Blog Kiosk: 3/5/2014 - Dodgers Links - Staff Bonuses, Stripling to have Tommy John and Wilson's Knuckleball

Yasiel Puig is showing off the Fathead the Dodgers will be giving out to young fans during the Sunday, April 6th game against the Giants.  Pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014.

• Via Bill Plunkett at the OC Register, "Dodgers players raise issue of staff bonuses for Australia trip."  I love that the players are looking out for the folks behind the scenes.
• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Dan Plesac of MLB Network talks Dodgers".

"It's hard to find a weakness on this team. Pitching, starting pitching is rock solid. I love the bullpen depth. Kenley Jansen has developed into one of the top closers in baseball," Plesac said. "The lineup is great. I think they're a rock solid team.

• Via JP Hoornstra at Inside the Dodgers, "Ross Stripling will have Tommy John surgery tomorrow."

Tommy John surgery scheduled for tomorrow morning. Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers. Everything happens for a reason!
— Ross Stripling (@RossStripling) March 4, 2014

• Yeah, so this happened yesterday.  Brian Wilson threw a knuckleball in his outing.  Gif via DodgersDugout.

• Scott Killeen shares some outstanding photos of Dodger hurler Zach Lee at Sons of Steve Garvey.
• Ron Cervenka at Think Blue LA shares some, "Dodger Stadium construction update photos."
• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Trent Oeltjen leads Australia roster in exhibitions vs. Dodgers, Diamondbacks."

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AJ's Excellent Australian Adventure

As you know, the Dodgers and Diamondbacks are schedule to open Major League Baseball in late March at the Sydney Cricket Grounds in Australia.  So, with Baseball on its winter break, why not send some folks down south to spread word about the event?   AJ Ellis and Diamondbacks pitcher Patrick Corbin were the lucky guys chosen for the promotional junket, and I'm sure their teammates are super-jealous.  What lucky duckies, eh?

In the land down under, it's the end of Spring with Summer fast approaching.  The sun is out and folks are enjoying the season with all the joy you'd expect.  Heck, even Baseball, Australian style, has begun anew.  It's the perfect environment to get Aussies excited for Major League Baseball.

Both Ellis and Corbin have been meeting fans, young players and the viewing public the past several days.  Check out some photo's I grabbed of their travels from social media.

Here's press conference featuring Ellis and Corbin with former MLB'er Justin Huber (member of Team Australia).  It was announced that both teams will play Australia's national team as a warm-up to the Opening Series match-up. BTW, they also did a Live Blog Chat for FoxSports Australia that you can view here.

(pic via @DBacks on twitter)

AJ met up with Peter Moylan in Sydney.  Moylan is a native Australian and spent most of last season with the Dodgers farm club in Albuquerque.

(pic via @Dodgers on twitter)

(pic via @Dodgers on twitter)

Here they are on Manly Beach.  There's a joke in there, somewhere.

(pic via @Dodgers on twitter)

Check out more pics at MLB's facebook page, here and here.

(pic via @SydneyBlueSox on twitter)

Here are a couple quotes from the the always quotable AJ Ellis.

"Trent Oelten was one of my favourite teammates when he was at the #Dodgers. Aussies play the game hard" AJ Ellis of the LA Dodgers
— Sydney Blue Sox (@SydneyBlueSox) November 19, 2013

AJ is right.  Baseball at the Sydney Cricket Ground will be special.  From my understanding the games are already sold out.  Check out a seating chart here.

"There are a lot of iconic fields in baseball, but playing at the SCG will be something really special" AJ Ellis of the #Dodgers
— Sydney Blue Sox (@SydneyBlueSox) November 19, 2013

And, below is a view of, I think, where the back stop will be at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

(pic via @DBacks on twitter)

And, here's a video.

Video Link:

Pic at the very top via @ABLeague on twitter

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Blog Kiosk: 11/16/2013 - Dodgers Links - Kemp still on Crutches, A Nancy Bea Bobblehead and JP Says no Bullying in Dodger Clubhouse

Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig took in a Lakers game last night, pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2013.  Unfortunately, Kemp is still on crutches.

• Ron Cervenka at Think Blue LA writes, "A Nancy Bea bobblehead? Why not?"
• Via Matt Snyder at CBS Sports, "Clayton Kershaw among best of all-time through age 25".
• Via Craig Dunham at MLB.com, former Dodger Trent "Oeltjen enjoying time back home in Australia".

"I love it," Oeltjen said of the historic event -- the first time Major League Baseball will ever be played in Australia. "I couldn't be happier. There's really a good buzz over here, and I think there's a lot of interest coming out of the ABL games. It's really great for baseball in Australia, they really needed something like this, and tickets have sold quickly.

• So, the bullying JP Howell spoke of wasn't in the Dodger clubhouse, but via external sources.  Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Howell clarifies comments about bullying, Puig".

"Not in the clubhouse, never by teammates," he said. "I was asked if Puig had been bullied and I said yes, but I meant by fans and media and people on the outside that don't know him. Never in the clubhouse. Are you kidding? People early in the season said our clubhouse wouldn't have chemistry, and it turned out to be an awesome clubhouse -- everybody got along."

• Harold Uhlman at Think Blue LA writes, "Rule 5 Draft Rapidly Approaching".
• What are the Dodgers shopping for?  Ken Rosenthal tells us on twitter:

 

#Dodgers prefer starting pitcher on 1- or 2-year deal, sources say. Kuroda not under consideration. Team does not want to lose draft pick.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 15, 2013

• If you haven't heard of this, then you gotta check it out.  The Make a Wish Foundation and SF Giants went all out for a 5-year old kid named Miles, who is battling leukemia.  They turned him into the BatKid, converted San Francisco into Gotham City and had him fight some crime.  Ryan Broderick at Buzzfeed has a really good roundup of the entire event, here.

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