Well now Farmer John is getting it right and focusing their efforts on their signature  product, the iconic Dodger Dog, and partnering with the big dog of the Dodgers’ lineup, Andre Ethier.

Here’s what’s happening: Farmer John has agreed to donate 1,000 pounds of food to the Union Rescue Mission for every home run hit by Ethier during the 2011 regular season. 

 The press release goes on to say, “With every home run carrying meaning to the community, Ethier aims to exceed his 23 home runs from the 2010 season.”  Uh, he better do better than that if he wants to return to form.  Ideally he’ll match his 31 HR in the 2009 season, right?

“To have the opportunity to help those who are less fortunate definitely provides additional motivation during every game,” said Ethier. “I am happy to be teaming up with Farmer John again to help those in need here in Los Angeles for an effort that is close to my heart.”

Lots of great writing from around the web over the past few days.  Unfortunately most of this news isn’t all that positive, but that’s the way it goes some years, right?

- I’m a little late in getting to this, but Bill Shaikin had a thought-provoking look at the on the McCourt divorce saga in yesterday’s LA Times.  Very interesting to see that Commissioner Bud Selig is closely monitoring the situation, but not getting involved at this point.  Also interesting to see the list of potential buyers should the Dodgers come up for sale (my money is on Dennis Gilbert, but that’s just a hunch).

- Ross Newhan has a great story on his blog, looking back at the reporting that was done by him and former LA Times Dodgers’ beat writer Jason Reid on the McCourt’s financial situation when they purchased the team, and what their plans were for the future.

- Tony Jackson from ESPN Los Angeles recaps Clayton Kershaw’s brilliant complete game shutout against the hated San Francisco Giants.  One of the true highlights of the second half of the season.

- Ken Gurnick at MLB.com looks back at the life of Al LaMacchia, the longtime scout for the Dodgers and the man who is credited with Andre Ethier being in Dodger Blue.  Al passed away yesterday at the age of 89.  Old-time scouts are sadly a dying breed, and from all accounts, Al was a suberb baseball man.  Former Dodgers’ GM Fred Claire also wrote a great story on Al and the Ethier deal a few years ago.  Check it out…it’s one that I’ve always loved.

- Answer Dave over at Big League Stew has a rare Q&A with Vin Scully, where he discusses his love for Jolly Ranchers,  his thoughts on Elizabeth Montgomery (from “Bewitched”) and what the Seventh Inning Stretch means to him.  Terrific stuff.

- Jon Weisman gets a jump start on the 2010-2011 offseason and lays out the questions (and they’re big ones) that Ned Colletti & Co. face in the months leading up to Spring Training.  Yikes.

- There’s a lot more going on in Dodgerland, including Asst. GMs Logan White and DeJon Watson interviewing for the open General Manager position with the Diamondbacks.  Neither are rumored to be the current favorities, but the fine folks over at Mike Scioscia’s Tragic Illness brought up a good point: what if Logan or DeJon gets the job and takes the other with him?  What if they take Kim Ng?  Losing one would would be really tough.  Losing more than one would truly be tragic.

Photo Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Look, I’m sure most players have a short list of teams they would love to play for at some point in their career, but that doesn’t mean they are unhappy with their current team.  Plus, Ethier is under contract for two more seasons and I really don’t see Colletti trading one of his best young position players for any package…let alone for a theoretical package of Dice K and a minor league prospect as the article mentions.

Nice try, Boston.

UPDATE: The LA Times’ Dylan Hernandez caught up with Ethier before yesterday’s game and tweeted the following comment from Andre: “I don’t think it makes any sense to comment on something like that.”

Hmm.  Not exactly a denial, is it?  I don’t have any doubt Ethier likes the Red Sox would love to play with his college teammate Dustin Pedroia, but still don’t think this is anything to worry about during the offseason at this point.

Photo Credit: Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2010

The persistent rumor today has the Dodgers talking to the Pirates about starter Paul Maholm.  Per Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

“Maholm, a 28-year-old left-hander is the Pirates’ highest-paid player on the active roster at $4.5 million — second baseman Aki Iwamura is continuing to make his $4.85 million salary in the minors — and he is coming off a three-hit shutout Sunday of the Astros. Overall, he is a team-best 6-7 with a 4.03 ERA.”

Paul Maholm? Eh. The news that the Dodgers are talking to the Pirates about this guy doesn’t get me excited (57 Ks and 40 walks in 114+ innings of work), but he most likely is going to be the type of starting pitcher the Dodgers eventually acquire before the trading deadline.  He won’t cost them a ton in terms of prospects (hopefully), and also won’t cost them that much in terms of salary this season and next year (per a tweet from DodgersFYI, “Maholm is owed $5.75M in ’11 % has a 9.75 club option in ’12 that can increase to $11.05M with a $750k buyout”).  No word yet on who the Dodgers may have to give up to land Maholm.

