Editorials

Dodgers Spring Training: Behind The Scenes At Camelback Ranch

Brett Anderson, Brandon McCarthy, Clayton Kershaw

I arrived at Camelback Ranch Monday and below are some observations from my day’s work.



  • The first player I saw when I arrived was Yasiel Puig. He didn’t play on Monday and was walking to his car. I’ve never met him before, so I wanted to say hi but not make a big deal out of it. He’s a personable guy, so I figured he’d at least acknowledge my existence as we walked past each other. Should I say hello? Hola? Start dancing? I went with the nod. He reciprocated. Life is good.
  • The first blogger I saw was Eric Stephen of TrueBlueLA.com, because of course it would be him. He was typing away in the media work room, working on three separate articles detailing the club’s activities from Monday. They optioned an entire rotation to Oklahoma City, which is rare. I harassed him a little about the Minor Leagues, then left him to his work.
  • I dropped my stuff off in the press box and looked for the brisket cart by the media lunch room. It was gone. I was devastated. I began wandering aimlessly for my meal when I was stopped by the sweet smell of BBQ. It was the brisket cart. I got a sandwich. I ate it. It was good.
  • I tried taking video of Joc Pederson’s at-bat in the sixth (?) inning but he walked. Also, a dude with a big cart walked in front of me while I was kneeling in front of a low wall. Walks are the literal worst.
  • I tried taking video of Corey Seager’s at bat in the eighth, but he walked too. Remember what I said about walks? Disheartened, I headed back up to the press box when I noticed Darnell Sweeney was coming up to pinch-hit. I considered going back down to film the at-bat but figured if I did, he’d just walk. So I didn’t. He hit a grand slam. I’m the literal worst.
  • Scott Schebler followed with a three-run bomb of his own and Chris Heisey got in on the action. The Dodgers scored eight runs in the eighth inning. That means something, right?
  • Defensive play of the day went to Erisbel Arruebarrena (didn’t even have to look up spelling) and Seager. Arruebarrena, playing second, speared a hard grounder to his left, spun and threw to Seager, starting the double play. Seager made a quick turn to end the inning. If only Arruebarrena could hit.
  • I took a cool picture of Clayton Kershaw and the Bs (Brett Anderson, Brandon Beachy and Brandon McCarthy). You’re welcome for that.
  • I asked around if Julio Urias pitched and didn’t get an answer. I asked for a Minor League roster and got a half-answer. Minor League games don’t start until Friday. I leave Friday. Timing is the worst.
  • Don Mattingly had fun with the media after the game. Asked if the Dodgers were going to cut any more players on Monday, he gave a non-answer and told us to “do what we want.” When asked, sarcastically, if Kershaw was safe, he said “Kersh is not going anywhere today.” I liked how he said “today”, as if something could happen tomorrow. So I repeated it, and Mattingly responded, “If he has a bad outing in his next one, we’ll think about his options.” With a grin, of course.
  • I saw Pedro Moura of the OC Register in the clubhouse. He said hi. I congratulated him on running “that 5k.” He ran the LA Marathon. Again, I’m the worst.

Check back Tuesday for more ramblings from Glendale.

[divide]

Clayton Kershaw Unhappy With ‘Misfires’


Please enable Javascript to watch this video

Staff Writer

Staff Writer features content written by our site editors along with our staff of contributing writers. Thank you for your readership.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button