Dodgers calm in eye of the storm, downing Padres 3-2

Before the game, a relaxed Tom Schieffer, MLB's monitor of the Dodgers' baseball operations, sat in the stands and chatted up a few members of the media, while upstairs owner Frank McCourt’s unexpected traveling media show finally landed in Los Angeles.

McCourt conducted a series of mostly scheduled interviews. Later during the game, a desperate-looking McCourt went into the right-field pavilion to visit with fans. Later he returned to his regular box seat.

Uncertainty and chaos surrounded the Dodgers, but on the field all was comparative calm. And based on recent history, very familiar.

The Dodgers knocked off the San Diego Padres, 3-2, on Friday night behind some solid defense and solo home runs from Juan Uribe and Matt Kemp, as Andre Ethier doubled to extend his career-high hitting streak to 25 games.

That tied him with Steve Sax, Paul Lo Duca and Willie Davis for the second-longest hitting streak in Dodgers history. Davis also holds the record at 31 games, set in 1969.

Dodgers Web musings: As the McCourt world turns -- what is Jamie's role in potential new TV contract?

Apparently, it’s just never going to be simple. Not in the foreseeable future, anyway. Not as long as Frank and Jamie McCourt still own the Dodgers.

Frank was unexpectedly babbling nonstop to the media in New York and complaining that Commissioner Bud Selig won’t take his call, which The Times’ T.J. Simers found just a wee bit hypocritical.

Frank’s morning complaint on CNBC’s "Squaw Box’’ was that he just couldn’t understand why Selig won’t explain himself. Guess that eight-page letter Selig sent must have been full of blanks.

 

Now comes word from The Times’ Bill Shaikin that one of the reasons Selig is less than eager to approve the proposed deal with Fox is that Jamie has yet to approve it.

Dodgers Web musings: MLB taking control of Dodgers is talk of the town and country

Seems there was some Dodgers news to discuss this morning:

-- The Times’ Bill Shaikin and David Wharton cover the news story that Major League Baseball has taken control of the Dodgers away from Frank McCourt.

-- The Times’ Shaikin also writes that the transfer to a new owner may take longer than you would like.

-- The Times’ Bill Plaschke says Commissioner Bud Selig should get kudos for his bold move.

--The Times' T.J. Simers writes that it's time to celebrate.

-- The Times’ Dylan Hernandez reports that Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp want to remain Dodgers, regardless of how ownership shakes down.

-- The Times’ Jim Peltz talks to fans at Dodger Stadium, who admit to being shocked but believe it was time for a change.

-- Yahoo Sports' Tim Brown says McCourt now has a choice to make but should be aware of the way his luck has been running.

Writes Brown: "Dig a pothole in the middle of your street, fill it with sewer water, and within hours Frank McCourt would walk along and step in it."

-- In a video, the Associated Press’ Ron Blum tries to break down what happened.

  

Dodgers web musings: Can you believe in Dodger Stadium without believing in Frank McCourt? [Updated]

OK, that’s not exactly what Times columnist Chris Erskine is asking, but he does make a case that the stadium itself deserves an open mind.

And with security expected to be at an all-time high in the coming weeks, Erskine figures it will be one of the safest places to hang.

Besides, he notes, Frank McCourt has good reason to get his house in order, because "there's too much money to be made at Dodger Stadium not to clean it up."

Also on the web:

-- Davey Lopes, meet The Times' T.J. Simers. Another love affair blossoms as Simers writes: "When I told him I expected more out of him than just time spent with Matt Kemp, he really got peeved."

-- The Times’ Dylan Hernandez examines the Dodgers’ failure to hold on to a 3-0 lead Tuesday against Tim Lincecum and the Giants.

-- A must-read from Joe McDonnell at Fox Sports as he shares how he and Padres Chief Executive Jeff Moorad survived different life-threatening bouts of flesh-eating bacteria.

-- Does Sons of Steve Garvey know about this? Steve Garvey is scheduled to appear at the Hall of Fame Classic on ... Father’s Day.

