First off, this line up can use any type of help we can get, and Carl Crawford, even though he had a bad season last year for the amount of money he made, compared to the Dodgers left fielders, he was pretty solid.

Secondly, he has great range, we have a slew of fly ball pitchers, and in the National League West pitching is important so to have a guy like Carl Crawford in left and Matt Kemp in center, the left side will be very hard to get lucky hits into.

Lastly, no way he repeats 2011, he’s too good. He’s 30 years old, which is in the middle of the prime of his career, and he hasn’t had a season that bad since his rookie season.

Also, the Red Sox really want to move that contract, so more than likely they will pick up a lot of the tab and it won’t cost us much, maybe a prospect or two and we get a guy that gives us speed, defense and a possibility of an offensive upgrade.

Now, I don’t think it will happen because of Bobby Abreu. In the 4 games he’s played with the Dodgers he has 3 hits, and has the trust of Don Mattingly. Now, he may not give us the power potential of Crawford, have his speed or range in the outfield but he’s infinitely cheaper and is a good clubhouse presence, which I can’t say much for Crawford.

So I have to say, stay away Dodger, he’s not worth it, we have too many outfielders as is.

What a great way to start off the new with the old withVin Scully the greatest Radio Broadcaster ever. Just listening to him open the press conference was chilling, you hang on his every word, and when he finishes, you want him to keep talking,

Bud Selig wasn’t at the press conference, nor was he missed, however when Magic got on the microphone, energy was immediately infused into the press conference, especially since Magic sounded like he just had good piss before he got on the mic. I loved every word that Magic said, he was excited, he loves the Dodgers, he loves the city and I know he will infuse a love for baseball that this town hasn’t had for a loong time.

Next on the mic was Stan Kasten and even though he’s a guy that works in the background, he was very well spoken and his plans for the team certainly got me excited. This is a guy who understands what a person wants when they come out to the ballpark.

When we come to the ball park we buy a seat and they buy our time and in Los Angeles, time is an important commodity so for him to recognize that was excellent.

One of the first things that the new owner’s did was to lower the price of parking to $10, down from $15 and on par with the Angels parking price of $10, in an obvious move to compete directly with them. They have also earmarked $300 million towards Dodger Stadium and stated that just because they paid a high price for the team doesn’t mean they’re going to take it from the fans or limit them in Free Agency and Trades.

I’m very excited for this new group and I’ll be following them verrrry closely, so stay tuned.

Introducing your new Dodgers Owners

Mark Walter: CEO of Guggenheim Baseball Management, and Chairman of Dodgers.

Magic Johnson: Part owner of Dodgers and face of team.

Stan Kasten: Club President & CEO of the Dodgers.

Peter Guber: Chairman of Mandalay Entertainment, I won’t even go into what Mandalay has done but you can see for yourself. Bringing Hollywood to the Dodgers.

Todd Boehly: President of Guggenheim Partners, which owns Guggenheim Baseball Management.

“You haven’t beat good teams,” “You padded your record against San Diego, Pittsburgh and the Astros,” and it was starting to look true, losing 2 of 3 against the Brewers and 2 of 3 against the Braves (2 or 3 were the fault of Guerra…more on that later). So when the Nationals came to town touting 3 starting pitchers with ERA’s of 1.53 and under and ties for the best record in the National League at 14-6, no one felt like they could win the series,…no one but the Dodgers.

After Kershaw set pace with an erratic 3-2 win in game 1, Chad Billingsley came into game 2 and did his best Kershaw impression going 7 innings giving up a single run and striking out 6 and after Elbert and Guerra blew a 1-1 tie in the top of the 9th giving up 2 runs, the Dodgers tied it up in the bottom of the 9th despite a short distraction by this guy running onto the field.

Then in the bottom of the 9th, the Nationals did something stupid, they left a left hander in against the future 2012 National League Most Valuable Player, Matt Kemp, despite it being no outs and two right handers coming up that inning.

