Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas to All

The staff of LADugout.com would like to wish each and every one of you the very best of the holiday season and a spectacular New Year. With the business of baseball put on hold and everyone spending special time with their families, we will take a couple days off and then resume bringing you all the news of your favorite team.

In the photo, Dodger Hall of Fame manager and Special Advisor to the Chairman Tommy LaSanta ... er ... Lasorda showed off his Santa Claus outfit at the Mattel Children’s Hospital Holiday party in Los Angeles before Christmas. As only he can do, Lasorda toured the cancer ward to pass out his wonderous brand of Christmas optimism and to visit with patients who could not make it to the party before spending two hours spreading more holiday cheer with youngsters at the party.

Along with our best wishes, we would like to leave you with a special Christmas Carol (with apologies to Clement Clarke Moore and his timeless "The Night Before Christmas"):

A (Dodger) Christmas Carol

'On the Night Before Christmas
With the setting of sun,
The park was all darknened
Save a small office with one.

Around a large table sat
Three hunched-over men,
Their faces looked puzzled
And they sighed now and then.

"We need some more power"
Said Ned unto Frank.
"But we must make a trade
And not break the bank."

Logan swiftly added
"Kemp just might do."
And the other one nodded,
And the third nodded too.

"We should really be sure,
'Less the team comes to harm,"
And end up quite powerless
It would cost us the farm."

So the roster they checked,
And called them by name:
"We've Nomar and Luis
And Raffy's got Game."

"We've Russell and Wilson
And that's not all we have left,
There's Marlon and Andy
And of course we have Kent."

Logan, of course, put a
Word in for Loney.
"I know he's a real one,
He's surely no phoney."

So they drew back their chairs
And got up to leave.
As they put on their coats,
Ned had a plan up his sleeve.

"I have some good plans,
In fact I have many.
The budget is safe, but
It might cost us a Penny."
-- Tot Holmes

The best of the holidays to all of you

Tot and Pearlie Holmes Bill and Carolyn Shelly
Ray and Valentina LeRoux George and Carol Hewitt