Talking with: Sandy Alomar Jr.

AK: Have you and the organization talked about how often they want you playing?

SA: They specifically told me very clearly that I was gonna be in the backup role. Whether it was for Dioner (Navarro) or Russell (Martin), they want me here to help those two guys. And primarily, they're going to play most of those games and that's how it's been so far.

AK: How closely are you working with them as a mentor/tutor?

SA: At first, it was a "look and learning" experience in spring training. And they're pretty much sponges. They're pretty good. They're very coachable and ask a lot of questions. So it's been easy, man. It's been great working with Dioner or Russell. They have all the tools in the world. But sometimes you have to give players some space. You can't crowd them too much. Let them see the results before you start opening your mouth.

AK: Do you enjoy this role?

SA: Oh, yeah. I've been doing it for three years. I did it with Miguel Olivo in Chicago. I did it with Rod Berajas last year, although Rod is a little bit more of a mature guy. He's been in a World Series. He has a ring. But I was basically his caddy. And Tony Pena, Joe Skinner, Pat Borders were my caddies in the past. I'm these guys' caddies now. I'm all right with it.

AK: You've been in the league for a long time and played with a few different teams, but arguably you've never played with a team that has the rich history of the Dodgers. Do you sense a difference now that you're a part of it?

SA: Well, it's a very prestigious organization. You see the people who come to stadium. The ex-players come here a lot. The Indians, I spent 11 years with them and they have history, too. But the Dodgers, the Yankees and Boston are the organizations that have the most history, I think. It's a really prestigious organization and they take care of the families, too.

AK: Do you notice a different reaction when you tell somebody, "I play for the Dodgers." As opposed to the Indians or another team?

SA: You can write a book about that. (laughs) When I started playing the Indians, the second year, we lost 100 games. People asked me, "Who do you play for?" I'd say, "Uh... I just play in the big leagues." And after that, we developed a team and we were the American League team of the 90's. We were in the playoffs every year. But it's definitely a lot easier (here), winning or losing. This organization is well known. The logo is everywhere. You can impress the crowd when you say you play for the Dodgers.

AK: Growing up, were the Dodgers the kind of organization you dreamed about playing for?

SA: Oh, yeah. Yeah... The Chicago Cubs, they were on TV in Latin America most of the time. And the Yankees. And the Dodgers. Those were the teams that people watched. That people knew, basically, when you were growing up.

AK: So it's pretty cool to put that blue on?

SA: Yeah, it definitely is.

AK: Once everyone gets healthy and you've got that starting lineup that Grady and Ned are picturing, what do you see as the future of the team?

SA: Well, I see a more complete team. A versatile team. There's no "one" way we can win. We've got speed. We've got power. We just have to be able to put it all together and put it on one page. We need to pitch the way we did in spring training, when we were the best pitching team. Regardless of (it being) spring training or not, it's very hard to pitch in Vero Beach and these guys did an outstanding job. They can do it here, too. And now, we're seeing the results. Hopefully, we can continue to do it that way.

AK: The season's gotten off to a slow start. As someone who's been around, are you letting people know, "There's a lot of time left?"

SA: Well, they know. Most of the guys here are veteran players. And the young guys, you have to learn how to fail before you succeed. In baseball, if you miss in 7 out of 10 at bats, you're failing most of the time. And that's .300! Adversity, you have to deal with it. And you'll learn and hopefully, you'll succeed.

photo by KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/AP