went. Grady Little said he was most impressed with the swings of James Loney today, who had two hits and made two hard outs in addition to drawing a walk.

But anyone watching the ESPN telecast probably will remember one moment from the game today that won’t show up in a box score. After getting a hit in the fifth inning, Dodger prospect Andy LaRoche was standing at first base with his brother, Adam, of the Braves (pictured). Now that’s got to be a cool feeling. ESPN had Adam miked up, so they caught a fun exchange between the siblings on the basepaths.

Grady told reporters after the game that Joel Guzman will serve as the designated hitter for tomorrow’s game against the Orioles and that he thinks we’ll see Jeff Kent fill that role sometime in the next week. He said that Jeff will DH before he gets in the field for a game.

Finally, if you’re a die-hard fan (and if you’re reading this, I’m guessing you are), don’t forget that tomorrow is the first day of individual ticket sales. Ron Cey will be out at Dodger Stadium and there’s plenty of fun in store for those who show up on site.

We’re on the bus to Orlando right now en route to Game 2 of the spring. Just before we left, the players, coaches and staff presented Grady Little with a cake for his 56th birthday. I could’ve done without the singing, but it was a nice gesture.

Be sure to catch today’s game on ESPN or on radio at dodgers.com

Today’s lineup is Oscar Robles, 2B…Russell Martin, C…J.D. Drew, RF…Andre Ethier, LF…Bill Mueller, 3B…Jason Repko, CF…James Loney, 1B…Ramon Martinez, SS…Brett Tomko, P.

It sure is nice to see J.D. Drew back in the lineup for the first time since July 3. He’s sitting right in front of me on the bus and must be pretty excited about getting back into a game.

Finally, in case you haven’t seen it, be sure to read Kevin Baxter’s article in the Miami Herald about Manny Mota’s Campos de los Suenos in the Dominican Republic. So many people hear about the Manny Mota Foundation and anyone who’s met him knows what a good man he is, but this story is probably the best I’ve read on his charitable endeavors.

Just before today’s game started, U2’s "Beautiful Day" was playing on the loudspeakers at Holman Stadium and it was a sign of things to come. The weather was perfect, the Dodgers won 3-2 and everyone left the ballpark in good spirits today.

Brad Penny pitched two innings and got the win. Nomar Garciaparra made a pair of nice plays at first base and Matt Kemp had an incredible throw from right field to gun down the tying run at home plate (Sandy Alomar Jr. blocked the plate nicely to keep the runner from touching home).

In other news, the Dodgers announced today that we’ll be bringing a few guest analysts to KFWB during Spring Training. Jerry Reuss, Steve Yeager and Tom Goodwin will all be on the air at various times, as will A Martinez and a pair of Dodger "farmhands," Brian Petrotta and Russ Langer. With Charley Steiner going to the WBC, we have a chance to try some new things with the broadcast, including bringing out two members of the 1981 World Championship team. As you’ll see, we’re going to be doing a lot of things this year to commemorate the 25th anniversary of that title.

Tomorrow’s game will be aired on dodgers.com and then the weekend will have games live on KFWB so be sure to tune in and list.

The games are here. The waiting is over. Crack open the grapefruit or use whatever weak catch phrase you want to say that the spring season is underway.

We’re going to do our best to post the lineup as soon as we have it on this blog for those of you who like to get a jump on the day’s events. For today’s spring opener, we’ve got:

Lofton, CF…Aybar, 2B…Garciaparra, 1B…Ledee, RF…Cruz, LF…Mueller, 3B…Navarro, C…Robles, SS…Penny, P

The Braves’ main guys here will be Andruw Jones and Jeff Francouer.

Kenny Lofton will lead off today and in the photo, he’s the one putting (though I’m guessing you could figure that out on your own). Yesterday we took Kenny, Eric Gagne, Brett Tomko and Derek Lowe over to The Club at Pointe West to tape the Big Break All-Star Challenge for the Golf Channel. I can’t tell you who won the event – you’ll have to watch and find out – but I can say that it was an awesome day out on the links. It should air sometime around midseason, but check the Golf Channel’s website for details.

It’s a busy day here, getting everything ready for the first game, so forgive the short post. But, thanks to your feedback, we’ll go back to putting the name of the person posting in the headline rather than try and color code it. While it will be myself, Roy Smith or Mark Langill most of the time, we’re certainly planning on having guest posters as it makes sense. Thanks for letting us know your thoughts and keep them coming.

