Dodgers' Pen Mightier; Than The _____? [S-Word]

rbnlaw's favorite ESPN pundit, Buster Olney, has the Dodgers' 2013 bullpen ranked seventh in the majors (the Giants slot in at number five) (link insider only):

7. Los Angeles Dodgers

J.P. Howell agreed to terms with the Dodgers on Friday, another good piece to an already deep bullpen; the left-hander saw his velocity increase markedly in the 2012 season, in his first full year back from shoulder surgery, to the point that his highest radar gun reading came in his last appearance of the season. Don Mattingly's weapons include Brandon League (who posted a 2.30 ERA for the Dodgers after being acquired from Seattle), Kenley Jansen (99 strikeouts in 65 innings despite some heart issues) and Ronald Belisario.

The force of the pens is strong with the NL West, with the Padres coming in ninth and the Diamondbacks in eleventh ("10a"). I'm still waiting for the top ten on flush-free urinals by MLB club, Buster.

Sarah McLachlan and The Plight of Pau Gasol

Via Deadspin, Ballerball Films' video and the post, "Pau Gasol Needs To Be Rescued From The Lakers, And Sarah McLachlan Is Here To Help"

JP Howell and SoSG

Turns out that new reliever J.P. Howell has a lot in common with us here at Sons of Steve Garvey. Picture if you will, a monkey named...Dangles.

Dangles is inspired from a gift Heather Hennessy-Howell received from her husband, J.P. Howell, who is a Major League Baseball pitcher. The book shares the tales of their true-life adventures and travels shared with the beloved monkey.

Inspired by fellow Son Nomo and his reference to Howell's wife, Heather Hennessy, it looks like there will be even more monkeying around next year with the Dodgers.

Bring it on! Dangles, unchained!

Oh, and about that wife:

Dodgers Sign Millionaire Howell

Rather than casting anyone away, the Dodgers are still signing people up: in this case, former Tampa Ray J.P. Howell:

Left-hander J.P. Howell has agreed to a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers for is $2.85 million in base salary, plus performance bonuses, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.

Howell, 29, had a 3.04 ERA in 50 1/3 innings last season out of the bullpen with the Tampa Bay Rays. He had success against left-handed hitters, who batted a mere .200 against him.

The reliever spent seven seasons with the Rays, posting a 21-22 record with 21 saves and a 4.42 ERA.

Howell joins Brandon League as the second major addition to the Dodgers' bullpen this offseason. League agreed to a three-year deal worth $22.5 million in November.

Actually, League was with the team last year, but I guess ESPN's other "sources" hadn't caught that point yet. More from the Dodgers:

The Dodgers want a veteran lefty because Scott Elbert is returning from elbow surgery and Paco Rodriguez has only one month of Major League experience. Those are the only other lefty relievers on the 40-man roster.

Howell, who attended Southern Cal and the University of Texas at Austin, was a first-round pick of the Royals in 2004 and was traded to the Rays in 2006.

With about 96 people on the roster at this point, spring training is going to be awesome. I can't wait.

One More ESPN Top Ten: Dodgers Sixth Overall; Giants In Catbird Seat

Building off of Buster's more granular assessments, Olney came up with his overall top ten teams ranking for the 2013 season. And the Dodgers end up sixth (link insider only):

6. Los Angeles Dodgers

NL evaluator: "A tremendous rotation and outfield (if their health keeps), Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez, a good bullpen -- and tons of money."

Ah yes, the money thing again. That's certain to be a common cliched harangue (though not a Harang) this year from the national baseball press (both Olney and that other guy).

But in fact, Olney got some yips over his choice of the Giants as the favored ones for 2013:

After the initial power rankings column was posted, with the Giants at No. 1, I got a lot of feedback from readers wondering why I had San Francisco at No. 1, rather than Washington or Detroit or the Dodgers or Reds. Some readers felt that given the questions about Tim Lincecum and other parts of the team, San Francisco doesn't appear to be as good on paper as some other teams.

In my opinion: After winning two titles in the past three years, they've earned the credit we should give them -- and it's evident that the Giants have become very adept at playing in close games, from the depth of their bullpen to the ability of manager Bruce Bochy to maneuver. They may not be as dynamic as the 1976 Reds or the 1927 Yankees, but they've been the best team in the National League playing in close games, and this cannot be dismissed as just luck; it's a trait.

