When you hear the National Anthem 72 times during the course of a season, there are a few things that inevitably find their way under your skin.  The first is those singers who treat the National Anthem like an American Idol audition and carry out every note to show their “range,” thereby increasing the length of the song from its intended minute and a half to an excruciating five minutes.  It’s reminiscent of the classic Dancin’ Homer episode of the Simpsons where Bleeding Gums Murphy is singing the National Anthem at a Springfield Isotopes contest and a clock behind him reads 6:45.   As he continues through the song, the scene shifts to the Simpsons sitting slumped in their setas in left field bleachers before finally Bleeding Gums wraps up the song as the clock behind tolls 7:00.  Nothing can zap the energy from a crowd like a long National Anthem. 

The second, and granted this is pretty nit-picky, is people’s insistence on singing about the “per-OL-ous” fight instead of the “per-IL-ous” fight.  In the history of mankind, nothing has ever been in “perol.” 

With those two valuable nuggets of information, the Isotopes invite all of those interested in singing the National Anthem to come to Isotopes Park this Saturday, March 14 for open tryouts.  There is no need to reserve a spot, just show up to the park beginning at 10:00 AM and check-in.  Anthem auditions begin at 11:00 AM and will last until 1:00 PM.  

The auditions are part of a big day at Isotopes Park that includes an Open House complete with guided tours of the ballpark, a Select-A-Seat where prospective season ticket and mini-plan holders can literally pick their seat for the upcoming season, and the official on-sale of individual game tickets.  Everything starts at 10:00 AM and fans can buy tickets at the Isotopes Park Box Office, at Ticketmaster outlets, by phone with Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000, or on-line at www.ticketmaster.com, or www.albuquerquebaseball.com.   For the big dates (Opening Day, July 3, etc.) it’s a good idea to get tickets Saturday or else you’ll be in “peril” of missing out on all the great fun this year.

This past weekend saw a flurry of activity in Dodgers Spring Training camp that will impact the Opening Day roster of the Isotopes, as eight players have been reassigned to Minor League camp in the past 72 hours.  On Friday, left-handed reliever Greg Miller was optioned to Albuquerque, where he will start the season pitching out of the ‘Topes’ bullpen.  Last year, the southpaw appeared in 48 games for Triple-A Las Vegas, going 2-3 with a 7.71 ERA.  To make room on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster for a little guy named Manny Ramirez, right-hander Justin Orenduff was designated for assignment.  If he clears waivers, Isotopes fans can expect to see the versatile hurler (he started 21 games in Vegas last year and made 10 relief appearances as well) pitching in Albuquerque too. 

On Saturday, Los Angeles sent pitchers Ronald Belisario, Yhency Brazoban, and Jacobo Meque to Minor League camp with a very good possibility that all three will open the season in Albuquerque.  Shortstop Ivan De Jesus was also officially transferred to Minor League camp, although he is likely out for the season with a broken leg suffered last week (see below for details). 

Finally on Sunday, lefty Carmen Cali and right-hander Edgar Martinez were both reassigned to Minor League camp and ‘Topes fans can expect to see both open the year in the ‘Querq. 

Meanwhile, the team is gearing up for a big Saturday of activity at The Lab.  This Saturday, March 14, the ‘Topes will hold their annual Open House / National Anthem Auditions / Select-A-Seat that also coincides with individual tickets going on sale.  More details will follow tomorrow, but the fun starts at 10:00 AM at Isotopes Park and continues to 1:00 PM.   

 

    

While Monday was a scheduled off day for Spring Training games at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, there was plenty of action on the back fields as the Dodgers faced the Brewers in a 7-inning “B” game, a contest that proved extremely costly for the Dodgers and perhaps the Isotopes.  In the bottom of the fourth inning, sensational prospect Ivan De Jesus Jr. broke his lower left tibia in a collision at home plate, an injury that necessitated the surgical insertion of a metal rod into his leg on Tuesday and one that will probably spell the end of the infielder’s season.  Doctors in Arizona say De Jesus will be in a boot and on crutches for six weeks before embarking on a rehab that is scheduled to take four months.    

Heading into this season, De Jesus was the Dodgers’ sixth highest prospect according to Baseball America and was coming off a breakout season in 2008 that saw him earn the organization’s Minor League Player of the Year award. 

With Rafael Furcal and Orlando Hudson holding down the middle infield in Los Angeles, the 21 year-old most likely would have started the season in Albuquerque, where his father, Ivan De Jesus Sr., played from 1974-1976.

Now with De Jesus out, Blake DeWitt has been getting increasing playing time at short, which is intriguing for Isotopes fans in that the Dodgers may elect to start DeWitt in Albuquerque to get him some added reps at the position.  The bottom line, is the next month should prove fascinating as the ‘Topes roster begins to take shape.  

