1990-98
1990
February 28, 1990
He would not appear in a major league box score for more than two seasons, but Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda saw something early in a young minor league catcher. "Mike Piazza and Carlos Hernandez, a couple of catchers, are really swinging the bat." It was Lasorda who urged the Dodgers draft Piazza in the 62nd round of the 1988 Free Agent Draft and sign him to his first contract. Piazza would go on to play 16 seasons in the majors, win the 1993 National League Rookie of the Year and become the top home run hitting catcher in baseball history. 1
March 21, 1990
March 20th was the first day major league players were to report for Spring Training following a labor dispute, but only eight Dodger players were present for the workout. Pitcher Orel Hershiser said, "There's more writers here than players." 2
April 18, 1990
Donald Fehr, Director of the Major League Players' Association spoke to reporters regarding the standards for accommodations for players during Spring Training. Fehr said of Dodgertown, "We have classic examples of how to do it (Spring Training) right. Go to Dodgertown." 3
1 ^ Alan Malamud, Los Angeles, February 28, 1990
2 ^ Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, March 21, 1990
3 ^ The Sporting News, April 18, 1990
1991
February 10, 1991
In a preview for the 1991 Spring Training season, Chicago Sun-Times writer Andrew Hermann had this to say of Dodgertown. "At the famed Dodgertown in Vero Beach, the permanent seats were sold when we arrived, which turned out to be a bonus. A capacity crowd means that fans can sit under palm trees on the grassy outfield embankment. If that doesn't give you a tingling feeling for Spring Training in Florida, turn around and go home." 1
February 22, 1991
Sportswriter John Garrity wrote of Dodgertown in his 1991 edition of The Traveler's Guide to Baseball Spring Training. He said of the best parks in Spring Training Baseball "In Florida's Grapefruit League, it's Holman Stadium where the Los Angeles Dodgers play. It's old-fashioned and fans have tremendous access to players." Garrity also mentions in the book Dodgertown and Holman Stadium was the best stadium to collect player autographs in Florida Spring Training. 2
March 4, 1991
Minor league catcher Ed Lund is this Spring Training's winner of the annual catchers' popup contest. The contest, featuring only Dodger catchers, is their own version of a slam-dunk contest in basketball. Catchers have to catch a pop fly with an innovative technique to win a prize. This year, Lund won the award for the best catch of a pop fly when he waited for the pop fly to be struck, then he did a double somersault and retrieved his catcher's glove from a teammate before making the catch. 3 Mike Scioscia, the Dodgers' regular catcher, is a regular contestant. One Spring Training, Scioscia, as his right as a major league player, entered the field for the contest wearing a turban with a Dodger clubhouse assistant bearing Scioscia's glove on a pillow. 4
March 7, 1991
Washington Post writer Tom Boswell wrote of Dodgertown in early Spring Training. Boswell's words were "Everything here is exactly as it should be. Ridiculously perfect. Dodgertown is the idyll of Spring Training made manifest." 5
March 10, 1991
Sportswriter Steve Dilbeck sat down with Dodger President Peter O'Malley to speak of the issues facing the Dodgers and asked O'Malley for his memories of Dodgertown. O'Malley replied, "We've been here since the late 40s and I've been coming every year since I was a kid. Haven't missed a year yet. And having worked here as I did in the early '60s running the camp, every tree here I've seen grown. The fields develop. There's a lot of pride right here, as well as Dodger Stadium. There's a lot of enjoyment, because looking back, we've done it well. I learned how to drive on this street when I was 15 years old. I remember washing Joe Black's car. I remember when the lake was built behind Holman Stadium. We went and got a dozen ducks and we put them over there and fed them and they stayed for years. I remember when the golf course was built, Holman Stadium, the barracks. The St. Patrick's Day party we held. I could go on forever." 6
March 12, 1991
The pitcher who had thrown the most innings in a Spring Training game by this date this year was the Dodger manager, Tom Lasorda. Lasorda pitched 7 1/3 innings in a game consisting of Dodger minor league players and earned the win, 7-3. Lasorda injured his hamstring while pitching in the fifth inning, but continued to pitch for the win. Lasorda said, "I told them they would have to carry me out." The game was called after eight innings when Peter O'Malley, in consideration for Lasorda's injury, ordered the Holman Stadium lights to be turned off. 7
