Farismaticism

"A Friend of Mine Inspired that Book"

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Faris) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 22:11:00 +0000

This morning I was standing in line at Starbucks with my Bible in my hand. The guy in front of me, a black man (which will be relevant in a moment), saw what I was holding and the conversation went something like this:

Guy in Line: "Looks like you have a good book there."
Me: "Yeah..."
GiL, after a brief pause to order his drink: "You know, a friend of mine inspired that book. A good friend. We go way back."
Me: "Yeah..." with a little laugh.

Which yields three thoughts:

(1) If I would've said something like that to someone in line, I would've sounded totally lame. That's why it was relevant that the GiL was black. For some reason black people can just say stuff like that and it is totally cool.

(2) How come I can never think of something better to say in response in those situations? I'll be honest: I had even just rearranged the books in my hand (I also had my journal and Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret) so that when I got to the barista, there was a chance some conversation could go from there. You never know, right? But then the conversation with this guy happens, and all I can come up with is a lame laugh and a "yeah". Not that it would've made a big difference in this particular situation, but still, how come I can't be super clever when I want to be?

(3) Later on, when I had the inevitable, "This is what I should've said" moment, what I thought of was, "Hey, I go way back with him too. He knew me before I was in my mother's womb even."

Lame.

So I guess that makes it a "This is what I'm glad I didn't say" moment.

I'm Addicted to this Song

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Faris) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 23:43:00 +0000

Seriously, I am. Thanks for showing it to me Dad.

God of Creation, What Shall I Do?

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Faris) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:15:00 +0000

Headed by my re-reading of Tozer's Knowledge of the Holy a week ago, I have been struck by God's self-existence and self-sufficiency in new ways of late. The reality that God has absolutely no needs from anyone or anything outside of Himself is remarkable. I cracked open Genesis 1 this morning and was reminded of it again in that simple opening sentence of the Bible, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."

There, in that one sentence, is that same truth: God needs nothing from anyone. He creates by an act of His unfettered will, though even that creation itself is not something He needs in any meaningful sense of the word. He simply wants to do it, so He does. Christians have never been able to figure out why He would create but for one reason: He delights in His own glory, and creation reflects that glory.

And here am I, an infinitesimally tiny blip on the historical landscape of that creation running about with constant thoughts of what I can do for God. Scheming, planning, brainstorming, and conversing, all about that question: what shall I do to bring God glory? But Gen. 1:1 retorts, "You do indeed exist for His glory, Andrew, and He does indeed value you as His image-bearer, but how do you so quickly forget that He can bring Himself glory just fine without your help?"

So I'm not "doing the Lord's work". He can do His work just fine without me, thank you very much. I'm asking Him to do work through me. Wonder of wonders, I'm allowed a place in God's kingdom-mission to glorify Himself. Given this reality, why do I plan so much and pray so little? Imagine Warren Buffet's son setting up a lemonade stand to contribute to the continued growth of the family income. Such is my foolishness.

Maybe God's self-sufficiency has captivated me of late because my life does not reflect that I believe it is true. That lack of prayer is the largest pointer to this. Do I desire to reach lost people for Christ? Do I desire to grow in holiness? Do I desire to preach more effectively? Then I try to think of relevant outreach models, I try to read more Christian books, and I try varying my rhetorical techniques. I don't pray.

I suspect I am not alone in this. I suspect, in fact, that many evangelical churches and their pastors struggle because they aren't really committed to prayer much at all. The ceaseless barrage of advertisements for better mouse traps from Christian publishers worsens the problem. Just once I'd like to see a Zondervan catalog come to our church that didn't have any books or DVD's. It would just be a single page that said, "Don't buy our books this month. Try praying a lot."

But the financial bottom line would not allow for that, just as the ministry-output bottom line in many churches wouldn't allow for a pastor to take that advice. "That's fine, pastor, quit all of our programs and get everyone to pray and fast for a month instead." Unlikely advice, for we've always got to be doing something if we're really going to earn that paycheck, which, I remind you, comes from the people's pockets. Whether the pressure is from the pastor's conscience or the congregation's mouths, isn't this the way it goes?

Maybe I'm a pessimist, or maybe it's just a mood. In any case, I'd do best now to take my own advice and stop giving advice. I must pray.

