Blog Kiosk: 12/3/2014 - Dodger Links - Ellis Valued by New Front Office and a AAA Change Coming Soon

Now that's how you break up a double play.  Unfortunately, Dodger infielder Charlie Neal (referred to as Chuck in the caption) was the recipient of a near-perfect slide into second base by Pete Whisenant.  This is a United Press photo I grabbed off of eBay.  Check it out here.

As you can see, Whisenant appears to have done everything right.  He came in sliding hard and propped his rear-end up to impede a swift moving Neal.  In the process, he forced Neal to take a ride on his backside forcing him to fumble the ball.

On a side note, ain't this a fantastic photo?  It's filed with action while noting a part of the game that is often overlooked - and rarely ever seen in todays game.  BTW, this photo is from a 1956 game against the Cubs.  Below is what was written in the caption:

CHICAGO: Dodgers' Chuck Neal takes ride on back of Cubs Pete Whisenant, who broke up double play in 4th inning of second game of double header here 8/28.  Whisenant was forced at second on Harry Chiti's grounder to Pee Wee Reese.  Play went from Reese to Neal.  Cubs lost first game, 6-4 and won second game, 4-3."

Below are some links to check out:

• This should come as no surprise.  The Dodgers chose to retain the rights of all their arbitration eligible players; including signing a new 1-year contract with Darwin Barney.  Via Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider, "Dodgers sign Barney, retain rights to other arbitration-eligible players."  Per Dylan Hernandez of the the LA Times on twitter, Barney will make $2.525Mil in 2015.  On a side note, we have quite a stockpile of middle infielders/utility players on the team.  Something has to give pretty soon. 
• All of the hand-wringing over AJ Ellis is all for naught.  He will likely remain a Dodger.  WooHoo!  Per Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider, he speaks with Dodger GM Farhan Zaidi about AJ.

“The fact that (Ellis) has good relationships with the staff, that’s not an intangible,” Zaidi said. “That’s a tangible effect on his performance in the field.”

Though Ellis slumped to a .191 batting average in 2014, he was injured most of the year — yet still gave quality at-bats with a walk-strikeout ratio of almost exactly 1:1, something that Zaidi didn’t think “should be undersold.”

• At Dodger Insider they shared a recent article printed in the October issue of Dodger Insider magazine by Cary Osborne about Dodger closer Kenley Jansen, entitled "Kenley Jansen: The Quiet Storm."  Check it out here.
• Stay tuned.  Some changes are afoot with our new AAA affiliate.  Via a tweet from Eric Stephen:

New AAA affiliate @okcredhawks to make "significant announcement regarding team's identity" (aka name change) during tomorrow's "Dodger Day"
— Eric Stephen (@truebluela) December 2, 2014

• Chris Olds at Beckett proves and early glimpse at Topps 2015 Finest Baseball card set.  It is slated to come out in June 2015.  Check out the Joc Pederson card on the right.
• Via a Dodger press release, "Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, Andre Ethier and wife Maggie will dedicate Maggie and Andre Ethier Learning Center at Union Rescue Mission Thursday."  

"I've enjoyed volunteering at URM since I became a Dodger," said Ethier. "Knowing that the Learning Center will serve the mission for years to come makes this project very special to me."

• Via Joshua Kusnick at Baseball Prospectus, "An Agent's Take: Advice For The Teenaged Rumors Reporters."  

Among the professional journalism crowd, and I suppose all baseball circles to some degree, these “kids” are a constant topic of discussion. I have seen only one of these reporters break through to the mainstream, meaning he is likely the exception, not the rule. And he didn’t get to this point by being lazy. He got his foot in the door, took advice, learned rapidly and now has a bright future. Sadly, this is not the case for many of what I call “Transaction Monkeys,” the kids who frantically tweet every minor move that can easily be found on milb.com or any transaction website. Repetitiveness is not a skill, nor should it be rewarded.

• Via Travis Waldron at Think Progress, "Why Congress Shouldn’t Get Involved In Pro Sports’ Domestic Violence Problems."

