Andre Ethier reported to Dodgers camp on Saturday, taking part in workouts and batting practice with the other position players already in camp before Monday's reporting date. I wasn't there for Ethier's first interview, but from the sounds of things it went a little less cordial than perhaps expected. Tony Jackson of ESPN Los Angeles called the interview "curiously contentious":
Ethier eventually got around to saying he feels fine now, but not before responding to a friendly greeting of, "Did you have a good winter?'' with a curt, "We're not here to talk about that.'' He later responded to another question about why he was being so abrupt by saying, "I'm not your buddy. You're not my buddy. We're not going to sit here and have a bar-type conversation.''
Ken Gurnick of MLB.com said Ethier's responses were "curt":
"It's just the way I'm going to approach the game. I can't control things in the past or in the future, I can only prepare for the future by focusing on today. Every day I'll come in here to get better, to help my teammates do better. That's my main goal going forward. I'm not looking ahead. Head down and focus on today."
Ethier said he has been doing all baseball activities and offered no indication of any trouble with his repaired right knee. But he bristled when asked if he felt the 2012 season was a chance for redemption.
The good news is that Ethier sounds healthy and recovered from his September knee surgery.
In other news, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com, who covered the Dodgers last season, was in Seattle Mariners camp Saturday and caught up with former Dodger Hong-Chih Kuo:
He made his first appearance for Seattle in a game-like situation during Friday's intrasquad scrimmage, where he walked two batters and retired the other three he faced in his lone inning. Kuo is not slated to throw in Sunday's intrasquad game, but he will throw a side session.
"It's been a while since I got surgery, so it's good to get out there and face hitters," Kuo said. "I walked a couple guys, but I've been working hard."