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Jan
19
Dodgerblog Fans,
2012 will be a fun year for Dodgerblogs. More podcasts, video, analysis and news on the Dodgers and MLB. Watch Dodgerblogs from Arizona during Spring Training, during the ownership bidding process and much, much more. Wishing all of you a great 2012!
Dec
31
It’s a brand new year and baseball season is just around the corner. Let’s get ready for Dodger Baseball!
Feb
27
Duke Snider, the “Duke of Fallbrook”, who played 16 of his 18 major league seasons with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1980, died this morning in Escondido, California. He was 84. Snider, whose best days as a player was during the heyday of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the 1950’s until the team’s move to Los Angeles in 1958, hit 407 home runs during his career with a career .295 batting average. 389 of his 407 career home runs were in a Dodger uniform. Snider was only a handful of players who hit 40 or more home runs in five consecutive years from 1953 to 1957. In Brooklyn’s only World Series victory in 1955, Snider hit .320 with four home runs and seven runs batted in. Snider also hit .309 with 42 home runs and a career-high 136 RBIs during the 1955 season. In Terry Cashman’s 1981 song, “Talkin’ Baseball,” Snider is immortalized by the line “Willie, Mickey and the Duke,” the three outfielders of the three New York teams who played for pennants and World Series titles every year from 1951 to 1957, the years those three outfielders contended, played against, and were always compared. Duke Snider once said of the comparison, “The newspapers compared Willie, Mickey and I, and that was their thing,” Snider said several years ago. “As a team, we competed with the Giants, and we faced the Yankees in the World Series. So we had a rivalry as a team, that was it. It was an honor to be compared to them, they were both great players.” Snider’s number 4 uniform is retired at Dodger Stadium. He played his last season in 1964 as a San Francisco Giant.
Sep
18
Don “Donnie Baseball” Mattingly, the 1985 MVP and standout player for the New York Yankees, who, for the last three years has been the Los Angeles Dodgers batting coach, was names the ninth manager in Los Angeles Dodger history. Mattingly will replace Joe Torre starting in the 2011 season. Torre, whose contract expires at the end of this season, had begun to negotiate an extension during spring training, but had called off the negotiations during the season. It is unclear what role, if any, Torre will have with the team. Mattingly was a finalist for the Yankee managerial job when Torre left the Yankees following the 2007 season. When Joe Girardi was named the manager for the 2008 season, Mattingly followed Torre to Los Angeles. Mattngly does not have previous managerial experience at any level, and will manage minor leaguers in the Arizona Fall League this fall. Since Peter O’Malley sold the team to the FOX group in 1998, there have been six managers in 12 years. In the prior 38 years of the Los Angeles Dodgers, there were only three managers. Mattingly has signed a three year contract to manage the team.
Aug
25
While the Dodgers enjoyed a 5-4 victory tonight in Milwaukee, persistent rumors continued to clog the Internet about whether Dodger outfielder Manny Ramirez was placed on waivers. According to the Los Angeles Times, it appears five Dodgers were placed on waivers today. The source, who of course claimed to be speaking anonymously, said, besides Ramirez, Casey Blake, Hiroki Karoda, Scott Podsednik, and Jay Gibbons were placed on waivers today. Being placed on waivers does not necessary mean a team will automatically pick up that player if the player is claimed by a team. Rather, a trade usually needs to be worked out within 48 hours after a team claims a player on waivers. In the case of Ramirez, the Chicago White Sox is the team appearing interested in Ramirez’s services. If the White Sox claim Ramirez, the Dodgers and White Sox would have 48 hours to work out a trade, and the White Sox would probably pick up the remaining $3.3 million tab on Manny’s contract for this year. If Manny clears waivers, the Dodgers could still trade him. This can be confusing. If tonight was one of Manny’s last starts as a Dodger, he helped the team out by going 2 for 2 with an RBI and a run scored.
Aug
22
Vin Scully announced on Sunday he will returnfor an unprecedented 62nd season broadcasting the Los Angeles Dodgers. Scully, 82, has called many major sporting events over the last 60 years, including the 1956 perfect game in the World Series by Don Larsen, the 1988 World Series home run by Kirk Gibson, several Masters golf tournaments, including wins by Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus, and countless other major sporting events. For 49er fans, you may remember “The Catch” in the 1981 NFC Championship Game against the Dallas Cowboys. Scully called that name. Scully, on coming back in 2011, said “I just love it so much,” he said. “It’s like a very good marriage. I found when push came to shove, I just did not want to leave. My wife understood it, God bless her. She said, ‘If you love it, do it.’ So I love it, and I’m going to do it.” He will continue to broadcast all nine innings of Dodger home games, as well as games on the road against National League West and American League West teams. Scully has no plans yet on broadcasting beyond 2011. Scully’s 61 years of broadcasting is the longest tenure of any sportscaster in the history of broadcasting.
