The New… & (Greatly) Improved LADT
This was supposed to happen NEXT YEAR. By “this,” I mean Michael Norris and Jeff Dominique were going to join LA DODGER TALK a year from now… but due to technical difficulties, it happened a year early… but for me, it was right on time. I am allegedly retired, but it doesn’t…

This was supposed to happen NEXT YEAR. By “this,” I mean Michael Norris and Jeff Dominique were going to join LA DODGER TALK a year from now… but due to technical difficulties, it happened a year early… but for me, it was right on time. I am allegedly retired, but it doesn’t feel that way most days. US Water Systems is growing at 35% year-over-year with no end in sight. My wife is in the process of opening two restaurants (I am involved with construction and permitting).
I maintain our property (including mowing), which is 3.7 acres and has the house and three other buildings. We opened a new branch in Tampa, Florida yesterday, and oh, I am in the final editing stages for the next 15 weeks on my book, which will be released in July (“The Mountain Mover”), so I am insanely busy. My overall health is great, but arthritis is gradually taking all my joints. I need a second hip replacement, back surgery, and knee replacement surgery. I have had hip and shoulder replacement already.
I am not complaining – life is good. Five Kids, seven grandchildren (and counting), and a Shadrack.

I am beyond blessed. However, I was glad to get Jeff’s call about moving up the timeline. Jeff and Bear have Carte Blanche to do whatever they want. I have never edited or censored what they say, and I never will. This is their home as much as it is mine. I am beyond happy they are both here. WOW!
Also, everyone from LA Dodger Chronicles is welcome here. Welcome to the new LA Dodger Talk. I’m glad you are all here.
Let’s Roll!
More from Dodger Talk

Dodgers Food Trailer
I did this interview a couple of weeks ago with Chef Mike, who runs the Dodgers Food Trailer for the Great Lakes Loons. They are there for every home and road regular season and playoff game. They prepare three meals a day for approximately 50 people (players and coaches). Since games end late most evenings, they do not prepare breakfast. Many of their hotels have a complimentary breakfast anyway. However,…

Meet LAD 2026 Draft Picks 1-12
3 picks were High School players (2 SS and 1 OF). There was a college OF, college catcher, college SS, and 10 college pitchers. Of all the talk for a need for a catcher, the only catcher the Dodgers selected was Luke Bard, son of LAD bullpen coach Josh Bard. Bard was a 4th year senior from Houston Christian University. He is not a prospect, so the Dodgers are still…

Interview with Paul Beachy – Team Bus Driver For The Great Lakes Loons (LA Dodgers Minor League Team)
It’s been a few days since I did this interview. We have evidently been working my son-in-law (the video guy) like a rented mule at US Water Systems. However, I am taking him to London with me in a few days, so maybe Watford will buy him a pint as a tip, but he’s a dang Red Sox fan, so there is that! I thought that it would be interesting…

Thanks for Your Service: Chris Taylor
I was going to do this post when Chris announced he was retiring, then he changed his mind, but since the chances of him ever playing for the Dodgers again are slim and non-existent, I will go ahead with this post. He unretired, went on the IL, then decided to call it quits on May 24th. Taylor was born in Virginia Beach VA on August 29th, 1990. He attended Great…

