WHEN THE LOS ANGELES Dodgers arrived at spring training, the big-spending, star-studded defending champions were the talk of the sport. But while the rest of baseball was discussing L.A.'s chances of a repeat, there was a more pressing topic at Camelback Ranch: pickleball.
Spurred on by manager Dave Roberts for weeks, a fierce one-on-one battle between assistant general manager Jeff Kingston and Triple-A manager Scott Hennessey was finally scheduled.
"It's the most hotly talked about topic in my seven years with the Dodgers," pitching coach Mark Prior said.
Though perhaps without as much hype as the Kingston-Hennessey showdown, pickleball games have become the norm throughout baseball.