By Jon Weisman
Continuing our celebration of Clayton Kershaw’s contract extention today, here’s a look at what other journalists are saying. Though Clayton Kershaw has signed the richest contact for a pitcher in baseball history, more than one analyst is affirming that the Dodgers got a good deal.
Los Angeles Dodgers
By Jon Weisman
We’ll start the day with some happy tidings …
The Dodgers have scheduled a press announcement with Stan Kasten and Ned Colletti at Dodger Stadium for Friday at 10 a.m.
Dodgers.com will stream the announcement live.
By Jon Weisman
So, maybe it was because this was the first time in years I didn’t have to get up pre-dawn for the Oscar nominations, but I got to wondering how many of you will be tuning in live for the Dodgers’ opener against the Diamondbacks in Australia on March 22.
The game has a 7 p.m. Sydney start time, which translates to 1 a.m. in Los Angeles. (Quick time-zone sidebar: Daylight Savings Time starts in the U.S. on March 9, but it ends in Australia on April 6. So while there’s a 19-hour time difference today, there will only be an 18-hour time difference when the game takes place. Unless the Internet has lied to me.)
Game 2 in Sydney has a 1 p.m. start time on March 23, which translates to 7 p.m. March 22 in Los Angeles, creating the rare night-night split doubleheader for Dodger fans.
Let us know in the comments below if you’re going to be up for Opening Day!
By Jon Weisman
Dodger President and CEO Stan Kasten on negotiations with Clayton Kershaw: “I am hopeful that by Friday morning we will have an announcement.”
Jon SooHoo/©Los Angeles Dodgers, LLC 2013
By Jon Weisman
As you know by now, the Dodgers don’t exactly have a conventional opening to the regular season, with two regular-season games in Australia, followed by three exhibitions against the Angels before the campaign proper resumes March 30 at San Diego. The home opener is April 4 against the Giants.
Schedule intrigue continues throughout the season. Here are 14 things to remember about the 2014 slate.
Jon SooHoo/©Los Angeles Dodgers, LLC 2013
Update: ESPN announced today that its Sunday Night Baseball schedule would include the Dodgers on April 6 against the Giants and July 20 at St. Louis, in addition to the previously announced March 30 game at San Diego.
By Jon Weisman
He’s real! As Mike Brito stays connected in the background, new Dodger infielder Alexander Guerrero buddies up today with not-so-long-ago-new Dodger outfielder Yasiel Puig.
By Jon Weisman
So it’s pushing 80 degrees in downtown Los Angeles today and even warmer than that on the field at Dodger Stadium. I took a photo from the outfield that reminded me of the “Midnight Sun” episode of “The Twilight Zone.”
But the NHL Stadium Series game between the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks on January 25 will be plenty cool, literally and figuratively.
It doesn’t even matter that the outdoor temperature will dip as the 6:30 p.m. gametime approaches. Doesn’t matter if you’ll be in T-shirt and shorts for the day or bundling up for the night. That rink crossing from third base to first on the Chavez Ravine infield will be 22 degrees, period, according to NHL Senior Director of Facilities Operations Dan Craig. (And no, there won’t be a hump in the middle where the pitcher’s mound is.)
“It’s a hard concept for anybody not in the field to understand,” Craig said today at the event’s media gathering, citing the proven refrigeration technology of the imported floor and the 53-foot mobile refrigeration unit, which arrived today from Ann Arbor, Michigan. “We have two very efficient systems that were married together.”
In short, you’re going to see first-rate hockey conditions, featuring — as a bonus — two first-rate teams. The red-hot Ducks have the best record in the NHL, while the Kings sit in third place in the Pacific Division and eighth in the league overall.
It’s an event unprecedented in Southern California, not to mention impossible to foresee when someone like Wayne Gretzky dominated the local hockey scene.
© Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers,LLC 2014
“Twenty-five years ago, I don’t think we envisioned two teams in Los Angeles, (let alone) playing an outdoor game at Dodger Stadium,” Gretzky said.
