Yardbarker: Mark Sweeney

E3 (Not E-3)

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:00:00 -0500

Once rivals, now united. Kind of like the Dodgers and Mark Sweeney. These 15-foot-high Diamond Vision-type screens were everywhere. One day they'll be in your living room. Right after this, Pac-Man entered the scene and ate the hanging guy. ...

Ladies Day on the Web

Tue, 26 May 2009 12:45:59 -0500

So the Los Angeles Dodgers have taken it upon themselves to explain the great mysteries of the Emerald Chessboard to the fairer sex. As reported by the Los Angeles Daily News (via Deadspin), former Fox pre-game host Jeanne Zelasko will call play-by-play, joined by Dodgers coach Mark Sweeney, on weekly, female-targeted radio Webcasts called [...]

Jeanne Zelasko Finally Gets To Be A Dodger Announcer, Sort Of

Tue, 12 May 2009 17:22:11 -0500

Jeanne Zelasko tried all offseason to become the Dodgers play-by-player, but in the end, wasn't even invited to a tryout. Well the Dodgers have decided to bring her on, but there's a catch. Well three catches actually. She'll only be working one day a week, the broadcast is online, and it's part of the Dodgers' new venture to target women listeners. DodgersWIN (Women's Initiatives Network) will debut on May 20th, and Zelasko will be paired with former Dodger, Mark Sweeney, in the booth....
The Los Angeles Dodgers will debut their DodgersWIN broadcast on May 20, with former FOX baseball anchor Jeanne Zelasko handling the play-by-play duties alongside former Dodger Mark Sweeney, who will serve as the analyst. The program, believed to be the first of its kind in Major League Baseball, will continue for each Wednesday home game for the remainder of the season, with the live audio feed available for free at www.dodgers.com/win.

DodgersWIN is a network of initiatives to bring women closer to the game and to bring the game closer to their lifestyles. The program, created by Dodger Chief Executive Officer Jamie McCourt, is a fundamental component of the Dodgers' active participation in the community.

"We are thrilled to welcome Jeanne to the Dodger family," said McCourt. "Her track record and knowledge of the game speaks for itself, and as a mother, she'll be able to bring a unique perspective to our WIN broadcasts and help spread her love of baseball to fans around the world."I honestly don't know how you would make a broadcast more appealing to women, but I guess it's worth a shot. The only rub is what direction do you take? If you are trying to attract women who don't watch Baseball regularly, you'll almost certainly alienate those who are well-versed in the Sport.

Dodgers WIN (Dodgers.com)

A Farewell Letter From Jeff Kent

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 18:24:58 -0500

As you can see above, both Rocco Baldelli and Kerry Wood have written farewell letters to their respective former fanbases. It's the kind of thing that classy athletes do to show their appreciation for all the years they spent in a certain area. Naturally, this made me think about what Jeff ...

2008 Season In Review: First Basemen

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 17:34:20 -0500

First base is a position that people heavily associate with power hitters, and the Dodgers were hoping that James Loney's power had finally emerged late in the 2007 season. Unfortunately, the power surge never continued into 2008, and everybody is now left wondering whether it will ever come. Loney's still 24, but his line of .289/.338/.434/.772 is simply unacceptable for a first baseman on a contending team. His OPS was 20th out of 24 qualifying MLB first basemen, and his value in...

Over/Under: Nearing The End

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 09:44:23 -0500

.800 OPS For Casey Blake As A Dodger, 1 Hit More Than Derek Lowe For Mark Sweeney, 15 Home Runs For James Loney, 4.00 ERA For Clayton Kershaw, 550 Plate Appearances For Andre Ethier, 15 Saves For Jonathan Broxton, .200 Batting Average For Andruw Jones, 2.00 ERA For Hong Chih Kuo, 1 Trip To The Disabled List For Nomar Garciaparra

Joe Torre Loves To Ride Russell Martin

Tue, 27 May 2008 22:16:33 -0500

There are many constants in this world; among them are the speed of light, pi, and the gravitational pull of Joe Torre's nose. This year, the aforementioned Torre has been on a mission to establish Russell Martin as one of the constants of the universe by having him play in every single Dodgers game for the rest of eternity. Continued...

Fans In San Francisco Witness History

Sat, 28 Jul 2007 08:31:52 -0500

The fans at AT&T Park were treated to a dose of history during last night's game. A player who has been recently mired in controversy, who nevertheless remains a fan favorite in San Francisco positioned himself on the precipice of a record that will surely define his career. The drama unfolded last night against the Florida Marlins and in his first at bat of the night, their beloved hero brought them to their feet with one perfect swing. I'm speaking of course of Mark Sweeney, who moved into second place on the all-time pinch hits list, with an RBI single in the sixth inning. It was Sweeney's 151st career pinch hit, putting him 61 behind Lenny Harris' all-time mark. Sweeney, known as one of baseball's "good guys," is probably best known for being thrown under the bus by Barry Bonds this offseason. That's the sad part, because he's had a long, solid career. He's played for six different franchises, including the Padres three times. When a team brings a guy back that much, it's obvious they enjoyed having him around. He's a great clubhouse guy, is all about the team and is the kind of guy who would run through a wall if his manager asked him to. He even took the high road after his teammate tried to save his own ass by tossing Sweeney in the gutter. Basically, he's the anti-Bonds. And frankly we think it's oddly appropriate that he had his brief moment in the spotlight last night with all the Bonds hoopla surrounding the game. It was almost like the universe was balancing itself. We have two Padres fans here at R&R, and on behalf of us we say congratulations Mark. You're a great player and an even better guy and we couldn't be happier for you. Feel free to come back to the Padres any time, we'd love to have you. And we promise no one will accuse you of providing them with the amphetamines found in their system.