In case you missed it – Page 11

Category: In case you missed it (Page 11 of 12)

By Jon Weisman

Josh Beckett arrived at Spring Training at the center of a seeming swirl of uncertainty, but don’t tell Beckett that.

Ken Gurnick has a detailed report at MLB.com on Beckett’s optimism for 2014. An excerpt:

Josh Beckett has texted enough with Chris Carpenter to know that the medical condition they share can end a pitcher’s career, as it did Carpenter’s.

But Beckett said it won’t end his.

The Dodgers right-hander seemed to back that up with his first bullpen session on Monday, throwing 30 pitches free and easy. At no time did Beckett stop to rub the feeling back into numb fingers, as he often did last Spring Training in what proved to be a hint that something was wrong.

Beckett said the thoracic outlet surgery that cut short last season has solved the numbness and tingling he had felt “for years.” He said he’s ready to reclaim his role in the Dodgers’ rotation as the fifth starter, knowing the club has enough doubt about his health that it chased Bronson Arroyo and signed Paul Maholm for protection. …

Read the rest of the story here. Among other revelations is the one that Beckett does not expect to accompany the team to Australia. That would, at least for the first two games, open up a roster spot for another pitcher.
More on Beckett from Dylan Hernandez of the Times and Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A.
Former Dodger second baseman Jeff Kent is volunteering as an assistant coach for the baseball team at Southwestern University. David Brown of Big League Stew blogs about it.
Strikeout percentage (strikeouts per batter faced) is a more valuable statistic than strikeouts per nine innings, argues Ben Humphrey at Viva El Birdos.
Lots of good stuff today from Jon SooHoo.

Alex Guerrero

In case you missed it: Scott Elbert coming back from appendectomy

By Jon Weisman

On February 9, 2014

In Health/injuries, In case you missed it

Back to baseball. #Dodgers Photo Blog: http://t.co/PjP0blDzcD pic.twitter.com/i5bK7DoQ8a

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 9, 2014

By Jon Weisman

Excuse Scott Elbert if he thinks the knives are out for him …

Elbert had an appendectomy January 28, putting a pause in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, but he is expected to resume throwing this week, according to Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. Ken Gurnick of MLB.com has more. Elbert was placed on the 60-day disabled list Saturday after Paul Maholm was signed but still hopes for a midseason return.
The Dodgers got “great value” in Maholm, compared with other recent free-agent signings, writes Justin Millar of MLB Daily Dish.
Sons of Steve Garvey passes along screen captures of Vin Scully and Jerry Doggett from the 1961 movie “Bachelor in Paradise.” A year ago, Emma Amaya of Crazy Blue World catalogued several Scully film appearances.
World Series hero Kirk Gibson thought he was destined for the NFL while he was at Michigan State, writes Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic (via Baseball Think Factory).

“I would’ve been a top-five pick,” said Gibson, an All-American wide receiver at Michigan State. “I was big, fast and I caught everything.”

In case you missed it: Billingsley recovering so fast, he needs to slow down

By Jon Weisman

On February 8, 2014

In Health/injuries, In case you missed it

Chad Billingsley meets reporters today. More from Jon SooHoo here.

By Jon Weisman

Chad Billingsley is progressing so well in his recovery from Tommy John surgery that he needs to make an effort to pace himself, reports Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.

… “My arm hasn’t felt this good in a few years. I feel like I have a whole new arm,” Billingsley said on reporting day for Spring Training. “They keep telling me, don’t throw 95 [mph] yet.”

“I think this is the dangerous time for him,” said manager Don Mattingly. “He’s going out there with the other guys and he can’t go to another level, trying to keep up with the Joneses.”

Billingsley said he’s thrown off a mound nine times, tossing only semi-fastballs in the low 80s (mph), and was up to 36 pitches on Friday. He speculated that he might add curveballs by the end of the month, then throw to live hitters in March. He hopes to move on to game situations by the end of March.

