Chad Moriyama recently posted about an amazing Hyun-jin Ryu commercial. It was amazing, and got me thinking.

This is at least the second or third one of these. What if there are more great Ryu videos? I want them all in one place.

Here’s the first Ryu Ramen commercial I saw. I think. Note the amazing Kershaw look-alike. I’m pretty sure one of the other guys is supposed to be Zack Greinke, though I couldn’t confirm it.

This one has a little different tone. It starts serious, shows Ryu’s heater being clocked at 99 (MPH?) and then takes us to a postgame meal. Yep, it’s noodles.

Here’s a bank commercial, though if you are on some kind of paleo diet, I recommend not watching it. They make that bread look really good… .

This one is maybe the least believable. A Ryu triple. Whuuut? It’s real? OK, I’m still putting it in here though… .

What’s happening in the YouTube video below is anyone’s guess. But it must be watched. Probably a few times.

This one below is like 90 minutes, so settle in kiddies. I’m falling in love with this lefty all over again.

Hey, let’s have a few beers, get super serious with the remnants of the beer’s head on our lips, then order tons of fried chicken and eat IT ALL with the help of our huge stuffed animals! Yep, sounds about right.

Another chicken commercial. Solid tummy-rumbling sound effects here. I wish I could say I was “filling-up” on these Ryu ads. I’m just not. Yet.

Here’s the noodle commercial that Moriyama posted that took me down this rabbit hole in the first place.

There are literally hours of Ryu content. I’m going to leave you with this one though. This has got to be my favorite. Seriously, who does this?!

Also, Kenley Jansen, please think twice before kicking a ball traveling that fast. You need to be healthy this year. Sincerely, Dodger fans.

I’ve been three times. Once in Vero Beach in 2004. Then again in Arizona in 2012 and 2013. Guys weekends are really fun, and covering the Dodgers is something I’ve always liked to do. I had the time. I had the money. The website benefited. There was no downside.

That was before the kid.

It’s a lame cliche — couples with kids lose their independence. Their money. Their lives. My kid was born in August of 2013, but March of that year was the last time I used preseason baseball as a great excuse to have a great time.

Along with Yasiel Puig, Hyun-jin Ryu was also an exciting rookie in the spring of 2013. By Owen Main

That spring, Yasiel Puig hit .517. Luis Cruz had more homers that Spring and the same number of RBI’s as Puig. “Cochito” looked like he was going to stick around at third base for the boys in blue. In the end, it was Puig who stuck around (Cruz is now in Japan), but the brief Cruz firework was what Spring training is kind of all about — hope and excitement about the upcoming season.

The baseball is, of course, only part of making the Spring Arizona pilgrimage. The going out, the restaurants, and having fun with buddies is a huge part of it, too. I won’t detail in this post the debauchery that I’ve witnessed in two trips to .

Two moments stick out to me about previous trips, though, that really make me want to go back.

The first happened in my first trip to Dodgertown in Florida. I made the trip across the state from where I lived to Vero Beach. I arrived nice and early at 8:30 AM. I was behind the ropes when the low minors guys came out to warm up. I watched them stretch as I heard their foul early-morning wind being broken. As the actual game was about to get under way on the main field at Holman Stadium, I walked my way over. As I neared the stadium I looked more closely at the gentleman who was walking next to me.

Spend enough time around Dodgers spring training, and you’ll be sure to see legends like Rick Monday or Tommy Lasorda (left). By Owen Main

It was Rick Monday.

I briefly talked to him about being a Dodger fan on the East coast. He mentioned that MLB.com was broadcasting the radio feeds in what was an early iteration of MLB.tv. That kind of access was “imagined” for Camelback Ranch — and it gets close — but there really was nothing like Dodgertown in Florida.

The second thing that makes me want to go back is, randomly, Jerry Hairston.

