I only had the pleasure of making one trip to Vero Beach; in 2006, I spend my 30th birthday at the park one day before a conference for work in Miami.  My one regret was that I didn't fully explore the entire Dodgertown complex.  This time I vowed to make my first trip to the Dodgers' new spring training facility more memorable.  I saw just about every nook and cranny of Camelback Ranch, and it was a great trip.

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The Baseball Wives Charitable Foundation, along with 2K Sports, present "Athletes Against Autism" this Friday night in Scottsdale.  Andre Ethier and his wife Maggie will be among those honored with a "2K Sports Insirpational Award," on a night in support of families who have members with autism.

Former Dodgers Jim Gott and (current pitching coach) Rick Honeycutt, as well as some current Dodger players will be in attendance, participating in "2K Sports Home Run Derby."

To purchase tickets or to make a donation, click here.  For more information, you can email eventinfo@thebwcf.com.

Congratulations to the Ethiers!

Austin Peay is one of those colleges that I only know about thanks to the NCAA Basketball Tournament.  I never knew where it was located.  That is, until today!

A.J. Ellis, showing off his amazing break dancing skills, via daylife.com

Catcher A.J. Ellis, on the Dodgers' 40-man roster but stuck behind Russell Martin, Brad Ausmus, and perhaps Danny Ardoin on the depth chart, hails from Austin Peay.  From the Leaf Chronicle, the local paper of Clarksville, TN:

Ellis is one of five players in Ohio Valley Conference history to receive first-team all-conference honors each of his four seasons and is the only player to receive such recognition at three different positions (utility, first base and catcher). He still holds the Austin Peay record for most career hits (263) and is second in five other categories, including walks (112).

Making all-conference as "utility?"  Should we have added another spot for our All-Time LA Dodger lineup?  Still, garnering all-conference honors all four years in school is an impressive feat.  So impressive, in fact, that Ellis will be inducted next weekend into the Austin Peay Athletics Hall of Fame. 

If you are a Dodger fan in or near Clarksville, Tennessee and have $10 dollars burning a hole in your pocket, you can hear Ellis speak next Friday at something called the Austin Peay Baseball/Walmart First Pitch banquet.  I fully expect this to be the last news item involving A.J. Ellis in 2009.

James Loney, surveying his award, via The Houston Chronicle

Dodgers first baseman James Loney, a native of Houston, TX (he went to high school at Elkins High in Missouri City, a suburb of Houston), won the Houston area Major League Player of the Year Thursday night at the 24th annual Houston Baseball Dinner.

Former Dodger Wesley Wright, lost to Houston in the 2007 Rule 5 Draft, won the Astros' Rookie of the Year award at the event.

Loney always struck me as someone with a great sense of humor.  His former roommate Delwyn "Pee Wee" Young (thanks to Jacob Burch for the link) calls him "Weird Game James."  Loney's impression of Manny Ramirez, complete with souvenir dreadlocked skull cap, on ESPN's Rome is Burning last year was hilarious.  There were a couple of quotes from the awards dinner that don't sound that funny, but I have no doubt Loney made them funny with his dry wit (alas, no video yet).

Following Astros' MVP Lance Berkman at the podium, Loney asked for Berkman's autograph as they passed each other on the dais.  Loney then delivered this line:

"I have a teammate named Manny Ramirez, and no, I don’t know when he’s going to sign," Loney said.

Alyson Footer of MLB.com also added:

During his speech, Loney expressed appreciation to two unlikely targets, both of which apparently helped him to curb his boredom during the long days and nights at Spring Training: "Sam Walton, for giving us those super stores, and Fox's American Idol."

I like this about Loney.  He's smart with his money.  He doesn't like to pay exorbitant prices for laundry detergent or car batteries.  Don't worry, Weird Game, your first big payday comes in 2010 (Loney's first year he's eligible for arbitration).  In fact, you might want to get some pointers from Russell Martin on how to secure a multi-year contract.  Then you can upgrade to Target, and Lost. 

Alyson Footer on MLB.com reported on the Astros' year end awards banquet, and also noted the following:

"The baseball awards banquet will be held on Jan. 15 in the Grand Ballroom at the Hilton Americas Convention Center Hotel. This year's honorees include team MVP Lance Berkman, Pitcher of the Year Jose Valverde and Rookie of the Year Wesley Wright. Hunter Pence will receive the Darryl Kile Award, while Dodgers outfielder James Loney will be recognized as the Greater Houston Area's Major League Player of the Year."

Emphasis mine.  Not only did Loney beat out other Houston area players such as Adam Dunn, Kerry Wood, and Chris Young, among others, but apparently was versatile enough to qualify as an outfielder despite not playing there since 2007.  And we all know what happened during that one fateful inning:

via cache.daylife.com

Congratulations, Weird Game James, on this award.  I will always remember your grand slam at Wrigley.  Let's hope it carries over into 2009.

With the Giants coming into town and Barry Bonds finishing up his career as a Giant, combined with the boredom of my day job, my imagination took off today and you readers will pay the price.

In the fall of 1953 Leo Durocher's career was going nowhere. His team had finished 8th in a ten team league, and he was feeling the heat. He had the best player in baseball coming back from the Korean War and he knew he needed to deliver the goods.

On a blustery fall night he entered McSorley's to have a drink alone when a beautiful dame sat next to him. Her name was Alyssa and eyes were black where no color penetrated whatsoever. She was easy to talk to and seemed to know more about baseball then any dame he'd ever met. As they drank he became more open about his hopes and fears for the future. The night was winding down when she pulled him close and whispered into his ear that she could help him in his endeavors to get back on top, but the price would be steep.

He was very drunk by this time and wasn't sure what she meant. To erase any doubt she said it again. Without her intervention, Willie Mays would never play for the Giants again. At 1st Leo gave an unsettled laugh, but after staring into those eyes he knew this was no laughing matter. Without Willie, the Giants would be nothing, he started to panic but she calmed him down with a touch of her hot hand. She wasn't a devil but a baseball daemon, and she showed him her power. All activity in the bar had ceased, except for theirs. He was a desperate man, who couldn't bear the thought of not having Willie for next season. With a deep sigh he grudgingly agreed to her price.

The next morning he remembered the previous evening, but he had been so drunk he felt he must have imagined the crazy parts of it. As time passed and he prepared for the next season his memory of the evening faded until he hardly thought of it at all. It came to pass that Willie Mays came back unscathed from the Korean War and joined the Giants in 1954 and led them to the World Championship with the greatest season any Giant had ever had upto that point in history. It was his 1st World Championship and as the celebration continued into the winter he felt it would only be the 1st of many.

Then on the one-year anniversary that he met Alyssa she came to his home when he was alone, and demanded the price he agreed to one year ago. He was horrified that it hadn't been a dream and refuted the idea that she was instrumental in Willie playing for the Giants and so he refused to pay the price that he had agreed to. The black eyes flashed and she denounced him and told from this time forward no Giant team would ever win another world championship and that all her favors would instead focus on their hated rivals, the Brooklyn Dodgers. He scoffed and slammed the door in her face.

Leo should have known better. A broken promise to any woman will cause a rift; a broken promise to a femal baseball daemon split asunder the baseball world for the next ½ century.

In 1955 she quickly showed Leo the depth of her power and broke the spell that had bewitched the Boys of Summer so they were able to win their 1st World Championship.

That was only the beginning. Her wrath has not waned, since the day that Leo refused to acknowledge the deal; she has teased the Giants forever and a day.

She set it up so that they would follow the Dodgers to California but they would end up in an unforgiving bay where it is cold and damp, while the Dodgers played in sunny Southern California with the beautiful people.

She saw to it that the Giants would have bountiful talent, but always play second fiddle. She found out that she loved to tease and so no one has been teased more then the Giants.

The Dodgers got Dodger Stadium, which was the best place to watch baseball while the Giants got Candlestick Park, the worse place to watch baseball.

When Willie McCovey hit the ball as hard as any man has ever hit a baseball, all it did was drill a hole in Bobby Richardson's glove.

Juan Marichal was the greatest pitcher in baseball during his time, except for a guy name Sandy Koufax so he was often an after thought season after season.

Willie Mays was the greatest player in baseball, but since 1954 all he could do was lead his team to almost victory. As great as he was, it is hard to defeat a baseball daemon.

Bobby Bonds was so talented they thought they had another Willie Mays, and he teased the Giant fans with his talent until it turned out he was only made of moissanite and the diamond talent that glittered was only a mirage.

She gave their hated rivals moment after moment. Six World Championships starting with that 1st one in 1955. Eleven times have they appeared in the World Series. Sometimes even a daemon has limits. In 1988 she overindulged her favorites, which left her weak for several years. The only thing she could do for a while was to send them a gift from the heavens, packaged as a HOF catcher, when they spurned her gift, and sent it away her anger was great, and she turned her back on them. They are now paying the same price as the Giants did for all those years.

Once she got her strength back she came up with the greatest tease ever to be perpetrated upon a franchise. She brought the best player in baseball home to where his Dad had starred. However no matter what Barry did he couldn't get the Giants into a World Series.  He became inflamed with jealousy over the fawning of McGwire and Sosa, and went outside his god given talents, which took his game to levels never seen on a baseball diamond. Finally the big head Bonds takes his team to the 2002 World Series. In 1962 they came as close as you can come, but they fell short. They would again be second best in 2002 and again they came oh so close. This time they were done in by a Rally Monkey. You see she made sure that Dusty Bakers managerial ineptitude would offset Barry Bonds greatness. Dusty Baker in all his swagger went out to the mound to replace his pitcher and then tell the dugout to save the ball. This time she really had them. Not one Giant fan thought this wasn't going to be the moment. And then Scott Spiezio hit the second greatest home run in California history, and broke the back of the spineless Giants. Year after year Barry Bonds would be the best player in baseball just as Willie Mays had been in his time. And year after year someone else would end up World Champions. When a daemon's plan works, it is heaven like unless you happen to be a Giant fan.

She is not done, not this vengeful god. 2007 will see the end of Barry Bonds as a Giant, and while he gave Giant fans plenty to cheer about, he wasn't' able to deliver the final payment. Neither were Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal, Orlando Cepeda, The Alou Brothers, and countless other great Giants.

In 2008 Barry Bonds will take his shtick somewhere else and wherever he ends up in 2008, Giant fans will watch Barry Bonds win his First World Series. It is already written.

Oh and the man who started it all. Just look up the 1969 pennant race and you'll see that she never forgave him. If you think this is a bunch of hooey, then you tell me why the Giants can't win a world championship.

Pittsburgh (63-87) vs. LA Dodgers (79-71) 7:10pm

Lineups:

Pittsburgh

Chris Duffy CF .249/.315/.332
Jack Wilson SS .273/.315/.372
Freddy S?nchez 3B .341/.377/.473
Jason Bay LF .284/.392/.540
Xavier Nady 1B .303/.365/.413
Ronny Paulino C .321/.372/.407
Jos? Bautista RF .238/.340/.416
Jos? Castillo 2B .259/.306/.396
Ian Snell P .060/.096/.080

LA Dodgers

Rafael Furcal SS .297/.364/.439
Kenny Lofton CF .302/.363/.399
Nomar Garciaparra 1B .305/.371/.507
Jeff Kent 2B .288/.375/.485
J.D. Drew RF .276/.385/.474
Russell Martin C .286/.355/.442
Marlon Anderson LF .274/.331/.423
Wilson Betemit 3B .246/.301/.458
Hong-Chih Kuo P .000/.000/.000

Pitching Matchup:

Ian Snell	vs	Hong-Chih Kuo
13	W	1
10	L	4
4.78	ERA	4.25
175.0	IP	42.1
8.18	K/9	10.48
3.5	BB/9	6.2
1.44	HR/9	0.43

Much as been made of the fact that the Pirates are over .500 since the All Star Break. As Charlie from Bucs Dugout points out, there's not much difference between the team in the first and second halves, it's just that their winning all of their one run games instead of losing them. Good time for the Dodgers to break off a little run.

Arizona and San Diego are about to get underway, while the Phillies have just defeated the Cubs. Best case scenario is that the Padres drop 1.5 back and the Phillies remain two back, while the worst case scenario sees the Padres retaking first place by half a game, and the Phillies sit just one game away.

The magic number over the Phillies is 11.

LA Dodgers (73-64) vs. Milwaukee (63-75) 5:05pm

Lineups:

LA Dodgers

Rafael Furcal SS .289/.360/.410
Kenny Lofton CF .307/.364/.402
Nomar Garciaparra 1B .310/.379/.504
Jeff Kent 2B .277/.365/.477
Andre Ethier LF .331/.379/.520
Matt Kemp RF .268/.309/.480
Julio Lugo 3B .236/.314/.292
Russell Martin C .293/.363/.445
Mark Hendrickson P .000/.056/.000

Milwaukee

Brady Clark CF .270/.363/.338
Tony Graffanino 2B .289/.365/.415
Prince Fielder 1B .275/.345/.482
Bill Hall SS .265/.340/.555
Corey Hart RF .275/.316/.409
Kevin Mench LF .202/.230/.266
David Bell 3B .237/.294/.325
Damian Miller C .252/.324/.394
Doug Davis P .055/.071/.055

Pitching Matchup:

Mark Hendrickson	vs	Doug Davis
1	W	9
6	L	9
4.99	ERA	5.18
61.1	IP	170.1
4.86	K/9	6.72
3.54	BB/9	4.66
0.88	HR/9	0.9

Mark Hendrickson gets what is likely his last chance against Doug "The Guy Who Killed My Fantasy Team" Davis. Davis had 208 strikeouts last year. Pretty sure he's not going to reach that number this year.

Also of note is J.D. Drew's absence from the lineup the day after he took the team lead in on base percentage.

The magic number is still 22 over Florida and Philadelphia. It will still be 22 after tonights game if the Dodgers lose since Philadelphia got rained out.