LOS ANGELES -- It was the middle of June, the San Diego Padres were in town for what promised to be a heated series against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Joe Musgrove, their injured ace, had one thing on his mind:
Securing a signed Clayton Kershaw jersey.
Major league players often send each other jerseys for personalization, to commemorate friendship or admiration or even milestones. But Musgrove had done that only a handful of times in his nine years as a major leaguer -- all for former teammates he was once close with, never for a prominent member of the Padres' biggest rival.