Dodger Dogs

Payroll coming...

2011-06-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

Sad to say what is happening to the team these days. I get no pleasure watching what happens to the McCourts or the Dodgers. The worst of it is that ordinary operations aren't keeping the team afloat. The team isn't going anywhere this year regardless of what Kemp and Ethier do. They're having All-Star years. Kemp should even be in the MVP discussion at the end of the year if he keeps up his present pace with 20 home runs (1st) and in the top five in nearly all batting categories.

The good news is that if you want to go to a game at Dodger Stadium there are a lot of deals to be had. Between Dodger specials and discount ticket outlets like Goldstar, you should be able to sit almost anywhere you want. So, if you pack snacks and get someone to drop you off, it could be relatively enexpensive night out.

Spring Training Games Start in about a Month

2011-01-28T15:15:00.000-08:00

If you were to ask the average fan about the Dodgers this year you would get very little in the way of baseball for what they think. In Los Angeles all anyone talks about is "The Divorce" and for the rest of the country there's really no opinion.
They have no identity at ths point and may not be able to get one. Colletti and management will something to the effect that they're building around youth and picking up some key people to fill in holes. They'll try to make a trade here or there as long as the other team is going to pick up the salary, a la Manny Ramirez.
I look at them and there's some "nice" pitching but nothing that's going to get me too excited. There is no true ace. There's always a lot someday this guy or soon that guy will... Kershaw and Billingsley have the tools, I think, but have yet to put it together for a full season. Flashes of brilliance but no real consistency. Is Bills over being a headcase? Can Kershaw get off the seesaw? Got me. Lilly's a nice numer three but he'll end up being the one or two due to seniority or meltdown. Koroda is another good two or three if he stays healthy. We'll see. There's no definite stopper. Maybe it's Koroda but maybe not.
As for the bullpen, I don't care what anyone says, it's a mess. Kuo should be the closer. Best head for it but is one pitch away from having his elbow fall off. Broxton needs to go to therapy. (Hope he went over the winter.) He hasn't been the same since the Yankee series. Two rookies got hits off him to blow the save in that Sunday night game. He needs to go out in spring training and hit one buy per appearance. I don't care if he's five runs up or down. He needs to make every batter think that he's going to hit them. The hitters are crowding and reaching over the plate sitting Dead Red.
The have some nice players but it's now put up or shut up. Matt Kemp needs to become the superstar that they've been telling us about for the past three years. Andre Ethier needs to be a leader and be willing to put the team on his shoulders when neccessary. Loney needs some pop. (I'm not sure how you solve that one.) Not a lot, just enough to be a threat. Fifteen to 20 dingers a year and we'd be happy. If Barajas and Navarro can hit 20 between them, they'll start scoring some runs. I'm still not totally sure who's playing left field but I'm sure Colletti knows and it will be a big surprise for us all. Jounior Gwynn...we got him FROM the Padres.
The bottom line is there's a realistic possibility that the Dodgers will be like the Padres or Pirates this year. One or two nice players and a bunch of guys. I could be wrong and I hope I am for my son's sake but I have a feeling it's going to be a long mediocre summer. If I'm way off base, let me know. I just don't see it.

ScottPod and what's next

2010-11-03T11:09:00.000-07:00

It was a nice move to pick up ScottPod's option. Will he accept it? Don't know if I would if I were him. If he accepts, the Dodgers need to look at where they'll go to get a bat and where they're put it. The most likely is either of the corners of the infield.
At first there are a few choices worth looking at. Adam Dunn, Paul Konerko, and Derek Lee are probably the best fits for the Dodgers. They're established veterans with little baggage. You know what you get with each so whatever they get paid there will be no excuses.
With Adam Dunn, you get a BIG bat with a lot of strikeouts. and a negotiable price. Lee is probably about the same but about half as many HRs. Knoerko is the jewel of the class. he has it all. Average, power and good defense. With a Konerko or Dunn, you could trade Loney for an arm or two and be able to keep Blake.
The pickings aren't so good for third base. Adrian Beltre is probably the best of the bunch but will probably be too expensive but the Dodgers won't get as much for Blake as they would Loney. So, I'd go for a first baseman.
We'll have to see. Konerko will surely want big jing but he would probably be worth it. Him with Ethier and Kemp will put good, articulate marketing tools for the season ticket campaign. Hey, former Dodger comes home. Anybody remember Jeff Shaw?

Where do you think the Dodgers should go?