Justin Havens of ESPN Stats & Information dug out these numbers:

In one-run postseason games over the past three years, the Giants are 8-1, which is in keeping with their regular-season success in close games. The Giants are 91-66 in one-run games over the past three regular seasons, which is the second-best mark by win percentage over that span (to Baltimore). It is first, however, in total wins.

Most Wins in One-Run Games (2010-12)

• Giants 91
• Reds 87
• Twins 84
• Phillies 82
• Orioles 80

In total, the Giants have a .580 win percentage in one-run games over the past three seasons, while the other 29 teams cumulatively have a .497 win percentage.

I thought that the general rule was that one-run wins, like BABIP, would revert to the mean over time. I'm still thinking this is the Dodgers' division to win in 2013.

Congrats, George!

Not a bad year for George Lucas. First he announced his plans to donate billions to education, and now he's engaged to a lady 25 years his junior.

• George Lucas Engaged to Mellody Hobson (People)

photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images

Sizing Up The 2013 Dodgers

It's Top Ten season for ESPN.com's Buster Olney. And the Dodgers don't end up too bad, all things considered.

First up, the pitching rotations. And Buster Olney places ours third in the majors: (link insider only):

3. Los Angeles Dodgers

Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Josh Beckett, Chad Billingsley, Ted Lilly/Chris Capuano/Aaron Harang/Hyun-Jin Ryu. For Greinke and Beckett, this is the perfect situation, because they don't have the burden of being The Guy. Kershaw is the National League's best pitcher and he fully embraces all that comes with being the staff leader, from the media responsibilities to those moments when retaliation is needed. Greinke and Beckett can just worry about pitching, which is probably how they prefer it to be. The reason the Dodgers are ranked third -- and not higher -- is that it's not really clear what Don Mattingly is going to get out of Billingsley, Lilly or the starting pitcher who isn't dealt.

Linchpin guy: Beckett. Like other veteran starters who have moved from the AL to the NL, he should benefit from the shift, and Beckett is smart and savvy enough to be able to take advantage of those weakest spots at the bottom of the lineup. Beckett had a 2.93 ERA in his seven starts with the Dodgers, after being acquired from Boston, and now he gets a full-season reset button. He could be excellent. It's evident from Beckett's FanGraphs data that he relied a lot more on his cutter in his last few starts; it's a small sample size, but his strikeouts-per-9 ratio jumped from 6.64 with the Red Sox to 7.95 with the Dodgers.

Olney's got Detroit and Washington ahead of us, with only the Giants mentioned from the rest of the NL West (ninth).

Next up, the outfield, where the Dodgers rank fourth (link also insider only):

4. Los Angeles Dodgers

It's the outfield with the most star power, for sure: Matt Kemp in center, flanked by Carl Crawford in left field and Andre Ethier in right. Kemp was plagued by injuries and limited to 106 games, and still managed to hit .303 with 23 homers, and Ethier finished the season with 20 homers and 89 RBIs. Crawford missed almost all of last season with elbow trouble before having Tommy John surgery, and he may not be ready for the very beginning of the 2012 season. If each of the three match their best seasons from the past, this group could be the best in the majors, with power, speed and defense. But a significant factor will be how Ethier and Crawford fare against the parade of left-handers they will see, especially in the later innings of games.

Ethier had an OPS of .606 versus lefties last season, and Crawford had even worse numbers (OPS of .566) against lefties while playing for Boston in 2011. Kemp did a ton of damage against lefties last year, with a 1.105 OPS, and the Dodgers will need him to continue that trend, because he's going to see a ton of lefties while hitting among Crawford, Ethier and Adrian Gonzalez.

Something to remember: The Dodgers' payroll is going to be far beyond the luxury tax, and the team's management has a distinct win-or-bust, Steinbrenneresque style of operation right now. If Crawford or Ethier struggle against lefties and the Dodgers suffer in the standings, it's hard to imagine the front office waiting patiently for them to figure out their swings. They're more likely to pursue a right-handed-hitting outfielder who can help balance the lineup -- which might explain why they were open to retaining Shane Victorino for 2013.

The unknown of Crawford is the key, clearly. Although a fully-healthy Kemp and a consistent performance from Ethier would also come in handy. Victorino? Come on.

Oh yeah, the Angels, Nationals, and A's are ahead of us, with the Diamondbacks at #9.

Infield? We didn't make the top ten (link insider only, if by now you haven't figured this out). Washington snagged #8, and the Giants finagled #9.

Nor did we place in today's post, the top ten lineups. Angels lead the pack, with the Nationals fifth and the Rockies seventh.