That would seem to put Billingsley ahead of the projected return of late May or June.

“Nobody knows when I can come back,” he said. “I just continue one week at a time.” …

More in Gurnick’s notebook, which also discusses the Dodgers’ fears about how they will do post-Australia. (Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. takes up this topic as well.)

And elsewhere, A.J. Ellis has cut Cracker Barrel breakfasts out of his diet as part of his attempt to get in better shape for the long haul, writes Dylan Hernandez of the Times.

In case you missed it: Mudball

By Jon Weisman

On February 7, 2014

In History, In case you missed it, Minor leagues

By Jon Weisman

Transitioning from hockey to baseball, the Dodger Stadium field was in the midst of a rain-soaked rebirth Thursday.

Elsewhere …

Vin Scully shared his thoughts about baseball legend Ralph Kiner, who passed away Thursday at 91, with SNY.

“He hit the highest home runs I’ve ever seen,” Scully said. “When you’d go to Pittsburgh back in the early 50s, the broadcast booth was in the second deck, and they would clean out the blast furnaces around 9:30. And all of a sudden there would be a great haze over the ballpark, and Kiner would actually hit home runs that would go up through the haze and then go back down and disappear. The height of his home runs is something I have always marveled about.”
Joe Posnanski offers his own appreciation of Kiner at Hardball Talk, as does Mike Oz at Big League Stew and Megdal at Sports on Earth. Bruce Weber has the obituary for the New York Times. If you’re young and/or from the West Coast, take the time to take in Kiner’s storied life.
The Dodgers come in at No. 5 overall (and first in the National League West) in David Schoenfield’s pre-Spring Training rankings for ESPN.com’s Sweet Spot. St. Louis grabbed the top spot in the majors.
The Dodgers rank even higher on Matthew Pouliot’s evaluations of starting pitching and bullpens for Hardball Talk.
Dustin Nosler of Dodgers Digest offers his evaluation of who has the best tools in the Dodger farm system.
David Golebiewski uses graphics to illustrate Yasiel Puig’s progress with plate discipline in 2013 at Gammons Daily. “The gains he made in controlling the strike zone figure to carry over into next year and beyond, as changes in a hitter’s swing rate take on meaning after about 50 plate appearances,” Golebiewski writes.
The Baseball Reliquary will host a panel discussion on Los Angeles baseball history March 29 in Arcadia. Former Dodger announcer Ross Porter will be part of the panel. Roberto Baly has more details at Vin Scully Is My Homeboy.
Briefly-a-Dodger-reliever Carlos Marmol has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Miami, reports Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com.

In case you missed it: Vin at the desk

By Jon Weisman

On February 6, 2014

In Health/injuries, History, In case you missed it

“It’s almost time for Dodger baseball” – Vin Scully #ineedmydodgers #dodgers http://t.co/ESv0QjYG3R pic.twitter.com/dhsIVnGGWf

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) February 5, 2014

By Jon Weisman

Links for a Thursday …

Ken Gurnick has a Spring Training preview for the Dodgers at MLB.com.
While Gurnick looks ahead to the 2014 Dodgers, Lyle Spencer of MLB.com looks back at the 1963 Dodgers. “Managed by Walter Alston, the Dodgers overcame a sluggish start to win the National League pennant and surgically sweep the vaunted New York Yankees in a stunning World Series,” Spencer writes. “They did it with a predominantly black lineup, the first time that had happened.”
Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com explores the possibility of Hyun-Jin Ryu having a sophomore slump, a topic that Chad Moriyama takes up at Dodgers Digest.
Is the most iconic moment in Dodger history the Kirk Gibson home run? The Sporting News thinks so, and the only argument that I can really think of would involve Jackie Robinson.
Robinson expresses his views on why baseball is popular in this letter, available on auction and discussed by Ernest Reyes at Blue Heaven.
The Derrel Thomas Foundation is presenting the second annual Positive Image Awards at a dinner February 20. Roberto Baly at Vin Scully Is My Homeboy has more.
Remember Koyie Hill? The one-time Dodger farmhand, a decade removed from the franchise, is still kicking and signed a minor-league contract with Washington. Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors has details.
Joe Sheehan imagines what baseball would be like with a one-game World Series that resembles the Super Bowl and doesn’t like what he sees.
You shouldn’t take recovery from Tommy John surgery for granted, writes Jeff Sullivan for Fangraphs — providing several examples of why.
This Parks and Recreation-Dodgers mashup from @akaTheConman appeals to two of my great loves.

