And You Thought The Dodgers' Promotional Schedule Was Uninspired

Sure, the Dodgers abandoned the peg-warming action figure idea from 2010. But the Mariners are actually giving away stadium-based compost this year to fans. Via Big League Stew:

If you think about it, most ballpark giveaways aren't very eco-friendly. Cheap caps, thin T-shirt and flimsy seat cushions are inevitably thrust to the back of a closet and then they find a landfill a few years later. Not exactly a good use of resources.

The Seattle Mariners are trying to change that process this year, however, with an unusual series of "compost night" giveaways that will end up helping the environment.

Yes, instead of getting the usual Ichiro bobblehead for their desks at work, Mariners fans will head home with bags of soil matter and fertilizer that will hopefully grow their gardens at home (and not, say, end up on the field as a form of protest during another 100-loss season by the Mariners).

Even better, the compost will be made up of garbage that fans left behind during previous games at Safeco Field.

So let me think about this. The Dodgers have all those flush-free urinals on the field level now...

...don't even think about it, Drew McCourt.

STGT: March 25, SS @ D'backs, 1p

Today's game against the Diamondbacks will benefit the Christina-Taylor Green Memorial Fund. Christina, the daughter of Dodgers scout John Green, was killed in last month's attack on Gabrielle Giffords. From the fund's website:

The Christina-Taylor Green Memorial Fund was established at the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona by the family to receive gifts in memory of Christina-Taylor. "Our family has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love for our sweet Christina. This charitable fund will ensure her legacy for the children in our community," said John Green, Christina's father.

Round 3, 2nd Half: Comment-Time!

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Half-time scores:

• Dusto Magnifico leads Greg Hao by 2:14
• Erin leads FB by 0:10
• Neeebs leads Steve K by 5:39
• Dr Geek leads Quad by 0:28

Poll: Which Spice Girl Will Keep The Win Streak Alive?

You guys have seen the results of the last three non-split-squad spring training games. Whenever we have a picture of a Spice Girl, the Dodgers win.

Posh Tuesday? WIN. Ginger Wednesday? WIN. Sporty Thursday? WIN. That's a lot of #WINNING, even for Charlie.

Today's split-squad games don't count, so you've got some time to think about it. We've got only two Spice Girls left, so your choice is binary. Which Spice Girl should get the nod next?

Which Spice Girl should go fourth, in order to keep the Dodgers' win streak alive?
	Baby Spice
	Scary Spice

At Least James Loney Has A Warm (and Cozy) Sense Of Humor

Here's the link to a mlb.com video of James Loney "modeling" a Dodgers sleeved blanket.

It's a SNUGGIE for Pete's sake! How can Loney keep a straight face?

SoSG Sax is planning on attending this game (giveaway is Sunday April 3). I can't wait.

Look for the Dodgers sleeved blanket up on ebay Monday April 4. And pay no attention to the mustard stains.

Down Goes Dioner

Make room for another (large) Dodger on the DL: Dioner Navarro suffered a strained oblique yesterday in BP:

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Dodgers backup catcher Dioner Navarro suffered what might be a strained oblique during batting practice Thursday, possibly opening a roster spot for surprise candidate Hector Gimenez.

Navarro, who signed a one-year, $1 million contract this offseason to spell starter Rod Barajas, felt pain in his right side while taking batting practice. He was to start behind the plate in Thursday's game with the Rockies, but instead went for an MRI.

"I don't know what to tell you," Navarro said, as the club awaited the results. "It's the first time for me, so I can't tell you how bad it is. It doesn't seem to be that bad. I felt it on a swing, and as soon as I felt it I shut it down. I didn't want to aggravate it more than it was."

Well, I'm aggravated enough. I was listening to a game the other day on the ride home, and Steve Lyons was going off on how Navarro has worked hard to improve his footwork and "re-establish his legacy" this season. One can only do such re-establishing if one is playing, however.

STPGT: Dodgers 7, Rockies 5

AJ Ellis hits a three-run walkoff HR in the ninth to win the game, 7-5. The Dodgers were down 5-0 going to the ninth.

Clearly, this Spice Girls thing is working. Maybe we should file this away for the regular season?

NCAA Tourney Open Thread: Sweet 16 Day 1

Eight teams, four games today, starting with SDSUconn and BYU/FLA, and then continuing on 'Zona/Duke and ButtWhizz. In case you guys are getting tired of the Dodgers' spring training game, feel free to fire away. Jimmer Fredette sure will be.

Round 3, 1st Half: Comment-Time!

The Elite Eight begins!

ESPN the Magazine Predicts 2011 Dodgers' Mediocrity

The good news is, the MLB Preview 2011 issue of ESPN the Magazine (April 4, 2011) showed up in my mailbox today. It's so new, i can't even find a picture of it on the ESPN.com website (which is quite unlike Time Warner's curious strategy of sending its magazines to airport newsstands three days before it arrives in home subscribers' mailboxes).

The bad news is, the outlook ain't good for the Dodgers.

Buster Olney picks the Giants to not only win the NL West, but to take the World Series over the Red Sox. Might he be sniffing the shoe polish that Brian Wilson affixes to his beard?

