Veterans Stay Young at Heart

Kenny Lofton doesn’t dispense advice readily to rookies. He has to be sure they are receptive. And respectful.

The current swell of first-year Dodgers has captivated him, though. Lofton, 39, is enjoying providing them lessons on and off the field.

“With the bonus babies, the kids who get so much money just to sign, sometimes they think they know it all,” he said. “But to a guy, these kids are doing it the right way.

“I want to show them the right path.”

Over the weekend that meant taking the train. Lofton convinced outfielder Matt Kemp and pitcher Chad Billingsley to commute from the team hotel in San Francisco to McAfee Coliseum in Oakland by Bay Area Rapid Transit.

Lofton has more stolen bases than any active player, so he knows all about rapid transit. And he has played for 10 teams in 16 seasons, so he has ridden plenty of subways. But he has earned more than $50 million, so he could have hired a helicopter instead of taking BART.

“It was just to have a different experience,” Billingsley said. “He’s just being a friend. There hasn’t been any rookie hazing or anything. All the veterans have been very helpful.”

When Kemp was called up from double A three weeks ago, his mother and father flew from Oklahoma City to Washington to watch his debut against the Nationals.

Carl Kemp was more concerned about his son getting comfortable off the field than on. The voice of someone he has watched play on television since Matt was 6 years old put him at ease.

“Kenny Lofton said to me, ‘Don’t worry, Mr. Kemp, I’ve got him,’ ” Carl said. “You can’t imagine how great that made me feel. I mean, that’s Kenny Lofton.”

Several veterans have been helpful because they know that for this particular collection of Dodgers to win, the rookies must make substantial contributions. Aaron Sele has developed a bond with Billingsley. Sandy Alomar Jr. is close to Russell Martin. Nomar Garciaparra and Jeff Kent provide a blueprint for any young player through their work ethics.

In the clubhouse Sunday, veteran outfielder Jose Cruz Jr. was urging rookie reliever Jonathan Broxton to study video of opposing hitters, telling him, “Don’t just watch a guy once. You’ve got to see video of a guy taking five or six at-bats against different pitchers before you face him.”

Lofton, who seems much younger than he is, leads through his actions and words. He can cut dugout tension by clowning or he can increase intensity with a darting look.

“What amazes me is how Kenny and some of the other guys stay in such great shape and still love the game after so many years,” Billingsley said. “It’s a great thing to look forward to, staying in the game 10, 12, 15 years.

“Staying healthy is the main thing, and keeping your head on straight.”

Lofton remembers veterans who helped him when he was a young player. Most weren’t even on his team -- Dave Winfield, Kirby Puckett and Paul Molitor. Eddie Murray, now the Dodgers’ batting coach, was a teammate of Lofton’s from 1994 to 1996 and made a strong impression.

“They said little things to me that made a difference,” Lofton said. “You see guys who played before and get information from them. You’ve got to watch and learn from older players.

“We’ve got a mixture of young and old and in-between on this team. It’s a perfect situation for young guys to break in. It’s great to see several of them taking advantage of it.”