-----------------------------

All-Sufficient God,

Nothing is impossible for You. You have no limitations, no boundaries, nothing within or outside of Yourself that can or will stop You from carrying out Your plans. Far from being academic truths for systematic theologians and their students, this is bedrock, every-day stuff. And yet I forget it almost every day- even when it has been on my mind uncharacteristically often.

So then, if You can do all things You desire in order to glorify Yourself, my prayer is simple: use me in that. This will be my greatest joy. In the midst of that, Lord, teach me to pray like someone who really believes all this. Teach me to trust You. Teach me to delight in You and You alone.

I can only ask these things in the name of the One Who Has Reconciled Me to You, the Lord Jesus Christ, and so I do.

Amen.

Men Are Always Wrong

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Faris) — Thu, 13 May 2010 15:42:00 +0000

So true...

(HT: Dan Phillips)

Best Road Sign Ever

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Faris) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:41:00 +0000

(HT: Dan Phillips)

The World's Largest Lebanese Food Dishes

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Faris) — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 15:07:00 +0000

Way to go Lebanon! You finally did it! You created the largest bowl of tabouleh and the largest bowl of hummus in the world!

Seriously. I got these from this photo blog chronicling a bunch of Guinness World Records.

I think what I love most is how excited they all look- as if with that last spoonful of hummus they just did eek out a record they weren't totally sure they could break. I mean, really, was this even close? Were there bowls of tabouleh or hummus that gave these folks a run for their money?

In any case, I've never been so proud to be a Lebanese American.

Fast Blues Cover of "Tic Toc" By My Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Faris) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:58:00 +0000

Enjoy.

It's a facebook video, so hopefully it'll still work even if you aren't friends with Jarred Coleman.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes (or My Current Obsession)

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Faris) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 04:07:00 +0000

Watch and delight. Try to get past how weird the girl singer is and just enjoy how ridiculously awesome this song is.

Here's another one from NPR's "Tiny Desk" series (which, by the way, also has had performances by the Avett Brothers and Ralph Stanley, among others). They play three songs in this video, including "Home". Don't skip it though. It's clearly good enough to listen to twice.

HT: Justin My Musical Hero Botz

The Best Commercial Ever?

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Faris) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 01:39:00 +0000

Quite possibly. If I didn't already use Old Spice, I would now. Kind of like the way I used to eat at Jack in the Box occasionally just as my little way of saying, "Thanks, Jack in the Box, for making me laugh with your commercials, even though your food really isn't that great."

HT: Jamin Soch

On Coffee Shop Bible Studies (or Seminary Grads Don't Have a Monopoly on the Holy Spirit)

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Faris) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 06:56:00 +0000

Britt and I were sitting in Starbucks tonight doing some work when I saw four young black men sitting together while one of them taught from a tattered Bible. He was reading from one of the accounts of Jesus' call of the first disciples- maybe Mark 1:16-20. I couldn't hear much of what he said specifically, but I caught the words "steep expectations" as the smile of a serious disciple formed on his face. I couldn't help but to sit and stare for a bit, even knowing I was breaking social protocol.

Something about this sort of thing always affects me. I have seen plenty of coffee shop Bible studies before, but every time I think, "Isn't that great- look at how those brothers of mine are reading God's Word right over there, and I've never even met them." That, I think, is what I love: that people I have never seen before are talking about the same Jesus in the same Bible by the same Spirit that I have.

Whatever else he said- there was another something about how these men left their fathers in their boats to follow Jesus in connection with those steep expectations- I wonder why it is that I can sit and think, "You'll have to use me and all my wisdom if you're going to do anything in my church, Lord." That is clearly false, as evidenced by this man's patient listening and teaching. He was clearly invested in these other men, who looked a couple years younger than he was, and they sat for a few hours around the Bible.

Well-worn Bibles are in the hands of brothers and sisters all over the place. This is a joyful realization. God's Spirit doesn't need me- He's using plenty of others. It is my privilege to be a part of it, and for that matter, to witness the parts of it that others play.

I'm Tired of Being Friends with Wannabe Missionaries

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Faris) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 07:38:00 +0000

Justin Botz is leaving indefinitely for Cambodia this weekend. You know what I think? I think it sucks.

