Well, the second day of the Dodgers’ first full-squad workout and already I’m bored to tears. And only 35 more days until the season opener!
Ugh, this is shaping up as one of the dullest spring trainings in memory. All the intrigue is off the field and about ownership.
Otherwise, there is precious little to grab the attention of fans during six weeks of camp. There are no position battles and almost no roster battles. The new guys brought in during the off-season are individually fine and collectively old and boring.
Unless Andre Ethier pops off at any moment – always a possibility – there is no real controversy surrounding the team. Intrigue with this team is taking the spring off.
Things are so bad the Dodgers are reduced to trying to stir things up with the tired snub of the Angels: “This town will always bleeds blue!” And, you know, discussing the love-hate relationship with the Rally Monkey.
Think I’d rather try to read “Ulysses” again, or be forced to watch “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.” (But only if I’ve taken an antidepressant.)
There’s no room for a phenom, not that there’s one currently in sight. The rotation is set. The starting eight set. And the bullpen all but set. Except for the shuffling of a couple of starters in the lineup order, which changes all the time anyway, there is no suspense there either. The clubhouse is full of mostly nice guys without anything within light years of an out-sized personality.
Duller than dirt...
Which is seriously challenging for those trying to cover the team on a daily basis, though it doesn’t necessarily make for a bad baseball team. The Dodgers can get their daily work in, stay focused, stifle the yawns, maybe come together, and then quietly go about their business.
Much like their budding spring. Hold out hope, these things can change in a hurry. Somebody gets injured and an intriguing position battle opens up. Somebody gets ticked off about lord knows what, and a hullabaloo breaks out. Don Mattingly shows up to practice in a tutu. Oscar fever overwhelms Ned Colletti, who announces he’s resigning to star as Billy Flynn in a remake of “Chicago.”
Meanwhile, on they go. Hey, nice practice. Way to get your work in. Don’t forget to wake me when it’s over.
--Steve Dilbeck
