Congrats to our All-Stars

If you’re watching the selection show on TBS, you know now that Orlando Hudson, Jonathan Broxton and Chad Billingsley all were voted onto the NL All-Star team by their peers around the league. Congrats to all three, who were genuinely excited when Joe Torre let them know this morning.

Now, it’s up to you guys to get the fourth Dodger to the game, as Matt Kemp is part of the Final Vote. We’re counting on you guys to push this over the top and spread the word to all your friends, family, and anyone else you know. It’s time to show the rest of the world what Dodger fans can do when they get behind their guy!

Meanwhile, here in San Diego, we recalled Blake DeWitt and put Eric Milton on the DL.

Here’s the lineup for the series finale:

Furcal, SS

Pierre, LF

Loney, 1B

Blake, 3B

Ethier, RF

Martin, C

Kemp, CF

Castro, 2B

Billingsley, P

Normalcy returns…

The media contingent was down to about 10 people today after yesterday’s crush. Manny is actually at-bat right now and the boo birds are out, but plenty of Dodger fans are here and cheering him, too.

Manny just homered…wow.

Not even sure what else to say…most importantly, Happy Fourth of July. Enjoy the barbecues, celebrations and time with your family and friends.

Tonight's game

We just had the news conference for Manny and I’m sure there will be tons of coverage all over MLB.com and the rest of the media world.

Joe Torre also spoke and I think in a lot of ways, the media seems to have been able to get the soundbytes they came for, though he really only spoke about the baseball side of things and not any of the other questions about his medical records, etc.

In any event, they’re expecting a sellout tonight and I’d imagine there will be a lot of Dodger fans and a lot of booing Padres fans. Here’s the lineup:

Furcal, SS

Hudson, 2B

Manny, LF

Ethier, RF

Blake, 3B

Loney, 1B

Martin, C

Kemp, CF

Kuroda, P

Bus blogging

On board the bus to SD where tomorrow promises to be rather busy. The center of the sports media world will be at PETCO Park, with Manny scheduled to come back from his suspension and quite obviously, his bat will be a welcome addition to the team.

It’s amazing to think that when he was suspended, we had the best record in baseball and we still do, now that he’s coming back 50 games later. The entire team has stepped up, but let’s not forget the incredible contributions of Juan Pierre. He’s really been such a huge contributor in so many ways and will continue to be, even as he shifts back into his role as more of a bench player and spot starter. He’s handled this whole thing with class and dignity and for that, I tip my cap.

If you aren’t planning a trip to SD, I’d imagine you’ll be watching on PRIME TICKET or listening to KABC 790 or KHJ 930 tomorrow night. Should be an interesting one…

The Mailman of Dodgertown…

As you recall, I dubbed Andre the Mailman of Dodgertown after he delivered back-to-back walk-off hits earlier this month, one of which came on the day that we had the post office out here for our 90090 announcement. Well, he added another one two nights ago and now, he’s up for MLB’s Clutch Player of the Month for June so all you Ethierholics, get on it. You can vote for him at pepsiclutch.mlb.com.

And in case any of you Ethierholics also happen to be yogaholics, you have a chance to do yoga with Andre and his yogi (not sure if I used that term correctly) as part of the WIN program. It’s Saturday, July 18 and all details can be found here.

Lineup coming shortly…

And here it is…

Pierre, LF

Kemp, CF

Hudson, 2B

Ethier, RF

Loretta, 3B

Loney, 1B

Ausmus, C

Castro, SS

Kershaw, P

Dodgers Magazine

I don’t know how this is possible, but when we approached Vin Scully a couple months back about being on the cover of Dodgers Magazine, he said that he does not believe he’s ever been on the cover. Well, after 60 years, we’re finally changing that (the magazine hasn’t been around that long but this is his 60th year behind the mic). You can get a copy at Dodger Stadium starting tonight or you can get a subscription, but it’s a great cover story by Eric Neel of ESPN.com so check it out.

Meahwhile, over at Psychollingy, Eric Collins weighs in with this latest…

And here’s tonight’s Dodger lineup:

Pierre, LF

Furcal, SS

Ethier, RF

Blake, 3B

Loney, 1B

Kemp, CF

Castro, 2B

Ellis, C

Bills, P

A special visitor…

Former longtime Dodger executive Dick Walsh visited Dodger Stadium on Friday with his son and grandson. The former Los Angeles High baseball standout joined the Dodgers’ Double-A Ft. Worth Cats of the Texas League in 1948 after his military service. Walsh worked his way up the ladder and returned to Los Angeles in 1957 when the Dodgers purchased the L.A. Angels of the Pacific Coast League. As assistant general manager, Walsh served as Walter O’Malley’s representative during the construction of Dodger Stadium. Walsh became the first director of stadium operations in 1962.

During Friday’s visit, Walsh spent time with Dodger owner Frank McCourt and ran into some familiar faces, including broadcasters Vin Scully, Jaime Jarrin, and longtime Dodger employee Bill DeLury.

Near the entrance to the Top of the Park Gift Store, there is a plaque from the stadium dedication ceremonies on April 12, 1962, two days after the home opener against Cincinnati. The plaque includes the names of O’Malley, architect Emil Praeger, chief field engineer Ira Hoyt, Vinnell Constructors and “Dick Walsh, V. Pres. Stadium Coordinator.”

Walsh, 84, was asked to pose next to the plaque and he eventually pointed to his name at the bottom of the plaque, which caught the attention of a Dodger fan about to walk into the store.

“Is that you?” he asked, prompting a modest nod from Walsh. The fan shook Walsh’s hand and said, “I just want to thank you for building such a beautiful stadium.”

— Mark Langill

What a day!

We truly hope you enjoyed the inaugural Inside the Dodgers Tour…it’ll be hard to top this one next year but we’re going to try. As I’m sure many of you have seen, MLB.com did a huge story on the afternoon, with photos, video, and an article that will help Joe Pierre remember this day forever. It is my true hope that others will see this and create their own online communities around their team, as this has become a really great place for fans to congregate.

More than anything, I want to thank you all for coming together to suggest this idea, thinking to ask Frank McCourt to bring Mr. Pierre out, and then taking such good care of Mr. Pierre while he was here. It was cool to see everyone rally around him, take him to lunch, and really make this an unforgettable weekend for a lifelong fan.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to stop by the seats last night, as I was in Lake Elsinore, but it sounds like those of you who made it got the chance to see Frank when he stopped by the seats. He was really excited to meet you all, as I’m sure you could tell.

A special thanks to Dustin for coordinating the tour, Kris for helping set up the tickets, and all the people in our office who helped make Joe Pierre’s weekend a memorable one. He’s off to the airport in a couple hours for just his second flight since the early 60s…we’ll look forward to hearing of his safe return to the east coast.

Reminder(s)

Today is the Inside the Dodgers tour of the stadium at 11:30 and then a large group of people are going to the game, too.

And don’t forget that tomorrow, Jon Weisman will be signing copies of his book at the stadium, too! 100 Things Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die is a must read for any ITDer…there will be a quiz at the end of the season! Well, not really, but I loved reading it and was surprised that even after working at the team for 15 years, I still learned a ton!