Blogger: Mr. LA Sports Fan

LA Fan

Just a sports fan wandering about the greater Los Angeles Area, making brief stops at the Coliseum, Staples Center, and Dodger Stadium along the way. I know my way around most of the LA sports world, though the Dodgers are my strength.


Website: Mr. LA Sports Fan

Spring Training: Dodgers Win, Giles Retires, Torre and Co. Reach Taipei

The Dodgers defeated the Kansas City Royals 6-4, their second win of the spring.  Andre Ethier hit a three-run home run, and Casey Blake had a two-run shot.  Brad Ausmus had the sixth RBI.  Reed Johnson and Rafael Furcal both scored a run.  James McDonald threw two innings of scoreless ball before giving up three runs in the third.  Russ ... 11Mar2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

Spring Training: Dodgers Tie, Mattingly Takes the Helm, Torre and Co. Depart for Taiwan

The Dodgers tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-4 after nine innings.  Andre Ethier hit his first home run of the spring, and Matt Kemp hit an RBI-triple.  Blake DeWitt walked and scored a run.  A.J. Ellis had two hits.  Vicente Padilla went three innings, giving up one run on four hits while striking out four.  Ramon Ortiz had three scoreless ... 10Mar2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

Spring Training: Rockies Crush Dodgers, Davis Dies at 69

The Rockies blew away the Dodgers 12-0, with the Dodgers scratching out only three hits.  Hiroki Kuroda gave up two runs (one earned) in two innings, but struck out three.  Jonathan Broxton surrendered a run on three hits, and George Sherrill allowed three runs to score, all unearned.  Hong-Chih Kuo had a blemish-free inning, striking out two.  Rafael Furcal walked ... 9Mar2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

Spring Training: Giants Beat Dodgers

The Giants topped the Dodgers 3-2 in 10 innings, with Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw both giving up one run in two innings on three hits.  Matt Kemp hit the first spring home run for LA, and Blake DeWitt went 2-for-2 with a double and two walks.  Josh Towers and Carlos Monasterios, long-shots for the fifth rotation slot, both threw ... 8Mar2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued
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Martin Out 4-6 Weeks

After undergoing an MRI on Saturday, Russell Martin learned he will miss four to six weeks due to a groin pull.  The injury could force him to miss Opening Day.  Martin reported to Spring Training several pounds heavier, saying that he bulked up to help his power; however, Martin does not attribute ... 7Mar2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

Spring Training: Dodgers Fall, Martin Gets MRI

The Dodgers fell to the Chicago White Sox 8-4, their first loss of the spring.  Eric Stults threw two scoreless innings, allowing only one baserunner on a walk.  Russ Ortiz allowed only one hit in two innings of work.  Jeff Weaver, Eric Gagne, and James McDonald each struggled, combining for all eight runs and twelve of Chicago's 14 hits in ... 6Mar2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

Spring Training Debut: Dodgers Triumph

Ah, baseball. How sweet it is. The Dodgers kicked off the 2010 season with an 8-3 win over the co-tenant White Sox.  Vicente Padilla threw two perfect innings, and Ramon Ortiz struck out three.  Manny Ramirez had two singles, and Doug Mientkiewicz doubled, scored a run, and drove in a run.  Reed Johnson had two RBI's, and Matt Kemp had ... 5Mar2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 1 comment | Continued

Spring Training Update: Manny to Taiwan, B Game News, Koufax in Camp

Manny Ramirez will travel with Joe Torre, James Loney, Hong-Chih Kuo and others to Taiwan to play an exhibition series against the Chinese All Star team.  Manny was vague about his interest in making the trek, but confirmed he will join the group traveling across the Pacific.  Don Mattingly will stay behind to manage the rest of the team in ... 2Mar2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued
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Five’s for Fighting: Fifth Starter Slot Up For Grabs

The fifth starter slot: a place in the pitching rotation always in flux.  Most clubs don't feel the need to go out and stabilize the last necessary spot, opting instead to use strategically placed off-days or low-end starters to make ends meet.  The Dodgers have a very wide-open spot this year, just ... 20Feb2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