2010-11-02T12:01:00.000-07:00

With no apparent direction. I thought I'd throw it out there. What would you do if you were Ned Colletti? Keep in mind, you don't know who will be the owner, what your budget will be and even if you will be employed in the next twelve months so you want to protect your resume for your next interview.

Firstly, are there free agents out there that you really want. Pragmatically and wishfully. Yes, there are quite a few good ones. Especially at outfield and first base. There's a few pitchers but not, like there ever is, a bumper crop.

Secondly, trades. who's nearing the end of there deal and has value to there present club or is just not working out? Adrian Gonzalez anyone? Josh Hamilton? Just ideas.

The Dodgers have quite a few holes but also have some good peices in place. Ned will either be pretty busy or we'll be watching the press conference about somebody's cast off that he picked up but got the other team to pay his salary.

What Next?

2010-11-01T17:42:00.000-07:00

It's November, so you know what that means. World Series baseball! The Giants and the Ranger will try to end it this evenning.

What does this mean for the rest of us not in Texas or San Francisco? We can start lamenting about what could have been and cultivating hope for next year. Next year.The Dodgers have a ways to go. They've got three pitchers up front. No real ace. Clayton Kershaw may be that, technically, but has not showed the consistency and control to be the loss stopper the team needs. Billingsley was much improved in 2010 but I want to see two seasons back to back where he keeps it together. Lilly is a nice veteran and should provide some stability for the youngsters. They will need to look hard at the bullpen, though. It's a mess.

I'm not sure what you do with Broxton. He seemed to fall apart at the Yankee series. I'm not sure I trust him with the ball in the 9th. Kuo might be a better choice but you always wonder what's up with his arm after all those surgeries. Do you just throw him out there and cross your fingers?

As far as offense and defense, we're going to have to see what's going to happen behind the plate with Martin. He may be done, unfortunately. We may have to start looking at alternatives. Barajas was a decent short -term fix but they'll need to keep their eyes open.

Loney is what he is at first. Good glove, decent average, no power. If you can get it from somewhere else, you can live with it. You need to, Giant's not withstanding, have three sticks that the other team needs to think about. If all you have is Kemp and Ethier, they'll probably regress again as they did the second half of last season know that Manny wasn't coming bac. Call it what you want. It's one thing to keep the seat warm if you know someone is going to sit in it.

Casey Blake is a fine and serviceable third baseman but if the opportunity arises to get some power consistently from the position, I would seriously hope they would look at it. Jamie Carroll/Ryan Theriot platooning at second is not critical at this point. Carroll turned out to be a nice guy to have with his flexibility at many positions. As for Furcal, as long as he stays healthy, he's a great spark plug at the top of the order.

Which leaves left field. Realistically, if you got a strong bat somewhere else like third, first or even catcher, Podsednik would be a nice player to have out there. The problem is we had Pierre before and the kids really need someone to shoulder the stress. Not necessarily the full production, just deflect the pressure. So, where ever that guy is, the Dodgers need a big stick, Like an Adam Dunn. Yes, he strikes out a lot but if her were behind Kemp and Ethier, there would be a lot of RBIs produced.

You listening, Ned? By the way, you know who the owner is, yet?

Pitching, pitching, pitching...

2010-02-02T17:04:00.001-08:00

So what's next/ The Dodgers are picking up spare parts here and there to fill the roster but nothing is happening that will move the needle.

Down the 5 in Anaheim, the Angels have had a fairly uneventful winter; which is just how the Dodgers want it. They don't want to feel pressured in to making a signing to take the headlines away from the Angels.

As I see it, the Dodgers still need a starting arm. Pedro is still out there. Granted, he's not the same guy he was 15 years ago but his performance against the Dodgers in the playoffs showed he still has something in the tank. I don't know if he can last a full season, but the last time that was said in Los Angeles, we ended up with Delino DeShields. He's probably good for 10 to 12 wins but more importantly, he will be a good teammate to Kershaw and Billingsley. The need some veteran leadership they can converse with. (No offense, Hiroki.) Kershaw seems to have it in him, but doesn't know how to draw on it when he needs to.The fire appears to be there but controlling it may be a problem. For Billingsely, I've got mixed feelings. At times, he's got great stuff. Mows 'em down. Other times, he's like a lost puppy looking for someone to take him home and tuck him in. Pedro would be a especially good for him. Teach him to fight through, not get to flustered or upset when things go wrong. In short, get a little more ego. He needs to believe he's as good as he is.