On the plus side, Ned Colletti told Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times that he’s not planning on moving Matt Kemp:

“I’ve never floated his name,” General Manager Ned Colletti said. “He’s a gifted, five-tool player. He’s getting better and better. He’s had a tough couple of months. It’s a baseball career. It’s not a baseball two months.

“I have no intention of moving him.”

And trading Andre Ethier would be even crazier than trading Matt Kemp, right?  This is lunacy in my book, but Peter Gammons thinks it’s a possibility (per Steve Dilbeck at the LA Times):

“The one team I keep wondering about if they drop a few games back, if the Dodgers start dropping back, would they talk about Andre Ethier. He’s going to make $10-$12 million next year, the coaching staff feels with their bizarre ownership situation, they don’t want to pay Ethier and might trade him now. That would be a fascinating guy to go after.”

More updates to come…

Photo Credit: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

It’s official!  Andre Ethier was elected as a starting outfielder for the 2010 National League All-Star Squad, and Jonathan Broxton was named to the pitching staff by skipper Charlie Manuel.

Dylan Hernandez, the erstwhile beat writer for the Los Angeles Times, caught up with Ethier:

“It’s something I never imagined would happen,” Ethier said. “You fight to try to get here to the major leagues. You get here and to be singled out by the fans as one of the top outfielders is certainly something special.”

The road to the All-Star nod hasn’t been easy for Ethier.  Although he’s batting .320 with 13 home runs and 49 RBI, he’s struggled significantly since coming off the DL with a pinkie injury suffered during batting practice.  Still, the honor was certainly deserved, and it’s nice to see baseball fans across the country honor the Dodgers’ young hitter. 

Jonathan Broxton also arrives at the All-Star game after a recent tough go of things.  Although the two-time All-Star has a 3-0 record with 17 saves and a 2.02 ERA (to go along with 52 strikeouts with just seven walks), he did face some tough innings against the Yankees and the Diamondbacks over the past 1o days.  That said, Broxton is the key to the Dodgers’ bullpen and any struggles are simply a blip on his stellar season.

And while a case could be made for either Rafael Furcal or Hong-Chih Kuo making the team, the worst All-Star snub in my opinion goes to Joey Votto, the first baseman of the Cincinnati Reds.  He’s only hitting .312 with 19 HR and 57 RBI.  The problem is that Votto’s competition, Ryan Howard, plays for the same Phillies manager that picks the reserves, and he went with his guy.  I get it, that’s the way the game is played.  Managers often pick “their guys” and bigger names traditionally win out over regular players like Joey Votto.  That’s who the fans want, right?

My problem is when this happens to a guy who is leading his team this year and is actually a legitimate MVP candidate for the first half of the season.  Those guys deserve to be named All-Stars, and it’s a crime when they don’t get the chance.  I’m no fan of the Cincinnati Reds, but this is just wrong. 

Here’s a little more on the Joey Votto situation from SI.com’s Joe Posnanski:

We’ll have more about the Reds’ Joey Votto in a minute… but the truth basically seems to be that he was left off the list for Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard. Now, THIS YEAR that’s ludicrous. Votto hasn’t just been better than Ryan Howard in every single way possible — but he’s been A LOT better in every single way possible. His on-base percentage is 61 points better, his slugging percentage is 68 points better, his OPS+ is 35 points better, his defense at first base has been about three or four grades better, even his TEAM has been better, which isn’t necessarily relevant to the conversation but certainly can’t hurt the guy.

So, comparing half-season to half-season, this is no contest, Votto is a slam-dunk, no-doubt choice over Howard. But is that really what the All-Star Game is about? You might think so. I might think so. But someone else might think, no, the All-Star Game is about having the biggest stars perform in front of the fans. And over the last five years, Ryan Howard has been a much bigger star than Joey Votto — he has won an MVP and finished second in another year, he has hit more home runs than any player in baseball, he has led the league in RBIs three times, and he has been a central figure in the Phillies’ renaissance. Fan voting is obviously a flawed way of looking at things, but it is true that 500,000 more people voted for Howard than Votto.

Fortunately, fans still have a chance to right this wrong (along with a few others) by taking advantage of the All-Star Final Vote.  Until 1:00 p.m. PT on Thursday, fans can vote on the final addition to each team’s roster.  Hopefully Votto will get what he deserves and will join Ethier and Broxton on the field in Anaheim for the 2010 National League All-Star team.

Photo Credit: Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2010

First up, it was Andre Ethier Bobblehead Night last night!  The first 50,000 fans picked up one of the little guys, and Andre was even cool enough to sign a few autographs for the fans.  Roberto over at Vin Scully Is My Homeboy says that scalpers were outside the stadium asking fans if they wanted to sell their Ethier figurines.  Apparently the going rate was $40.  Crazy!  Here’s the schedule for the remainder of the Dodger Bobblehead Nights…and judging from the traffic numbers, this is a huge deal for many of you!

