Wow. I was all set to post a blog about how Ned Colletti was the avatar for corporate ineptitude, but I guess I'll limit it to other avatars in a later blog. Two wins in a row against the hated Giants, and now we have perhaps one of the best right handed hitters in the game in the last 30 years in Manny Ramirez, no doubt starting in left field for us tomorrow in Game 2 of the all important Ravine series vs. the Snakes. Albeit, Manny is a potential clubhouse malignancy and is one of the worst defensive outfielders I've ever seen, but his bat is EXACTLY what the Blue needs to get over the hump and win the West. And we gave up virtually nothing to Pittsburgh in the 3 way deal, the Bucs sending Jason Bay to Boston. Andy LaRoche will join his brother in the Burgh, now, as they'll both occupy the corner infield positions. Here in LA, Kemp will play center, Ethier will play right. At times, perhaps, Manny will play right, Kemp in center and Pierre in left. Andruw Jones, the avatar for stinking, may never play again.
Ned Colletti, you had one hour and you did it. Congratulations.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
He Approves Of Himself
Some thoughts: I still have NOT been paid by the large, wealthy entertainment corporation I’m working for. Found an old piece of steak in the freezer and a can of soup in the cupboard last night. A little freezer burn never hurt anyone. Tonight, it's the dog's food. At least she gets the best stuff.
Nice win for the Dodgers last night. Still a game out of first because the Snakes shut out the Dads. What’s wrong with the Dads? Outside of Peavy, Hoffman and the Gonzalez bros, they stink just a tad, don't they?
Can’t help noticing newcomer Casey Blake seems to either get a hit or strike out.
The main problem with the Dodgers is a strength with the Angels. Not only do the Dodgers constantly overrate their young players, they also seem to have great difficulty recognizing when a player they bring up is simply not going to play up to the potential they envisioned while the Angles seem to come to a much quicker resolution regarding their farm hands. Take Adrien Beltre, for instance. The Dodgers stuck with him from '98 to the end of '04, saying every year, “He’s still young, he’s still young." Beltre has had one great year in the Bigs. 2004. That's it. Then the Dodgers lose him to free agency and Beltre goes back to stinking. His years with Seattle have been very similar to his first years with the Dodgers, only worse. Raul Mondesi is another example. A few decent years, but he never became the impact player they envisioned. Mike Marshall (the right fielder, not the reliever) Todd Hollandsworth, even Eric Karros. Sorry, Eric, but when Kotchman's career is over, his numbers will be just as good, if not better, than yours. The Angels, however, could see oft injuured Dallas McPherson was not going to fit into their plans. They realized Reggie Willits, at least for a while, would be no more than a 5th or 6th outfielder. They understood Quinlan was no more than a sub. Same goes for Shawn Wooten. They understand the roles of Aybar and Izturis. They don't try to bill them as the next big stars. Hence, the brilliant gamble with Kotchman. They decided Kotchman, a very solid player, was worth dealing for a possible championship and a shot at signing Mark Texiera, who's a free agent at the end of the season, to a long term deal. Of course, it could seem like a dumb trade if they can’t win the World Series or if they can’t sign Texiera, but at least they took a gamble. At least they went for it. The Dodgers play it too safe and they're too scared to part with their youth, some of whom will only be slightly above average for their whole careers.
Purely and simply, the Angels owner and brass actually care about winning championships and the Dodgers owner and brass do not. Ned Colletti should be fired outright for his remark in today’s LA Times in TJ Simer’s column. “As for what we’re doing I’d do it all over again.” So, in other words, he’d sign Jason Schmidt and Andruw Jones all over again? He’s basically telling owner Frank McCourt and the fans, “I’ve been incompetent, I like being incompetent and I plan to continue being incompetent.”
I have nothing else to say today because TJ stole my thunder. He said it all in his column today better than I could have said it. Go to latimes.com and read it. All I can say, for probably not the last time is, the Angels have proven that you have to give up quality to get quality.
Nice win for the Dodgers last night. Still a game out of first because the Snakes shut out the Dads. What’s wrong with the Dads? Outside of Peavy, Hoffman and the Gonzalez bros, they stink just a tad, don't they?
Can’t help noticing newcomer Casey Blake seems to either get a hit or strike out.
The main problem with the Dodgers is a strength with the Angels. Not only do the Dodgers constantly overrate their young players, they also seem to have great difficulty recognizing when a player they bring up is simply not going to play up to the potential they envisioned while the Angles seem to come to a much quicker resolution regarding their farm hands. Take Adrien Beltre, for instance. The Dodgers stuck with him from '98 to the end of '04, saying every year, “He’s still young, he’s still young." Beltre has had one great year in the Bigs. 2004. That's it. Then the Dodgers lose him to free agency and Beltre goes back to stinking. His years with Seattle have been very similar to his first years with the Dodgers, only worse. Raul Mondesi is another example. A few decent years, but he never became the impact player they envisioned. Mike Marshall (the right fielder, not the reliever) Todd Hollandsworth, even Eric Karros. Sorry, Eric, but when Kotchman's career is over, his numbers will be just as good, if not better, than yours. The Angels, however, could see oft injuured Dallas McPherson was not going to fit into their plans. They realized Reggie Willits, at least for a while, would be no more than a 5th or 6th outfielder. They understood Quinlan was no more than a sub. Same goes for Shawn Wooten. They understand the roles of Aybar and Izturis. They don't try to bill them as the next big stars. Hence, the brilliant gamble with Kotchman. They decided Kotchman, a very solid player, was worth dealing for a possible championship and a shot at signing Mark Texiera, who's a free agent at the end of the season, to a long term deal. Of course, it could seem like a dumb trade if they can’t win the World Series or if they can’t sign Texiera, but at least they took a gamble. At least they went for it. The Dodgers play it too safe and they're too scared to part with their youth, some of whom will only be slightly above average for their whole careers.
Purely and simply, the Angels owner and brass actually care about winning championships and the Dodgers owner and brass do not. Ned Colletti should be fired outright for his remark in today’s LA Times in TJ Simer’s column. “As for what we’re doing I’d do it all over again.” So, in other words, he’d sign Jason Schmidt and Andruw Jones all over again? He’s basically telling owner Frank McCourt and the fans, “I’ve been incompetent, I like being incompetent and I plan to continue being incompetent.”
I have nothing else to say today because TJ stole my thunder. He said it all in his column today better than I could have said it. Go to latimes.com and read it. All I can say, for probably not the last time is, the Angels have proven that you have to give up quality to get quality.
Monday, July 28, 2008
What A Blockhead I Am!
Charlie Brown used to say, “There’s no heavier burden than a great potential.” Well, I say, there’s no heavier burden than constantly being right about the Dodgers. I don’t want the Dodgers to stink. They just do. And I always seem to know when they’re going to do it. Welcome, yet again, to The Underworld, the world below .500. Hiroki Kuroda – he of the near perfect game against Atlanta not too long ago – has been a whole new kind of bad in his last 3 starts. I’m talkin’ Andruw Jones bad. When the Giants score 7 runs against you in 2 innings AT HOME, may be time to go back on the DL for precautionary purposes.
I was wrong about one thing. I predicted Nomar would break within a week from his return from the DL. Took almost 3 weeks. He’s broken again. This time, it’s his knee. When did falling down become an automatic trip to the MRI machine and the DL for professional ballplayers? Nomar will be back on the DL immediately after the trading deadline and Colletti may be forced to find a shortstop. Probably have to settle for Bobby Crosby. Nomar is indeed made of porcelain.
Matt Kemp, nice at bat to lead off the 7th. It’s called a “slider.” “Sliiiiii-derrrrr.” What it does, see, is it looks a little like a fastball because it comes straight, but then it sliiiiiides away from you. Say it, Matt. “SLIIIII-DERRR.” Kemp, 15 game hitting streak or no, still has no clue what sport he's playing when he steps to the plate.
It was nice to see the Dodgers got a guy who cares enough to get kicked out in Casey Blake. Sorry, though, Casey, but you went around… like twice. It almost looked like Joe Torre cared too. Thanks, Joe. Oh, by the way, since we now know you care, would you please stop batting Jeff Kent clean up? He's over. Bat him 6th.
Here’s the deal, boys and girls. When your boat gets a leak or two, you can patch them up, but when leaks start springing all over the place, that boat won’t sail anymore. Dry dock it and fix it up for next year.
Tried calling Dodger talk, didn't get through. I gotta tell you, you've got a bunch of baseball-vapid, unknowledgable fans who call that show and it's a shame that no one tells them how freakin stupid they are. That's the problem with some Dodger fans. They play right into Frank McCourt's hands, having a Dodger Dog and enjoying "the stadium experience" while the product on the field continues to be far too inferior for the money they spend. This team hasn't won Jack S. Hit in 20 years. Doesn't anyone care enough to get mad and, at the same time, have the ability to articulate their thoughts while actually knowing what they're talking about? If that's what you're looking for, don't listen to Dodger Talk.
I was wrong about one thing. I predicted Nomar would break within a week from his return from the DL. Took almost 3 weeks. He’s broken again. This time, it’s his knee. When did falling down become an automatic trip to the MRI machine and the DL for professional ballplayers? Nomar will be back on the DL immediately after the trading deadline and Colletti may be forced to find a shortstop. Probably have to settle for Bobby Crosby. Nomar is indeed made of porcelain.
Matt Kemp, nice at bat to lead off the 7th. It’s called a “slider.” “Sliiiiii-derrrrr.” What it does, see, is it looks a little like a fastball because it comes straight, but then it sliiiiiides away from you. Say it, Matt. “SLIIIII-DERRR.” Kemp, 15 game hitting streak or no, still has no clue what sport he's playing when he steps to the plate.
It was nice to see the Dodgers got a guy who cares enough to get kicked out in Casey Blake. Sorry, though, Casey, but you went around… like twice. It almost looked like Joe Torre cared too. Thanks, Joe. Oh, by the way, since we now know you care, would you please stop batting Jeff Kent clean up? He's over. Bat him 6th.
Here’s the deal, boys and girls. When your boat gets a leak or two, you can patch them up, but when leaks start springing all over the place, that boat won’t sail anymore. Dry dock it and fix it up for next year.
Tried calling Dodger talk, didn't get through. I gotta tell you, you've got a bunch of baseball-vapid, unknowledgable fans who call that show and it's a shame that no one tells them how freakin stupid they are. That's the problem with some Dodger fans. They play right into Frank McCourt's hands, having a Dodger Dog and enjoying "the stadium experience" while the product on the field continues to be far too inferior for the money they spend. This team hasn't won Jack S. Hit in 20 years. Doesn't anyone care enough to get mad and, at the same time, have the ability to articulate their thoughts while actually knowing what they're talking about? If that's what you're looking for, don't listen to Dodger Talk.
Nobody Can "Prove" Anything Against Washington
Okay, listen I have a first act of a script due by Thursday, so I really don’t have time to talk baseball, because I’m already working for free for one of the major, wealthier networks. But for those of you who are all excited that our Blue have returned to .500 ball after a 3 game sweep at home, please keep in mind that it was a minor league team that we beat. Until at such time that Lastings Millege, Jesus Flores, Ryan Zimmerman and Austin Kearns play to their huge potentials , the Washington Nationals are the worst team I’ve ever seen. That being said, their pitching is almost at a Triple A level and I guarantee you, had the Dodgers faced their ace, Tim Redding, they’d have lost. Sure, Kershaw looked good, Kemp looked good, Nomar looked good. However, had it been the Toronto Blue Jays in town, or any other team at or around .500 to play the Dodgers, they'd have lost 2 out of 3 and guys might not have looked quite so good.
