Official Los Angeles Dodgers Season Thread: NLCS vs Phillies

[jrdnkiks213]

That Garciaparra one is on point. This guy does every Dodger or select players? (never seen his work before)

 

[mr jordan04]

the starters better play the whole damn game because 115,000 people are going to be watching that game and torre better play hes stars..
how far are the fences gonna be?

 

[ooiron manoo]

It's going to be a home run derby.

I believe it is going to be 200-220 to left field with a 60ft Screen. Still short. It is going to be a short fence from Center to the right foul pole, 360 ft -395 ft.

The starters will play anywhere from 3 to 4 innings max. In the end it is an exhibition game, it will be a fun event, but fans know this game doesn'tcount. No need to risk injury, when the season will start 2 days later.

 

[mr jordan04]

Damn.....home run derby 4 sure!

 

[ooiron manoo]

Interesting ESPN article:


[h1][/h1]

[h1]Dodgers' rotation has the potential to be a definite strength[/h1]

By Tim Kurkjian
ESPN The Magazine
(Archive)

Updated: March 2, 2008

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VERO BEACH, Fla. -- The best Dodgers teams of the past 50 years, and the best teams managed by Joe Torre, have been built predominantly on starting pitching. And now Torre is trying to do the same with the 2008 Dodgers. Los Angeles doesn't have a Sandy Koufax, and it doesn't have a Roger Clemens-Andy Pettitte-David Cone trio. But Torre's eyes twinkle when he says, "Our rotation has a chance to be pretty good."
It starts with Brad Penny, who finished third in the National League Cy Young voting last year. Then there's Derek Lowe. "I love Derek Lowe," Torre said. "With him, it's just 'Give me the ball and leave me out there until you think I'm tired.'" Then there's Chad Billingsley. "He's special," Torre said. Then there's Hiroki Kuroda, who made his spring debut Friday.
[+] Enlarge

AP Photo/Reinhold Matay

Hiroki Kuroda, 33, joins the Dodgers' rotation after pitching in the Japanese Central League for 11 years.
Kuroda, according to a source in Japan, is more equipped in every way to handle pitching in the U.S. than Daisuke Matsuzaka was. And Kuroda won't have nearly the pressure Dice-K has. The fifth spot in the rotation is up in the air until Jason Schmidt's shoulder is ready, which likely won't be until May 1. But one Dodgers official said Friday, "My guess is June." Until then, there are several options, including left-hander Hong-Chih Kuo, of whom Arizona's Eric Byrnes once said, "I hope I never see that guy again." Kuo has thrown very well this spring, but he has a history of elbow injuries. Then there are Esteban Loaiza, Tanyon Sturtze and a few others who also could be options. Schmidt has been throwing since November, but even after some encouraging work early in the spring, it's pretty clear he'll need more time to get healthy. The fifth spot is all that's in question about the rotation. Last spring, Penny showed a dedication to conditioning -- including riding his bike to Dodgertown every day -- that he has carried over to this spring. And, he said, he found he was tipping his pitches, which he corrected last year. It showed. He went 16-4 with a 3.03 ERA, throwing 200 innings for the first time since 2001. Lowe won 12 games last season and has gone 92-64 the past six years. Billingsley went 12-5 with a 3.31 ERA last year, his second in the major leagues. "I've faced him since I was 18 years old," Braves right fielder Jeff Francoeur said of Billingsley. "I've said since the first time I faced him that he was going to be a big-time pitcher. And he already is. Have you seen his legs? One of his legs is bigger than both of mine." One NL West manager said last season that "Billingsley will be the best pitcher in our division" within two years. That's some statement, given that Jake Peavy and Brandon Webb also pitch in the division. "He's like Matt Cain," said Dodgers outfielder Mark Sweeney, an ex-Giant. "He's going to get better every year." Kuroda is the most intriguing pitcher in the Dodgers' rotation. "I saw him in Japan last year," one scout said. "Like all Japanese pitchers, he can throw his breaking ball for strikes. That's what our pitchers don't do as well over here. Maybe it's because Japanese pitchers throw so much more than our guys do here." Kuroda "changes speeds very well," Torre said. "He throws one [pitch] at 84 [mph], then up to 88, then 93. And he's a grinder." Kuroda doesn't seem to be awed by coming to America. When asked early in spring training about the difference between spring training in Japan and spring training in the U.S., Kuroda said, "It's shorter here." He smiled and said through his interpreter, "This isn't the army. I like this better." Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt said Kuroda "reminds us of [closer Takashi] Saito." Saito is very smart, as is Kuroda. Plus, both can sing. In his first spring training, Saito dazzled the Dodgers with his ability to sing in English when he couldn't speak the language. On Thursday in Vero Beach, the Dodgers held their second day of Dodger Idol, which included Nomar Garciaparra as Ryan Seacrest, Juan Pierre as Randy Jackson ("I don't know how to say 'dog' in Japanese," Pierre said) and Jeff Kent as Simon Cowell. Kuroda dressed up as Elvis Presley, including fake chest hair and fake sideburns. It was, by all accounts, hilarious. And, it appears, it was just another reason for teammates to like him. "I was doing what all rookies do," Kuroda said. "If teammates take me in for that, that's great. If it continues my communication with the guys … I just want to be one of the guys."