Next up for Ethier was filming an ESPN Sportscenter commercial this morning.  Josh Rawitch tweeted out this photo of ‘Dre in action, and notes in his blog that the Dodgers Media Network is going to have some behind-the-scenes footage from the shoot up sometime soon, which is cool.  Here a few other notes for the Ethierholics out there:

Well, he’s got an upcoming action figure night (July 8), a poster (Aug. 20) and a few other big time media requests we’ve gotten for him. We’re going to try to bang out most of these while he’s hurt because unfortunately, he can’t play at the moment. But, hopefully he’ll be back soon and by then, who knows, maybe the Dodgers will be on a 23-game winning streak…

Also, on an unrelated note, how great was it to see a newly scruffy Casey Blake come up huge last night, going 3 for 4 with 2 RBI and a homer?  As Steve Dilbeck notes, Blake broke a 2 for22 skid with last night’s effort.  THE BEARD IS BACK!  Looking for my “In Beard We Trust” shirt as we speak so I can wear it to the game tonight.

Finally, I can’t recommend the blog Dodger Divorce enough for all things depressing when it comes to the McCourt v. McCourt legal action.  Josh has a great post up about the latest shady legal maneuverings and breaks it down for the common fan.  A must read every time something happens in the courtroom involving the team.

Looking forward to my first game of the season at Chavez Ravine as a regular fan tonight.  Hope to post a few updates and pics throughout the game.

Photo Credit: Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2010 (Ethier Bobblehead); LA Dodgers 2010 (Ethier Sportscenter)

As has been widely reported, left fielder Andre Ethier broke the first knuckle in the pinkie finger on his right hand while taking batting practice before Saturday night’s game against the San Diego Padres.  Tony Jackson has a report detailing how the injury happened and how the Dodgers subsequently (and correctly) reacted, and another with the Dodgers possible roster moves.

Per Jackson, on Sunday, Ethier traveled back to LA to meet with the Dodgers’ physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache and hand specialist Dr. Steve Shinn. The Dodgers have not released any additional information about Ethier’s condition, but a trip to the 15-day DL might be the likely next step, with Xavier Paul likely taking Ethier’s spot on the roster.  In the meantime, Ethier is wearing a splint on the pinkie.

Of course, this is especially big news for the Dodgers, as Ethier is far and away the team’s most consistent (and clutch hitter) this season, batting .392 with 11 homers and 38 RBIs, leading the National League in all three categories.  Oh, and if you want a quick guide to how Ethier continues to progress in the chase for the Triple Crown, be sure and visit Eric Stephen’s chart on the left sidebar at True Blue LA.

We’re on the story and will report back as soon as any new information is available.

Photo Credit: Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2010

As we all know, each player has their own personal song played when they come to bat during home games at Dodger Stadium.  I don’t think a list of 2010 entrance songs is available yet, but the Dodgers do have the complete 2oo9 list up on their site, and Roberto over at Vin Scully is my Homeboy has audio clips to 17 of them.

Here’s my suggestion: sure Andre Ethier has his regular entrance song (in 2009 it was Tres Delinquents by Delinquent Habits), but shouldn’t he also have a seperate song for when he comes to bat with a game-winning hit on the line?  No player has been as clutch at the plate as Ethier, rightfully earning him the 2009 Pepsi Clutch Performer of the Year award.

Ethier, who has nine career walk-off hits, with six coming in 2009 (including a Major League record four walk-off home runs) did it again on Friday night, delivering the game winning hit in the bottom of the 10th inning to beat the Diamondbacks.  Simply incredible stuff, right?

Here’s my thought: the Dodgers should honor him with a special entrance song whenever he comes up to bat in the bottom of the ninth or later when the game hangs in the balance.  Something that symbolizes the moment.  Let us know what you think Dodger fans, and submit your suggestions!

And I had to include the picture below of Slash rocking the National Anthem and God Bless America during Thursday night’s game.  How cool is that?

Photo Credit: Juan Ocampo/LA Dodgers 2010

And the Dodgers powered through the game, knocking in four home runs, more than doubling their total from the first six games of the season.  Manny Ramirez, Casey Blake, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier all contributed bombs.  It wasn’t perfect as the bullpen once again struggled to maintain the lead they were given by starter Clayton Kershaw, but everything ended well. as the Dodgers survived with an 9-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Rather than recapping the game as many other fine Dodger bloggers have already done today, we wanted to share some of today’s great moments, as captured by Dodgers photographer Jon SooHoo. Enjoy!

Rihanna shows her support for Matt Kemp after he homers against the Diamondbacks

Kemp and Ethier proudly show off their Silver Slugger awards

Manager Joe Torre talks on the phone prior to the game

Matt Kemp and his Gold Glove award following the game

Pitcher Hiroki Kuroda and members of the media check out his locker

Photo Credit: Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2010

Photo Credit: Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2010