Kevin Kennedy, Steve Psycho Lyons, Steiner and Rick Monday love to talk about “the keys to the game.” It’s gotta be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. The keys to the game are, you have to score more runs than the other team or you’ll lose. Because they don’t have overpowering pitching and because they still don’t score enough runs, the Dodgers will lose the majority of their games to teams that do score a lot of runs. It’s simple logic. The only way we can tell how the offense is shoring up under the tutelage of the great Donny Baseball is to see how they fare against real Major League pitching - that’s one thing the Giants do possess – and real big league hitting – something the Rockies, Cubs, Cards, Brewers, Mets, Phillies, Marlins, Reds, DBacks, Astros, and Braves possess. I still think if you’re Ned Colletti - and it would be weird if you were - you have to make another move. A bigger one, perhaps. You really should have to give up something to improve and thus far the Dodgers have not done that. Ned, since you seem to be already using my ideas (Casey Blake for one) how about dealing for a 30 HR, 100 RBI guy? Is there one out there? Just Manny Ramirez, but the Dodgers don't like troublemakers who make a lot of money. They'd prefer to sign over the hill, nonchalant, overweight, smiling guys who've completely forgotten how to hit who make a lot of money. In other words, they'd prefer to finish 3rd.
At least the suddenly surly Joe Torre has seen the light and has agreed to bench the Awful One. Ethier looked pissed, and it didn’t help his cause when he tried to do too much in striking out a couple of times yesterday. Andre, relax and play your game. No matter what happens, it can't be worse than Andruw's. If Jones comes back next year and hits .200, he's the odds on favorite for Comeback Player of the Year.
Meanwhile, thanks, Giants for playing the DBacks so tough. Why do I have the feeling, in spite of their ineptitude against Arizona, the Giants will come to the Ravine and beat a struggling Hiroki Kuroda tonight? Oh, yeah, because he’s been struggling... and it’s the Dodgers and the Giants.
As I type, the Rockies could well have suddenly become the best team in the Bigs. HERE THEY COME. Remember when they were 16 games below .500, like, last week? Look again. 10 games below in the weak, weak West, with two of the hottest hurlers in the game in Cook and Jiminez.
Newcomer Casey Blake looked awful at the plate yesterday, but I still think he’ll prove to be a decent addition. Do we need more? In my best Valley Girl: “Uh… duh…”
BIG OL’ SERIES begins twixt the Halos and the Bosox up in Fenway tonight. Go Cherubim!
Kevin Kennedy, Steve Psycho Lyons, Steiner and Rick Monday love to talk about “the keys to the game.” It’s gotta be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. The keys to the game are, you have to score more runs than the other team or you’ll lose. Because they don’t have overpowering pitching and because they still don’t score enough runs, the Dodgers will lose the majority of their games to teams that do score a lot of runs. It’s simple logic. The only way we can tell how the offense is shoring up under the tutelage of the great Donny Baseball is to see how they fare against real Major League pitching - that’s one thing the Giants do possess – and real big league hitting – something the Rockies, Cubs, Cards, Brewers, Mets, Phillies, Marlins, Reds, DBacks, Astros, and Braves possess. I still think if you’re Ned Colletti - and it would be weird if you were - you have to make another move. A bigger one, perhaps. You really should have to give up something to improve and thus far the Dodgers have not done that. Ned, since you seem to be already using my ideas (Casey Blake for one) how about dealing for a 30 HR, 100 RBI guy? Is there one out there? Just Manny Ramirez, but the Dodgers don't like troublemakers who make a lot of money. They'd prefer to sign over the hill, nonchalant, overweight, smiling guys who've completely forgotten how to hit who make a lot of money. In other words, they'd prefer to finish 3rd.
At least the suddenly surly Joe Torre has seen the light and has agreed to bench the Awful One. Ethier looked pissed, and it didn’t help his cause when he tried to do too much in striking out a couple of times yesterday. Andre, relax and play your game. No matter what happens, it can't be worse than Andruw's. If Jones comes back next year and hits .200, he's the odds on favorite for Comeback Player of the Year.
Meanwhile, thanks, Giants for playing the DBacks so tough. Why do I have the feeling, in spite of their ineptitude against Arizona, the Giants will come to the Ravine and beat a struggling Hiroki Kuroda tonight? Oh, yeah, because he’s been struggling... and it’s the Dodgers and the Giants.
As I type, the Rockies could well have suddenly become the best team in the Bigs. HERE THEY COME. Remember when they were 16 games below .500, like, last week? Look again. 10 games below in the weak, weak West, with two of the hottest hurlers in the game in Cook and Jiminez.
Newcomer Casey Blake looked awful at the plate yesterday, but I still think he’ll prove to be a decent addition. Do we need more? In my best Valley Girl: “Uh… duh…”
BIG OL’ SERIES begins twixt the Halos and the Bosox up in Fenway tonight. Go Cherubim!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
One Blake Out, Another Blake In
Who the hell gets a violent flu bug July? Evidently, I do. July is supposed to be a time for activities, vacations, having fun in the sun, not getting paid, etc. But yesterday, at around 6:30 PM, I got hit rather suddenly with the most untenable achiness and chills and tremors and nausea one could imagine. Up all night, still uncomfortable, but my blog must be attended to. Especially in light of the Dodgers’ latest move which I halfway predicted in an earlier blog from this past week. (See “Hot Corner Hotline” from July 21st)
So, Ned Colletti took my warnings seriously and he finally pulled off a deal. The Dodgers get veteran 3rd baseman, Casey Blake , he of the.289 BA, 11 HRs and 58 RBIs, with a .390 BA with runners in scoring position and the Cleveland Indians get hot prospect, Carlos Santana (Oye como vas) and up and down farmhand, pitcher John Meloan. Overall, not a bad deal. Of course, nothing like the steal the Yankees pulled off yesterday, acquiring .330 htting outfielder Xavier Nady and left handed reliever Damaso Marte for a few sketchy minor leaguers, but not a bad deal. So, how much of an impact will this trade have on the Dodgers, who barely beat the lowly DC Nats last nights 3-2 during the height of my unscheduled illness? Honestly, not that much. Sure, Blake is an improvement over the other Blake (DeWitt) and Andy LaRoche, and maybe he’ll prove to be as clutch with the Blue as he was with the Tribe but he’s not that 30 + home run guy they need and he doesn’t solve their dilemma over lack of range at shortstop. (Garciaparra tried going to his right last night to field a not-so-hard-hit ball and he reminded me of my late grandmother going to her right) Casey Blake is no David Wright or Barry Bonds. He’s not going to strike fear in the hearts of opposing pitchers, but, it’s not the worst deal in the world and it should help to some degree. Wonder if he’s arrived in LA and if his bearded self will be in the lineup tonight. If Blake can keep his average up and continue to drive in runs, Colletti, believe it or not, will be owed an iota of praise.
Last night, before fever-related delerium set in, I noticed the Dodgers were making Nats lefty, John Lannan look like another Cy Young candidate. The way the Dodgers are hitting, Yoko Ono could go out there and shut them down. However, a quality start by Billingsley, the first one by a Dodger starter since the All Star break, and a few hits in the 6th by Juan Pierre, Kemp and Nomar and the Dodgers pull out a tough one. Problem is, it shouldn’t be a “tough one” at home against the awful Washington Nationals. Couldn’t help noticing that Torre elected to sit Ethier and start Pierre and Jones. When asked if Torre would sit Jones now that Pierre is back, or if they’d even consider sending Jones to Vegas to work on his swing, Joe got very irritated, responding with something along the lines of, ‘when you get your team, you can run it the way you want.’ Come on, Joe. You know as well as I do and as well as everyone that the Andruw Jones “experiment” should come to a grinding halt. Although yesterday, he really got a hold of one. It went to the warning track for a double. His batting average with runners in scoring position is .070. Enough said.
Like always, I hope I'm wrong, but I still think the Rockies are going to end up taking this thing, but what the hell do I know? Ned Colletti, you have 5 days to make another move.
So, Ned Colletti took my warnings seriously and he finally pulled off a deal. The Dodgers get veteran 3rd baseman, Casey Blake , he of the.289 BA, 11 HRs and 58 RBIs, with a .390 BA with runners in scoring position and the Cleveland Indians get hot prospect, Carlos Santana (Oye como vas) and up and down farmhand, pitcher John Meloan. Overall, not a bad deal. Of course, nothing like the steal the Yankees pulled off yesterday, acquiring .330 htting outfielder Xavier Nady and left handed reliever Damaso Marte for a few sketchy minor leaguers, but not a bad deal. So, how much of an impact will this trade have on the Dodgers, who barely beat the lowly DC Nats last nights 3-2 during the height of my unscheduled illness? Honestly, not that much. Sure, Blake is an improvement over the other Blake (DeWitt) and Andy LaRoche, and maybe he’ll prove to be as clutch with the Blue as he was with the Tribe but he’s not that 30 + home run guy they need and he doesn’t solve their dilemma over lack of range at shortstop. (Garciaparra tried going to his right last night to field a not-so-hard-hit ball and he reminded me of my late grandmother going to her right) Casey Blake is no David Wright or Barry Bonds. He’s not going to strike fear in the hearts of opposing pitchers, but, it’s not the worst deal in the world and it should help to some degree. Wonder if he’s arrived in LA and if his bearded self will be in the lineup tonight. If Blake can keep his average up and continue to drive in runs, Colletti, believe it or not, will be owed an iota of praise.
Last night, before fever-related delerium set in, I noticed the Dodgers were making Nats lefty, John Lannan look like another Cy Young candidate. The way the Dodgers are hitting, Yoko Ono could go out there and shut them down. However, a quality start by Billingsley, the first one by a Dodger starter since the All Star break, and a few hits in the 6th by Juan Pierre, Kemp and Nomar and the Dodgers pull out a tough one. Problem is, it shouldn’t be a “tough one” at home against the awful Washington Nationals. Couldn’t help noticing that Torre elected to sit Ethier and start Pierre and Jones. When asked if Torre would sit Jones now that Pierre is back, or if they’d even consider sending Jones to Vegas to work on his swing, Joe got very irritated, responding with something along the lines of, ‘when you get your team, you can run it the way you want.’ Come on, Joe. You know as well as I do and as well as everyone that the Andruw Jones “experiment” should come to a grinding halt. Although yesterday, he really got a hold of one. It went to the warning track for a double. His batting average with runners in scoring position is .070. Enough said.
Like always, I hope I'm wrong, but I still think the Rockies are going to end up taking this thing, but what the hell do I know? Ned Colletti, you have 5 days to make another move.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Big Red & Blue Summers
Today, I found out there was a paper work glitch - the fault of my attorney’s office – that’s been keeping me from getting paid. It’s nice that people can play so fast and loose with my ability to eat and pay rent. As the days and weeks go by, I’m beginning more and more to understand the mystique behind “going postal.” Hopefully, the evening news remains free of any violent shenanigans I may wind up getting into. I’m at the end of my rope. So, how do I calm myself? How do I make myself believe it’s a wonderful summer, all will be well, the show will go forward, other projects will go forward and I’ll be extremely happy and successful? I simply take myself back. Back to my early years when I had little on my mind except baseball, and the Dodgers battled the Big Red Machine every season for a trip to the playoffs.
There was no “big market, small market” crap back then. If you had a good farm system, you were good and if you didn’t, you were bad. Until Steinbrenner changed baseball by buying entire teams of All Stars, the game was simpler. And what great teams the Reds and Dodgers had year after year. I loved and hated those Cincinnati Reds. I mean, in spite of what a difficult time they gave the Dodgers, you really had to respect them. They were more than pesky, they were overwhelmingly good. The great Johnny Bench behind the dish, Tony Perez and then, later, Dan Driessen at first. The amazing Joe Morgan at 2nd, Davey Concepcion at short and everyone's Hall of Famer, Pete Rose, late of left field, at 3rd. (Yes, before Ray Knight) Their outfield consisted of George Foster in left, perennial Gold Glover, Cesar Geronimo in center and Ken Griffey Sr. in right. Their pitching staff, however, was never quite as good as thaat of the Dodgers. They had Don Gullet, Jack Billingham, Gary Nolan, Fred Norman, Pat Zachry, then later Rawley Eastwick & Pat Darcy. They had the annoying Pedro Borbon coming out of the pen, along with Manny Sarmiento and Will McEnaney. The Dodgers, meanwhile, had the reliable arms of Don Sutton, Andy Messersmith, Burt Hooten, Tommy John, Dug Rau, Al Downing and Rick Rhoden and, in the bullpen, the likes of Mike Marshall, Jim Brewer and Charlie Hough. Of course, we had Garvey at first, Lopes at 2nd, Russell at short, Penguin at 3rd, Buckner, then, later, Baker in left. Jimmy Wynn, then later Rick Monday in center and Willie Crawford, then later, Reggie Smith in right. And we had a great bench: Lee Lacy, Manny Mota, Tom Paciorek, Jerry Royster, then later, Vic Davallio, Jeff Leonard and Jay Johnstone.
