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

For more on the history of the Dodgers Spring Training visit walteromalley.com