MLB.com's Ken Gurnick takes us through twelve months- 30 days by 30 days- that created a Blue 2007.  And for some, "blue" would be the operative word, considering how the crucial month of September wound down.  But like the January featuring optimism in the additions of Jason Schmidt, Luis Gonzalez, Randy Wolf and Juan Pierre, the year also closed on a high note.  Any "Old v. Young" clubhouse dynamic was likely to disappear next spring with roles theoretically defined, but Joe Torre provides enough instant credibility to kill any lingering mutiny fears.  And landing Andruw Jones at an expensive but short-term price provides a happy send off for '07. 

Of course, '08 is just around the corner, meaning this all turns distinctly "what have you done for me lately... or at least in the current calender year" for Ned Colletti.

Especially if you're the Dodgers and trying to plan spring training in Arizona come 2009.  Some contentious, up-against-the-wall negotiations have apparently been expanded a touch, allowing the completion ETA for a Glendale facility to remain envisioned.  And I stress "ETA," since an actual ribbon cutting day remains a question.  But either way, the vibes remain positive, meaning you can enjoy your Blue, Nomar and Loney-tinged Rose Bowl Parade in peace.  Quite possibly hungover, but nonetheless in peace.

-AK

His own house, actually, down in the Dominican Republic (Santiago, to be exact).  The Times' Kevin Baxter caught up with Rafael Furcal, who's kicking ass in Winter League ball, feeling healthy again and trying to forget the results of an injury-plagued 2008.  The first item matters mostly to fans of Aguilas de Cibao (Be sure to let them know what you think of the new website.), but the other two points should mean a great deal to Blue enthusiasts.  For all the talk of "Kemp v. Kent," pitching woes down the stretch, the black hole at third and mistakes Grady Little made, Furcal slogging without complaint through the season at 75% is arguably the biggest issue they faced all season, yet often flies under the radar.  This Dodger team is light years more dynamic and dangerous with him at the top of the order, at the top of his game.  Furcal is also a considerable presence in the clubhouse and dugout (I mean that in the best possible way), but that energy is more likely to become contagious when sparked by a guy playing well.  A return to 2006 form equals everybody winning.  Here's to hoping for the best.

-AK

Gary Bennett!!!  Congrats to Mr. Bennett, who arrives from St. Louis to pick up where Mike Lieberthal left off, spending much time on the pine while backing up Russell Martin.  With job parameters of such low physical impact awaiting him, there shouldn't be any pressure whatsoever for Bennett to enhance his performance via the use of HGH, an act that landed him in the pages of the increasingly controversial Mitchell Report.  To his credit, Bennett made no effort to dodge substance questions, admitting he took Human Growth Horomone in an effort to recover from injury.  He has no idea whether they actually helped (looking at Bennett's numbers, it's hard to say HGH skied him to serious heights), but the newest Blue knows for sure it was knuckle-headed and grateful the Dodgers looked past this incident in signing him.  Depending on how you look at it, this "understanding" requires a mouth with oratory capabilities on both sides.

I think the most refreshing thing I learned about Hiroki Kuroda from the clippings on his press conference is the part where he says he preferred the shorter, three year deal he signed with L.A. to longer versions offered by a host of teams.  Why?  He likes to feel the need to constantly prove himself and produce results.

Clearly, he hasn't spent that much time around American athletes (haha).  But seriously, folks, Kuroda found the large Japanese community in L.A. appealing, as well as the weather.  And while none of us can really predict how he'll pitch (it'll take a couple turns through the league before anyone has a good bead on things), it's a fair bet he'll be better than Esteban Loaiza. 

On another note, as someone who felt that the Diamondbacks were the beneficiaries of much good fortune (another word for "luck") last season that would make their division title tough to replicate in '08, their move to pick up Dan Haren is a big one.  With Brandon Webb, he'll make the top of their rotation as good, if not better, than any twosome in the league.  Haren will likely see his ERA slide up pitching half his games in Phoenix instead of cavernous McAfee Coliseum (where foul territory is so vast, it has its own ZIP code), but he's far from a product of his environment.  Dude can bring it. 

In a winter where L.A.'s division rivals haven't done much to move the needle, this qualifies as a potential race-changing swap. 

BK

A few items:  First, Tony Jackson of the Daily News reports that the Dodgers have indeed landed Japanese ace HIROKI (I, unlike BK, respect the man enough to learn his name) Kuroda.  Three year deal.  Somewhere between 36-40 mil.  Welcome to America, indeed.  With Kuroda in place, a solid Dodger rotation becomes even further bolstered (a healthy Jason Schmidt makes it potentially deadly) while keeping the important players in place.  In other words, no holes created in an effort to fill a gap.  Obviously, Kuroda still needs to prove himself, but in theory, good stuff... though the folks at TrueBlueLA might disagree.

Second, Russell Martin got some dap from the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.  A very nice honor, even if the namesake was a Sawx fan.

Third, assuming you're not thoroughly sick of anything "Mitchell Report" by now, I wanted to share a piece I wrote about the opus for Sportshubla.com, the site BK and I run.  In a nutshell, I think unless it sparks some definitive action on the part of Bud Selig, the union and (especially) the fans, a lot of trees were killed to "reveal" what we already knew.

