The 2012 season officially ended last night with a bitter pill to swallow for Dodger fans. The San Francisco Giants won their second championship in the last three years. A very disappointing end to the 2012 season. We now move forward and look forward to the 2013 season. With that, it also will bring change to us. The last couple of years have been quite a ride. We started out on a mission as fans to accomplish something and created quite a movement. We accomplished that goal and yet still many goals remain for Save The Dodgers. We are still committed to seeing this franchise return to its former glory. I believe we are on that path and will get there. Save the Dodgers was a movement and an awesome one at that. This past season we concentrated on informing fans and keeping them up to date on whatever news came our way. Going forward we will continue to do that, but under our new name DodgersBeat. You will see changes happen as we roll everything out, the website, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. I thank you for your support and continued support as we continue to stay on the DodgersBeat.

The Dodgers announced today that Dodger Talk will be heard weekly starting next Wednesday on AM570 Fox Sports LA from 7 to 8pm.

Below is the official release from the Dodgers

LOS ANGELES – The Dodgers announced today that starting Wednesday, October 31, Dodger Spanish-language broadcaster Jorge Jarrín will host a one-hour weekly show on AM 570 FOX Sports LA, “Dodger Talk – Offseason Edition.” The AM 570 Fox Sports LA program will air each Wednesday from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Fans will have access to the latest Dodger news, interviews with Dodger players, coaches and front office executives. The inaugural guest on “Dodger Talk – Offseason Edition” next Wednesday is All-Star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.

Jarrín, son of Hall of Fame broadcaster Jaime Jarrín, recently completed his first season as play-by-play announcer for PRIME TICKET’s Spanish-language TV broadcast. More than 50 games were available to Dodger fans in Spanish to all Los Angeles market video providers by PRIME TICKET. Jarrín, a seasoned broadcaster having previously served as KABC Talk Radio’s “Captain Jorge” covering traffic from 1985 to 2011, joined Dodger coach Manny Mota for all games televised in Spanish.

All Dodger games during the 2013 season will be called on AM 570 Fox Sports LA.

From the Dodgers

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers announced today that catcher A.J. Ellis was named the winner of the seventh annual Roy Campanella Award, which is given to the Dodger player who best exemplifies the spirit and leadership of the late Hall of Fame catcher. The award, which was voted upon by Dodger uniform personnel, will be presented to Ellis by Campanella’s daughter, Joni Campanella Roan, during pre-game ceremonies Saturday night.

 

Former Dodger shortstop Rafael Furcal received the inaugural Roy Campanella Award in 2006 and since then the honor has been awarded to Russell Martin (2007), James Loney (2008), Juan Pierre (2009), Jamey Carroll (2010), Matt Kemp (2011) and now Ellis.

 

The 31-year-old has been a steady presence behind the plate all season, ranking second on the club with 127 games played and fourth among Major League backstops with 125 games and 1,097.0 innings as a catcher. Ellis has also excelled at calling a game in his first season as a full-time starter, posting a 3.37 catchers’ ERA, the lowest mark among MLB catchers with at least 100 starts. He has thrown out 26 potential basestealers, the fourth-most among big league catchers, and committed just six errors, good for a .994 fielding percentage.

 

At the plate, the Missouri native leads Dodger qualifiers with a .365 on-base percentage (13^th, NL) and has done the little things to help power the Dodger offense, working the count by seeing a big league-best 4.43 pitches per plate appearance, leading the club with 62 walks (13^th, NL) and pacing the club’s position players with six sacrifice bunts. Ellis’ three walk-off RBI lead the team and his 11 home runs are his most at any level in his 10-year professional career, which include his first walk-off homer on May 26 against the Astros and his first grand slam on Aug. 29 at Colorado.

 

Ellis made his first Opening Day start this year in his fifth Major League campaign and was originally selected by the Dodgers in the 18^th round of the 2003 First-Year Player Draft out of Austin Peay State University. Ellis and his wife, Cindy, have of two children, Ainsley and Luke, and have been active in the community, reading to local Glendale school children as a part of the Read Across America celebration during Spring Training and supporting his teammates charities by attending Clayton Kershaw’s Texas Hoedown and Dodgers Dream Foundation Bowling Extravaganza.

 

For the third consecutive year, the Dodgers Dream Foundation (DDF) will make a financial contribution to support the Roy and Roxie Campanella Physical Therapy Scholarship Endowment at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). In 2010, the DDF, CSUN and the Campanella family announced a partnership that will ensure the legacy of the Hall of Fame catcher for years to come. In addition to the endowment, the partnership also provides an internship opportunity within the Dodgers’ medical department each season for a student from the university’s physical therapy program.

