So who does the Bonds-in-drag thing?
The entertainment just keeps coming in Vero for the Dodgers. On the heels of the public humiliation of some members of the coaching staff, Mark Sweeney has taken it upon himself to institute an American Idol style competition in camp, similar to the one's the Giants have had for the last couple of seasons. You know, the one that produced the fairly disturbing scene pictured at left. But it'll make for fun bonding time, and since there is significant work going on for the Blue these days (and because Bonds isn't a Dodger), it should just make for good times.
On the field, the battle for third base continues to be a major talking point. Nomar is looking for a bounce back season, and is conceding nothing in his competition with Andy LaRoche for the starting gig- but questions the characterization of the situation as a competition. Everyone, he says, is on the same team with the same goal. And while he certainly concedes that his '07 was disappointing, it's clear Nomar believes declarations of his demise are premature. Meanwhile, Andy LaRoche says he's healthy and comfortable, and is excited about his first real opportunity to win a job in a Major League camp.
One guy who likely won't win a job out of S.T. is James McDonald, but it likely won't be too long before he's in the bigs. McDonald hasn't traveled the road of a typical top-shelf prospect, but has improved, thanks in part to Charlie Hough, the pitching coach at L.A.'s Inland Empire affiliate (something you can hear him talk about, here).
Joe Torre is learning his players, and his players are learning him. There's still plenty of time for everyone to gain familiarity. One decision Torre will eventually have to make deals with left field, with one of the candidates being the lead question in Ken Gurnick's mailbag.
If you missed it on Sunday, this article from Eric Sondheimer is worth a read. He writes about a local high school pitcher who is struggling through a very unique battle to regain his eligibility, with the Blue playing an interesting, if unintended, role.
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Speaking of those who deny the use of steroids (and please, get that photo of Bonds off this Dodger site), read this. Unbelievable!
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/columnists.nsf/
bryanburwell/story/257D3FB69C6D805F862573FB0010BBCD?OpenDocument
Posted by: Chunkdog32 | February 26, 2008 at 11:58 AM
A 'funny' regarding the LF issue: I read a comment , about Juan Pierre that just made me laugh out loud: "I wouldn't mind having Juan Pierre as my neighbor, but if one of my kids lost a ball in his yard, I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to throw it back over the wall."
On another note, when I first saw the lineups for today's intersquad game, I was worried when I saw Repko & Furcal in the same lineup again...nice to see Kemp, Martin, Ethier & Repko, for that matter, get some good wood on the ball today though!
Posted by: Brian | February 26, 2008 at 02:57 PM
Some GREAT quotes from the Torre article in the Times today:
" "It was a lot looser last year," reliever Rudy Seanez said. "I don't want to say it's strict now because it's not. But the vibe is, 'Come in, take it seriously, get your work done, do it right, be on time.' " "
"Reliever Scott Proctor, who played under Torre with the Yankees, and second baseman Jeff Kent, who has the same agent as Torre, said that the change in managers would result in greater accountability for the players."
" "Last year, you made a mistake, you get a pat on the butt," Penny said. "It won't be that way this year." "
Although we already knew it, it's so good to see that this years clubhouse will be VERY DIFFERENT than last years...
Posted by: Brian | February 26, 2008 at 03:06 PM
Brian-
You beat me to it, a little. Those comments struck me as well. I'm going to post about the seemingly new attitudes this week. It's definitely interesting. We'll have Molly Knight of ESPN the Magazine on tomorrow for Purple, Gold, and Blue (11-12pm, click the widget on the side of the page to listen), and it's definitely something we'll discuss.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | February 26, 2008 at 03:42 PM
From Dodgers.com:
"Nomar Garciaparra played the role of Ryan Seacrest, Juan Pierre was Randy Jackson, physical therapist Sue Falsone was Paula Abdul and Jeff Kent was Simon Cowell."
Do you think Kent was chosen by his teammates to be the arrogant, high-strung, explitive - or did he figure that out on his own??
Posted by: Brian | February 27, 2008 at 02:39 PM