April 4, 1991
Dodger President Peter O'Malley displays his appreciation to the people of Vero Beach and Indian River County in a quarter size page advertisement in the Vero Beach Press-Journal. O'Malley wrote in his thank you, "To our friends in Indian River County: The Dodgers have just concluded our 44th consecutive year of Spring Training in Vero Beach. Throughout the years we have been fortunate to have the loyal support of so many people in the county. We appreciate everything you do for us to make our spring visit each year so enjoyable." 8
May 14, 1991
The New York Times discussed the relative advantages of professional teams in the treatment of their players and cited Dodgertown as an example as a factor in the performance of the club. "In each sport, certain teams, blessed with magnanimous owners, have earned a reputation for treating their players a bit above the norm. Peter O'Malley offers his Dodgers that incredible training site, a gorgeous stadium, and aggressive free-agent policy that assures them top-flight teammates. The Dodgers win, generally speaking." 9
1 ^ Andrew Hermann, Chicago Sun-Times, February 10, 1991
2 ^ John Garrity, USA Weekend, February 22-24, 1991
3 ^ Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, March 4, 1991
4 ^ Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, March 3, 1991
5 ^ Tom Boswell, Washington Post, March 7, 1991
6 ^ Steve Dilbeck, San Bernardino Sun, March 10, 1991
7 ^ Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, March 13, 1991
8 ^ Vero Beach Press-Journal, April 5, 1991
9 ^ Filip Bondy, New York Times, May 14, 1991
1992
March 25, 1992
Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda agreed to a one-year extension through 1993 to continue running the club. Dodger President Peter O'Malley said of Lasorda, "Tommy asked me. 'Would you like for me to do anything different?' I said, 'Yes, instead of throwing 60 minutes of batting practice, can you throw 40 minutes?" 1
March 29, 1992
The Dodgers' top prospect this spring impressed the Dodger Manager, Tom Lasorda. Lasorda said of Mike Piazza, expected to start the 1992 season at AAA-Albuquerque that "He's going to be some kind of ballplayer. I don't let friendships or anything else influence my judgment. He has a lot of talent. He's a helluva prospect." 2 Piazza would later win the 1993 National League Rookie of the Year Award and his 396 home runs became the all-time greatest home run hitting catcher in baseball history.
March 31, 1992
At 2 p.m. on this date, Dodger relief pitchers were seen celebrating in the Holman Stadium bullpen. The purpose of the celebration? 2 p.m. was the deadline that guaranteed all major league contracts for the season and there were some Dodger pitchers who became guaranteed on this time and date. So when the deadline came and went, there were some visibly happy pitchers. Roger McDowell, a Dodger pitcher who had a guaranteed contract, made the long morning seem longer for the non-guaranteed players when he re-set the clubhouse clocks to an hour earlier. 3
April 22, 1992
Japan Baseball Hall of Fame great Shigeo Nagashima is in Dodgertown to see his son, Kazu, play for the Vero Beach Dodgers. Nagashima played 17 seasons and managed six seasons for the Yomiuri Giants and had visited Dodgertown in previous visits by the Giants' team. Kazu Nagashima was a professional baseball player in Japan. Ike Ikuhara, Assistant to Dodger President Peter O'Malley, sought permission from the Florida State League for the younger Nagashima to play for Vero Beach and he was approved for play. Through Ikuhara' daily dedication and inspiration, Nagashima steadily improved. Nagashima hit .235 and hit seven home runs for Vero Beach in 1992. He would later play seven seasons in the Japan Central League for the Yakult Swallows and the Yomiuri Giants. Dodgertown Director Craig Callan reported Shigeo and Kazu Nagashima were the first father-son combination to play third base at Holman Stadium. 4
August 28, 1992
The No. 1 ranked University of Miami Hurricane football team conducted workouts at Dodgertown in preparation for their September 5th opener against Iowa. The Hurricanes transferred their workouts to Vero Beach because of Hurricane Andrew had caused massive damage to the Miami area. The storm had prevented the Hurricanes from working out for seven days. 5 The University of Miami would spend the entire 1992 season ranked as the No. 1 team in the nation until their defeat by No. 2 Alabama in the 1993 Sugar Bowl. 6
1 ^ March 25, 1992, Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times
2 ^ March 29, 1992, Jim Donaghy, Los Angeles Times