In case you missed it: Top o’ the order to ya …

By Jon Weisman

On February 3, 2014

In History, In case you missed it

By Jon Weisman

Leading off, we’re talking about leading off …

Yasiel Puig, who was a rather unlikely leadoff hitter in his Major League debut before settling in a bit lower in the order, could return to the top spot for a number of games this year, Don Mattingly tells Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. On-base percentage has a lot to do with it, especially if he can continue to develop patience at the plate when needed.
Dodger coach Mark McGwire talked to MLB Network Radio about Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig and Alex Guerrero.
Here’s more FanFest 2014 coverage from Blue Heaven, Feelin’ Kinda Blue and Sons of Steve Garvey. Blue Heaven’s post has links to even more coverage.
Meanwhile, the Sons will be traveling to cover the Dodgers in Australia.
Jackie Robinson as radio host? Ernest Reyes of Blue Heaven passes along this three-minute sample. I’ve felt from time to time that Robinson’s voice resembles Tony Gwynn’s.
Dodgers Digest reaches its top 10 in its top 50 Dodger prospect ratings, and orders the top five as Corey Seager, Joc Pederson, Zach Lee, Julio Urias and Alex Guerrero.
Bill Shaikin of the Times is pumped – and getting pumped – for baseball season in Los Angeles.
Briefly-a-Dodger reliever Carlos Marmol remains unsigned but might finally be nearing a deal to move elsewhere, says Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Hardball Talk).

In case you missed it: Spirit Day

By Jon Weisman

On February 1, 2014

In In case you missed it

By Jon Weisman

Thanks to all the fans who came out today for FanFest.

Ned Colletti, Vin Scully and Don Mattingly are featured in Ken Gurnick’s FanFest roundup for MLB.com. Here’s perhaps the most memorable quote from Colletti, who as Gurnick writes, “credited the club’s brawl with the Arizona Diamondbacks as a key to the team’s midseason turnaround after beanings of Yasiel Puig and Zack Greinke.”

“Our guys took the field and went after them,” Colletti said. “As much as I don’t condone that, it kind of galvanized our club and got us together and brought friendship in the room and we got closer. In a bizarre way, it was a defining moment for the building of inside the room.”
Even as FanFest was taking place, there was also the second annual Community Day at the MLB Urban Youth Academy in Compton. Yasiel Puig was among those visiting, writes Earl Bloom for MLB.com.
Hyun-Jin Ryu getting into shape is the subject of two short pieces (here and here) by the Daily News’ J.P. Hoornstra, who also passes along this update about Dodger Stadium wi-fi and about the Union Rescue Mission learning center being named for Andre and Maggie Ethier. Nicely done, Ethiers.
An update from Kershaw’s Challenge: “After discussing our plans to renovate and add on to Destiny Community School in Lusaka, Zambia, we have solidified our plans and will begin construction soon.”
The last batch of Dodger Pitching in the Community Caravan photos, from Friday’s fifth day, can be found at the Dodger Photog Blog, thanks to Juan Ocampo.
Ex-Dodger pitcher Chris Capuano is a potential free agent bargain for some team, writes Jeff Sullivan at Fangraphs.
Sixteen-year NBA vet Tracy McGrady is looking to make a switch to pitching, at least on some level. D.J. Short at Hardball Talk rounds up the basic info.
More than half of the teams in the majors are planning to platoon or divide up playing time with at least one position, writes Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com.

