NO PLACE LIKE HOME; DODGERS TO OPEN IN L.A. AMID TURMOIL.Byline: Matt McHale THE biggest play in today's home opener at Dodger Stadium • • [ will come about 15 minutes before the game against the expansion Arizona Diamondbacks This article is about the baseball team. For other uses, see Diamondback. The Arizona Diamondbacks (also referred to as the D-backs) are a Major League Baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They play in the West Division of the National League. . Rupert Murdoch will turn to his top Fox man Peter Chernin Peter Chernin (born May 29, 1951 in Harrison, New York) is President and Chief Operating Officer of News Corporation, and Chairman and CEO of the Fox Group. In addition to the Fox duties, he is also a Corporate Director for American Express. in the owner's box and ask, Why are they booing Mike Piazza Michael Joseph Piazza (born September 4, 1968 in Norristown, Pennsylvania) is an American Major League Baseball player who currently plays for the Oakland Athletics. He began his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and played for the Florida Marlins, New York Mets, San Diego Padres ? Isn't Piazza the cornerstone of this organization, its most popular player and probably the best during 40 years in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. ? Maybe you'll still be stuck in traffic, the way you are every year, when the fans start hooting at Piazza in pregame introductions for turning down the richest contract in baseball history. Maybe six seasons for $78 million sounds pretty good when your apartment is on a month-to-month lease. Come to think of it, the Dodgers aren't on the same radio station any more. Your cable operator doesn't carry them. Tommy Lasorda
lecture, speech rebuke, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, reproval - an act or expression of criticism and censure; "he had to Shriners in Nashville. What does it mean to have Rupert Murdoch as the new owner, anyway? He bought the team for $311 million last month and has a history of overhauling his companies. But when you see the stadium today for the 1:05 p.m. game, you will not be shocked by the changes. There are no rock formations beyond the center-field fence the way there are at Edison International Edison International (NYSE: EIX) is a public utility holding company based in Rosemead, California. Its subsidiaries include Southern California Edison, and un-regulated non-utility assets Edison Mission Energy, a power producer, and Edison Capital. Field of Anaheim, the new home of the Angels, which is owned by Murdoch competitor Disney. About the only noticeable changes inside the stadium are a mural of famous players in Dodgers history on the outfield fence and new scoreboards hanging off the first deck. The key to Opening Day is trying to separate what gets you mad and what gets you through the summer. Maybe there will be rocks next year, but down on the field they are still playing baseball. Sure the team already is 1-4. Piazza has no homers or runs batted in. Hideo Nomo Hideo Nomo (born Aug. 31, 1968 , Osaka, Japan) Japanese baseball pitcher whose success with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995 created new opportunities for Asian players in Major League Baseball. , who just three years ago was a pioneer in baseball's new global landscape, pitches like he needs six more weeks of spring training. But today's pitcher, Chan Ho Park, has become one of the game's young stars. Eric Young Eric Young can refer to:
What Ramon Martinez did Sunday, stopping the Dodgers' four-game losing streak with an electrifying e·lec·tri·fy tr.v. e·lec·tri·fied, e·lec·tri·fy·ing, e·lec·tri·fies 1. To produce electric charge on or in (a conductor). 2. a. one-hit shutout for eight innings, should bring hope that things will be OK. Even Piazza, especially Piazza, will be fine. Off the field, his situation remains a mess, and today he will find out what the shareholders think. Since the baseball strike in 1994, fans have gotten madder and madder. If you think Piazza won't get booed, remember that Brett Butler was brought to tears three years ago by fan reaction after he proposed shunning strike breaker Mike Bush. Piazza wants a seven-year deal worth $105 million, about $30 million more than the club is offering. Both sides will speak today, but a resolution isn't expected soon. With Walter O'Malley owning the team, the Dodgers might not have been able to pull the trigger on a deal for $15 million a year. With Murdoch, the feeling is, Why should I rush to pay that kind of money? I don't rush to pay Bruce Willis or Tom Cruise that kind of money. Money is the issue, but the indifference on the part of the team has stung Piazza and his agent Dan Lozano. In their world, Piazza is the Dodgers' Ken Griffey Jr. Last year, he batted .362 with 40 homers and 124 RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in . Nobody matches that. Piazza never expected Executive Vice President Fred Claire to put an arm around his shoulder and tell him everything would be fine. But after putting up numbers the past five seasons that dwarf any catcher in history, he expected to receive the biggest of the big bucks. When it didn't happen last week, he lost his composure. He regrets wearing his heart on his uniform and now knows there will be fallout today during pregame introductions. ``I expect there to be a couple of people not to know what we're trying to do,'' Piazza said. ``I know there is no way to explain fair market value to the fans, who work so hard every day of their lives.'' Joe McDonnell, who does an afternoon sports talk show on KXTA-AM (1150), has been monitoring the pulse of local fans for two decades. Earlier this week, there was venom coming into his headphones Head-mounted speakers. Headphones have a strap that rests on top of the head, positioning a pair of speakers over both ears. For listening to music or monitoring live performances and audio tracks, both left and right channels are required. . Fans on loading docks and in mailrooms were saying Piazza should take the $8 million he'll make this year and go somewhere else. It is an anger that is unique to baseball, the sport of most childhoods. Give me two weeks in a batting cage, they say, and I'll show Mike Piazza a thing or two. ``I think there are going to be boos, but anybody who boos him is a moron mo·ron n. A person of mild mental retardation having a mental age of from 7 to 12 years and generally having communication and social skills enabling some degree of academic or vocational education. ,'' McDonnell said. ``They just get caught up in all the money stuff. People cannot relate to the kind of money he's asking for. It's too bad.'' CAPTION(S): 3 Photos PHOTO (1 -- color) Pitcher Hideo Nomo plays with his son at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers will face Arizona tonight in their home opener. See Sports. (2 -- color) Murals of former Dodgers grace the outfield wall this season at Dodger Stadium. (3) A welder puts the finishing touches on one of the new electronic signs Monday at Dodger Stadium. David Crane/Daily News |
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