Pedro's not the only one who help with this but he would be my choice. There's a lot of guys out there but nobody that leaps out. Pedro would also be a good marketing campaign. Regardless, Colletti and McCourt should think about it. They still need more pitching. (Doesn't everyone?) The choices are limited but not dire. Ned's done a good job for the most part by being patient. Maybe he can work a trade for a respectable 2 or 3.

Dodger Lineup for 2010

2010-01-28T17:28:00.001-08:00

The dust is settling and the picture of what the Dodgers will be this summer is starting to take shape. Their defense is still solid. Not lock-down or overwhelming but good enough. Their lineup will be nearly identical to last year. The lingering question will be pitching.

Loney at first base will anchor the corner for the next ten years. He's good for average and drives in a lot of runs. If he could hit about 10 more home runs a year he'd be in an elite class and would make up for the lack of production at third.

Second base it looks like will be by committee until somebody steps up. blake Dewitt will get another year in the minors and the recently signed Belliard will compete with Jamie Carroll. If Belliard is as productive as the end of last season, the Dodgers will be pleased with his production. Carrol could be relegated to this year's Mark Lorretta.

Third base will be solidly held by Casey Blake. He's no Aramis Ramirez but very reliable. If he gets hurt, they can shuffle the infield with Ronnie Belliard or they can call up Dewitt. He's average with the bat but is clutch at times.

With Rafael Furcal at shortstop there will be some questions. Number one is his health. can he stay healthy for the whole year. Number two, his OBP was 0.335 last year. He needs to get on base more, get moreManny with was over 80 points higer, hitting in the three and four spot. He needs to be that spark. Walk more, be a threat to steal. 12 steals just doesn't do it. Now the Pierre is gone, he need to be more productive. Otherwise, they need to put Kemp in the leadoff but that will negate his power a bit.

In the outfield, the Dodgers are in great shape. Top to bottum, arguably, the best in the League, if not baseball. Three 30 homerun hitters, one Gold Glove, respectable D in right and Manny in left. Ethier was clutch last year but needs to be a bit more consistent. He was a bit up and down. I expect Manny to have a great year since this is a contract year. He's got his goals and may need one or two seasons to reach those after this year. Kemp should just be getting better. He's got nowhere to go but up. He could be a bit more patient. But with maturity he should.

The resigning of Brad Ausmus will be a good, mature insurance policy. Russell Martin needs to stop overswinging this season and start getting on base more. He needs walk more as well. Ausmus will hopefully get Martin to relax and stop regressing. Otherwise, the Dodgers will have to start looking at him and decide whether he's going to be in there future. He will be too expensive for his average production.

Finally, a look at their batting or should look something like this.

1. Rafael Furcal
2. Matt Kemp
3. Andre Ethier
4. Manny
5. James Loney
6.Casey Blake
7. Ronnie Belliard
8. Russell Martin

At first glance, it looks OK. Dodgers need to make sure the lead off is solid or they're going to be behind the eight ball.

Will There Be Pitching In 2010?

2010-01-05T10:11:00.000-08:00

There's an interesting article on the Dodger website that puts out there many of the key issues for the upcoming season.
Some of the keys have to be Kershaw and Billingsley. Obvious I know but the fact that the let Wolf go only exacerbates the problem. They could really be a formidable 1-2 punch or a real grease fire not knowing where they're going or what they're throwing. While I think that Kershaw can and will be the eventual ace, he's got a ways to go before he's the next Sandy Koufax. As for Bills, I've heard 29 different excuses on what happened the second half of last season and I'm still coming down on the side of mental. He seem to have been rattled and was not able to get himself back on track. If you tell me it was physical, I'll tell you that the medical staff and coaches need to wake up then. You don't nose dive so severely with a physical ailment and not have anything to show for it. Let's get the story straight whatever it is. He's got too much talent to be an average pitcher. I think he could be an Andy Petite type, a really good number two, if he can get his head on straight and get a more aggressive.
It's hard to have much to say about the rest of the starting staff as we don't know who it will be yet but I'm sure there will be plenty to say once they get it. Hopefully, Colletti has a plan.
The other pitching issue has to be the bullpen. The article asks who will be the next Bellasario. That's an important question as Torre has a quick hook with his younger pitchers and needs horses in the bullben to bail him out. We'll have to see. It might be someone in there already, if not, they better find him. Equally important and somewhat overlooked is big Jon Broxton. He's shaping up to be a great April to August guy but come playoff time, look out! He may need to se a hypnotist or psychologist. He needs something because to successive breakdowns and he might be relegated to Trevor Hoffman status. Great for regular season, blowing it in the clutch. We'll have to see. I wouldn't have a problem with Sherrill competing for the job. A shake up might be good.
Next time I'll discuss the field and offense. That could be short and mildly frustrating.