[h3]Like all Japanese pitchers, he can throw his breaking ball for strikes. That's what our pitchers don't do as well over here. Maybe it's because Japanese pitchers throw so much more than our guys do here.

[/h3]
--A scout, about Hiroki Kuroda
When asked where he got the Elvis costume, Kuroda smiled again and said, "no comment." The Dodgers need Kuroda to pitch, not sing, and he pitched very well in his spring debut Friday. He allowed one hit in two innings against the Braves -- he threw 21 pitches, 16 for strikes. He got five outs on ground balls. "I had a little bit of nerves," Kuroda said through his interpreter. "Obviously, this was my first time pitching in the States." When asked what was more nerve-wracking, pitching for the first time or singing in front of his teammates, Kuroda flashed another marvelous smile and said, without hesitation, "yesterday." Kuroda said it was "good to get the first game out of the way, to see what was going good and what was not going good. My two-seam fastball against left-handed hitters was working well. I had a little trouble with my fastball and splitter, some of them got away from me." After throwing the two innings, Kuroda went to the bullpen and threw some more, "to get the kinks out." There won't be too many kinks in the L.A. rotation this season, especially from the front four. And if Schmidt returns to health, the Dodgers should have a pretty good rotation. "A really good rotation," catcher Russell Martin said. Tim Kurkjian is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine.

Billingsley should come into his own this season, and Penny does look thinner than last season, hopefully he will be consistent throughout the season. At least we know he is lights out in the first half.

You have to like our 1-4: Penny, Billingsley, Lowe, Kuroda. Now, if we only had a left hander.

 

[ooiron manoo]

Had to dig this damn thread out of the trenches, but I thought some Dodger, hell even a few baseball fans, would want to see the future:

 

[bigmike23]

my boy sent me thank link last night but couldnt find this thread. that was SICK!!!

 

[p mac one]

Kershaw is going to be a problem.
I hope they don't rush him.

 

[the sports expert]

How are Dodgers fans taking the move to the Cactus League?
Are you guys sentimental about Dodger Town, or are you excited to have spring training closer?
I doubt many people from SoCal go all the way across the country to Florida, but getting to AZ isn't really much of a haul.

 

[frenchblue23]

Last game at Vero Beach was played today

It was probably the last thing in connection with the Brooklyn Dodgers history, that we had left.

Furcal was stellar today, he has 1 HR, and 2 triples

Can't wait for the season to start.