Quick caveat, if you’re a manger, and you know a guy is killing the ball, and he has 4 home-runs and over a .500 average versus lefties this year in only 27 at-bats, why in gods name would you leave a lefty in there?

Okay I’m back. As I was listening to the game, as soon as I heard it was Matt Kemp coming up to the plate and that Davey Johnson had left Matt Kemp out there I said to myself “Game Over” and sure enough Matt Kemp blasts a low 0-2 fastball that wasn’t low enough into center field to win the game.

It seems Matt Kemp’s blow was a big one to the gut because then the Dodgers shut out the Nationals on Sunday 2-0 making the total tallyof runs given up by Dodgers starting pitchers against the Nationals 3, in 20 and 2/3 inning. Pretty darn good and quite convincing.

So it seems we should agree the Dodgers have arrived, how ya feela bout me now!

No wait, this just in; now they’re saying they have yet to do it on the road, aww c’mon! Okay Rockies, here we come!

Then when Pujols came to LA, Matt Kemp’s crown was taken away and Big Al not only had the title of best in baseball but best in LA.

Not so much nows huh Albert?

Do you guys remember this commercial’s?

Albert Pujols, the Machine

He was right wasn’t he? He’s not a machine…as of right now the highest player in LA is hitting .222 with 0, yes ZERO home-runs, and only 4 RBI’s. Now…I’ll give him this, of his 16 hits, 7 of them are doubles so he is getting the ball far but doubles are warning track power and with 11 strike outs and only 6 walks, it shows pitchers are no longer afraid of pitching to Big al.

On the other hand, Matt “The Beast” Kemp is hitting .449, 10 HRs and 23 RBI’s, all leading not only LA, or the National League but all of Major League baseaball. That also includes, run’s, hits, on base percentage, slugging and OPS.

Yeah…Kemp is now officially the best player in baseball and showing all who deserves to be MVP not only in 2011 but this year and many more to come.

When I used to talk of Kemp’s potential, I always felt he would top out at something like he did last year, a .300 hitter with 30 HR’s, 110 RBI’s, 30 SB and so on but he’s now showing he can be more, he’s not only their best player but he also shows the Dodgers how to play this game right, with heart and passion and the team (mostly) follows suit, heck look at Andre Ethier, he’s right behind Kemp in the MLB in RBIs, that’s just amazing.

I’ve always been a Matt Kemp fan but even more so now, after Torre left and Mattingly took over and Davey Lopes became his mentor, Matt Kemp does the right things, says the right things, and hits everything. He is baseball’s ambassador and the best player in baseball.

So who are the Dodgers really?

Are they the team who we saw take 9 of 10 versus supposedly inferior opponents?

Or are they the team we saw lose 2 of 3 versus the Brewers?

My answer is yes to both questions.

See, here’s what I take from this Milwaukee series. The Dodgers aren’t going to score too many runs outside of the middle of their order, they play great defense, they have 2 real good pitchers, 2 solid pitcher and the #5 is iffy and they have a solid bullpen that the Angels wish they had.

Now, I will agree, they beat weaker opponents to get to their hot start but San Diego is probably the worst in baseball and outside of losing 3 to the Dodgers, the Pirates are 5-4, and their 5-7 record is only 1 win behind the Brewers.

Oh and those same Pirates just won 2 of 3 versus the Diamondbacks who are 3 games behind the Dodgers, so they Dodgers have now seemingly won 4 games and lost 2 versus quality opponents, and won 5 of 6 versus poor, that looks a lot better now doesn’t it?

I don’t think we have seen all the team can do, Dee Gordon is in a bit of a funk, hitting .192 and a .263 on base percentage (OBP), and for a lead off hitter, that is quite poor. Luckily Ellis has picked up the slack with a .398 OBP, so when Gordon finally hits like we know him to, we will see a more dynamic team.

The next is James Loney but he always starts slow and gets better as the season goes on. He started off the season without a hit in his first 5 games but since then he is  7 of 22 for a .318 average and that’s right about what I expect for Loney.

