Dodger Thoughts

Jon Weisman's outlet for dealing psychologically with the Los Angeles Dodgers, baseball and life

Morning at Dodger Stadium

Jan. 5

By Jon Weisman

I’m beginning this shortly before 9 a.m. on Sunday at Dodger Stadium, where the club’s seventh annual Winter Development Program is getting underway. On a crisp January morning, the field is nearly empty, which as you might imagine makes it a fairly … oh, let’s make up a word here … exhalative setting. It couldn’t be more relaxing.

That being said, I came down here on a Sunday morning because I’m not relaxed. With Dodger Insider making its official launch, I felt a level of urgency that doesn’t exactly match up with the zen scene on the field. (Maybe that’s why I included the slightly foreboding descending seats at the top of my otherwise lovely shot of the field.)

There is the weight of expectations, and I bring that up mainly because I imagine, as we head into Spring Training, the season-opening sojourn to Australia and then the heart of the regular season, the team itself will feel an exponentially larger burden. Last year, Los Angeles came as close to the World Series as it’s been since 1988, but that’s not a laurel to rest upon. That’s a gauntlet, one that everyone in the organization recognizes.

There are no straight lines between January and October, no steady-as-she-goes escalators. It’s a zig-zag journey, the longest of heavyweight fights where the best you can hope is you’re still standing after absorbing every imaginable face and body blow. You try to win every moment, knowing that you can’t possibly win every moment. And you try to smell the roses, win or lose. (It’s a game, after all, however much it means to us.)

That’s the journey we’re going to chronicle in our print and online publications, and now here at Dodger Insider.

More to come, to say the least …

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10 Comments

  1. As of today there are exactly 75 days remaining until Opening Day… but who’s counting, right Jon?

  2. good work, now get in there and make Stan give Kershaw an extension!

  3. Hi Jon. Welcome again. Do you think people are talking enough about Jack Morris and the hall of fame? I think everybody needs to give their ultra-important opinion on this subject.

  4. Jon Weisman

    New post up top.

  5. Awesome to have you back in the saddle, Jon!!!! Thanks for sharing…great photo of the Stadium. The view of a ball field from the back row of any stadium level is one of the sweetest images on Earth.

  6. Hi Jon. I wanted to pop in here and wish you all the best for the big launch of the newly reformed, official Dodger Blog! My name is Randy, and along with my brother Lynn, for the last 9 years, we have been doing UN-official Dodger FAN podcast called simply, “Let’s Talk Dodgers!” (Available in Facebook and youtube under that name). I want you to know that we will help promote your blog on our show, and when need be, we’ll try to give some opinions and/or ask questions. I think this type of a blog is something that has been missing from the Dodger media mix for a long time. I hope it all works well for everyone! See you at Fan Fest on Feb. 1 !

    Baseballingly yours,

    Randy T.
    Dodger fan since ’59
    “Let’s Talk Dodgers!”
    GO BLUE–WIN IT ALL in ’14!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  7. May the Dodgers be as successful as I know you will be, Jon! Can’t wait to have this as my home throughout the season.

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