It was announced today that we have decided to shift Joel Guzman from shortstop to left field. When making a position change with a player, many things are considered. In Joel’s case the two most important variables are what is best for the player in order for him to reach his full potential and what is best for the team. In this case we feel that both factors are being addressed. As an organization, we feel we have depth in the infield, but not so much in the outfield. In Joel’s case, he has always played shortstop, which has enabled him to develop skills which are transferable to other positions. Shortstop requires quickness, range and arm strength, which are also attributes that you look for in an outfielder. At 6’6 and 240 pounds, we also feel that he will hit for the power that you look for at that position. We realize that Joel will need time to adjust. However given his athleticism, we feel he can become a fine Major League outfielder.            

The game in Jacksonville yesterday turned out to be a showcase for our young prospects. Chad Billingsley showed flashes of the outstanding stuff that he possesses and Guzman, Delwyn Young and Andre Ethier hit home runs. It was also a chance to see Nomar Garciaparra at first base for the first time and also Bill Mueller, who hit a home run in his first at bat in a Dodger uniform. All in all, it was a great day.   

This post comes to you from the bus on the way back from Jacksonville, where the Dodgers took on the Jacksonville Suns in an intrasquad game today. The players representing the club’s Double-A affiliate were victorious, 8-3. Dodger third baseman Bill Mueller led off the second inning with a solo homer over the right field wall on his first swing in a Los Angeles uniform, while prospects Delwyn Young, Andre Ethier and Joel Guzman each hit two-run homers for Jacksonville. Ethier’s bomb actually cleared the pavilion in right field, landing in the parking lot outside the stadium — and he drew two walks.

On the mound, Justin Orenduff pitched two scoreless innings to earn the victory while Jonathan Broxton closed out the win with a scoreless ninth inning, striking out two. Center fielder Matt Kemp went 3-for-4 and catcher Dioner Navarro threw out two of the three runners attempting to steal off him. It was an impressive showing for the Dodger prospects, who you’ve all heard so much about.

Other guys you might be interested in were Nomar Garciaparra (0-for-3), Oscar Robles (2-for-3 with an RBI) and Chad Billingsley (2.0 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER).

Now, February has come to an end and the Dodgers will play their first game of the Grapefruit League season on Thursday against the Braves at Holman Stadium. If you’re reading this from Vero Beach, tickets are still available. Brad Penny will start the opener for the Dodgers, followed by Aaron Sele, Lance Carter, Kelly Wunsch, Tim Hamulack and Danys Baez. Friday’s rematch between the two teams in Orlando will feature Brett Tomko in his first start for the Dodgers.
 
Plus, there was a little more news today: Tommy Lasorda will be enshrined in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. Tommy spent nine years in the International League, where he became the Montreal Royals’ all-time winningest pitcher, earning him a spot in the country’s Hall of Fame. That marks the fifth Hall of Fame into which Lasorda will be inducted, joining the National Baseball Hall of Fame (1997), the National Italian American Hall of Fame (1989), the Montgomery County Coaches Hall of Fame (2002) and the South Atlantic League Hall of Fame (2001). In the meantime, Tommy is heading to Japan tomorrow as part of the World Baseball Classic.

Dodgertown got a visit today from Prescott Bush, the uncle of current President George W. Bush and the brother of former president George H.W. Bush. Following a tour of Dodgertown, Bush got a chance to meet some of the Dodger players, including non-roster catcher Pat Borders (pictured), who has enjoyed daily political discussions with the Dodger beat writers (no joke).

As most of you probably know, the current president has baseball ties, having owned the Texas Rangers before becoming Governor of Texas.

The Dodgers have their own long history of presidential ties, as former Commanders In Chief like Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan have thrown out the first pitch at Dodger games in the past.

Prescott Bush picked a gorgeous day to visit Dodgertown, as the skies cleared up for workouts. In fact, it’s so nice that the front office staff is heading out to Holman Stadium for a softball game this afternoon – the L.A. Dodgers vs. the Vero Beach Dodgers.

Tomorrow, the real fun starts. We’ll be boarding a 7 a.m. bus to Jacksonville for an intrasquad game. It will be the first chance to watch players like Nomar Garciaparra and Bill Mueller compete in a Dodger uniform and they’ll be up against top Dodger prospects like Chad Billingsley, Andy LaRoche and the rest of the players that helped the Suns win the Double-A Southern League championship last season. We’ll post some results on this blog tomorrow as soon as they’re available.