 

Campanella was a three-time National League Most Valuable Player (1951, 1953 and 1955), an eight-time All-Star and a member of the 1955 World Championship team. He played in five World Series and his 142 RBI in 1953 set a franchise record, since surpassed by Tommy Davis (153 in 1962). In 1,215 career games during a 10-year career, all with the Dodgers, he batted .276 with 242 home runs and 856 RBI.

 

He began his career in the Negro Leagues, establishing himself as one of the top catchers in the league before joining the Dodger organization in 1946. Campanella played for Class B Nashua of the New England League, making that club the first integrated affiliated baseball team in the United States.

 

On Jan. 29, 1958, just as the Dodgers were making final preparations for their move to Los Angeles, Campanella was involved in a tragic car accident that paralyzed him from the neck down, marking the end of his playing career. On May 7, 1959, a Major League record-setting 93,103 fans filled the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on “Roy Campanella Night” for an exhibition game between the Dodgers and Yankees.

 

He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969 and was among the first three Dodgers to have their uniform numbers retired alongside Jackie Robinson and Sandy Koufax. Campanella remained active in the Dodgers’ Community Relations Department until his passing on June 26, 1993 at the age of 71.

From the Dodgers

Dodgers today reinstated Dee Gordon from the 60-day DL. The Dodgers also recalled IF/ OF Elian Herrera and RHP Stephen Fife from Albuquerque Isotopes. Adam Kennedy was placed on 60-day DL

Chad Billingsley is officially done for the 2012 season. The Dodgers placed him on the 60 day DL today and called up Steven Rodriguez. Below is the official release from the Dodgers.

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers today transferred right-handed pitcher Chad Billingsley to the 60-day disabled list (right elbow pain) and selected the contract of left-handed reliever Steven Rodriguez from Double-A Chattanooga. Billingsley, who last pitched on Aug. 24 against the Marlins, went 10-9 with a 3.55 ERA in 25 starts this season, finishing the campaign on a six-game winning streak.

Rodriguez, 21, has gone 1-0 with five saves and a 0.92 ERA (2 ER/19.2 IP) in 21 combined relief appearances with Single-A Great Lakes and Double-A Chattanooga in his first professional season after being selected by the Dodgers in the second round (82nd overall) of the June First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Florida. Since being promoted to Chattanooga on July 28, Rodriguez has limited opposing hitters to a .149 batting average (7-for-47) with 22 strikeouts in 13.2 innings. As a collegiate hurler, Rodriguez earned first-team All-Southeastern Conference honors as a junior in 2012 and pitched three seasons at Florida, compiling a 9-4 record with seven saves and a 2.19 ERA in 86 games (two starts). His career ERA was the lowest by a Gator since aluminum bats were introduced in 1974 and he ranks among the all-time Florida leaders in strikeouts per 9.0 innings (10.64, 1st), opponents’ batting average (.227, T-8th) and relief appearances (86, 7th).

The Dodgers have announced today that Hall of Fame Spanish Broadcaster will return for a 55th season. He signed a new three year deal with the team. Just last week the Dodgers also announced that Vin Scully would be back for his 64th season. Below is the official press release from the Dodgers.

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers announced today that Hall of Fame Dodger broadcaster Jaime Jarrín,“the Spanish Voice of the Dodgers,” will return to the Dodgers’ Spanish-language broadcast booth for a 55^th season in 2013 as part of a three-year contract and will remain at the helm of the Dodgers’ Spanish-language radio broadcast on Univision America KTNQ 1020 AM Los Angeles.

“I am honored to extend my career during such a thrilling time in Dodger history and under new ownership that has demonstrated a strong commitment to the Latinos in Los Angeles and in revitalizing the Dodgers throughout Latin America,” Jarrín said. “I am confident this leadership can bring a championship back to Los Angeles and I am happy to be a part of it.”

Jarrín will broadcast most of the Dodgers’ 162 regular season games, eight Spring Training games and all potential postseason games through the 2015 season. Jarrín holds the second-longest tenure in MLB broadcasting history behind his colleague and fellow Hall of Famer, Vin Scully, and the longest tenure ever in MLB’s Spanish-language broadcasting history.

“Jaime is a Dodger institution and is a big reason why the Dodgers have such a strong Latino fan base,” said Dodger Owner Earvin Johnson. “The Dodgers are the only club with two Hall of Fame broadcasters on staff and I’m excited that Jaime will continue to instill a love of Dodger baseball in Spanish-speaking Angelenos.”