The Reds would drive me crazy with their big bats and those low red socks. As the seasons wore on and it appeared the Dodgers may not prevail, tensions grew high. We once suspected a kid in our neighborhood of being a Reds fans. His name was Little John Monaco and we held a trial on the Alberstone’s front lawn. We found little John guilty, (he’s well over 6 feet now) put him in a market basket and tied him to a tree in front of the house belonging to the meanest people on the block. We rang the doorbell and ran, leaving him there, tied to that little tree. We watched from behind a wall as the witch of the house came out and spoke to him. We could see him nodding his sad little head. She left him there as he stared solemnly at the ground. Maybe he was rethinking his allegiance.
Those two teams played each other hard. There was a lot at stake every time they met and I’ll never forget the feeling of anticipation I’d have whenever the games were about to begin. The Reds won the West in ’70, ’72, ’73, ’75, ’76 & ’79. They went to the Series in ’70, ’72, ’75, & ’76, losing to Baltimore in ’70 and to the ‘Swingin’ A’s’ in ’72. They beat Boston in ’75 and they swept the upstart Yankees in ’76. The Dodgers won the West in ’74, ’77 & ’78 making it to the Fall Classic each time. They also lost each time - to those same A’s in ’74 and to the Yankees in two consecutive painful Octobers in ’77 and ’78. Still, it felt like every summer was the beach, swimming pools, baseball, Otter Pops and the Dodgers and the Reds. I loved it.
These Dodgers, meanwhile, are battling to stay better than 4 games below .500. I actually feel like crying right now. At least Juan Pierre returns tonight. Ned Colletti, you have 6 days.
There was no “big market, small market” crap back then. If you had a good farm system, you were good and if you didn’t, you were bad. Until Steinbrenner changed baseball by buying entire teams of All Stars, the game was simpler. And what great teams the Reds and Dodgers had year after year. I loved and hated those Cincinnati Reds. I mean, in spite of what a difficult time they gave the Dodgers, you really had to respect them. They were more than pesky, they were overwhelmingly good. The great Johnny Bench behind the dish, Tony Perez and then, later, Dan Driessen at first. The amazing Joe Morgan at 2nd, Davey Concepcion at short and everyone's Hall of Famer, Pete Rose, late of left field, at 3rd. (Yes, before Ray Knight) Their outfield consisted of George Foster in left, perennial Gold Glover, Cesar Geronimo in center and Ken Griffey Sr. in right. Their pitching staff, however, was never quite as good as thaat of the Dodgers. They had Don Gullet, Jack Billingham, Gary Nolan, Fred Norman, Pat Zachry, then later Rawley Eastwick & Pat Darcy. They had the annoying Pedro Borbon coming out of the pen, along with Manny Sarmiento and Will McEnaney. The Dodgers, meanwhile, had the reliable arms of Don Sutton, Andy Messersmith, Burt Hooten, Tommy John, Dug Rau, Al Downing and Rick Rhoden and, in the bullpen, the likes of Mike Marshall, Jim Brewer and Charlie Hough. Of course, we had Garvey at first, Lopes at 2nd, Russell at short, Penguin at 3rd, Buckner, then, later, Baker in left. Jimmy Wynn, then later Rick Monday in center and Willie Crawford, then later, Reggie Smith in right. And we had a great bench: Lee Lacy, Manny Mota, Tom Paciorek, Jerry Royster, then later, Vic Davallio, Jeff Leonard and Jay Johnstone.
The Reds would drive me crazy with their big bats and those low red socks. As the seasons wore on and it appeared the Dodgers may not prevail, tensions grew high. We once suspected a kid in our neighborhood of being a Reds fans. His name was Little John Monaco and we held a trial on the Alberstone’s front lawn. We found little John guilty, (he’s well over 6 feet now) put him in a market basket and tied him to a tree in front of the house belonging to the meanest people on the block. We rang the doorbell and ran, leaving him there, tied to that little tree. We watched from behind a wall as the witch of the house came out and spoke to him. We could see him nodding his sad little head. She left him there as he stared solemnly at the ground. Maybe he was rethinking his allegiance.
Those two teams played each other hard. There was a lot at stake every time they met and I’ll never forget the feeling of anticipation I’d have whenever the games were about to begin. The Reds won the West in ’70, ’72, ’73, ’75, ’76 & ’79. They went to the Series in ’70, ’72, ’75, & ’76, losing to Baltimore in ’70 and to the ‘Swingin’ A’s’ in ’72. They beat Boston in ’75 and they swept the upstart Yankees in ’76. The Dodgers won the West in ’74, ’77 & ’78 making it to the Fall Classic each time. They also lost each time - to those same A’s in ’74 and to the Yankees in two consecutive painful Octobers in ’77 and ’78. Still, it felt like every summer was the beach, swimming pools, baseball, Otter Pops and the Dodgers and the Reds. I loved it.
These Dodgers, meanwhile, are battling to stay better than 4 games below .500. I actually feel like crying right now. At least Juan Pierre returns tonight. Ned Colletti, you have 6 days.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Footsteps In The Grass
What a glorious day. Today, I will conquer all my fears, accomplish a years’s worth of goals and complete a month’s worth of tasks. As soon as Huckleberry Hound is over.
Well, the model of consistent inconsistency are our beloved Dodgers. They appear forever destined to remain 3 games under .500. Some questions still loom, of course, like, will Ned Colletti pull off a deal for a bat? Will their starting pitching continue to suck like they have since the break? Will Brad Penny return as Brad Penny from the first halves in previous seasons or as the Brad Penny from this season? The fact is, quite simply, the Rockies are a better team than the Dodgers. A MUCH better team and soon the win/loss records and the standings will reflect it. Look for a Rockies run. Hell, it’s already started. They're on fire. And by virtue of these last two games, it's obvious the Dodgers can’t hit with Colorado, and evidently, nor can they pitch with them. Again, the stupidity involved in allowing Clayton Kershaw to make his return in Denver rivals any managerial faux pas I’ve seen in my 37 years of following the game, except for Lasorda's decision to pitch to Clark. But, honestly, how can a team vying for a division title possibly lose to Glendon Rusch? They made yet another journeyman look like a potential Cy Young candidate. This is a team that’s going nowhere fast and it’s obvious a move has to be made. But, at this point, there may have been too much bleeding to restore any vitality. Glendon Rusch. Jeez. They should be ashamed.
There is some help coming, however. Andruw Jones, do hear that sound? The sound of fleet footsteps in the grass and on the base paths? Those are the footsteps of one Mr. Juan Pierre. He’s making a miraculous recovery and soon, perhaps as soon as this Saturday, he’ll be back. This is where we find out what Joe Torre is made of. There is one decision to be made and ONE DECISION ONLY. Andruw, you stink and, therefore, you’re out. Juan, you’re in. Period. Juan Pierre has done everything to earn an everyday spot in the lineup and Andruw Jones has done nothing. Certainly Kemp and Ethier have to play over Jones. So, we’ll see. We’ll see if Torre can do the right thing. We'll see if idiot Colletti will intervene in favor of his 36 million dollar boner or if even he is smart enough to cry “uncle.” Andruw, take your fat wallet, your stupid tattooed arms, your still protruding tummy, your slow bat, your awful swing, your dumbass smile and your slow feet and sit down. Oh, and thanks for playing. I wish we had some lovely parting gifts for you, but the way I see it, you owe us.
The Dodgers have to go on a winning streak against the lowly DC Nats and the Giants. They need to get a bat because, basically, in spite of his 50 plus ribbies, James Loney is a singles hitter and, for that matter, so are Matt Kemp, Martin, Ethier and Garciaparra. But deal or no deal, it’s all for naught if their pitching has taken a hike. How can this have been prevented? Ned Colletti should have recognized that Jones’ career was on the downswing and that Tori Hunter’s and Aaron Rowand’s careers were on the upswing. He should’ve made a run at Danny Haren when he was available and he should’ve not been so Ichabod Crane scared of parting with some of the youth to build an actual winner.
Meanwhile, congrats to the Angels for coming back for 2 big wins against the Tribe and congrats to the Yankees. Don’t look now, but here come the Pins! I love the Rays and I love their energy, but I’ve been fond of the Yankees ever since the Dodgers organization began to tank. The reason? Because, in spite of the obnoxiousness of the Steinbrenners and their free spending ways, they’ve always felt the need to reward their millions of loyal fans by at least trying their ever best to put a winner on the field every year. They may not always succeed, (no World Series appearances since ’03) but they can’t be accused of not trying. The Dodgers try their ever best to keep the team in the race for a division title, but they eschew building a true championship caliber team. Their only concern is filling the seats through mid September. It’s smoke and mirrors with the Dodgers while it’s sincerity and a drive to win with the Yanks. Also, my disdain for Boston and Red Sox Nation (Exempt, as earlier stated, are manager Terry Francona and 3rd baseman, Mike Lowell) has enhanced my esteem for the Bronx Bombers, as well as the fact that my dear friend, writer and journalist, Rene Chun who lives in NY, is a huge Yankee fan.
Okay, Huckleberry Hound is over. I’m out.
Well, the model of consistent inconsistency are our beloved Dodgers. They appear forever destined to remain 3 games under .500. Some questions still loom, of course, like, will Ned Colletti pull off a deal for a bat? Will their starting pitching continue to suck like they have since the break? Will Brad Penny return as Brad Penny from the first halves in previous seasons or as the Brad Penny from this season? The fact is, quite simply, the Rockies are a better team than the Dodgers. A MUCH better team and soon the win/loss records and the standings will reflect it. Look for a Rockies run. Hell, it’s already started. They're on fire. And by virtue of these last two games, it's obvious the Dodgers can’t hit with Colorado, and evidently, nor can they pitch with them. Again, the stupidity involved in allowing Clayton Kershaw to make his return in Denver rivals any managerial faux pas I’ve seen in my 37 years of following the game, except for Lasorda's decision to pitch to Clark. But, honestly, how can a team vying for a division title possibly lose to Glendon Rusch? They made yet another journeyman look like a potential Cy Young candidate. This is a team that’s going nowhere fast and it’s obvious a move has to be made. But, at this point, there may have been too much bleeding to restore any vitality. Glendon Rusch. Jeez. They should be ashamed.
There is some help coming, however. Andruw Jones, do hear that sound? The sound of fleet footsteps in the grass and on the base paths? Those are the footsteps of one Mr. Juan Pierre. He’s making a miraculous recovery and soon, perhaps as soon as this Saturday, he’ll be back. This is where we find out what Joe Torre is made of. There is one decision to be made and ONE DECISION ONLY. Andruw, you stink and, therefore, you’re out. Juan, you’re in. Period. Juan Pierre has done everything to earn an everyday spot in the lineup and Andruw Jones has done nothing. Certainly Kemp and Ethier have to play over Jones. So, we’ll see. We’ll see if Torre can do the right thing. We'll see if idiot Colletti will intervene in favor of his 36 million dollar boner or if even he is smart enough to cry “uncle.” Andruw, take your fat wallet, your stupid tattooed arms, your still protruding tummy, your slow bat, your awful swing, your dumbass smile and your slow feet and sit down. Oh, and thanks for playing. I wish we had some lovely parting gifts for you, but the way I see it, you owe us.
The Dodgers have to go on a winning streak against the lowly DC Nats and the Giants. They need to get a bat because, basically, in spite of his 50 plus ribbies, James Loney is a singles hitter and, for that matter, so are Matt Kemp, Martin, Ethier and Garciaparra. But deal or no deal, it’s all for naught if their pitching has taken a hike. How can this have been prevented? Ned Colletti should have recognized that Jones’ career was on the downswing and that Tori Hunter’s and Aaron Rowand’s careers were on the upswing. He should’ve made a run at Danny Haren when he was available and he should’ve not been so Ichabod Crane scared of parting with some of the youth to build an actual winner.