-- LA Weekly’s Gene Maddaus (via Kevin Roderick) wonders whom to vote for in Frank McCourt being sued by his previous law firm to basically prove they’re not incompetent. Writes Maddaus: "But the evidence suggests that Bingham's lawyers really are incompetent."

Maddaus thinks Jamie McCourt would have won even without the messy post-nup.

-- ESPN/LA's Tony Jackson writes that Tuesday was hardly the first time Chad Billingsley has struggled with a lead.

[Update: MLB.com's Mark Newman on an emotional Joe Torre paying tribute to his mother at Ellis Island ceremony.]

RELATED:

Chris Erskine: Don't give up on the ballpark, Dodgers fans

T.J. Simers: Davey Lopes is in Matt Kemp's corner, but can he help others?

-- Steve Dilbeck

Photo: Dodgers owner Frank McCourt takes in pregame ceremonies before the season opener against the Giants on March 31. Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

Dodgers Web musings: A night when sportsmanship ruled

There was more written about what happened before the Dodgers and Giants played Monday than what happened during the game.

The pregame ceremony dedicated to Bryan Stow, the Giants fan brutally beaten in the Dodger Stadium parking lot on opening day, made local and national news.

The Times’ Dylan Hernandez captures what happened in the Dodgers’ 6-1 victory, including Rafael Furcal breaking his thumb, and here’s how other’s viewed the ceremony:

--Sports Illustrated’s Ann Killion said players from both teams reminded fans that it’s just a game.

--The San Jose Mercury News’ Tim Kawakami said the teams did everything they could to avoid a repeat of opening day and add a little grace to the rivalry.

--The Times’ T.J. Simers said the Giants’ reaction to the beating managed to make Frank McCourt look bad again.

--The Times’ Maria L. La Ganga and Gale Holland get the reaction from fans in both cities.

--Fox Sports' Jon Paul Morosi talks to Stow’s family.

Whatever Frank McCourt's motivation, hiring of ex-police chief Bratton is still a chance to get security right

So, guess it turns out Frank McCourt isn’t so satisfied with the security at Dodger Stadium after all.

After a week of getting battered by politicians and the media for his failure to respond to the beating of a Giants fan in the Dodger Stadium parking lot, on Wednesday he hired ex-Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton to make suggestions on how to improve security in the stadium and its parking lots.

Hopefully, this proves an excellent move. Maybe Bratton will recognize the overall problem and make prudent recommendations that will actually be put into practice.

I suggest he go undercover and go sit in the stands, not just with the hoity-toity where McCourt hangs out, but down the lines, in the upper decks, in the pavilions where the profanity can be staggering and too often a general aggressiveness permeates what is supposed to be enjoyable family entertainment.

In the wake of the Bryan Stow’s beating, the type of comments from fans received here and to The Times’ T.J. Simers have been staggering. It paints a truly ugly scene.

Yet it took not only a tragic incident, but the ensuing backlash to get McCourt to react a week later. As Sons of Steve Garvey’s anonymous Orel noted, McCourt’s indecisiveness and conflicting comments only fueled the negative response.

For a guy who has gone through PR types like batting practice balls, it’s amazing how McCourt continues to have an almost innate knack for screwing up.

If there’s no public outcry, no media pressure, does he hire Bratton? Turns out he hasn’t had a full-time head of stadium security for four months.

It would seem many of the needed measures are obvious -- increased numbers of security in the stadium and in the parking lots before and after games; a more aggressive security force that doesn’t put up with unruly fan behavior; better lighting in the parking lots -- though Paul Oberjuerge offers some more radical ideas.

Bratton and his firm have been hired as a consultant, so it’s not like this is some permanent move. He is going to work immediately, which is as it should be. He’ll make his suggestions, then it’s up to McCourt.

Whatever the motivation, there is now an opportunity here and a chance to start getting it right.

-- Steve Dilbeck

Dodgers Web musings: Trying to see clearly on Chad Billingsley's contract extension

Interesting comments being generated by Chad Billingsley's agreeing to a three-year extension for $35 million to $36 million.

I’m thinking some people are so upset with the Dodgers that no matter what the team does they automatically lash out. Even the jaded have to allow for an occasional nod of the cap.

