Some food for thought on Fox’s big pitch.

Posted on November 26, 2012 by J.P. Hoornstra

While you were putting the finishing touches on Thanksgiving leftovers over the weekend, Deadline.com reported the particulars of Fox’s latest proposal to retain the Dodgers’ television rights: Between $6 and $7 billion over 25 years.

That seems like a strong pitch, indicative of the Dodgers’ place in Fox’s local programming slate with no Lakers, no NFL (and for the moment, no NHL either). For the Dodgers, it represents a significant increase over the reported $39 million Fox will pay for TV rights in 2013, the final year of the current contract. Yet it may not be enough to sway Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly, whom Deadline reports is the lone negotiator for Guggenheim Baseball Management. The Dodgers could elect to start their own regional network, á la the Yankees or the Red Sox, but to do so means Guggenheim must turn down a profit margin of $4 billion-plus on the $2 billion it paid for the club earlier this year.

The exclusive negotiating window between Fox and the Dodgers closes in four days.

A few observations:

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Another award for Vin Scully.

Posted on October 31, 2012 by J.P. Hoornstra

Vin Scully can make room for one more trophy in his case.

The Dodgers’ Hall of Fame broadcaster will be presented with the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation’s Allan H. “Bud” Selig Executive Leadership Award at the Foundation’s 10th annual “In The Spirit of the Game” Sports and Entertainment Spectacular at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel on Jan. 12, 2013. Selig will present Scully with the award.

Scully has won a few awards since calling his first Brooklyn Dodgers game in 1950. In 1982, The National Baseball Hall of Fame awarded him the Ford Frick Award. The National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association has named him National Sportscaster of the Year three times (1965, 1978, 1982) and he has been awarded the title of California Sportscaster of the Year 29 times. He was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2009. In that same year, the American Sportscasters Association named him the Top Sportscaster of All-Time.

What we know about Eric Gagne’s PED book.

Posted on September 26, 2012 by J.P. Hoornstra

Former Dodgers reliever Eric Gagn has co-authored an autobiography, in French, with Radio-Canada Sports columnist Martin LeClerc. Beyond its cover and one juicy allegation, little is known about the book itself, but reports are starting to trickle in from various outlets who were leaked preliminary details.
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Study: Vin Scully harbors no bias.

Posted on September 25, 2012 by J.P. Hoornstra

According to a study in the Wall Street Journal, five out of 30 Major League Baseball broadcasters (or broadcasting teams) are unbiased. Vin Scully is one.

Writes Jared Diamond:

By the rules of our study, anyone with a microphone who used a pronoun like “we,” “us” or “our” to describe the home team was given a citation. Obscure pet names for players were also flagged: The Detroit Tigers announcers, for instance, referred to backup catcher Gerald Laird as “G-Money.” Additional penalties were given for things like excessive moping after miscues or unrestrained glee after big moments. (A Miami Marlins broadcaster marked the end of a lengthy scoreless drought by screaming “Hallelujah!”)

It didn’t take long for the study to confirm what many baseball observers have long expected. During the White Sox game–a 2-1 win against the Texas Rangers–Harrelson and Stone (but mostly Harrelson) made a whopping 104 biased statements.

To put that in perspective, the Cleveland Indians duo of Matt Underwood and Rick Manning ranked second with just 23 biased comments and 24 of the 30 teams had fewer than 10.

The WSJ’s full chart:
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Get ‘Caught Looking’ at Dodgers-Giants series.

Posted on September 7, 2012 by J.P. Hoornstra

This weekend’s series between the Dodgers and Giants will be filmed for the NBC Sports Network series “Caught Looking,” with the episode set to air on Thursday at 6 p.m. PT.

The series, in collaboration with MLB Productions, offers “an exclusive look inside the series with cameras following players, managers and front office personnel from both teams as they arrive at the ballpark, take batting practice, compete and prepare for each game,” according to the Dodgers’ game notes.

Since we’ve never seen the show, here’s an ad that offers a glimpse of what to expect:

The View from San Diego.

