"I’m not really a big fan of basketball, but I think what he’s doing is great," Fernando Valenzuela said Thursday, by phone from Los Angeles. Valenzuela, 51, is one of the few people on the planet who can understand just how nutty life is for New York...

Nick: I just fell in love with the Dodgers at an early age. I always loved Watching the Dodgers as a kid, and watching the rich Dodger tradition, growing up watching Dodger greats like Orel Hershiser, Kirk Gibson, Fernando Valenzuela, to, Hideo Nomo...

Lin has averaged 24 points and 9 assists with 3 double-doubles since the Nets game. But the thing about phenoms is they can come in hot and then fizzle into a lower voltage of play. Longtime Los Angeles Dodgers fans will remember pitcher Fernando...

It remains to be seen, of course, what will happen next. Major League Baseball has had its share of shooting stars over the years and the reality is that many of them disappear as quickly as they burst into prominence. Sure, Dodgers left-handed pitcher...

15, 2012 Feb 15 3:50 PM ET I wrote the other day on baseball's versions of Jeremy Lin -- guys who came out of nowhere to stir up attention on a national scale. Some withstood the test of time (Fernando Valenzuela), some didn't (Hurricane Hazle). My...

There are so many examples of this that they almost defy counting -- a 19-year-old Dwight Gooden matures early, just a year out of high school and can suddenly throw a 97 mph fastball past experienced major league hitters. Another example? ...