What’s wrong with locking up a young, effective right-hander for another three years at the going rate? This is not a bad thing. This is actually a pretty good thing.

The Dodgers eliminated his last year of salary arbitration and locked up his first two years of free agency at an average of $12 million per season. And he’s only 26.

But if many of those leaving comments have been harsh on the Dodgers and Billingsley, a more measured response has emerged out in the blogosphere.

Mike Scioscia’s Tragic Illness’ Mike Petriello, ESPN/Los Angeles’ Jon Weisman, True Blue L.A.’s Eric Stephen and Fangraphs’ Dave Cameron all gave the deal a favorable review. Cameron even wrote that Billingsley left a lot of money on the table.

Also on the Web:

--The Times’ T.J. Simers checks in with the one bright spot that most every Dodger fan can agree on: Vin Scully.

--The Times’ Leon Furgatch makes a case for the notion that, when the Dodgers moved west, they should have changed their name to the … Yang-nas.

--Dodgers.com’s Quinn Roberts writes that reliever Lance Cormier said the Dodgers have told him he’s made the team. That would lock up the last bullpen spot.

--For the second consecutive year, the Dodgers have been earned the Bobby Mercer Award for the highest amount of money donated by its players to the Baseball Assistance League. The Yankees also repeated in the American League.

--For those battered by all the predictions of the Dodgers finishing third in the National League West, have found someone who thinks they take the division, Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan.

--SB Nation’s Rob Neyer thinks the Dodgers’ 2011 fortunes could rest largely on the success of their bullpen.

-- Steve Dilbeck

Dodgers Web Musings: Was Jonathan Broxton's drop-off a mental issue?

The problem is not his arm, it’s his head. Jonathan Broxton's ability did not suddenly leave him, just his confidence to use that ability.

So says former Dodgers minor league manager Kevin Kennedy in his role as baseball commentator for Fox Sports.

Kennedy, pointing to his head, said: "He faulted because of what went on up here."

 

Also on the Web:

-- The Times' T.J. Simers writes that left-hander Clayton Kershaw is the Dodgers' biggest star, albeit in a limited team universe.

-- The Times' Dylan Hernandez says that despite the Dodgers’ offensive woes, hitting instructor Jeff Pentland is confident their offense won’t struggle as it did in the second half last season.

-- Forbes magazine has released its annual Major League Baseball team financial evaluations, and though the Dodgers’ value increased 10% to $800 million, kind words were hardly plentiful. Forbes says Frank and Jamie McCourt -- you know, the co-owners -- "had racked up a staggering $459 million in debt, much of which was used personally. Forbes estimates that almost all of the team’s profits were being used to pay down just the interest."

-- Yahoo Sports' Steve Henson looks at the recovery from a serious neck injury and the attempted comeback of Padres infielder David Newhan, son of The Times’ Hall of Fame baseball writer, Ross Newhan.

-- Baseball America treats the Dodgers better than most in its annual ranking of major league farm systems, picking them 11th. ESPN’s Keith Law previously ranked the Dodgers 22nd (Insider status required), and Baseball Prospectus had them at 18th.

-- Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal says most Diamondbacks players are responding positively to their new, intense manager, Kirk Gibson.

-- The honeymoon phase continued: Sports Illustrated's Joe Lemire says Manny Ramirez is happy in Tampa and getting off to a positive start with coaches and teammates.

-- True Blue LA’s David Young takes a look at Broxton's comeback and is moderately confident.

-- LA Dodger Talk's Mark Timmons offers his best guess at the Dodgers' season-opening 25-man roster.

-- Dodgers.com's Ken Gurnick writes that Jon Garland appears to be ahead of schedule in his recovery from a strained oblique and that it’s possible he won’t miss his start the first time he is expected to be needed, April 12.

-- Steve Dilbeck

Dodgers Web Musings: A day when team is dominated by the left

It feels like a left-field kinda day.

As in, who used to play, who’s going to play it, and will they be any good when they do. Maybe we’ll just start a daily theme post.