Meanwhile, congrats to the Angels for coming back for 2 big wins against the Tribe and congrats to the Yankees. Don’t look now, but here come the Pins! I love the Rays and I love their energy, but I’ve been fond of the Yankees ever since the Dodgers organization began to tank. The reason? Because, in spite of the obnoxiousness of the Steinbrenners and their free spending ways, they’ve always felt the need to reward their millions of loyal fans by at least trying their ever best to put a winner on the field every year. They may not always succeed, (no World Series appearances since ’03) but they can’t be accused of not trying. The Dodgers try their ever best to keep the team in the race for a division title, but they eschew building a true championship caliber team. Their only concern is filling the seats through mid September. It’s smoke and mirrors with the Dodgers while it’s sincerity and a drive to win with the Yanks. Also, my disdain for Boston and Red Sox Nation (Exempt, as earlier stated, are manager Terry Francona and 3rd baseman, Mike Lowell) has enhanced my esteem for the Bronx Bombers, as well as the fact that my dear friend, writer and journalist, Rene Chun who lives in NY, is a huge Yankee fan.
Okay, Huckleberry Hound is over. I’m out.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Peee-uww! Something Stinks.
Meetings all day, was unable to watch the game, but I do know they lost IN COLORADO, scoring only 3 runs against GLENDON RUSCH. Enough said. Hmmm. Think they need a bat? Not only that, not one Dodger starter since the All Star break has gotten a win. The one thing I can attest to is, outside of Russell Martin and Jeff Kent, this Dodger team has little or no heart and absolutley no fire or incentive. Hate to sound pessimistic, but Jiminez is on fire, Jeff Francis is coming back. At this rate, I’m thinking the Rockies pass the Dodgers by the first week of August. Unless… Ned, you have 8 days. More on the game after I see the replay.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Where's The Plunk?
10-zip Rockies in the 8th. I know it’s Coors, but when NL stolen base leader, Willy Taveras stole 2nd with a 6-0 lead in the 8th, if I were on the mound for the Blue, I might well have plunked the next hitter. Yeah, I know no lead is safe at Coors Field, but the Dodgers are stinking in new and unusual ways against Uzbaldo Jiminez and he’s going the distance. There’s no way on God’s green earth they come back in the 9th from a 6-0 deficit against Jiminez tonight. His fastball has been consistently clocked at 98 miles per hour and there hasn’t been a Dodger since Gary Sheffield who’s hands have been fast enough to hit a pitch thrown that hard. With his slider and change working the way they have been , he’s even tougher. – okay, Matt Kemp just homered to dead center. But it was only 95 MPH – so, Troncoso, who I still believe has no business being in the Bigs, gives up another 4 runs. Humiliating. At any rate, you read it here first. Denver was no place to reinsert young Clayton Kershaw into the rotation. He got pummeled for 5 runs in 4 innings and his control was shaky at best. Now his confidence is in the crapper. But you still have to have some huevos rancheros. You can’t let a team make asses out of you like that, then rub it in your face by stealing bags in the 8th, up by 6 runs. The unwritten rules of baseball specifically state in invisible ink that if someone steals, bunts, hits and runs, does any of the little things to move runners over to run up the score, thus adding to the blowout, either he or the next batter shall be thrown at. No balls.
Okay, I’m actually going to question the venerable Joe Torre. I believe it was the 5th inning. Andy LaRoche leads off with a rare single against a dominating Jiminez. Joe, what does it say to your team when you’re down 5 or 6 runs in the 5th IN COLORADO and you let relief pitcher Jason Johnson hit??? Yeah, sure, you want to conserve your bullpen, but you just can’t in that situation. You have to take any opportunity you have to get some runs on the board and make something happen. Naturally, Johnson grounded into a DP and for all intents and purposes that was the inning and the game. In essence, Joe Torre conceded the game to the Rockies with that decision.
Remember how the Dodgers had the lowest ERA in the NL at the break? I’m fairly certain you can say goodbye to that. They haven’t had a decent start from anyone since the break ended and it’s a scary proposition. If their starting pitching starts failing them, they’ve sprung their last leak in an already extremely porous boat. Meanwhile, the Snakes and some dude named Petit are schooling the mighty Cubbies and it looks like the DBacks will return to their lone spot atop the West.
Well, if you’ve been reading this blog, you gotta think it’s pretty interesting that the Rockies have been playing their young 2 million dollar bonus baby, Ian Stewart at 3rd base. He hit a towering dong against Johnson tonight. Could it be that Atkins, who’s been playing 1st for the injured Todd Helton, could be more expendable than first imagined? My guess is,, if Ned Colletti has any live brain cells left in his head after years of breathing in the smoke he’s been blowing up people’s butts, he’s trying to make a deal for Atkins. Whether or not he’ll be successful remains in question. Ned Colletti, you have 8 days. Oh, crap. My rent is due in 8 days, and, as usual, I don’t have it!
Okay, I’m actually going to question the venerable Joe Torre. I believe it was the 5th inning. Andy LaRoche leads off with a rare single against a dominating Jiminez. Joe, what does it say to your team when you’re down 5 or 6 runs in the 5th IN COLORADO and you let relief pitcher Jason Johnson hit??? Yeah, sure, you want to conserve your bullpen, but you just can’t in that situation. You have to take any opportunity you have to get some runs on the board and make something happen. Naturally, Johnson grounded into a DP and for all intents and purposes that was the inning and the game. In essence, Joe Torre conceded the game to the Rockies with that decision.
Remember how the Dodgers had the lowest ERA in the NL at the break? I’m fairly certain you can say goodbye to that. They haven’t had a decent start from anyone since the break ended and it’s a scary proposition. If their starting pitching starts failing them, they’ve sprung their last leak in an already extremely porous boat. Meanwhile, the Snakes and some dude named Petit are schooling the mighty Cubbies and it looks like the DBacks will return to their lone spot atop the West.
Well, if you’ve been reading this blog, you gotta think it’s pretty interesting that the Rockies have been playing their young 2 million dollar bonus baby, Ian Stewart at 3rd base. He hit a towering dong against Johnson tonight. Could it be that Atkins, who’s been playing 1st for the injured Todd Helton, could be more expendable than first imagined? My guess is,, if Ned Colletti has any live brain cells left in his head after years of breathing in the smoke he’s been blowing up people’s butts, he’s trying to make a deal for Atkins. Whether or not he’ll be successful remains in question. Ned Colletti, you have 8 days. Oh, crap. My rent is due in 8 days, and, as usual, I don’t have it!
Would You Care For Some Andy LaRoche?
Sluggishness is the norm. I should’ve been over an hour into my workout by now, or at least I should be writing something marketable, but instead, I got Huckleberry Hound on and I’m writing this. I’ve found that when you’re broke, you’re sluggish, stupid, unreliable, irresponsible, desperate, needy and negative. When you have money, you’re energetic, brilliant, honest to a fault, reliable, responsible, generous, helpful and positive. I hope one day to once again possess some of the latter qualities. If I ever get paid. Speaking of wealth, let's talk about the Dodgers wealth of runs at Coors Field last night. An aberration limited to the mile high air, of course, but you have to marvel at James Loney's aptitude for driving in runs in that ballpark as well as marvel at the continuous ineptitude of their 36 million dollar man, Andruw Jones. Only 3 strikeouts against really poor pitching in a hitters ballpark. At least he got his one hit to raise his average.
The Blue's oddyssey in the House of Horrors that is Coors Field continues tonight with the return of prospect Clayton Kershaw going up against the resurgent Ubaldo Jiminez. That’s right. His name is “Ubaldo.” Here's hoping he's got a good head of hair. Not a great venue to build up Kershaw’s confidence going into his second big league stint. Like all games from here on in, while tied for first and still below .500, it’s a must win. At least in my opinion. Since Kemp resumed hitting the ball, may be time to move him back into the middle of the order and let Ethier or Nomar lead off. (Can't believe I said that)
So, they’re showcasing Andy LaRoche by playing him every game this series. Interesting. Wonder if they’re taking my advice on attempting a deal for Atkins or if they’re showcasing him to advance scouts from other clubs who’ve come to Denver. We’ll see.
If my tone in these blogs is going to change, the Dodgers have to get over .500 and they have to make a move indicating they want to win this thing. (See past blogs) By the way, if anyone's actually reading these things, please feel free to write a comment or two. Lets me know I'm not alone in here. I’m going to the gym. Ned Colletti, you have 9 days.
The Blue's oddyssey in the House of Horrors that is Coors Field continues tonight with the return of prospect Clayton Kershaw going up against the resurgent Ubaldo Jiminez. That’s right. His name is “Ubaldo.” Here's hoping he's got a good head of hair. Not a great venue to build up Kershaw’s confidence going into his second big league stint. Like all games from here on in, while tied for first and still below .500, it’s a must win. At least in my opinion. Since Kemp resumed hitting the ball, may be time to move him back into the middle of the order and let Ethier or Nomar lead off. (Can't believe I said that)
So, they’re showcasing Andy LaRoche by playing him every game this series. Interesting. Wonder if they’re taking my advice on attempting a deal for Atkins or if they’re showcasing him to advance scouts from other clubs who’ve come to Denver. We’ll see.
If my tone in these blogs is going to change, the Dodgers have to get over .500 and they have to make a move indicating they want to win this thing. (See past blogs) By the way, if anyone's actually reading these things, please feel free to write a comment or two. Lets me know I'm not alone in here. I’m going to the gym. Ned Colletti, you have 9 days.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Hot Corner Hotline?
Meetings postponed til tomorrow. Great. That gives me time to get my old restaurant resume in order and start pounding the pavement for a job waiting tables. Haven’t done it in 15 years, but this whole working for free thing is getting expensive. Also gives me time to ponder the weekend series with the rival DBacks. I was wrong about one thing and one thing only. The Dodgers didn’t lose the series like I thought they would. Yes, Brandon Webb shut them down, but the other Brandon was awful. It was nice to see that LA Times Dodger beat writer is reading my blog. It was even nicer to see that, perhaps Matt Kemp is reading my blog. More likely, someone – hopefully everyone – got in his face after his putrid at bat to end Saturday’s affair. Maybe the team pretended they were taking him to a party or to dinner and, instead, fooled him into attending an intervention. Whatever it was, it worked. He pulled a Costanza. His at bat in the 9th yesterday was the complete opposite of every instinct he's ever had. He was patient, composed, and calculating. He went up there with a plan and the plan worked. Eight pitches and a game-tying double. Can’t get much better than that. Now, can he be consistent in that approach? Could be the difference between him staying and going.
Now the Dodgers, still a pitiful 2 games below the .500 mark, are back in a flat footed tie for first place with the Snakes. The DBacks host the tough Cubbies while the Dodgers go to Denver to face the Rockies, who are sort of en fuego. They’ve won 4 or 5 in a row and, suddenly, Holliday, Atkins and Hawpe are all doing their thing at the same time. Not only that, Troy Tulowitsky comes back tonight. That could spell trouble for the Blue. They just beat a cold team in Phoenix 2 out of 3. Can they beat a hot team at home a mile high up? Especially with Stults, Jason Johnson??? and Kuroda? Don’t look now, but here come the NL defending champion Rockies. They’re a mere 6 games out of first and 14 games under .500. Not good. But, in that division, not horrific either. If they take 2 out of 3 in this series against the Dodgers, I think you can say goodbye to any possibility of trading Holliday or any of their stars. Which is just fine, because whoever were to get Holliday would only be renting him for a season and a half. His agent, the evil Scot Boras, will make sure he doesn’t sign a contract extension so that he may test the free agent market after the 2009 season.
