I Can Smell That Grass Already

Today was a big day for Dodger Stadium. The new stadium grass was installed. Thankfully, West Coast Turf provided the update, as well as, pictures for us to enjoy.

I only wish the sun was out so we can see the full glory of "green." BTW, they also installed the new fields for the Padres, Angels and Diamondbacks a few days ago.

(Pic Link: TwitPic West Coast Turf)

(Pic Link: TwitPic WestCoastTurf)

Even more interesting is the process of re-sodding the field (Via West Coast Turfs Website):

As with any major yard project, it takes different skill sets, big crews and lots of heavy lifting. A lot of the real work goes on beneath the surface.

Step 1: The old grass comes out, along with about 2 inches of roots, seed and soil (dirt infield areas are left intact).

Step 2: New sand is brought in, about 400 tons, to replace most of the discarded stuff.

Step 3: Gypsum, the double-malt scotch of Southland lawns, is added to loosen the soil and keep it from compacting.

Step 4: The new and existing material are blended together to a depth of 6 or so inches, but not deep enough to disturb the Byzantine system of pipes, pumps and other irrigation devices beneath the field.

Step 5: Using laser guides, contractors smooth the field nearly flat, in preparation for the sod.

Step 6: A 12-man crew from West Coast Turf brings in 100,000 square feet of sod, in 42-inch widths nearly three times as wide as the turf you get at the corner nursery. Over a two-day period, they press and caress this new field into place, as if smoothing on a Band-Aid.

It gets even more interesting from there. It's almost like a science. Read all about the process here.

2011 In The Game: Dodger Prospects

In the Game isn't a card maker I know an awful lot about. I know they've been making hockey cards for quite some time, but didn't realize, until recently, that Baseball was now a part of their repertoire. The cards are unlicensed by MLB, but (correct me if I'm wrong) are licensed by the players union. So, team emblems are missing.

Their recently release 2011 Heroes & Prospect Baseball set focuses primarily on up-and-coming kids working their way through the minors. There is no base set, only relic cards that feature an autograph or game-used material. Only 1 Dodger prospect is prominently featured, Ethan Martin, but there are many different kinds of his cards to chase after. See complete checklist here. Below is just a sample of some of them.


Fortunately, the Heroes part of the set has a vintage Dodger- Steve Garvey. Below is an example of one of his cards. There also happens to be several "1 of 1" vintage Dodger autographs available (such as Sandy Koufax, Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella and Don Drysdale) to those lucky enough to attain one.

eBay: A Landreaux Award

I'm always shocked to see items like this on eBay. In fact, you have to wonder if it really is what it says it is. On the other hand, why would anyone fake this?

Here is a little award and presentation piece that was given to Ken Landreaux. It was for his participation as Grand Marshall in the 1986 El Monte Christmas Parade.

(eBay Auction Link)

Day 13 Spring Training Notes

• ONE OF THE GREATEST: “I'd like to thank God for including me in his master plan ... being a Brooklyn Dodger and Los Angeles Dodger." -- Duke Snider, Cooperstown, 1980.

(Pic Link: HitPix Dodgers)

(Lopes teaches the young guys how to lead off 3rd)

• GOING TRIBAL: This afternoon, the Dodgers will play the first of two games against the Cleveland Indians this spring, with the other contest coming on March 27 at Camelback Ranch. Los Angeles and Cleveland last tussled in the regular season in 2008, with the Indians taking two of three at Dodger Stadium in Interleague Play. The Indians also took two of three from the Dodgers during 2010 Spring Training, including an exhibition contest at Dodger Stadium on April 1, 2010.
• KEEP IT ROLLING: The Dodgers won their second consecutive Cactus League contest yesterday, downing the White Sox, 6-5. Jonathan Broxton picked up the win after tossing a scoreless inning and right-handed minor league Nate Eovaldi garnered the save with a perfect ninth inning. At the dish, Jamie Hoffmann went 2-for-2 and Damaso Espino drove in two runs.

(Pic Link: HitPix Dodgers)

• ON THE MOUND: Dodger right-hander Chad Billingsley will make his 2011 Spring debut this afternoon at Goodyear Ballpark. Last season, Billingsley went 12-11 with a 3.57 ERA and has recorded a winning record in each of his eight professional seasons. His 52 victories in the Majors since 2007 are tied for eighth among current NL starters over that time and his 551 strikeouts since 2008 ranks sixth in the National League. The 2009 All-Star posted a 3.05 ERA in his 15 starts after the break in 2010. Billingsley will be followed to the mound by RHP Oscar Villarreal, RHP Roman Colon, RHP Jon Huber, RHP Lance Cormier and LHP Wilkin De La Rosa. Right-hander Carlos Carrasco will take the hill for the Tribe.

• BRINGING THE “A” TEAM: The Dodger starting lineup is looking pretty regular this afternoon following a day off for many of the starters yesterday vs. the White Sox. Former Indian Casey Blake will bat second and play in his second 2011 Cactus League contest. Blake played for the Tribe from 2003-08, hitting a career high 28 homers in 2004 and playing a career most 156 games in 2007. In a little more than two seasons with Los Angeles, Blake owns the highest fielding percentage (.968) among Dodger third baseman with a minimum of 250 games played.
  

