By Jon Weisman
Fresh from the Dodger Stadium Construct-o-Cam (or more accurately, the camera of one of my colleagues), here is a snapshot of the Three Sisters palm trees being put back into place behind the left-field bullpen, alongside the stepsister I’ve decided to call Cinderella.
Previously: Dodger Stadium renovations progress
By Jon Weisman
GLENDALE, Ariz. — As part of a push to improve the traffic flow into Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers are not only offering but encouraging fans using individual game tickets to purchase parking in advance in 2014.
Advanced parking purchases will cost $10 — the same price as parking last year — and can be made any time before arrival at Dodger Stadium for a game. However, those who purchase parking upon arrival at the gate will be charged $15.
The advanced parking can either be printed at home or shown on one’s phone to be scanned upon entry. To ensure long-lasting protection and durability for the parking infrastructure, you may want to consider hiring Car Park Deck Coating services. The parent and child parking bays should also have proper markings to promote safety.
“If you do that, you can zip right through,” Dodger president and CEO Stan Kasten told reporters today at Camelback Ranch. “The best case for us is everyone gets their $10 parking in advance. We don’t want to punish anyone — this is an incentive.”
Kasten said that the option during the 2013 playoffs to have free parking if you carpooled to the game didn’t have any impact on the volume of cars. So the next recommendation was to reduce the transaction time at the gate.
“We learn as we go,” Kasten said. “We keep experimenting.”
The Dodgers also will offer premium parking in advance at $35 and for $50 at the gate. Season ticket holders and mini-plan holders who did not purchase parking can take advantage of even a more reduced parking price by calling 323-DODGERS.
The rollout of advanced parking is one of a number of transportation initiatives coming this year from the Dodgers. From a press release:
In addition, the Union Station shuttle will add a second stop on the Dodger Stadium premises — at the top deck, in addition to beyond the outfield.
By Jon Weisman
Jim Fregosi, the former MLB All-Star and manager who passed away at age 71, is probably best known for his time with the Angels — but because of the time he was with the Angels, he spent the beginnings of his Major League career at Dodger Stadium.
Fregosi was an expansion selection from Boston by the newly formed Los Angeles Angels, who were tenants of Dodger Stadium a year later when it opened in 1962.
Among other things, Fregosi on September 19 that year hit Dodger Stadium’s first inside-the-park homer. That and other good information is captured by Mark Armour at the SABR Baseball Biography Project:
… Fregosi started his career at about 6-feet and 175 pounds, but he was 6-2, 195 within a few years. With his size came strength and more power. In his first full season, the 21-year-old hit .287 with nine home runs, 12 triples, and 29 doubles. This was in the middle of a very difficult time for hitters, and Fregosi was playing in the pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium; he hit .315 with six home runs in his road games. “It is absolutely amazing the way Fregosi has improved week to week,” raved Rigney near the end of the season.
In 1964 Fregosi had a breakout season and became a recognized star. In 147 games, he hit .277 with 18 home runs and 9 triples. These were excellent numbers in the 1960s, especially for a middle infielder in a pitcher’s park. He was selected (by his fellow players) to start the All-Star game, held that year at New York’s Shea Stadium. As the game’s leadoff batter, he singled off the Dodgers’ Don Drysdale, and went on to play the entire game. On July 28 he hit for the cycle, backing Dean Chance’s two-hitter and 3-1 victory over the Yankees. …
… “The kid is one of those exceptional athletes who has everything going for him,” said Rigney. “He has speed, size, strength, desire and intelligence. He can be the best. It’s all up to him.” He had come far already, thought Detroit star Al Kaline, who called him “the best shortstop in baseball.” Ernie Banks, former star shortstop for the Cubs, now a first baseman, said, “he’s one of the few who might be able to hit .400 some year.” Playing for a team out of contention, it took a bit longer for the general public to catch on. “If Jim Fregosi played for the Los Angeles Dodgers instead of the Los Angeles Angels,” thought one writer (Frank Deford), “the city would cast his footprint or his gloveprint or something in cement outside of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.” …
Today’s Jon SooHoo gallery can be found here.
By Jon Weisman
Dee Gordon sees you …
A rendering of how the retired numbers will look after repositioning.
By Jon Weisman
The circular displays honoring the 10 retired numbers in Dodger history are being moved from the outfield pavilion overhangs to the left-field club level overhang, in a placement that will mirror the World Series banners on the right-field side of the club level.