Things are gearing up at Isotopes Park as well, with the team’s Open House/Individual Game Ticket On-Sale/Anthem Auditions/Select-A-Seat right around the corner.  On Saturday, March 14, individual game tickets will go on sale at 10:00 AM both on-line and at Isotopes Park.  At the same time, the Isotopes will open Isotopes Park for tours, conduct their annual Select-A-Seat and hold National Anthem auditions.   Look for more information on that big day at The Lab here and at www.albuquerquebaseball.com in the next few days.

     

Typically, the questions most fielded here at Isotopes Park (other than the classic “Are you still playing?” query that is usually posed when there is a cloud in the sky and it happens to be raining in some distant corner of New Mexico) pertain to the club’s promotions schedule, as every season fans eagerly anticipate each giveaway or entertainment act.  

This year, the ‘Topes once again are providing a slew of great promotions for fans, highlighted by eight separate fireworks extravaganzas throughout the season.  Also on the slate are giveaways like Orbit Bobbleheads, T-shirts, hats, baseballs, and mini-bats as well as entertainment acts like the Famous Chicken (fresh off his gig with Peyton Manning in those commercials), Birdzerk, Zooperstars, and, of course, the irrepressible Myron Noodleman.   

Click here for a complete list of Isotopes promotions throughout the year, or click here for a PDF of the entire schedule you can download, print, and slap on the ‘fridge.  This will come in handy when individual tickets go on sale on March 14 at 10:00 AM, but more on that later.  This year’s promotions stand up as some of the best we’ve done and fans are sure to be excited about what’s in store at Isotopes Park this season.

In on-the-field news, Spring Training games are in full swing (pardon the pun) in Arizona and Thursday was a big day for former (and possibly future) ‘Topes slugger Valentino Pascucci.  The “Italian Bazooka” belted a solo homer while going 2-for-2 in the Dodgers’ 16-7 pasting of the rival San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium.  Another potential Isotope, infielder Chin-Lung Hu, added a three-run shot in what became a six run ninth inning for Los Angeles.  

Pascucci is honing his swing for the World Baseball Classic, in which he will be participating as a member of Team Italy.  He will leave Dodgers camp on Sunday to join his teammates, who face a tough draw against Team Venezuela in their first game on March 7 at the Rogers Center in Toronto.   

After a contest this Friday against Seattle in Peoria and a game Saturday against the Colorado Rockies in Tucson, the long-awaited opener of Camelback Ranch in Glendale will take place on Sunday, March 1 when the Dodgers host their complex-mates, the Chicago White Sox.   You can follow all the Spring Training action at Dodgers.com.      

  

Although Opening Day for the Isotopes is still about a month and a half away, fans wanting to see baseball at The Lab will get a chance this Friday, February 20, as the University of New Mexico Lobos open their 2009 home season against Texas A&M Corpus-Christi.  Getting a stadium ready to open is always a challenge, and Director of Stadium Operations Bobby Atencio and his crew have worked tirelessly to make sure the park is in tip-top shape.  That also includes Jarad Alley, the Isotopes’ superb Director of Field Operations, who has gotten the field back in playing shape. That’s no small feat in February, as anyone staring at a brown lawn in these winter months can attest.  The Lobos will be the sole tenant of Isotopes Park until April, at which time both the ‘Topes and UNM will share The Lab until the college season ends on May 5. 

In Spring Training news, the Dodgers are hosting their first full-squad workout at Camelback Ranch in Glendale today and some Minor League players will report tomorrow for some early work before Minor League camp opens in earnest on March 5.  One of those players showing up early is catcher J.D. Closser, who the Dodgers signed to a Minor League contract just a couple of days ago and who could be slated to break camp in Albuquerque.  Last year, Closser split time between three Triple-A stops; Iowa (Chicago Cubs), Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (New York Yankees), and Portland (San Diego) and has logged 160 career Major League games, all with the Colorado Rockies from 2004-06.              

On this Valentine’s Day weekend, for a baseball fan there are no words in the English language sweeter than “Pitchers and Catchers report.”   Those words ring especially true today as Dodgers pitchers and catchers have arrived at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona for the official start of Spring Training.  With the recent signings of a number of free agents to Minor League deals (with an invite to Major League camp), it’s interesting to wonder if perhaps Big League veteran pitchers Eric Milton, Jeff Weaver, or Shawn Estes, might break camp in an Isotopes uniform.  Mere idle speculation, true, but that is what Spring Training is all about, right?     

While the majority of the 2009 Isotopes roster will most likely be made up of those on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster and those invited to Major League camp, all of whom report in the next few days, a significant portion will be culled from Minor League camp, which begins a little later.  Minor League pitchers and catchers will report on March 5, with position players to follow on March 11.  It is only after everyone is in camp that the ‘Topes’ roster will truly begin to take shape. 

