James Loney is a 23 year-old, left-handed first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Loney hit
.331 with 15 HR and 67 RBI in 344 plate appearances last season for L.A. His vital line for the season was .331/.381/.538. The 6'3" 220 pound 1B was selected 19th overall in the 2002 First Year Player Draft by the Dodgers and went on to play in the Pioneer League before moving on to Single-A Vero Beach (2003), Double-A Jacksonville (2004) and Triple-A Las Vegas (2005). In 2006, Loney broke into the bigs on April 4 against the Atlanta Braves; hitting a single off of future Hall of Famer John Smoltz. After splitting time with Nomar Garciaparra for the past two seasons, Loney figures to begin the 2008 season as the starting first baseman. In the midst of a busy offseason (filled with video games and ping pong), Loney took time to answer a few questions from the Deli's own Joshua Fischman.

Joshua Fischman: What have you been up to this off-season, both in preparation for next season and away from baseball?

James Loney: Working out, [playing] Nintendo Wii, bowling, ping pong, [playing] Rock Band.

JF: What is your favorite thing about being a pro baseball player?

JL: Loving what I am doing and [having] a chance to win the World Series.

JF: What is your proudest sports moment?

JL: Being national champions in high school.

JF: How does it feel playing against Chris Young (starting CF for the Arizona Diamondbacks) in high school and now in the NL West?

JL: It's fun. We work out together and I beat him at ping pong.

JF: What was it like coming up with so many other young, talented players in the Dodgers organization?

JL: It's great seeing them have success in the big leagues. We have great chemistry.

JF: You play the game so fundamentally sound. Has being a great contact hitter and fielder always been there for you? Or are those things that you've had to work at?

JL: [I've] always had to work. But [I've] always been confident.

JF: What are your feelings about the criticisms made by the likes of Luis Gonzalez and Jeff Kent about the Dodger organization's commitment to playing its young prospects (like yourself)?

JL: Everybody has the right to their opinion.

JF: Joe Torre obviously has a great track record. How do you feel about Joe Torre managing the team?

JL: I'm excited for the upcoming season. I heard Joe is great.

JF: What do you miss most about the Minor Leagues?

JL: Our Double A goodie bags for road trips. I'm over it now. The Double A goodie bags had food, drinks and magazines (basically, whatever you wanted).

JF: Anything else you would like to add?

JL: I expect a World Series ring for 2008.