The Trolley Dodger

There are big changes afoot for the Las Vegas 51s, according to this AP story “New Las Vegas 51s owner outlines plans, wants new name”.

Apart from the name change, there are some new additions to Cashman Field, including a spiffy new video scoreboard and a party deck.

Longer term, there may be a replacement field, not to mention a new big league affiliation.

A new ballpark isn’t a top priority, [new owner Derek] Stevens said, even though Las Vegas’ affiliation with the Los Angeles Dodgers expires after this season and a renewal could hinge on plans for a new stadium.

“The Dodgers were very clear with us,” Stevens said. “The status of the stadium will be the most significant factor in their willingness to extend our affiliation.”

Stevens said a new ballpark will be needed “at some point” and talked about building a dome.

I’d vote for a pyramid, myself. ;)

Gah! Looks like our potential starting 3rd baseman is down for the count. According to Tony Jackson:

[Andy LaRoche] has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb and will need surgery, which Ned said will take place in the next couple of days, probably in Los Angeles.

8-10 weeks is the word at the moment. Nomar’s been playing well, so thank goodness for that. Just have to figure out who the backup is.

On a nicer note, catcher Lucas May is getting some positive attention thanks to his performance this spring. We used to watch him catch 66ers games, so it’s awesome to see him get recognition.

Check out “Minor League Report: Lucas May” on MLB.com:

This is Lucas May’s first Major League camp and second Spring Training as a catcher, but he’s already starting to draw comparisons to Russell Martin.

Like Martin, May is a former infielder. Drafted as a shortstop, he was sent to the outfield before being moved behind the plate last year. He’s quickly become one of the best catching prospects in the organization, in part because of the power he showed while slugging 25 homers for Class A Inland Empire.

Another former 66er doing well is Ivan DeJesus Jr.:

Ivan DeJesus Jr. was plucked out of early Minor League camp to play in two Major League exhibition games, and he even started a split-squad game at shortstop when Rafael Furcal was nursing a strained hamstring. DeJesus went 2-for-3 with a double. He was a second-round Draft pick and is the son of former Dodger Ivan DeJesus.

We have a rule: never ignore players with Russian first names and Latino surnames.

With all the news of the Jones signing and Kuroda potentialities, the Dodgers announced some Spring Training invitations today:

Right-handed pitchers Tanyon Sturtze, Mike Koplove and Brian Falkenborg headline the group and will be joined by fellow right-handers Rick Asadoorian, Fernando Desgue and Greg Jones. Left-handed hurler Brian Shackelford, outfielder John-Ford Griffin, first-baseman John Lindsey, infielder Angel Chavez and catcher Danny Ardoin are the others coming to Vero Beach, joining catcher Rene Rivera, pitcher Chan-Ho Park and infielder Terry Tiffee, who were previously announced as non-roster invitees.

(from Dodgers press release)

An ancillary tidbit in the news stories on Walter O’Malley’s Hall of Fame induction was the fact that his grandsons are the majority owners of the Visalia Oaks. They’re in the California League’s North Division, and are a Diamondbacks affiliate.

From “Walter O’Malley’s long road to the Hall of Fame” in the LA Times,

…even though Peter O’Malley sold the Dodgers a decade ago, his family remains involved in baseball. Tom Seidler and his cousin Kevin O’Malley — two grandsons of Walter O’Malley — are the majority owners of the Visalia Oaks, a minor league team. The other partners are family members.

Seidler, 39, was in attendance here when his grandfather’s election to the Hall of Fame was announced.

“He was a visionary for baseball and set a good example for all of us,” Seidler said. “I’m just excited. I’m extremely proud.

The Oaks have a couple of different logos, both of which are awesome. The first is this cool squirrel, named Chatter:

And then, this angry acorn:

However, according to Wikipedia,

The current team owner desires to change the team name and mascot to a more “marketable” one. Recently, fans have began submitting ideas and opinions on the change. The Visalia Times-Delta has reported that the new name and mascot will most likely reflect the local agricultural lifestyle.

What’s wrong with Oaks?!

