Thanks for reading in 2014 — have a great holiday!
Category: Uncategorized (Page 8 of 63)
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This week’s edition covers the trade with Tampa Bay, the Dodgers’ pre-Thanksgiving community endeavors, Dodgers Pride Night at the Kings game and more.
— Jon Weisman
Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers
By Jon Weisman
Nomar Garciaparra, Orel Hershiser, Justin Turner and Fernando Valenzuela will sign autographs on the Dodgers’ third annual Southern California holiday mall tour in December.
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From Kevin Roderick at L.A. Observed:
Here is the Vin Scully video I mentioned from Monday night’s Disney Hall send-off to Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who leaves office on December 1. Yaroslavsky had made it known often that he craved Scully’s job. Scully responds in an amusing video I’m told was recorded in one take with no script and no Telepromptr. …
— Jon Weisman
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Catch up on all the week’s award excitement and more in this week’s edition of Think Blue Review.
— Jon Weisman
Today is the start of the annual Dodgers Adult Baseball Camp at Vero Beach’s Historic Dodgertown — which, in other news, will be made an official Florida Heritage Landmark on Monday.
Former Dodger owner and Historic Dodgertown chairman Peter O’Malley will participate in ceremonies along with Tommy Lasorda.
“This recognition is appropriate because of Historic Dodgertown’s significance in baseball history,” O’Malley said in a statement. “It truly is unique and we appreciate the efforts of all those involved to gain this special designation.”
Added Ruth Stanbridge, Indian River County historian and former county commissioner: “For years as the County Historian, I had wanted to write the perfect historic marker for Dodgertown. It was to reflect on how our WWII training fields had been turned into a ‘field of dreams’ for decades of young men of all races who only wanted to play baseball.”
– Jon Weisman
Adrian Gonzalez, asked tonight about the Dodgers’ early departure from the 2014 MLB playoffs:
“It still sits with us, at least with me. It’s not something you say, ‘OK, I’m over it.’ You have that feeling (that) we should have done more. To be honest, I know it’s a cliche, but until you win a World Series, you’re not satisfied.”
— Jon Weisman
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Don’t miss “Think Blue Review,” your weekly video window into the Dodgers’ offseason world. This week’s version, which includes a showcase of the Dodgers’ four Gold Glove finalists, is hot off the online presses, while previous editions can be found at this link.
— Jon Weisman
Magic Johnson, Matt Kemp and Rachel Robinson at Dodger Stadium on April 15, 2013.
(Juan Ocampo/Los Angeles Dodgers)
A scheduling quirk put the Dodgers on the road for Jackie Robinson Day earlier this year, but next April 15, Dodger Stadium will be back in the familiar position of hosting the celebration of No. 42.
That night, the Dodgers will be taking on the Seattle Mariners, not to mention second baseman Robinson Cano, who was named after the Dodger legend.
In addition, Historic Dodgertown at Vero Beach will host the second annual Jackie Robinson Celebration Game, between the Florida State League’s St. Lucie Mets and Brevard County Manatees.
— Jon Weisman
Chan Ho Park throwing the first pitch at Dodger Stadium in May. (Jill Weisleder/Los Angeles Dodgers)
By Jon Weisman
Chan Ho Park, Jerry Reuss and Ken Landreaux have joined the team of Dodger legends serving as instructors at the 53rd Los Angeles Dodgers Adult Baseball Camp at Historic Dodgertown in Vero Beach, from November 9-15.
Park, Reuss and Landreaux will join such previously announced instructors as Ron Cey, Tommy Davis, Steve Garvey, Mickey Hatcher, Rick Monday, Maury Wills and Steve Yeager. Tommy Lasorda and former National League umpire Bruce Froemming are also set to be guest instructors. Former Dodger scout Guy Wellman has returned as camp coordinator, a position he has held dating back to 1983.
“We are looking forward to providing a unique experience for those campers in attendance in November,” said Historic Dodgertown chairman and former Dodger owner Peter O’Malley. “With our latest additions of popular Dodgers Chan Ho Park, Jerry Reuss and Ken Landreaux, this will only enhance the camaraderie, storytelling and instruction for the participants, making this camp the best one ever. It is advisable for those who are considering signing up to do so now.”
Why sign up? Well, read on …
Clayton Kershaw and Ned Colletti congratulate each other after the Dodgers clinch the NL West on September 24. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)
Former AMPAS president Tom Sherak
By Jon Weisman
Ned Colletti and Stan Kasten met with reporters at Dodger Stadium today to talk about Colletti’s transition from general manager to special assistant to Kasten. Ken Gurnick is covering it all for MLB.com, but there was a story that Colletti told near the end of the session that I wanted to share.
Colletti remembered his good friend, Tom Sherak, the former entertainment executive and president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, who passed away in January after a long battle with prostate cancer.
“When he left the Academy, he wanted to work for the Dodgers,” Colletti said. “Grew up in Brooklyn. So I hired him for a dollar a year, special assistant to the GM. He used to always tell me, no matter how bad his day was going — and this man was in a lot of pain for a lot of years — that everything was going to be OK. And he’s said, ‘I’ve had this marvelous life, coming out of Brooklyn. coming out of not much, worked for Paramount for years, Fox for years, the Academy. I’ve got this protective bubble around me, so you can call me “The Bubble Man.”‘
By Jon Weisman
With his second Dodger season behind him, Hyun-Jin Ryu returned early today to Seoul, where he was greeted by approximately 150 reporters and 1,000 fans in person and a live TV audience.
