Hey guys.  I'll be trying out some new, and hopefully better, live blog software for tonight's game, so hit the blog if you're interested.  As far as I know, the software requires no special logins or anything like that.  I'll fire it up a little before the first pitch.  Fingers crossed...

Thanks.

BK

(Note: Turns out the failed test was in 2000, not 2001.  Not that it changes much in the way of opinion, but good to know.)

I'm starting to suspect Bonds' life would be considerably simpler these days if he had just copped to some shenanigans from the start and called it a day, as opposed to allowing himself to get mired in a legal mess that's got him starting down jail time. 

But it's probably just me.

AK

With the season about to start up again, it's only fitting that the media would look to do a head count and check which blue cloaked ducks are in their proper row.  For starters, Matt Kemp, who was at the center of both last season's clubhouse rift and offseason trade rumors coming in by the oodles.  The young right fielder heard plenty o' news about his potential relocation during the winter and spring, but is plenty happy that his L.A. based phone calls were just folks calling to say, "what up?"  It's unlikely any of those conversations involved crusty vet (and reported "nemesis") Jeff Kent, whom everyone knew would return this season.  But is the grumpy one interested in a return go with baseball once his contract is done?  Predictably, Kent offered little insight as to what lies ahead.  But to some degree, that's more about Kent's place in baseball lore than the Dodgers, since the likely HOF'er is on borrowed time as it is.  Should Fantasy Kahuna Russell Martin ever bolt, however, that would be a gi-normous deal.  And while  that theoretical day is more than a ways away, it did raise some eyebrows that Team Russ opted not to engage in arbitration-avoiding extension talks.  Again, nothing to really worry about (the odds of this kid not attracting a legit offer feel remote), but certainly worth noting.   In any event, Takashi Saito ain't going no place, which is certainly a good thing for this squad's already solid bullpen.   

In totally unrelated news, The Rocket maintains that his launch patterns have always been kosher.   

Apparently, the sight of father and son working out swing mechanics together at the Ravine isn't in the future cards.  Don Mattingly, Pops to Dodger farm system resident Preston, has stepped down just two months after being hired as the Blue batting coach.  Mattingly wanted to spend more time with his family in Indiana, so lumber improvement will now be overseen by Mike Easler, who's getting a bump up from his former position in Vegas.

What does this have to do with Nomar's chances of starting at third?  Absolutely zip, but I figured you'd still be interested in opinions on this and other issues from MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.

AK

With the holidays and Blue Rose Parade floats behind us (and KTLA bricking its Dodger-centric coverage of said parade, in the opinion of third hand gossip), Ravine enthusiasts can officially begin their examination of the impending season.  An opening day that can hopefully compete with the excitement generated by celebrated author Jose Canseco dropping another opus. Those counting on a World Series title coming courtesy of a Chin-Hui Tsao will curse the front office aggression of K.C., but such developments aside, the Dodgers have been praised of late for their latest seasonal blueprint.   We've already broached the "Do you like the offseason moves" or "where do you think it's all heading" topics on more than one occasion (and fielding related questions when MLB.com's Ken Gurnick isn't carrying the load), so it's silly to spark another identical conversation.  But here's something y'all can discuss a bit. 

With 362 days remaining in 2008, the months are still very young and capable of shaping.  Thus, if you could pick New Year's resolutions for Dodger players, coaches or front office, what would they be?

Off the top of my head, I got a few.

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.

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.

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

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Be sure to tune into "Purple, Gold, and Blue" this afternoon at 12.  Just click the show widget on the side of the page.  Also, if you want, log in at NowLive.com, and hit the show's chatboard.

Unless, of course, the Detroit Tigers acquired Florida's third baseman with the intent of flipping him L.A.'s way, but I'm not counting on it.  The offseason's first blockbuster deal was arguably a bigger So Cal loss for the Angels than the Dodgers (BK would certainly concur), but any way you slice it, the move leaves the Dodgers cruising a buffet many would label light on meaty sustenance and heavy of empty calories.   O's lefty Erik Bedard aside (whose services reportedly require Jonathon Broxton's in a too costly exchange), the Dodger options of note mostly remain free agent outfielders Andruw Jones and Aaron Rowand.  Nice additions, in theory, but only if they're willing to take short term deals.  Should that point of contention prove an impasse, Ned Colletti might find himself putting out a team remarkably similar to 2007's.  And is that necessarily such a bad thing?

The price doesn't appear to be what Ned Colletti would consider "right."  Baseball's Winter Meetings are underway as we speak and two of the players commonly mentioned when it comes to potential Dodger free agent signings include Andruw Jones and Aaron Rowand.   The interest in either player is certainly there, but if big figures projected when it comes to years and dollars prove accurate (there's speculation that Jones is pursuing something along the lines of Torii Hunter's 5 year/90 mil bonanza), odds of ink hitting paper remain lower than a limbo champion's final bar.  Of course, if the powers that be decide to snag one of these cats in an effort to stockpile the depth needed to land a Johan Santana (especially with The Hated Ones apparently ending their conquest), that could be another story.  Otherwise, when it comes to things to watch for from Colletti as the Dodgers head into the future, Jones or Rowand might not be in the cards.