Well, not really. It's a pretty fantastic opportunity for Botzy and I couldn't be happier for him in that respect. But it does bring up the larger reality that being friends with people who are set on doing missions is crappy because they inevitably just leave. Like Kyle and Melody Thibodeau did last weekend. Here one week, in South Korea the next- and for two years at that.

Soon enough the Kyle and Sarah Fox and Trey and Erin Allen will go do the same, and my reaction to those is quite the same: it's fine that you want to go serve Jesus overseas and all, but what about me? What about the fact that this means we don't get to hang out while you're there? Ever think of anyone besides yourselves and Jesus?

Apparently not.

So let it be a lesson to all of you: don't be friends with people who want to do missions. Eventually they just pick up and leave and it's stupid.

Except for the part where it's awesome, of course. Y'all better send me a card once in awhile.

Super Bowl Keys to Victory, According to the Onion

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Faris) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 03:15:00 +0000

Check it out- it's as good as it sounds.

Jesus and Stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Faris) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:41:00 +0000

As I mentioned here, I've been listening to David Platt like crazy. I've nearly finished his "Radical" series now and Britt and I have realized just how much stuff we have and how much more money we could give for the sake of those who are in so much need.

The fact that I didn't notice this sort of thing sooner is troubling. How could I live so selfishly with my money? How can I justify spending so much money on food, drinks, and books, while people who can't read die of starvation and thirst? How come I don't more readily see myself as the Rich Young Ruler? How come I have so long glossed over the many Biblical passages that tell me that murderers, adulterers, and those who neglect the poor are all in the same boat?

What Platt constantly reminds me is this: none of the pleasures of this world are greater than relationship with Christ. It is, as he says, almost unreasonable to call it "sacrifice" when we give away our earthly possessions when we consider how much greater is the reward of Christ. As all of my Reformed heroes have taught me, so I am reminded: there is nothing in this world as good as knowing Jesus Christ. When compared with this, every other pleasure looks more and more like I'm getting ripped off.

And so, our Lord says, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Will I be the Rich Young Ruler who laments Jesus' call to sell my many possessions and so rejects him, or will I joyfully sell it for the greater treasure?

Lord, make me like the disciples who dropped their nets to follow you.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Faris) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:25:00 +0000

Britt and I are staying at her parents' house in Wheaton, IL for vacation for the week. It snowed for a couple days right when we got here- a fluffy, powdery, dry snow that really is beautiful. So today we decided to go for a walk to enjoy the snow and one another's company, and for me to enjoy the new pipe I got for Christmas.

Thing is, when it's 25 degrees out and you want to go for a walk, you have to do a little extra dressing up. So here's what I wore:

On my head: my new winter trapper hat, which looks kind of like the one in the picture, minus the creepy manican head.

On my upper body: a t-shirt under a thermal under a sweater under a double-layered jacket. Count 'em, five layers.

On my lower body: boxers under my superman fleece pajama pants under my jeans. Superman fleece pajama pants are the new long johns, you know.

On my feet: short, thick songs, under taller, thick wool socks, under more short, thick socks, under beat up brown converse low tops. Note to all those who are spending time in the snow: beat up converse are worthless in that weather. No traction for the ice; no insulation from the snow. My toes froze, even under three pairs of socks.

What's the moral of the story?

It's this: as beautiful as the snow is- and it is beautiful- it is a massive pain in the rear to have to put on 12 items of clothing to take a 30 minute walk. Spending time with my wife and her family is lovely, and my new pipe, for those who wondered, was delightful for its first smoke (didn't have to relight once). But when it's that much work to take a walk on a day that the locals say is "warm" (I'm not kidding- they actually say that), well, you can keep your white Christmas. Like a good friend of mine says: weather is something you visit, not something you live in.

I'll put up a picture as soon as we get home and get the proper cable to move it from camera to computer.

Dances With Signs

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Faris) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:43:00 +0000

So, this guy's pretty good at being a sign holder:

(HT: DJP)

Selections from the National Geographic Photo Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Faris) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:55:00 +0000

The Big Picture, the Boston's Globe's photoblog, has 25 selections from this year's National Geographic photo contest. All of them are pretty remarkable, but my favorite is the very first one. What's yours?