3 ^ April 1, 1992, Randy Youngman, Orange County Register
4 ^ April 22, 1992, Bill Boeding, Vero Beach Press Journal
5 ^ August 28, 1992, Los Angeles Times
6 ^ 1992 Miami Hurricanes Football Team, Wikipedia
1993
March 11, 1993
In a pre-game ceremony at home plate, Holman Stadium is honored on its 40th anniversary of its inaugural game on March 11, 1953. Dodger President Peter O'Malley is joined by Vero Beach Mayor Jay Smith and other elected city officials with Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda and Dodgertown Director Craig Callan. Bump Holman, the son of Bud Holman, for whom the stadium is named for, is also part of the tribute. It was Bud Holman who encouraged the Brooklyn Dodgers to hold their Spring Training in Vero Beach, Florida in 1948 and the Dodgers named their Spring Training Stadium at Dodgertown for him. 1
March 21, 1993
Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda was asked if rookie catcher Mike Piazza would make the Opening Day roster. Piazza was hitting well in Spring Training and would show the form that would earn him the 1993 National League Rookie of the Year. Said Lasorda of Piazza making the club for the season, "If he's (Piazza) not, I'm not." 2
March 22, 1993
Rain, rain would not go away as the Florida rains prevented the Dodgers from playing exhibition games. The field at Holman Stadium, the Dodgers' ballpark in Spring Training, was practically under water. One writer said a yacht could have floated inside Holman Stadium. 3 In a 30-hour period, 5.7 inches of rain fell on Dodgertown. Dodger President Peter O'Malley, who had been coming to Vero Beach since the Dodgers began training there in 1948 said, "We're prepared to move (play exhibition games in Florida) if we have to. I don't want to list them, but you can let your imagination wander." O'Malley discussed previous rain history in Vero Beach. "Thirty years ago (1961), we went to Havana, Cuba. The storms in Florida were so bad so we got together with Cincinnati and played in Havana shortly after Castro took over. It happens. This is the wettest spring I've seen here. If we still can't play for the next four or five days, we will find dry fields to work out on some place." In order to get some spring work in, the Dodgers took buses to Winter Haven, approximately 100 miles northwest where it was dry and played a 10-inning intrasquad game. 4
1 ^ Vero Beach Press Journal, March 12, 1993
2 ^ Randy Franz, Orange County Register, March 21, 1993
3 ^ Maryann Hudson, Los Angeles Times, March 22, 1993
4 ^ 2 Randy Franz, Orange County Register, March 22, 1993
1994
February 23, 1994
Chan Ho Park, the first South Korean player to play in the United States, has been practicing his English in the early days of Spring Training. He walked up to Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda and said in English, "How come you look so tired?" Lasorda began to respond to the question and then realized Chan Ho was speaking English to him. 1
March 7, 1994
Chan Ho Park makes his first pitching appearance against another major league team when he pitches three scoreless innings against the New York Mets. Park allowed one hit and one walk in the three innings. In his first plate appearance, Park bowed to home plate umpire Larry Vanover in a sign of his respect for the umpire. 2
March 25, 1994
Dodger Executive Vice President Fred Claire said of Chan Ho Park, the Dodgers' 20-year old pitcher from South Korea that "If Chan Ho were an American and had been eligible for last June's college draft, he probably would have been among the top five players picked." 3
April 1, 1994
Former Dodger player Don Zimmer, now a major league coach for the Colorado Rockies, reminisces of his days in Spring Training with the Dodgers. "I wouldn't trade anything in my life for going to Vero Beach, Florida in 1950 and 1951. Coaching was different then. In those camps, we had 24 minor league clubs, and it became a special place. One time we had 750 players in camp. Not all were signed, but all got tryouts. We'd have to get up at 7 a.m. and go across the street. We had a big hall and a stage. One morning Tommy Holmes would be there talking about hitting. Another morning, it would be Al Campanis talking about infield play, or somebody stressing hitting and pitching. As a player, you went right down the line." Zimmer was asked who was the best organization he had played for during his career. "The Dodgers. I was probably brought up in as good an organization as there ever was. I'm talking about all phases of the game-bunting, sliding, hitting, whatever it may be." 4
July 7, 1994
The 41st President of the United States, George H.W. Bush, is a visitor to Dodgertown and is given a tour of the facilities.