I was also glad to see Colletti didn’t pull the trigger on any deal involving A’s shortstop, Bobby Crosby or Mariner’s third baseman, Adrian Beltre. The oft injured Crosby is a decent shortstop with some power, but he’s not much better an option than Nomar over there. He’s currently hitting .255 with a few homers. Even if you moved Nomar to 3rd and played Crosby at short, the Dodgers wouldn’t really be gaining that much to justify parting with anyone valuable. Crosby has never developed into the impact player Billy Beane and the A’s were hoping he’d become. As far as Beltre, he had that one amazing year for the Dodgers before Scott Boras took him away and he’s been the encyclopedic definition of mediocrity ever since. Admittedly, he does have a little pop, but to expect him to come back to LA and suddenly revert to his 2004 form is a stretch. Again, not enough gain if you have to part with value. If indeed the Dodgers are looking to land a third baseman, good luck. Scott Rolen could help them if Toronto was willing, but he’s not exactly having a stellar year at the plate. If you could lure Edwin Encarnacion away from Cincy, you get a guy who’s got 17 homers, but who leads the league in errors with 19. Might be a possibility, however, because they need the bat. If you can somehow talk the Royals into letting you have Alex Gordon, the price would be high and the dividends at this early point in Gordon’s career not as immediate. Being in first place, the White Sox would be loathe to part with Joe Crede and forget about Brandon Inge from Detroit. Not enough payoff for too much of an asking price. The Rangers may be willing to part ways with Hank Blalock but he’s another injury guy who’s power numbers are down from where they were. Will Philly trade Greg Dobbs? Not sure. Could he even have an impact? Not sure. Other possibilities? Melvin Mora from Baltimore. He’s got a little pop, but he’s hitting .240. Oakland would love to get rid of Eric Chavez, but he’s the Jason Schmidt of 3rd basemen. Casey Blake from Cleveland? Makes sense on a lot of levels. Not a big power guy, but he’s hitting @ .280 with close to 60 RBIs. He has post season experience and his team is going nowhere fast. My vote? Let’s hope the Dodger sweep Colorado and talk them into giving us UCLA alum, Garret Atkins. If that doesn’t happen, let’s get Chipper Jones away from Atlanta. So what if he’s the most beloved player the Braves have had since Aaron, he’s been a mainstay there since ’94, he’s a surefire Hall of Famer, he’s in the middle of a career year and he reminds people of a sober, non-carousing Mickey Mantle. I’m sure Atlanta, only 6 1/2 games out of first in the East, would be more than happy to give him up.
Who would the Dodger part with at this point? Well, it depends on the needs of the team they're dealing with in a trade. Clayton Kershaw, once believed to be untouchable, may not be, depending on whom the Dodgers are trying to acquire. To me, Chad Billingsley and Russell Martin are the only 2 Dodgers I would absolutely NOT trade. Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Loney and Kershaw would all be extremely diffcult to part with. Like I said, depends on the guy or guys they'd be getting and the terms of his or their deal. In other words, it's not worth it to trade for Matt Holliday if you can only have him for a year and a half. However, it is worth it for Holliday if they can somehow get him to sign a contract extension.
The bottom line is, yes, the Dodgers, as constituted, have a chance to win the weak, weak, West. (I still think that as long as their staff is anchored by Webb and Haren, the Snakes have the edge) But do the Dodgers, as constituted, have a chance in hell of winning in October? The answer is no. Not one game. So, it begs the question, is Frank McCourt looking just to make the post season or is he looking to win a championship? The answer will come inside the next 10 days. (Hint: Pablo Ozuna is not the answer)
Now the Dodgers, still a pitiful 2 games below the .500 mark, are back in a flat footed tie for first place with the Snakes. The DBacks host the tough Cubbies while the Dodgers go to Denver to face the Rockies, who are sort of en fuego. They’ve won 4 or 5 in a row and, suddenly, Holliday, Atkins and Hawpe are all doing their thing at the same time. Not only that, Troy Tulowitsky comes back tonight. That could spell trouble for the Blue. They just beat a cold team in Phoenix 2 out of 3. Can they beat a hot team at home a mile high up? Especially with Stults, Jason Johnson??? and Kuroda? Don’t look now, but here come the NL defending champion Rockies. They’re a mere 6 games out of first and 14 games under .500. Not good. But, in that division, not horrific either. If they take 2 out of 3 in this series against the Dodgers, I think you can say goodbye to any possibility of trading Holliday or any of their stars. Which is just fine, because whoever were to get Holliday would only be renting him for a season and a half. His agent, the evil Scot Boras, will make sure he doesn’t sign a contract extension so that he may test the free agent market after the 2009 season.
I was also glad to see Colletti didn’t pull the trigger on any deal involving A’s shortstop, Bobby Crosby or Mariner’s third baseman, Adrian Beltre. The oft injured Crosby is a decent shortstop with some power, but he’s not much better an option than Nomar over there. He’s currently hitting .255 with a few homers. Even if you moved Nomar to 3rd and played Crosby at short, the Dodgers wouldn’t really be gaining that much to justify parting with anyone valuable. Crosby has never developed into the impact player Billy Beane and the A’s were hoping he’d become. As far as Beltre, he had that one amazing year for the Dodgers before Scott Boras took him away and he’s been the encyclopedic definition of mediocrity ever since. Admittedly, he does have a little pop, but to expect him to come back to LA and suddenly revert to his 2004 form is a stretch. Again, not enough gain if you have to part with value. If indeed the Dodgers are looking to land a third baseman, good luck. Scott Rolen could help them if Toronto was willing, but he’s not exactly having a stellar year at the plate. If you could lure Edwin Encarnacion away from Cincy, you get a guy who’s got 17 homers, but who leads the league in errors with 19. Might be a possibility, however, because they need the bat. If you can somehow talk the Royals into letting you have Alex Gordon, the price would be high and the dividends at this early point in Gordon’s career not as immediate. Being in first place, the White Sox would be loathe to part with Joe Crede and forget about Brandon Inge from Detroit. Not enough payoff for too much of an asking price. The Rangers may be willing to part ways with Hank Blalock but he’s another injury guy who’s power numbers are down from where they were. Will Philly trade Greg Dobbs? Not sure. Could he even have an impact? Not sure. Other possibilities? Melvin Mora from Baltimore. He’s got a little pop, but he’s hitting .240. Oakland would love to get rid of Eric Chavez, but he’s the Jason Schmidt of 3rd basemen. Casey Blake from Cleveland? Makes sense on a lot of levels. Not a big power guy, but he’s hitting @ .280 with close to 60 RBIs. He has post season experience and his team is going nowhere fast. My vote? Let’s hope the Dodger sweep Colorado and talk them into giving us UCLA alum, Garret Atkins. If that doesn’t happen, let’s get Chipper Jones away from Atlanta. So what if he’s the most beloved player the Braves have had since Aaron, he’s been a mainstay there since ’94, he’s a surefire Hall of Famer, he’s in the middle of a career year and he reminds people of a sober, non-carousing Mickey Mantle. I’m sure Atlanta, only 6 1/2 games out of first in the East, would be more than happy to give him up.
Who would the Dodger part with at this point? Well, it depends on the needs of the team they're dealing with in a trade. Clayton Kershaw, once believed to be untouchable, may not be, depending on whom the Dodgers are trying to acquire. To me, Chad Billingsley and Russell Martin are the only 2 Dodgers I would absolutely NOT trade. Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Loney and Kershaw would all be extremely diffcult to part with. Like I said, depends on the guy or guys they'd be getting and the terms of his or their deal. In other words, it's not worth it to trade for Matt Holliday if you can only have him for a year and a half. However, it is worth it for Holliday if they can somehow get him to sign a contract extension.
The bottom line is, yes, the Dodgers, as constituted, have a chance to win the weak, weak, West. (I still think that as long as their staff is anchored by Webb and Haren, the Snakes have the edge) But do the Dodgers, as constituted, have a chance in hell of winning in October? The answer is no. Not one game. So, it begs the question, is Frank McCourt looking just to make the post season or is he looking to win a championship? The answer will come inside the next 10 days. (Hint: Pablo Ozuna is not the answer)
Sunday, July 20, 2008
No Brainer
Good morning, everyone.
In today's LA Times, how in the name of all that is holy can Times Dodger beat writer, Dylan Hernandez file his story on last night's game and fail to mention the ineptitude of Matt Kemp's last at bat?? That's the trouble with the LA Times Dodger beat guys. They don't go into detail as to why things happen, as to WHY the team stinks. Unless you're TJ Simers or Bill Plaschke (who sometimes reads like a Hallmark card) it's as if you're on McCourt's payroll. Even Bill Shaikin needs to be more candid. Print the damn truth. The Dodgers can't hit. When they do hit, stupid at bats like Matt Kemp's wind up destroying any chance they have to win. Period. If I wasn't able to see or hear the game last night and I wanted to find out what happened and I read Hernandez's column, I'm left with no idea as to what really transpired.
Look. They teach you this stuff in Little League. When the guy on the mound is struggling, don't help him. I could see if the pitch was right down Broadway, right down Kemp's wheel house - something he knew he could hit hard somewhere, but after walking Andruw Jones, Lyon thows a pitch up and in. Up and in is one of Kemp's many weaknesses and I don't even think the damn thing was a strike. What was he thinking?
By the way, I don't care how well Lowe has been pitching, they have absolutely no chance of beating Brandon Webb today. There it is. I'm going out on a limb. As always, hope I'm wrong.
In today's LA Times, how in the name of all that is holy can Times Dodger beat writer, Dylan Hernandez file his story on last night's game and fail to mention the ineptitude of Matt Kemp's last at bat?? That's the trouble with the LA Times Dodger beat guys. They don't go into detail as to why things happen, as to WHY the team stinks. Unless you're TJ Simers or Bill Plaschke (who sometimes reads like a Hallmark card) it's as if you're on McCourt's payroll. Even Bill Shaikin needs to be more candid. Print the damn truth. The Dodgers can't hit. When they do hit, stupid at bats like Matt Kemp's wind up destroying any chance they have to win. Period. If I wasn't able to see or hear the game last night and I wanted to find out what happened and I read Hernandez's column, I'm left with no idea as to what really transpired.
Look. They teach you this stuff in Little League. When the guy on the mound is struggling, don't help him. I could see if the pitch was right down Broadway, right down Kemp's wheel house - something he knew he could hit hard somewhere, but after walking Andruw Jones, Lyon thows a pitch up and in. Up and in is one of Kemp's many weaknesses and I don't even think the damn thing was a strike. What was he thinking?
By the way, I don't care how well Lowe has been pitching, they have absolutely no chance of beating Brandon Webb today. There it is. I'm going out on a limb. As always, hope I'm wrong.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Anxious Or Just Plain Dumb?
First pitch swinging. Your team has just scored 2 huge runs, you’ve got the game on the line, the tying run on 3rd, the go ahead run on 1st, you got their struggling closer on ropes, the worst hitter in history – Andruw Jones – just WALKED (not sure why Torre went to Jones to pinch hit anyway, but that’s beside the point) and you’re up there FIRST PITCH SWINGING AT A PITCH THAT’S UP AND IN??!!!??!!!! Ya wanna know why the Dodgers are 3 games under .500. It’s at Little League bats like that . Someone has got to get in Kemp’s face. When does a professional ballplayer learn not to do that? Not to mention a Major League starter. THAT is how seasons are lost. If he at least waits for his pitch and grounds out, I’m happy he gave it the good ol' college try. But, no. He has to be an idiot. Snakes 3 Dodgers 2. Dodgers 3 games below even and a game out of first. Nice at bat, Matt.
A Phoenix Rises In Phoenix?
As I type, the Dodgers and DBacks are scoreless in the top of the 1st at Chase. I was wrong. There it is, I said it. Much to my surprise and delight, the Blue pulled it out last night. Doug Davis's ownership of them was at least temporarily halted and though Kuroda looked awful they managed an extremely rare 4 - count 'em- 4 home runs to win it in 11 innings. Being a Venice High School grad and having played ball there, it was mildly sad to see the winning home run given up by fellow Venice High alum, Doug Slaten, but that's what you get when you leave a ball up like that to a hittler like James Loney. But wait a minute... 2 HOME RUNS BY NOMAR??? And not only that, he's not even hurt??? Could it be that Nomar, like the great Thunderbird of legend has risen from the ashes, rejuvenated, restored, renewed, reinvigorated, revamped and renovated? Submitted for your approval, in spite of a marked lack of range, he's played a fairly seamless shortstop. In fact, he seems rather at home there. If Nomar can play a few more weeks before returning to his customary spot on the DL, it could give his hapless club a boost. Will Matt Kemp continue to go "K"less like he did in 6 at bats last night? ... nope. He struck out to lead off the game a few minutes ago.
