A Change in the Name of Tradition

The Dodgers will remove player names from their uniforms next season, joining the New York Yankees as the only major league teams without names on home and road jerseys.

Although the Dodgers have worn names on their uniforms since 1972, co-owner Frank McCourt said the decision reflected a desire to embrace tradition rather than tinker with it.

“It’s all about the name on the front of the uniform: the Los Angeles Dodgers,” McCourt said in a statement. “As we move into our 50th anniversary celebration of the organization’s first world championship, this is a tip of the cap to our great heritage and tradition.”

The Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants include player names on road jerseys but not on home jerseys. Legendary baseball executive Bill Veeck introduced names on uniforms with the 1960 Chicago White Sox, according to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The decision was not intended to spur merchandise sales, said Gary Miereanu, the Dodgers’ vice president of communications. Miereanu said replica jerseys with player names would remain available for purchase and said the team was not contemplating further alterations to the uniform.

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Francisco Rodriguez and Scot Shields of the Angels and Alex Cora and Kazuhisa Ishii of the Dodgers are among 28 players selected to represent Major League Baseball in an eight-game series in Japan next month.

The major league squad, which also is scheduled to include Roger Clemens of the Houston Astros, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez of the Red Sox, and Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis of the Florida Marlins, will face an All-Star team selected from the Japanese pro leagues.

The major league team will be managed by Bruce Bochy of the San Diego Padres. The pitching coach will be Jim Colborn of the Dodgers, who served in that capacity from 1990 to 1993 for Japan’s Orix Blue Wave.

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Dodger third baseman Adrian Beltre is scheduled to have the long-awaited operation today to remove bone spurs from his left ankle. Beltre, who batted .334 and led the majors with 48 home runs, endured discomfort all summer rather than undergo surgery during the season. He is expected to recover well in advance of spring training.... Pitcher Darren Dreifort underwent surgery Friday to reconstruct a ligament in his left knee. He had hip surgery in September, and the procedures could not be done at the same time because of an increased risk of blood clots. The Dodgers expect him to sit out much, if not all, of next season, when he will receive $13 million in the final year of his five-year, $55-million contract.