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Monday, March 02, 2015

Dodgers Notes from Spring Training: Full – Squad Workout #5


Throughout Spring Training the Dodgers PR department sends out helpful daily notes from Camelback Ranch, and I am happy to pass them along.  See what they've written below.

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(Puig playing MLB 15, pic via his twitter)

RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY: With spring showers pouring down in Camelback Ranch – Glendale, the Dodgers held their fifth full-squad workout of 2015, working in the batting cages while the coaching staff held a baserunning meeting and also talked about the new pace of game rules with position players. Clayton Kershaw, Brandon League, Chris Hatcher, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Joel Peralta, Joe Wieland, Ben Rowen, Ryan Buchter and Daniel Coulombe tossed regular bullpens. 

FIVE-IN-A-ROW: Dodger Manager Don Mattingly announced today that he plans to start 2014 National League Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw for the fifth consecutive year on Opening Day when the Dodgers face the San Diego Padres on April 6. Kershaw will become the second pitcher in Los Angeles history to start five consecutive Opening Days for the Dodgers, following Hall of Famer Don Sutton, who pitched seven consecutive Opening Days for the club (1972-78). Sutton and fellow Hall of Famer Don Drysdale (1958-61, 1963, 1965, 1969) share the mark for the most Opening Day starts in L.A. Dodger history with seven.
(Clayton Kershaw, pic via @Dodgers on twitter)

PLAY BALL: After declaring the starters for Dodgers’ first and second Cactus League games on Wednesday, March 4 and Thursday, March 5 against the White Sox at Camelback Ranch - Glendale, the Dodgers announced the pitchers who are scheduled to throw for each game. On March 4, left-hander Erik Bedard will start the game, followed by Carlos Frias, Juan Nicasio, Sergio Santos, Adam Liberatore and Josh Ravin. On March 5, Clayton Kershaw will start, followed by Joe Weiland, Brandon League, Chris Hatcher, Daniel Coulombe and Ryan Buchter.

WELCOME TO CBR: Dodgers broadcasters Charley Steiner, Jaime Jarrín and Jorge Jarrín arrived in Camelback Ranch today as they prepare to call the first Cactus League game on Wednesday, March 4 against the White Sox. The Four-time Emmy Award winner Steiner is entering his 11th season as play-by-play announcer for the Dodgers and will be broadcasting games on SportsNet LA and AM570 KLAC. Hall of Famer, Jaime Jarrín, is entering his 57th season in the Dodgers’ Spanish-language radio booth alongside his son Jorge, who will be new to the broadcast team on Univision America 1020 (KTNQ).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!: The Dodgers would like wish Single-A Great Lakes Loons hitting coach and former Dodger Jay Gibbons a Happy Birthday. Gibbons returns to the Dodger organization following a nine-year playing career with Baltimore (2001-2007) and Los Angeles (2010-11). Gibbons compiled a .260 batting average to go along with 127 homers and 427 RBI in the big leagues, playing first base and the outfield. He was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 14th round of the 1998 First-Year Player Draft.
(Kapler brought Kendrick some organic maple syrup, pic via @DodgerInsider on twitter)

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Vintage Dodger Pics at RMY Auctions - Ebbets Field, A Cuban Ballfield and Uncle Robbie

Vintage photographs are all the rage.  They have become widely collected over the past several years; with some examples selling for thousands of dollars.  Of course, most photographs do not usually sell for those kind of lofty numbers, so it really has become a perfect avenue for a collector to travel if they are budget conscious.  After all, you can pick up an period old-tyme Hall of Famer for a fraction of what a Baseball card would sell for.  And when you consider the uniqueness and scarcity of most examples you realize that they are true steals. 

On a side note, vintage photo collecting is not just relegated to the sports nut.  As evidenced by the recently closed Disneyland auction at Van Eaton Galleries, both professional and visitor taken photographs sold for huge dollars.  Like, an unbelievable amount of money.  A buddy of mine, who's a huge Disney freak, laid down some serious dough for a group of visitor taken photographs that has me shocked.  BTW, my favorite item at this auction was an original Tiki Room "Tiki Bird" that sold for over $150k.  Check out a story about that closed sale here.  You can also take a look at the original catalog here.

Now back to the Dodgers.  RMY Auctions has a current auction up and running that includes several great vintage Dodger photographs.  Check out my favorites below.  Go the RMY's auction here to see what else is available.

This photo isn't necessarily about Baseball or the Dodgers.  Instead, it features a strange ritual being performed on the Ebbets Field diamond in 1927.  Per the auction description, the large group being shown are participating in an college "Rush" activity for Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute.  What I find fascinating about the photo is the placement of the goal post.  As you may now, the stadium hosted the Brooklyn Dodger football club.
Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute
Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute
(Auction Link)

With Spring Training currently in full swing this next photo was a must to share.  Shown below is a 1942 ACME press photo of the Brooklyn Dodgers practicing on an Havana, Cuba ballfield.
(Auction Link)

This next photograph is fantastic.  Here is a 1927 ACME press photo of the boys wishing the beloved manager Wilbert "Uncle Robbie" Robinson a happy birthday.  Per the caption attached to the reverse:
As luck would have it, the Brooklyn Dodgers had to be out of town when "Uncle Robbie's" birthday came round on the calendar, but that did not prevent them from pulling a fast one, nearly mobbing "Uncle Robbie" in their frantic attempts to give him sixty three wallops on the back in honor of his birthday.
(Auction Link)

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Blog Kiosk: 3/2/2015 - Dodger Links - A Driven Guerrero, Versatile Hernandez and Stupendous Urias


The big news of the weekend was Julio Urias' live batting practice session on Sunday, and by all accounts he was very impressive.  In the photo above, Alexander Guerrero waits by the batting cage in preparation for facing the Mexican phenom.  He would eventually strike out on three pitches.  Photo via Jesse Sanchez on twitter.

Below are some more links to check out:
  • Awesome!  Tom Shieber at Baseball Researcher determines that an 1886 Base Ball board game features old Washington Park - a past home of the Brooklyn Dodgers: "There Used to Be a Ballpark Right Here - Washington Park."  Based upon my own research of that fabled ballfield, I think Tom is right.
  • Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Julio Urias impresses in first test against live hitters."
"They are experienced hitters, and I'm still learning," Urias said. "It is special, and I still feel like I have some work to do."
"The team does not know what they are going to do, but all I can control is keep working hard and they will get the final word," Guerrero said. "I don't want to go down. I'm not going down. I feel like I can get better here at this level and play every day. I think that's what every player wants. You want to be in the Major Leagues and play as much as you can.
All of the recent stories about how Guerrero could be a "problem" are overblown.  His comment about "not going down" sounds to me like that he is resolute in his quest for a job with the Dodgers and he is confident in his abilities.


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* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *
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