After two seasons in Dodger Blue Kenta Maeda finally made it to a Lakers game. Here he is above with Dodger translator Will Ireton (wearing the Lakers Lucha Libre mask) and friend, via Maeda's Instagram. He wrote:
My first @lakers and NBA game was a success! Had a great time and it was even better with a Laker win!For the sake of the Lakers season I think he needs to go more often. Below are more links to check out:
- This Day in Dodgers History: In 1958 the Dodgers officially became the Los Angeles Dodgers, Inc. In 2006 the Dodgers signed Japanese pitcher Takashi Saito to a free agent minor league contract. Saito made the Opening Day roster and would quickly become a fan favorite. That first season he would record 24 saves with an 2.07 ERA, 1.87 FIP and come in 8th place in Cy Young voting.
- Happy Birthday, Tom Daly, Mel Almada, Cy Moore, Art Jones, Johnny Werhas & Burt "Happy" Hooton!
- Scott Cash at 13 News Now shares an video interview with Chris Taylor. Check that out here.
- Per David Hood and Eric Stephen at True Blue LA; "Dodgers 2018 top prospects: No. 16, Gavin Lux."
Despite what looks on the surface like a rude introduction to full season ball, Gavin Lux’s first season in the minors had enough silver linings to be optimistic still about his future. While Lux did little to assuage fears of a potentially low ceiling for a prep prospect, especially on offense, he still managed to do enough in the second half to warrant an possible promotion to High-A to start 2018. The biggest challenge for Lux going forward will be changing the way the former Dodgers’ first-round pick impacts the ball at the plate, hoping to lift more flies next year to improve a rather lackluster BABIP.
- Via Stephen Dravis at iBerkshire; "Berkshire Baseball Artifact Heads to Hall of Fame."
Since 2016, the exhibit, now housed at the Berkshire Mall (Lanesborough, MA), has displayed a 1957 Brooklyn Dodgers jacket worn by Dalton's Ed Ladley during his playing days.On Feb. 13, Ladley will donate that piece of history to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y.
"Two months ago, the Hall of Fame came out with an article talking about the rookie teams the New York teams had in the '50s," Baseball in the Berkshires' co-founder and curator Larry Moore said this week. "Of course, it mentioned the Dodgers' rookie team. I gave them a call and asked if they had a Dodgers rookie jacket in their collection. They said they didn't.
- Matt Borelli at Dodger Blue tells us that both Justin Turner and Alex Wood have thrown their two cents in regarding the current dispute between the MLBPA and MLB.
- Via Rich Mueller at Sports Collectors Daily; "Shohei Ohtani Signed Cards Coming to 2018 Bowman," and there are pics to prove it.
- As you surely know, John Mahoney, the famed grouchy father in the show Frasier, recently passed away over the weekend at the age of 77. In homage, Blowout Buzz tells us a bit about a group of Baseball cards made for the film Eight Men Out that feature him. Check that out here. Below is just one of six that exist.
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