In addition, the palm trees known as the Three Sisters, which were temporarily moved to protect them during the renovations beyond the bullpen, will be moved back into position next week, according to Dodger senior vice president of planning and development Janet Marie Smith.
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By Jon Weisman
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Don Mattingly is keeping an open mind about the various contenders to be reserve infielders for the Dodgers this year.
“We’ve got some guys who can fill that role,” he said, even if “nobody’s really perfect.”
But an attention-grabbing quote came from Mattingly regarding Miguel Rojas, the non-roster invitee whose credentials at the plate won’t knock you out, but who has already dazzled the Dodger organization with his glove.
“You watch him take groundballs,” Mattingly said today of Rojas, “it’s like watching (Omar) Vizquel and some guys like that take ’em. It’s just another level.”
Vizquel, you probably don’t need to be reminded, is second all-time in Gold Gloves at shortstop with 11, trailing only Ozzie Smith.
It’s a little fascinating because if Rojas was compared with the second-greatest offensive infielder of all-time, we’d all be salivating, and so even if he were weak defensively, you’d think the Dodgers would find a spot on the roster for him. Whether the reverse will be true is too soon to know, though we do know Ned Colletti values defense.
Rojas, who turns 25 this month, is a natural shortstop but will be in the mix with a group including Alex Guerrero, Chone Figgins, Dee Gordon, Brendan Harris and Justin Turner for time at second base during Spring Training.
By Jon Weisman
A brief set of links today, but look for more news soon as position players officially get their Spring Training underway.
Chris Perez will be at the center of the Dodger bullpen mix in 2014. (Jon SooHoo/© Los Angeles Dodgers, LLC 2014)
By Jon Weisman
GLENDALE, Ariz – From virtually the beginning of Spring Training a year ago, Chris Perez wasn’t 100 percent physically.
The way he feels now is a bigger change than switching uniforms from Cleveland to Los Angeles.
“I feel great this year,” Perez said today at Camelback Ranch. “This time last year I was already hurt. It’s a lot better being healthy and being able to get my work in and work on stuff, instead of just going into the training room to get ready to go on the field. Compared to last year, I feel a night-and-day difference. It’s encouraging and it’s exciting.”
Perez struggled in 2013 with a strained lat muscle that emerged after only his second bullpen session of the spring. That cascaded into a mixed bag of a year – while his strikeout rate remained strong (54 in 54 innings), his WHIP rose from 1.127 in 2012 to 1.426 in 2013.
Jon SooHoo/© Los Angeles Dodgers, LLC 2014
“It’s like racing against the clock – you don’t want to miss any time,” Perez said of dealing with the early injury. “You always seem like you’re behind the 8 ball. You’re trying to get there for your teammates and get there for Opening Day, but at the same itme, you’re not getting all your work in.
“Those bullpens are important, especially for bullpen guys, because during the season, you don’t really get to work on stuff that much, because you have to be ready for the game.”
Perez, who is still only 28 despite being a six-year MLB veteran, added that his mechanics never quite recovered in 2013. But an offseason that allowed him to “rest some aching muscles and reboot mentally” has cleansed the palate, he hopes.
“Once I got healthy in the second half of the year, I went back to my normal arm slot,” he said. “But I had been pitching three of four months from different arm slots. I was in between arm slots, which is tough to do, especially in my role last year as a closer. … This year, coming in healthy, I’m back to my normal arm slot and hopefully it stays there all year.”
In addition to changing jerseys and ideally medical records, Perez’s function is changing as well. Given the presence of Kenley Jansen and Brian Wilson, the Dodgers’ plan for Perez involves a great deal of work before the ninth inning or even the eighth. Not that Perez minds.
“I think the fans and the media blow it a little more out of proportion than we do,” he said. “We’re all professionals here. Maybe four or five years ago, when I was a young guy, I kind of paid attention to it a little bit, because you’re trying to make a name for yourself. You’re trying to get to that role. But now it’s just about winning.
“We know who are closer is – it’s Kenley. We know Wilson’s going to be throwing the eighth. So now it’s just me trying to fit in any way I can and help the team. If that’s to come in and get a couple outs in the sixth, so be it. I’ve done that closing role; I’ve done that set-up role. It’s fun – don’t get me wrong – but it’s a lot better when the team’s winning and you can contribute to that.”
Perez also isn’t stressing over being asked to enter a game in the middle of an inning and get the Dodgers out of a jam.