November 29, 1994
Dodger President Peter O'Malley announced the Samsung Lions, a professional baseball team in South Korea, have accepted an invitation from the Dodgers to participate in Spring Training next season at Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida. The Lions will be making their fourth overall trip for Spring Training in Dodgertown after visiting Dodgertown in 1985, 1992, and 1993. 5
1 ^ February 23, 1994, Maryann Hudson, Los Angeles Times
2 ^ March 8, 1994, Maryann Hudson, Los Angeles Times
3 ^ March 25, 1994, Phil Elderkin, Christian Science Monitor
4 ^ April 1, 1994, Larry Whiteside, Boston Globe
5 ^ November 29, 1994, Los Angeles Dodgers Press Release
1995
March 2, 1995
Hideo Nomo arrives in Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida. Nomo had signed a National Association contract with the Dodgers after retiring from the Japanese Professional League and if he made the major league team, would be the first Japanese player since Masanori Murakami of the San Francisco Giants in 1965 to pitch in the big leagues. Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda said of Nomo, "We're hoping and looking for him to be one of the starters on our pitching staff in 1995." 1
April 8, 1995
Hideo Nomo threw two scoreless innings in an intrasquad game at Dodgertown in his first appearance against major league hitters. 2
April 13, 1995
- With 13 television cameras watching his every motion, Hideo Nomo pitched two hitless innings in an exhibition game. In the fifth inning, he walked the bases loaded and retired the side in order in the sixth inning. Catcher Mike Piazza and pitching coach Dave Wallace visited Nomo in the fifth inning when his control left him. Wallace spoke the phrase in Japanese "Get the ball down" from Nomo's translator to Nomo, but Nomo said the sentence was incorrect. Nomo said of Wallace, "Maybe Dave forgot his Japanese." 3
April 17, 1995
Hideo Nomo continued to make his argument to open the 1995 season as a member of the Dodger pitching staff as he pitched four scoreless innings against the New York Yankees. The only hit allowed by Nomo in the four innings was a single by Don Mattingly, a future Manager of the Dodgers. 4
April 19, 1995
New York Met outfielder Bobby Bonilla said that if New York Met outfielder Brett Butler was caught hugging Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda before a game, the Mets' kangaroo court would fine Butler $500. So when the former Dodger outfielder saw Lasorda, they only shook hands. However, Lasorda wasn't done. Before the game, Lasorda said hello to Met outfielder Bobby Bonilla and pretended to shake his hand. Then Lasorda hugged Bonilla, putting Bonilla on the hook for the fine. Said Lasorda, "I got him (Bonilla) good." 5
April 20, 1995
Dodger President Peter O'Malley gives the 1955 Brooklyn Dodger World Championship Banner to the Brooklyn Historical Society. The banner had been removed by sportswriters at the 1959 World Series press room in Los Angeles and they had wanted to donate it to the Baseball Hall of Fame. O'Malley informed the Hall of Fame the banner was improperly donated and it was returned to O'Malley and he provided it to the Historical Society. 6
April 23, 1995
Henry Rodriguez hit four home runs in an exhibition game at Holman Stadium in Dodgertown. However, his bat and cap did not go to Cooperstown's Baseball Hall of Fame as the game was not a regular season game. Rodriguez did autograph and date 12 baseballs for Dodger President Peter O'Malley to commemorate his achievement. 7
April 24, 1995
The Dodgers announced that right hand pitcher Hideo Nomo would make his major league debut on May 2nd against the San Francisco Giants. The game is to be played in San Francisco. 8
1 ^ Larry Rocca, Orange County Register, March 1, 1995
2 ^ Larry Rocca, Orange County Register, April 9, 1995
3 ^ Bob Nightengale, Los Angeles Times, April 14, 1995
4 ^ Larry Rocca, Orange County Register, April 18, 1995
5 ^ Bob Nightengale, Los Angeles Times, April 19, 1995
6 ^ Orange County Register News Service, April 20, 1995
