Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas

Who would have thought when November first began that Dodger fans would have so much to be thankful for?  It all began on November 2nd, when Frank McCourt agreed to sell the Dodgers.  On Nove,ber 17, Clayton Kershaw won the National League Cy Young Award.  Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Matt Kemp signed an eight year, $160 milion deal on November 18. Really, can it get much better than that that?  Absolutely.  Tomorrow the National league MVP Award will be given out, and if Dodger fans had their way, it would go to Matt Kemp.

That would be 20 days of baseball euphoria in Los Angeles.  I honestly am having a hard time finding something to compare it to.  Here we have a down-on-it’s-luck franchise, getting the ultimate gift when a despised owner agrees to sell the city’s beloved franchise, followed quickly by it’s young phenom pitcher receiving the highest award possible, followed by their charismatic and unbelievably talented young outfielder signing a lucrative extension and proclaiming his desire to be a Dodger for life.  It kind of makes you think Matt Kemp is due the MVP doesn’t it?

I so want Matt Kemp to be the MVP.  I want it for him because he had one of best all-around seasons for any baseball player in decades.  I want it for him because he played hard everyday on an average team.  I want it for him because he played the game the way it’s meant to be played: with hard work, class and a fantastic attitude.  But mostly, I want it for Dodger fans…for their support, passion and believe in this club.

But whether or not Matt wins the MVP, I’m thankful.  Thankful that the Dodger organization has turned a corner and that hope is once again on the horizon.  A new owner will soon be in place and we’ll have the opportunity to see Kershaw, Kemp and the others for years to come.

As a baseball fan, you really can’t ask for much more than that.

KeMVP, baby.

Photo credit: Jon SooHoo / 2011 LA Dodgers

Jim Peltz from The Los Angeles Times gives the noticeable drop in attendance at Dodger Stadium this year some focus: attendance is down 7,902 per game, resulting in $27 million in reduced ticket sales, parking and concession revenues, and approximately a 9.4% drop in annual revenue.

Woah.  Now only the Dodgers can tell us what the $27 million actually means for the financial operations of the club (although I think it’s safe to say it doesn’t mean the Dodgers will be a leading candidate to sign Prince Fielder this off-season).  That said, people are staying away.  When the nightly attendance figures are announced for every home game, it’s practically a joke, with writers and fans frequently tweeting about the released number and smaller crowds in the stands.

And yeah, that 7,902 figire represnts the largest drop across Major League Baseball.  In his must-read article for Dodger fans, Peltz notes that the next-biggest attendance drop is the Seattle Mariners, with an average drop of 4,213 per game.

In my opinion, the attendance decline is tied directly to utter disgust with the McCourt ownership group, the Opening Day beating of Bryan Stowe and a lack of financial commitment to fielding a competitive team worthy of the #2 media market in the country.  Put all three of those things together and you have one pissed off fan base that appears to have had it.

The scary thing is, Frank McCourt’s history is to fight to the bitter end, and for Dodger fans, that’s a prospect that should make everyone very, very nervous.

Photo Credit: Kirby Lee / US Presswire

The D-backs have currently won 6 in a row and 9 out of their last 10 games. They are 14-2 since May 14.

Take a look at the striking difference between the turnaround the Diamondbacks have delivered

(as evidenced by the number and margin of their victories) since the beginning of the season:

Diamondbacks Game Results (source: baseball-reference.com)

Now, contrast that with the same data for the Dodgers

:

Dodgers game stats (source: baseball-reference.com)

I am no statistician, but the D-backs clearly have a strong trend going while the Dodgers have had a few peaks during specific series this season (ATL/CHC in April, PIT in May).

In fact, the D-backs performance is even more impressive when you note that 6 of the 8 losses the team has suffered since May 5 were by only one run each.

Can we clone Kershaw and get him active for every start? If not, the Dodgers likely have a long road ahead of them if they are going to snap their mediocre performance to-date.