In case you missed it: Chad Billingsley progressing

By Jon Weisman

On January 31, 2014

In In case you missed it

[mlbvideo id=”31330335″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]
By Jon Weisman

Above, video from day three (Wednesday) of the Dodgers’ community caravan. Below, well, see for yourself …

Chad Billingsley has thrown four bullpen sessions as he makes his way back from Tommy John surgery, reports Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. Scott Elbert is expected to throw his first bullpen this week, writes Gurnick, who also discusses other pitchers appearing at the Dodgers’ “Young Guns” pitching minicamp at Camelback Ranch last week.
Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten spent seven minutes talking about the franchise with the guys on MLB Network’s Hot Stove Live.
Opening Day Countdown Down Under is an excitingly new and self-explanatory blog from MLB.com. Follow it as we count down the days to the Dodgers and Diamondbacks at Sydney.
Keith Law of ESPN.com discusses his list of the top 10 prospects in the Dodger organization. I neglected to mention the other day that Chris Anderson came in at No. 96 in Law’s top 100. Law said Anderson had a higher ceiling than Zack Lee “as a potential No. 2 starter if he can locate better and maintains his composure when something goes wrong behind him.”
When Hanley Ramirez increased his adjusted OPS from 105 in 2012 to 190 in 2013, it was the second-biggest increase in baseball of all-time, writes Andrew Grant of True Blue L.A.
Scott Lindholm of Beyond the Box Score compares Yasiel Puig’s first season to others with similar career starts.

In case you missed it: Sandy Koufax applies for regular job presenting awards to Clayton Kershaw

By Jon Weisman

On January 28, 2014

In History, In case you missed it, Minor leagues

[mlbvideo id=”31323039″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]

By Jon Weisman

We’re all in awe of Sandy Koufax, but Koufax seemed in awe of Clayton Kershaw while presenting him with his National League Cy Young Award over the weekend (in the video above):

“Clayton Kershaw is not my protege,” Koufax said. “Clayton Kershaw is his own person, his own man, and he’s done it all himself. … He’s a very special pitcher. He’s a very special teammate. He’s a very special person.”

“As a player, Clayton has never been satisfied. He has tried to get better every year. And if he gets better after the year he had this year, I’d like to apply for next year’s job of presenting this to him again.”

What’s the all-time Dodger team of single-season performances? Matt Snyder of CBSSports.com makes his picks.
Keith Law of ESPN.com ranks the Dodgers’ farm system 11th in baseball.

“A very top-heavy system like Baltimore’s, with two elite guys at the top and three solid guys after, followed by a lot of reliever/fifth starter depth. They did have some intriguing arms in short-season ball who could push this system’s overall value up a lot by next year, especially since none of their top eight prospects are likely to lose eligibility in 2014.”
In this post about the superb hitting by Dodger pitchers last season, Daniel Brim of Dodgers Digest notes that it was the fourth-best performance since 1990. Though Zack Greinke figures to regress after his phenomenal season at the plate, Dan Haren (career .240 on-base percentage) might help the cause.
Charlie Osgood, who pitched in one game for the Dodgers in 1944 during World War II at age 17, has passed away, notes Baseball Happenings (via Blue Heaven). He was a nephew of famous Dodger coach Clyde Sukeforth.
A type of protective cap for pitchers to use on the mound has been approved by MLB, reports William Weinbaum for ESPN.com. “We’re excited to have a product that meets our safety criteria,” Halem told “Outside the Lines,” adding that baseball will continue its efforts to come up with more options.
Historic Dodgertown in Vero Beach will host a game between the Brevard County Manatees and Lakeland Flying Tigers on April 15 in celebration of Jackie Robinson Day.
Recent Dodger signee Chone Figgins is among the baseball veterans attempting to make comebacks that Cliff Corcoran writes about at SI.com, but the most interesting tidbit might be about Mark Mulder, who is trying things out with the Angels.

