The Trolley Dodger

From the Boston Globe, a blurb at the end of this article caught my attention straight away. Looks like a certain former Dodgers pitcher might be looking to pull a Clemens:

Hideo Nomo and Mac Suzuki are eyeing a return to the major leagues. Nomo has been rehabilitating from elbow surgery in the Los Angeles area. According to his agent, Don Nomura, Nomo definitely wants to pitch again. “He’s a little bit away from a return, but not too far away,” said Nomura, who is also trying to get Suzuki a minor league deal. Suzuki, 31, last pitched for the Royals in 2002. Nomo, 38, last pitched for the Devil Rays in 2005.

So what do you think? Offer him a minor league deal? ;)

(And yes, the title is channeling Phil Collins.)

From Florida Today comes this article on a bittersweet transition taking place in Vero Beach: “Devil Rays try to follow Dodgers’ tradition”.

At least a half-dozen times this season, Joe Sanchez, the melodious voice of Holman Stadium, has mistakenly slipped in the word “Dodgers” as he describes the action in front of the blue seats below him.

“Which isn’t too bad after 27 years,” he says with a laugh. “I don’t think the fans listen to me anyway, half the time.”

Most likely, they’re still stunned that their once-beloved Vero Beach Dodgers, a franchise which once groomed major league stars such as Steve Sax, Mike Piazza and Paul LoDuca, have been replaced by the Vero Beach Devil Rays, a Tampa Bay Class-A team.

Having the Dodgers High-A affiliate in SoCal is a great thing for me and other local Dodger fans, but I still can’t help but regret what’s being left behind.

In Buster Olney’s latest blog entry on ESPN Insider, he has this about the Scott Rolen to the Dodgers rumors:

There is some speculation, within GM circles, that the Cardinals will look to trade Scott Rolen as soon as the team raises the white flag on their season, and Rolen would make sense for the Dodgers, in some respects. He would give L.A. a strong defensive presence at third base, plus some experience, and he could hit in the last four spots in the lineup and not be expected to be one of the main guys. The Cardinals clearly would have to eat a huge chunk of the salary owed to Rolen in the future — he will make $12 million a year for each of the next three years — but they could get a decent (but not great) prospect from the Dodgers.

To me, if the Dodgers wanted Rolen, he would almost have to be somewhere in the 3-5 range, most likely 4th where Kent is currently, just due to his power potential. Thinking back to what Grady has been doing this year, I would imagine something like this:

1. Furcal
2. Pierre
3. Nomar
4. Rolen
5. Kent
6. Gonzo
7. Martin
8. Ethier
9. (pitcher)

What about this?

1. Pierre
2. Martin or Furcal
3. Furcal or Martin
4. Rolen
5. Kent
6. Nomar or Gonzo
7. Gonzo or Nomar
8. Ethier
9. (pitcher)

Plus I’m not that convinced the Cards would be willing to eat salary if they weren’t getting some value in return, i.e. multiple prospects.

Previously on Trolley Dodger: “Rolen to the Dodgers?”

Vaguely related idle speculation: do Troy Glaus’s injury issues have to do with playing on artificial turf?

The inevitable player movement up and down the minors hierarchy is starting to take place. One of the Great Lakes Loons (Low A) pitchers is heading up to the IE 66ers (High A). I’ll have to keep an eye out for his next start in San Berdoo, because he sounds awesome:

Francisco Felix, the Midwest League’s leader in Earned Run Average (0.76), has been promoted by the Los Angeles Dodgers’ to the club’s High-A affiliate, the Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino, CA. Felix becomes the first member of the Loons to receive a promotion by the Dodgers.

With his dizzying array of off-speed pitches and multiple arm angles, Felix allowed just three earned runs in 35 1/3 innings and did not allow any earned runs in 20 1/3 innings as a reliever. He struck out 35 batters during his time with Great Lakes and limited opponents to a .158 average. Felix, along with Loons left-hander Clayton Kershaw, was named the Dodgers’ Minor League Co-Pitcher of the Month for April.

This is one of those travel ideas that always sounds idyllic to me, but is probably a nightmare to plan and execute. :)

The blog Baseball Cities Tour is in the middle of a “30 stadiums in a single summer” road trip, and their 10th was at Dodger Stadium. For each game, there’s a brief blurb in the main blog, and then a fuller description on a game page.

• “Game 10 – Dodgers Stadium” blog post
• “May 15, 2007 — Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA” game description

This was last Tuesday’s victory over the Cardinals. Game 9 was with the Padres at PetCo, while Game 11 will be tonight at Los Angeles Stadium of Anaheim.

Definitely worth a subscription in your RSS reader.