Look! Over there! Is it a crowd surrounding Superman? No? Is it fans asking for Taylor Swift’s autograph? No, its the Dodgers and the many stars they have on the team. And its only spring training? Madness.
Over the weekend, I took a trip down to Camelback Ranch in Arizona. The spring training home of the Dodgers and shared with the White Sox. On Sunday, Los Angeles faced the Oakland A’s during an exhibition game as the teams prepare to start the season.
With the A’s in town, a friend of mine and I had a little wager going on. How many “SELL” shirts would we see. We set the line at 15 (a little high, in retrospect) and he took the over while I took the under. The winner was to win an iced coffee for breakfast the following night. The grand total of shirts we spotted was four.
Is the media just exaggerating the mess in Oakland? Are fans not as mad? No, that is not the case. What really happened was that we underestimated the power of the new billion dollar Dodgers. My group and I showed up about two hours before game time to catch some practice.
The crowd surrounding the practice field reminded me of the videos I’ve seen of Beatle-mania. Fans are excited. The opposing team’s fans are mad and teasing the team over the differed money they have in the books for Shohei Ohtani. Everyone “ooo’ed” and “ahh’ed” at every ball hit in batting practice.
When Freddie Freeman made his way back to the locker room, the people started chanting his name as he made his way around the crowd signing autographs. Excitement is in the air.
The big $700 million elephant did not make an appearance while I was there, but everyone is excited to see him play. Ohtani jerseys fill the stands as the fans wait to see his spring training debut.
The Game
The games do not matter. Every day players only play a certain amount of innings and at bats. For Sunday’s game, the Dodgers treated the fans to a staring line up that can be played on a Sunday afternoon match anytime during the season.
James Outman and Max Muncy both went yard and hit homers during the 4-2 win over Oakland. Even Phillips pitched one inning where he gave up a hit and had one strikeout. Phillips earned the win.
The team hasn’t lost during the spring training games. Is that foreshadowing the season? Of course not. The Dodgers will not go 162-0, even if Ohtani is now on the team.
The team will lose. But, the players seem like they are ready for the season to start. This year, the Dodgers will begin the season earlier than the rest of the league. They will be playing the Padres in Korea on March 20-21st.
In Other News
On Monday, the Dodgers traded outfielder Manuel Margo and shortstop Rayne Doncon for shortstop prospect Noah Miller. Soon after, the Dodgers bring back Enrique Hernandez.
Hernandez is a fan favorite. His versatility will stretch the bench. In October, Hernandez finds a way to come in clutch. His energy will keep things light. Will this certify the Dodgers as clear cut winners, even more? No, but it will definitely help them win consistently.
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