While Juan Rivera has hit well for average, and driven in some runs, he hasn’t shown any power yet with no home-runs and 2 doubles but he has 7 RBIs in 12 games for a 87 RBI pace, which is about what I expect from him so no complaints.

I really don’t expect Kemp to continue hitting like this…then again he is gunning for 50/50 so you never know, I almost expect him to bang out 40+ this season easily, and if Ethier follows with 25+ and 100 RBIs, this team can be a contender.

In order for the Dodgers to keep their winning ways, they don’t really need to hit. They need to average 4 runs per games and their bullpen needs to keep itself together. Right now I feel they have the best bullpen in baseball. The only downers are Coffey and Elbert and with only 2 innings behind him, I feel Elbert will make up for it in time but I’m not sure about Coffey, then again we don’t really need him. With Lindbolm, Guerrier, Guerra, Jansen, Wright and MacDougal, along with Elbert, why do we need an 8th guy?

Yeah, this team can sustain and I fully expect this team to go wire to wire and win the division, not because I’m a homer but have you seen the rest of the NL West?  I just don’t see it…and when Matt Kemp wins the MVP, the Dodgers will be seen as a true threat in the playoffs this year.

The Dodgers have new ownership we actually wanted, an MVP runner-up out to show who really should’ve won it, a right fielder out to prove he’s worth the contract he wants, a first baseman fighting for a job, a rookie who can make it from home to home in 15 seconds, a Cy Young winner and a set-up man who’s nearly unhittable.

The Dodgers have all that, so why aren’t you coming out to the ballpark?

After selling out the home-opener, which started at 1pm no less, the Dodgers pulled only 56,000 fans in the next 2 games. It didn’t get any better in the next game with an attendance of 31,000 but you all started showing up in the final 2 but only 46,000 and 38,000 respectively.

I just don’t get it, this team is not only exciting, but they’re good too. Dee Gordon is a freakin’ spark plug, Matt Kemp, well Matt Kemp’s Beast Mode is out of this world right now, leading the majors in average, home runs, RBIs and runs. Then not too far behind him is Ethier second not only the NL but the majors in RBIs. Then there’s Mark Ellis, the guy people groaned when the Dodgers picked him up has 10 runs in 10 games.

Our pitching could be better but Kershaw will pick it up, he’s always been a slower starter but Chad Billingsley is leading the majors with a 0.63 ERA! That’s the Chad the Dodgers have needed and now that Lilly’s back, the Dodgers seem to have a very formidible 1-2-3 at the top of the rotation that teams really don’t want to see.

Then when we get to the bullpen, Linbolm, who barely made the team hasn’t given up a run, neither has Javy Guerra or Matt Gurrier. While Jansen and Elbert haven’t been as shining as they were last year, based on their track record, they’ll catch up and be very solid.

So, yeah, the Dodgers may have seemingly beat up on “inferior” opponents but that’s what the good teams do. They beat who they’re supposed to beat.

As a fan, when my team plays the Pirates, Padres, Astros, or Cubs, I expect them to win that series, and it would be a disappointment if they lost 2 of 3 games or even split a four-game series.

So again, these Dodgers need your support, and we need to see you at the ballpark. The next home-game is Monday, April 23, against the Braves so I expect to see you out there, fill it up to capacity, show Magic and the group that they didn’t make a mistake and that Los Angeles has the best fans in all of baseball.

See you there!

Ahh yes, baseball is here. There’s a lot to look out for this season

How will Uribe play at third base?

Will Ellis last more than 100 games?

Can Matt Kemp not only get 50-50 can he just reach 30-30 again?

Will the real James Loney please come to the plate?

and last but most importantly, which Andre Ethier will we get? The guy who’s worth $10 mil or the guy who’s worth letting go.

Of course I can’t forget the new ownership coming in, Magic and Kasten and the guy who is going to be paying all this money even though I can’t remember his name at the time.

For the first time in a long time I’m not only excited for the season to start, I’m excited to see how it ends because this team has a lot of promise and with the motivation from the fans that Magic Johnson will be the face of the Dodgers I expect this team to compete from day one.