7 ^ Palm Beach Post Wire Services, April 24, 1995
8 ^ Bob Nightengale, Los Angeles Times, April 24, 1995
1996
February 14, 1996
Players of the baseball team of Han Yang University in Seoul, South Korea, arrive in Vero Beach to become the first South Korean university team to conduct Spring Training in Dodgertown, Vero Beach, Florida. The college baseball team was invited to work with Dodger instructors and play games against Dodger minor league teams. Dodger President Peter O'Malley extended the invitation to honor Dodger right hand pitcher Chan Ho Park, who had attended Han Yang University in 1992 and 1993. At the time, Han Yang was South Korea's largest university with 27,000 students. 1 Dodger President Peter O'Malley said in December, 1995 at the time of the acceptance by Han Yang, "We will enthusiastically welcome the Han Yang University baseball team at Dodgertown and I know the young men will benefit by this international experience." 2 The Dodgers previously had a relationship with South Korea when they were invited as the first non-Korean business to become a member of the Korean-American Chamber of Commerce. Also, the Dodgers were the first major league team to broadcast a regular season game in the Korean language. 3
February 27, 1996
Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda drove into Holman Stadium on his personal golf cart and as he entered the stadium, "Hail to the Chief" was heard on the public address system as the crowd cheered. 4
February 29, 1996
Dodger President Peter O'Malley was interviewed by Korean newspapers at the conclusion of the Hanyang University baseball team Spring Training in Dodgertown, Vero Beach, Florida. He told the media that "The invitation of the Han Yang University is a historical event. Through this event, the Dodgers became closer to Korean baseball than ever. I will do my best to help the Korean National team (for the Atlanta Olympic Games). Korean baseball has made progress enormously in a short period. For many Korean coaches coming to the U.S. for the training and because of popularity of baseball in Korea, Korean baseball will progress even faster in the future." 5 When asked of his reason to invite Han Yang University to train at Dodgertown, O'Malley said, "The Dodgers are international management-oriented. There are a number of players from 15 different nations playing under the Dodger organization and I am proud of that. ….I believe we can exchange friendship and unify this world through baseball. 6
March 10, 1996
The Dodgers and Montreal Expos played an exhibition game in Dodgertown with an international flavor having two Japanese umpires on the bases. National League Umpire Bruce Froemming was behind the plate in his participation of an international exchange of baseball umpires. 7
March 14, 1996
- International singing star Vic Damone is a visitor to Dodgertown at the invitation of Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda. 8 In the exhibition game played that day, the Dodgers turned a triple play started by first baseman Mike Busch when he caught a line drive, tagged first base for the first runner and then threw to second base to finish the triple play. In 38 seasons in Los Angeles, the Dodgers had not turned a triple play in a major league game. 9
March 24, 1996
Chan Ho Park was telling writers he recently spoke to his mother in South Korea before his previous start in Dodgertown for Spring Training. Chan Ho said, "It was the first time she ever called me at Dodgertown. My mom doesn't know English. I say, 'Mom, how did you get through our switchboard. You don't speak English. She told me, 'Moms can do anything.' Then, in English, she told me, 'Relax, just relax." 10
March 25, 1996
Dodger pitcher Hideo Nomo was featured in an automobile commercial that featured voice-activated navigation. The highlight of the commercial is that Nomo is driving in the Florida Keys, a relatively straight, continuous highway there. As Nomo drives, the voice-navigator repeats, "Straight ahead, straight ahead, straight ahead." 11
1 ^ Vero Beach Press-Journal, December 23, 1995