We all know that seats at Dodger Stadium are pretty easy to come across these days, but that doesn’t make the trip any less expensive with parking and concession costs being what they are. Fortunately, the Dodgers are giving everyone a break on Monday (and doing their best to come up with creative ways to spark attendance) by offering dollar Dodger Dogs for the Memorial Day game against the Rockies.

Looks like there will be a 4 Dodger Dog limit per transaction.

June 15th payroll appears to still be at risk, as the same LA Times blog report indicated that McCourt was still searching for funds to enable him to pay staff and players for June.

Late June becomes even more problematic for the team, as Manny Ramirez is owed more than $6 million in deferred compensation in addition to regular team payroll according to the Times.

Sands is batting .400 (10-for-40) with five home runs and 17 RBIs with an OPS of 1.297 in his 10 games thus far in Albuquerque. While many expected Sands to hone his play in the minors until later in the season, the Dodgers clearly saw a need to try and spark the offense beyond Matt Kemp’s strong performance this season.

From Dodgers.com:

Dodgers management wanted Sands to remain in the Minor Leagues at least until midseason, but his hot bat, coupled with the Major League club’s inconsistent offense, forced the move.

Sands will be sporting number 47 and is slated to bat 7th tonight against Atlanta.

Snider passed away on Feb. 27 at the age of 84.

The event on August 9th will include Snider’s family as part of a pre-game celebration of life and the first 50,000 fans will get a Duke Snider bobblehead.

The Dodgers official press release:

DODGERS TO CELEBRATE THE LIFE
OF HALL OF FAMER DUKE SNIDER
Team to wear a memorial patch in 2011 and host a celebration on Aug. 9,
which will include a bobblehead of the late Dodger outfielder

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers announced today that the team will wear a patch in memory of Hall of Fame outfielder Duke Snider throughout the 2011 season and will host a celebration of his life on Aug. 9 at Dodger Stadium.

The memorial patch (photo attached), will feature Snider’s uniform No. 4 and will be worn on the Dodgers’ home, road and alternate Brooklyn uniforms at every 2011 game beginning tomorrow night when the team opens the season against the San Francisco Giants. Snider’s uniform number was retired on July 6, 1980 and is one of just 10 retired numbers in franchise history.

The club also announced it would celebrate the life of the legendary Dodger outfielder at the Aug. 9 game against the Philadelphia Phillies. The first 50,000 fans in attendance will receive a bobblehead featuring the likeness of Snider, whose family will participate in a special pregame ceremony honoring the franchise’s all-time leading home run hitter. The sixth bobblehead of the season is presented by Kaiser Permanente.

Snider passed away on Feb. 27 at the age of 84. He was born Edwin Donald Snider in Los Angeles, CA on Sept. 19, 1926 and became one of the game’s most feared hitters during his 16 seasons with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers (1947-1962), playing on a pair of World Championship teams (1955 and 1959) and in six World Series overall.

The eight-time All-Star center fielder ranks as the franchise’s all-time leader in home runs (389) and runs batted in (1,271) and during the 1950s, he topped all Major Leaguers with 326 homers and 1,031 RBI. He slugged four home runs in both the 1952 and 1955 World Series.

The last time the Dodgers wore a memorial patch on the team’s uniforms was in 2000 in memory of Snider’s teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Pee Wee Reese. Other memorial patches worn by the Dodgers were done so in tribute to Jim Gilliam (1978), coach Don McMahon (1987), Tim Crews (1993) and a combination patch for Hall of Famers Don Drysdale and Roy Campanella, who passed away within a week of one another in 1993.

Snider is survived by his wife, Bev, children Kevin, Kurt, Pam and Dawna and 10 grandchildren.

Chris and I recently sat down (virtually) with Daniel from C70 At The Bat to discuss The Los Angeles Dodgers upcoming season. Daniel began reaching out to blogs across MLB a few years ago, and his efforts eventually spawned the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, an organization designed to improve the communication and collaboration of bloggers across baseball.

There are several good interviews for many of the teams he’s done thus far, so be sure to take a look