Hey Ned, what's happening? Absolutely nothing!

2009-12-31T10:53:00.000-08:00

Last day of the year and where are the Dodgers. They picked up nine nobody's and Jamey Carroll. Not exactly an excitement generator. Not even in Cleveland. We already have Blake DeWitt. What's the upgrade?
Be prepared Dodger fan to sit around and watch the world go by as far as improving the team. I wonder what Joe Torre is saying to himself as all of nothing is going on. He's got to be rolling his eye's and looking at Joe Girardi and thinking that could have been me. That could be me for then next three years. He probably won't say anything. Not in his nature. He never gets truly upset in a game. Why should he now?
Next week I'll post my predictions for the year. Some should be easier than others. Some I hope I'm wrong about.

Sigh...where are they going and what are they doing?

2009-12-29T19:07:00.000-08:00

As the year comes to an end, I can see that following and cheering for the Dodgers in 2010 is probably going to be frustrating. The McCourt divorce has ground the wheels of baseball aperations to a halt. They use terms like "waiting on the sidelines" and "being patient" as code for sitting on their hands and not spending more money so Frank McCourt can say to Jamie McCourt's lawyers, "we have no money, see, we've frozen payroll.". 're
That's all well and good for them but for me, I've decided not to go forward with my mini season ticket plan. It's a lot of money to me, 4 tickets, about $3400. I'll be honest, it's not like I won't go to games. It's something I like doing with my son and family. They got me.
They Dodgers got an outstanding core with Kemp, Manny, Ethier Russell and Loney. They're going to competitve. The Padres will suck. (Sorry San Diego.) The D-backs' pitching may come back for awhile and make them competitive for the first half but they just won't score enough runs by the end of the year. The Giant's are the only team with a chance for the West and compete with the Dodgers. Their pitching is far superior on top right now. The Dodgers should score more runs but so will their opponents. We'll see, it should end up being a two horse race, barring a major injury.
As for the rest, the folks in Philadelphia and the Bronx can probably get their hotel reservations for the World Series. There probably will be surprise but in the end the money will be there when the playoffs start.
I'll stop now. I will try not to whine too much in the future. Next time, let's talk baseball!

The WBC

2009-03-11T09:16:00.000-07:00

The World Baseball Classic is riveting. I watched that Netherlands v DR game last night and could not believe it. The mighty Dominican Republic falling to the pot-smoking, chocolate-eating, tulip-growing, windmill spinning Dutch. Twice! I know that if they played 100 times, DR would probably win 75 to 80 percent of the time but that's what makes it so fascinating. It's like March Madness. Kinda. They could be this year's George Mason.
Has anybody been watching the Cubans? It looks like there's probably half a dozen big league- ready players on that team. Steinbrenner would give that kid pitcher, Chapman, at least Burnett money. They're just a good all around team. They'll be tough to beat. I haven't been able to see any of the Asian teams yet so I'm not picking a winner yet but look out here comes Austrailia and the Dutch. The two new powers of baseball.

Manny is a Dodger...Really!

2009-03-04T10:26:00.000-08:00

The drama is over. I say this with a slight hesitation but all signs point to Manny being a Dodger. At least for now. We're more or less back to where we started in November but it is now done. (In principal.) I hope for everyone's sake that all parties swallow their ego's and move on. I hope Boras doesn't pull a JD Drew and opt out next year but for now it is what it is.
Heck, I might even go out and buy tickets to a few games now. I got to tell you, without him I would be hard pressed to pay $15 to park, $23 for upper level (x4) and dogs, sodas and snacks (roughly $45) more than once or twice. Even if the pitching collapses, I would still go and see him. McCourt's not an idiot...even if I may have said so earlier. I'm sure I'm not alone in my thinking for the number of times I will go to see the Dodgers. Tickets for single games go on sale Saturday. Coincidence?