Congress doesn’t have to set domestic violence aside. Neither does it need to ignore sports. But pushing leagues to rush into implementation and improvement of disciplinary policies, as we’ve seen before, often only leads to sloppy practices that don’t serve anyone well (except, perhaps, the leagues’ PR efforts), all while lending the leagues a moral authority on the issues they don’t deserve.

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Blog Kiosk: 11/26/2014 - Dodger Links - Gil Hodges, Jose DeLeon and "Dodger Day" in Oklahoma

This just might be the worst photo ever!  Above is Hanly Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval doing the 'I see you' sign, via Sandoval on instagram.

On a more positive note, Hanley thanked the fans on his facebook page. He says,

Thank you God for the blessing of allowing me to wear #Dodgerblue, where I learned how to be a winner, where I shared so many exciting and unforgettable moments with, and received so much love from my beloved #HanleyWood fans. Our 2 division championships in 2 years brought me some of the best times of my career, and I will be forever grateful for that. GRACIAS. @dodgers #donnieyourethebest

Thanks Hanley!  It was a pleasure watching play in Blue.

Below are some links to check out:

• This is for Dodger fans in or near Oklahoma City.  The Dodgers new AAA minor league club will be hostin "Dodger Day" on December 3rd.  Go here for information.  Gabe Kapler and Scott Schebler will be there to sign for fans.

"With the team store being ready to re-open and with all the holiday excitement around Bricktown, we felt this was a great time to celebrate our new partnership with the Dodgers along with our great fans," said RedHawks President/General Manager Michael Byrnes.

The event will feature appearances by new Dodgers Director of Player Development Gabe Kapler and top Dodgers prospect Scott Schebler.

• Via Tom Veducci at Sports Illustrated, "Time for the Hall of Fame to right a wrong by electing Gil Hodges."

Hodges had enough votes to be elected by the Veterans Committee in 1993 (12 out of 16), only to have committee chair Ted Williams disallow the vote of Roy Campanella, one of Hodges' former teammates, because he did not attend the meeting in person. Campanella was hospitalized at the time. With that ballot rejected, Hodges and Leon Day were left one vote short of enshrinement, with 11 of the 15 votes leaving them at 73.3 percent, 1.7 percent shy. Campanella died three months later. Day was elected when the new committee met two years later.

• Carson Cistulli at InstaGraphs has, "A Statistical Report for All the Caribbean Winter Leagues."  He notes that Dodger prospect Jose DeLeon has been impressive.  He then followed up this post by sharing 6 GIF's of DeLeon pitching.  Check out those GIF's here.
• Via Cary Osborne at Dodger Insider, "Max Homa — PGA Tour rookie and Dodger fan."

“I want to golf with Kershaw,” he said. “I want to figure out how he can be so ice cold. Pitching, I think, is a lot like golf. It’s so repetitive, and you need to have a real good mental game. I’d like to see how he does in golf and get inside head.”

• As you might have heard, Hanley Ramirez is expected to play left field for the Red Sox.  Former Dodger Pedro Guerrero provides his assessment of that transition on twitter:

hanley in left is like me at 3rd
— PedroGuerrero (@PedroGuerreroLA) November 25, 2014

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Blog Kiosk: 11/18/2014 - Dodger Links - Zaidi, Sweeney and Kershaw's Commemorative MVP T-shirts

As evidenced in the photo above, Yasiel Puig and Carlos Santana are becoming best bud.  They appear to be purchasing friendship bracelts for each other.  Photo abouve was tweeted by Carlos Santana.

Below are some links to check out:

• Via Yvonne Carrasco at Dodger Insider, "Fernandomania is alive and well in Guadalajara."

“This statue looks like me, looks like how I pitched,” Valenzuela said. “I feel very happy that this statue, that my first one is here. I feel a lot of emotion, a lot of love from the people here. This moment has given me goosebumps.

• Via Mark Saxon at ESPN, "Is 'Phase Two' all about payroll reduction?"

“It sounds overly simplistic, but we’re just going to try to make good baseball decisions,” Zaidi said. “Sometimes, those good baseball decisions are going to increase our payroll, sometimes they’re going to decrease our payroll and I think over time it will come down because that’s what the accumulation of smart baseball moves will just do to the roster.