Here's Olney's hackneyed, surprisingly uninsightful take on the NL West:

The Giants and Padres battled until the final day of the season in 2010, but the race won't be nearly as dramatic in 2011. Why? Because San Francisco will have catcher [Oyster Pubes] and lefthander Madison Bumgarner on the Opening Day roster. They were two of baseball's most productive rookies in 2010, despite spending more than the first six weeks of the season in the minors. San Diego will again be better than expected because of its ability to prevent runs, but only two teams have the upside to challenge for the Giants: the Rockies, if Ubaldo Jimenez can continue to refine the art of pitching at high altitude; and the Dodgers assuming Matt Kemp's 2010 season (.249 batting average) was a bump on the road to superstardom. Kemp's yearlong romance with Rihanna ended in December, so we can assume he's no longer distracted by the pop star.

Are we still rehashing the Matt Kemp-Rihanna breakup? I mean, the LA Times' Dylan Hernandez has moved on, noting Kemp has showed up to camp in excellent shape, with new Dodgers coach Davey Lopes providing a positive influence. Ken Gurnick over at mlb.com notes Kemp's sharpened focus, as well.

Has Olney turned into Jay Leno, forced to rely upon outdated material?

Here's the predicted finishes, courtesy of Dan Szymborski of Baseball Think Factory:

Giants, 88-74
Rockies, 86-76
Padres, 83-79
Dodgers, 80-82
Diamondbacks, 73-89

Aim high, boys!

They also project the Dodgers' offense to be fourth in the NL West: "Power outage: not one starter is pegged to slug higher than .500 this season." On the slightly more positive side, the Dodgers' pitching ranks third: "This may be the year Clayton Kershaw enters the Cy Young conversation. Finally."

And one last bit from DIamondbacks pitcher Ian Kennedy: "Best looking fans? I don't know personally, but the bullpen guys say LA, and they have a lot of spare time."

At least we've got our good looks.

STGT: March 24 vs Rockies, 1p

Are the Dodgers feeling Sporty enough to take their third game in a row? Well, consider this: the Dodgers haven't lost a non-split-squad game since Monday, March 14, a week and a half ago. And with Matt Kemp homering and Ted Lilly pitching six strong in yesterday's 6-2 win, I'm thinking Los Angeles has all the momentum coming into today's interdivisional rival matchup.

A Saxless Dodgers Opening Day in 2011

Some time during the torrential rains this Sunday, I went to the closet to grab a rag to mop up some of the water. And there in the stack lay the ripped shreds of a t-shirt from one of my earliest Dodger Stadium Opening Days:

Opening Day 2004, the Dodgers ended up getting smoked by the Padres, 8-2. Hideo Nomo lasted only five innings and gave up 7 ER, and the Dodgers were beaten by Brian Lawrence despite a Shawn Green HR. The shirt's logo design is pretty ugly, with its goofy elongated "g" and "y" letters extending the length of their respective words, and a sunset-like color scheme which is completely discordant with a 1pm start time.

But I recall wearing the shirt with pride--until the holes finally rendered it useless for normal wear and it was sacrificed to the rag pile--because it was OPENING DAY. Sure, the Dodgers went on that year to win the division outright, despite getting swept almost swept in the playoffs (thanks Lima Time). But that wasn't what made it special; playing hooky, on a Monday, just to spend a day out in the sun and enjoying the afternoon in the world's most beautiful outdoor cathedral: now this is living.

I have made the last seven Opening Days at Dodger Stadium without fail, skipping work without reservation, because it is my right as a Dodger fan. It doesn't matter how good or bad the team might be. Opening Day is a day of hope, a day of promise, a day when no player can do all that poorly ("he just had an off-day") but the player stands to gain immortal upside (imagine ending the day with a 1.000 batting average--like Jason Grabowski did in 2004). It's a wonderful, magical time to be at the Stadium.

The bunting alone adorning the periphery of the field is both patriotic and elegant. The lawn has never looked greener. The Dodger Dogs have never tasted better.

The Opening Day experience at Dodger Stadium ROCKS.

And this year, I'm missing out. I have tickets, but I can't go (don't worry, the tickets are spoken for). And though the cause is noble and just, the sacrifice of the streak is sad and disappointing.

I am taking solace in the fact that a 5pm start time won't be the same as a full day at the Stadium, which usually ends with a sun-bleached and dehydrated SoSG Steve Sax coming back home for a huge dinner and barbecue with family and friends. Never mind that beating the Giants on national television would be heroic. I'm trying to tell myself that missing the game won't be that bad. I can pick up the Opening Day shirt for half-price at year's end, right (which I always swear to myself I will do the next year, after seeing the stack of unsold shirts in the offseason; yet in the excitement and pageantry of the actual Opening Day game itself, I always end up paying full-price like an idiot).

So one week from now, for those of you lucky cats who get to attend: have a blast. I'll make it out to the Opening Series. Until then, root, root root for the home team. And have a beer this year for me.

Earlier:

• Opening Day 2010: Recaps and photos here, here, and here.
• Opening Day 2009: Recaps and photos here and here.
• Opening Day 2008: Brand-spanking new urinals found here.
• Opening Day 2007: Recaps, photos, and a disastrous new parking system introduction here and here.