For those worried that Joe Torre's hiring wouldn't sit well with Phil Jackson (and I'm honestly not sure why anyone would be worried, but still...), fear not, because one legendary L.A. coach is endorsing another.  Jackson was asked before tonight's game against the Jazz about his thoughts on the new Blue Skip.  Below are the brief thoughts he shared.  Phil also seems to have followed the Dodgers fairly closely this season.  Who knew?

-AK

This just in.  The Yankees have officially offered Joe Girardi a spot on the payroll as their manager.  No word yet on an official response, but should things go as expected, unless his last name is "Torre" (or "Mama," since everybody loves a "mama" joke), the odds of a Dodger manager next season with "Joe" as a first name could be a long shot.  Of course, it was probably a long shot to begin with, so those hankering for change can perhaps take comfort with that notion.  (UPDATE: Of course, the minute I type the words "long shot," it's being reported that the Dodgers are holding court to court Torre.  Ain't that the way things go?  To make me look silly?  At any rate, stay alert!)

Then again, if the Dodgers can swing it so A-Rod mans their hot corner, fans might not even care who the skip is.  They could hire BK and everything would be cool.  Well, maybe not BK, but you get the idea. 

-- AK

And a historical trade at that, marking the first time these fierce rivals have done bidness since 1985.  Candy Maldonado, thy ears are burning, sir! 

One figures Sweeney will be doing his fair share of pinch hitting, a role he's excelled at over the course of a career and this season (a league leading 16 knocks off the bench).  I don't feel particularly bold or controversial saying that the Dodgers could use a little reinforcement in this department- I love Olmedo Saenz, but this has hardly been his season- so Sweeney can only help.   He's not likely "the answer" to the Dodgers' current woes, but then again, nobody expected Marlon Anderson to take last September by storm, either.  I don't see him taking James Loney's spot the way Anderson nabbed Andre Ethier's, but if he can just make a small impact, it's money (or a player to be named later) well spent.

The official press release is below the jump.

-AK

And if J.D. Drew ever comes back to L.A., he better follow suit.  Because judging by the hoohah surrounding him while the Dodgers and Grady Little's former Red Sox tangled to a 2-1 Blue win, J.D. likely ain't the most popular cat around.  He of "Opt out-Gate" found himself needing to justify his actions, which from a Dodger perspective, left L.A. completely blindsided.  Not so, according to Drew.  The well-traveled outfielder wasn't looking to leave the City of Angels, just renegotiate the terms of his stay (which would include a non-trade clause).  Were such talks an option, he'd have stuck around, but his former employer wasn't open to that process.  Told of Drew's claims, Colletti politely agreed to disagree, but to also not elaborate much on his thoughts.  In the meantime, this guy probably doesn't need to worry about a no-trade clause, since he's already approaching "untouchable" status

Oh wait...  Elbert.

Either way, some happy news for Scott. And Roger Ebert, I suppose, if the film critic both follows baseball and thinks Blue.

AK

Because the Dodgers have a new deal with his name written all over it. 

In other news, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com breaks down the corner infield situation.

AK

Because Jayson Werth is now a Phillie!  He of the seemingly permanent bum wrist and the Dodgers parted ways after the front office declined to offer him a contract.  From the blog's perspective, this kinda sucks, since Werth (when healthy and in the house) was probably the funniest guy on the squad.  Hell, dude even had a faux-hawk for a few days!  That's wacky, kids!  And given the lack of quotable guys on this roster (I'm really hoping Randy Wolf turns out to be a regular at The Comedy Store), Werth's absence may be felt from an "adding flavor to an article" perspective. 

The former Dodger was slapped yesterday with a 50-game suspension for violating baseball's steroids policy (which in many ways is still "don't get caught"). That ought to cut into the righty reliever's haul this winter, I would think. And it does help explain his resurrection in New York over the second half after a very Franquelis Osoria-esque first few months in Cleveland.

In other news, if you have right-handed pitcher Daikutse Matsuzaka on your Japanese Baseball League fantasy team, go ahead and drop him. The Seibu Lions have granted Matsuzaka, who apparently throws one of these and can probably bend spoons with his mind, his release. Now the posting process, in which every big league team can bid for his skills, will begin. The catch? It could cost as much as $30 mil just for the right to negotiate with the hurler. Yikes. Guess he won't be playing in Kansas City next year. Of course, he is repped by Scott Boras, so you never know. The Dodgers are considered a likely bidder, so for those of you who, like me, need a primer on this whole process, here you go.

—BK