Well, two out of four ain't bad (though the Nationals certainly look pretty good, on Olney's paper). The Angels only placed in two of the four top ten lists as well. Let's see how we fare in Olney's next sets of top tens (peanut vendors, concession stand line lengths, and flush-free urinals).

Giants @ Dodgers April 1 Gets ESPN Audience

Jim Bowden over at ESPN just walked down the hall to give us this news:

Los Angeles Dodgers 2013 season opener vs. San Francisco Giants scheduled to be on @espn #ESPN

— JIM BOWDEN (@JimBowdenESPNxm) January 3, 2013

I'm a little surprised we beat out Padres / Mets, but okay. I'm still going to be there in person, anyway.

FanFest Reloaded

It must have been a success when they did it last year because it's coming back, and soon:

Date: Saturday, January 26, 2013
Time: 11am-5pm
Location: Dodger Stadium, Lot 6

Join the Dodgers for the 2013 FanFest! FanFest is a free event featuring player autographs, on-stage interviews, a Kids Zone, interactive games, music, and more! Parking Gate C (Golden State Entrance off of Academy Rd via Stadium Way) will open at 10:00am to cars for FanFest.

Are you a Season Ticket Holder? Bring your MVP or other STH proof and get into FanFest at 10:30am!

INDIVIDUAL TICKET ON SALE
January 26th is the first day of individual ticket sales! Tickets to all 81 Dodger home games will be available, including Opening Day, Angels, Yankees, and Red Sox games. Parking gates A (Sunset Gate at Sunset and Elysian) and E (Downtown Gate by the 110 fwy) will open at 6:30am for fans interested in purchasing individual tickets. Fans will receive wristbands as they enter Lot G to determine purchase order. Fans MUST receive a wristband by 8:30am if they want to purchase tickets for Opening Day.

SEASON TICKET OPEN HOUSE
Interested in Season Tickets? Meet a sales rep at the Field Level entrance starting at 7am and see season ticket and mini plan locations for the 2013 season!

Linkin' In the New Year

"Hey, gimme five! Get it? Because I'm on the — oh, never mind."
The hot stove has cooled and spring training feels like it's miles away, so here are some links to help you get your Dodgers fix:

• Eric Stephen kicks off his review of the 1988 Dodgers with some obscure bench player. 1988 Dodgers player profile: Kirk Gibson, the shot in the dark (True Blue LA)
  
• Mike Petriello looks at some of the unsexier moves the Dodgers could make soon. The Dodger Offseason Isn’t Close To Being Over (MSTI)
  
• Mark Saxon wonders if the Dodgers should take a different approach. Should Dodgers just hoard their pitching? (ESPNLA)
  
• Ken Gurnick profiles new bullpen coach Chuck Crim. Christmas comes early for new LA 'pen coach Crim (Dodgers.com)
  
• Ernest Reyes digs up some vintage videos for us, including a couple of Vin Scully hosting a game show. Sunday Dodgers Videos: Drysdale and Durocher in The Beverly Hillbillies and Vin Scully in "It Takes Two" (Blue Heaven)
  

In Which We Pound Sterling

...for hiring monkeys to create his newspaper advertisements. From the print edition of today's LA Times (the ad measures 10"x7"):

That's some vintage Donald Sterling copy right there. Confusingly unhyphenated terms? Check. Redundant $/dollar use? Check. Baffling conflation of condominium and apartment? Check.

And the kicker: Too cheap to purchase rights to a stock photo? Check.

Happy New Year!

New Dodgers Owner Brings his 'Magic' to Chavez Ravine

Here's an article about ticket trends from our ticket partners at TiqIQ:

From 2010 to 2011, the Dodgers fell from third to 11th in the league in ticket sales, despite winning more games in the latter season. Revenue fell by an estimated $27 million dollars. With even fewer people showing up to the stadium than those buying tickets. In just one year, average attendance at Dodger Stadium had dropped from 43,979 to 36,236; the largest decline in baseball and lowest such figure for the team since 2000.

This past season, Dodgers tickets on the secondary market jumped in average-- from $45 to $49. Although there was no real improvement in the win column-- attendance bounced back up to fifth across baseball. This still pales in comparison to basketball in Los Angeles. At the start of the season, Lakers tickets averaged $362, while Clippers tickets averaged $123.

While some of the improvement in attendance can be chalked up to Dodgers playoff hopes lasting longer into the season as a result of the addition of a second wildcard spot, the real draw may have been something completely unrelated to baseball itself. Just as the 2012 season began, Guggenheim Baseball Partners closed on the purchase of the Dodgers for an unprecedented $2.15 billion dollars—the most expensive franchise sale in the history of pro sports. Among the partners is none other than Los Angeles legend, Magic Johnson.

