The Dodgers play early on Thursday, but here are some links to tide you over before the game...

• Former Dodger center fielder and current Diamondbacks Triple A manager Brett Butler talked with Ed Godfrey of The Oklahoman about using, and quitting, tobacco and battling throat cancer.
  
• David Laurila of FanGraphs interviewed former Dodger Charlie Haeger about the art of the knuckleball. "I’ve had a chance to work with Charlie Hough — I’ve listened to him a lot — so you can learn from them, but when it comes to the actual feel of letting go with the pitch, you’re completely on your own," Haeger said.
• Former Dodger Andy LaRoche pitched an inning Wednesday night for a depleted Triple A Sacramento team, and picked up the victory against the Isotopes. Chris Jackson of the Albuquerque Examiner has the details.
• I am a day late to the party on this, but MLB Trade Rumors looked at their projected Elias rankings to determine several unfortunate Type A free agents.
  
• Here is the link to MLB.tv, which will be the only way to watch Saturday afternoon's game in Colorado. The 1:10 p.m. PDT game will be available on tape delay due to the exclusivity window held by Fox.
• Clayton Kershaw was a guest Wednesday on Intentional Talk on MLB Network. This video is worth watching if only for the childhood photos of Kershaw and Matthew Stafford:

• Finally, I'm sure this kind of rapport between Kershaw and Rod Barajas will lead to good things in the series finale: