Aaaahh, a fresh, clean, uncomplicated new thread. Think I'll stretch my legs a bit . . .

From today's Washington Post piece on the Soriano/Vidro spat:

"In other cases when a player has refused a position switch, the team has usually backed down in the interest of maintaining the peace. That appeared to be the case this winter with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who wanted second baseman Jeff Kent to move to first base. When Kent resisted, the team acquired Nomar Garciaparra to play first."

http://tinyurl.com/onxnq

The Dodgers acquired Nomar to appease Kent?

2 Our senior D.C. correspondent reported that story last night.

Does anybody know if today's game will be broadcast, either on television or over the net?

Lasorda was also the only one who cared that baseball was voted out of the Olympics. Baseball is a transnational sport and doesn't fit the nationalist designs of the Olympics or WBC. Let's get on with the season.

Gah! I just saw my first political ad for the Governor race in November. It's not even March yet. Couldn't they at least wait for baseball season to start?

5- I cared/care that Baseball was pulled from the Olympics.

I am proud/ashamed? to admit that I am really looking forward to the WBC. Maybe Middle Eastern countries will want to get invloved with the Tournament in the future and maybe baseball can bring the world together every couple of years.

Choi supports the WBC why dont you?

Casey made a rare public appearance last night at 1:40 am trying to cling on to a screen covering one of my windows.

I took him down from there and he has disappeared into the shadows and mist that best describe my hall closet.

Actually it's sort of like Fibber McGee's closet.

Does Casey eat in the closet?

I dont think Grady Little was threatening anyone with their jobs, I think he was stating the obvious "I dont know you I dont know how you played last year as I was busy riding my motorcycle. If you leave to the WBC that gives me less time to evaluate you and more time to evaluate the person competing against you." or something.

I've never heard so much bs about spring training before in my life...What, Tony LaRussa needs to "evaluate" Albert Pujols? C'mon. I mean, what players who are playing for the U.S. team need to be "evaluated"?

"Hey, A-Rod, sorry, you weren't here and we got a great look at AAA Joe Blow and, geez, he looks good. If only you had been here to compete with him. If only we had a chance to evaluate you. Oh, well. You chose to play in the WBC."

I have very little respect for anyone skipping out on this tournament. At the end of the day, it's a good thing for baseball. The players, to whom baseball has given everything, owe it to the game to participate.

10
I read Little's statement as a threat to the players leaving. And I'm surprised that Selig didn't call Colletti or McCourt on the phone and tell them to keep Little quiet.

Are Little and his staff so scared that they wouldn't trust a scout in Asia looking at Choi and Seo and Kuo or even somebody in Arizona looking at Robles.

For a player like Robles, the WBC was a chance for him to actually get some time in the spotlight. He likely won't have money. But Little and Colletti seemingly want to sacrifice Choi and Robles's career so they can prop up an awful retread like Ramon Martinez.

That's just shameful.

11 Hmm. That reaction surprises me. Personally, I'm not feeling WBC fever at all. It seems like a distraction from the stately, ancient rhythm of the baseball season. You take off from spring training if your wife's having a baby, if you have visa problems, or if you're holding out for more money. You don't do it because you want to play in a global beer-ball tournament.

I know, logic dictates it's just as easy to get injured in a meaningless exhibition game as in a thrill-packed WBC game, but if one of my team's players went down in a WBC game, I'd feel more ripped off.

I wonder if Choi's decision to play reflects a belief that Hee doesn't have a future with the Dodgers anyway, and that Hee's not really risking much by not being at ST to fight for a job.

14 "Future with the Dodgers" may be putting it a bit broadly. Hee's not the starter. Nothing he does this spring, short of pulling a Jeff Gillooly or two, is going to make him the starter. If hee does well in the WBC, it'll at least raise his profile a bit. I wonder how he'll respond to being in the role of his team's best offensive player.

how would yankees vs. dodgers be a "subway series"?! somebody tell colmes that the dodgers left new york in 1958.

also, the yankees are not gonna win. the A's are.

15
Yeah, I guess I didn't consider "pinch-hitting once in a while" to constitute a "future."

17 Going by the players currently on the roster, I honestly can't see Choi making the team at this point (not that this is a good decision), especially if Ramon Martinez makes it.

18
I agree. No Choi in Mudville.

This is a little off topic, but does anyone have the special offer code for dodgers.com members to buy tickets today? The newsletter gets sent to my home pc and I didn't realize there was a code. Now I'm trying to buy tickets at work and it looks like I might be screwed.

Anyone have a link to audio/video of today's intrasquad game?

13

So Washington fans don't feel ripped off because Brian Lawrence wrecked his shoulder in spring training. Dodger fans didn't feel bad because Burnett broke Werth's wrist? Or Gagne tweaked his knee playing pepper.

If you're viewing the WBC from a U.S. perspective, it seems like no big deal. But it certainly is not for the rest of the world where international competitions in sports are bigger deals.

I used to be a WBC hater. Then an agnostic. Now I'm thinking I might like it.

the home video feed doesnt work and the suns radio feed has jim rome on :(

I'm afraid we're losing Bob to Stockholm Syndrome.

24 kidding, by the way. I basically like the WBC.

Sweden doesn't have a team in the WBC!

The Dodger/Suns game is NOT on am930 WFXJ Romy is still on. This is a horrible. I really wanted to hear this. I am anxious to see these young guys play. This is reminding me of 1972!!

I agree with Bob 12. I mean, how does the following make any sense?

Martin was supposed to catch for the Canadian team in the World Baseball Classic, but early in spring training, he asked Dodgers manager Grady Little, "What are my chances of making the team?" When Little said "it's a coin flip," Martin chose not to play in the WBC because he wanted to concentrate on winning the job with the Dodgers.

"That was a very hard choice," Martin said. "That's something I always wanted to do for Canada.''

http://tinyurl.com/or2ha

Does Martin really have any chance of making the team this year? I can't imagine he does, except if there's an injury, in which case his participation in the WBC wouldn't make a difference anyway. It sounds like Little is using this more to as a way to establish his authority, and perhaps also to establish some misguided ethos that his players better have a "serious" attitude.

27

It's like 1972 except the Lakers aren't going on a 33-game winning streak. Or UCLA winning the national championship in basketball. Or me getting very excited over finding an Angel Mangual card in my pack of baseball cards I bought at Cork 'N' Bib Liquor.

Last thought on Littles Threat. Would you rather Little had not been upfront and honest with the WBC participants? Maybe its not fair that he put them into that situation but at least he let them know what was going on.

I really cant blame the guy though for presenting them with those two options of staying in camp and getting to know the new guys and staff or goto the WBC and let some other guy get to know the new guys and staff.

BTW Bob, Tom Boswell's column today is on the WBC. And he'll be chatting again Friday at 8 am Pacific if you want to discuss the tourney or his belief that water fluoridation is the most monstrously conceived and dangerous Communist plot we have ever had to face.

30
If that's the case, Little should have counseled the players privately. To me, he comes off as someone who is extraordinarily arrogant and narrow-minded.

Look at Hee-Seop when the Nationals come to town (from WashPost chat w/Dave Sheinin):

Arlington, Tex.: What's the latest word on Ryan Drese?

He was quoted as saying that he was fine and able to get a high arm angle, but now there are grumblings that he might not start the season?

Dave Sheinin: He's still on a rehabilitation program, which includes plenty of throwing, but he has not yet been cleared to begin his regular pitching program. Essentially, he's perhaps two weeks behind everyone else, making it questionable that he's ready by Opening Day.

oops -- my lame joke should say "Look out Hee-Seop . . ."

Any updates on the game?

32 But what's Little's alternative? He is accountable for putting the best team on the field he can. He can't go by reputation and past statistics alone, especially with players on any kind of bubble. He is being appropriately honest with players like Choi and Martin that the "out of sight, out of mind" syndrome exists, especially in a competitive zero-sum game like trying to make a major league baseball squad.

I can't even fault Little saying it in the papers. Past managers we've had would've been more two-faced about it. I could easily see Tom Lasorda following up his blood and guts patriotism speech and then penalizing a player for not being in camp anyway, justifying it (in a secretly taped conversation), saying "what the $%$%$ was I supposed to do? The %$%$%$ing catcher wasn't in camp!"

That said, the master of hypocrisy, Bud Selig, will probably fine him.

I'm sure there is a simple answer to this but why did the baseball brain trust schedule the WBC now. Why not have it in Dec or Jan. I realize this might conflict with winter league but its got to be better than what's going on now.

Open Question: Is there any way to hear spring training games without subscribing to a whole season of "Game Day Audio"? Does anyone know if they will be available on XM Radio?

The WBC final is March 20, so that still gives players two weeks to be "evaluated" before the season starts. Since most of the baseball industry is perfectly willing to evaluate a player on a handful of ABs (Choi with RISP comes to mind), this should be no problem, right?

Put me down as pro WBC. I'm just kicking myself for not scoring tickets to the finals, because the Dominican lineup is just ungodly. A lineup including Pujols, Manny, Ortiz, Vlad, Tejada, Beltre and more should be a thrill for any baseball fan. Who wouldn't pay to see Johan Santana or Felix Hernandez face them for the right to play in the final?

I have zero interest in the WBC. I had zero interest in baseball at the Olympics. Then again, I have almost zero interest in the Olympics. I wish I had zero interest in my mortgage.

36
I am Grady Little, thy manager, thou shalt not have false managers before me!

Remember that the WBC is a joint production of MLB AND the Players Association. Everybody is supposed to be helping out.

You know, international soccer teams, who have an even greater percentage of prima donnas on them than baseball teams, have gotten by with international play for the last 80 years taking players away from their teams.

Do I correctly take from 39 that the finals are sold out?

41

Keep in mind that a lot of my attitude today stems from being in a cranky mood that has little or nothing to do with the WBC and/or Grady Little.

So please don't take offense. But I'm trying to harness my crankiness for good instead of evil.

I got my WBC semi/finals tix thru EBay. The price wasn't too jacked-up.

36 He is being appropriately honest with players like Choi and Martin that the "out of sight, out of mind" syndrome exists, especially in a competitive zero-sum game like trying to make a major league baseball squad.

Perhaps, but part of my point above was that I do not think it is honest at all for Little to tell Martin that has a 50% chance of making the team out of ST. This leads me to believe that he has motives other than being upfront with them.

42 I bought Anaheim Pool tickets through the MLB website over a month ago, and the semifinal and final tickets were sold out through that avenue even then. I'm sure there are other sources, though. Ebay would be a good place to start.

In the Dodger Report at the Times today, this paragraph caught my eye:

"Hitting coach Eddie Murray, a Hall of Famer who hit 504 home runs in a 21-year career that ended in 1997, has spent time every day after workouts have ended patiently signing for large groups of fans."

"Eddie Murray" and "patiently" are not words I'd expect to find juxtaposed in a sentence about autograph-seeking fans.

43
It had been my perception that you were uncharacteristically cranky today. Did Casey keep you up all night?

48
He just woke me up in the middle of the night. But he's in seclusion again. Since I'm somewhat neurotic, I think the cat is hiding because he doesn't like me and I'm a bad cat owner.

It's probably for the best that I don't have children.

16 It was Colmes who said "that would be great if it were a Subway Series" immediately after Lasorda said Dodgers vs. Yankees. It is impossible to know just WTF Colmes meant. Then again, it is always impossible to know that, given that the show in question was Hannity and Colmes!

47 People change. Especially when people grow older, patience can be something found more easily. However, I'm still an impatient person from time to time.

47 I think Eddie's rep concerns his relations with the media more than fans, no? I've read more than a few quotes from players about what a great teammate he is. Who can blame him for being disgusted with the pseudo-expert Plaschkes of the world?

Bob ... this may help you feel better. We adopted a cat from a rescue organization. He is a particular type of breed to which my wife is not allergic, and intended to be an indoor cat. So we welcomed him into our home and he hissed at every living thing that attempted to approach him for about 3 weeks. We kept him locked in the laundry room so that he wouldn't attack our kids or our other cat. He gradually softened up and several years later he still has several strange personality quirks but is otherwise loving with everyone, even the kids. Your cat's behavior has nothing to do with you, and everything to do with what happened to him before. We can surmise that ours used to scrounge around McDonalds and movie theaters because he loves french fries and popcorn.

40 Amen, Marty.

The combination of exhibition games and jingoism always leaves me cold.

52 Sheesh. If the Citizens for Science and Integrity (or whatever group that is that always tells us how bad our food is) knew about that cat's eating McDonalds and movie popcorn, it would tell you that its diet explained everything about its behavior.

50, 51 My impression of Murray has always been formed through the filter of the media; it's entirely possible that the impression is wrong.

52

Thank you, Daniel.

56
Bob - You might also like to know that one of our cats hid out (you can barely make out his eyes in the photo) in the storage room at our place in Oregon for a few weeks after we got him. He is now a very friendly and well-adapted feline.

http://tinyurl.com/lx9hy

I hate to beg but coudl someone pleeeeease hook me up with the promo code for the dodgers.com ticket presale?

GMCARS. But you didn't hear it from me.

58. Sorry - I'd help if I could. But since DePo got fired, everything I receive from dodgers.com gets trashed without being opened. I'll continue to watch Vinnie and the boys on TV, but the only way McCourt is getting another penny from me is if an out-of-town friend really wants to see a Dodger game against "his/her" team.

58- Dunno but I bet if you wait till you get home the tickets will still be available.

Bob,

Cats have independent souls and it takes a while for them to acknowledge those they depend on. Unless of course if your cat is autistic like my brothers dog then your doomed to the self esteem issues that occur when a pet doesnt recognize its owners existence.

57. . . .and size 11 Nikes.

From Suns Blog at Jacksonville, FL Times-Union:

Submitted by RyanGarfat on Tue, 02/28/2006 - 3:15pm.Northside | SportsJacksonville Suns DH Andre Ethier hit a huge 2-run home run in the 5th inning that bounced on the back right field deck and into the parking lot, putting the Suns ahead of the Dodgers. After six innings, the hometown Suns were ahead of their parent team 5-3.

http://tinyurl.com/h5mnd

I think there's a picture if you follow the link.

62
My feet seem to have shrunk over the years. I now wear either 10 or 10.5.

63- Am I happy or sad? I'm trapped in a glass cage of emooootion.

65
Like a mime?

With all the Dodger fans on this site, why isn't there a single person in Florida at the Suns/Dodgers game watching it and updating all of us with a laptop connected to his/her cell phone? Is that too much to ask? Im dying here.

67- sorry.

8-3 Final Score.

59 - Thanks! Man these service charges are killer though.

69 Anything more specific?

Roy Smith said he'd post the results on the Inside the Dodgers blog, so I guess we should keep our eye on that

Poor Derek Lowe is misunderstood. It was no fling:
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/sports/baseball/13983420.htm

Anyone else happy the Suns beat the Dodgers?

Since last year's game chats were pretty much nonstop discussions of the Jacksonville Suns, I suppose that some people are happy.

I'm amazingly neutral.

Ramon Martinez making the Dodgers over Hee Seop Choi, should tell everyone quite a bit about just how Ned Colletti mind works.

Its gonna be interesting watching this high priced,limited upside team function.

But its just for 1 yr. After the A's win the World Series, and the Dodgers lose money this year... McCourt will orchestrate another change.

Maybe the guy has a George Steinbrenner ego..without the funds to back it up unfortunately.

73. Spring Training games mean nothing. But it would be interesting to see whom got lit up on the Dodgers staff.

Spring or not, a MLB pitcher should be able to get AA hitters out.

73- The Suns were the best thing about the Dodgers last season. An escape from the disgusting big league club of '05.

I'm confused about how I feel about the kids beating the "PROS"

Well, the D-Backs acquired the Angels' 8th best prospect according to BA. Alberto Callaspo for Jason Bulger. The former is a 22 yr old good 2B prospect, the latter is a 27 yr old relief pitcher. The D-Backs didn't need to get more prospects...

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/news/060228callaspo.html

Anyone else see Barry Bonds dressed in drag today at Giants camp as he pretended to be Paula Abdul for Giant style American Idol? It was scary weird, because it is Bonds and well... it is scary he has a sense of humor.

The scariest drag queen was Ricky Williams. Dennis Rodman comes in 2nd, although with Rodman its just funny.

Ricky isnt all there.

Is it just me or do my posts resemble Moores Code? From now on I will be using the word STOP instead of periods STOP

81- errrr PAUSE

By the end of the game, I doubt many major leaguers were playing at all. By the various reports, 4 of the runs came after the 6th

I mainly want to see how Billingsley pitched.

Speaking of the Giants, they've locked up Winn until 2009. Unless he's getting $1 mil a year, I have this feeling that they will regret it

81 As opposed to Morse' law?

86- lol PAUSE I do that often STOP

Amazing how one hot streak negates all of Winn's mediocrity in Sabean's eyes.

78- But do their prospects have swagger? Have they ever won a AA world series equivelant?

Back in Dodgertown, Kent took batting practice for the first time this spring. He doesn't know when he will be able to play in a game though

http://dodgers.scout.com/2/503777.html

Nomar was hitless and made an error, and Mueller had the only ML extra base hit (a homer). Young, Guzman, and Ethier all went deep

It's not "swagger". The Boswellian spelling is "SWAGGER".

49-

"A cat's will is the wind's will
And the thoughts of pets are long, long thoughts."
--Longfellow (more or less)

He'll come around. The cat my family had while I was growing up (ages seven to twenty-three) took a long time to come around. But, when she did, we felt like we'd accomplished something. She was really bright; always looked both ways before crossing the street, etc. She also was prone to random acts of violence (which I still find hilarious), you'd be petting her for a couple of minutes and, when she decided that she was done, she'd crane her neck around and bite your hand. No warning shots, either; there was a time for petting and a time for biting.

So here's hoping those two don't go hand in hand, unless you find that sort of thing charming, too.

91- Nomore Garciaparra? bah PAUSE

Good to see our future outfield taking major league pitching deep.

Just want to put in my three cents and vote in favor of the WBC. An email to Joe Sheehan put my feeling on paper and right now only a cynic can't appreciate watching a lineup of the DR go against the pitching of Santana/Liriano/Felix.
Arms will get blown out in Spring Training ala Lawrence and Kip Wells(blood clot) but much ado will be made of the arms that get blown out in the WBC by the people who don't like the concept.

Nomar was hitless and made an error

Heh heh...er, I mean, darn...

I've already lost some respect for Little and how he has handled the whole WBC deal. He may not have seen Robles play but if he can't trust the rest of his staff and the gobs and gobs of video that show Robles to be a superior player to Martinez then he should get back on his bike, leave his helmet behind and ride off into someone else's sunset. If Martinez makes the team instead of Robles then I'll have to reluctantly agree with OldBear and declare that to make the Dodger team it is better to have some Giant ties then to have actual talent. And that pains me because I don't agree very often with Oldbear.

The only good part of Ramon Martinez making the team is getting to explain to some idiot at some point this year that no, it is not the same Ramon Martinez who used to pitch for the Dodgers.

94
Good to see our future outfield taking major league pitching deep

Speaking of which, who pitched today for the big league squad?

[97] i miss that ramon.

94 I don't know, I imagine that our pitchers were just lobbing fastballs at this point. I would like to think it's a good sign, but I really doubt it means much.

96. So the does the Choi debate now devolve into those of us rooting for Nomar and those rooting aginst?

At all times I want the MLB team to win reagrdless of who they are playing or whether it counts.

78 Don't worry, Callaspo was overrated. Very low OBP for a middle infield prospect. Wi