“We’re committed to the Latino community in Los Angeles and knew that one of the most important things we could do right away was to ensure that Jaime would continue to lead the Spanish-language broadcast,” said Dodger President and CEO Stan Kasten. “We’re happy to have him here with us and are grateful for his insight and the foundation he laid in this community that we can now build upon.”

A native of Ecuador, Jarrín arrived in the U.S. on June 24, 1955, the same year that Dodger great Sandy Koufax made his Major League debut. Jarrín began his professional baseball broadcasting career in 1959 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the same year the club won the World Series, the first in Los Angeles franchise history.

He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998 as the recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award. Jarrín became just the second Spanish-language announcer to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. During his unprecedented Spanish-language broadcasting career, he has called three perfect games, 15 no-hitters, 26 World Series and 21 All-Star Games. Jarrín called the Dodgers’ World Championships in 1959, ’63, ’65, ’81 and ’88.

Since broadcasting his first game on April 14, 1959, Jarrín has called many of the iconic moments in Los Angeles Dodger history including Sandy Koufax’s perfect game (Sept. 9, 1965 vs. the Cubs), Don Drysdale’s six consecutive shutouts in 1968, Fernando Valenzuela’s first start on Opening Day 1981 launching “Fernandomania,” Orel Hershiser’s 59 consecutive scoreless innings in 1988, Kirk Gibson’s Game 1 homer in the 1988 World Series and the Dodgers’ historic comeback with four consecutive home runs against San Diego on Sept. 18, 2006, which was capped off by Nomar Garciaparra’s walk-off home run for the 11-10, extra-inning win.

Jarrín is a pioneer in Spanish-language sports broadcasting and as such has collected numerous accolades, including the first Southern California Sports Broadcasters Association’s President’s Award, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the highest award from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, induction into the Southern California Sports Broadcasters’ Hall of Fame, and its foreign-language broadcaster of the year award and Golden Mike Awards. Last year, Jarrín was honored by the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) Foundation with an AFTRA Media and Entertainment Excellence Award and was the Hall of Fame recipient for the Associated Press Television-Radio Association (APTRA).

Forty percent of Dodger fans are Latino and each season the Dodgers host nearly one million fans of Hispanic descent. The Dodgers were the first MLB club to implement a Spanish-language radio broadcast in 1958, which is now the longest running in all of baseball. The Dodgers’ official Spanish-language web site is www.losdodgers.com and Jarrín’s official Twitter handle is@JaimeJarrinHOF.

This year will go down as the year that the Dodgers have made some of the biggest moves in franchise history. All Star players like Hanley Ramirez, Shane Victorino, Adrian Gonzalez, and Josh Beckett have been acquired to bolster the lineup but one key acquisition that has been just as big as all those moves is Luis Cruz’s promotion to the Dodgers on July 2nd. Cruz has been the most consistent player in almost that two-month span since being called up. He is hitting .300, has moved over to third base and has done everything and beyond that was asked of him.

I had a chance to sit down with Cruz and ask him about his play this year and talk about the success he has enjoyed.

This has been a breakout year for you. Tell us a little how you approach each game?

I feel really good. I have been working hard for 12 years and I have been given the chance to play. I just go out and try to do my best every time I go up there. Every time I go hit I go like it’s my last at bat I’m going to get and I keep fighting until the end. I felt really good the day they gave me the opportunity to play.

Since your call up, you have been an everyday player. How does that change your approach?

Playing every day helps a lot. You see pitchers everyday; you get at bats every day. I am playing good for now, but if I need to sit down when other guys come, I will be ready for whatever happens. If I need to be on the bench, I will be ready for whenever they need me. I have been working taking ground balls at third, second, first, outfield so whenever they need me I’m ready.

What has been your experience with the fans been like?

The fans have supported me since the first day I came up without knowing me. They just knew that I was a Mexican guy and start cheering for me. This made me feel comfortable and helped me play better to be somebody good. I want to be a good example for the kids. The Dodgers have always had a lot of Mexican players like Juan Castro, Adrian Garcia, Fernando Valenzuela. It’s big for us. Even in Mexico a lot of Mexican people over there are Dodger fans just because there are a lot of Mexican people here. I feel happy that I’m here and I have been able to do my job and help the team win.

Luis Cruz has become so popular that he has inspired us to create an ”El Cochito” t-shirt design for him. The shirt is available now and ready for order at http://savethedodgers.bigcartel.com

If you missed the press conference for Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett and Nick Punto yesterday after the game you can view it below. MLB has made the conference available.