Posted on September 4, 2012 by J.P. Hoornstra

Adrian Gonzalez’s first game against the Padres as a Dodger on Monday inspired a bit of soul-searching in San Diego. Not from Gonzalez himself — he called it “just another series” — but from the local media, which is taking advantage of this series to look both forward and backwards.

The Union-Tribune sent its sports enterprise reporter to Dodger Stadium recently, as did a San Diego radio station. Jay Paris of the North County Times today came to grips with the unfamiliar sight of Gonzalez in (Dodger) blue:

It’s still difficult accepting that Gonzalez exited San Diego in the prime of his career. …But that is dirty water under the bridge. He’s a Dodger, like it or not Padre Nation, and will be for a long time.

The U-T also offered this poll question last week: Will you root for Adrian Gonzalez to make the playoffs with the Dodgers?

To summarize the early returns: The Dodgers shouldn’t expect any love coming from the city to the south.

Dodgers renew Collins, Lyons, Monday, Steiner, Valenzuela, Yiguez.

Posted on September 1, 2012 by J.P. Hoornstra

Eric Collins, Steve Lyons, Rick Monday, Charley Steiner, Fernando Valenzuela and Pepe Yiguez will return in 2013, the Dodgers announced Saturday. That means all eight of the team’s regular in-game commentators will return next season, as the team previously renewed Hall of Famers Vin Scully and Jaime Jarrn.

Collins and Lyons call all road games outside California and Arizona on Prime Ticket and KCAL (Channel 9). Monday and Steiner call all Dodger games on KLAC (570-AM). Valenzuela is the color commentator on all home games and select road games on KTNQ (1020-AM) and Yiguez calls all Dodger games for the club’s Spanish-language broadcast.

Here’s some more about the six broadcasters from the team’s official press release:
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Dodgers announce time changes.

Posted on September 1, 2012 by J.P. Hoornstra

Three upcoming game times were modified today:

The Dodgers’ game at San Francisco on Sunday, Sept. 9 will start at 5:05 p.m. PT due to the ESPN National telecast

The Dodgers’ home game the following Sunday, Sept. 16, against the Cardinals will start at 1:10 p.m. PT.

The Dodgers’ game at Cincinnati on Sept. 22 will be a 4:05 p.m. ET/1:05 p.m. PT start and broadcast on FOX.

Jaime Jarrin returns, 3-upping Vin Scully.

Posted on August 31, 2012 by J.P. Hoornstra

The Dodgers announced that veteran Spanish-language radio broadcaster Jaime Jarrin will return for his 55th season on a 3-year contract that takes him through 2015.

Jarrin will brodacast “most” of the Dodgers’ regular season games, plus eight spring training games and any playoff games, on KTNQ (1020-AM).

“I am honored to extend my career during such a thrilling time in Dodger history and under new ownership that has demonstrated a strong commitment to the Latinos in Los Angeles and in revitalizing the Dodgers throughout Latin America,” Jarrn said in a statement released by the team. “I am confident this leadership can bring a championship back to Los Angeles and I am happy to be a part of it.”

Jarrin is scheduled to talk to the media at 5:30 today. Someone might be tempted to ask why Vin Scully couldn’t be talked into signing a three-year deal too; Scully announced last week that he will return, but only for the 2013 season.

Jarrn began his professional baseball broadcasting career in 1959 with the Dodgers, the same year the club won its first World Series in Los Angeles. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998 as the recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award. Jarrn became just the second Spanish-language announcer to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The Ecuadorian native will turn 77 in December.
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View from the North.

Posted on August 25, 2012 by J.P. Hoornstra

The Dodgers geared up for the stretch run Saturday by completing a 9-player blockbuster trade that brings first baseman Adrian Gonzalez to Los Angeles.

How will their National League rivals opponents respond?

For what it’s worth, sports columnist Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group opined that the first-place San Francisco Giants already improved when they lost their best hitter, Melky Cabrera, to a 50-game drug suspension 10 days ago. Uh-huh.

This was all written before the Gonzalez trade and after the Giants swept the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine, mind you, but read on:
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