Los Angeles Dodgers

Yesterday Major League Baseball and the office of the commissioner, in it's infinite wisdom, decided to make it mandatory for all uniformed personel—players, coaches, managers, and umpires—to wear Jackie Robinson's number 42 in an attempt to honor the man and his accomplishments.

This was a foolhardy exercise bound up in P.C. chains and force-fed to the baseball viewing public. 

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired switch-hitting outfielder Delwyn Young from the Los Angeles Dodgers for either two unnamed minor league players or cash.

After returning from the disabled list, Young found himself buried on the Dodgers depth chart and has not recorded any playing time in 2009. The 5-foot-8 outfielder carries a .267 career average, but has been susceptible in the field.

There are no questions he can hit, though. With only 165 career at-bats, he just never found a place with the Dodgers.

The 1980's was a decade when speed, pitching, and defense trumped power. You won't see arcade-like power stats, which became common in the following two decades, as only ten HR leaders out of twenty (both leagues) finished with forty or more round trippers. In contrast, the nineties saw eighteen finished with forty or more and no player hit fifty home runs.

This was the decade when speed was king.

Orlando Hudson of the Los Angeles Dodgers hit for the cycle on home opener at Dodger Stadium. The finishing touch of the cycle came in the sixth inning with a triple against long-time division rivals the San Francisco Giants. 

The “O dog” singled in the first, followed by a home-run in the third and a double in the fourth. This was all against the future Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres u8.0 (-115)

Thu April 9th ‘09 3:35p: Click here for MLB betting odds
Visit Touthouse.com for more MLB Baseball Betting Picks from LT Profits

Note: All team projections were found using the FEINs projections. An explanation behind projected wins, losses, and other stats can be found here.

1. Arizona Diamondbacks

Whenever I'm feeling particularly agitated, I turn to the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Why you ask?  Because, as a die-hard San Francisco Giants' fan, I can spew venom all over the Bums and do so haphazardly with little or no repercussions.

That's the beauty of being in a blood-rivalry.

As long as I stay away from really crossing the line in a personal manner, especially with regards to Dodger fans, I feel confident that all will be forgiven if I'm wrong.

Once upon a time, Will Ohman was considered to be one of the best relief pitchers on the free agent market.

Once upon a time, Will Ohman thought he had a market for his services.

Once upon a time, Will Ohman actually had a major league contract offer from the Atlanta Braves.

Once upon a time, Will Ohman thought he was in line for a huge contract similar to those given out to Jeremy Affeldt and Damaso Marte.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have resigned Manny Ramirez and are looking to get to the next step and go to the World Series. Last year they lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS. The Dodgers do have what it takes. They did lose Brad Penny to Boston but have Clayton Kershaw becoming a shining star.

The Dodgers need Jason Schmidt to be totally healthy as he will be a key in the Dodgers' playoff run. James Loney brings a 13 home run, 90 RBI season back with him, and Russell Martin had 13 homers and 63 RBIs in an All-Star season.

Keep an eye on: Clayton Kershaw, sp

For years, the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers have had the biggest rivalry in baseball that doesn’t include the term “Red Sox vs. Yankees,”  with every game just as heated as the one on the east coast.

However, as both teams have struggled and as players have gone from team to team in the National League West, the rivalry has cooled in recent years.

The thing that had the battle going when both teams moved west was that almost all the players on each roster were homegrown and were taught to hate each other.