Blast from the Past: Dodgers Sign Gagne

In French, gagne means "to win." Only fitting that most of Eric Gagne's time in Los Angeles was spent capping victories. The Canadian pitcher signed a minor-league deal with the Dodgers on Thursday, returning to the team that turned him from a sub-standard starter into a dynamo closer. During a bleak period when the Dodgers could not ... 19Feb2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

Reed Between the Lines: Johnson’s Arrival Spells Confusion at 2B

Reed Johnson is now a Dodger.  The outfielder will fill a fourth-outfielder role after Juan Pierre was traded to the White Sox.  Johnson is a good addition; he plays stellar defense in left-field, where he will presumably see most of his innings, and he has a decent bat.  However, the fact that he's a ... 1Feb2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued
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Dodgers Add Belliard, Ausmus to Bench

The Dodgers did their best to shore up the bench, resigning utility-man Ronnie Belliard and catcher Brad Ausmus to one-year deals.  Belliard came from Washington in a waiver deal, and proceeded to tear apart opponents.  He had a line of .351/.398/.636 while with LA, and supplanted Orlando Hudson as the starting second ... 26Jan2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

Dodgers Resign Padilla, Return to Hole

The offseason's over for the Dodgers.  Sure, they might sign a minor-leaguer here or there, maybe someone to fill up the bench.  But with the signing of Vicente Padilla to a one-year, $5.025 million contract, the Dodgers are done.  Unless someone falls into their lap, like Orlando Hudson last year, the Boys in Blue will return to their cave, restart ... 21Jan2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

Mission Accomplished: Dodgers Settle Remaining Arbitration Cases

The Dodgers finished their most important task this offseason: locking up all arbitration-eligible players.  First it was Matt Kemp and Chad Billingsley.  Now, the six others fell in line with them.  LA came to terms with James Loney, Jonathan Broxton, George Sherrill, Andre Ethier, Russell Martin, and Hong-Chih Kuo; both Broxton and Ethier agreed to two-year deals that lock up ... 19Jan2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued
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Dodgers Reach Agreements with Kemp, Billingsley

The Dodgers and Matt Kemp agreed to a two-year deal worth $10.95 million plus incentives, locking the center-fielder up for two arbitration years.  Kemp won a Silver Slugger and a Gold Glove last year after a season in which he batted .297 while hitting 26 home runs and stealing 34 ... 15Jan2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued

Dawson Gets HoF Call; Blyleven, Alomar Get Snubbed

The Baseball Hall of Fame.  The most prestigious honor that could be bestowed upon a baseball player.  Names like Mantle, Aaron, Robinson, and Ruth line the walls of Cooperstown.  And every year, the Baseball Writers Association of America decides who among whom is worthy of being named a Hall of Famer.  This year, they ... 6Jan2010 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 2 comments | Continued

The Decade: A Brief Look at What The 00’s Gave the Dodgers

With the unofficial decade coming to an end, a close look should be given to the Dodgers' work. After all, it's not every day that ownership changes, a team that hadn't won a playoff series in 20 years sweeps the NLDS in consecutive years, and the team achieves a staggering amount of attention, from injuries to trades to steroids to ... 28Dec2009 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued
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Dodgers Awaken From Slumber, Trade Pierre to ChiSox

Juan Pierre is a Dodger no more. The speedy outfielder was sent to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for two players to be named later, though the speculation is that John Ely and Jon Link will be shipped to Los Angeles. Pierre signed a five-year deal in the offseason ... 15Dec2009 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 2 comments | Continued

Winter Meetings Recap: Nothing, Nothing, and…More Nothing

Silence.  That's all that came from the Dodgers during baseball's annual Winter Meetings held in Indianapolis this year.  Just silence.  No trades, no signings, nothing.  Just deafening silence.  Enough to drive a fan insane.  Empty rotation spots, a gaping hole at second, a bench completely devoid of help.  Just...silence. The Dodgers' problems are definitely not ... 10Dec2009 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 1 comment | Continued
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Why No Arbitration is Bad (& Bad Sign) for Dodgers

Tuesday was the deadline to offer arbitration to eligible players, and most of the time the process is just a formality.  A free-agent gets arbitration from a team that wants draft-pick compensation if the player signs elsewhere, and the free-agent usually declines to test the market.  Last year, all of two players ... 1Dec2009 | Mr. LA Sports Fan | 0 comments | Continued
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