Tommy Lasorda, if these accusations are patently false?  Or the... um, employees in question, if he was indeed a customer? 

Well, the truth will hopefully reveal itself soon enough.  And I'm telling you right now.  If it turns out Jody "Babydol" Gibson's accusations aren't true (although really, if an ex-con madam nicknamed "Babydol" with one "L" isn't a credible source, who is?), I'm suing the hell outta this chick for causing my brain to picture one of the least appealing visuals of all time, even if just for a fleeting second.  I am beyond damaged.  She better have some deep prostitution-cash pockets (or make a boatload in royalties, now that she's a respected author) because this lady is getting taken to the cleaners.   

In the category of "people who don't give a rat's ass about being named in this book," I give you, ex-Sex Pistol Steve Jones.  My guess is he'll sleep easy.  And does anyone else think it's odd that this story managed to break without Charlie Sheen's name being mentioned once?

AK

Heading into the season, assuming everyone stays healthy (and I mean, really, what could possibly go wrong in terms of injury?) there aren't too many significant questions to answer for the Dodgers, at least as far as forecasting the opening day roster.  Yeah, there could be some tinkering with the back end of the bullpen if guys like D.J. Houlton throw really well.  And the fifth starter is up for grabs (assuming he pitches well, I still vote for Hong-Chih Kuo), but not much else.  On the bench, James Loney and Marlon Anderson look to be the lefty bats, with Ramon Martinez, Jason Repko, Mike Lieberthal, and Olmedo Saenz coming in from the right side.  And the details, like where Russell Martin will bat and whether switch-hitting Wilson Betemit will hit lefties well enough to avoid a platoon still have to be ironed out.  But I don't think there will be a lot of non-injury related surprises.  So that leads to today's question:

Given that position battles aren't the centerpiece of camp this year, what are you looking for?  What's the most intriguing aspect of spring training '07 in your mind?  Am I missing something, in terms of surprises?  If someone does rise up, who will it be?

The decision to bat Rafael Furcal ahead of Juan Pierre in the Dodger lineup--the "BK Plan" until it doesn't work, at which time it will change to the "AK Plan"--is still a topic of conversation. It wasn't an easy decision for Grady Little, writes Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports, and may have come down to what happens at the bottom of the order, as opposed to the top. Either way, Little has asked Pierre to at least try and to be more patient at the plate. What he won't be doing is asking Pierre to buck up and put in a little extra work, since the new CF's routines likely violate California labor laws as it is. 

Derek Lowe is the only Scott Boras client left on the roster for the time being, but it doesn't mean forever.  As for third base coach Rich Donnelly, he's back and trying to forget that nightmare sequence in the playoffs.

Things look good for the "Class of '02."  (Sounds like a canceled Fox series.)

Because it seems, as I've been advocating, he's chosen to have Rafael Furcal lead off and Juan Pierre bat second.  Because both have spent basically their entire careers captaining the one spot, somebody was going to have to step outside of his comfort zone. To me (and Little, apparently), Pierre seems like the better candidate, given his skill set. Either way, the Dodgers will have plenty of giddyup at the top of the order.   

The best thing about this decision (other than showing how smart I am--hahaha) is that it's been made quickly.  Baseball players are creatures of habit, and to have this issue settled early works to everyone's benefit.  Furcal and Pierre will know where they're hitting, can prepare for it, and most important, answer fewer questions about it. 

BK

Last fall, we had a chance to talk with Jeff Kent, and discussed the whole retirement thing.  Hopefully you enjoyed that, because it looks like he won't be talking much more about it anytime soon.  Whether he'll come back in '08 is probably dependent in part on what happens in '07, on a lot of levels. If the Dodgers get close to a world championship but fall just short?  That could bring him back.  Or a repeat of last season's injury issues could drive him out.  Hard to say.  Either way, Kent apparently arrived in Vero damn near chipper.  That may be the biggest news of all, since the man rarely ever is described as "chipper." 

Interestingly, one of the guys who could eventually replace him in the lineup has undergone a (very) slight makeover. 

BK

It's baaaaaaack! The only thing you missed this off-season more than your beloved Blue.  Conveniently bunched articles about your beloved Blue. Allow your hands to stop shaking, because the Jones has been fixed.

Even if he's still doing a little Arizona dreamin', Jason Schmidt is pretty stoked to pitch behind Derek Lowe in what the sinkerball specialist figures is a damn scary rotation. Lowe is more or less a lock as the numero uno hurler come opening day, but Schmidt's fellow newbie Juan Pierre's leadoff status remains TBD. Should Pierre end up getting the nod ahead of incumbent Rafael Furcal, the shortstop will be fine, but make sure to let him know in oral fashion, because chances are, he hasn't read it in the local rag. You may wanna search through government papers, however, for solid Intel on Yhency Brazoban's role this season, because that answer appears shrouded in more mystery than the father of Anna Nicole's baby. Or the source of Dodger muscle this season, whichever is tougher to figure out (although this character may help a smidge). Perhaps both mysteries can be solved with the help of the dudes Barry is daring to investigate him.

It's AK! 

Just kidding.  It looks like Derek Lowe has the inside track, despite the winter's worth of work AK put into his changeup.  Personally, when it's an option, I'm a big fan of letting guys who were around the year before have the honor of taking the ball opening day.  Jason Schmidt may end up as the staff ace, but Derek Lowe helped get the Dodgers to the playoffs last year.  And he's fairly good, too.  At the other end of the rotation, Brett Tomko is looking to find his way back into it, and has revamped his delivery to try and make it happen.  Should he beat out Chad Billingsley, it doesn't necessarily mean a visit to Vegas for Bills.   As for the guys with the sticks?  Things may be solidifying at the top of the order.  If it's Furcal after Pierre, I'd do it the other way.

