There are some adjustments to make to the Dodgers roster. We’ve added Randy Wolf, a local-boy lefty, along with Juan Pierre. So now a couple of pitchers (with perhaps one more extra if Saito does not return) to be added and a spring training camp to shake out who stays with the big league team.

Pitchers

• SP Chad Billingsley
• RP Yhency Brazoban
• RP Jonathan Broxton
• RP Mark Hendrickson
• SP Hong-Chih Kuo
• SP Derek Lowe
• SP Brad Penny
• RP Takashi Saito (?)
• RP Brett Tomko
• SP Randy Wolf

Catchers

• C Toby Hall
• C Russell Martin

Infielders

• 3B Wilson Betemit
• SS Rafael Furcal
• 1B Nomar Garciaparra
• 2B Jeff Kent
• 1B/OF James Loney
• 2B Ramon Martinez
• IF Olmedo Saenz
• IF Wilson Valdez

Outfielders

• IF/OF Marlon Anderson
• OF Andre Ethier
• OF Matt Kemp
• OF Juan Pierre
• OF Jason Repko
• OF Jayson Werth

All kinds of rumors are flying around, including the periodic Manny Ramirez Trade rumors — this time most of the NL West teams (including the Dodgers [1]) have been encompassed in the Boston/ESPN-fueled frenzy. Meh. I guess they don’t have much better to do during the crappy weather up there. ;)

Mike Lieberthal, a free agent catcher last with the Phillies, and thus a teammate of Randy Wolf, is reportedly also interested in joining the Dodgers and for similar reasons. This would open the door to trading or DFAing Toby Hall, a likely event anyhow.

Oh, and the names are finally back on the frickin’ uniforms.

[1] I love a line in the SI.com Jon Heyman article:

No team should be considered a favorite to land Manny Ramirez since Ramirez has veto rights over trades and is a human knuckleball, flighty and unpredictable.

Arctic birds showing up in the California desert? Well, yes.

LA Times: Birders atwitter over sighting at Salton Sea

Scott Terrill got the news about 4 p.m. His son, who was attending a birding conference in the Central Valley, had heard about the sighting and called to tell his father. Minutes later, a co-worker came in to report news of an Internet posting of the bird. And just after that, a birding friend in Southern California gave him a call. The frenzy had begun.

Like many birders, Terrill, an ornithologist with a San Francisco Bay Area environmental consulting firm, keeps lists of the birds he’s seen. Lists are kept by state, by region, by time of year. A Ross’s gull was a great sighting for any list. For a California list, it was a crown jewel. The bird had never before been seen in the state.

Meanwhile, feral parrots squawk proudly in the Inland Empire.

Press-Enterprise: Wild parrots ruffle feathers in Redlands

There are a variety of theories on how they got here, but lots of people in Redlands and surrounding communities have been seeing — and more often hearing — feral parrots for more than 20 years.

Gene Cardiff, of Rialto, a past president of the San Bernardino Valley Audubon Society, says he seriously doubts that the parrots migrated to Redlands. That would amount to at least a 1,500-mile flight for the two most common Redlands species: the red-crowned (Amazona viridigenalis) and lilac-crowned (Amazona finchi), which normally call Central America and central Mexico home.

California Department of Parks & Recreation

The Obsessive Study of Athletics Aesthetics

Michael Garciaparra, that is. The younger brother of Nomar, Michael used to play for the 66ers back when they were a Mariners affiliate.

Former first round draft choice Michael Garciaparra and three other minor league players were added to Seattle’s 40-man roster Monday.

Garciaparra, who was the club’s top pick in the 2001 draft, had a slow start to his career, prompting speculation the Mariners had overestimated him.

But the younger brother of Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Nomar Garciaparra went from suspect to prospect this year. The infielder hit .311 overall in a season split between Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A Tacoma.

Now being on the 40-man doesn’t mean he’ll be in the bigs automatically, but he’s continuing to work his way up the ladder. Having seen Michael play locally, it’s one of the things I’m looking forward to next year — being able to go to 66ers games and see potential Dodger stars.

And amidst all the other Garciaparra headlines this week comes the news (via this LA Times story on the potential Juan Pierre signing) —

“I was hoping to be back and wanted to be back,” [Nomar] said. “I didn’t entertain other offers. My intention first and foremost was to work out a deal here.”

Garciaparra’s wife, former soccer star Mia Hamm, is pregnant with twins. Knowing he will remain in L.A. the next two years — his contract has limited no-trade provisions — is comforting to his entire family.

“I believe in the organization and I really enjoy putting on that uniform,” he said. “The Dodgers are the team my family cheers for. This is a thrill.”

So apparently, Michael will be an uncle soon. ;D Congrats to Nomar and Mia! I anticipate the twins to be ruling the world soccer scene in 2026.