Frank McCourt and Ned Colleti need to wake up

2009-03-02T09:46:00.000-08:00

What did they think would happen?
A couple of things. Number 1-Scott Boras got Manny to get out of Boston because he promised him that he could make more than the two years and $40MM he would make if he behaved himself. Number 2-Yes, the Dodgers offered $45MM for two years but not really. The way it was structured with so much deferred, it not really $45MM over two years...the Dodgers would be getting a free loan from Manny, no interest included.
Realistically, what needs to happen is that both sides need set their ego's aside and get to where they both know they are going to be...2 years and $45MM. Listening to McCourt this weekend it was like the nerd with the toys who didn't get his way so was going to collect his stuff and going home.
Get over it.
This is business and do you really think that Boras would have Manny take less than he would have got if he stayed in Boston. He's got an ego too. McCourt has the money to buy two homes in Malibu (why? I don't know...don't care either) so it's hard to justify the fact that he needs to defer money. Boras already did you a favor by deferring Andruw Jones' money. (Coletti made a bad decision, that's not Manny's fault.) I believe this will get done when cooler heads surface but everybody needs to step back and get over what's gone on so far and understand that they need each other. Get Manny in to spring training. Not so much for him but for the rest of team.

A-Rod. My two cents

2009-02-10T15:48:00.000-08:00

Like a lot of people, I was surprised...but not shocked. I guess we've become somewhat jaded about the use of steroids in baseball. I'm a bit torn. On the one hand, I liked seeing home runs. On the other, as a father of a son, I don't want my son to feel pressure to perform if he's talented enough to play at a high level and feel it's OK or it's needed to compete.
That said, I'm tired and I don't care anymore, really. I'm going to look at the Steroid Era for what it is. I'll put an asterisk by it in my mind and just assume that if someone played at that time, there's a good chance he was juiced. Maybe he was. Maybe not. But I, like a lot of folks, are just going to think there was a good chance he was and leave it at that. Come on, Brady Anderson, Eric Gagne. Not to mention the big names we already know. I hope going forward we don't hear much more about it but I'm not going to hold my breath.

Come on, guys! What are we doing here

2009-02-05T09:25:00.000-08:00

I've been holding back a bit lately. How much can I rant on the same thing. Bowa, Torre and all the players on the Dodgers say they want Manny back while diplomatically saying that they'll be fine without him. Come on. Yes, in the West we have a decent shot at making the playoffs without him but if you want to do some damage, you need him. If just making the playoffs is satisfying enough, stand pat. I know all the talk about not negotiating against themselves and all but let's face it. They need to get it done. Boras also needs to take a reality pill and realize that this isn't two years ago. both sides need each other. The Dodgers need to realize that when it costs over $100 to take a family of 4 to a game in average seats, Joe Sixpack is only going to go to one or two games with Adam Dunn or Bobby Abreu. With Manny, he may double or triple that. LA loves the Dodgers, no matter who owns them. We're frustrated with them because we've won one more title than the Padres and Giants in the last twenty years. Christ, the Donnie Moore Angels have won a title and are perinial contenders every year for nearly the past decade. It's been painful. Everybody knows about how bad the front office has been. We can rattle off the names, Offerman, Pedro, Delino, Dreifort, Brown, Schmidt, Jones, Pierre, Piazza, Sheffield and on and on. The have a chance to do something right. It won't right all the wrongs of the past 15 to 20 years but it will point the ship in the right direction. Manny's got to give a little too but the Dodgers need to make this happen. The bottum line is that he made the them relevant. He made people stop and watch. Heck, I bought a full price shirt for my son and from the looks of Dodger stadium in October, so did a lot of other folks.

Joe Torre 's Book....

2009-01-27T10:35:00.000-08:00

Look, Torre's book hasn't even been released and every blogger and media outlet has some sort of scathing opinion of what he thinks of A-Rod. I haven't read it and I'm positive that 99% of the blowhards shouting down to Torre, Cashman, Steinbrenner and A-Fraud and his insecurites have not read it either.
The thing is that it looks like gossip. Nobody likes everybody they work with. Usually, at some point everyone know's who doesn't like them and we just learn to live with it. The big difference between this and us is that when you make $25MM a year, the people who talk to you about it are in the media. Deal with it. People have a pathetic need for drama. When you're dating pop stars and underwear models and having a cat-fight in the locker room it 's going to get out there. They have to fill up the air time. There's nothing really going on in baseball right now so they have to write about something.
There's a very good chance that when we all read it we'll go, "that's it? That's what all the hub-ub was about?" But I'm positive that won't be put out there. I know that I won't waste anytime on it because I won't care. And neither will anyone else.