Britt's Plan for What to Do Should One of Us Get Sick

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Faris) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:10:00 +0000

Yesterday my good friend Michael, another newlywed like me and Britt, was wondering how married couples avoid catching all of each other's diseases. We talked about it at staff meeting for a little bit with the oldlyweds there, all of which I relayed to Britt when I came home.

But she didn't see as much need for counsel on the subject, because she already had a plan for how this will work:

When I Get Sick: I sleep on the couch, she sleeps in the bed. This way she doesn't get sick and gets to enjoy a nice, comfortable night before she has to get up and teach the next day. There's no way she's sleeping on the couch when she has a full day of rambunctious teenagers ahead of her (even though she falls asleep on the couch every night as it is and I often end up carrying her to bed...).

When She Gets Sick: Britt sleeps in the bed, and so do I. This way she doesn't have to deal with the physical discomfort of being sick and sleeping alone. I'll have to just suck it up and deal with getting sick as well. The only other solution is for me to call her mother to fly out from Chicago and share the bed with her while I sleep on the couch. But there's no way she's sleeping alone while sick.

Sounds about right...

The One Where I Preached the Gospel at the Pagan Club Event

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Faris) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:07:00 +0000

Let me just recap the last couple weeks' events, climaxing at today's:

Fri., Oct. 23: I'm sitting at the conference for my church's denomination thinking about how we need to do more outreach, and this thought comes to me out of nowhere: "Why don't I go to Long Beach City College and set up a table with a sign that says 'Free Prayer' and see if we can meet people, pray for them, and tell them about the glory and love of Jesus?"

Sun., Oct. 25: I get to church and see Justin Botz, who is also excited about outreach/evangelism these days. I say to Botz: "Here's what we're gonna do: we're gonna go to LBCC on a Thursday and set up a table that says 'Free Prayer' and see what happens." Botz responds: "Holy crap. I was thinking basically the same thing the last couple days. Not necessarily about LBCC, but that we should do a free prayer thing." Weird.

Most of the week passes without my having the time to make things happen, until I start making calls on Fri., Oct. 30 to see if we can come to campus the following Thursday. We wanted to get all the right permissions and not infringe on LBCC policies.

Tues., Nov. 3: After talking to one Christian in the LBCC AS offices the previous week, I get directed to a woman named Jaymarie, who informs me that the place that they would allow us to go on Thursday is full for that day, but that we could come on Monday. I politely responded, "Well, we'd really like to come on Thursday: is there any way we can do that?" Jaymarie responded, "Let me ask the lady who would know." Jaymarie connects me to Beverly.

Beverly, of all of the faculty and staff at LBCC, is the faculty/staff sponsor of their Campus Crusade chapter. Plus, she's the secretary for the Dean in charge of this sort of thing. So she's excited about us coming and can help us out. She says that we could come Thursday over at one area, but that it wouldn't be as good. We agree to wait 'til Monday.

Thurs., Nov. 5: Justin and I go to LBCC anyway, not to set up the table, but just to get some face time with any requisite administration, make sure we're keeping up good relationships, and get ahold of any paperwork we need to get ahold of. So we go up to Beverly's office. When we get there, Beverly says, "It's great that you're coming on Monday, because the Pagan Club (yes, you read that correctly) is sponsoring a panel discussion in the room right next to where your table would be during the time you'd be here."

The flier she hands us says that there will be representatives of Sufism, Catholicism, Asatru, and Wicca for two hours discussing their religious views. Justin and I are elated at what is looking more and more providential all the time- how are all these details working themselves out like that?

Various Days between Thursday and Sun., Nov. 7: Justin and I, and later Kyle Lundquist, get together to pray about our time at LBCC. One thing keeps coming up: "Lord, somehow or another, get me on that panel so I can represent Christianity and share the gospel at this meeting."

Mon., Nov. 8 (today): Justin and I arrive at LBCC at about 9:45 a.m. and set up our table. A few people come by and we get to pray for them and hand them pamphlets that explain the gospel (kind of like tracts, but not crappy). Kyle and Dave Krall come join us at about 10:30.

