First Things First
If anyone knows a quick way to get from Hollywood to Anaheim on a holiday weekend that doesn't involve a helicopter or Star Trek style teleporting, I'm all ears. Just because they call it the Freeway Series shouldn't mean I have to spend 2 1/2 hours on them trying to get here.
There was some interesting media time today with Ned Colletti. First of all, all indications are that the Dodgers will be carrying three catchers, and all indications are that Russell Martin won't be losing starts to newly acquired Toby Hall. That puts a guy who was playing every day in Tampa on the bench in L.A., never an easy adjustment. I don't mean to say Hall is going to be a disruption or has already started causing trouble. He hasn't and isn't likely to, but it's an interesting situation. From Colletti's end, it's not a concern. "I do what's best for the club. The day I try to do what's best for one player I try to do what's best for one player I'll be trying to do what's best for 25 players on an individual basis rather than a collective group," Colletti says. "I can't get beyond that the collective group, that the team itself is more important than any individual." Hopefully, Colletti says, solid play when he does get the opportunity will give Hall (or any other player looking for playing time) tough decisions to make. "Force issues. Force playing time. Force starts. Force the issues," he says. That element of competition is something he's emphasized all year, including in the time he spent talking to us a few weeks ago. Hall will make his first Dodger start tomorrow, catching fellow newbie Mark Hendrickson, but Little said the arrangement was just a comfortable way to get them both in the mix, not a permanent arrangement.
Colletti said carrying three catchers makes it that much more important for the Blue to solve their pitching problems, because it's one less arm they'll be able to keep on the roster. "We need to get our pitching on track," he said. "There's talent inside the room. I don't think anybody's asking anybody to do anything extraordinary." Dodgers starters, he said, need to go deeper into games to take the pressure off the bullpen... which needs to be better, too. Whether the help the staff needs comes from "outside or inside that room" remains to be seen.
Along those lines, there's a new pitcher out on the market. Or at there will be in ten days. Do you think when Jeff Weaver said he wanted to help pave the way for Jared to make the bigs, he meant it literally? I'm not going to say it would be good blog fodder if Jeff Weaver came back to Dodger Stadium... but man, would that be good blog fodder! (Sorry, couldn't help it.)
Considering that I nearly died of heat stroke standing in the dugout to talk with Grady Little, I asked Martin if the heat starts to become an issue at this time of year. He shrugged it off- I doubt he would say anything that had even a chance of implying he needs a break- and reminded me he's spent summers catching in Vegas, Jacksonville, and Vero Beach. "It's just hot," he said. "That's all it is."
Canadians have a gift for understatement.
By the way, Kareem threw out the first pitch. Dude had a better hook shot than a fastball. Not exactly Randy Johnson stuff. But who cares? He's the Captain!
LINEUPS-
AL park, AL rules. That means a DH.
DODGERS-
Furcal- SS
Lofton- CF
Garciaparra- 1B
Drew- DH
Kent- 2B
Ethier- LF
Kemp- RF
C. Izturis- 3B
Martin- C
Penny- P
ANGELS
Figgins- CF
M. Izturis- 3B
Cabrera- SS
Guerrero- RF
Anderson- LF
Rivera- DH
Morales- 1B
Molina- C
Kennedy- 2B
Colon- P
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I cannot think about baseball right now, even if we are beating up on the Angels. My heart goes out to Lamar Odom. That truly puts things into perspective.
Posted by: LoLo | June 30, 2006 at 09:37 PM