--Marcus Thames gets his Times’ T.J. Simers intro, and I’m guessing he might have been less than thrilled with questions about his defense.

--ESPN/L.A.’s Tony Jackson approaches Thames from a different angle, saying he is willing to play first base or anywhere else to help out.

--Manny Ramirez, that old Dodgers left-fielder, is getting a clean slate with Tampa Manager Joe Maddon, writes ESPN’s Jayson Stark, who said he was listening to the dreadlocked star. However:

"I know one thing," says a veteran big-league coach and manager. "It will end horribly."

Ah, what are the odds?

--Mike Scioscia’s Tragic Illness’ Mike Petriello wonders just how many different players will make an appearance in left for the Dodgers this season and if it will top last year’s mark of nine.

--Vin Scully Is My Homeboy’s Roberto Baly has his latest billboard shot in the Dodgers’ new marketing campaign, their takeoff of "It’s time for Dodger baseball."

This one shows the really old left-fielder, Kirk Gibson, raising a fist with the slogan: It’s time for magic.

Meanwhile, in posts not focusing on left:

--The Times’ Dylan Hernandez said Tim Redding, who is unexpectedly competing for a spot in the rotation, was turned down by teams in South Korea and Japan in the offseason.

--True Blue L.A.’s Eric Stephen correctly points out that my numbers from last Friday on the Dodgers’ attendance downturn incorporate two games at Dodger Stadium, which are still to be played this season, and games at Camelback are actually in line with baseball’s overall spring decline.

--James Loney, every stat-loving fan’s favorite player, is examined by Dodgers.com’s Ken Gurnick. Loney said he’s looked at tapes and made corrections to a swing that deserted him in the second half last year.

Said Loney: "I'm thinking that if I can drive in 90 and hit .270 with bad mechanics, imagine if I was doing all the right things?"

-- Steve Dilbeck

Dodgers Web musings: Getting all positive on the 2011 Dodgers

T.J. Simers, The Times’ resident optimist, takes a look at the new Dodgers and comes away overflowing with optimism.

At least in his inimitable way.

Wrote Simers on the coming season: "Some fans might be so excited they are even thinking about buying tickets or loaning Frank McCourt money."

Can’t you just smell the fresh-cut grass?

Also on the Web:

-- There are numerous heartfelt tributes to Duke Snider, including at The Times, the New York Times, Newsday, the New York Daily News, MLB.com and ESPN.com.

-- The Canadian Press has the story of the U.S. Ambassador’s plans to place a plaque at the Montreal apartment of Jackie and Rachel Robinson in their honor as part of Black History Month.

-- Dodgers.com’s Ken Gurnick talks to left-hander Scott Elbert and the pressures that apparently led to his leaving the organization last season, for personal reasons that were never explained.

-- The New York Times’ Karen Crouse has a feature on Clayton Kershaw’s life-changing trip to Africa in the off-season with his wife, Ellen.

-- CBS Sports’ Ray Ratto thinks Charlie Sheen would be the ideal new Dodgers owner, because in the troubled actor they would have "someone who would at least make the Dodgers more stable than they already are, because the only thing less stable than the Dodgers ownership in its current state is a solar flare."

-- ESPN L.A.’s Tony Jackson has the details on the Dodgers’ plans for a benefit game March 25 against the Arizona Diamondbacks to benefit the Christina Taylor Green Memorial Fund.

-- Yahoo Sports’ Steve Henson thinks Joe Torre’s cool will work well as commissioner Bud Selig’s new vice president.

-- Fox Sports’ Jon Morosi talks to outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. about his Hall of Fame father’s battle with cancer, getting cut by the Padres and joining the Dodgers.

-- Baseball Savvy’s Howard Cole gets an insightful interview with Dodgers’ super fan Roberto Baly of Vin Scully is My Homeboy.

-- TrueBlueLA’s Eric Stephen looks at which Dodgers pitchers excelled at getting the called strikeout last season.

Stephen also picks up on Dodgers.com dropping the obnoxious "This Is My Town" slogan and opting for the classic Vin Scully phrase, "It’s Time for Dodger Baseball." That's called progress.

-- Steve Dilbeck