Fare Thee Well, Juan Uribe

There isn't much more I can say that others haven't already written.  The departure of Juan Uribe is a painful one, and it's weird saying that after witnessing his first two years of futility with the Dodgers.  But, like a neighbor who always stops bye unexpectedly you start to miss the impact a player like Uribe has when he's gone.  

They'll be no more Uribear for fans to cheer.  Hyun-Jin Ryu won't have the big fellow around to goof on.  Yasiel Puig is losing a close confidant in the clubhouse.  As Clayton Kershaw said during his recent MVP Award acceptance speech:

“Thank you for making me laugh. You are one of the most important people in our clubhouse.”

Important, he was.

(pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2015)

He was lighthearted and cheerful.  Always smiling and an consummate professional on the field. 

And now, all I can do is wish him well at his new home. 

He has now been officially traded to the Atlanta Braves, and we got a whole bucket of balls for him. 

I'm being facetious, of course. 

Per a Dodgers press release:

The Los Angeles Dodgers today acquired infielder Alberto Callaspo, left-handed reliever Ian Thomas, minor league right-handed pitcher Juan Jaime and left-handed pitcher Eric Stults from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for infielder Juan Uribe and right-handed pitcher Chris Withrow, who was on the 60-day disabled list. Callaspo will be in uniform for the Dodgers tonight, wearing No. 5, while Los Angeles optioned Thomas to Triple-A Oklahoma City, assigned Jaime to extended Spring Training in Arizona and designated Stults for assignment.

I can't really muster up the strength to tell you more about the players we got, and I certainly don't have the time to make some new fantasy cards - maybe in a few days.  All I can do right now is share what is my favorite Uribe moment, or series of moments as it were, that I experienced as a fan.

I think what I enjoyed most was Uribe's immense wardrobe of outrageous outfits.  He seemed to always be wearing something strange, and I loved seeing photos of them online.  Below are a few of my favorites.

(pic via @Dodgers on twitter)

(pic via Enrique Rojas of ESPN on twitter)

(pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014)

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Blog Kiosk: 8/21/2014 - Dodger Links - Beaten by Stults

Man-O-Live, Eric Stults was impressive in his start last night, er... Wait... He's not a Dodger anymore.... What?... Oh.... That sucks...

The Dodgers got beat by a former Dodger named Eric Stults, and I find myself saying, "that figures."  He held the Dodgers in check for five innings, giving up just four hits, walking one and striking out five.  The Dodgers pitcher, Roberto Hernandez, was less impressive in his third start in Blue - against weaker competition even.  He gave up eight hits and allowed four runs in his five innings of work.

That wouldn't have been too bad if the Dodgers offense was able to do anything against the Padres, but that was not to be.  Their relief crew held us in check as they continue to be impressive.  I'm telling ya, the Padres will be good sooner than later.  Their pitching is not the reason they are in the dumps this season.  It's their offense.  It sucks.  But they have a good foundation to work with, and with their recent signing of Don Welke to be their VP of Scouting Operations, I suspect they will only get better.

BTW, the kid in the photo above flew 3,000 mile to meet the Dodgers.  Who he is?  I haven't a clue.  Photo above via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014.  Go here to see a bunch of his pics from yesterday.

• Hey!  I was quoted on Bloomberg.  Via Todd Shields and David McLaughlin, "Dodgers TV Row Fuels Unease Over Comcast-Time Warner Deal."

“Sports fans are getting clobbered,” said Hal Singer, a Washington-based economist with consulting firm Economists Inc. “Either you’re denied access to the content because your distributor won’t carry it at the ridiculous price, or you’re forced to incur the switching costs” to change providers. 

That's not me, of course.  I am quoted further down in the story.

• ICYMI:  Zack Greinke's scheduled start for today has been pushed back a couple of days.  He will pitch on Saturday, instead.  Today's starting pitcher will be Clayton Kershaw.  Ken Gurnick on twitter notes:

Greinke elbow tenderness not serious, Mattingly said. Had MRI two weeks ago.  Similar to irritation Greinke had Spring of 2013.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) August 20, 2014

• Via Evan Bladh at Think Blue LA, "Brooklyn Dodger alum Dick Teed passes at age 88."  RIP, Dick Teed.
• Chris Olds at Beckett shares some preview pics for 2015 Topps Tribute Baseball cards; including a Yasiel Puig autographed card on the right.  It is set come out on February 19, 2015.
• Via David Young at True Blue LA, "Position-by-position home run records of the Los Angeles Dodgers."  David puts together a list of Top-10's by position.

• Chris Olds at Beckett also provides an early look at Topps 2015 MLB Chipz.  See the Clayton Kershaw Chipz on the left.
• Via Mike Petriello at Dodgers Digest, "Attention, Japan: Yasiel Puig Is Coming For You."  He'll be playing in a tournament in Japan in November.
• Puig Destroyer has a new album coming out, and they have released a song titled "Mike Trout" that you can listen to here.  As grindcore goes, this one is more palatable to the masses.
• Bill Simmons and Rembert Browne of Grantland just posted their story about visiting the National: "A Visit to the 2014 National Sports Collectors Convention."  Check it out.