“By 2011, Mulder had settled into retirement as an analyst for ESPN, but while watching Dodgers lefty Paco Rodriguez pitch in last year’s playoffs Mulder was inspired to imitate his delivery and discovered that doing so restored the life on his pitches.
Peter Gammons wrote at Gammons Daily that the Dodgers are the team to beat in the National League West, but that the division will be interesting this year.
The inimitable Pete Seeger, who passed away Monday, can be heard discussing baseball — including the integration effort — on these videos shared by Craig Calcaterra at Hardball Talk.
Following up on the first day of the Dodgers’ Pitching in the Community Caravan, Courtney Jones and MLB.com bring some great stuff in this video.[mlbvideo id=”31325787″ width=”400″ height=”224″ /]

In case you missed it: Stick and move

By Jon Weisman

On January 24, 2014

In History, In case you missed it, Minor leagues

Hockey in flip flops — it’s the Dodger Stadium #StadiumSeries: pic.twitter.com/SpfnIsUThi

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) January 24, 2014

By Jon Weisman
The first full-squad Dodgers workout at Camelback Ranch is three weeks from today. Three weeks.

Using a point system for its top 100 prospects where teams received 100 points for the No. 1 spot and 1 point for being No. 100, the Dodgers ranked seventh in the majors by MLB.com and first in the National League West. Individually, Corey Seager was 34th, Joc Pederson 36th, Zach Lee 63rd and Julio Urias 64th. Considering the promising Urias might be underrated on this chart (and that Alexander Guerrero was ineligible for consideration), this is a strong showing. More details here from Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.
As Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. points out, MLB.com (Seager), Baseball America (Pederson) and Baseball Prospectus (Urias) have each put different players atop the Dodger prospect list.
Dustin Nosler takes his Dodger prospect rundown to Nos. 31-40 at Dodgers Digest.
Oh, hey — occasionally, major-league talent gets ranked as well. USA Today looks at starting pitchers, with Clayton Kershaw first and Zack Greinke 13th. Madison Bumgarner was the only NL West pitcher above Greinke.
Another Cuban contender for the majors is 28-year-old catcher Yenier Bello. Jesse Sanchez at the Park has details (via J.P Hoornstra of the Daily News).
Coming up from Orange County for Saturday’s NHL Stadium Series game at Dodger Stadium? Emma Amaya has public transportation details at Dodger Blue World.
Steve Garvey will have his Michigan State Spartan jersey retired at a ceremony in East Lansing on Sunday.
Willie Crawford gets a career retrospective from Bruce Marksen at the Hardball Times. An excerpt:

… In 1964, the 17-year-old Crawford drew the interest of every one of the 20 major league teams in existence. With his combination of five-tool talents, clubs like the Dodgers, Yankees, and Kansas City A’s envisioned him as the centerpiece to their outfield futures.

Dodgers executive Al Campanis simply raved about Crawford’s ability. He filed a scouting report with his superiors that indicated Crawford “hits with the power of Roberto Clemente and Tommy Davis at a similar age.” A’s owner Charlie Finley offered an even higher opinion of Crawford, calling the teenaged flychaser “a Willie Mays with the speed of Willie Davis.” In the context of early 1960s baseball, it was hard to get much better than a combination of Clemente, Mays, and the two Davises.

Finley liked Crawford so much that he gave the youngster a large, framed, signed portrait of himself, which eventually hung in the Crawford living room. Even more pertinently, Finley offered Crawford a bonus of $200,000 to play center field for his A’s; it was a staggering amount of money in the mid-1960s scheme of things. Crawford seemed genuinely intrigued by the advances of Finley, referring to him as “one of the nicest millionaires I know.”

