PLAY BALL!...

Tomorrow morning, the Dodgers will play in the first game of the spring... although, its only a intrasquad game. Nevertheless, I will be there watching my boys. There will be a few prominent Dodgers missing from the action. The Dodgers heart of the order will AWOL, as they prepare for the first official game on Wednesday against the Atlanta Braves. The game is not expected to go long, but it's going to be a change of routine for myself. So far all I have done is watch workouts, and drills. At this point, I'm not sure if Andy LaRoche will play, but I'm hoping he will. I want to see him in game action. I have kept a close eye on him this spring, and he looks ready to me. I hope he is able to beat out Wilson Betemit for the job. LaRoche is not the only guy that has impressed me so far. Greg Miller is looking filthy. Flat out filthy. Add the fact that they are talking about making him a starter once again brings a smile to my face. I was also awakened to Chin Lung Hu's defensive skills. This guy looks like the next Ozzie Smith. I had always heard great things about his defense, but seeing him before your eyes is amazing. Other guys looking good are James Loney, Scott Elbert, and John Meloan. As you can probably tell, I spend most of the time scouting our prospects. I do have some bad news to report, my Sony digital camera was stolen. Just to think about all the pics that where in there... I guess no place is perfect, not even Vero Beach...


BELIEVE IN BLUE!

SPRING IS HERE...

It's that time of year again. The time where every Dodger fan rejoices at the start of another glorious season. At least thats what we expect. For the last four months, I have felt like a addict, needing his Dodger fix. Words can't describe what this time of year means to me. This year will be particulary special for myself. On tuesday, I will take flight on my way to Vero Beach, Florida. I will be there for a couple of weeks, and I know i'll be dreading my last days there. As for the Dodgers, the pitchers and cathers have reported already. Some hitters who are rehabing are there as well. As for the rest of the team, they are expected to arrive on Monday. Early news from Vero is, Brad Penny is looking good, and confessed why he was pretty much a fastball pitcher towards the end of last year. He sighted injury risks as to why he stopped throwing his split-finger pitch. As for the hitters, its too early to tell. Although I am hearing news that Andy LaRoche will be tried in the outfield to give him more options.


By the way, I still have openings for my fantasy league, if anyone is interested let me know.


BELIEVE IN BLUE!

BLUE RELIEF...

The Dodgers enter the 2007 Baseball season with a bullpen with great upside. Despite the loss of the greatest Dodgers closer of all-time, the Dodgers bullpen looks primed to be the backbone of the team. The Dodgers pen is lead by last years surprise Takashi "Sammy" Saito. Saito made the transition from Eric Gagne effortless. Sammy came in and took over the duties of closing out games. This year will tougher, as hitters already know him, and will be looking out for that sick outside slider. Sammy will need to be smarter to repeat his performance last year. Jonathan Broxton, the closer of the future will be the set-up man for Sammy this season. If everything goes as scheduled, sometime next year Broxton will be the Dodgers closer for good. Broxton will also need to make adjustments to hitters if he plans on succeeding. The rest of the crew consist of Joe Beimel, Elmer Dessens, Mark Hendrickson, Brett Tomko, Yhency Brazoban, and Chin-Hui Tsao. I also expect John Meloan, Greg Miller, and Zach Hammes to make appearances in Los Angeles at some point this season. Overall, the Dodgers pen is one of the top ones in the league, and this year the league will find out just how good they really are.


My Fantasy Baseball League is still looking for players. At this point there are a couple of spots left. Let me Know if your interested.

By the way, I'm sad to report that I have recently been named a coach on a little league baseball team. My little brothers team to be exact. This is by no means sad. The sad thing is that he will be playing for the Padres. Yes, I am out there in Padre blue. Hopefully I don't lose cool points.




BELIEVE IN BLUE!

THE SAVING GRACE...

The Dodgers rotation figures to be the saving grace of the team this year. They have quality, and depth. The rotation will be anchored by newcomer Jason Schmidt. Who was pried away from the San Francisco Giants during the offseason. Despite the fact that Schmidt is on the downward slope of his career, he is still a top 10 pitcher. The Dodgers will rely heavily on him to be the stablelizing force, and ace they have needed for some time. Next in line is Derek Lowe. Lowe is coming off a good year. Last years ace will slide over to the second spot. Lowe needs to continue his success of the past two years. The thing he needs to work on is keeping his head in the game. Many times we have seen Derek go about the game in such a casual manner that drives me crazy. He needs to stay in the game, and don't get down on himself when a batter reaches base. Brad Penny is the enigma of the staff. Penny was the All-Star starter last season. At that point he was having the best season of his career. He still finished with the best season of his career, but Penny limped to the end. A better conditioning program might help him. Last year he barley made it past the 5th inning, and that is just not acceptable. Penny should go at least 7 every night. If Penny gets off to a bad start, expect him to be traded away. Chad Billingsley needs to build on his exceptional finish last year. Towards the end of the season, he seemed to have his control issues in order. He cannot revert to when he first came up in June, and walk 5 batters a game. Randy Wolf was brought in to provide depth, and if healthy he should be a solid addition. Randy, an All-Star in the past signed a one year deal to come home, and play for his hometown team. If Randy falters, Hong Chih Kuo, Mark Hendrickson, Brett Tomko, and Elmer Dessens are waiting in the wings. Also, look out for Scott Elbert. Elbert who reminds me of Chad Billingsley in a lot of ways, might come up this year and follow in Chad's footsteps.


There are still spots left on my Fantasy Baseball League, so if anyone is interested just let me know.


BELIEVE IN BLUE!