 

[p mac one]

Originally Posted by The Sports Expert

How are Dodgers fans taking the move to the Cactus League?
Are you guys sentimental about Dodger Town, or are you excited to have spring training closer?
I doubt many people from SoCal go all the way across the country to Florida, but getting to AZ isn't really much of a haul.

I'd say both. The idea of leaving something that has been there for so long is sort of tough, but getting spring training in Arizona has to be excitingfor fans in LA, especially ones that go to college in Arizona.

 

[frenchblue23]

The one special thing about Dodgertown in Vero for me, was how you would see a lot of the Dodger alumni there, every spring.

You never see Sandy Koufax make an appearance anywhere, but yet we would see him there every spring.

I would have liked to see the remaining old Brooklyn team at Vero for the last game.

Hopefully, they take all the street signs, and all the great memories to Arizona.


In regards to the season itself, we still don't know who's going to be the 5th starter....

Chan Ho has been nothing short of amazing this spring, and Loaiza has pitched okay.

Who will start in Left Field? That's still up in the air.

 

[frenchblue23]

Starting the season off on a bad note

Injuries

[h1][/h1]

[h1]Dodgers' Garciaparra likely to miss Opening Day with broken right hand[/h1]
Associated Press

Updated: March 20, 2008, 6:24 PM ET

PHOENIX -- Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Nomar Garciaparra will likely miss the season opener because of a broken bone in his right hand.

Although Garciaparra would not put a timetable on his return, manager Joe Torre said he "does not anticipate" him being ready for Opening Day and added the two-time AL batting champion could start the season on the disabled list.

Garciaparra

"I think we have to wait until the middle of next week to figure out how long Nomar will be out," Torre said Thursday.

Garciaparra said he needs to "take it easy with the hand and not aggravate it."

"I'm not looking that far ahead," he said. "I'll see how it feels every day, because that's all I can do. You can never predict. ... I have no control over the healing process. My body will do that."

An MRI on Wednesday in Los Angeles revealed a microfracture in his hand -- an injury the Dodgers do not consider to be as serious as a complete fracture of a bone.

"It's small, so that's good," Garciaparra said. "It's not a big fracture. It's just one of those where my body will tell me more than I can tell it."

 

[p mac one]

 

[frenchblue23]

^^ He's going to be one of the biggest factors if he stays healthy all year.

Jason Repko should be 20 feet away from him at all times.

Torre announced that the opening day starter will be Brad Penny. (no surprise here)

 

[cl2423]

10 more days until opening day! I can not wait for some Dodger baseball!

 

[frenchblue23]

Pierre not happy about his starting status


TUCSON, Ariz. -- Juan Pierre was back in the starting lineup in left field on Friday, one day after coming off the bench as a pinch-hitter, then meeting with manager Joe Torre after the game.

Torre, who has acknowledged that the Dodgers outfield jam presents his most difficult decision of the Spring, said he met with Pierre on Thursday night after sensing that the veteran "was not happy about not starting."

"It's one thing about not playing. It's another thing about not playing and pinch-hitting," said Torre. "I asked him to be patient with me. When we got Andruw, nobody talked to him. I wanted to go out of my way to let him know what my thinking was."

Pierre earlier expressed disappointment at not being told that the free-agent acquisition of Andruw Jones not only meant he would be moving to left field after playing center field most of his Major League career, but also that he was in a competition with Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier for the final two outfield starting spots.

Pierre signed a five-year free-agent contract before the 2006 Winter Meetings to play center field and has the longest current consecutive games played streak in the Major Leagues at 434.

"I don't expect him to be happy about it," said Torre. "He just wants to know my thinking. I told him when I know, I would let him know before somebody else does."

Entering Friday's game with the Diamondbacks, Pierre was batting .200, Kemp .304 with three homers and Ethier .352 with five homers. Kemp started in right field and Ethier was on the bench.

 

[jrdnkiks213]

This whole Pierre thing needs to be resolved. A lot of people hate his game and a lot of others love it. Joe needs to decide whether he wants to go with twospeedy "leadoff" hitters at the top of the order or go with a higher on base & power stats, with Ethier, somewhere at the end of the order.

