LADodgerTalk.com – Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, Vin Scully, Andre Ethier and the Dodgers

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers today announced that all Major League coaches will return for the 2012 season.  General Manager Ned Colletti made the announcement. “I’m very excited that the entire coaching staff will return next season,” said Dodger manager Don Mattingly. “These guys do a great job with teaching and development while [...]

Read the full story

It wasn’t that long ago that Derrick Hall who was the Dodgers head of communications left the Dodgers and ultimately became the CEO of the Diamondbacks.  Josh Rawitch has always spoken very highly of Derrick, and Josh is also a bright guy who could rise quite a bit above his current pay grade.  I like [...]

Read the full story

First of all, there is a lot I don’t know.  Here’s a short list (there are others, including what the weather will be and where the Stock Market will close) I don’t know if Frank McCourt will prevail and own the Dodgers next season. I don’t know who the manager of the Dodgers will be [...]

Read the full story

No, I don’t mean that Frank McCourt should sell Ned Colletti (wait, maybe that’s not such a bad idea… but I doubt there’s a buyer). What I mean is that it is time to trade Hiroki Kuroda, Aaron Miles (yes, there are teams who want him), Jamey Carroll, Rod Barajas, Dionaro Navarro (maybe there’s one [...]

Read the full story

Marcus Thames is a really nice guy who can hit a home-run (or strikeout) and is a below average fielder (I am being very kind).    Xavier Paul deserves to be on the team, but Don Mattingly needs to just forget this Paul – Gwynn – Thames Triad in Left Field and commit to playing [...]

Read the full story

…so far this Spring!  Well, actually they are tied for last place at 5-14 with that juggernaut which used to be the Arizona Diamondbacks (sarcasm intended).  Look, I’m a guy who doesn’t put much into Spring Training stats.  I read somewhere that Tony Gwynn, Jr. hit over .200 last spring and then hit .203 for [...]

Read the full story

No – not with a gun, although he has been known to shoot himself in the foot on occasion. His arm could be shot – well, I am using poetic license because “shot” when referring to Vicente Padilla has more meaning than saying “he has a problem with his arm.”  I like shot better and… [...]

Read the full story

If there was any idea that Don Mattingly was going to be a manager in the mold of Joe Torre, Donnie has managed to put that nation to rest right at the beginning of his Dodger tenure.  He has named Clayton Kershaw opening day starter, said that Thames and Gibbons are probably the LF platoon [...]

Read the full story

Lately, we have been talking about “projections” – especially what Ethier, Kemp, Loney, Furcal, Uribe and Blake will do this year.  Over the years, it has become increasing more difficult to make predictions with this bunch, especially after nearly everyone on the team grossly “underperformed” last year.  Was 2010 just a freak “one-time-thing” or was [...]

Read the full story

OK, I have to admit that when it became apparent that Don Mattingley was going to be the new Dodgers manager, I was not happy. I wasn’t happy with the way he had handled the job as Dodgers hitting coach.  I wasn’t happy with what I perceived as a lack of knowledge about the rules [...]

Read the full story

… but I have reservations about him.  However, I am from Missouri, so he’ll have to “show me.” But, it’s a done deal.  Frank and Ned gave their word before the season that Don Mattingly would be the 2011 Dodgers manager and they are being true to their word. Nice!  Keeping your word! Damn!  Keeping [...]

Read the full story

You all know I was not in favor of  Don Mattingly to be the manager of the Dodgers, but the deed is done and I am on board.  After all, he is an Indiana Boy and maybe that will get me some special treatment.  Yeah, Right!  I will give him my full support (but if [...]

Read the full story

Torre steps aside as the fifth-winningest manager in Major League history LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers announced today that former American League MVP Don Mattingly has been named the Dodger manager for the 2011 season and that Joe Torre has stepped aside from the position. Mattingly becomes the ninth manager in Los Angeles [...]

Read the full story

Peter O’Malley did his fair share to make the Dodgers irrelevent in his day and you need to remember that the “good old days weren’t always good, and tomorrow’s not as bad as it seems.” (Billy Joel).

Read the full story

The Dodgers are 15th in Batting Average (.235) and tied for last in Runs Scored with the Mets at 183. That’s an average of less than 3.3 Runs Per Game. That is a total breakdown and it is worse than pitiful! It is unacceptable and heads must roll! Torre, Mattingly and Pentland must face the Guillotine!

Read the full story

I don’t know what’s going on in the Dodgers farm system, but I do know that many hitters on all levels are underperforming. This is readily apparent on the major league level where the Dodgers have been in a hitting malaise for an extended period of time, even though they have two (count ‘em, two) hitting coaches.

Read the full story

ith Curley, Larry and Moe running the team, the Dodgers officially became sellers today. Joe Torre proved he wanted to take early retirement by leaving George Cheryl in the game today to pitch to a righthander in the 9th with the winning run on 3B.

Read the full story

Pavolv had this dog who heard a bell ring and he proceeded to salivate all over himself. That sometimes happens when you see an young attractive lady walking down the street too.  In the instant case, I think that Russell Martin is “Pavlov’s Dog.” Jeff Pentland, Joe Torre and Don Mattingly work with him, and [...]

Read the full story

Q.  Why did Ned Colletti sign Jamey Carroll for $1.7 mil a year when he could have signed Felipe Lopez for $1 mil? A.  Come one, can’t you figure this out on your own?  OK, I’m going to explain it to you r-e-a-l   s-l-o-w:  Ned just had some money in his pocket and wanted [...]

Read the full story

Written by Ken (“the views expressed herein are not necessarily the opinions of yada, yada, yada” – Legal Disclaimer) Many years ago Joe Isuzu appeared in several commercials, graduated to a sit com, and then slowly faded away. Recently, Joe Torre also graduated from his Big Elow commercials to cameo appearances in several television series. [...]

Read the full story