 Yes, there’s definitely a lot to look forward to this season and it will definitely be one for history, 50 years in LA and a brand new owner, 2 of the best players in not only the National League but all of the Majors and a totally hyped fanbase, yeah, this will be an awesome season.

The Reds will receive for compensation Ethan Martin, Jerry Sands, Justin Sellers and Allan Webster.

It’s been felt in the Reds organization for a long time that Joey Votto will test the free agent market this off-season and that the Dodgers would be the #1 team to go after him, especially if James Loney had another sub-par season, so the Reds front office decided to part ways with their slugger and get what they can for him.

Votto was quoted as saying that the Dodgers are “A PRestIgious, & Legendary organization” and for the dodgers to trade For him is one of those hOnOrs and priviLegeS he thought he’d never have. Yet, he still loves the Reds for the opportunity that he was given.

In a related move, James Loney will be related to the bench to be the number one pitch hitter off the bench in a move that Dave Hansen feels he’s best suited for.

“I did it, and I was great at it and Loney has the same type of tools I did.”

Joey Votto has also agreed to sign a 6 year, 135 million dollar extension to stay with the Dodgers through 2017 with 2 player option years that could bring his total to 180 million dollars.

“It feels like I won the lotto” Votto said and I’m sure Dodger fans will feel the same.

Edit: Just in case no one figured it out, it’s an April Fools Day joke, but it may be rooted in truth. Will the Reds move Votto or let him hit free agency and go for the supplemental 1st round pick if/when he leaves.

 By the time this bidding is over, the Dodgers may be sold for near $2 billion and that could just as well be without the parking lots! (Although I feel any owner would be remiss to allow him to keep them and continue to pay a hefty price going forward). Yes, that’s right, $2 billion! One of the bids that lost out in the 1^st round put up a bid of $1.25 billion and lost!

 Do you have any idea what the Dodgers were worth at the beginning of the 2011 season? $800,000, and now they’ll more than likely be sold for double that! That’s totally incredible and it makes me wonder if this was his plan all along. Make himself so disliked that Selig would agree to sell the team on McCourt’s terms.

 The more I think about it, I have to say that McCourt may be a lot smarter than we’d like to admit. When he declared bankruptcy it was then I knew he was done as a Dodger owner because MLB rules don’t allow their owner to go into bankruptcy and keep the team but it seems that by going into bankruptcy, he was able to get the courts to settle the case in his favor.

 Think of it like this, if you’re Frank McCourt and you saw everything that Texas went through in 2010, ultimately getting sold for under market price to a lower bid that Selig approved, wouldn’t you say to yourself “I don’t want that to happen to me” if you owe millions of dollars that you can’t pay? Sure you do! And you make sure you control the whole process so you can get the most money you can!

 As much as I dislike McCourt, you have to admit he’s sly!

The week before it was revealed that NL MVP Ryan Bruan had failed two different steroid tests taken before and after the playoffs, which will result in a 50 game suspension.

So tell me, on one hand we have a player that seems to be addicted to some type of drug, whether it be aspirin or marijuana it doesn’t’ matter, he can’t kick it, it might be causing him to not be able to enter this country legally, because it’s getting ridiculous that he can’t seem to be able to get his visa on time for three straight years, I haven’t heard of any other major leaguer from his region have the same problem.

Then on the other hand we have Ryan Bruan, clearly a 1st time offender getting slammed by the media for violating the steroid policy in which there was just a heightened level of testosterone, which yes is an indicator of taking steroids but it could also be something else, we don’t know.

So which one is actually doing more harm to himself the supposed steroid user or the 2 time substance abuser? I’ll take the substance abuser, heck it’s affecting his personal life.

I think we’ve taken this steroid thing too seriously and it needs to be scaled back and baseball needs to rethink its priorities. There are a lot of young players who would love a shot at the major leagues who do it right, who abstain from substance abuse and PED’s and I think it’s time for stricter policies all around.