Crawford gave serious consideration to Finley’s offer. At the same time, he also received warm overtures from the Dodgers, who sent a young scout named Tommy Lasorda to Crawford’s home. Only two days after he graduated from Fremont, Lasorda reached an agreement with Crawford. The youngster signed a contract giving him a bonus of $100,000. While it was only half of Finley’s offer, it was the largest bonus ever secured by an African-American player, exceeding the previous amounts given to Richie Allen and Tommie Agee.

So why did Crawford take the lesser sum of money? As a native and resident of the Watts section of Los Angeles, Crawford simply did not feel comfortable moving far away from the California coast. He also found himself swayed by Lasorda, a Dodgers scout at the time and a man who had taken the time to attend the funeral of Crawford’s grandfather. …
I’ve addressed this issue before, but Brad Johnson at the Hardball Times revisits the implicit reasons why teams agree to player opt-outs.
I mentioned “The Battered Bastards of Baseball” the other day, but here’s more on the project: Jeff Labrecque of EW.com interviews Todd Field, the director of “Little Children” who was a 13-year-old batboy for the subjects of the documentary, the Portland Mavericks. And also comes the news from Justin Kroll of Variety that the doc will be adapted into a feature film, with Field writing and directing.

In case you missed it: First take from Orel Hershiser

By Jon Weisman

On January 23, 2014

In In case you missed it, Minor leagues

[mlbvideo id=”31317421″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]
By Jon Weisman

Above, Orel Hershiser talks about coming back to the Dodgers as a broadcaster for SportsNet LA.

Ned Colletti’s trip to the Dominican Republic included a look with Dodger scouts at the private workout of 26-year-old outfielder Rusney Castillo, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America.… Castillo, 26, left Cuba at the end of 2013, and while he’s not a free agent yet, he’s expected to draw considerable interest from major league teams given his tool set and track record in Cuba, including playing for the Cuban national team.
At 5-foot-9, 185 pounds, Castillo is a righthanded hitter with experience playing second and third base in addition to center field, so his versatility could be intriguing to a variety of teams. …
We’ll turn to Jon Rosen at Kings Insider for the latest leading up to the Kings-Ducks hockey game Saturday at Dodger Stadium, which included a celebrity skate.
Bill James is doing a big series of stories on big game pitchers, and as Rob Neyer points out at Baseball Nation, while the list of top big-game pitchers includes Johnny Padres, Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and Don Sutton, one name on there that might surprise you is former Dodger pitcher Jerry Reuss.
Neyer also points us to an MLB.com video offering the history of Japanese pitchers in the majors.
Joc Pederson ranks seventh on MLB.com’s list of top 10 outfield prospects.
Dodgers Digest is running down the top 50 Dodger prospects, and Dustin Nosler kicks things off with Nos. 41-50.

In case you missed it: Puig’s Day of Unity

By Jon Weisman

On January 22, 2014

In Dodger Stadium, In case you missed it

By Jon Weisman

Yasiel Puig spent his Martin Luther King Day with kids at the Amigos For Kids Reading Enrichment Program in Miami, during Unite4:good Day of Unity, whose goal is to inspire charitable action globally.

Elsewhere …

The Dodgers take a spin on the Baseball Prospectus preseason wheel today, with Craig Goldstein offering a fantasy team preview and Jason Parks a top-10 prospect list, headed by Julio Urias.
Now that the Masahiro Tanaka saga has ended with his Yankee deal, perhaps MLB will emerge from its weird holding pattern, writes Mike Petriello for Fangraphs.
Dodger president Stan Kasten told J.P. Hoornstra of the Daily News that security metal detectors are coming to Dodger Stadium by 2015.
… All major-league teams were recently presented with MLB’s plans for heightened stadium security, according to the Associated Press. The AP reported that league’s security director, John Skinner, recommended that all 30 stadiums install walk-through metal detectors. The Seattle Mariners announced earlier today that Safeco Field is getting a head start with the installation of permanent magnometers in time for Opening Day of this year.

