Anticipating a zoo at the ballpark, my Dad and I arrived at Dodgertown around 9:30 today for a 1pm game. I was even more impressed entering Holman Stadium this morning after seeing it last night without any lights. The is dirt presently groomed, and the grass is perfectly cut without fancy patterns–just bright green. The only obstruction in the grass is the white “Dodgers” logo in script behind home plate. The chairs are small old wooden chairs, much like Fenway, and behind the outfield fence (which is really a fence, not an ad-covered wall) is a slope of grass that is open seating. Now that I think about it, I’m really surprised that Ray Liota didn’t come walking out of the outfield to play catch with me last night.
I know I’m not going to get any sympathy from Bostonians, but it was cold this morning in Vero Beach (50s) so I was wearing the only sweatshirt I brought, a Sox hoodie. Here’s a tip: if you go into the Dodgers’ clubhouse to talk with some of the players, don’t wear a sweatshirt of the opposing team. I took shit from a ton of players starting with Juan Pierre and Jason Repko and finishing with D-Lowe. My bad. Although I have done worse in the clubhouse but that was over 15 years ago.
The Sox flew to Vero Beach from Fort Myers. It took them longer for them to drive to the airport, board the plane and drive from the plane to Dodgertown than for the flight itself. As they were walking from the bus to the clubhouse we ran into Dr. Charles Steinberg who was kind enough to introduce us to my other father, Big Papi. Clearly he was busy, but was nice enough to stop and pose for a picture. Dr. Steinberg also introduced us to one curly haired Boston Globe sports columnist. Let’s just say that for once Curt Schilling is right about something other than pitching. Tony Massarotti on the other hand is friendly and happy to talk. I’m very quickly becoming a Herald man…
The Sox clubhouse is the size of a two star hotel room. I almost tripped over three players trying to say hi to Alex Cora in the corner. Doug Mirabelli is just as cocky in person as he sounds in the papers. Talking about himself as he ran off to the batting cages: “Looking real fit. I fear for the American League this season!” Thank you very much Stud Who Hits into Double Plays.
Dodgertown was initially conceived to be a one-stop shop for baseball. It’s got a main stadium (Holman), a ton of practice fields, batting cages, and pitching mounds and that’s just for training. They’ve also got a dormitory, multiple commissaries and office buildings so that theoretically nobody needs to leave the “campus.” This all creates a great atmosphere for fans. The Dodgers normally don’t take BP or fielding practice on Holman’s field. Instead, they do it on one of the practice fields that’s adjacent to Holman. This means that fans can get as close as the chain-linked fence that surrounds the field to watch all the drills. It’s closer than you’d get even at Fenway. Then, when the players go back to the clubhouse they have to take the same roads that everyone else does, so the roads are lined with fans. It’s even better than the minor leagues. Now THIS is Spring Training.
Right before the game, I went into the Dodgers clubhouse again but this time with the sweatshirt around my waist. Repko screamed at me by name from across the room thanking me. He’s my new favorite Dodger.
In front of the largest crowd EVER at Holman Stadium (9,291) the Dodgers had a tribute for Vin Scully and Jaime Jarrin since this will probably be their last broadcast from Vero Beach. Dice-K looked very shaky at the beginning but settled into a groove after giving up a 3-run homer in the first. Bryan Corey was impressive and Aardsma looked like he had some real life on his fastball (great against the NL, but he better find some other pitches for the AL). Hansack looked OK, but very wild (he gave up a walk, the runner stole second, an out moved him over and a WP scored him).
As for the offense, it sucked. There was one inning where Belli led off with a single, and Cora followed him with another single. Belli rounded 2nd too far and got thrown out trying to retreat. Then Cora got picked off first. The inning ended with 2 hits in 3 at bats. Very strange. For Sox fans interested in other teams, here’s a name to remember: Clayton Kershaw. He’s a southpaw and has great stuff. He made Sean Casey jump back on a curveball that was strike three.
Dice-K spoke to the media after the game. Actually, Dice-K doesn’t really speak. He gets surrounded by the Japanese media and mumbles in Japanese. But while everybody was focused on Dice-K, I found somebody even more interesting off to the side in a black baseball cap and sweater. He looks like any other member of the front-office staff, but he’s a bit different. You see, this front office staffer happens to have the game tying hit in the 9th inning of game four of the 2004 ALCS. Billy seems to be enjoying his new position and I’m really happy for him. Of course if he wanted to join the Sox 25 man roster just to get clutch hits off Rivera, I’d be even happier for him.
Leaving baseball paradise is going to be tough tomorrow, but doing it know that Dodgertown is hosting it’s last class of Dodgers players makes it even harder. After seeing three different Spring Training complexes over these past few days I can easily say that this is what Spring Training is meant to be. It’s a shame that it’ll be gone soon. I know it’s late in the ST season, but if you can, get here now. You won’t be disappointed.