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Game 8 Game Preview: Billingsley's 2013 Debut

Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres

Chad Billingsley vs. Eric Stults

Game Start: 7:10 p.m., April 10
TV: This really sucks.  Today's and Friday's game have moved channels due to conflicts.  See the pic below for info.
Radio: 570 AM (English), 1020 AM (Spanish)

(twitter link)

• Former Dodger Eric Stults pitches against a Dodger coming off of the disabled list (Chad Billingsley).
• Mark Saxon at ESPN asks, "Can Billingsley Get Back on the Beam?"

Chad Billingsley might be the best candidate to solidify the middle of the rotation as the No. 3 starter. But going into Billingsley's first start of the season tonight in San Diego, the Dodgers still have more questions than answers about him.

Dodgers Lineup:

(twitter link)

Padres Lineup:

(twitter link)

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Collection: A Couple of Autofacts

Here is one fact.  Neither of these guys are still on the Dodgers.

Featured here are two autographed insert cards from my collection.  They are 2007 Upper Deck Artifacts "Autofacts" cards of Eric Stults and Delwyn Young.  Stults is currently on the Padres roster as a starter, and Young does not appear to be in Baseball any longer. 

Turning Japanese

As has been widely reported already, Eric Stults is going to pitch in Japan. My best wishes and luck to the longtime Dodger farmhand. I know the passion for the game in Japan will excite you at ever turn.

In honor of this event check out and dance to this 80's classic from The Vapors, Turning Japanese. Since I read the news I have not been able to get this out of my head.
YouTube Link:

Kuroda to DL

Uh-Oh

Dodgers pitcher Hiroki Kuroda has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left oblique muscle, and Eric Stults will be recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque to start Saturday for the Dodgers against the Diamondbacks.

Let's hope this is not a season long problem.

"It isn't pain, it's tightness in a very specific area where we worry about for pitchers, on the opposite side," Conte said. "The key is we think it's mild, but it can be serious and take six to eight weeks. We think we caught this early."

I Want Pics!

All of the Dodger world is abuzz. The hazing ritual of dressing up your rookies in outrageous costumes during the season continues unabated. Even our own rising stars are not immune from the laughs and public ridicule that comes from being a Major League Ballplayer. Like the Sons of Steve Garvey, I eagerly await photos to share with all of the Dodger world.

Josh Rawitch of Inside the Dodgers shares a helpful list of players and their costumes.

Chad Billingsley as Robin Hood
James Loney dressed as Popeye
Chin-lung Hu dressed as a sorcerer
Tony Abreu dressed as Pocahantas
Delwyn Young as Snow White
Andy LaRoche in full clown attire
Russell Martin as Nacho Libre
Jonathan Broxton as a monk
Andre Ethier and Eric Hull in strange Vegas showgirl type outfits
and the kicker of them all was Matt Kemp, who was in some sort of "fat suit" with a bikini.

Pictures... I want pictures!!

UPDATE: The official Dodger blog missed some players. Have no fear though, Diamond Leung picks up the slack.

Jonathan Meloan - something Tarzan-like
Takashi Saito - Samurai
Eric Stults - pirate

UPDATE: Tony Jackson provides some funny quotes.

"I'm stepping on my dress," Dodgers outfielder Delwyn Young said, as he lifted the hem of his Cinderella costume off the clubhouse floor after the game.
Yes, it was time for that annual baseball tradition known as rookie hazing, and this time, because it wasn't done last season, even the second-year guys had to do it. A few had it easy, because they got nothing worse than Disney character outfits to wear on the team charter to San Francisco. Others had it worse. Matt Kemp was given a fat suit resembling the torso of a large woman in a bra and panties and a few other details not fit for a family newspaper.
"It doesn't bother me," Kemp shouted to everyone in the room. "It's San Francisco. I'm going to fit right in."

Now all I want are pictures.

It Started With A Bang

YouTube Link: WSCKKKK:

Following a night where he hit 3 doubles and recorded 2 RBI's, Jeff Kent started the scoring Friday evening with a solo homerun in the 2nd inning. Five more Dodgers would follow him with hits as the Dodgers sprinted to a 5-0 lead after two. The Dodgers have started to look alive these past three days and the results show. They have a three game winning streak having scored 6 runs in each game. The Dodgers have recorded a total of 29 hits that includes 9 doubles and 3 homeruns.

Eric Stults was masterful in his 7 innings last night. Broxton was sharp in his one inning. Proctor faltered a bit, giving up two runs, but the magic hands of Saito saved the day. He recorded his 32nd save of the year. The Dodgers won the game 6-4.

Once again hope is renewed as the Dodgers look ready to finish this marathon strong. Unfortunately, as with any season, questions still remain. Will the pitching staff stay off the injured list? Can our hitters remain consistent? Can our rookies come through in the stretch?

I just hope it isn't too late. We are 6 1/2 games out of first and 2 1/2 games behind in the wild card race. 40 games are left in the season and time is getting short. All I know is that I'm crossing my fingers and praying to the great Dodger in the sky.