So there’s only 3 days left to purchase the package to go see the Dodgers in Spring Training this weekend (Purchase before 3/25).  Special thanks to those of you who already purchased through this site, and who are receiving the St. Patrick’s Day Dodgers hat.  There’s still a couple more free hats available, so sign up and mention SF Dodgerfan when you check out. 

If you’re still debating, just think of the memory you will have.  How cool will it be to go on a trip full of Dodger fans and have a chance to meet Tommy Lasorda and the players after the game?  That’s a memory that won’t ever go away, and it’s hard to put a price on that.  This weekend the Dodgers play the newly improved Seattle Mariners.  It should be a good game checking out Chone Figgins and company.

Below is all the info you need on the trip:

SF Dodgerfan is teaming up with AM 570 KLAC in Los Angeles for their annual Spring Training trip to see the Dodgers. Click on the Link below to see the details:

http://klac.neofillstore.com/index.php?index_type=promo-detail&pid=15885

If you live in L.A., or can get to L.A., this is a great trip, with a private Southwest plane full of Dodger fans to Glendale, Arizona. 

Here’s what you get for the $570 price:

(2) tickets on Southwest Airlines
(1) night at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix
(2) tickets to the Spring Training Game
Dodger Merchandise
Transportation in Arizona

Oh yeah – you’ll get to meet players and have a chance to go ONTO the field after the game and personally meet Tommy Lasorda.  I’ve personally talked with the Promotions Manager at KLAC, and this is all legit.  It’s a great trip, and a great deal for 2 people.

Here’s a link to the youtube video from last year:

http://www.youtube.com/user/am570klacmarketing#p/u/20/0ZtRSbsttSw

Make sure to enter ‘SF Dodgerfan” in the comments when you make your purchase.  The first 5 people to purchase the trip through this site will get a free gift – the hat below (1 per purchase).  My son’s birthday is St. Patrick’s Day,  so I figured I would go with a green Dodgers hat.  

L.A. Dodgers Hats : New Era L.A. Dodgers White Hooley St. Patrick’s Day Adjustable Hat

UPDATE 3/22/10: KLAC keeps making it even better.  If you sign up now, you also get a free MLB 2K10 for ps3, Wii, or XBOX 360, and two tickets to the L.A. Sports Fan Choice Awards. 

Go Dodgers!

Eric Gagne - John Hayes - AP

A moment of silence for the releasing of Eric Gagne this week.  I think every Dodger fan was secretly hoping Eric Gagne could find a way to pitch like he did so many years ago.  Since then , he’s had injuries and was mentioned in the Mitchell Report, but to Dodger fans during that time, he was the real deal.  He was the “Wild Thing” from Major League who came out of the bullpen to his own music and mowed everyone down.  He was a personality, and he changed the culture of the fans.  His baseball career is probably over, but he’ll always have a place in L.A.  Even writing this, I’d love to have a beer with Eric Gagne.  Ahh the stories he could tell.

I was there on the night the streak ended.  It was a surreal experience.  Everyone knew what was on the line, but the D’backs finally broke through.  I believe it will probably be the only time in my life that I see a blown save greeted with a standing ovation from all the fans.  The Dodgers did end up winning, but no one could fault him for letting one through after 84 straight saves. 

Here’s an article re-capping that final night (click here) .

Happy Trails Eric.  Thanks for the memories.

SF Dodgerfan is teaming up with AM 570 KLAC in Los Angeles for their annual Spring Training trip to see the Dodgers. Click on the Link below to see the details:

http://klac.neofillstore.com/index.php?index_type=promo-detail&pid=15885

If you live in L.A., or can get to L.A., this is a great trip, with a private Southwest plane full of Dodger fans to Glendale, Arizona. 

Here’s what you get for the $570 price:

(2) tickets on Southwest Airlines
(1) night at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix
(2) tickets to the Spring Training Game
Dodger Merchandise
Transportation in Arizona

Oh yeah – you’ll get to meet players and have a chance to go ONTO the field after the game and personally meet Tommy Lasorda.  I’ve personally talked with the Promotions Manager at KLAC, and this is all legit.  It’s a great trip, and a great deal for 2 people.

Here’s a link to the youtube video from last year:

http://www.youtube.com/user/am570klacmarketing#p/u/20/0ZtRSbsttSw

Make sure to enter ‘SF Dodgerfan” in the comments when you make your purchase.  The first 5 people to purchase the trip through this site will get a free gift – the hat below (1 per purchase).  My son’s birthday is St. Patrick’s Day,  so I figured I would go with a green Dodgers hat.  

L.A. Dodgers Hats : New Era L.A. Dodgers White Hooley St. Patrick’s Day Adjustable Hat

UPDATE 3/16/10: KLAC made it even better.  The first five people to sign up for the trip get MLB 2K10 for ps3, Wii, or XBOX 360, and a Dodger Blue Snuggie.  (I know, now that the Snuggie is involved, it’s a done deal!)