(Pic Link: HitPix Dodgers)

• NON-ROSTER SPOTLIGHT: Dodger right-hander Roman Colon will be making his second appearance of the spring this afternoon after tossing a scoreless inning in his debut last Saturday against the Angels. Colon is 8-10 with a 5.12 ERA in 121 career Major League games with the Braves (2004-05), Tigers (2005-06) and Royals (2009-10). The native of the Dominican Republic pitched in five games for Kansas City last season before pitching in Korea. Colon joined the Dodgers in part because they were his brother’s favorite team. In fact, Daniel Colon was signed by Los Angeles in 1989.

• SAXY IN THE HOUSE: Former Dodger second baseman Steve Sax will be at Camelback Ranch-Glendale this weekend to promote his new book, SHIFT: Change Your Mindset And You Change Your World. The All-Star infielder will throw out the first pitch on “Fireworks Night,” Friday, March 4 prior to the Dodgers’ 7:05 p.m. home game against the Gi­ants. The following day, Sax will be signing copies of SHIFT outside the Team Store in the Center Field Courtyard from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sax won the NL Rookie of the Year in 1982, the Silver Slugger in 1986 and was a five-time All Star for the Dodgers (1982-83, ’86) and Yankees (1989-90).

• A MINOR MENTION: Three Dodger minor leaguers will take the trip to Goodyear today, including LHP Alberto Bastardo and RHP Francisco Felix. Bastardo, who will wear No. 89, tied for the Dodger organizational lead last season with 12 wins and 27 combined starts at Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Albuquerque. Felix, who will wear No. 87, was a non-roster invitee in 2010, but spent much of last year on loan to Saltillo of the Mexican League. RHP Juan Rincon will wear No. 91 and is the third minor league traveler. Rincon tossed a scoreless inning on Sunday vs. the Angels.

• THAT’S MR. DAVIS TO YOU: Dodger legend Tommy Davis will be spending the next few days at Camelback Ranch. Davis, who arrived yesterday, will be working with the minor leaguers. The Brooklyn native played eight seasons with Los Angeles from 1959-66, batting .304 with 86 home runs and 465 RBI in 821 games. The three-time All-Star batted .400 (6-for-15) with two triples and two RBI to help power the Dodgers to the 1963 World Series championship and finished his 18-year Major League career with a .313 batting average in 20 postseason games.

• DREAM A LITTLE DREAM: Tomorrow morning is the Dodgers’ annual open tryout in which any ballplayer can come to the fields and attempt to earn a minor league contract. Registration will begin promptly at 8 a.m. with the tryout taking place at 9 a.m. Players just have to bring their own uniform and then dazzle the staff. The Dodgers signed two players out of the tryout in both 2009 and 2010, including right-handed pitcher Tim Corcoran, who is still in the organization.

OT: Kings Make Big Trade- Get Penner

(Pic: Screengrab from NHL.com)

I haven't written anything Kings related in awhile. So, if this isn't your cup of tea I suggest moving on to another post.

I had been watching faithfully and patiently as the roller-coaster of a season went on. Just a few weeks back the team was on a turbulent downward spiral. The Kings looked lost on the ice, unable to score with any consistency while the defense, for the most part, held their own. Fortunately, the conference and division continued to be tight as the Kings found themselves in the bottom of the division, but only a few points away from a playoff spot. Fast forward a few weeks and you could hardly believe that dry spell existed. Over the past 15 games they have won 11 games while losing only one game. Additionally, they had 3 overtime loses that provided them a point apiece in the standings. Now, they find themselves in 5th place in the conference and just a hair's away from taking the division title from San Jose. Slowly, but surely, it looks like the Kings are on the verge of leaving the pack of teams clustered around the final playoff spots. With 20 games left to go in the season the Kings sure know when to get hot.

But, the team still had some glaring holes. They were looking for some up front speed and more consistent scoring. Furthermore, it was obvious that a 1st line left winger was desperately needed. Would todays trade deadline pay dividends for the Kings? Could the Kings actually pull off a trade for someone significant?

The answer is a resounding yes! This morning, provided some great news for us fans as the Kings pulled off, arguably, the biggest deal of the trade deadline. They get left winger Dustin Penner, former Anaheim Duck (who happened to win the cup with them), for a prospect, a 1st round draft pick and a conditional (2nd or 3rd round) draft pick. Considering the Kings depth in the minors and the relative consensus that those draft years are weak, I think we made out like a bandit. Heck, Colton Teubert (the prospect we gave up) isn't even considered one of our top 2 or 3 defensive prospects.

Penner provides the big bodied scoring winger the team desperately needs on the left side. He's not particularly fast, but he makes up for it with a great scoring touch. Penner should match up well with Kopitar and Brown (or Williams) on the 1st line, and has the kind of playoff experience a young team like the Kings really covet.

Needless to say, I am ecstatic beyond words. The management has done a masterful job of drafting and stocking the team with the kind of pieces that often lead to long term success.

