Furcal Out. Colletti In... Or Out?

I just can’t shake this cough. It’s so antithetical to any summer time I can remember. You’re not supposed to have a cough in LA in the summer unless you smoke a pack of Marlboros a day or you’re living in the middle of the inversion layer. When I played semipro ball, many of our summer time games were in the brownish haze of the Whittiers, Rosemeads, Eagle Rocks, Pasadenas, Rio Hondos, etc. Sometimes we’d have a game on Saturday and a doubleheader on Sunday. I was especially allergic to the smog (which seemed much worse back then) and I wouldn’t be able to take a deep breath without hacking my lungs out til the following Thursday, but that was part of being a ballplayer in LA. And I loved it. This cough, not so much.

Another thing that’s fairly antithetical to most summers I remember as a kid is the Dodgers are 3 games under .500 a little past the halfway mark, and I’m supposed to be happy about it. Why? Because they won their 3rd game in a row today against the lowly ‘Stros and they remain only a game and a half behind the Snakes. As I sit here trying to figure out how the hell I’m gonna pay my freaking rent, I think about those Dodger teams I grew up with in the 70’s and ‘80s and how much I enjoyed them. They did pretty much everything. They pitched, they hit, they hit for power, they ran, they made the plays. They showed up, young or old, with pride and swagger. This team is far, far different.

It was disquieting to see Andy La Roche not run out a double play in Houston the other night. It was upsetting to see Matt Kemp, who’s value is rapidly going down in my estimation, staring sullenly straight ahead while all his teammates were giving Russell Martin high fives after his first inning home run. It was equally upsetting to see Dodger outfielders fail to make what would’ve been 2 great plays in the outfield. If you’re going to win, you gotta make at least one of those great plays from time to time. The Dodger outfield makes none of them, it seems. It was also upsetting to see Torre almost blow the game by removing Kershaw too early with 2 outs in the 6th. At least we know Joe has a pulse.

I hate to say I told you so, but of course, Rafael Furcal is done for the season. I knew he’d have to have back surgery and that took place today. We may actually never see him in a Dodger uniform again, as this is his walk year, unless he has a remarkable recovery. Too bad. He was off to an amazing start. With Furcal and Pierre on the DL, who’s been leading off? Matt Kemp. 10 K’s in 18 at bats as a leadoff guy. He looks like a mannequin at the plate these days.

They HAVE been hitting a few homers lately, a couple by Martin, Ethier, big one from Kent, one from Loney. but it’s not exactly A Rod, Manny and Big Papi. They’ve been pitching great since Penny went down. Hmm… what a surprise. Too bad he’s coming back? Damn right it's too bad. I hope I'm wrong, but he may be done and he's been killing them every time he steps on the mound, in jury or no. So, as we bask in the glow of a 3 game win streak, we ask ourselves, in this shitty division, do the Dodger actually have a chance? The answer, unfortunately because I hate to keep the fans coming to the ballpark with hopes that will surely be dashed just to meet McCourt’s attendance quota, is yes. What do they need in order to win the West? THEY NEED ONLY 2 PLAYERS: A bona fide leadoff hitter and a big bat. Obviously, they also need a shortstop, but they could kill two birds with one stone by getting their hands on Christian Guzman from the awful team in DC. Guzman is one of the best leadoff hitters in the game right now, hitting well over .300 while making the plays at short. He can run, he can just plain play. D.C. has a shortstop coming up and since they no chance whatsoever of competing for the next 7 years, why not let Guzman go? Let ‘em have Delwynn Young, LaRoche and Scott Elbert and throw in Brad Penny if they wanna pay his salary. Now there are those who are saying Houston’s Miguel Tejada can be had for the right price. The ‘Stros are paying the ex-steroid abuser a lot of cash and they're not winning. Meanwhile, he’s having a decent year – only 10 dongs thus far, but a nice average and a lot of RBIs. But if they were to get Tejada, they’d still need a leadoff hitter and a shortstop.

Now, people, please drop any notions that Nomore is going to be the answer at short. He’ll be back in the lineup this weekend against the Giants and he’ll be back out of the lineup in less than a week. He’s made of glass and he can’t run anymore. The big question: Which Andruw Jones will be back this weekend? The one that stunk like horse crap warmed over before going on the DL and having knee surgery or the one that stunk like horse crap on ice last season? They need a healthy, competent, not so big and fat Andruw Jones to win this thing and I don’t see that happening. (Again, I hope I'm wrong. I actually enjoy being wrong when it means the Dodgers benefit) Hence, they will still need a big bat. Carlos Lee? Holliday? Atkins? Dunn? (who stinks) Nady? Who will it be? I’ll tell you this. It’s GOTTA BE SOMEONE OR THEY CANNOT WIN. The question as to whether Dodger ownership and management truly cares about giving the fans a winning product on the field will be decided if moves are made before the July 31st trading deadline. So, with all the hype about the stadium “experience,” the new freakin’ seats, the plans for the future “experience,” does the owner actually care about winning this thing when it counts? Guess we’ll find out. They can’t do it with their present personnel. That’s a promise. If no moves are made, the best things fans can do is hit McCourt where he lives – in the pocket book – and stay home. Leave the “experience” for the youth organizations.

Why is Kemp’s value diminishing? Will my cough ever go away? Will my rent ever get paid? Why was the Get Smart movie even called "Get Smart?" Next posting.