Bummer! Looks like the Padres have picked up Randy Wolf on a one-year, incentive-packed deal. I can understand why the Dodgers didn’t want to risk depending on Wolf’s health for another season, but it’s still a bummer — seemed like a nice guy. And from the Padres perspective, probably worth the risk; helps to have Jake Peavy and Chris Young at the top of your rotation, of course, when it comes to risk-taking.

Previously on Trolley Dodger:

• Randy Wolf rehab at Inland Empire
• Randy Wolf rehab photos

Congratulations to the Inland Empire 66ers, who last night clinched a California League playoff birth:

The Inland Empire 66ers took an important step toward their sixth California League title, clinching a spot in next week’s playoffs with a 2-1 win over the Stockton Ports. The Sixers, who entered the night with a magic number of two, also benefitted from the High Desert Mavericks’ 2-1 win over the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, a loss that officially eliminated the Quakes from playoff contention. Inland Empire currently sits one game behind the Lake Elsinore Storm in the battle for the #2 seed in the South Division playoffs.

According to the Inland Empire 66ers radio broadcast earlier this evening, 2B Travis Denker has been sent to the San Francisco Giants organization as the Player To Be Named Later in the Mark Sweeney deal.

Ready for the game: water, nachos, Coke, Dodger Dog, and notebook.

Manager Dave Collins chats before the game.

Girls softball players accompanied the 66ers onto the field — here’s Randy Wolf, with Bernie helping out.

Randy Wolf throwing a warmup pitch.

Gave up a homerun to the first batter — Wolf struggled in the first inning.

Wolf considers his next pitch.

Channel 2/9 sent out a crew to capture video.

Bernie the 66ers mascot exhorts the crowd.

Appropriately, it was Bring Your Dog day at the park. The little poodle was very sweet and spent most of the game sleeping on either owner’s lap — made me miss my standard poodle. The huge dog behind the poodle was either a ginormous dog of some sort, or the owners thought it was Bring Your Bear day.

LHP Marlon Arias.

The lineups are posted in the concorse, and you’ll see the guys scoring the game there beforehand, preparing their sheets. As I was taking this picture, a young man was teaching his girlfriend how to fill out theirs.

After the win, the 66ers file into the dugout. Wolf was long gone by this time.

I made it to the 66ers game tonight to watch Randy Wolf pitch. He had his customary rough first inning (including giving up a homer to the very first batter), but here was his pitch breakdown (accurate to +/- 5 pitches):

• 1st: 19
• 2nd: 8 (27)
• 3rd: 16 (43)
• 4th: 10 (53)

53 pitches, 4 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 6 H, 2 HR, 4 K, 1 BB

Randy looked in pretty good shape, albeit perhaps not going all out (from this not expert eye). No obvious difficulty or pain. The 66ers post-game news item seems to suggest there might be more rehab — “Making the first of what could be a limited few Minor League rehabilitation starts, former All-Star Randy Wolf took the mound for the 66ers.”

Mario Alvarez took over in the 5th and went the rest of the way and took the win. The 66ers won the slugfest 11-5. Adam Godwin in left field made two Web Gem-quality defensive plays (and almost made a third) in the later innings, drawing cheers and standing ovations.

Heard about Derek Lowe from a couple of guys sitting behind me. Such a bummer.

I should have a few pictures up soon.

So apparently, 7/23 is a popular day for Dodger births — at least seven of them, anyhow, including two Hall of Famers.

• Hod Ford, 1897 (Brooklyn 1925)
• Paul Chervinko, 1910 (Brooklyn 1937-1938)
• Pee Wee Reese, 1923 (Brooklyn 1940-1957, LA 1958)
• Don Drysdale, 1936 (Brooklyn 1956-1957, LA 1958-1969)
• Nomar Garciaparra, 1973 (LA 2006-)
• Larry Barnes, 1974 (LA 2003)
• Hong-Chih Kuo, 1981 (LA 2005-)

Happy Birthday, everybody!

UPDATE

In the minors, Las Vegas 51s 1B Larry Barnes is also a birthday boy today, born in 1974. He celebrated by hitting a double in the first game of the double header against the Rainiers today, then a homer in the second game.

UPDATE #2

According to today’s Inside the Dodgers post, it’s also assistant athletic trainer’s Stan Johnston’s birthday today.

No word yet on the bat boys or Dodger Stadium vendors. ;)