Should be a fun spring!    

Leading up to the Isotopes’ annual job fair we were anticipating a large turnout, but the amount of people that ended up showing up surpassed our wildest expectations.  A grand total of 1,050 people participated in the fair, the largest turnout in the seven-year history of the event.   Thanks to everyone who came out and interviewed for making it such a tremendous success.  You will hear back from the Isotopes in about a week.  

If you didn’t get a chance to come to the job fair but are still interested in working at Isotopes Park, don’t fret, there is still an opportunity to get involved.  Simply download an Isotopes Employment Application and/or Ovations Food Services application, fill it out and return it to the ‘Topes’ administrative offices located on the second floor of Isotopes Park.  

With so many people in attendance, the fair definitely caught the attention of all three local television stations, all of whom did stories on the event. 

KOAT (ABC)

KOB (NBC)

KRQE (CBS)

Oh, and by the way, pitchers and catchers report to the Dodgers’ Spring Training Complex in Glendale, Arizona in just four days!  

Don’t forget that Saturday, February 7 is the annual Isotopes / Ovations Food Services Job Fair, a perfect opportunity to get a chance to hang out at the ballpark this summer and get paid to do it.  The Job Fair will be held at Isotopes Park (enter on the third base side) from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM.  For more information, call (505) 924-2255 or click here.  

We’re expecting in excess of 700 people to attend this year, so to get a jump on the process you can download a printable PDF application here.  Coming to Isotopes Park with a completed application is strongly encouraged, as it will save you time.

In other news around The Lab, the excitement from Wednesday’s press conference with Tommy Lasorda and new ‘Topes manager Tim Wallach has rippled all the way to Los Angeles.  Click here for video from the NBC affiliate in LA of a classic exchange between Tommy and Isotopes President Ken Young over the meaning of “Isotopes.”  Speaking of video, we are in the process of putting video of the entire press conference on the web site.  Hopefully, we’ll be able to figure out how to get it up there soon.  Stay tuned.      

Wednesday was an historic day at Isotopes Park as Tim Wallach was formally introduced as the newest manager of the Isotopes by Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda, ushering in a new era of Isotopes baseball.  After a quick introduction by ‘Topes President Ken Young, Lasorda delighted the media in attendance with numerous stories before turning things over to Wallach. 

It is safe to say that Isotopes fans are going to enjoy Tim Wallach, who brings with him 17 years as a Major League player and the wealth of baseball knowledge that is commensurate with that experience.  While his focus is to prepare players for the Big Leagues, Wallach realizes that a vital part of development is learning how to win, which is great news for ‘Topes fans who are hoping Wallach can deliver a ninth Pacific Coast League pennant to the city of Albuquerque.   

Of course, while it was Wallach’s day, Lasorda stole the show as expected.  For those who have never had the pleasure of hearing Tommy speak (and given the amount of appearances he makes every year that number has to be about 10… worldwide), it really is a treat.  The energy and passion that he exudes is truly inspirational and it’s impossible not leave a Lasorda speech feeling good.  We’ve been told that this is the first of a couple visits by Tommy to Albuquerque this season and we already can’t wait for the next one.  Below is a photo of Tommy, Tim Wallach, and Isotopes President Ken Young. 

Speaking of feeling good, it’s starting to feel like baseball season is approaching here at The Lab.  We have our manager in place and, with pitchers and catchers reporting to Camelback Ranch in Glendale, AZ in roughly a week, the roster should be sorted out soon.

In the meantime, don’t forget that this Saturday is the Isotopes’ annual Job Fair.  If you’re interested in working at Isotopes Park (and why wouldn’t you be?) this is your best opportunity. 

While announcing a new manager is always exciting, when the Dodgers are involved, they find a way to invariably ratchet up the excitement “to 11,” as our friends in Spinal Tap would say.  Case in point, we just received word that none other than Tommy Lasorda himself will be in Albuquerque on Wednesday to help us formally announce Tim Wallach as our new manager. 

Unfortunately, the event is not open to the public, but it illustrates the commitment the Dodgers are bringing to this renewed relationship with Albuquerque, a commitment that we’re confident Isotopes fans will see in myriad ways throughout the season.

When you think about it, Lasorda’s presence makes perfect symmetrical sense.  Who better to bring in this new Triple-A partnership between Los Angeles and the Isotopes than the man who managed the first Triple-A team in Albuquerque in 1972?  That season, Lasorda led the Dukes to a 92-56 record and the first of eight Pacific Coast League crowns.   Plus, Wallach himself played for Lasorda and the Dodgers from 1993-96. 

It all portends to a very special and exciting season.