• Via David Waldstein at the NY Times, "For Dodgers G.M. Farhan Zaidi, New Team Affords New Possibilities."

“It’s a recalibration,” he said, “but it’s also an exercise in not throwing the baby out with the bath water. It’s about applying the principals we practiced in the smaller markets while leveraging greater resources.”

• Via Mark Whicker at the LA Daily News, "Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Darnell Sweeney just looking to fit in."
• Here's an opportunity to learn a little bit about our new AAA affiliate Oklahoma City RedHawks.  Via Paul Caputo at SportsLogos.net, "Birds of Play: The Story Behind the Oklahoma City RedHawks."
• Roberto at Vin Scully is My Homeboy shares his very rare Vin Scully Bobblehead that was given out to just friends and family.
• The Dodgers added some depth to the outfield position in AAA.  Via Alden Gonzalez at MLB.com, "Dodgers acquire Minor League slugger Jensen from Marlins."
• Check out Kershaw's new t-shirt, in benefit of Kershaw's Challenge.

Pre-order a MVP tshirt today! Super soft, one-of-a-kind shirt commemorative of 2014 season!  http://t.co/TO5urbUYs1 pic.twitter.com/Jt4LpNpNFd
— Kershaw's Challenge (@KershsChallenge) November 17, 2014

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Blog Kiosk: 9/17/2014 - Dodger Links - Moving AA & AAA to Oklahoma

It was a beautiful Colorado evening last night.  It was cool and partly cloudy with a slight breeze blowing in from left.  Heck, it was so nice the Dodgers decided to take a breather.  Actually, that's not entirely true.  The Dodgers got their hits, they just couldn't drive them home.

Once again, every Dodger position player (including the pitcher) got a hit, but they could only muster four runs.  Per Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider:

The National League’s No. 1 team with runners in scoring position had three hits but 11 outs, stranding 10 runners and wasting most of their 16 hits, including three by Justin Turner and Yasiel Puig’s first home run since July 31.

Yeah, it was one of those nights.  The Dodger loss and an subsequent Giants win over the Diamondbacks keeps the magic number at none.  The two photos above were taken by Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014.  Go here to check out more pic by him from yesterday's game.  Below are some links to check out:

• Via Steven Silverman at Beyond the Boxscore, "Zack Greinke, forgotten ace."

As much coverage as a certain Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher has gotten in these pages (and others) in recent weeks, there are other good stories coming out of Chavez Ravine. Zack Greinke, even if he had to resort to hitting a home run to escape Clayton Kershaw's monstrous shadow this week, has been quietly having another solid year.

• It is now official.  Per a Dodger press release, they are moving their AAA operations from Albuquerque to Oklahoma City in 2015.  In fact, they are buying a piece of the team.

The owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers have announced that they have reached an agreement with Mandalay Baseball Properties, LLC on the purchase of the Oklahoma City RedHawks.  The purchase would be part of a partnership in which Peter Guber will be the Executive Chairman and Managing Director of the team and partners Paul Schaeffer and Larry Freedman will manage the operations of the company.

The Dodgers also announced they will change their triple-A franchise affiliation to Oklahoma City in 2015 and continue to play in the Pacific Coast League, while moving to the American Northern Division. 

As Eric Stephen at True Blue LA notes, the Dodgers are also expected to move their AA club in Chattanooga to Tulsa.

The Dodgers contingent will make their way to Tulsa, 107 miles away, for a 1 p.m. PT press conference for what the Double-A Tulsa Drillers called on Wednesday "a major announcement regarding the franchise."

• Via J.P. Hoornstra at Inside the Dodgers, "Dodgers’ third base coach details the perils of elevation on a player’s evolution."  JP speaks with Dodger coach Lorenzo Bundy about the difficulty in evaluating players in Albuquerque.  
• Via a Dodgers press release, Clayton Kershaw has been named the Dodgers' nominee for the 2014 Roberto Clemente Award.
• Via David Brown at Big League Stew, "Jake Peavy on next start: 'I was just in the shower thinking about Dee Gordon'"
• Via Jon Heyman at CBS Sports, "DeJon Watson will be brought back for second interview in Arizona."

