Yesterday, the Dodgers called the media to the Dugout Club- minus the swanky food offerings, unfortunately- first to welcome Randy Wolf and Juan Pierre into the fold, then to break out the new jerseys with player names on the back (hint: they look a lot like last year's, except with the names on the back).  There was much rejoicing, especially over the latter.  Anyway, click below the jump for some audio from the festivities.  We'll have more tomorrow, as well.

BK

We at Blue Notes believe in the adage claiming it's the name on the front of the jersey that counts most.  Absolutely.  But let's be honest.  A moniker on the back does supply some awfully important info, which makes the recent decision to once again display last names on the jerseys perfectly sensible.  Even a little old school, a vibe that most baseball fans also appreciate.  Then again, nobody will appreciate Randy Wolf's name on the back of a Dodger jersey more than the lefty himself.  Wolf's joy was even worth a pay cut (of sorts), which certainly ain't the norm these days.

Who says you can never go home again? Tell that to Randy Wolf, who just made good on his No. 1 priority of coming back to his native Southland and playing for the team of his childhood. How prioritized was sentiment? So much that Wolf even took a pay cut to feel like a kid again. But don't feel too sorry for the lefty. His family can probably get by on the pittance provided by Sly and the Family McCourt.

So what lies next for your beloved Blue? Perhaps the reuniting of Wolf with one of his Philly/native Angeleno homies. And of course, the "Whither Manny" issue. Predicting Manny's new whereabouts is as easy as predicting the weirdo himself, but Dodgers' combo of need and assets make them viable candidates. Should any of you good fans dislike the idea of "Manny being Manny" in the Ravine, then it's just one more reason to dislike J.D. Drew.

It's official. The Dodgers are officially in the Randy Wolf business. In the end, it was all about geography rather than cash for the lefty, a native of Canoga Park who wanted to pitch at home. There was a conference call today with the media, but it was tough to hear what was going on, because a few cell phones were getting terrible reception on the line and gumming up the works (conference call etiquette, people!). Below the jump are a few quotes we pulled. You know, the stuff we could hear (or made up... just kidding). Any other questions? Feel free to ask us. Or Steve Henson.

Nothing is set in stone, but it's looking like the Dodgers may have a new lefty starter in the fold. Socal native Randy Wolf is so geeked at the idea of hurling in front of friends and family that he might reduce his quote to make it happen. The big question (outside of how many high school acquaintances and "long lost cousins" will suddenly emerge from the woodwork asking for tickets) is how completely Wolf has recovered from elbow surgery. But should the zip be on display again, Wolf would add a veteran southpaw presence to a rotation lacking such assets.

Speaking of new faces, will "That's just Manny being Manny" become the hot new phrase in L.A.? Similar to predicting anything with Ramirez, one never knows. But SI's John Donovon knows how he feels about Juan Pierre entering the fold. Hint? It's similar to BK's opinion.

And finally, I imagine Dodger fans everywhere consider this to be nothing short of money well spent.

—AK

So some time with my Thanksgiving turkey has not helped me appreciate the gift of 5/$44 for Juan Pierre any more than I did before, but thanks to Bill Stoneman, there's now some more oddish behavior from a (semi) local team to discuss. The Angels, after passing and passing and passing on trades, missing out on free agent signings, and generally giving sports talk radio types a reason to poke them with a stick (not always deserved, given their track record of success over the last few years), have given 5/$50 to Gary Matthews Jr. That's a major investment in the belief that Matthews Jr. will be the guy from last season well into his 30s, as opposed to the player he was in every other year over his career.

And upon further review of the 5 year, $45 million outlay for Juan Pierre, my reaction can be described fairly accurately with the following sentiment (best conveyed in person so you could see my wrinkled brow and unenthusiastic facial expression, but I'm not into interweb self portraits): "Eh...".

The problem isn't so much Pierre himself- the guy is a very durable player who has some positives, namely solid BA, speed, and low strikeout totals, and some negatives, mostly in the form of unsatisfying OBPs, a weak arm in center, and absolutely zero ability to drive a ball- but the length of the deal and how it messes with what had been one of Ned Colletti's greatest assets in building the team: flexibility. (There's also the nagging question of whether or not bringing in Pierre actually addresses the needs of the team in a meaningful way. If you're into that sort of thing, of course.)

Big enough, in fact, to withstand such an inexcusably awful play on words (although this horrendous Paul Rodriguez flick may have committed an even guiltier offense). Unless Juan Pierre's physical ends up revealing a bad knee, a goiter or some rare, incurable form of narcolepsy, he'll be playing center field next season (and the following four) in the Ravine to the tune of $45 mil. Not quite as much as BK and I make blogging, but it's still the kind of salary that one can make last, assuming they're conscientious and bust out the ol' coupons every now and then.

More details as they emerge, but we wanted to drop the news on all y'all.

—AK

OK, it's not quite like getting elected president. More like snagging a seat in the House. But the Dodgers have reupped with first baseman Nomar Garciaparra for two more seasons and $19 million. After J.D. Drew opted out of his deal and the Blue fell short in the bidding for Alfonso Soriano — given the incredibly massive contract he'll sign with Chicago, it's not hard to see how that happened — this was a move the Dodgers had to make.

While I think it's basically a given that a healthy portion of that money will fund Nomar's inevitable time on the DL, the commitment is pretty short. Two years? I can live with that. And given that Nomar made $8.5 mil last season when it was all said and done, it's hard to believe they could have had him for less. Really, in many respects it's not unlike the situation the Dodgers used to have with Drew. If he's healthy, you'll get your money's worth out of Nomar — probably a little more, maybe a little less. That's just a big if. The biggest upside is that we all get to hear "Low Rider" four or five times a night for a while longer.

All in all, it's a good deal for the Dodgers, as long as signing Nomar doesn't preclude any other moves, which I can't believe it would.

In other news, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com breaks down the compensation situation on Drew.

Because that's how much the Cubs have reportedly paid to sign the former Nationals left fielder. So there's one big, big bat off the market. Only a few to go. I'd love to know how far the Dodgers went in the bidding. Kudos to the baby bears for snagging numbers one and three on this rather unsettling list.

—BK