Juan Pierre

Two international music acts that performed at President Barack Obama's inauguration events will take center stage at Dodger Stadium today. Vin Scully will throw out the first pitch. But how special can opening day be when the season started more than a week ago? "There's always a different atmosphere on opening day," pitcher Randy Wolf said. Particularly because the Dodgers were gone from home for so long.

Reporting from Phoenix — When considering whether to sign a free-agent position player to a long-term contract, what would be a greater cause for concern: a player being overweight or a player being old? Ned Colletti, the Dodgers' general manager, laughed. "Next question," he said. The question was prompted by Colletti's intimation that the bankrupt Dodgers could make a run at Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols this winter. Fielder is a large man. Pujols will turn 32 in January.

Outfielder Juan Pierre, who was traded by the Dodgers to the Chicago White Sox earlier this season, has sold his 17th-floor condo in Marina del Rey for $1,125,000. The 1,900-square-foot remodeled unit has views of the marina, Malibu, the Hollywood Hills and downtown L.A. There are two bedrooms, 21/2 bathrooms and a 500-square-foot terrace. The condo is in the Azzurra, which has a swimming pool, a gym, a 24-hour doorman and a rooftop spa and party deck. Pierre, 33, led the major leagues in stolen bases in 2010 with 68. Danny Brown of Prudential California Realty, Los Angeles, had the listing.

It was indeed a treat to watch Fox Sports' Tuesday night coverage of Simon Cowell's new show, the trailer for "Captain America" and the riveting interview of Justin Timberlake by the Chase Field swimming pool hyping "Friends With Benefits. " I kind of hoped for Justin to finagle a costume malfunction of Mark Grace's exposed nipple, but I realize that Fox is a serious network. The only thing distracting and off-putting were the occasional shots of some kind of boring baseball activity going on in the background.

John Lackey was back. Unfortunately for the Angels, so was the shakiness of their bullpen -- or, from the view in the opposing dugout, the Dodgers' offense. Scot Shields blew a one-run lead in the eighth inning by serving up a run-scoring single to Casey Blake, setting the stage for Jose Arredondo to hand the Dodgers a 5-4 victory Saturday night at Dodger Stadium by issuing a bases-loaded walk to Juan Pierre in the 10th inning.

Juan Pierre strolled into the Dodgers' clubhouse at Camelback Ranch on Sunday, turning the heads of his teammates and prompting a number of them to walk over to embrace him. "A pro," Manager Joe Torre called Pierre, who was forced into an unwelcome position on the bench last season. But as much praise as the popular outfielder drew from Torre and teammates for the way he handled his demotion, he said doesn't want to have to endure a similar season this year.

Juan Pierre became an every-day player again Tuesday. Relegated to a bench role only two seasons into his five-year, $44-million contract with the Dodgers, Pierre was shipped to the Chicago White Sox for two minor league pitchers to be named, ending what he admitted was the toughest stretch of his major-league career. "I'm excited about the opportunity to play again," said Pierre, who first asked the Dodgers to trade him last winter. The Dodgers freed themselves of $8 million of the $18.5 million Pierre is owed over the next two seasons, as the White Sox agreed to pay $3 million of his salary in 2010 and $5 million in 2011.

Juan Pierre said he was expecting Manny Ramirez to re-sign with the Dodgers. But he had no answers Wednesday when asked how this affected his future with the Dodgers. "I have no idea," he said, shaking his head. "I can't even speak on it." Would this make him any more inclined to demand a trade? "I haven't even looked into that," he said. "I don't know what this does for me right now. I can't speak on it."

When the Dodgers departed from baseball's winter meetings Thursday, Roy Halladay still belonged to the Blue Jays. Joel Pineiro and Jon Garland were still free agents. But the Dodgers didn't leave without adding a couple of pitchers to their roster: Carlos Monasterios and Armando Zerpa. Never heard of them? You're probably not alone, which is probably why the Dodgers had to spend only about $120,000 to acquire them in a couple of player-for-cash swaps with the New York Mets and Tampa Bay Rays.

He has been dogged on blogs and ridiculed on radio. At one point the venom was so bad Juan Pierre surfed the Internet only cautiously. And he wouldn't even listen to talk radio to avoid hearing his name taken in vain. Then came last Thursday, when Pierre heard something he'd heard only rarely in his 2 1/2 seasons as a Dodger. It was the sound of cheering. A standing ovation, in fact. "I heard it," Pierre said. "But I didn't realize they were standing up. For the fans to do that, it means a lot.