BK

Pitchers and catchers report.

Technically, today pitchers, catchers and rehabilitating players report, but that just doesn't have the same ring to it.  Still, it means baseball season has arrived.  AK and I are using the NBA All Star break as a reason to take the weekend off (it's going to be a touch busy starting next week and into March and April), but we'll be updating comments throughout so feel free to leave your ruminations on spring training here.  Personally, I've always had a soft spot for it, probably because when I was young, we took a couple trips down to St. Pete to watch the Cards play at Al Lang Stadium (now tainted by the presence of the Devil Rays).  I still have the baseballs with the autographs buried somewhere at my parent's house in St. Louis, and I'm sure my Brian Harper scrawl has appreciated considerably in value.  But there were some decent guys on those teams in the mid-to-late 80s.  Jack Clark, Vince Coleman, Willie McGee, etc.  Got them, too.  Once the game started, I'd try to channel my inner Walter Iooss and take action shots of the game.  In hindsight, I wasn't as aware as I should have been about conserving film.  Guys with "79" on their backs generally didn't deserve the effort.

Most people, I think, have positive memories of spring training.  It's all hope, no downside.  The only time of year when no matter how bad your head knows your team is going to be once the games start for real, it's still possible to formulate championship scenarios with your heart.  Cheesy, yes, but that's baseball.

BK

It's shaping up to be an interesting season in an improved NL West, and suffice to say the Dodgers haven't sat idly by watching the rest of the competition get better.  They've added arms to the pitching staff, a few bats (but no big one- more to come on that) to the lineup, and kept the young players that should be a) the foundation of the franchise over the next few years, or b) the foundation of major trades over the next few years.  Both have significant value, especially in the once-again-crazy financial landscape of baseball.  Here you can see how Ned Colletti put the '07 Dodgers together.   And now that the offseason is basically over- pitchers and catchers report on the 16th- you can grade his work. 

And, as if we were a bunch of kids at a middle school mixer, I'll start just to break the ice and get things going.

The Dodgers scored a financial victory over reliever Joe Beimel, winning their arbitration hearing against the lefty reliever.  Worry not that Beimel will end up a burden on the state- his '07 salary of $912,500 should keep him solvent- but it is less than the $1.25 mil Beimel wanted coming off a career year.  Of course, BarGate ended that year about a week or so before it was convenient for the Blue, which very well may have influenced the arbiter's decision.  Or maybe it was some of that Kim Ng magic.  Who's to say?  Either way, L.A. still has their set up lefty, and Beimel still makes more than enough that if we ever go grab a drink- club sodas, and only on non-postseason off days, mind you- he's still buying. 

BK

In Part I of our conversation with former Scouting Director and Asst. General Manager Logan White, we talked about the process of scouting, drafting, and developing players.  It's a long, difficult process with more misses than hits.  In Part II, we continue that conversation, but also talk about some Dodgers coming through the system, and some of the young players we saw last season.

BK

Brian Kamenetzky: In the process of developing your skills as a scout, who were the guys who taught you, and from whom did you learn the most?

Logan White: I'm glad you asked that.  I think it's really important in anything that you have mentors.  If you're in the medical field, if you're in the business world, if you're a writer, it's important to have good mentors, and I was fortunate that I had a lot of them.

It'll be Pierre and Furcal. Or Furcal and Pierre. But my dream of Russell Martin in the two slot will have to wait a while. Who should go where is an interesting debate, as neither player draws walks like a classic leadoff guy, but both run like one. I'd keep Furcal in the top spot, because he's been a higher OBP guy over the last few seasons, and while Pierre doesn't take a lot of pitches, he doesn't swing through many, either. His ability to avoid Ks will give Grady Little more chances to hit and run.  Just a thought.

BK

Not sure if you noticed, but last season was a banner year for the Dodgers farm system.  The success of Russell Martin, Chad Billingsley, James Loney, Jonathan Broxton, etc. not only helped the Dodgers to the playoffs, but also drew national focus to the quality of Dodgers prospects not currently ready for the bigs and put Logan White, the director of scouting, squarely in the spotlight.  It also earned him a promotion.  This year, White have GM Ned Colletti's ear (or more of it), serving as the assistant general manager, scouting.  We had a chance to talk with him about, among other things, the process of developing major league ballplayers, what he looks for in a player, and the future of L.A.'s young talent. 

Brian Kamenetzky:  Can you describe what's different about what you'll be doing next season?

Logan White: The thing I'm doing different now is I'm trying to pull all of scouting around the world together, here and internationally.  What we're trying to do is keep separate identities in each department, but make it all one big scouting department and pull it all together.  That's my biggest job.  Then I'll be assisting Ned (Colletti) with whatever player personnel decisions he might have.  That's the other thing that's a little bit different.

Peter Gammons recently put together a list of pitchers who, in his estimation, would seriously boost his team's chances of winning by making 30-plus starts. It shouldn't really surprise anyone to see Brad Penny on that list. For those of you without the ESPN.com Insider account, I excerpt here:

"There is little doubt that Penny has No. 1 starter stuff, and the fact that his starts (24, 29, 34) and innings (143, 175 1/3, 189) have ascended is a good omen for the Dodgers. A 20-game-winning Penny takes a lot of pressure off all the young pitching creeping toward the L.A. rotation."

Twenty game-winning Penny?  Slow down, Peter. I'll take 14-16, especially if those wins are spread neatly throughout the season, rather than last year's Jekyll and Hyde routine--death to hitters in the first half, death to bullpens in the second (how'd he win six after the break, anyway?).