Watson, who's been considered instrumental in the development of Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, star outfielder Matt Kemp and many other young Dodgers, served as the scouting director and farm director of the Dodgers before rising to become an assistant to Ned Colletti in L.A. The Dodgers appear on their way to a second straight NL West crown.

• GCRL shares the evolution of Dodger first baseman through baseball cards, part II.
• I just love trip reports to amusement parks in foreign lands.  Check Chaos and Kanji at Enakyo Wonderland, Gifu Prefecture, Japan.

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Blog Kiosk: 8/23/2014 - Dodger Links - Haren's Sharp, No More Isotopes and Seager is Cal League MVP

Haren does it again.

Just when you thought his effectiveness on the mound was done, he comes back and pitches a gem.  In seven innings of work against the Mets last night he struck out six, walked none and gave up just three hits; including an opening batter solo home run to Curtis Granderson (his 25th of the season). 

Haren was quick and efficient, and according to Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, he earned a $250,000 bonus for reaching 150 innings pitched this season.  BTW, at 180 inning pitched his contract automatically vest for next season. 

Via Dylan Hernandez at the LA Times, Haren had this to say about a contract for next year:

"I couldn't care less," Haren said. "It might sound stupid, but who knows if I would want to play next year? I'd rather throw 179 2/3 and us win the division, honestly. I've made enough money in my life. I've been blessed. Hopefully, my kids' kids are set up. It's a lot of money, I don't want to devalue that and sound like a snob, but my goal is for this team to achieve what we set out to."

The photo above via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014.  Go here to check out more pics from yesterday's game from Jon.

Thankfully, the Dodgers offense came alive as they spread around eleven hits to score six run and earn a victory.  Dee Gordon was superb.  He knocked in the first Dodger run in the third inning on a single and recorded his Major League leading eleventh triple in the seventh inning.

With the 6 to 2 victory over the Mets they hold onto an 3.5 game lead over the Giants.  Now, here are some more links to check out below.

• Via Mike Bertha at Cut4, "Yasiel Puig is so popular that people are naming their children after him."
• Bye Bye, Albuquerque.  Via Michael Baldwin at NewsOK.com, "Oklahoma City RedHawks will be Los Angeles Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate."

A group affiliated with the Dodgers is on the brink of purchasing the local pro baseball team. The group is in the final stages of contract negotiations that began several weeks ago with Mandalay, which announced earlier this year it would be selling its five minor league baseball properties.

Looks like the cat got out of the bag too early.  Apparently, this is all news to the Isotopes GM John Traub (via a tweet from Albuquerque Journal writer Rick Wright) and Dodgers Assistant GM De Jon Watson (via a Wright tweet).  The Albuquerque Journal has a report on it right here.

• Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider takes a look at, "The top Dodger bench players of the 21st century."  Chad Kreuter and Alex Cora top the list.  My all-time favorite was Olmedo Saenz - "The Killer Tomato."
• BTW, Jon also tells us that Corey Seager has been named the California League MVP.
• Now, you can win Joc's hooptie!  Via an Isotopes press release, "Joc Pederson's Car To Be Given Away Next Friday."

One lucky fan at the Albuquerque Isotopes game next Friday, Aug. 29, will drive away (or tow away) outfielder Joc Pederson's luxurious 1994 Buick Century. Fans will not want to miss the chance to win this one-of-a-kind car driven by the next Los Angeles Dodgers superstar.

The car, nicknamed "Little Chucky," has only 166,000 miles on it and has at least one operable window, which is really all you need. It is perfect for cruising around during the New Mexico summers with its "awesome" stereo system and lack of air conditioning. Kelly Blue Book estimates the value at nearly $1,000 (depending on if it has a full tank of gas). Little Chucky will also come with two complimentary air fresheners and whatever else Pederson forgets to clean out.

ICYMI, the @AbqTopes on Aug. 29 are giving away Joc Pederson's car, a 1994 Buick Century pic.twitter.com/vaAn4ZnS5O
— Eric Stephen (@truebluela) August 22, 2014

• Via Mark Townsend at Big League Stew, "MLB's blackout restrictions may be relaxed in 2015."

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