Dodgers Diaries

In case you missed it, check the excellent LA Times story on the author of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” . Jack Norworth, who penned the song back in 1908, is buried in a cemetery not far from Anaheim. That’s reason enough for the Angels to claim his as their own. After all, they claim Los Angeles as their home town, even though they play in another county. So why not give the man his props and celebrate his contribution to the game?

Better yet, why don’t the Dodgers claim him as their own. They honored Norworth at the Coliseum in 1958 to celebrate the song’s 50th anniversary. The 100th passed barely noticed. These days, the Dodgers do Norworth a disservice by preceding his ballpark favorite with the dreadful God Bless America. It would be a fitting tribute to make Norworth’s song the only one played during the seventh-inning stretch.

The Dodgers head into the break on a high note, taking three out of four from the Cubs. Sunday’s 7-0 shutout was arguably the best game of Vicente Padilla’s entire career (save maybe the Game 3 win over St. Louis in the 2009 NLDS. “He knows how to pitch,” said Joe Torre after the game. “Everything he throws, he throws for strikes.”

Hong-Chih Kuo becomes the first Taiwanese player to be named to an All-Star game. We’ll see if he becomes the first to appear in a game as well. I’m not saying Kuo didn’t deserve to go, but I don’t really see All-Star managers turning to setup men when they’ve got multiple closers and multiple aces in their bullpens. If you’ve got a one-run lead in the seventh, are you going to turn to Kuo or to Heath Bell/Brian Wilson/Jonathan Broxton/or even Josh Johnson? Arthur Rhodes and Kuo will probably compete to appear as situational lefties some time in the sixth or seventh inning.

-- JOHN ROSENTHAL