For the Dodgers’ part, they’re happy to provide the backdrop for the game and let the NHL worry about cooling that rink. When Kings President of Business Operations Luc Robataille called Dodgers President and CEO Stan Kasten in the spring, Kasten said it was a no-brainer.
“We’ve always wanted to expand the use of Dodger Stadium,” said Kasten, who was friends with Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau when both were plying their trades in Washington, D.C. “The NHL is so good at this. They know exactly what to do and how to lay it out.”
Joked Robataille: “We’re trying to get (Dodger General Manager Ned Colletti) on the ice, but he found an excuse to make sure he couldn’t skate next week.”
By Jon Weisman
After the Dodgers begin the 2014 regular season with games in Australia against the Arizona Diamondbacks, they will play their third official game March 30 in San Diego.
That’s a change from the original schedule that had the Padres’ home opener scheduled for March 31. That day will now be an off day. The March 30 game will televised by ESPN as the season’s initial Sunday Night Baseball broadcast.
So to clarify the schedule:
Update: The April 1 game at San Diego now has a 3:40 p.m. start time.
By Jon Weisman
The highlight from Jon SooHoo’s photos of Winter Development Camp today unites a past Dodger legend with a potential future one. See more photos from today here. We’ll have more on Lee coming up soon on Dodger Insider.
By Jon Weisman
In addition to discussing Don Mattingly and Yasiel Puig, Ned Colletti touched upon several other aspects of the Dodgers in his conversation with reporters today.
Jon SooHoo/© Los Angeles Dodgers, LLC 2013
By Jon Weisman
Speaking to reporters on Winter Development Camp media day at Dodger Stadium, Ned Colletti reiterated (among several topics, including the three-year-contract extension for Don Mattingly) that the team does not tolerate Yasiel Puig’s offseason mistakes — most recently an arrest speeding 110 mph in Florida — that conversations to educate him are ongoing and the outfielder has shown contrition.
“It’s a very interesting dynamic,” Colletti said. “I see a lot of different sides to it. I don’t condone what he’s done. I don’t know if it’s ironic, but it’s interesting to me that since the offseason began, he’s spent a lot of time in L.A., and he’s really spent a lot of time with kids. … He’s setting this great example and doing stuff I don’t see many big-league players do within the community. At the same time, there are boundaries you’ve got to stay in. Whether it’s how you drive or other things in your life, it’s part of growing up. That’s part of being responsible. That’s a key thing for us, and a key thing for him.”
Colletti said that he and Puig converse regularly, including the day he was arrested. He stressed that “he is an adult” and a 24/7 babysitter is nor what’s called for.
“He’s always been contrite with me,” Colletti added. “When I talked to him, he knew. He wasn’t in a good conversation, and he knew he wasn’t in a good spot. And he knew he had let a lot of people down. I said to him, ‘You did all this wonderful stuff in the community. How do you plan on explaining this to the kids? What if something tragic had happened — how are you going to explain that to the kids?’ ”
Colletti said several members of the organization continue to work with Puig to help him mature.
“We don’t condone the behavior,” Colletti said. “We do a lot of different things to teach and to mentor and to show him the responsibility that’s necessary … and educate to get to the point where the behavior conforms with what we need.”
By Jon Weisman
Above and below are photos from the past two days of Winter Development Camp, from Juan Ocampo and Jon SooHoo (click the links with their names for the full, fun-filled galleries):
Also, SooHoo has an action shot of former Dodger farmhand Melvin Ray scoring for Auburn at Monday’s BCS national championship football game.
By Jon Weisman
We’ll make it a habit at Dodger Insider to provide links to noteworthy news and features around the Internet, though this first edition ends on a somber note.
What happens when three old friends in crisis fall into an unexpected love triangle? In The Catch, Maya, Henry and Daniel embark upon an emotional journey that forces them to confront unresolved pain, present-day traumas and powerful desires, leading them to question the very meaning of love and fulfillment. The Catch tells a tale of ordinary people seeking the extraordinary – or, if that’s asking too much, some damn peace of mind.
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