Kasten said the Dodgers will use the 2014 season to experiment with different screening methods at each entrance point, ”and by ’15 we’re going to have all the [permanent] gates. We’re all expected to have that same kind of security in place. Everything will be some variation on Seattle.”

Fans arriving at Dodger Stadium are already subject to bag searches and, in some cases, hand-held magnetic wand scans. Kasten said that no security devices are being installed as part of the ongoing stadium renovations.

In the opinion of fans at least, the current screening process has proven effective. MLB’s mandate had more impact on the decision to install permanent metal detectors than any fan feedback, Kasten said.“I can’t tell you that we had a lot of specific complaints about that,” he said. …
Elsewhere, Hoornstra has a feature on Dodger pitching prospect Ross Stripling.
The latest briefly-a-Dodger vet to plot a return to the game after a year out of the majors is Bobby Abreu, who signed a minor-league deal with the Philllies. Jeff Todd of MLB Trade Rumors rounds up the details.
The 1969 Union Oil Dodgers Portraits Set is featured by Ernest Reyes at Blue Heaven.
“After signing his new contract, Clayton Kershaw is approximately equal in value to the Gross Domestic Product of the Republic of Palau,” offers Mississippi Matt Smith at Notgraphs. “To avoid any confusion between the two entities, I’ve prepared this handy table of comparisons.”

In case you missed it: Steiner to emcee ceremony honoring Wyman

By Jon Weisman

On January 21, 2014

In In case you missed it

[mlbvideo id=”26933767″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]
By Jon Weisman

I don’t know about you, but Spring Training feels like it’s sprinting toward us.

On to today’s links …

Dodger broadcaster Charley Steiner will emcee the 2014 Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame inductions luncheon Sunday in Bel Air. Honorees include indispensable Dodger historical figure Roz Wyman, the Los Angeles City Councilwoman who was instrumental in bringing the Dodgers to Los Angeles, and longtime Dodger publicist Toby Zwikel. (A tribute video for Wyman from last year, narrated by Steiner, appears above.)
Whatever happens with Masahiro Tanaka, you can’t say the neogiations haven’t been unique, writes Buster Olney of ESPN.com. Olney adds some background information about agent of the moment Casey Close, while Daniel Brim at Dodgers Digest attempts to put Tanaka’s Japanese statistics in an MLB context.
Orel Hershiser’s contract situation post-1988 was not all that different from Clayton Kershaw’s post-2013. Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. researches the comparison.
Ken Burns is doing a documentary on Jackie Robinson scheduled to air on PBS next year, notes Lisa De Moraes of Deadline. Meanwhile, Mike Oz posts a letter from Robinson to King at Big League Stew.
Speaking of documentaries, the Sundance Film Festival introduced “The Battered Bastards of Baseball,” a project about the independent Portland Mavericks. Jeffrey Wells of Hollywood Elsewhere has more.
Kenny Landreaux was among those offering guidance to young people on Martin Luther King Day at the Compton Urban Youth Academy, writes Lyle Spencer of MLB.com. “I’m trying to teach these kids how to handle adversity and deal with any situation in life,” Landreaux said.
SABR Day is coming Saturday, and Emma Amaya writes about it at Dodger Blue World.
What have our neighbors to the south been up to this winter? Jay Jaffe of SI.com gives the Padres’ offseason a C+.
Hundreds paid tribute Monday at the funeral of Michael Weiner, the head of the MLB Players’ Association, including former Dodgers Chris Capuano and Craig Counsell.
If you think the Dodger Stadium field is being transformed with this week’s hockey extravaganza, just remember it has only been two years since motocross took over the ballpark. (Mark Langill provided the pic below.)