2 ^ Los Angeles Sentinel, December 28, 1995
3 ^ Vero Beach Press-Journal, December 23, 1995
4 ^ Tim Brown, Los Angeles Daily News, February 27, 1996
5 ^ Sports Central, February 29, 1996
6 ^ Sports Chosun Daily News, February 29, 1996
7 ^ Larry Rocca, Orange County Register, March 11, 1996
8 ^ Larry Rocca, Orange County Register, March 15, 1996
9 ^ Bob Nightengale, Los Angeles Times, March 16, 1996
10 ^ Bob Nightengale, Los Angeles Times, March 24, 1996
11 ^ Hilary MacGregor, Los Angeles Times, March 25, 1996
1997
February 22, 1997
Dodger pitcher Hideo Nomo was asked about his pioneer step to go from pitching in Japan to pitching in the major leagues and how it affected other Japanese pitchers to take their chance in the United States. "Even if I didn't succeed, I showed it was possible to play in America." 1
February 27, 1997
The Vero Beach Press Journal special Spring Training section talks of the history of the Dodgers and the city of Vero Beach. "While the Los Angeles Dodgers have called Vero Beach their spring-training home for 49 years, the relationship goes deeper. Since the Dodgers' arrival in 1948, the team has strived to become great neighbors in Indian River County. The entire organization continues to work toward this by supporting many community oriented projects. For example, in 1986, the Dodgers "adopted" Dodgertown Elementary School, formerly named Clemann Elementary School. This was not simply a name change for the school -- it was an identity change as well. From guest speakers to the construction of the new library, the Dodgers have continued to assist the school…..The Dodgers also boost the local economy. It is estimated that $20 million is brought into Vero Beach and Indian River County as a result of spring training……Milt Thomas, director of economic development for the Vero Beach-Indian River County Chamber of Commerce said, "It is not just an economic impact. The Dodgers are a part of our identity as a community." 2
March 5, 1997
Former Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda accepts a phone call in the Holman Stadium press box and it is there that he is told he has been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Lasorda said, "It's the most precious day of my life. I'm overwhelmed. I can't believe this happened to me at this point of time." 3 Dick Crago, the public address announcer for Holman Stadium, told the crowd of the event as it made Dodgertown history. Lasorda spoke of his admiration for Dodger President Peter O'Malley. "I want to thank Peter O'Malley. It's a privilege and an honor to have been the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers." O'Malley then retired Lasorda's number and named the road to enter Dodgertown, "Tommy Lasorda Lane." 4 Lasorda said of the street designation in Dodgertown. "When you want to meet someone there, tell them to meet you at the corner of Jackie Robinson Avenue and Tommy Lasorda Lane." 5 The Hall of Fame celebration included the Lasorda family restaurant in Exton, Pennsylvania. "You should see it here," said Harry Lasorda. "This place has been buzzing all day long. I can hardly talk. I still can't believe it. The Hall of Fame. The greatest ballplayers in the world are there. And now, so is my brother." 6 Current Dodger manager Bill Russell said of the moment, "His record speaks for itself. He never tried to get the credit. He just went out and did his job. If you thought he wasn't a good manager, this proves that he was." 7 Mike Piazza said of his former manager, "I think his baseball knowledge and expertise is underrated because of how flamboyant and knowledgeable he is. It's good not only what he has accomplished as a manager, but what he's done for the game. He's devoted his entire life to baseball." 8 Lasorda concluded by saying, "I've accomplished everything I wanted to. I've managed 20 years. I've managed world championship teams. I've managed All-Star Games. I've managed the greatest players who ever played the game of baseball. I've achieved everything, but to achieve something like this is the epitome of it all. I remember coming here for the first time in 1949. There were 780 players in camp. There were 26 farm teams. And there were 50 free agents. I outlasted every one of them in that camp. And now I'm a Hall of Famer. I can't believe it." 9