Read more about the trade here:

LA Kings Insider: Lombardi Talks Trade: Full Trascript

NHL.com

Inside the Kings: Kings Trade for Penner

Battle of California: Kings Trade for Dustin Penner

Day 12 Spring Training Report

Here are todays Spring Training Notes, courtesy of the Dodgers.

• WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR: In a 1959 World Series rematch, the Dodgers and their Camelback Ranch – Glendale neighbor Chicago White Sox meet for the first of four Spring Training games. Los Angeles is today’s designated home team. The clubs will also face off during Interleague Play in Chicago from May 20-22.

• MOURNING THE DUKE: Today, the Dodgers will honor the memory of Hall of Fame outfielder Duke Snider, who passed away yesterday at the age of 84. The eight-time All-Star center fielder won two World Series championships in his 16 seasons with the Dodgers from 1947-62 and ranks as the franchise’s all-time leader in home runs (389) and RBI (1,271). The club will ask fans to observe a moment of silence prior to today’s game in memory of Snider.

(Pic Link: TwitPic TommyLasorda)

• GOOSE EGG: Don Mattingly won his first Spring Training game as Dodger manager yesterday as Los Angeles blanked the Angels 5-0. John Ely allowed one hit and struck out three in 2.0 scoreless frames and six Dodger relievers combined to limit the Halos to just four hits in the victory. Matt Kemp delivered a two-run single to the put Dodgers on the board in the first inning and Rod Barajas powered the first Los Angeles home run of the spring with a solo shot in the fifth inning.

• HURLERS: Dodger Opening Day starter Clayton Kershaw will make his first start of Spring Training this afternoon. The 22-year-old posted career-highs in wins (13), strikeouts (212) and innings (204.1) in 2010 and over the past two seasons, Kershaw ranks sixth in the Majors with a 2.85 ERA and leads the big leagues with a .208 opponents’ batting average. He will be followed to the mound by Jonathan Broxton, Matt Guerrier, Ron Mahay and Travis Schlichting. Right-hander Gavin Floyd will take the hill for Chicago.

• IT’S LIKE CAREER WITH A “G”: Matt Guerrier will make his Dodger debut today after signing a three-year deal with the club in the offseason. Over the past two seasons, the former Minnesota Twin ranks second in the Majors with 56 holds and has posted a 2.75 ERA with a .213 opponents’ batting average. The 32-year-old has been a model of consistency with 70 appearances and 70.0 or more innings in each of the past four seasons with his 311.2 innings pitched since 2007 leading Major League relievers.

(Pic Link: HitPix Dodgers)

• SHUTTING THE DOOR: Jonathan Broxton is slated to make his first appearance of Spring Training today against the White Sox and the Dodger closer ranks fifth in the National League (min. 300 IP) with a 3.00 ERA over the past five seasons. Over the course of his six Major League seasons, the 26-year-old leads all big leaguers (min. 300 IP) with an average of 11.70 strikeouts per 9.0 innings.

• SWITCHING IT UP: Switch-hitters occupy three of the first five spots in today’s Dodger lineup with Aaron Miles, Dioner Navarro and Trayvon Robinson capable of hitting from both sides of the plate. Miles, who gets the start at second base, has been slightly better over the course of his eight Major League seasons as a right-handed hitter (.282) than from the left side (.279), while Navarro has been better as a left-hander (.263) in his career. Robinson, who has yet to crack the Majors, batted .319 as a left-hander and .291 from the right side last season with Double-A Chattanooga.

(Pic Link: HitPix Dodgers)

• HIGH NUMBERS: Seven minor leaguers will join the Dodgers today, including 2010 California League All-Star right-hander Nate Eovaldi (#95) and catcher Matt Wallach (#90), the son of Dodger third base coach Tim Wallach. Left-hander Michael Antonini (#94), who was obtained from the Mets in exchange for Chin-lung Hu, will dress for the Dodgers this afternoon after leading Double-A Binghamton in strikeouts (106) and innings (131.1) and finishing the season with Triple-A Buffalo last season. Stuart Pomeranz (#96), who tossed 0.2 scoreless innings on Saturday against the Angels, Elian Herrera (#89), David Pfeiffer (#87) and Merkin Valdez (#97) will also be available for the big league club today.

• LAST SEEN ON LOPEZ TONIGHT: The Dodgers would like to welcome Dodger legend Tommy Davis to Camelback Ranch. Davis will be visiting camp over the next few days to work with minor leaguers. He played eight seasons with Los Angeles from 1959-66, batting .304 with 86 home runs and 465 RBI in 821 games. The three-time All-Star batted .400 (6-for-15) with two triples and two RBI to help power the Dodgers to the 1963 World Series championship and finished his 18-year Major League career with a .313 batting average in 20 postseason games.

• #CAMELBACK TWEETOFF – That’s right, today on Twitter the @Dodgers and @WhiteSox will be having their first-ever #Camelback Tweetoff. Fans following the two clubs’ twitter feeds can win prizes during today’s game with Dodger prizes including Matt Kemp Gold Glove Bobbleheads, autographed baseballs from Rafael Furcal and James Loney and Spring Training tickets. Fans will need to use #Camelback in their responses to win.