I was a lowly web blogger looking to hunt down a pretty standard-faire preview story for the 2013 Dodgers. While other players weren’t as friendly, Hairston’s demeanor and friendly attitude was a port in the unfamiliar ocean of the Dodgers’ clubhouse. He answered all of my questions, was engaged with what I was asking him, and had relevant things to say.

I know he’s an analyst for the team’s station now, and missing what he has to say is one of the reasons I get so ticked that I can’t get the Dodgers on television in San Luis Obispo, even with an MLB.TV subscription.

After Hairston, both A.J. Ellis and Mark Ellis were very professional and (dare I say?) friendly as well — something major leaguers don’t always have to be, especially when I’m sure my questions were the worst.

All that said, whatever insight I gained from watching the club for the better part of 4 games in March was useful throughout the remainder of the season. With so many questions about the upcoming season, I’m sure I could suck a little less at interviewing some players.

So, the fact that I’m going to write something about the team every day this year could be a good reason to go to Arizona once again.

Dodgers Spring training begins March 4 against the White Sox at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona. 

After making it to the NLCS a season ago and going on their historic 42-8 run to make it there, the Dodgers seemed primed to be legitimate World Series contenders in 2014. Yet the start of the 2014 season seems oddly familiar to the 2013. The likelihood of them going on a run like they did last year, though, is very far-fetched. So the question remains what is wrong with them right now?

Currently the Dodgers hold a record of 19-18 and are sitting in the third place position in the NL West. They started out winning four of their first five games and were looking good. Recently though, they have dropped six of their last eight games. They are a pathetic 2-6 head-to-head against the Giants who are clearly the best team in the NL West right now. They have had some injuries including Clayton Kershaw, Hyun-Jin Ryu and A.J. Ellis but that shouldn’t be an excuse for a team with such a high payroll and as much talent as they have.

It’s been said before but if the Dodgers don’t start winning soon, Don Mattingly may be looking for a new job. By http://www.flickr.com/photos/pvsbond/, via Wikimedia Commons

Aside from their obvious struggles, the Dodgers have had some bright spots this season, including the play of Dee Gordon, Dan Haren, Zach Greinke and Adrian Gonzalez.

Gordon, who  is leading the team with a .328 batting average, has also  stolen 21 bases already which is the best in baseball, nine more than the next guy behind him.

Free agent acquisition, Dan Haren, has shown why the Dodgers signed him with his 4-1 record and his 2.68 ERA. With all the injuries to the pitching staff, Haren has stepped up and played a huge role in keeping this team afloat.

Zach Greinke started out 5-0 only to finally lose a game where the Dodgers just couldn’t score any runs. His 2.35 ERA and 47 strikeouts lead the team and have carried the Dodgers while Kershaw was hurt.

Adrian Gonzalez, in my opinion is an early contender for National League Most Valuable Player. He is hitting .265 with 9 HR and 26 RBI. He also has an .861 OPS, putting him just below the range of his best three seasons. Gonzalez has carried the load offensively thus far while the rest of the team figures themselves out.

How to fix whatever is wrong?

Other than the injuries to the team the only two real problems with this team are the inconsistency of the bullpen and the lack of hitting in some games, both of which can be easily fixed. As for the bullpen, manager Don Mattingly needs to read the situations during games better and figure out when to plug certain pitchers in rather than go with a set bullpen rotation. With the kind of depth that the Dodgers have, its the only way to manage all those bodies.

Dodgers win and Mattingly only made three mistakes. I'll take it.

— Howard Cole (@Howard_Cole) May 10, 2014

The hitting will come around, I’m sure of that. The Dodgers have too much depth and talent on their roster for it not to. It’s still very early in the season and the Dodgers just need regroup and get things together. Although it was over a month ago, the unorthodox trip to Australia could still be affecting them, since it cut their spring training and usual time to prepare for the long grinding season short. The Dodgers will get it together and I expect to see them being the team we all expect them to be come the second half of the season.

What do you think? Will the Dodgers turn it around or will they stay at .500 and be a disappointment all season?