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.