Dodgers News From Around The Web

With the Dodgers enjoying a much needed day off today, many of them doing so at the Dodgers Dream Foundation Charity Golf Tournament at Trump International, there’s plenty of news to report on, by having a look at various Dodger sites from around the web.

First off MLB.com has an article on the legend of ‘El Torro’ aka Fernando Valenzuela, by Lyle Spencer, it’s a great read and it’s hard to believe it’s been thirty years since Fernando-Mania captured Los Angeles and all of Major League Baseball.

AJ Cassavell, also with MLB.com, has an excellent piece on the Dodgers newest sensation, Dee Gordon, and how the 23 year old possesses a “Baseball IQ” well beyond his years.

Over on L.A. Times.com Bill Shaikin’s daily McCourt update discusses how LA Superior Court Judge Scott Brown has given Frank and Jamie until Friday morning to reach a divorce settlement, or he will declare the negotiations an impasse. There is a lot of “If’s” in the article but basically if a settlement is reached then Frank may temporarily be given complete control of the Dodgers. If not Shaikin explains that:

"In the absence of a settlement, Gordon would go ahead with a Wednesday hearing at which Jamie McCourt would ask him to order the immediate sale of the Dodgers and Frank McCourt would ask for a ruling that Jamie McCourt could not challenge the Fox contract."

The Times also has an excellent article by Dylan Hernandez, in which he discusses how Matt Kemp is making good on his promise he made last September that 2011 would be a special season for him. It’s difficult to imagine where the club would be without the 26 year old Kemp’s heroics, as he makes a run at the the first 40 Home Run and 40 Stolen Base season in franchise history, as well as a legitimate run at the triple crown in the National League.

ESPN has an interesting read by Ramona Shelburne, about the massive amount of feedback Orel Hershiser has received since reports surfaced about him potentially joining forces with Steve Garvey to put together a group of investors to purchase the Dodgers, if the club is put up for sale.

On the blog side of things my personal favorite Mike Scioscia’s Tragic Illness discusses Chad Billingsley’s struggles in June, as well as providing some great clips of Dee Gordon wreaking havoc on the field with his blazing speed.

True Blue LA has a preview of the Dodgers/Astros series by Phil Gurnee, which is sadly a battle for the Dodgers to stay our of last place in the National League West against the cellar dwelling Astros. Brandon Lennox also has his latest Dodgers Minor League recap with the highlight being Hong-Chih Kuo pitching for the second consecutive day and striking out both batters he faced. This is a great sign for the hard throwing lefty as the Dodgers bullpen desperately needs him back, particluarly with Scott Elbert‘s recent struggles.

Another favorite Dodger Blog of mine is Opinion of Kingman’s Performance, where Evan Bladh has a great article on the outstanding customer service he recently received during his latest visit to Dodger Stadium. There is some great stuff here and it’s nice to see this kind of positive, classy feedback about the Dodger Stadium experience still exists, despite numerous reports recently to the contrary.

I mentioned yesterday the fine work that Roberto Baly, a proud new father by the way, does over at Vin Scully Is My Homeboy, aside from helping lead the efforts to have Vin Scully’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame repaired, he’s got a great video of young Dodger fan “Deuce’ rocking the air guitar during the 8th inning when Don’t Stop Believing by Journey is played. This has turned into one of my new favorite Dodger Stadium traditions.

Finally I’d like to introduce Michael Castillo and The 110 Report as one of the newest blogs on the FanSided network. Michael will be covering all things related to the L.A. sports scene, a daunting task. His most recent Dodgers article discusses some potential trade possibilities, something the club probably needs to happen, but something that is unlikely to take place until the McCourt settlement talks and issues with payroll and MLB operations are resolved. The 110 Report is your one stop shop for everything that is L.A. sports, be sure to check it out.

The Dodgers are back at it tomorrow night as they look to break their three game skid.  Ted Lilly takes the mound against the team with the fewest wins in all of baseball, the Houston Astros, the same team who took 2 out of 3 games from the Dodgers last month. If the Dodgers expect to get back in the NL playoff hunt this is the kind of series they need to sweep, simply winning the series is not enough.