In fact, in the bottom of the 1st, Conor Jackson has already hit a blast into the left field stands and O Dog (Orlando Hudson) has just hit a line drive to left which Delwynn Young horribly misjudged. He charged forward only to leap and have the ball go over his head. Pee Wee is playing for Andruw Jones who's out due to "flu-like" symptoms. Yeah, he's making us all sick to our stomachs having to watch him stink every day. Young is playing left and Kemp is in center and Billingsley looks like shee-ite, having just given up another double, this one to Chad Tracy. It's 2-zip, Snakes with one out in the 1st. I tell ya, Jones struck out twice before coming out of the game last night and I can almost guarantee if he stays in the game, he K's every at bat again. He is awful. They knew it in Atlanta when they let him go as a free agent, but the guy in LA didn't. I can safely say I've never seen a player have such a fine career and, then go south so definitively and aggressively. In fact, his .222 average last year with 26 HRs and 80 + ribbies are stellar numbers compared to what he's doing thus far in '08. On top of that, Jason Schmidt has been shut down again with a sore shoulder. Let me ask you something, people? Do ya think Ned Colletti should be allowed to keep his job?
Let's see what Donnie Baseball and new roving hitting instructor Jeff Pentland can do for them? By the way, I think it's a mistake to pull Chan Ho Park out of the starting rotation in favor of bad journeyman, Jason Johnson. The fact is, Dodger fans, baseball fans and people who just don't care, you can't just try to win the lousy Western Division. You need to try to beat the other playoff teams. Does this team have any chance whatsoever to do that? No as currently constituted. Haren, by the way, appears to be shutting them down. But, as Eric Karros would always say, "it's early."
Amazing play by Blakey DeWitt last night. That kid can pick it over at the hot corner. Sure wish he could bring his average up 20 points and hit some freakin' doubles. Gotta hand it to him though. He's supposed to be in Double A.
More Matt Holliday rumors, but the word is Captain America can't hit in the Ravine. Still, I like his game better than Jones'.
Congrats to the Cherubim for making a huge statement the last two days in Anaheim against the hated Bosox. Maybe Colletti can trade the Dodgers for the Angels in the biggest blockbuster deal in history.
In fact, in the bottom of the 1st, Conor Jackson has already hit a blast into the left field stands and O Dog (Orlando Hudson) has just hit a line drive to left which Delwynn Young horribly misjudged. He charged forward only to leap and have the ball go over his head. Pee Wee is playing for Andruw Jones who's out due to "flu-like" symptoms. Yeah, he's making us all sick to our stomachs having to watch him stink every day. Young is playing left and Kemp is in center and Billingsley looks like shee-ite, having just given up another double, this one to Chad Tracy. It's 2-zip, Snakes with one out in the 1st. I tell ya, Jones struck out twice before coming out of the game last night and I can almost guarantee if he stays in the game, he K's every at bat again. He is awful. They knew it in Atlanta when they let him go as a free agent, but the guy in LA didn't. I can safely say I've never seen a player have such a fine career and, then go south so definitively and aggressively. In fact, his .222 average last year with 26 HRs and 80 + ribbies are stellar numbers compared to what he's doing thus far in '08. On top of that, Jason Schmidt has been shut down again with a sore shoulder. Let me ask you something, people? Do ya think Ned Colletti should be allowed to keep his job?
Let's see what Donnie Baseball and new roving hitting instructor Jeff Pentland can do for them? By the way, I think it's a mistake to pull Chan Ho Park out of the starting rotation in favor of bad journeyman, Jason Johnson. The fact is, Dodger fans, baseball fans and people who just don't care, you can't just try to win the lousy Western Division. You need to try to beat the other playoff teams. Does this team have any chance whatsoever to do that? No as currently constituted. Haren, by the way, appears to be shutting them down. But, as Eric Karros would always say, "it's early."
Amazing play by Blakey DeWitt last night. That kid can pick it over at the hot corner. Sure wish he could bring his average up 20 points and hit some freakin' doubles. Gotta hand it to him though. He's supposed to be in Double A.
More Matt Holliday rumors, but the word is Captain America can't hit in the Ravine. Still, I like his game better than Jones'.
Congrats to the Cherubim for making a huge statement the last two days in Anaheim against the hated Bosox. Maybe Colletti can trade the Dodgers for the Angels in the biggest blockbuster deal in history.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Blue Disarray
Just had me my last five eggs. If I’m makin’ eggs in the afternoon, it’s a tell tale sign I haven’t been paid yet. But who cares about my constant poverty and the everpresent fear of homelessness? What really matters is the so-called "second half” of the season begins tonight for the Dodgers and they go up against newly cancer-free Doug Davis and the Snakes at Chase Field in Phoenix. Along with Frank McCourt, Davis owns the Dodgers and I see no reason why a little surgery and recovery from thyroid cancer should interrupt his success. Even though the Blue are going with the hot Hiroki Kuroda, I predict a D’Back victory tonight which would land the Dodgers 2 games behind the serpentine club from the Arizona desert. I hope I’m wrong, but I think the Snakes will win the series and they may even take all 3 games. This is mainly because of nothing more than a bad feeling I have coming out of the break. That and the fact I think the Diamondbacks are going to come out with more intensity and I truly believe they’re going to want it more than the confused Dodgers.
As I’ve stated many times in this blog, I just don’t think the Dodgers have the horses. Especially with their latest devastating loss – that of closer Takashi Saito. Jonathan Broxton is a nervous wreck and I believe he needs an entire offseason to really prepare for the closer role. And who’s gonna be the setup man? Beimel? Kuo? Then who’s gonna come in for the middle innings and the 7th? I don’t feel they’re deep enough. Also, is Nasty Ned Colletti going to now try to acquire a closer or other bullpen help in lieu of a power hitter or shortstop or leadoff guy? These are some of the huge questions facing the Dodgers going into the post All-Star break portion of their season. In spite of the fact Russell Martin feels the team should be left in tact and no moves need be made, Ned Colletti MUST do something NOW. Russell, you’re a fine player and you’re not going anywhere, but you couldn’t be wrongerer. If the Dodgers are going to win anything this year, they need to compensate for the lack of homers and doubles from their so-called big bats. Again, I’m talking about Kemp, Loney, Ethier, Kent and Jones. If you don’t get someone who can hit some doubles and HRs and drive in some freakin’ runs, you’re going to lose, lose, lose.
Yes, they have the lowest ERA in the NL but it’s not really a dominating staff. It’s no ’88 staff with Hershiser, Valenzuela, Tudor, et al. In the end, you have to score runs to win and they just don’t score enough runs. Colletti, you have 13 days…
As I’ve stated many times in this blog, I just don’t think the Dodgers have the horses. Especially with their latest devastating loss – that of closer Takashi Saito. Jonathan Broxton is a nervous wreck and I believe he needs an entire offseason to really prepare for the closer role. And who’s gonna be the setup man? Beimel? Kuo? Then who’s gonna come in for the middle innings and the 7th? I don’t feel they’re deep enough. Also, is Nasty Ned Colletti going to now try to acquire a closer or other bullpen help in lieu of a power hitter or shortstop or leadoff guy? These are some of the huge questions facing the Dodgers going into the post All-Star break portion of their season. In spite of the fact Russell Martin feels the team should be left in tact and no moves need be made, Ned Colletti MUST do something NOW. Russell, you’re a fine player and you’re not going anywhere, but you couldn’t be wrongerer. If the Dodgers are going to win anything this year, they need to compensate for the lack of homers and doubles from their so-called big bats. Again, I’m talking about Kemp, Loney, Ethier, Kent and Jones. If you don’t get someone who can hit some doubles and HRs and drive in some freakin’ runs, you’re going to lose, lose, lose.
Yes, they have the lowest ERA in the NL but it’s not really a dominating staff. It’s no ’88 staff with Hershiser, Valenzuela, Tudor, et al. In the end, you have to score runs to win and they just don’t score enough runs. Colletti, you have 13 days…
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
I'm Growing Weaker...
I hate missing workouts. This is Day 4. If I don’t get in the gym tomorrow morning, I’ll go from looking and feeling like a somewhat fit, decently built ex-athlete to Don Knotts on his death bed. I know what you're thinking: “If you only had a fraction of Don Knotts' talent.” Speaking of talent, what an All Star Game last night! As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I’m a sucker for the Mid-Summer Classic and last night’s affair was not going to be the one to get me off of them. 15 innings, teams running out of pitchers, guys getting thrown out at the plate. It was great. I was also rather proud of the way Russell Martin played. Had the NL won, he’d have been a possible choice for MVP. Instead it went to J.D. Screw. Can’t stand him for what he did to the Dodgers, but I must admit, I never really thought he was that good, anyway… until he left the Blue and came to Boston. What was hard to take for me about the game were two things:
1) POOR FREAKIN DAN UGGLA! I mean I really felt for the Marlins second baseman. He’s a fine ballplayer, but he played like his glove, his bat , his shoes and his legs were all made of lead. First, in the- what was it? The 10th or 11th? – he grounds weakly into a double play with Martin, the go ahead run, on 3rd. Then he goes right out and boots an eye-high can of corn to his right, allowing the AL to get the lead runner on. Then the very next guy hits a sharp grounder right to him. But he’s back on his heels like a frightened Little Leaguer or high school JV sub who forgot his cup and it goes right through his legs! By this time, he wants to be anywhere but the Bronx, but NL (and Rockies) Manager, Clint Hurdle is out of infielders, so he’s there for the duration. The duration, however, it appears, will be a short one because all the AL needs is a fly ball to the outfield and they win. SOMEHOW, miraculously, the next three guys – I think it was Sizemore, Longoria and Kinsler – all hit infield grounders - the first two right to right to drawn in infielders Uggla and Guzman, the third, a slow roller to short on which Miguel Tejada made an outstanding play to get the final out. I was so relieved that Uggla, in spite of striking out, like, 3 times, got a reprieve and did not wind up single handedly losing the game for the National League. Why was I so relieved? Well, first of all, a performance like that can ruin a career. I mean, he might never have been the same again after looking so horrible on such a large scale. Secondly, I felt for him because, to an extent, I’ve been in his position. I played middle infield much of my illustrious career. (I finally ended up playing more 3rd because there was less time to think and thinking was often my enemy) Sometimes, once I screwed up, instead of saying to myself, “Ok, Steve, no problem, you’ll make the next one,” I’d feel so bad and so anxious, I couldn’t shake it off in time to right the ship. I could actually make myself believe I couldn’t catch the ball and subconsciously will the ball out of my glove or, when hitting, will it right past my bat into the opposing catcher’s mitt. I once made myself miss a pop fly with the bases loaded – a play that, during practice, I would often make behind my back. Well, in those instances, once I made my first error the ball would just find me and mock me. One error would lead to another would lead to another. I wanted to dig a hole in short right field and bury myself alive amongst the worms and the maggots or have myself airlifted out by a hovering chopper or, better still, pulled up into the tractor beam of an abduction-minded UFO, never to be heard from again. Anyway, glad they got out of the inning. Hope Dan’s gets his mojo back. Jesus! I mean, his dad was there seeing his son play at Yankee Stadium for the first time. Very sad and embarrassing.
2) Why would it have mattered so much to Uggla if he blew the game? Because of the inanely stupid significance that’s been attached to it. We talked about it earlier. They’re doing it, but I just don’t see how. You can’t give the winning league in an exhibition game that has no bearing on the standings and isn’t played with winning as the main objective , home field advantage in the World Series. It’s RIDICULOUS! If you’re going to do that, you have to make sure that the best players play most of the game, you can’t substitute as freely, you can no longer worry whether or not every team is represented and whether every member of the team gets playing time. Also, it should be managed by the manager of the team who, at the All Star break, has the best chance of making it to the World Series. Not Clint Hurdle whose team sucks this year. Bud Selig, if you don’t think fans will watch the game if there’s no significance to the season, then you haven’t done your job promoting the game or baseball in general. It’s a gathering of many of baseball’s finest players and it’s thrilling to watch. And if you can’t promote it, then find someone who can, but the way you have it now is just so damn stupid. I mean, let’s say Uggla DID blow the game? The Marlins are good, but they’re not likely to go to the Fall Classic. So some guy on the Marlins ruins the Cubs chance of having home field advantage IN THE world Series? Fans at Wrigley Field lose their first opportunity ever to see a Game 7 in the Friendly Confines because of something a player on another NL team did in an exhibition game in July? Gimme a freakin’ break.