10:45 rolls around, and the panel discussion starts at 11:00. Thanks to some encouragement from Dave and despite my faithless doubting, I walk into the room where the panel discussion will take place. There I meet Lisi, a member of the Pagan Club, and a nice young lady who will be hosting the event. I tell her I'm a pastor at a Baptist church just down the street and ask if I can get on the panel. She says "Probably not, but you can ask Dr. Novotny (the Pagan Club staff sponsor and an anthropology professor at LBCC) when he gets here. We only have four panelists at a time, and we do this every semester."

I leave, tell the guys it doesn't look good, and ten minutes later go back in. As I'm walking in, Lisi says to Dr. Novotny, "That guy" and points to me. I walk up to Dr. Novotny, tell him who I am, and he says, "Well actually, the Sufi Muslim no-showed, so it'd be really great if you could take his place."

I start to shake some as Kyle leans over to me and says, "How's that for providential?" I grab my Bible, my journal, and a pen, and take my place on stage. I am told that the format will include each of us getting fifteen minutes uninterrupted to explain our views.

The Pagan Club might as well have said: "Hey Andrew, would you mind coming and preaching the gospel to us? We're going to have all these competing religions here, and we just want to make sure that Jesus is proclaimed as the only source of real spiritual life, just so no one gets the wrong idea."

Of course, that's not what they said, but I nonetheless stood up and explained the story of the Bible with conviction after each of the other three folks talked about their rituals and festivals with minimal joy and no central message. I preached the gospel to 60+ students. It was amazing, and I cannot get over how much of God's providence I saw in all this. I talked to the Pagan Club folks afterward at lunch, and I also was able to hand out some pamphlets to a few students.

It was definitely one of the coolest things that I've seen happen in my life, and one of the clearest works of God's providence for His purposes. Remarkably, He also taught me some humility in all this as I sat down and thought, "I should've said this and this and this and this," as if God was saying, "I set this up for you, so you need to remember that it was I who worked, not you. You're not sufficient on your own."

No Lord, I'm not. But I pray that you will show Your perfect, complete sufficiency to sinners who need the grace of Jesus through my life more every day.

Pomplamoose Covering Michael Jackson's "Beat It"

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Faris) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:36:00 +0000

While we're on the subject of sweet covers, check out this excellent version of Michael Jackson's "Beat It":

(HT: Dan Phillips)

The Polyphonic Spree Covering Nirvana's "Lithium"

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Faris) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:56:00 +0000

Awhile ago my Dad, brother, sister and I all went and saw the Polyphonic Spree play at the Henry Fonda in L.A., and as you might expect if you are familiar with the Spree, it was awesome. That night they covered Nirvana's "Lithium" as an encore, and I immediately loved it. Everything about this cover is right: the original song is good in the first place, the cover doesn't mess with the tempo, tonality, or melody significantly, and the covering band still has something unique to offer. In this case, that "something" includes orchestral instrumentation, a mini-choir, white robes, and the uber-happy style that defines the Polyphonic Spree.

Anyway, my Dad passed on the official music video for it, which is just the Spree playing it live with a high quality recording. But what more could you want for a video of this band doing this song? Enjoy:

Ghetto Slang in Spanish, Brought to You By My Wife

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Faris) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:40:00 +0000

Please, I beg you, go read my wife's post from today about teaching inner city non-native kids how to say things like "He/she is trippin'" in Spanish. It's hilarious.

When You Trick or Treat at a Democrat's Door

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Faris) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:10:00 +0000

HT: DJP

Which Came First: the Cup or the Batting Helmet?

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Faris) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 05:52:00 +0000

A little known baseball fact...
The first testicular guard (cup) was used in baseball in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1971. It took nearly 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.

(HT: My Dad)

The Dodgers Off-Season Priorities and Predictions

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Faris) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:29:00 +0000

In the wake of tonight's loss to the Phils, it's time to forget about the past and look to the future. The following is my take on what the Dodgers need to do and what they will do.

What the Dodgers Need to Do

1. Shore up the Starting Pitching

I still don't get why everyone knocked the Dodgers' pitching this season when they had the best team ERA in baseball. It's easy to look at the NLCS and say, "Say, we were right." But that would be ignoring the NLDS and the fact that most of the problems in that series were aberrations compared to the rest of the season.