I don't mind this whole 4 outfielders issue because it gives us more options... but if Pierre is going to have a bad attitude about not starting orpinch-hitting... or not playing... then get rid of this dude. Eat up part of his contract and get some decent pitching in return. We all know Repko could bea solid fill in, not to mention Young.

 

[mr jordan04]

cant wait for the season to start!
i got a couple extra opening day seats too if anybody has the interest (& money) ;0)

 

[ooiron manoo]

Good to see this thread get resurrected.

C'mon PMac, your going to have to step up your updating game.

How are Dodgers fans taking the move to the Cactus League?
Are you guys sentimental about Dodger Town, or are you excited to have spring training closer?
I doubt many people from SoCal go all the way across the country to Florida, but getting to AZ isn't really much of a haul.

It's kind of bittersweet, since I always wanted to go there just once and now, I will never get a chance to go. I would still go, but it looks like theOrioles are taking over. I'm not dropping vacation type money to watch the O's.

On the other hand, I actually like the fact that they will be in Arizona. I actually have a reason to go to Spring Training, since it will be so close. I'm alread talking to my boys about making it a trip next year. Head out to Az on Wednesday, watch a couple of games, leave Friday night, spend theweekend in Las Vegas, and come back home.

Last game at Vero Beach was played today

It was probably the last thing in connection with the Brooklyn Dodgers history, that we had left.
I agree, but it was a move that had to be made. The Brooklyn fan base is gone.

I would have liked to see the remaining old Brooklyn team at Vero for the last game.

Hopefully, they take all the street signs, and all the great memories to Arizona.


In regards to the season itself, we still don't know who's going to be the 5th starter....

Chan Ho has been nothing short of amazing this spring, and Loaiza has pitched okay.

Who will start in Left Field? That's still up in the air.
It looks like all the historic signage will be taken and restored in either the new training facility or at Dodger Stadium, when the"Outfield Experience" is built. Construction will begin when the Pavilions get renovated. The Loge level is slated for the conclusion of the 2008season. BTW, the field level,

. If ya'll get a chance to getfield level seats, do so. The bullpens also will be redone and they will have grass in there. Performance wise, it doesn't make a difference, but itgives it a nice look.

As far as the 5th starter situation is looking, it hasn't been announced, but I like our options. I would go with Chan Ho Park. He earned it, if hefalters, go with Loaiza. I doubt Park will falter.

My starting outfield, based on ST performance: CF Andruw Jones, RF Matt Kemp, LF Andre Ethier. It looks like Torre is leaning that way as well. Pierre didnothing to keep his job so far, but have that awful contract. Ethier is leading the team in HR's (5) and Kemp is leading the team in RBI's (15). Idon't care about Pierre's feelings, it's been almost 20 years, I want a winner.

Rafael Furcal is going to have a big year, hopefully they don't let him walk. If Kent and Garciaparra walk next year, they will need Furcal veteranleadership at SS. Let Hu and Abreu go at it for Kent's spot and LaRoche and DeWitt for Garciaparra's spot.

Damn, I'm pumped. 6 more non game days left at Dodger Stadium.

 

[jrdnkiks213]

Damn, I'm pumped. 6 more non game days left at Dodger Stadium.

Me too... plus my friend just hooked me up with tickets for the Coliseum game on the 29th

 

[75 partly cloudy]

1988.......?

 

[mr jordan04]

anybody else tailgating on saturday?

 

[frenchblue23]

I have a feeling that there will be a lot of drunken fights this saturday, which would lean me towards not wanting to go

I can't imagine things going smoothly as far as parking, and the lines to get in, with 100,000 + people attending this game. It's gonna get ugly.

Yeah, I don't want to go now.

 

[frenchblue23]

Anyone going to Niketown LA this saturday?

Andruw Jones is going to make an appearance.