The Trolley Dodger

Like the Dodgers, the Inland Empire 66ers are starting their season on the road, playing their first game today against the High Desert Mavericks. They’ll be opening at home on the 12th against the Lancaster JetHawks.

This marks a return of sorts for the Dodgers, as they resume their affiliation with the San Berdoo franchise. Everybody seems pleased about the renewed relationship (not least of which myself) as an article in today’s San Bernardino Sun shows, 66ers excited about Dodgers affiliation.

It’s unusual when a minor league team chooses to change affiliations after winning a league title, but it wasn’t a huge surprise when the 66ers, days after winning their second league title as a Seattle Mariners affiliate, did exactly that.

It’s hard to be surprised when you’re a Southern California team that has a chance to reel in the Dodgers.

A few of the most talented Dodger kids are going to be around:

The Sixers have four of the Dodgers’ top 30 prospects as rated by Baseball America to open the season: shortstop Ivan DeJesus Jr., third baseman Blake DeWitt, right-hander Ramon Troncoso and left-hander Brent Leach.

And the pitching should be interesting:

The Sixers’ pitching staff also has a good mix of lefties and righties. The starting rotation to open the season: Alberto Bastardo, Jesus Castillo, Marlon Arias, Javy Guerra and James McDonald, in that order, includes two lefties: Bastardo and Arias.

The first big evidence of the new arrangement appeared a few weeks ago when a giant, glowing Tommy Lasorda appeared alongside the 215:

I don’t know if the sign was planned prior to the Dodgers’ return, but in any case it seems like a good way to both advertise the teams (both 66ers and Dodgers), as well as finding new revenue streams to offset some of the refurbishing costs. If I recall correctly from stories published when the deal was announced, the Dodgers wanted to make some significant improvements to the facilities.

Anyhow, I’m definitely looking forward to the opportunity to see some future Dodger stars in person and, who knows, maybe some current stars on rehab. :)