In any case, the Dodgers only have 3 starting pitchers coming back: Chad Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw, and Hiroki Kuroda. The good news there is that this is a solid group of 3. Billingsley looked like a Cy Young winner for two months, Kershaw looked like one for what followed, and Kuroda dominated in last year's NLCS (you might remember that as the NLCS in which Kuroda didn't pitch for the first time in 3 weeks...thanks for that one, Joe...).

The bad news is that that still only makes 3 starters. The best free agent pitcher available is John Lackey, and if they have the money, the Dodgers couldn't find a better place to spend it. Lackey is an excellent starter, plus he's got the physical makeup and history of a guy who, as near as anyone can predict, should stay off the DL. Perhaps they take the 17 million they will no longer be paying Jason Schmidt, put some of it into Lackey, and backload his contract since they'll be paying Manny 25 million next season (assuming that Manny picks up his option, which he unfortunately almost certainly will).

As for a 5th starter? That's a harder call, but I'd say either give someone within the organization a shot (e.g. Eric Stults, Ramon Troncosco, Charlie Haeger, Josh Lindblom, or Chris Withrow) or go for another reclamation project like they successfully did with Jose Lima, Wilson Alvarez, Jeff Weaver, Chan Ho Park, and so on. Mark Mulder is my #1 candidate for that idea.

Other guys I'd like to see them look into for either rotation spot: Ben Sheets, Rich Harden, Erik Bedard, Randy Wolf, Tim Hudson, Carl Pavano, Justin Duchscherer, Brandon Webb. Any of those guys would be useful, and some would be great.

2. Get a Second Baseman

The O-Dawg and Ronnie Baseball will both be free agents, and I'd be glad to have either one back. Hudson is a class act, a great fielder, and for 3/4 of the year, was a dang good hitter. Belliard played great for a month- you gotta figure anyone would be energized by getting traded from the last-place Nats to the playoff-bound Dodgers, as he apparently was. Of the two, I'd be much less confident in Belliard for a full season. Dude's looking pretty fat for a two-bagger, for one thing...

The second base opening is where the Jon Garland for Tony Abreu trade never made much sense to me. Did the Dodgers really need Garland that bad? No, they didn't. He wasn't especially needed when he came over, and Coletti had to realize that the Dodgers would need a second baseman, right? Abreu has had real success on the big club but just got hurt. Add that to a .353 avg. in AAA, and I would have been happy to fill that position between him and Blake DeWitt, then use the money that would save on Lackey or another starter.

But that's not an option now. DeWitt is still a semi-viable internal option, but he hit around .250 in AAA this year, so despite some major league success he doesn't seem trustworthy. Also, the Dodgers minor league player of the year was a single A shortstop named Dee Becker who hit .300 and stole a whopping 73 bases. Still, he's a SS, that was in single A, and he also got caught stealing 25 times. Sounds like he's a couple years out to me.

My favorite idea outside the organization is Chone Figgins. I know he plays 3B for the Halos, but he used to play second, and I never got the idea he cared much where he played. Just imagine the day that Manny gets hurt and the Dodgers trot out a lineup that includes Furcal, Figgins, Matt Kemp, and Juan Pierre. Can anyone think of a team that ever had so much speed? I can't see it happening, but it's fun to dream.

Other notable options include trading for Dan Uggla (apparently he's on the block), or signing Mark DeRosa or Placido Polanco. It's really hard to say who they'll end up with next year, but my gut tells me it'll be either Belliard or Hudson again. I'm fine with that.

3. Bring Back a Good Bench

One of the clearest strengths the Dodgers had this season was the bench. Guys like Mark Loretta, Brad Ausmus, Juan Pierre, Doug Mientcawiojagaowoz (does anyone know how to spell that guy's last name?), and Juan Castro go a long way for making a team good, and that was obvious this year. There are a lot of veterans out there worth looking into, and they need to do so: Ausmus, Loretta, and Mientkiewicz (there, that's it) are gone. I'd be glad to re-sign all of those guys.

