Steve Dilbeck, the Dodgers blogger for the Los Angeles Times, writes that he will miss Matt Kemp – even though there was ongoing tension between the two of them – for a simple reason: Kemp refused to call him fat.

That’s as good a reason as any, I guess.

First, the tension:

In truth, Kemp had a problem with me. He refused to explain it. Maybe it was one too many snarky comments or he didn’t like my questions or that I had him second in the MVP voting in 2011 or he just didn’t understand the difference between straight newspaper reporting and the commentary awarded to a blog.

Now, the heartwarming resolution:

Last season the Dodgers were on a road trip in Milwaukee and the traveling beat writers were gathered around several players before a game in the clubhouse and the conversation turned to: What if players were going to do a writing job on a sports writer?

I was not there, and players had nominated several scribes when Kemp announced he knew exactly who he would do a piece on, but struggled to come up with my name. My feelings have recovered. He described me as gray hair with glasses and slightly hefty. The scribes were throwing out various names when one finally said “Dilbeck” and Kemp lit up and said, “Yeah, that’s the one!”

To which my close Times comrade, peer and ex-friend, Dylan Hernandez, shouted: “Why didn’t you just say the old, fat (guy)?”

But see, Kemp didn’t go there. Even for a scribe he would just as soon see transferred to another beat, he could not bring himself to say anything derogatory. And so, he became my favorite Dodger.

The lesson: Refuse to call Steve Dilbeck old and fat, and he’s your friend for life.