“You have to just be aware of a couple more things – (the) bunt game, steals and stuff like that,” Perez said. “But honestly, early in my career, that’s how I came in, with guys on base. You try to get ahead of the batter early, and you try to get a ground ball. It’s not easy, but if you get a ground ball, you get two outs right away.
“It’s not like I never pitched with men on base before. Last year I had guys on base all the time,” he added with a laugh.
By Jon Weisman
“I eat six meals a day,” he said. “I’ve done this on my own. I just want to be stronger. I was nervous that it would slow me down, but I played in Puerto Rico and I saw that nothing happened to my speed. That was a relief. And I’m hitting the ball with more authority.”
College baseball takes center stage at Camelback Ranch-Glendale this weekend when Seth Rosin’s Minnesota Golden Gophers face Dodger general manager Ned Colletti’s alma mater, the Northern Illinois Huskies, in a three-game series to open their 2014 seasons. The Gophers and Huskies will meet in the Camelback Ranch main stadium at 1 p.m. Friday-Sunday, February 14-16. Fans are invited to arrive after 9 a.m. to watch the Dodgers and White Sox morning workouts and stay for bonus college baseball in the afternoon. Admission is free and food and beverages will be available for purchase during workouts and the college games.
Jon SooHoo/© Los Angeles Dodgers, LLC 2014
By Jon Weisman
Kenley Jansen and the Dodgers have avoided the team’s last potential salary arbitration hearing of 2014, agreeing to terms on a one-year contract.
Here’s the part where I tell you how good Jansen is — but tell me you already know that, right?
Update: Ken Gurnick of MLB.com has more.
By Jon Weisman
Charley Steiner hasn’t gotten that much attention this offseason among Dodger announcers, given the spotlight on the new members of the Dodger broadcast team at SportsNet LA (Orel Hershiser, Nomar Garciaparra, Jerry Hairston, Alanna Rizzo and John Hartung) and the focus that rightfully always falls on Vin Scully.
But Steiner, believe it or not, is entering his 10th season as a Dodger play-by-play man (the only one who does 162 games a year in that role). It’s not only a milestone, it also dwarfs his tenure doing New York Yankee games and is beginning to catch up to his long-running stint at ESPN.
I always find Steiner a warm, positive presence, someone who enjoys the game and appreciates it but never takes it excessively seriously. So I took the opportunity before Monday’s Town Hall to chat with him for a few minutes.
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Steiner is always quick to credit Scully for inspiring his love for radio and career as a sportscaster.
“Radio was the first thing that attracted me to broadcasting,” Steiner said, “when I was 7 years old – listening to Vin, in New York.”
That’s why Steiner has always been comfortable even in years – unlike the coming year – when he has been paired with Rick Monday on radio and hasn’t done games for television. But he’s happy to switch between the two formats – and is eager to work with Hershiser on TV.
“It’s the difference between softball and hardball,” he said. “You still have to score runs, and you still have to put people on base. … In television, obviously, the picture tells the story, and in radio, it’s your responsibility to paint the picture. So we are backselling a play. Everybody has seen it, then it will be up to Orel to explain why we saw what we just saw, whether it’s a pitch or how a team is defending a given player. On radio, we have to do that all in a hurry.
“Orel is a really bright guy, who above and beyond the experience and career he had as a player, has coaching experience, front-office experience, television experience. His baseball IQ is way off the charts. So getting to work with him and getting to learn from him – we’ve spent a fair amount of time already in the offseason – it’s exciting. It’s exciting for me, that I’ll be able to just basically throw him BP fastballs and listen to him. He’s gonna be something.”
It won’t hurt that the Dodgers figure to be anything but dull in 2014.
“This is just a wonderful confluence of events,” Steiner said. “Ownership. A franchise that has really been reborn. Then you throw into the mix this unbelievable television network that’s about to start.
“What I find so remarkable about beginning SportsNet LA is the people we are beginning it with. A: Vin – let’s set that aside. But the group that they’ve put together – Orel and I will get to do a ton of television games, and get to do a little with Nomar. Alanna’s a great talent; we all saw her at the MLB network. John Hartung has been in town forever and he’s just a perfectly cast quarterback – how’s that for a mixed metaphor – for the set. We’re working for and with one of the elite, iconic franchises in all of sports. We’re starting fresh and new with essentially an All-Star team. It’s hard to beat.”