Maple Bats: These bats are shattering like toothpicks every game. Shards and barrels and chunks are flying across the field, barely missing player’s faces, balls and jugulars. Maple bat shrapnel is flying into the stands and several fans have been severely injured. Yet, according to the Times , Bud Selig and the players are all confused as to what to do. Hmmm… here’s an idea… STOP USING THEM! Sorry, Canadian maple industry, but unless you can find a way to balance them properly - make the handles thicker or anything to stop the carnage, there’s going to be a serious accident. I’m talking gruesome death, here. Do we really have to wait for that one accident to occur? Besides, is ash really that bad? I think Hank Aaron and his cohorts all used ash and I seem to recall they hit a few home runs with it. Ash splinters. It tends not to kill people unless you’re using it for that purpose, like the Mafia does from time to time. Truth is, players always have to look for the latest thing to give them an edge and I understand maple is it right now, It’s a little lighter and the ball jumps off it a little more, but it’s too dangerous. Fix it or find something else, but for heaven’s sake, do it now.
Back to the Dodgers tomorrow.
1) POOR FREAKIN DAN UGGLA! I mean I really felt for the Marlins second baseman. He’s a fine ballplayer, but he played like his glove, his bat , his shoes and his legs were all made of lead. First, in the- what was it? The 10th or 11th? – he grounds weakly into a double play with Martin, the go ahead run, on 3rd. Then he goes right out and boots an eye-high can of corn to his right, allowing the AL to get the lead runner on. Then the very next guy hits a sharp grounder right to him. But he’s back on his heels like a frightened Little Leaguer or high school JV sub who forgot his cup and it goes right through his legs! By this time, he wants to be anywhere but the Bronx, but NL (and Rockies) Manager, Clint Hurdle is out of infielders, so he’s there for the duration. The duration, however, it appears, will be a short one because all the AL needs is a fly ball to the outfield and they win. SOMEHOW, miraculously, the next three guys – I think it was Sizemore, Longoria and Kinsler – all hit infield grounders - the first two right to right to drawn in infielders Uggla and Guzman, the third, a slow roller to short on which Miguel Tejada made an outstanding play to get the final out. I was so relieved that Uggla, in spite of striking out, like, 3 times, got a reprieve and did not wind up single handedly losing the game for the National League. Why was I so relieved? Well, first of all, a performance like that can ruin a career. I mean, he might never have been the same again after looking so horrible on such a large scale. Secondly, I felt for him because, to an extent, I’ve been in his position. I played middle infield much of my illustrious career. (I finally ended up playing more 3rd because there was less time to think and thinking was often my enemy) Sometimes, once I screwed up, instead of saying to myself, “Ok, Steve, no problem, you’ll make the next one,” I’d feel so bad and so anxious, I couldn’t shake it off in time to right the ship. I could actually make myself believe I couldn’t catch the ball and subconsciously will the ball out of my glove or, when hitting, will it right past my bat into the opposing catcher’s mitt. I once made myself miss a pop fly with the bases loaded – a play that, during practice, I would often make behind my back. Well, in those instances, once I made my first error the ball would just find me and mock me. One error would lead to another would lead to another. I wanted to dig a hole in short right field and bury myself alive amongst the worms and the maggots or have myself airlifted out by a hovering chopper or, better still, pulled up into the tractor beam of an abduction-minded UFO, never to be heard from again. Anyway, glad they got out of the inning. Hope Dan’s gets his mojo back. Jesus! I mean, his dad was there seeing his son play at Yankee Stadium for the first time. Very sad and embarrassing.
2) Why would it have mattered so much to Uggla if he blew the game? Because of the inanely stupid significance that’s been attached to it. We talked about it earlier. They’re doing it, but I just don’t see how. You can’t give the winning league in an exhibition game that has no bearing on the standings and isn’t played with winning as the main objective , home field advantage in the World Series. It’s RIDICULOUS! If you’re going to do that, you have to make sure that the best players play most of the game, you can’t substitute as freely, you can no longer worry whether or not every team is represented and whether every member of the team gets playing time. Also, it should be managed by the manager of the team who, at the All Star break, has the best chance of making it to the World Series. Not Clint Hurdle whose team sucks this year. Bud Selig, if you don’t think fans will watch the game if there’s no significance to the season, then you haven’t done your job promoting the game or baseball in general. It’s a gathering of many of baseball’s finest players and it’s thrilling to watch. And if you can’t promote it, then find someone who can, but the way you have it now is just so damn stupid. I mean, let’s say Uggla DID blow the game? The Marlins are good, but they’re not likely to go to the Fall Classic. So some guy on the Marlins ruins the Cubs chance of having home field advantage IN THE world Series? Fans at Wrigley Field lose their first opportunity ever to see a Game 7 in the Friendly Confines because of something a player on another NL team did in an exhibition game in July? Gimme a freakin’ break.
Maple Bats: These bats are shattering like toothpicks every game. Shards and barrels and chunks are flying across the field, barely missing player’s faces, balls and jugulars. Maple bat shrapnel is flying into the stands and several fans have been severely injured. Yet, according to the Times , Bud Selig and the players are all confused as to what to do. Hmmm… here’s an idea… STOP USING THEM! Sorry, Canadian maple industry, but unless you can find a way to balance them properly - make the handles thicker or anything to stop the carnage, there’s going to be a serious accident. I’m talking gruesome death, here. Do we really have to wait for that one accident to occur? Besides, is ash really that bad? I think Hank Aaron and his cohorts all used ash and I seem to recall they hit a few home runs with it. Ash splinters. It tends not to kill people unless you’re using it for that purpose, like the Mafia does from time to time. Truth is, players always have to look for the latest thing to give them an edge and I understand maple is it right now, It’s a little lighter and the ball jumps off it a little more, but it’s too dangerous. Fix it or find something else, but for heaven’s sake, do it now.
Back to the Dodgers tomorrow.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
The Beach
I’m kind of red, but more orange than red, I think. I was already pretty tanned. See, when you’re working on a pilot, you haven’t been paid yet but you still have to write daily, your part-time education job is over for the summer, you have a weird cough, you’re overwhelmed with problems, you have so many projects to work on you don’t know where to begin, so you simply choose not to begin, what better thing is there to do than waste an entire afternoon at the beach?
Makes me wish Andruw Jones would spend a few afternoons at the beach. Maybe even a few evenings at the beach – you know - having cookouts or something. After all, since he came off the DL, he’s been looking a little thin. Maybe a few wienies over a bonfire will help him to put some of that weight back on. Regain his power. Besides, he can drive in just as many runs at the beach as he can, playing.
Epic moments in this great game are few and far between, but when they happen, they’re special. Like no-hitters and perfect games and those rare games where a guy hits four homers. (Remember Shawn Green that day in Milwaukee?) And so I think Jones’ 5 strikeouts in last night's game against the Marlins should be a feat Ned Colletti and all those other GMs out there - meaning the millions of Dodger fans that Colletti feels should keep their mouths shut - should remember in their hearts and minds forever. Five K’s, folks. That’s one more than 4, so Matt Kemp can breathe a sigh of relief.
What do you do with Andruw Jones? All that money for all that stink. If you’ve been reading my blog, you no doubt know what I think. Make trades and bench him. Play Pee Wee Young and bench him. Basically, what I’m saying is, by not letting Jones play, he can’t be nearly as bad as he is when he’s actually ON THE FIELD. I don’t know. Just a thought.
So, Kemp’s been doing a little hitting and the won a game today after losing again last night? What did I say the other day? That the Fish would take 3 of 4? Hey. I’m not gloating. I wish it had gone the other way. Being right all the times is a burden. Besides, I want the team to win. They just can’t. Not with the players they have. And on top of that, they may have lost Takashi Saito for the remainder of the season. Not that there were that many save opportunities to begin with. But let’s talking about something positive. Chad Billingsley was great today. Jones only struck out once. Kemp hit the ball. They’re only a game out of first again. They can’t lose Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. Okay, that was it.
Now, I must take issue with people referring to this as the mid way point of the season. The midway point was over two weeks ago. Today was game 95 out of 162. They’re still 3 games below .500. Just clarifying.
Makes me wish Andruw Jones would spend a few afternoons at the beach. Maybe even a few evenings at the beach – you know - having cookouts or something. After all, since he came off the DL, he’s been looking a little thin. Maybe a few wienies over a bonfire will help him to put some of that weight back on. Regain his power. Besides, he can drive in just as many runs at the beach as he can, playing.
Epic moments in this great game are few and far between, but when they happen, they’re special. Like no-hitters and perfect games and those rare games where a guy hits four homers. (Remember Shawn Green that day in Milwaukee?) And so I think Jones’ 5 strikeouts in last night's game against the Marlins should be a feat Ned Colletti and all those other GMs out there - meaning the millions of Dodger fans that Colletti feels should keep their mouths shut - should remember in their hearts and minds forever. Five K’s, folks. That’s one more than 4, so Matt Kemp can breathe a sigh of relief.
What do you do with Andruw Jones? All that money for all that stink. If you’ve been reading my blog, you no doubt know what I think. Make trades and bench him. Play Pee Wee Young and bench him. Basically, what I’m saying is, by not letting Jones play, he can’t be nearly as bad as he is when he’s actually ON THE FIELD. I don’t know. Just a thought.
So, Kemp’s been doing a little hitting and the won a game today after losing again last night? What did I say the other day? That the Fish would take 3 of 4? Hey. I’m not gloating. I wish it had gone the other way. Being right all the times is a burden. Besides, I want the team to win. They just can’t. Not with the players they have. And on top of that, they may have lost Takashi Saito for the remainder of the season. Not that there were that many save opportunities to begin with. But let’s talking about something positive. Chad Billingsley was great today. Jones only struck out once. Kemp hit the ball. They’re only a game out of first again. They can’t lose Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. Okay, that was it.
Now, I must take issue with people referring to this as the mid way point of the season. The midway point was over two weeks ago. Today was game 95 out of 162. They’re still 3 games below .500. Just clarifying.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
We'd Be Better If We Had Some Pirates
My summer cough is back. Probably nothing but a little lung cancer, emphysema, severe asthma or sarcoidosis. Nothing to be concerned about. Getting in as much blogging as I can before I go into pulmonary edema and go gentle into that good night. Although, my friend, Johnny says I’m actually journaling more than blogging. So journaling it is.
Another night, another 5 hits for the Dodgers last night. BDTSM! (Boy, do they stink, man!) This time it was string bean rookie pitcher Chris Volstad who shut them down. It’s like he came down from Valhalla and mesmerized the Dodgers with his mystical Nordic ways. Tonight, it’ll be Ricky Nolasco (10 –4) who shuts them down with his mystical “I’m a big league pitcher and you guys simply can’t hit big league pitching” ways. Poor Matt Kemp. Not fair having 2 strikes on you before you even step in the batter’s box.
In today’s LA Times, Bill Shaikin writes about former Dodgers GM and former living being, the late Al Campanis and his famous book, “The Dodger Way to Play Baseball.” The book came out in ’54 and it was used to school the team for decades. It emphasized the fundamentals – advancing runners, bunting, stealing, hitting the ball the other way, making the plays in the field, etc. Shaikin believes that when O’Malley sold the team to Fox and the evil Rupert Murdoch in ’98, the book was either lost or stolen by Mike Scioscia and given to the Angels organization. The Dodgers simply don’t use it anymore. So, to those Dodger fans who are still preaching patience, saying this core of youngsters is still only in their second full year in the Majors, some of them in their first, and comparing them to the core of youngsters that the organization brought up in the early ‘70’s and how they ended up becoming an NL powerhouse with that group, I say… stop it. Different time, different type of players, different way of playing ball. I remember those guys. I knew those guys. Kemp, Loney, Martin and Ethier, you are no Garvey, Cey, Lopes, Russell, Buckner and Yeager. Those guys knew how to play the game the day they arrived at the Ravine, (Although I hate to include Martin in that group, because he does know how to play the game) So, cut it out, people. If they’re gonna win anything this year or the next or the next or the next, they’re going to need to make some big moves. That's all there is to it. Or, as my mom would say and still does from time to time, 'period, end of report.'