The Dodgers have announced today that the greatest ever will return for a 64th season. When you get a chance check out Vinisms.

LOS ANGELES – Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully, one of the most revered figures in Los Angeles sports history, will return to the broadcast booth for an unprecedented 64^th season in 2013, it was announced. Scully will again call all Dodger home and road games in California and Arizona.

“The new ownership of the Dodgers has revitalized the city, the team, the fans and myself,” Scully said. “I am so convinced of their great purpose and leadership that I eagerly look forward to joining them in pursuit of the next Dodgers championship.”

Widely regarded as the finest sportscaster of all time, Scully’s 63 years of service mark the longest tenure in his field. While he calls all nine innings of the team’s television broadcasts on PRIME TICKET and KCAL 9, the first three innings of each of his games are also simulcast on AM 570 Fox Sports LA.

“The Dodgers are ecstatic to have Vin back with the team in 2013,” said Dodger Chairman and Owner Mark Walter. “Vin is a treasure to the Dodgers, baseball and the city of Los Angeles and having him continuing his work in the broadcast booth next season means a great deal to all of us.”

“It was a treat to be able to listen to Chick Hearn through my years with the Lakers,” said Dodger owner Earvin Johnson, “and it’s been great to be able to listen to Vin work his magic in the broadcast booth since I came to Los Angeles in 1979. Generations of Angelenos have been blessed to have these Hall of Famers in their midst.”

“We’re thrilled to know that in our quest to heighten the fan experience at Dodger Stadium, the fan experience everywhere Vin’s voice can be heard will continue to be maximized through at least the 2013 season,” said Dodger President and CEO Stan Kasten.

Scully began his professional baseball broadcasting career in 1950 with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982. During his unmatched career, he has called three perfect games, 25 no-hitters, 25 World Series and 12 All-Star Games. Iconic moments called by Scully include Kirk Gibson’s miraculous Game 1 homer in the 1988 World Series, Hank Aaron’s record-setting 715^th home run, Sandy Koufax’s four no-hitters, including a perfect game, and the scoreless-inning streaks of Dodger greats Don Drysdale and Orel Hershiser.

When Scully began broadcasting, the Dodgers had yet to win a World Series. Three years later, at the age of 25, he became the youngest person to ever broadcast a World Series game. In 1955, he had his most memorable moment behind the microphone, as he called the Dodgers’ first and only championship in Brooklyn.

In Los Angeles, Scully called Dodger World Championships in 1959, ’63, ’65, ’81 and ’88 and he was elected the top sportscaster of the 20^thcentury by the non-profit American Sportscasters Association.

The Dodgers have made quite possibly the biggest trade in recent memory and definitely biggest waiver trade. The Dodgers have acquired from the Boston Red Sox First Baseman Adrian Gonzalez, Starting Pitcher Josh Beckett, outfielder Carl Crawford, infielder Nick Punto. In return the Dodgers send Pitcher Rubby De La Rosa, First baseman James Loney, outfielder Jerry Sands, infielder Ivan De Jesus Jr and pitcher Allen Webster.

Here is the official release from Dodgers

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers today acquired four-time All-Stars Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, former 20-game winner and World Series MVP Josh Beckett, infielder Nick Punto and cash from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for first baseman James Loney, pitcher Allen Webster, infielder Ivan De Jesus and two players to be named later. Dodger General Manager Ned Colletti made the announcement.

The nine-player trade is the largest in Los Angeles Dodger history.

“We continue to do everything in our power to strengthen our team for the stretch drive in an effort to reach the postseason,” said Colletti. “This trade today exemplifies ownership’s commitment to making the team as good as possible not only for 2012 but for many seasons to come.”

Gonzalez hit .300 with 15 homers and 86 RBI in 123 games with the Red Sox this season and ranks second in the Major Leagues with a .398 (53-for-133) batting average with runners in scoring position. His .338 batting average since the All-Star break ranks eighth in the American League.

The San Diego native has hit 30 or more homers and driven in 100 or more runs four times in his career (2007-10) while hitting .300 or better twice (2006, 2011). The 30-year-old has won three Gold Glove Awards (2008-09, ’11) and took home the 2011 Louisville Silver Slugger Award. Last season, he batted a career-high .338 with Boston and achieved a career-high 40 home runs in 2009 with San Diego.

Gonzalez, who lived in Tijuana, Mexico from ages 1 to 13, owns a lifetime batting average of .294 with 210 homers, 728 RBI, 268 doubles and a .509 slugging percentage. Since 2006, Gonzalez ranks second among all Major League first baseman in games (1,063), innings (9255.2), total chances (9,659), assists (878) and putouts (8,737). He owns a career fielding percentage of .995 at first base and is signed through the 2018 campaign.

