Nothing to See Here

Changes are a brewing at Dodger Stadium. Everyone knows of the trades for starter Jon Garland and new bench warmer and professional hitter extraordinaire Jim Thome. In addition September 1 bring the call ups from the minors: outfielder Jason Repko, catcher AJ Ellis and pitcher Scott Elbert.

Looking around the clubhouse everything seemed to be normal. The same players who are usually at their lockers were there. The same attendants were doing their normal thing. The only difference were the added nameplates, the guitar on the center table in the clubhouse pleading for player signatures and more of us scummy media folk creeping along the bowels of Dodger Stadium.

“It’s a madhouse,” a beat writer said to me. Sorry, not quite. For it to be a madhouse Vic “The Brick” Jacobs would have to be in the clubhouse, and he was out on the field with his “lucky bamboo” getting ready to do whatever it is that he does his hair matted down by the almost intolerable humidity.

The only spark of life came from LA Times columnist TJ Simers, verbally sparring with Matt Kemp and Manny Ramirez which ended with Manny yelling out, “I’m the king,” or some other nonsense.

See? Nothing really out of the ordinary.

But one thing did puzzle and quite frankly scare me while standing in the clubhouse. Why did the television have The Tyra Banks Show on?

Nonetheless the sniff of something new led us to circle Garland in the Dodger dugout like the Donner Party around the last bison. Garland is quite happy to now be a Los Angeles Dodger.

“To come right into the mix of a pennant race, I couldn’t be happier,” Garland said. “Hopefully I can help this team make a good push to the World Series.”

But Garland did acknowledge that things felt a little weird to travel across the hall.

“It was a little strange just to walk across and go into a new clubhouse,” Garland said. “When we make this first road trip I’ll get to know some of the guys a bit better, they’ll get to know me.”

“He’s a tough competitor,” manager Joe Torre said of Garland. “You have a pitcher who’s going to try and find a way to get you out.”

As for Thome there was no sign of him with the exception of his nameplate with the number 25. He apparently went back to Chicago to pick up his special blankie.

“I talked to him last night, and he was going back to Chicago,” manager Joe Torre said. “He’ll be heading out here in the morning, getting in early afternoon I think.”

Torre made it clear that unless utter tragedy strikes every available Dodger first baseman Thome will not be playing first base. When asked whether it’s a safe bet that Thome will never pick up a glove Torre responded, “Pretty good.”

So in this armpit of a day thanks to humidity levels, here are the lineups for tonight’s game.

Arizona Diamondbacks

1. Stephen Drew, SS
2. Ryan Roberts, 2B
3. Justin Upton, RF
4. Mark Reynolds, 3B
5. Miguel Montero, C
6. Gerardo Parra, LF
7. Chris Young, CF
8. Chad Tracy, 1B
9. Yusmeiro Petit, P

LA Dodgers

1. Rafael Furcal, SS
2. Matt Kemp, CF
3. Andre Ethier, RF
4. Manny Ramirez, LF
5. Casey Blake, 3B
6. Orlando Hudson, 2B
7. Russell Martin, C
8. James Loney, 1B
9. Vicente Padilla, P