Ah, Vinny, We're In Clover

Well, after listening to my friends at brunch suggest that I should take some responsibility for my failed financial life and find a job, I had the pleasure of coming home and watching a solid 3 and a half hours of the “new Dodgers” and Vin Scully was in vintage form.

Not only has Manny’s arrival had a crazy positive affect on the team and the fans, (they even got a decent outing from Hiroki Kuroda) but even Vinny seems reenergized. “If Martin reaches base and Manny comes up with runners on first and second, the Dodgers will be in clover.” Clover. Martin in fact, did reach base and Manny singled in the run. Yes, the Dodgers suddenly find themselves in clover. So much for ceding dominance to the Snakes. The Dodgers and, dare I say, Ned Colletti have taken that dominance right back. They did what they needed to do. (Never thought I’d say that much this year) They came back after dropping the first 2 to Arizona and picked up 2 must win games in a row to remain just one game back. But more that that, the Dodgers, over the course of a week, have transformed from a poor to mediocre team to a good team and perhaps, even a contender. The acquisitions of Manny Ramirez and Casey Blake and the emergence of Hong Chi Kuo as a force to be reckoned with have changed the way other teams must view and play the Dodgers.

I don’t mean to sound giddy, but after one weekend, I can say without hesitation that the Dodgers have never had an offensive force like Manny Ramirez. Great hitters like Snyder, Hodges, Garvey, Wynn, Smith, Guerrero, Gibson, Strawberry, Murray, Piazza (he comes the closest) and Sheffield are not quite at the same plateau that Manny is on. His mere presence at home plate spells serious trouble for opposing pitchers. Balls jump off his Manny bat like they were shot out of shoulder fired missiles by some crazy jiahdist. He’s not some joker off the island who just swings and swings. He’s a smart hitter. Thanks to Manny, they made mince meat out of the Slitherers today and even Matt Kemp chimed in with a couple of singles and a dong.

I must say, I can’t remember when I’ve seen a guy who dismantles Dodger pitching more than Stephen Drew.

Questions:

1) Why on earth does Joe Torre have Russell Martin batting 3rd? Against left handers, Kemp should bat 3rd and against right handers, Loney should bat third. Pierre should lead off, Martin should bat 2nd, Loney 3rd, Manny 4th, Kemp 5th, Blake 6th, Kent 7th, Berroa 8th. There's no Big Papi, but that’s a tough lineup. Against lefties it should be Pierre, Martin, Kemp, Manny, Blake, Loney, Kent and Berroa. When the personification of “Injury” gets back, the lineup will be even more potent.

2) Why does Torre think Jason Johnson is a better choice for the rotation than Chan Ho Park? Until an EFFECTIVE Brad Penny returns, (which may well not happen) Chan Ho should be back in the starting rotation and Jason Johnson should be used as the long man.

3) Who should play between Pierre and Ethier? Tough one. Overall, Ethier is the better ballplayer, but I think, at this point in their careers, Pierre is going to make more things happen. Ethier should get a couple of starts per week.

4) Was LA Times baseball writer, Bill Shaikin right when, in today’s Times, he said that the Dodgers should insist that Andruw Jones go down to the minors to straighten out his swing and try to prepare himself for next season? A no brainer. For at least a month, he should go down. He’s hitting .161 with 2 Hrs and 13 RBIs for crap’s sake.

5) Why does Jeff Kent pop up so much lately? I don’t know if you read his My Space page, but under hobbies, he lists motorcycles, hunting, fishing, skiing, hanging out with his kids and popping up.

Unfortunately, the Dodgers, still a game out in the West, now have to go to St. Louis for 3 games while the Snakes get to host the lowly Pirates with Haren and Webb going in 2 of the games. The Cardinals have owned the Dodgers for more than a decade. Their only hope is that their new Manny thing they have going changes everything, including their history.

In Manny, here’s a guy who was criticized constantly for his selfishness and lack of heart, was allegedly dogging it on purpose in Boston, was virtually and unanimously voted off the team and he comes here and we experience quite the opposite. It’s as if we received a much needed heart transplant. It’s like something lifeless has been reanimated. Just what the mad doctor ordered. We’re in clover.