A good chance to watch the game during work today! Last night here in Albuquerque, Kim Ng and I watched the Dodger game on MLB.TV and it had been a while since I used the product because usually I’m at the game. Wow – the quality was incredible and the features that are a part of it are awesome…pop-up in-game box scores, the ability to just flip back to another inning and watch from there on. It’s really pretty amazing how far MLB.com has come since the two years I worked there in 2001-02. Kudos to their technology group… 

And if you guys haven’t seen the new at-bat app for iPhone, that’s another one that is mind-boggling. Impressive video quality on your handheld. Makes me remember the days that people would bring their portable TV, with the rabbit ears antennae, to various events to watch the Dodgers or Lakers, etc. Fifty years from now, they’ll just be implanting chips in our heads and we can just think of the Dodger game and it’ll appear in our minds, live!

Anyway, as I post from the Albuquerque airport, I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank the Isotopes’ staff for its help over the past few days. They have handled Manny’s time here with great class and professionalism and we’re extremely grateful to Ken Young (the owner), John Traub (the GM), Steve Hurlbert (the PR director) and the rest of their great front office for their hospitality. Manny will play tonight here and then head home tomorrow before the game at Lake Elsinore on Saturday…

By the way, whoever dug up that random video of the Skateboard Angel song from the 70s…that’s a great find. You actually had me looking at it because Ned was, in fact, a keyboard player in a band back in college and I thought you were onto something. Unfortunately, it’s only the ‘stache that matches but I’ll definitely show it to Ned!

Here’s the lineup in Chicago…

Pierre, LF

Martin, DH

Hudson, 2B

Blake, 3B

Kemp, CF

Loretta, 1B

Jones, RF

Ausmus, C

Castro, SS

Billingsley, P

This surely means that the regulars will all be in the lineup tomorrow night for the homestand opener. Hope you’ll be there, too if not Saturday!

 

Lots of headlines yesterday and today from Manny’s visit here to Albuquerque. There’s no doubt, it’s been a bit of a circus atmosphere as this town is simply not used to having someone of his stature here. And the state’s biggest sports star, Brian Urlacher, happens to be hosting a football clinic for kids across the street from the baseball stadium, so it’s been interesting.

But, everyone is trying to remember that the point of this visit is for Manny to get himself into playing shape and that’s what we’re here to try and help him do.

Out in Chi-city, as Kanye likes to call it, the Dodgers grabbed another win last night and man, did Kuroda look good (on TV, that is). What a huge boost to have him back and healthy.

Over at Psychollingy (can’t seem to get the link working here), we got two posts, one from Eric about the minors and one from Steve about his weekend at the Hall of Fame, so be sure to check it out and let them know what you think. Maybe it’s just me, but I think it’s pretty cool that fans can interact with the broadcasters and perhaps even get their topics or questions discussed on air. That’s a very cool benefit of modern technology and it certainly seems like the way of the future.

 UPDATE

Raining here in Albuquerque…tarp’s on the field so not sure what will become of tonight’s game. Far less media here than yesterday…

In Chicago, here’s the lineup:

Pierre, LF

Furcal, SS

Hudson, 2B

Blake, 3B

Ethier, RF

Loretta, DH

Loney, 1B

Martin, C

Kemp, CF

Wolf, P

Hopefully watching Dodger baseball or even hanging out at Dodger Stadium on Sunday for the annual Father’s Day Catch from 10-1 here…completely free and talk about a fun memory for you and your dad!

I won’t be in Anaheim and will try to post as often as possible, if nothing else…the lineups.

Here’s tonight’s:

Pierre, LF

Furcal, SS

Hudson, 2B

Blake, 3B

Ethier, RF

Kemp, CF

Loney, 1B

Martin, C

Jones, DH

Billingsley, P

We don’t come here very often, so we’re jamming a lot into a short amount of time. We hit up the book depository in Dealey Plaza this morning and the JFK museum that is there. Then an old Dodger colleague took several of us, including Clayton Kershaw, on a tour of the new Cowboys Stadium. Wow – it seems to be worth every bit of the $1.2 billion they spent on building it.

Over at Psychollingy, Eric Collins posted his latest and man, you talk about dedication…his computer got a virus and went down completely, but he typed it out at the business center at our hotel and emailed it to me late last night.

Here’s tonight’s lineup in Texas…

Pierre, LF

Furcal, SS

Hudson, 2B

Ethier, RF

Blake, 3B

Loney, 1B

Loretta, DH

Martin, C

Kemp, CF

Wolf, P