Five players who are no longer on the Dodgers are among the team's top dozen creditors, according to the team's bankruptcy filing. The Dodgers' two largest creditors are Manny Ramirez and Andruw Jones. Ramirez signed a two-year, $45-million contract with the Dodgers before the 2009 season that called for more than half of his salary to be deferred. He will receive his final payment on June 30, 2013. Jones, who hit .158 with three home runs in his only season with the Dodgers, agreed to restructure his two-year, $36.2-million deal in exchange for his release after the 2008 season.

Reporting from Houston — Kenley Jansen's epic ninth-inning meltdown transformed Andre Ethier from hero to footnote. After being held out of the starting lineup Monday against Houston at Minute Maid Park in the wake of his collision with an outfield fence the previous day, Ethier stepped to the plate as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning with the score tied and two runners on base. Astros starter Bud Norris badly fooled Ethier with his first two pitches, a pair of sliders that Ethier swung and missed.

Reporting from Chicago After crashing into the chain-link fence in front of the Dodgers' bullpen, Andre Ethier slowly walked back toward his position, put his hands on his knees and dropped his head toward the grass at U.S. Cellular Field. The wind had been knocked out of the Dodgers' right-fielder Sunday, but that wasn't all: He also had bruised his right elbow and lower right back, and had sprained his left big toe chasing a fly ball hit by former Dodger Juan Pierre in the fourth inning.

Outfielder Juan Pierre, who was traded by the Dodgers to the Chicago White Sox earlier this season, has sold his 17th-floor condo in Marina del Rey for $1,125,000. The 1,900-square-foot remodeled unit has views of the marina, Malibu, the Hollywood Hills and downtown L.A. There are two bedrooms, 21/2 bathrooms and a 500-square-foot terrace. The condo is in the Azzurra, which has a swimming pool, a gym, a 24-hour doorman and a rooftop spa and party deck. Pierre, 33, led the major leagues in stolen bases in 2010 with 68. Danny Brown of Prudential California Realty, Los Angeles, had the listing.

Monday through Wednesday: Texas Friday through Sunday: Chicago White Sox He's back! Former Dodgers sulker — er, we mean slugger — Manny Ramirez , who played one game in Los Angeles in his final two months with the team, returns to Southern California this weekend with the Chicago White Sox. With the White Sox all but eliminated from the race in the American League Central, perhaps the spotlight will...

The two happiest days for the team with Manny Ramirez: The day they obtain him. The day they get rid of him. Ron Tom Pasadena "End of the Manny era"? Give it a rest — 173 games over a three-year period does not an era make. Jerry Baruch Los Angeles :: Good riddance, Manny, this is our town! Bob Martinez Glendale :: Most Dodgers fans will miss Manny, as will I. He brought excitement to Chavez Ravine.

Watching Juan Pierre sit on the Dodgers' bench through the first five weeks of the season, it was obvious the hyperkinetic outfielder wanted to play in the worst way. Boy, talk about being careful what you wish for. Because while Pierre is once again the Dodgers' regular left fielder, it's a position he inherited in just about the worst way imaginable -- through Manny Ramirez's 50-game suspension for violating baseball's drug policy.

As the trade deadline approaches, General Manager Ned Colletti said Tuesday he has not had a definitive conversation with owners Frank and Jamie McCourt to determine whether the Dodgers can take on a big contract through a trade this summer. The Dodgers' gate revenue has dropped this season. The team did not raise prices on tickets or parking, and attendance has dropped 6%, as compared to the same number of home games last season. The Dodgers refused to take on a big contract last summer.

The Dodgers' season had been over less than 48 hours when General Manager Ned Colletti found himself standing in a dark stadium parking lot with Juan Pierre. Three years earlier, Colletti had signed the outfielder to a much-ballyhooed free-agent contract — only to see things go horribly wrong. Within a year, Pierre was on the bench and angry. Yet Colletti, knowing Pierre's value in the clubhouse and on the bench, refused to trade him. And Pierre eventually proved his boss right, stepping into the lineup last season during Manny Ramirez's 50-game drug suspension to bat .318, steal 21 bases and help the Dodgers to a division title.

Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts have been down this road before: unbeaten after 13 games, chasing perfection and wondering what to do next. . . . Back off or keep pushing? . . . Four years ago, the Colts lost their 14th game, rested their starters in splitting their last two and then, after a first-round bye, fell short against Ben Roethlisberger and the sixth-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers in their only playoff game. . . . Either way they choose, coaches Jim Caldwell of the Colts and Sean Payton of the unbeaten New Orleans Saints will be second-guessed -- unless everything goes right.