From the Sydney Morning Herald
I never realised Prokpoec was an Aussie. May be of some interest; if not; "mate, I don't give a rat's arse"
By Alex Brown in Los Angeles
In a city called Los Angeles, from a baseball team called the Dodgers, a goateed pitcher stands flanked by American media firing off questions about ERAs, RBIs and other acronyms that, to the untrained ear, sound like government crime-fighting agencies.
"I don't give a rat's arse, mate," says Luke Prokopec in answer to one inquisitor, his response baffling the pack of scribes. "But it's a deadset kick in the teeth."
In the same city, on the same baseball team, a former schoolmate of Bradley Clyde stows his glove, uniform and cleats for another night, smirking at Prokopec's session with the American press and the puzzled look on the journalists' faces - "Hey, Chuck, what's a 'fair dinkum?'"
"These are good times," Jeff Williams chuckles.
Call it "LA Coincidental" that they end up together; call them the best Australian double act in this city since Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce.
Whatever the tag, during the past two seasons Prokopec and Williams have claimed a unique - albeit barely recognised - place in the sporting annals: namely, the first two Australian pitchers to play on the same Major League team, to pitch in the same game.
Which is pretty much where the similarities end.
Prokopec, for example, is a boisterous 23-year-old starter from Renmark, South Australia, signed by the Dodgers as a teenager for his deft batting and fielding skills, then begrudgingly converted into a pitcher during his Minor League career.
Williams, on the other hand, is a softly spoken 29-year-old reliever from the ACT, complete with a psychology degree and a solid baseball reputation earned while attending South East Louisiana University.
They pitch together. They socialise together. But, most importantly, they rely heavily on each other's moral support to carry them through the year's 162-game schedule.
"I can't tell you how refreshing it is to have another bloke on your team with the same accent, the same values and the same background - sort of," Prokopec said recently. "We understand that it's a unique situation and we're pretty tight. We lived together for a little while and now we may as well - we're in each other's pockets most days."
Williams said: "It certainly makes home feel a little closer, having a guy like Luke around. We cop a fair bit of light-hearted stick from the boys around here, and it's nice to have some back-up for a change."
With the Dodgers this season, the Australians have formed an ominous combination - Prokopec as a starter has a 6-5 win/loss record and a 4.31 earned run average (ERA), and Williams's appearances from the bullpen have yielded a similarly impressive 2-1 mark at a 5.16 clip.
But their popularity among the LA faithful transcends results. It dates back several seasons, when the Dodgers were purchased by Rupert Murdoch and crowd-favourite veterans were released to be replaced by high-priced - although ultimately disappointing - players.
In that context, you'll find Prokopec and Williams well down on the salary and ego scales but with performances and popularity skyrocketing faster than cholesterol counts in Disneyland.
"I guess you could say we're treated a little differently," said Prokopec. "The radio guys love to have us on-air, although I don't reckon they've got a clue what we're talking about half the time.
"In terms of living in the States, I'm getting used to it now. I'm here for eight months of the year, then party my arse off for the first few weeks when I get home."
Williams's approach is equally refreshing.
"In this kind of business, you know you can get traded at any time," he said. "So right now, I'm really enjoying the kind of bond Luke and I can have. Sure, we've got other mates on this club, and our paths to the Majors were really different. But I think, just by being on the same team, we help each other out a lot."
I never realised Prokpoec was an Aussie. May be of some interest; if not; "mate, I don't give a rat's arse"
By Alex Brown in Los Angeles
In a city called Los Angeles, from a baseball team called the Dodgers, a goateed pitcher stands flanked by American media firing off questions about ERAs, RBIs and other acronyms that, to the untrained ear, sound like government crime-fighting agencies.
"I don't give a rat's arse, mate," says Luke Prokopec in answer to one inquisitor, his response baffling the pack of scribes. "But it's a deadset kick in the teeth."
In the same city, on the same baseball team, a former schoolmate of Bradley Clyde stows his glove, uniform and cleats for another night, smirking at Prokopec's session with the American press and the puzzled look on the journalists' faces - "Hey, Chuck, what's a 'fair dinkum?'"
"These are good times," Jeff Williams chuckles.
Call it "LA Coincidental" that they end up together; call them the best Australian double act in this city since Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce.
Whatever the tag, during the past two seasons Prokopec and Williams have claimed a unique - albeit barely recognised - place in the sporting annals: namely, the first two Australian pitchers to play on the same Major League team, to pitch in the same game.
Which is pretty much where the similarities end.
Prokopec, for example, is a boisterous 23-year-old starter from Renmark, South Australia, signed by the Dodgers as a teenager for his deft batting and fielding skills, then begrudgingly converted into a pitcher during his Minor League career.
Williams, on the other hand, is a softly spoken 29-year-old reliever from the ACT, complete with a psychology degree and a solid baseball reputation earned while attending South East Louisiana University.
They pitch together. They socialise together. But, most importantly, they rely heavily on each other's moral support to carry them through the year's 162-game schedule.
"I can't tell you how refreshing it is to have another bloke on your team with the same accent, the same values and the same background - sort of," Prokopec said recently. "We understand that it's a unique situation and we're pretty tight. We lived together for a little while and now we may as well - we're in each other's pockets most days."
Williams said: "It certainly makes home feel a little closer, having a guy like Luke around. We cop a fair bit of light-hearted stick from the boys around here, and it's nice to have some back-up for a change."
With the Dodgers this season, the Australians have formed an ominous combination - Prokopec as a starter has a 6-5 win/loss record and a 4.31 earned run average (ERA), and Williams's appearances from the bullpen have yielded a similarly impressive 2-1 mark at a 5.16 clip.
But their popularity among the LA faithful transcends results. It dates back several seasons, when the Dodgers were purchased by Rupert Murdoch and crowd-favourite veterans were released to be replaced by high-priced - although ultimately disappointing - players.
In that context, you'll find Prokopec and Williams well down on the salary and ego scales but with performances and popularity skyrocketing faster than cholesterol counts in Disneyland.
"I guess you could say we're treated a little differently," said Prokopec. "The radio guys love to have us on-air, although I don't reckon they've got a clue what we're talking about half the time.
"In terms of living in the States, I'm getting used to it now. I'm here for eight months of the year, then party my arse off for the first few weeks when I get home."
Williams's approach is equally refreshing.
"In this kind of business, you know you can get traded at any time," he said. "So right now, I'm really enjoying the kind of bond Luke and I can have. Sure, we've got other mates on this club, and our paths to the Majors were really different. But I think, just by being on the same team, we help each other out a lot."