Martin Kim, the Dodgers’ international partnerships account director who doubles as Ryu’s translator here, noted that Ryu received a full security and military escort to his residence. Kim also passed along these Ryu quotes from the Korean press.
“Overall it was a good year, but unfortunate I missed many starts due to my injuries,” Ryu said. “My offseason goal will be to stay in shape. I’m already focusing on next season.”
Injuries limited Ryu, who turns 28 in March, to 152 innings in the 2014 regular season after he threw 192 in 2013.
“My goal next season is to pitch close to 200 innings. I’ve done that consistently during my professional career, and this was the first time it was low due to injury. I will start working this offseason so I can get my inning count up for next season.”
Ryu added that he will also work on the new slider he picked up this season.
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By Jon Weisman
It’s inevitable that at some point before this week’s playoff rematch against St. Louis begins, Clayton Kershaw will be characterized as a postseason failure who comes up small in big games.
The reasons for this will be 1) one victory in nine postseason appearances, 2) his pedestrian 4.23 career postseason ERA and 3) his disastrous outing against the Cardinals in Game 6 of the 2014 National League Championship Series.
It’s one of the dwindling dividing lines between Kershaw and Sandy Koufax, even though Koufax himself didn’t win his first World Series game until he was almost 28.
So here’s a little quick perspective:
Kershaw’s first five postseason appearances (three in relief) were a mixed bag, but all of those came before his 22nd birthday. In his first postseason start — and first postseason showdown with the Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright — he held St. Louis to two runs over 6 2/3 innings in 2009 NLDS Game 2, the game the Dodgers eventually won, after Matt Holliday’s ninth-inning error, on Mark Loretta’s walkoff single.
Subsequently, the 21-year-old lefty shut out Philadelphia over four innings in Game 1 of the 2009 NLCS before a meltdown in the fifth that led to five runs on three hits, three walks and three wild pitches.
Move forward to 2013: Kershaw is about a month away from winning his second Cy Young Award as he heads into the playoffs.
- In Game 1 of the 2013 NLDS against the Braves, Kershaw allows one run on six baserunners while striking out 12 in seven innings.
- Coming back on three days’ rest in Game 4, Kershaw gives up no earned runs on four baserunners in six innings while striking out six. Two errors by Adrian Gonzalez deprive Kershaw of the lead and the chance at the victory.
- Then in Game 2 of the 2013 NLCS, Kershaw again allows nary an earned run on three baserunners while striking out five.
- Starting 2013 NLCS Game 6, Kershaw shuts out the Cardinals for the first two innings.
To this point, in his first postseason opportunity since entering his prime, Kershaw had thrown 19 innings and allowed one earned run (0.47 ERA) and 13 baserunners while striking out 23. His career postseason ERA, even including the foibles of his youthiest youth, was 2.73.
He had only one win to show for it, thanks to how little offensive or defensive support he was given in those games. But in the three biggest games of his 2013 season, Kershaw stood tall in each one.
Over the next three innings of Game 6, Kershaw allowed seven runs, in the kind of meltdown we have only seen once in 27 starts since (against Arizona in May). Kershaw has been the first to take on all of the blame for this. No past event has loomed larger for the 26-year-old lefty this season, and certainly this week, than the Game 6 catastrophe.
More than ever before, the 2014 playoffs will shape the perception of what caliber of postseason pitcher Kershaw is. It has become customary to expect something close to perfection out of Kershaw, especially since he expects the same from himself. But the absence of perfection does not mean failure.
Juan Ocampo/Los Angeles Dodgers
1) On this date in 2013, Kershaw had thrown 3,346 pitches. This year, he has thrown 2,605. It would probably take Kershaw six or seven playoff starts in October to surpass the pitch count he had already reached in September 2013.
2) Of the 191 innings that Kershaw has begun this year (189 full innings, plus two in which he was replaced with two out), he has pitched scoreless baseball in 165 of them. He allowed unearned runs in two innings, meaning that he has allowed earned runs in only 24 innings out of 26 starts this year.
— Jon Weisman
Tommy Lasorda on the cover of the final Dodger Playbill of 2014, which will be handed out at Dodger Stadium beginning Monday, Lasorda’s birthday.
By Jon Weisman
Hall of Fame Manager Tommy Lasorda and former National League umpire Bruce Froemming have been added to the overflowing group of Dodger legends and guests who will serve as instructors for the 53rd Los Angeles Dodgers Adult Baseball Camp at Historic Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida from November 9-15.
“I’m looking forward to returning to Historic Dodgertown,” said Lasorda, who has a street there named after him. “It is such a special place in my heart, and I have so many great memories from my time there. We’ll have fun with the campers, sharing stories from our enjoyable days there.”
Previously, the Dodgers announced that Ron Cey, Tommy Davis, Steve Garvey, Mickey Hatcher, Rick Monday, Steve Sax, Don Sutton, Maury Wills and Steve Yeager would be in attendance as instructors.
“We are delighted to add legends Tommy and Bruce to our growing roster of guest instructors for the camp,” said Historic Dodgertown chairman and former Dodger owner Peter O’Malley. “Our campers will have a memorable experience spending time every day alongside some of the greatest names in Dodger history. For any baseball fan who has ever thought about a fantasy camp, this is the perfect one to attend.”
