Hiroki Kuroda

Tony Jackson is excited about the potential signing of Hiroki Kuroda (stats) as he lands in LA Friday morning. News might just be around the corner. With of all of the rumors surrounding him I thought I'd put up this YouTube video of Kuroda vs. Matsui in a 9 1/2 minute at-bat from 2002.

BTW, He is said to feature a mid-90s fastball, slider, forkball, and shuuto (also called a “reverse slider”, it’s a pitch similar to a screwball, but with less break).

Nice.



YouTube Link: acekuroda:

Statement From McCourt About The Mitchell Report

I just got this from the Dodger media department.

“As the steward of the Los Angeles Dodgers, I am steadfast in the belief that performance-enhancing drugs have no place in baseball. The Dodgers have supported and fully cooperated with this investigation, initiated by the commissioner and conducted by Senator Mitchell. We wholeheartedly support Commissioner Selig’s efforts to rid the game of these substances and we commend Senator Mitchell on a thorough investigation. Our commitment to our fans during our stewardship has been and always will be to do everything in our power to maintain the game’s integrity.

“With that said, I have not had the chance to read the report in its entirety and once I am able to do so, I’ll be willing to share any further thoughts.”

The Dodger RoundUp

As you can imagine, a multitude of Dodger Blogs have voiced their thoughts about the Mitchell Report.

• True Blue LA: A must read!
  
• Pedro For Delino: A brief synopsis of Dodger related Mitchell Report news.
• LA Dodger Talk worries about the implications this report will have on Baseball.
• MSTI live blogs the event.
• LAist calls them cheaters.
• Ms. Milano looks for the silver lining.
• SOSG fills an All Mitchell Report Dodger Lineup.
• Dodger Thoughts reflects and then looks for redemption.

Update:

• Dodger Gal is heartbroken.
• Dodger Blues.
  

eBay: Upper Deck Is Making Fun Of Barry

What a perfect way to end the 2007 Baseball Collecting Season. Create a special insert card that perfectly captures one of the biggest stories of the year.

The current buzz is about a baseball card that doesn't even picture a player and was issued after the season had ended. You grab a swatch of cowhide and a magic marker. Draw an asterisk on it. Turn it into a baseball card and suddenly you have a controversial and expensive conversation piece.

So far only 3 cards have surfaced. The first card sold on eBay for $955.00. A second card was sold as a "Buy It Now" at $1,200.00. The third card is currently available along with another rare insert card at a current price of $1,076.00. Bidding ends in 2 days.

Hat Tip: Sports Collectors Daily:
eBay Link: Purchased for $1200.00:

Kent The Soothsayer

Jeff Kent is mentioned in the report, but not for steroid use. (page 12)

Plainly, Baseball needs to do more to address this problem. I have never met or talked to Jeff Kent of the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he appears to have understood this when he said in September, as reported in several newspapers: "Major League Baseball is trying to investigate the past so they can fix the future."

I think that sums up the purpose of this report nicely. This should be a stepping stone to making Baseball better.

LoDuca News In Mitchell Report

The note above is from LoDuca to Radomski.

I've briefly gone through some of the report and came across a section I found very interesting. If you don't know already Paul LoDuca is named in the report. (page 257-258)

According to notes of an internal discussion among the Los Angeles Dodgers officials in October 2003 ... it was reportedly said of Paul LoDuca during the meetings:

Steroids aren't being used anymore on him. Big part of this. Might have some value to trade... Florida might have an interest... Got off the steroids... Took away a lot of hard line drives... Can get comparable value back would consider trading... If you do trade him, will get back on the stuff and try to show you he can have a good year. That's his makeup. Comes to play. Last year of contract, playing for '05.

As you all remember, Pauly was traded less than a year later to the Florida Marlins. As Paul Harvey would say, "and now you know…the rest of the story."

Report Now Available

If you want to check out all 409 pages of the Mitchell Report go here.

Enjoying The Peep Show

As we all know by now George Mitchell is set to unleash a furor upon Baseball. Some 60 to 80 names of current and former major leaguers are expected to be fingered as steroid/ HGH users. Some of them are All-Stars, MVP's and potential Hall of Famers. Deadspin has a short list of names expected to be outed and they include several former and a current Dodger. Now keep in mind that this list is not official, so don't make any judgments yet, but, then again, some of the names make you say out loud, "no surprise."

Check out the list here.