March 9, 1997
Larry Felser, columnist for the Buffalo News, wrote his impression of Dodgertown. "If you have never been to a baseball spring training camp, the place to start is Dodgertown. There is no other like it. The ambience is incomparable…..I once saw the former manager of the Dodgers' Class A teams visit the big league camp with his wife. In most organizations, the pecking dictates that somebody that far down is treated like a serf. Not the Dodgers. (Tom) Lasorda not only greeted the couple warmly, but made sure all the Dodger brass were present and that the red carpet was rolled out." 10
March 11, 1997
Steve Kim, the representative for Chan Ho Park, said of the young right hand pitcher's first major league victory in April, 1996, "They compared it to South Korea winning its first gold medal in the Olympics." 11
March 23, 1997
Orange County Register columnist Mark Whicker wrote this about Dodgertown, "This town (Vero Beach) is like the franchise (Los Angeles Dodgers). Traditional, understated, proudly outdated…..Dodgertown is a memorial to days of company teams with "Welcome Home Dodgers" banners….The Dodgers strive to be special, and so Vero must be special too." 12
1 ^ Bob Nightengale, Los Angeles Times, February 22, 1997
2 ^ Vero Beach Press Journal, February 27, 1997
3 ^ Bob Nightengale, Los Angeles Times, March 6, 1997
4 ^ John Strege, Orange County Register, March 6, 1997
5 ^ Bob Nightengale, Los Angeles Times, March 6, 1997
6 ^ Bob Nightengale, Los Angeles Times, March 6, 1997
7 ^ Bob Nightengale, Los Angeles Times, March 6, 1997
8 ^ Bob Nightengale, Los Angeles Times, March 6, 1997
9 ^ Bob Nightengale, Los Angeles Times, March 6, 1997
10 ^ Larry Felser, Buffalo News, March 9, 1997
11 ^ Kevin Acee, Los Angeles Daily News, March 11, 1997
12 ^ Mark Whicker, Orange County Register, March 23, 1997
1998
January 18, 1998
The Boston Globe newspaper runs down the list of Spring Training sites in Florida for baseball fans planning to spend time in Florida. "Any tour of Florida training camps must include Dodgertown in Vero Beach. It is arguably the best facility anywhere for the true baseball fan." 1
February 23, 1998
Baseball America magazine named Dodgertown the No. 1 Spring Training site in the major leagues in their March, 1998 issue. 2
March 8, 1998
23 years and 324 major league wins later, upon his election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Sutton returns to Dodgertown for his honor of having "Don Sutton Square" named for him. Don Sutton's first Spring Training in Dodgertown was in 1965 and then he went out and pitched 249 minor league innings at the age of 20. At the dedication ceremony, Sutton said, "I'm sure there will be some people more deserving, but no one will be more grateful. Thank you, Peter (O'Malley, Dodger President) 3 . I couldn't have spent my time and energy with a better organization." 4
March 9, 1998
Jaime Jarrin, the Dodgers' lead announcer for their Spanish radio broadcasts, is honored in a ceremony at Dodgertown for his 1998 selection of the Ford Frick Award, an honor bestowed by the National Baseball Hall of Fame. For receiving the national award, Jarrin had "Avenida Jaime Jarrin" named for him at Dodgertown, a long time Dodgertown bequest. Jarrin began broadcasting the Dodgers in Spanish to Southern California and Mexico in 1959 and was considered the "dean" of Spanish baseball broadcasting, ready to begin his 40th season with the Dodgers. "I am a very, very fortunate man. I had many people help me up the mountain," said the broadcaster in thanking persons in his remarks." 5
1 ^ Joe Giuliotti, Boston Globe, January 18, 1998
2 ^ Matt McHale, Los Angeles Daily News, February 23, 1998
3 ^ Jeff Miller, Orange County Register, March 9, 1988
4 ^ Los Angeles Times, March 9, 1988
5 ^ Los Angeles Times, March 10, 1998
For more on the history of the Dodgers Spring Training visit walteromalley.com