Aug
17
The Dodgers pulled off a minor upset on Monday in signing LSU Quarterback and high school pitcher standout Zach Lee to a $5.25 million contract. Lee, from McKinney, Texas was an excellent pitcher with a 95 MPH fastball, a changeup and breaking ball. The surprise was the fact the Dodgers spent the contract amount at the time the McCourts are currently in divorce proceedings. The $5.25 million contract is a record signing bonus by the Dodgers. Meanwhile, Manny Ramirez continues to work out in Phoenix at the Dodger complex to prepare for a rehabilitation assignment, which could occur later this week. Ramirez, who has missed over 116 games in the last two years, is possibly on his way of Los Angeles, and depending on the Dodgers’ ever-slim playoff hopes, could be placed on the waiver wire later this month. While Manny is hitting .317, he has just eight home runs and 39 runs batted in. What are the chances Manny will return to the Dodgers in 2011? Probably less than slim…
Jul
31
The Dodgers completed a busy day of trading on the last day of the trading year by exchanging Blake DeWitt and two prospects for Ryan Theriot and left hander Ted Lilly. Lilly, who was the most available pitcher on the market after Roy Oswalt, Cliff Lee and Dan Haren, was 3-8 with the Chicago Cubs. The record is deceptive as the Cubs only provided Lily with a 3.77 average run support per start. DeWitt, who was batting .270, did not seem to fit well with the Dodgers as its starting second baseman. Joe Torre was using Ronnie Belliard and Jamie Carroll on several occasions in place of Dewitt. In Theriot, the Dodgers have a second baseman through the 2012 season. Theriot has a .320 on-base percentage. Later on Saturday, the Dodgers picked up Octavio Dotel for James McDonald and one prospect. Dotel has been the Pittsburg Pirates closer of late, having converted 21 out of 26 save opportunities. McDonald was an occasional starter who also relieved games. It is unclear his role as a Pirate. What could be clear is the bullpen, and whether this spells the end of George Sherrill. Scott Podsednik was also added to the roster on Friday for two prospects. Podsednik is batting .308 with 30 stolen bases for Kansas City when he was traded to Los Angeles on Thursday. Podsednik has started two games in left field so far for the Dodgers, but is 0-2 as a Dodger. The Dodgers lost 6-5 against the Giants on Friday evening and 2-1 on Saturday afternoon.
Jul
25
Casey Blake scored the only run of the game on a double by Russell Martin in the eighth inning as the Dodgers beat the Mets 1-0. Clayton Kershaw pitched eight strong innings as he struck out three and gave up seven hits to lower his ERA to 2.96. Kenley Jensen, a former catcher, pitched a scoreless ninth inning to record his first save in the major leagues. The Dodgers beat the Mets three games out of four on the homestand, to finish the homestand at 4-3. The Dodgers are now 53-46 on the season and six games out of first place in the National League West. The Dodgers will face the San Diego Padres this week in San Diego starting on Tuesday evening. The questions facing the Dodgers as the trade deadline approaches on July 31 is another outfielder and a starting pitcher. According to the Los Angeles Times, General Manager Ned Colletti stated the Dodgers are “buyers” for starting pitching and an outfielder; however, it does not appear likely the Dodgers will trade for Houston Astros’ ace Roy Oswalt, given the high salary the Dodgers would have to incur. The Dodgers appear to be searching for a second or third starter to supplement the current pitching staff, and also the team may attempt to land another relief pitcher. This week will provde interesting for the club, and it may give an indication of how the divorce proceeding are going for Frank and Jamie McCourt.
Jul
24
James Loney hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 13th inning as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Mets 3-2 on Saturday. Loney’s seventh home run provided reliever George Sherrill with his first victory of the year. Sherrill, who has been struggling all year, is now 1-1. The Dodgers have beaten the Mets two games out of three on the homestand, with a final game against the Metropolitans on Sunday at Dodger Stadium. Clayton Kershaw takes his 9-5 record on the mound against R.A. Dickey, who is 6-4 with a 2.73 ERA on the 2010 campaign. Sherrill was the ninth pitcher used by Joe Torre in the game. Jonathan Broxton escaped the ninth inning by striking out David Wright with runners on second and third. The home run by Loney was his first walk-off home run of his career. The Dodgers can salvage their homestand with a win on Sunday. The possible win can help the Dodgers to a winning record on the homestand at 4-3. |
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