-AK

So for those of you hoping the Blue wouldn't play a big part in yesterday's release of the Mitchell Report (by the way, this guy's blog must be going through the roof right now), we have some bad news.  On the other hand, for those hoping the Dodgers would be front and central in the drug addled tale, like a regular at Studio 54 circa 1979, this is your lucky day!  Ex-Dodgers play a central role in the report, primarily Eric Gagne, Kevin Brown, and Paul LoDuca.  Additionally, Mitchell's work indicates the organization (and we're talking the Fox Dodgers, primarily) had very little institutional control over the drug issue.   LoDuca, an incredibly popular player during his tenure at the Ravine (there are still Dodgers fans who haven't gotten around to taking down their Paul DePodesta effigies after he traded him), is described as the point man among Blue users (remember, he was famous for his leadership), connecting teammates to now-disgraced Mets clubhouse dude Kirk Radomski.  It is for some a sad day in the history of the Dodgers.  For others, it's a sad day for things we hold dear, like due process and evidentiary standards.

The good news, of course, is that no current Dodgers were named in the report, though you'd have to be completely naive to assume that just because someone (Blue or otherwise) didn't find his name in print for all the wrong reasons doesn't mean that someone didn't, hasn't or isn't currently cheating in one form or another.  The implicated, in the words of Yahoo! baseball writer Jeff Passan on the radio this morning, "had the wrong drug dealer."

The issue clearly isn't closed, and nobody should have expected closure from the report.  But honestly, I had internalized the gist of its contents a while ago.  You'd have to be living under a rock for the last decade or so to be shocked by any of what was revealed on Thursday.  We've all had a chance to form opinions about "The Steroid Era," and for me, the release of the Mitchell Report doesn't change anything.  Very few of the names mentioned surprised me in the slightest (and I admit to a more-than-slight sense of giddiness at seeing Roger Clemens featured so prominently), and I agree with Senator Mitchell that retroactive punishment is fairly pointless.  Really, what I want to see now is baseball's response.  Will the union agree to blood testing?  Will ownership and the league stay vigilant, for reasons other than hoping Congress doesn't step in?  Or will we all be having this discussion again in five or ten years?

I hope not.

BK

The Dodgers officially welcomed new centerfielder Andruw Jones into the fold Wednesday at the Ravine.  The good news?  Jones thinks he's figured out the glitches in his game that led to a career low .222- feet spread too far in the box (could happen to any of us)- and has already hit the cage to correct it.  A hyperextended elbow (could happen to any of us) probably didn't help, either.  Meanwhile, on the Hiroki (I keep calling him Hideki- could happen to any of us) Kuroda front, reports are that he's settled on the Dodgers.  Ned Colletti is denying any movement there, but indications are strong that the Blue will be the new home for the former Hiroshima Carp standout. 

Kuroda would likely slip into the back end of the L.A. rotation. As I've written before, I have no idea how much better his acquisition would make them, since I've never actually seen the guy pitch.  But by all accounts, he's got to be as good, if not better, than most of the FA arms on the market.  And, if you can believe it in the context of a guy who will probably get 3/$30 mil, perhaps cheaper, too.  Again, it's only money, and it's not mine.  Kuroda can't possibly hurt. 

In other news, Mark Hendrickson will not be a Dodger next year, severely damaging L.A.'s chances to win in the local corporate hoops league.  Among those who will try to become Dodgers in the spring as non-roster invitees, you can include hurlers Tanyon Sturtze, Brian Falkenborg, and Mike Koplove. 

BK

Get your moto mags ready, 'cause Jeff Kent will return to the Dodgers in 2008.  Not that anyone really expected anything different, but through his agent Kent has made it official.  Meanwhile, scroll down through this one for information about the backup catcher situation- Mike Lieberthal, Gary Bennett, and Damian Miller seem to be your candidates for the easiest second string gig in baseball- and news that the Blue have offered a one year deal to Rudy Seanez.  I'd love to see Seanez back, and in our conversations last season he seemed to indicate that he'd like to return. 

Now on to Hiroki Kuroda.  Tony Jackson of the Daily News reports that reports Kuroda has chosen the Dodgers might be a little premature... but that a decision could come as soon as today (thus begins Blue Notes' KurodaWatch '07!). One Seattle paper confirms that notion, while another says Kuroda has in fact settled on the Blue.  I'd like to think it's because of the city's outstanding local blogs, but I can't confirm that. Either way, it shouldn't take long to learn the news, and it looks like Dodgers fans have reason to be optimistic.

Finally, a programming note: our Purple, Gold, and Blue show from NowLive.com will move to Wednesdays at 11:00 a.m. (bumped up an hour from our old slot).  Be sure to join us today by clicking the show widget on the side of the page, or going to www.nowlive.com.  We'll discuss the potential Kuroda deal, Andruw Jones, and the upcoming Mitchell Report.

BK

Although maybe a little bit, in a very roundabout way.

ESPN.com's Jeff Pearlman took an interesting look at Mets GM Omar Minaya, who's taken some heat over the team's influx of Latin players.  Some Mets fans feel Minaya's heritage creates a natural inclination towards players of similar backgrounds and that said inclination has gotten out of hand.  Blog posters have accused Minaya of (at minimum) prioritizing the best Latin players ahead of the best white or black counterpart or (at worst) enacting a racist policy.  Pearlman takes exception to this Metropolitan outcry, but he understands where the disenfranchised (and those actually applauding Minaya if this characterization is accurate) would be on the lookout for more players to "call their own."  Pearlman recalls his own hero worship towards Steve Ratzer and Ross Baumgarten as a Jewish kid growing up in New York, so the idea of identifying with players along those lines hardly strikes him as anything out of the ordinary. 

But is it appropriate would be the question, I guess.