By Jon Weisman
Let’s just say this – I knew Shirley Temple before I knew any Dodgers. It wasn’t the same with my kids, but when I was a young kid in the early 1970s, the mighty mite was still a huge presence. Heck, I even was watching the grown Shirley in “Fort Apache” with John Wayne.
Shirley Temple Black passed away Monday at age 85. Click the following link to see video of Temple at a 1939 charity comedy-baseball game.
Temple was also featured – or the Temple name and impact, at least – in the Betty Bao Lord book, “In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson.”
Shirley Temple Wong sails from China to America with a heart full of dreams. Her new home is Brooklyn, New York. America is indeed a land full of wonders, but Shirley doesn’t know any English, so it’s hard to make friends. Then a miracle – baseball – happens. It is 1947, and Jackie Robinson, star of the Brooklyn Dodgers, is everyone’s hero. Jackie Robinson is proving that a black man, the grandson of a slave, can make a difference in America and for Shirley as well, on the ball field and off, America becomes the land of opportunity.
The President of the Booth flanked by the Presidents of the #Dodgers and TWC Sports: pic.twitter.com/g9iRs74zYM
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 11, 2014
By Jon Weisman
It’s tough to steal a show that features Vin Scully, but during tonight’s Town Hall at Dodger Stadium for season-ticket holders, Dodger president and CEO Stan Kasten did his very best.
When one transistor-toting fan asked why there was a delay between the game action and Scully’s call on the radio, Kasten was quick with a zing.
“The delay is there for a reason,” Kasten said, “and it’s because we never know what Vin is going to say.”
While Kasten might have had the night’s funniest line, Scully might have had both the most heartwarming and also the boldest.
Heartwarming: “It’s nice to be a bridge (for generations of fans), not a toll bridge, not a bridge that has a traffic jam. I’d like to be that bridge for a little bit longer, God willing.”
As you try to read into those tea leaves (I have no insight into them), here’s the bold:
“Tonight,” Scully said, “I really have the feeling we are beginning one of the great stretch runs in the history of the Dodgers.”
Scully explained the latter remark in a couple of ways, most entertainingly in his telling of the story of the Dodger ownership transfer in 1925. Listen here:
Later, Scully characterized the level of dedication that he felt the current leadership brought to the Dodgers.
“You know the definition of dedicated?” Scully asked. “There’s two men; they’re partners in a clothing company, and one goes to Rome and has an audience with the Pope, and he comes back, and his partner says, ‘What kind of a guy is the Pope?’ And the other guy says, ‘He’s a 44 regular.’ ”
For his part, Kasten – who indicated that he was ready for fans and the media to stop referring to the current ownership as “the new ownership,” as opposed to just “the ownership” – said Dodger fans had every right to expect as much.
“We didn’t have to reinvent the wheel,” Kasten said. “We just had to restore the Dodgers. We knew what we wanted – what we always were.”
“We’re the Dodgers. We’re supposed to contend every year. And I believe that’s what we’re going to do this year.”
Orel Hershiser, who joined new SportsNet LA teammates Nomar Garciaparra, John Hartung, Alanna Rizzo and Charley Steiner (along with a number of Time Warner Cable Sports executives) at tonight’s event, talked about how much the approach meant to him and his fellow Dodger alumni. Listen:
There was a lot of patting on the back tonight, much of it from the season-ticket holders who asked questions for the final 20 minutes of the program, but Kasten was questioned on the topic of paperless tickets. He said the team was prepared to deal with everyone’s issues.
“Like all new things, there’s going to be a period of time when people struggle with it,” Kasten said. “Every time so far that we have gotten on the phone and talked them through their questions, there’s going to be a very high acceptance factor. … Two or three years from now, we’re all going to be wondering what took us so long.”
Kasten also offered snippets on other topics. A sampling:
By Jon Weisman
Wondering how much progress has been made on the Dodger Stadium renovations behind the outfield and bullpens for the 2014 season. Above is a recent shot of area beyond left field.
And as a reminder, below is the vision for the finished product.
What happens when three old friends in crisis fall into an unexpected love triangle? In The Catch, Maya, Henry and Daniel embark upon an emotional journey that forces them to confront unresolved pain, present-day traumas and powerful desires, leading them to question the very meaning of love and fulfillment. The Catch tells a tale of ordinary people seeking the extraordinary – or, if that’s asking too much, some damn peace of mind.
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