Crawford, 31, a four-time All-Star and MVP of the 2009 All-Star Game, has led Major League Baseball in triples four times in 11 seasons with Tampa Bay and Boston. He’s hit .300 or better five times, including a career-high .315 in 2007. He’s stolen 50 or more bases five times, including a career-high 60 in 2009. In 2010, he achieved career highs in home runs (19), RBI (90) and runs scored (110). In 11 seasons with Tampa Bay and Boston, he has a career average of .292 with 118 home runs, 254 doubles, 114 triples and 432 stolen bases. He won a Gold Glove Award and Louisville Silver Slugger Award in 2010.

Crawford, who is signed through 2017, helped lead Tampa Bay to the World Series in 2008, hitting .345 (10-for-29) against the Red Sox in the ALCS and then belting two homers vs. Philadelphia in the 2008 Fall Classic.

Crawford played in just 31 games this season due to wrist and elbow injuries. The Houston, TX native underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery on August 23.

Beckett has a 130-92 lifetime record and 3.93 ERA in 12 seasons with Florida and Boston. His best season was 2007 with Boston, when he was 20-7 with a 3.27 ERA. The 32-year-old has won 15 or more games four times and is under contract through the 2014 season. Entering 2012, he ranked fifth in the Majors with 99 wins since 2005 and he was third in the American League with 84 victories since 2006. Beckett was a member of American League All-Star teams in 2007, 09 and ’11. He was the winning pitcher in 2007. In 2012, Beckett is 5-11with a 5.23 ERA in 21 starts.

In his postseason career, Beckett is 7-3 with a 3.07 ERA and three shutouts in 13 playoff starts. The three postseason shutouts are tied for second in Major League history. The Texas native was the MVP of the 2003 World Series with Florida, when he went 1-1 with a 1.10 ERA against the New York Yankees and won the clinching game at Yankee Stadium. Beckett earned ALCS MVP honors in 2007, when he won both starts vs. Cleveland and posted a 1.93 ERA. In 93.2 postseason innings, he’s allowed just 67 hits while striking out 99 batters. On Thanksgiving Day 2005, Beckett was the centerpiece of a deal that brought him from Florida to Boston in exchange for then prospect and current Dodger Hanley Ramirez.

Punto, a switch-hitter and outstanding defender who has played second base, third base, shortstop and center field in 12 Major League seasons with Philadelphia, Minnesota, St. Louis and Boston, was a member of the Cardinals’ World Championship team last fall. His best full season was 2006 with Minnesota, when he hit .290, with 45 RBI and 17 stolen bases. This season, Punto is hitting .200 with a homer and 10 RBI in 65 games. The native of Mission Viejo had a fielding percentage of .985 in 50 games at every infield position this season.

Loney made his Major League debut with the Dodgers on April 4, 2006 and has played 896 games for Los Angeles since then, second only to Andre Ethier (968) over that time. In seven seasons, Loney has compiled a .284 batting average to go along with 173 doubles, 71 homers and 451 RBI. He drove in at least 88 runs for three consecutive seasons (2008-10) and averaged more than 159 games per season from 2008-2011. Since 2008, his 752 games played are the most in the National League over that time.

At the end of his rookie campaign, Loney hit his first career grand slam and tied a Dodger franchise record with nine RBI on Sept. 28, 2006 at Coors Field. The nine RBI tied Gil Hodges and broke Ron Cey’s Los Angeles Dodger record of eight RBI in a game. In 2008, Loney’s grand slam in Game 1 of the NLDS at Wrigley Field helped spark a three-game sweep of the Cubs and lead Los Angeles to its first NLCS since 1988. The free-agent-to-be was hitting .254 with a .302 on-base-percentage and just four home runs in 114 contests this season.

De Jesus was selected by the Dodgers in the second round of the 2005 First-Year Draft and has hit .231 with four RBI in 40 career Major League games at second and third base. The 25-year-old is a career .297 hitter in eight minor league seasons. De Jesus was the Dodgers’ Branch Rickey Minor League Player of the Year following the 2008 season when he hit .324 with 91 runs scored for Double-A Jacksonville.

Webster was taken by Los Angeles in the 18th round of the 2008 First-Year Draft and is 6-8 with a 3.55 ERA in 27 games (22 starts) for Double-A Chattanooga this season. Overall, the 22-year-old right-hander is 34-24 with a 3.34 ERA in 108 career minor league appearances over five seasons.