How the Dodgers Will Actually Fare

1. The Bullpen Will Be Great Again

The Dodgers should have the best bullpen in baseball again next year. Broxton and Sherill at the back end is devastating (except in game 4 of the NLCS, which Broxton is never allowed to appear in again), and they have 3 legitimate other set-up men in Kuo, Troncosco, and Belisario. They even have Scott Elbert and Brent Leach as lefty specialists and an effective swingman in Jeff Weaver. The only guy they are losing is Guillermo Mota, which is completely fine despite that he was quite good for much of the year. A good bullpen is hard to find for a lot of teams, and it is the place where the Dodgers have easily the most depth.

2. Manny Will No Longer Be Manny

I guess another way to put that would be "Manny will no longer be that good." Post-steroids Manny is a guy who can't get his bat head around as quickly as he used to, which means he gets jammed a lot more. He'll still crush pitches that are over the plate, but when you can throw inside to Manny, he's just not so intimidating. No matter where they bat him in the lineup, he'll put up the number of a 6 hitter with the defense of...well...Manny. Think Giambi pre-roids and post-roids. Big difference.

This could be a big problem for this club next year, and my only hope is that he does something crazy (that's not that far-fetched is it? I mean, it's Manny!), and doesn't exercise that 25 million dollar option he has.

We could honestly see here just how much of a difference steroids make in major leaguers. Manny was one of the two most intimidating right-handed hitters in the game a few months ago. Now he's a pretty good hitter. Yikes. Baseball needs to event a steroid contract clause: if at any point in a season a player is caught taking steroids, the team he plays for can if they so choose nullify any remaining years after the one he is currently in. There is no way the Dodgers would pay Manny 25 million now that he's not the Manny they thought he was. No team should get so badly penalized because a player cheats and hides it well.

3. The Dodgers Will Win the Division Again

The Diamondbacks scared me in the beginning of this season, and they still have some weapons, but they're going to lose a lot of pieces, especially if they don't pick up Webb's option (or if he comes back and isn't healthy). A lot of things would have to go right for them to compete a Dodgers team that is mostly staying in tact. The Padres are terrible, no matter what they did the last third of their season.

The problem for the Giants is that even with such dominant starting pitching, I still cannot see them getting the bats they need to put everything together. One big hitter in the middle of the lineup would help, but they really need more than that. Sandoval is the real deal, but it's him and a bunch of guys right now, and that just isn't enough. Plus, Jonathan Sanchez and Barry Zito have some serious question marks. Their off-season will be interesting, but I can't see them getting back in. One last thing: an injury to Lincecum or Cain would paralyze them, and that's scary for any team.

Which leaves the Rockies. Thing about the Rockies is this: their starting pitching is getting much better, because Jimenez and De La Rosa are both really that good. Jason Hammel, Aaron Cook, and a rehabbed Jeff Francis could make a real good rotation. And apparently Jim Tracy connects with them as a manager, no matter how uninspiring he appears.

The thing is, the Rockies lineup doesn't wow me, and they need some key production to make it work. Guys like Brad Hawpe, Ian Stewart, Clint Barmes, Chris Ianetta, and Dexter Fowler have to prove that they can keep doing it, and I'm not totally convinced with that group. Plus, Helton isn't getting any younger, and Tulo has had some real rough streaks, despite his overall excellent season.

What separates the Dodgers from these teams is that they just have way fewer question marks. The young guys are getting older and better. Ethier and Kemp are real middle of the order threats, and hopefully Manny can keep something up too. Furcal finally looked healthy and back to form at the end of the season. You know what you'll get from Casey Blake every year. And so on.

The only question marks are in the starting rotation, and if past seasons have been any indication, Coletti will go out and get at least one more upper tier starter, maybe even two. This could very quickly turn from a question mark to a strength, and I for one am confident in the three guys that are locked in.

So there's no reason the Dodgers shouldn't win the NL West for the third year in a row. The one thing to remember? That they're the Dodgers, of course.

Maybe there will even be some extra magic for Vinny's last season. What better way for him to go out than with a World Series win?

I Added Labels

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Faris) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:43:00 +0000

Scroll down, and they're on the right. I try to be careful about properly labeling posts, so if you happen to care what I've said about this or that, scroll down and take a look.

That's all.