MLB Spring Training 2012 Schedule: Dodgers Start Futile Effort on Monday

The time for LA Dodgers fans to shield their eyes and think happy thoughts is Monday, March 5th, when the Dodgers open up spring training games. 

The stain of Frank McCourt's ownership will hit fans in the face as they travel to Camelback Ranch instead of the legendary Vero Beach this weekend. The spring training facility will forever be a notice about how things were done for the sake of money and not legacy or performance. 

For a more immediate sign of McCourt's tenure, you can see the hapless Dodgers try to put a playoff season together despite spare parts being grabbed in the offseason instead of the quality talent this franchise demands. 

Run and hide, or turn off the TV completely. 

Don't worry, though, you won't have to close your eyes for long. The Boys in Blue should be out of the race sometime around June. By then, we can all concentrate on summer concerts or the pending football season. 

The start of spring training should be about hope, and that just isn't the case for Dodgers fans. I remember the feeling of anticipation when I watched games broadcast from Florida joined with the voice of Vin Scully. March was the time to think about the possibilities for the season, but that is all gone for 2012. Dodgers fans have been trying to wade through the last remaining dark days of a fallen empire. 

McCourt is leaving, but he is not gone, and that means the world. It means the Dodgers had to buy on the cheap once again and will rely heavily on the homegrown talent that still remains on the roster. 

After Clayton Kershaw's brilliance, you have an aged Ted Lilly, an inconsistent Chad Billingsley, followed by pitchers that are far more likely to get over a 4.00 ERA than under it. 

The lineup is a meager one, dusted with just a touch of power in the form of Matt Kemp. There is no telling if Andre Ethier will rebound or if Dee Gordon is the real deal. 

After that, the questions continue. 

AJ Ellis, Mark Ellis and Juan Rivera are not bit player but crucial pieces that will be relied upon for wins. 

There will be more spring training sessions where Dodgers fans can dream big and hope for the best, but this is not it. We have just a couple more months until the sun will once again shine in Los Angeles. The only shred of hope I can muster is that the next regime is far more successful than this one. 

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