Discussion (56)
Disagree, not disagreeable
https://jiffyknee.com/ Mark, Check out this new technique in knee replacement surgery called the jiffy knee procedure. Much easier recovery. Ask your surgeon about it.
Thank you – I will.
Tibbs with another dinger and a near miss his first AB
Too bad he can’t play 2b 😉
And a fly out to dead CF at the 415 sign. It feels even better that the Vagiants had him and traded him for a cancer
He is on unreal heater.
Anyone have an update on the minors prospects, specifically the ones we saw in SP that amazed us? The European cruise is wonderful but internet is sporadic at best. Today is Carnival’s first ever visit to Tangier. Morocco. Looking forward to it.
The game, today in the series opener against the Washington Nationals, has the first pitch set for 1:05PM ET.
Nice to see the two forums come full circle into one. Posted on both sites for awhile and then kind of took a step back as I wasn’t sure which one to post on and didn’t feel like posting on both. I always read the lead posts and comments on both sites but didn’t hardly comment at all for a few years. Anyway enough of that it’s great to have the 2026 season underway and should be another fun year.
Mover, your overall health is great except for what’s going on in your entire body. Sounds like you’re being held together with surgical tape and baling wire. But I get it. Old ain’t easy. I’ve got similar problems, being shot up, blowed up, beat up playing years of football against guys who outweighed me by 50 pounds, cerebral malaria messing with brain function, motorcycle accidents. Guess I’m lucky to still be here. No surgeries yet, but I’m not ruling them out. Yet. Assuming we all will get a signed copy of that book. Feels like we’ve been reading your life story here for the last 25 years. You selling the movie rights yet? I’d like a small speaking role in it. Scale of course. Game time early today. Hope they packed their bats.
1:05 PM ET EARLY GAME Dodgers (4-2) Nationals (3-3) SP Emmet Sheehan R 0-0 10.80 ERA SP Miles Mikolas R 0-1 7.20 ERA Confirmed Lineup DH S. Ohtani L RF Kyle Tucker L SS Mookie Betts R 1B F. Freeman L C Will Smith R 3B Max Muncy L LF T. Hernandez R CF Andy Pages R 2B A. Freeland S 72° Wind 14 mph
With the Minor League season opening this week, here’s where the Dodgers’ Top 30 Prospects are projected to start: Dodgers Top 30 prospects 1. Josue De Paula (MLB No. 13), OF — Tulsa (Double-A) 2. Zyhir Hope (MLB No. 25), OF — Tulsa (Double-A) 3. Eduardo Quintero (MLB No. 28), OF — Great Lakes (High-A) 4. Mike Sirota (MLB No. 58), OF — Great Lakes (High-A) 5. Emil Morales (MLB No. 89), SS — Ontario (Single-A) 6. River Ryan, RHP — Extended spring training 7. Jackson Ferris, LHP — Extended spring training 8. Alex Freeland, INF — Los Angeles (MLB) 9. Charles Davalan, OF — Great Lakes (High-A) 10. Christian Zazueta, RHP — Great Lakes (High-A) 11. James Tibbs III, OF/1B — Oklahoma City (Triple-A) 12. Adam Serwinowski, LHP — Tulsa (Double-A) 13. Zach Root, LHP — Great Lakes (High-A) 14. Kendall George, OF — Tulsa (Double-A) 15. Ching-Hsien Ko, OF — Extended spring training 16. Kellon Lindsey, SS — Extended spring training 17. Chase Harlan, 3B — Ontario (Single-A) 18. Zach Ehrhard, OF — Oklahoma City (Triple-A) 19. Marlon Nieves, RHP — Ontario (Single-A) 20. Ryan Ward, OF/1B — Oklahoma City (Triple-A) 21. Joendry Vargas, SS — Ontario (Single-A) 22. Cam Leiter, RHP — Ontario (Single-A) 23. Sterling Patick, LHP — Great Lakes (High-A) 24. Kyle Hurt, RHP — Oklahoma City (Triple-A) 25. Payton Martin, RHP — Tulsa (Double-A) 26. Elijah Hainline, INF — Tulsa (Double-A) 27. Landyn Vidourek, OF — Ontario (Single-A) 28. Brendan Tunink, OF — Ontario (Single-A) 29. Noah Miller, SS — Oklahoma City (Triple-A) 30. Patrick Copen, RHP — Tulsa (Double-A) YOU CAN FOLLOW STATS ON THE ABOVE PLAYERS BY GOING TO MINOR LEAGUE AFFILIATES AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE
You have to wonder what was the GM in Boston thinking for making the Tibbs and Ehrhard trade for Dustin May?
Desperation, pressure, delusion. I forget the pitcher but Boston felt they were close on someone and it fell through. AF masterfully extracted two upper level offensive prospects with surprising polish. Boston had a logjam in their major league OF and perhaps felt those two were expendable. Nobody’s really ever expendable if you just give them away. I liked May but the risk wasn’t worth it. He busted and we have the hottest prospect in baseball. And Ehrhard, who looks to be a protype 4th OF. Huge win of a trade.
This will be the game I don’t predict scoring ten runs.
I will have to watch the game after I get home. Have to run a friend up to the Springs so she can catch the bus to Denver. Pirates called up #1 prospect Konnor Griffin who will make his MLB debut today. Erhard and Tibbs have indeed been impressive.
Jeff–What do you have on Luke Fox. Mark–Great job on the blog.
For tonight, Friday, April 3, 2026, the scheduled starting pitchers for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ minor league affiliates are as follows: Triple-A (Oklahoma City Comets): Ryder Ryan is scheduled to start the second game of the season against the Las Vegas Aviators. Double-A (Tulsa Drillers): Adam Serwinowski, a left-handed pitcher, is the announced starter for game two of their series against the San Antonio Missions. High-A (Great Lakes Loons): While the official starter for tonight’s Opening Day home opener against the Fort Wayne TinCaps has not been explicitly confirmed, the Loons’ roster includes several top arms such as Christian Zazueta, who was the Dodgers’ minor league pitcher of the year in 2025. Single-A (Ontario Tower Buzzers): The Dodgers’ new Single-A affiliate (formerly the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes) has a game tonight, but their specific starter has not yet been named following their inaugural game on Thursday.
LHP Sterling Patick has been announced as the starting pitcher for High A Great Lakes tonight.
Who are those 3 models on the cover of this thread???
Yeah old age is not for the faint of heart. I did have a brain transplant but my body rejected it. So there is that. The book is beyond my wildest dreams. It’s hard for me to believe some of it. But it happened.
The one on the right is an escapee from the psyche ward.
Hainline in Tulsa is more and more interesting. He and Tibbs could be big risers (of course for the latter.)
I mean the Sox were, and are, replete with OFs both at the MLB level and below (don’t sleep on J. Garcia.) Tibbs’s swing and approach made him (and still may have him) as a platoon bat. And beyond Crochet they were lacking at SP. So a lottery ticket at a highly valued position (SP) for a platoon player and lottery ticket at an overloaded and undervalued positon (OF) was probably an overpay but really not too bad of one.