A good barometer by which to judge Magic’s impact on the Dodgers would be to look at the A.L. team with which the Dodgers share their city. Despite the buzz around Pujols and young star Mike Trout, Angels attendance fell for the third consecutive season in 2012, and sixth time in the past seven years.

According to TiqIQ, the average Angels tickets on opening day last year cost $59 dollars. Currently, the average Angels ticket for opening day this year will cost $55 dollars. Conversely, the average Dodgers opening day ticket price has increased tremendously, from $49 to $77 dollars.

It becomes apparent that Magic in the owner’s box means more to L.A. fans than Hamilton in the outfield.

GAME. OF. THE. YEAR.

Cause most of you have gifts to return, I'll keep it short. Last night, at 1am, I watched the 4th Quarter of the New Mexico Bowl. (Yes, it was played weeks ago, but you didn't know that either. It was the most exciting "I couldn't give a s--t" game I've witnessed in years.

Even though the only thing I know about New Mexico is they love crystal meth...

..And I think Gildan manufactures t-shirts or some crap...

... when it comes to a football shootout like this, the teams and the field don't matter a dang. A snapshot of just the scoring plays from the 4th Quarter gives you a sense of the game's madness:

Onside kick. TWO touchdowns in 46 seconds. Oye, vut a game. I'm sure it will re-air on ESPN6 at 3am. Pop open a Red Bull & Espresso cocktail and give it a watch.

All Andruw Jones wants for Christmas...

... is a good lawyer.

Sounds like SoSG's favorite punching (meat) bag has been a naughty boy this Christmas. From NY Post:

ATLANTA -- Jail records show that former Yankees center fielder Andruw Jones is free on bond after being arrested in suburban Atlanta on a battery charge.

Gwinnett County Detention Center records say Jones was booked into the county jail around 3:45 a.m. Tuesday and had been released on $2,400 bond by 11 a.m.

No one was available at the Gwinnett County sheriff's office to give details about the circumstances surrounding his Christmas Day arrest. Once one of the premier players in the big leagues, Jones broke into the majors with the Atlanta Braves in 1996 and won 10 consecutive Gold Gloves from 1998-07 as their center fielder. He has 434 career home runs over 17 seasons in the majors. Jones played the past two seasons with the Yankees as a reserve.

Jones signed a $3.5 million, one-year contract with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan's Pacific League earlier this month

It's a shame this didn't happen during his time with the Dodgers - he would have missed whoever he swung at by a mile. Hey-O.

Merry Christmas, SoSG Fans

It's been a pretty quiet holiday here at SoSG HQ. Have a safe Christmas, and here's hoping Santa brought you something better and more fashionable than these horrific uniforms, which look like F-League practice jerseys (I have a feeling they're reversible too in case the players pick new teams in the second half).

photo: Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports

Christmas with SoSG

Looking for that perfect, cheap-ass last second gift? Official SoSG-approved Philadelphia soul artists HALL & OATES are $1.99.

Now you can share our theme music from multiple baseball road trips. Along with this litte ditty...

Making a Smonkery of the Holidays

Thanks to Mr. F for this holiday update on our favorite sock monkey!

Third Base!

Happy Holidays, all you SoSG-maniacs.

Farewell, John Ely

The Elymania era in Los Angeles has come to a close.

Astros Aquire John Ely (mlbtraderumors.com)

We'll always have 2010. And Matthew McConaughey jokes.

And what of Rob Rasmussen, the guy we got for Ely? Well, at 5'10", he stands a good chance of becoming one of the few pitchers to qualify for MSB status.

UPDATE: Rasmussen, a former starter for UCLA, seems pretty stoked to be coming back to L.A. (Though, likely by way of ABQ.)

Speechless/incredibly excited to be a Dodger, truly a dream come true!

— Rob Rasmussen (@RasmussenRob) December 19, 2012

Image: milb.com

In Appreciation of Dale Murphy

Via Deadspin comes this cool doodle by Tyson Murphy, son of former Brave Dale Murphy, who is on the Hall of Fame ballot for what is likely the last time this year:

Awesome. I remember Dale Murphy being one of the Dodgers' foils growing up, and although I'm not sure if he's a Hall of Famer, I'm sure he's in the hall of fame for one of his most important fans. That's much cooler, in my book.

I'm in the Christmas spirit, peoples!