Opening Day

2009-01-26T16:03:00.000-08:00

No, it's not opening day yet. Just for me. I've moved over my blog to Blogger...I'd only put a few posts up so no one should have a cow. The Dodgers, and pretty much all other teams, start Spring Training in 17 days and there's still no visible sign that Manny Ramirez will be a Dodger. It looks like the two sides are playing chicken and each is waiting for the other to blink. For the sake of the season, I hope they both swallow a little crow and get this over with.

Past Posts Imported

2009-01-26T15:18:00.001-08:00

January 16, 2009

Big News! No News.

The fact that the biggest thing to be posted on the Official Dodger website is the addition of Guillermo Mota speaks volumes to what is going on at Chavez Ravine. I’m hoping this means that Colletti and McCourt are gearing up to see who will be available for trades after the arbitration deadline but I’m not holding my breath. Get off the schnide guys! Make people want to get excited. Christ, make us think you’re not a bunch of do-nothing idiots.

Filed under Baseball, Colletti, Dodgers, McCourt

January 13, 2009

Fog in the Ravine

I don’t know what Colletti’s plan is. Must be top secret ’cause he’s doing a great job keeping everyone guessing. What does he know that the rest of us don’t? How do you not make a play for Lowe? He eats up innings! How do you not make Saito an offer…don’t give me the dog ate your homework answer, “he said he wouldn’t sign without telling us” And what are they doing about Manny? So far we got 3 starters and no real closer, no fear in the lineup and other than Furcal and Martin, an average infield. If his plan is to play to his opponents in the West, he’s executing it with precision. They should call Petite and Pedro. Petite for up to two years and Pedro for one. PR-wise it would be great! These are all off the cuff but they seem lost down there at the Ravine. It appears they’re just waiting for players to get desperate and they’ll swoop in and scrape up what left on the bottom for even cheaper prices. If anyone out there can point out to me what or where the plan is. Heck, maybe Alyssa Milano is sitting in on the meetings. She probably was at the McCourt’s house warming party in Malibu.

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Filed under Andy Petite, Baseball, Colletti, Dodgers, Manny Ramirez, McCourt, Pedro Martinez, Saito

January 8, 2009

Trevor to Brewers

I’m fine with that. Now Colletti can concentrate on real solutions. Hopefully

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Filed under Baseball, Dodgers

January 7, 2009

Trevor or Saito?

News out today has the Dodgers taking a hard look at Trevor Hoffman. The Dodgers do need a closer but I think they are getting desperate. While Trevor was once one of the best around, his change-up has become less effective. During the 90’s his change-up was devasting. Today the difference between it and his fastball is minimal. One only needs to look at the stretch run of ‘07 to see that he’s not what he once was. I know he still has that icy make-up of a closer but the fastball has fallen off so much that it’s barely in the mid-80s any more. He used to have a 12 to 15 mph difference between his fastball and change but now the hitters are only seeing about half that.

Assuming Saito has healed from last years injury to his elbow, I would take the chance on him. He’s a better “pitcher” where Trevor has been more of a thrower…who can’t fool too many anymore. While it’s just anectdotal, Trevor has just blown too many important games for the Padres the last couple of years. If Colletti can get Saito for two years, I think that would be a good deal for both sides. At 38 and with his history, Saito should be happy with that.

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Filed under Baseball, Dodgers, Saito

January 6, 2009

Hello world!

There’s a lot of confusion to why Manny is not a Dodger. I’ll be honest, I don’t know. I don’t know if Coletti/McCourt are gun-shy after the Andruw Jones fiasco or if there’s some secret plan that is being carefully crafted in a backroom somewhere. Either way, if he end’s up, heavan forbid, an Angel or somewhere else the Dodger’s will have pulled a Bush and squandered all the goodwill built up over the last two and a half months of the 2008 season. They’ve got a good young core group of players but so do the A’s and the Marlins. We don’t have a CC or big time pitcher and we’re not in Fenway chipping it over the Green Monster. The Dodger’s were relevant in this town for the first time since the Piazza/Nomo days and if they don’t sign Manny they will go back to being a nice, average team that, in the NL West, should win 80-some games and compete for the flag and be swept in the first round. It doesn’t seem like a good way to run a team. If McCourt has enough money to put a Nordstrom and a Hyatt in the back of the parking lot, he should be able to sign a guy to hit .300 and hit 30 homers.