Go Dodgers!

Manny Ramirez - Tim DeFrisco - SI

Spring Training has been going along pretty ho-hum this year.  A few new recruits, still not enough pitching, but definitely without the Manny drama of last year….until two days ago.

I read Ken Gurnick’s article (click here) where Manny said that this will be his last year in L.A.  That really wasn’t a surprise, but it was the timing that surprised me.

It kind of hit me like a really good steak that you had at a restaurant, but now it’s been in the refrigerator a few too many days and you’re wondering if it’s still good.  It could be just as good as when you first tasted it, or it could be so bad that you have to throw it out.  Either way, it leaves you a little queasy even before you take a bite.

That’s how I feel with Manny.  The thing with Manny is that even though he comes across as a goofball, Manny is a very smart man.  He is all about calculating his money along with being a very good baseball player.  If he says something, it is only because he and his agents have already determined what to say and when to say it.  The fact that he made it known that this is his last year in his first statement of the spring is concerning.

I work with people who have given notice that they are retiring at the end of the year.  Yes, they get the job done, but if they hit something difficult, they usually don’t do as good of work, because they know it doesn’t matter and they are gone in a few months.

Why wouldn’t it be different for Manny?  He already has a guaranteed 20 million dollars, and we all know he has a history of dogging it.  If he is injured, or could get injured and then damage his ability to play next year, why wouldn’t he shut it down.  That would truly hurt the Dodgers.

One Giant’s fan did set me straight though.  He stated that if this truly is Manny’s last year in blue, then he has just given notice to other teams.  If he wants to play next year and get a good contract (both of which I believe to be true), then he has to put on a show this year.  This could truly help the Dodgers.

Either way, I’m queasy.  It may turn out fine, but why not say, “I’m just going to take this year one day at a time, and then decide at the end of the year.”  If he makes up his mind before then, fine, but why declare it in your first press conference of the year?

In either case, Ned Colletti already better be thinking about who will replace him in left field.  At the soonest, next year we will need another big bat.

What do you think?  Is he setting himself up to dog it, or put up good numbers for a big, new contract?

Ned Colletti UPI Photo/Jon Soohoo/HO

Special Code: PGYG83M3DHGY

I struggled with how to title this post. Now that I’ve written it, it reminds me of the Dr. Seuss book “Go Dog Go,” but hopefully I’ll still get my point across.  

Like other Dodger fans, I’ve watched as the Dodgers have let most of this off-season pass.  No offense to Jaime Carroll, but unless he’s going to pitch, he wasn’t what people were expecting. 

What’s caught my attention in the blogs, articles and general opinions (mine included) is that the Dodgers really aren’t doing anything behind the scenes because of the divorce.  It seems that all money is on hold, and therefore, the Dodgers are just looking for cheap bargains.

Many thanks to www.mlbtraderumors.com, because they had a nice little post to help show me different (click here).  Hold tight Dodger fans – it seems that things are still brewing.  Here’s the summary:

• The Dodgers made an earnest attempt to land Roy Halladay prior to the blockbuster deal that shipped him to Philadelphia.  According to sources, the Blue Jays would have preferred L.A. as a trading partner, but of course, it wasn’t really up to them.  Ultimately, it didn’t matter how much the Dodgers could give Toronto or potentially give Doc in an extension, the Phillies were at the top of his list. The Dodgers made an earnest attempt to land Roy Halladay prior to the blockbuster deal that shipped him to Philadelphia.  According to sources, the Blue Jays would have preferred L.A. as a trading partner, but of course, it wasn’t really up to them.  Ultimately, it didn’t matter how much the Dodgers could give Toronto or potentially give Doc in an extension, the Phillies were at the top of his list.

What this confirmed is that good ol’ Ned is still working.  No one knows who’s really calling the shots for the Dodgers at the top, but at least we know Crazy Ned Colletti is still on the phones.  This is the same guy who got Manny Ramirez for nothing, and continues to turn out of date pitchers into work horses again.  He’s not perfect (no need to bring up certain names), and he definitely didn’t get Halladay but at least we can know he’s not sitting at a desk doing nothing due to money restraints.  

We all know the Dodgers need another pitcher and I’m sure he knows it better than anyone, but he’s trying.  When it comes down to it, getting the player is what people remember, so it is a fine line, but I know he’s working the channels.  Last year, no one thought the pitching would even be decent, but it lasted to the playoffs.  This year, he knows he has to get over the hump.

Like every Dodgerfan, I’m rooting for Crazy Colletti to pull something out of his hat, or at least be smarter than all the rest of us. 

Like the Dr. Seuss book…Go Colletti Go and then Go Around Again!

Special Code: PGYG83M3DHGY