Kirby Lee/US PresswireRonald Belisario pitching in Game 2 of the 2009 National League Championship Series.
VP's Opening Day rehearsal
Rafael Furcal, SS
Matt Kemp, CF
Andre Ethier, RF
Manny Ramirez, LF
James Loney, 1B
Casey Blake, 3B
Blake DeWitt, 2B
Brad Ausmus, C
Vicente Padilla, P
Ronald Belisario has been ruled out for the Opening Day roster by Joe Torre, reports Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
Most of what I read about Belisario chides him for blowing this opportunity and letting down the Dodgers and their fans. But absent a rational explanation for what has happened, I still can't help thinking that the bigger issue is a serious problem that we should be concerned with instead of critical of.
That might make me sound soft, and if he's being a flake just to be a flake, I'll adjust my reaction accordingly. But I'm just having trouble imagining why Belisario would willfully self-sabotage. Right now, I'm still in the position of hoping Belisario makes it back, mentally as well as internationally.
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I'm scheduled to be a guest on KSPN 710 AM at 1:40 p.m., interviewed by Andrew Siciliano and Mychal Thompson. (That link will also take you to Molly Knight's interview with the pair from Thursday.
In case you missed it, Ronnie Belliard made weight and is now an official 2010 Dodger, reports Dylan Hernandez of the Times.
Ben Badler of Baseball America joins the groundswell of praise for prospect Allen Webster, a fave of Dodger Thoughts and Maple Street Press Annual prospect expert CanuckDodger.
Steven Goldman, writing at ESPN's TMI blog, wonders if the failure of Joba Chamberlain to make the Yankee starting rotation will represent a tipping point for over-protecting young arms.
Forty years ago today: "Next Stop for Steve Garvey Is Third Base at Dodger Stadium" (via the Daily Mirror).
The Pawnee Parks and Recreation Summer Catalog is a must-peruse.