Rushin on Garvey

From "A first pack of baseball cards creates a lifetime memory" by Steve Rushin at SI.com:

There was one star in that first pack of Topps -- the horizontal card of Steve Garvey, who I would come to think of as perpetually horizontal, a mental image abetted by Garvey's multiple paternity suits.

STGT: March 23 @ White Sox, 1p

The Dodgers beat the Cubs 2-1 yesterday, meaning we turn our superstitious eyes to our new lucky spring training charm, which is apparently...a Spice Girl.

In Dodger player news:

• trending: Scott Elbert
• trending: Tim Redding
• mending: Vicente Padilla
• mending: Casey Blake
• bending: Eugenio Velez
• pretending: Jamey Carroll

They're Dropping Like Flies, Even On Bunt Singles

Down goes Eugenio Velez:

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Dodgers non-roster infielder Eugenio Velez sustained a grade 2 right ankle sprain in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Cubs.

A grade 2 sprain indicates partial tearing of the ligament, and he is likely to be out weeks rather than days. Velez said he has never had an ankle sprain.

"It's as good as it can be," said manager Don Mattingly. "It looked bad. I thought he may have broken that thing."

Velez turned the ankle badly when he stepped on the side of the first-base bag trying to veer away from a collision with former Dodger Blake DeWitt while running full speed at the end of a bunt play in the seventh inning.

X-rays revealed no broken bones, and Velez left the clubhouse on crutches.

Meanwhile, Blake DeWitt continues to haunt us. Swell. Get well soon, Eugenio!

Another Not A Comment-Time Post

Just the results. But Round 3's tee'd up...

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Sax's Bracket Part 2: I'm Still Standing

From my 99.8th percentile start (after 8 games*), I was rolling along. And now, after 48 games, I'm still holding on to an A- grade in the class (91.0th percentile):

440 points is good enough for third place among this motley crew, with Josh "Chocolate" Schippe and Gabriel Bustos "Move" in the lead (and tied with "Young" MC). Unlike Mr. Customer, however, my champion is still alive...

Earlier: Sax's Bracket: It's All Downhill From Here

(*) I am not counting those silly four play-in games, despite the NCAA's attempt to brand the first weekend as the "second and third round". Please.

Friday I'm In Fairly Strong Dislike, Burgeoning Lack Of Interest

One last one, as the 15-minute bell rings:

There's a tune in there somewhere, and I'll be damned if I'm not going to find it!

And with all due respect to the title riff, the original (embedding disabled). There, that should get a real hook stuck in your head.

Round 2, 2nd Half: Comment-Time!

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Results from Round 2 1st half:

Junkanoo Regional

• Greg leads Paul by 4:35
• Dusto Magnifico leads Spank by 1:39

Mauby Fizzz Regional

• FB leads Pistol PR by ??
• Erin leads Mr F by 0:22

Skinka Regional

• Steve K leads Jason by 0:18
• Neeebs leads Keven C by 3:31

Slow Cow Regional

• Dr Geek leads Loney Fan by 1:08
• QuadSevens leads C Valley Fan by 0:18

If A Home Run Is Hit At Camelback Ranch, Does It Make A Sound?

Sorry for missing this story this past weekend; Steve Dilbeck of the LA Times notes that the Dodgers' spring training attendance has fallen more than any other team this year, from a magnitude perspective.

The Dodgers are playing to a lot of empty seats this spring.

They need to figure out a way to computer generate some bodies in the stands at Camelback Ranch for the TV cameras. A stadium that holds 13,000 is a step away from embarrassing when it’s less than half full, which it often has been this spring.

Maybe the Arizona novelty for Dodgers fans has worn off. Maybe it’s a result of a losing season or a state hit hard by the recession. Or just possibly, it’s a weariness with ownership.

Either way, Dodgers’ attendance has plummeted this spring. Last year the Dodgers averaged a record 11,589 in 17 home games. This spring, through 10 games, they are averaging 6,645.

That’s a stunning difference of 4,944 -- or a 42.3% drop.

The Angels are still "ahead" of us from a percentage perspective--their attendance has fallen by 50% while ours is only a scant 42% over prior year--but really, do we need to be ahead of the Angels to feel good about ourselves?

When you consider that spring training requires more "walk-up" ticket purchases, as a percentage of the total ticket-buying population, relative to the regular season, one has to wonder how empty Dodger Stadium might be this year, particularly if the few season ticket holders (who wanted to renew their packages to guarantee the chance to see Jay Gibbons, Marcus Thames, and Tony Gwynn Jr. battle it out in left field) don't show up for the games. What happens in Dodger Stadium might stay in Dodger Stadium--because no one is there to see it.

hat tip: Big League Stew

UPDATE 9:57p: The ever-prolific Eric Stephen over at TBLA says Dilbeck's analysis is flawed due to small sample size, and that he counts games played at Dodger Stadium among his 2010 set. Even still, attendance @ Camelback is down 17%; largely in line with the MLB average, but not anything to scream from the rooftops, either.