In case you missed it: Martin Luther King Day

By Jon Weisman

On January 20, 2014

In In case you missed it

By Jon Weisman

On a day to pay special attention to our better selves …

Evan Bladh has more connecting Jackie Robinson and Martin Luther King at Opinion of Kingman’s Performance.
Maya Angelou, Berry Gordy and Jim Brown will be the honorees at the May 2014 MLB Beacon Awards Luncheon, “one of the events surrounding the Civil Rights Game that pay tribute to people who fight for equal rights,” The Associated Press reports.
Forget about asking whether Clayton Kershaw is the next Sandy Koufax. Now folks like Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal (via Gammons Daily) are trying to identify the next Kershaw.
Potential bench options on the open market are outlined by Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A.
The new manager of the Dodgers’ Single-A team in Great Lakes, Bill Haselman, is profiled by Harold Uhlman of Think Blue L.A.
Masahiro Tanaka is scouted by Ben Badler of Baseball America, while David Schoenfield of ESPN.com offers his own appraisal. The deadline for Tanaka to sign a Major League contract is Friday.
Former Dodger farmhand Carlos Santana is working on a potential move to third base from catcher for Cleveland. D.J. Short of Hardball Talk has more.
Another former Dodger, Joe Beimel, has signed a minor-league deal with Seattle, tweets Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports, adding that scouts say Beimel’s velocity is finally up since May 2012 Tommy John surgery. Bill Baer of Hardball Talk notes that Beimel, 37 in April, hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2011.
Former MLB commissioner Bowie Kuhn was wrong “about basically everything,” says the headline of Emma Span’s piece for Old Time Family Baseball. (Rob Neyer offers his own take at Baseball Nation.)

"I don't break bats…I wear them out!" -Josh Gibson. The legendary Negro Leaguer died at age 35 on Jan. 20, 1947. pic.twitter.com/l4itBULffL

— negroleaguesmuseum (@nlbmprez) January 20, 2014

In case you missed it: One shining moment (of indeterminate length)

By Jon Weisman

On January 15, 2014

In In case you missed it

By Jon Weisman

It happens in the blink of an eye, give or take some blinks …

The Los Angeles Sports Council is holding a fan vote for the area’s top sports (loosely defined) moments of the year. Dodger nominees are “Puig-Mania Sweeps L.A.,” “Dodgers Advance to NLCS” and “Kershaw Wins Cy Young Award.”
Dodger teenager Julio Urias took the No. 5 spot in MLB.com’s ratings of left-handed pitching prospects.
Baseball Prospectus is hosting a gathering April 26 at Dodger Stadium that includes special guests and a Q&A leading into the Dodgers’ game against the Rockies.
For those still tracking Hiroki Kuroda, an analysis by Alex Skillin of Beyond the Box Score is optimistic about his chances for success for the Yankees at age 39 (his birthday is February 10).
Former Dodger catcher Rod Barajas has been hired to manage the Padres’ Rookie League team in the Arizona League, reports Corey Brock of MLB.com (via MLB Trade Rumors) — but he still hasn’t ruled out playing again. (Whether other teams have ruled it out, I leave for you to speculate.) After a .625 OPS in 2012 for Pittsburgh, the 38-year-old Barajas was out of action in 2013.

Dodger Thoughts

Jon Weisman's outlet for dealing psychologically with the Los Angeles Dodgers, baseball and life

Category: In case you missed it (Page 11 of 12)

In case you missed it: Josh Beckett believes

In case you missed it: Scott Elbert coming back from appendectomy

In case you missed it: Billingsley recovering so fast, he needs to slow down

In case you missed it: Mudball

In case you missed it: Vin at the desk

In case you missed it: Top o’ the order to ya …

In case you missed it: Spirit Day

In case you missed it: Chad Billingsley progressing

In case you missed it: Sandy Koufax applies for regular job presenting awards to Clayton Kershaw

In case you missed it: Stick and move

In case you missed it: First take from Orel Hershiser

In case you missed it: Puig’s Day of Unity

In case you missed it: Steiner to emcee ceremony honoring Wyman

In case you missed it: Martin Luther King Day

In case you missed it: One shining moment (of indeterminate length)

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