Sandy Koufax and Joe Torre at the Nokia Theatre

On Saturday night, February 26th, T.J. Simers sat down with Sandy Koufax and Joe Torre to talk about baseball at the Nokia Theatre. Torre got Koufax to finally come out of the dark and talk to the public in this event. I attended the event and it was amazing. Koufax is such a calm, wise man but shows signs of humor at times (mainly in response to T.J. Simers' bad jokes) and shed some light on some baseball stories that have been told about him.) They brought up 21-year old left hander Clayton Kershaw pretending he was just some kid and Koufax "taught" him how to throw a curveball. This adds to the belief that Torre thinks Kershaw has the potential to be on a level similar to that of Koufax. It was a great time that I certainly will never forget. Also, Koufax and Kershaw talked on the plane ride back out to Glendale (Torre brought Clayton, hitting coach Don Mattingly, and pitching coach Rick Honeycutt to the event.) about pitching and everything about it. Kershaw is also in line for the Opening Day start. People finally got the public appearance out of Koufax that they always wanted, and was just an amazing evening for all that attended.

Bill Shaikin has a Report on the Dodgers's Payroll

Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times has an article regarding confidential documents from the McCourt divorce complications submitted by Jaime McCourt. "The Dodgers could seek to keep their player payroll below last year's level through 2018 while the average ticket price and club revenue could nearly double, according to confidential financial documents included in a court filing last week." This is a quote from the article from latimes.com. If this is true, they will lose ticket sales and only gain so much money. One of the main reasons the Dodgers have the best attendance in baseball? Ticket prices. $25 can get you a pretty damn good seat at Dodger Stadium. $50 can get you a box seat with a pole in your face at Fenway Park. If the Dodgers double ticket prices, you can look for a lot of people spending game night at home on TV rather than at the ballpark.

Dodgers Sign Eric Gagne

Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times is reporting that Eric Gagne is back with the Dodgers. Gagne's career became a shadow of its former self after Gagne left the club at the end of the 2006 season, signing with the Texas Rangers. 2007 is considered his last effective season. Gagne spent the 2009 season with the Cam-Am League's Quebec Capitales. Gagne also received a minor league offer from the Colorado Rockies, but preferred to come back to a familiar club. Gagne could be a threat to make the pen behind Jonathan Broxton, George Sherrill, and Hong-Chi Kuo. He could split time with Hong-Chi Kuo and Ramon Troncoso at the 7th and 8th inning roles, and could close occasionally. This is a very sentimental reunion for the Dodgers and Eric Gagne, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

In-Depth Look at the Dodgers for 2010

Tony Jackson at ESPNLosAngeles.com has an in-depth look at the state of the Dodgers. It has five sections: Infield, Outfield, Pitching, Bench, and Management. Jackson had some interesting takes on the Dodgers that I hadn't considered, mainly involving the situation at second base. Check it out. Should tide you over until pitchers and catchers report in a little over a week!

Dodgers Sign Brian Giles

Ken Gurnick of MLB.com has reported that the Dodgers have signed Brian Giles to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. To me, I am mixed about this signing. If Reed Johnson is a suitable fourth outfielder and Doug Mientkiewicz is a suitable left handed bat of the bench, then this signing was a waste of money. We don't have the roster space on the 25 man to even carry Giles, unless the Dodgers would be carrying 11 or 12 pitchers, which, in my opinion, is not going to happen. On the plus side, if Giles is healthy and returns at least to 2007 or 2008 form, he could be a pretty inexpensive pickup for a pinch hitter role. Expect him to have a role similar to that of Jim Thome if he makes the Opening Day roster.

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