So, word has it, Matt Holliday hits like crap in Dodger Stadium. Somehow, once he’s in a Dodger uniform I think he’ll hit just fine, thank you, but okay, for the sake of argument, who else can we set our sites on? Well, as Kemp’s and Ethier’s trade values go south in a hurry, not much. Maybe they can at least TRY to acquire the entire Pittsburgh Pirates outfield of Jason Bay, Nate McLouth and Xavier Nady and shortstop Jack Wilson for Kemp, Ethier, LaRoche, Loney or Lowe and single A catcher, Carlos Santana. That would give Pittsburgh two very young, hopeful outfielders and a third baseman, none of whom will be going anywhere for a while, a first baseman who can hit, who they desperately need, and some pitching and a prospect. Meanwhile for the Dodgers, Nady, who hits for power and average, can play first base. They’d have a great young leadoff hitter and power hitter in McLouth. You can move the awful Andruw Jones to right. Put power hitting Jason Bay in left. Wilson at short. You’d have to hope Penny and/or Schmidt came back strong, but you’d still have a fairly young team that could actually score runs. And if the Bucs insist on Kershaw, then don’t give ‘em Loney and Lowe. Anyway, just a wild fantasy. Kind of like the chances of them winning tonight.
Another night, another 5 hits for the Dodgers last night. BDTSM! (Boy, do they stink, man!) This time it was string bean rookie pitcher Chris Volstad who shut them down. It’s like he came down from Valhalla and mesmerized the Dodgers with his mystical Nordic ways. Tonight, it’ll be Ricky Nolasco (10 –4) who shuts them down with his mystical “I’m a big league pitcher and you guys simply can’t hit big league pitching” ways. Poor Matt Kemp. Not fair having 2 strikes on you before you even step in the batter’s box.
In today’s LA Times, Bill Shaikin writes about former Dodgers GM and former living being, the late Al Campanis and his famous book, “The Dodger Way to Play Baseball.” The book came out in ’54 and it was used to school the team for decades. It emphasized the fundamentals – advancing runners, bunting, stealing, hitting the ball the other way, making the plays in the field, etc. Shaikin believes that when O’Malley sold the team to Fox and the evil Rupert Murdoch in ’98, the book was either lost or stolen by Mike Scioscia and given to the Angels organization. The Dodgers simply don’t use it anymore. So, to those Dodger fans who are still preaching patience, saying this core of youngsters is still only in their second full year in the Majors, some of them in their first, and comparing them to the core of youngsters that the organization brought up in the early ‘70’s and how they ended up becoming an NL powerhouse with that group, I say… stop it. Different time, different type of players, different way of playing ball. I remember those guys. I knew those guys. Kemp, Loney, Martin and Ethier, you are no Garvey, Cey, Lopes, Russell, Buckner and Yeager. Those guys knew how to play the game the day they arrived at the Ravine, (Although I hate to include Martin in that group, because he does know how to play the game) So, cut it out, people. If they’re gonna win anything this year or the next or the next or the next, they’re going to need to make some big moves. That's all there is to it. Or, as my mom would say and still does from time to time, 'period, end of report.'
So, word has it, Matt Holliday hits like crap in Dodger Stadium. Somehow, once he’s in a Dodger uniform I think he’ll hit just fine, thank you, but okay, for the sake of argument, who else can we set our sites on? Well, as Kemp’s and Ethier’s trade values go south in a hurry, not much. Maybe they can at least TRY to acquire the entire Pittsburgh Pirates outfield of Jason Bay, Nate McLouth and Xavier Nady and shortstop Jack Wilson for Kemp, Ethier, LaRoche, Loney or Lowe and single A catcher, Carlos Santana. That would give Pittsburgh two very young, hopeful outfielders and a third baseman, none of whom will be going anywhere for a while, a first baseman who can hit, who they desperately need, and some pitching and a prospect. Meanwhile for the Dodgers, Nady, who hits for power and average, can play first base. They’d have a great young leadoff hitter and power hitter in McLouth. You can move the awful Andruw Jones to right. Put power hitting Jason Bay in left. Wilson at short. You’d have to hope Penny and/or Schmidt came back strong, but you’d still have a fairly young team that could actually score runs. And if the Bucs insist on Kershaw, then don’t give ‘em Loney and Lowe. Anyway, just a wild fantasy. Kind of like the chances of them winning tonight.
Friday, July 11, 2008
See Ya, Ned! ... Unless...
Anybody want to trade professions? I’ll be a bean counter or a dentist or maybe even a real writer and you can write a TV pilot and have to deal with the egos and the bullshit.
Speaking of changing professions, according to the LA Times’ Bill Plaschke, (and me) Dodgers’ GM Ned Colletti may be having to switch up his job title in the coming weeks. After an interview with owner Frank McCourt, Plaschke feels that Colletti has a rather tenuous hold on his job, depending on what he can arrange before the July 31st trading deadline. I’d like to believe this, but I’m dubious. My feeling has always been that winning is not McCourt’s priority and as bad and unlucky as Colletti has been (it’s as if he’s perfected the ideal mix of dog crap and mud) I don’t think McCourt really cares too much whether they win or not. Like I’ve been saying, I guess we’ll find out in the next few weeks. My guess is the 100 – 120 million McCourt is shelling out for bad contracts is something he can afford and still turn a hefty profit. But when it comes to getting another two or three guys to win this thing, his profit shrinks too much for his comfort level. Word has it that the reason Colletti didn’t pull the trigger on a Sabathia deal was the money. This info was evidently leaked internally from someone in the Dodgers front office.
In Plaschke’s article today, he indicates that the core of youngsters – Kemp, Ethier, Loney – are showing some disrespect for the coaches who are trying to get them to improve. If this is true, this isn’t good. Apparently, they’re just not taking instruction well. You don’t have to expend your imagination to figure out that Kemp, Loney and Ethier are the chief culprits. Loney could be so damn good if he just stopped swinging at horrible pitches and Kemp could be so good if he just got an IQ about a hundred points higher. (baseball IQ, anyway) Ethier strikes me as having a touch of arrogance and tude. I think DeWitt and Martin are exempt from this type of criticism. They’re hard working gamers who listen to their coaches with bated breath. The others? Not so much. Remember when I discussed why these guys aren’t improving? That’s why. Torre, Larry Bowa, Mattingly, Honeycutt, Mota, Duncan have nothing to teach these guys. They’re too good. Ned, you have 20 days.
So, Park has an awful outing. He was due. Hong Chi Kuo has been a godsend. They actually came back last night from a 3 run deficit to tie the Fish. But Andruw Jones struck out yet again with the winning run in scoring position and Brian Falkenborg coughed up the game winner in the 11th to the great Hanley Ramirez. Why can’t we have a Hanley Ramirez? WHY, WHY, OH WHY, IS BRIAN FALKENBORG PITCHING IN THE BIG LEAGUES???? The Marlins are clearly a better team than the Dodgers and should win at least 3 of 4 in the series. Care to compare the bargain basement fish with the PRICEY Dodgers position by position? Let's do it. 1st base: Mike Jacobs vs. James Loney. Jacobs has some amazing pop, but his batting average sucks and he he’s not the fielder Loney is. I’ll take Loney. 2nd base. Dan Uggla vs. Jeff Kent. At this point in their careers, there’s no question. Hands down, Uggla. He’s great. Power, average. RBI’s, great glove. 3rd base; Jorge Cantu vs. Blake DeWitt or La Roche or Nomar. Cantu, hands down. Not a great glove, but hitting about .288 right now with a bunch of homers and RBIs. He’s always hit. Great acquisition for Florida. Shortstop. Please. Hanley Ramirez could be the best player in baseball at this point. Almost 50 RBI from the leadoff spot. A ton of HRs and he’s hitting better than .300. Amazing glove. Why can’t we have Hanley Ramirez? Left Field: Etheir/JuanPierre vs. Josh Willingham. No contest again. Willingham and superstardom are on a fast track toward a collision. The guy hits for power, for average and he’s a converted catcher and a smarter player. Centerfield: Cody Ross/Jacques Jones/Alfredo Amezaga vs. Andruw Jones. I’ll take any one of those guys over Andruw Jones right now. I'll take their moms over Andruw Jones right now. Especially Cody Ross whom the Dodgers let go for a song. He’s been great. Right field: Jeremy Hermida vs. Matt Kemp. Two similar players. Both very highly touted and neither one performing to their estimated capabilities. I'm leaning toward Hermida. Smarter with more pop. Catcher; Matt Treanor/John Baker vs. Russell Martin. No contest Martin in a heartbeat. Starting pitching: It’s close, but I’ll take Billingsley, Lowe, Kuroda, Park, Penny & Stults over Ricky Nolasco, Andrew Miller, Scott Olsen, Josh Johnson, Mark Hendrickson and this Volstad kid who’s going tonight. It’s close, though. Nolasco’s great, as it turns out. Bullpen: It’s a draw. I know lots of Dodger fans may think the combination of Kuo, Beimel, Broxton and Saito are better than the Marlins pen, but… they’re not. Remember we also have Corey Wade, Ramone Troncoso and Brian Falkenborg. And, unfortunately, Torre uses them. Bench: Luis Gonzales, Jones, Amezaga et al are simply better role players than the Dodgers have on the bench. Injuries have certainly hurt, but the Dodgers bench stinks badly. In short, everything combined, the Marlins are a much better ball club while being about 50 to 60 million bucks cheaper. Nice. Stults vs. Volstad in half an hour.
Speaking of changing professions, according to the LA Times’ Bill Plaschke, (and me) Dodgers’ GM Ned Colletti may be having to switch up his job title in the coming weeks. After an interview with owner Frank McCourt, Plaschke feels that Colletti has a rather tenuous hold on his job, depending on what he can arrange before the July 31st trading deadline. I’d like to believe this, but I’m dubious. My feeling has always been that winning is not McCourt’s priority and as bad and unlucky as Colletti has been (it’s as if he’s perfected the ideal mix of dog crap and mud) I don’t think McCourt really cares too much whether they win or not. Like I’ve been saying, I guess we’ll find out in the next few weeks. My guess is the 100 – 120 million McCourt is shelling out for bad contracts is something he can afford and still turn a hefty profit. But when it comes to getting another two or three guys to win this thing, his profit shrinks too much for his comfort level. Word has it that the reason Colletti didn’t pull the trigger on a Sabathia deal was the money. This info was evidently leaked internally from someone in the Dodgers front office.
In Plaschke’s article today, he indicates that the core of youngsters – Kemp, Ethier, Loney – are showing some disrespect for the coaches who are trying to get them to improve. If this is true, this isn’t good. Apparently, they’re just not taking instruction well. You don’t have to expend your imagination to figure out that Kemp, Loney and Ethier are the chief culprits. Loney could be so damn good if he just stopped swinging at horrible pitches and Kemp could be so good if he just got an IQ about a hundred points higher. (baseball IQ, anyway) Ethier strikes me as having a touch of arrogance and tude. I think DeWitt and Martin are exempt from this type of criticism. They’re hard working gamers who listen to their coaches with bated breath. The others? Not so much. Remember when I discussed why these guys aren’t improving? That’s why. Torre, Larry Bowa, Mattingly, Honeycutt, Mota, Duncan have nothing to teach these guys. They’re too good. Ned, you have 20 days.
So, Park has an awful outing. He was due. Hong Chi Kuo has been a godsend. They actually came back last night from a 3 run deficit to tie the Fish. But Andruw Jones struck out yet again with the winning run in scoring position and Brian Falkenborg coughed up the game winner in the 11th to the great Hanley Ramirez. Why can’t we have a Hanley Ramirez? WHY, WHY, OH WHY, IS BRIAN FALKENBORG PITCHING IN THE BIG LEAGUES???? The Marlins are clearly a better team than the Dodgers and should win at least 3 of 4 in the series. Care to compare the bargain basement fish with the PRICEY Dodgers position by position? Let's do it. 1st base: Mike Jacobs vs. James Loney. Jacobs has some amazing pop, but his batting average sucks and he he’s not the fielder Loney is. I’ll take Loney. 2nd base. Dan Uggla vs. Jeff Kent. At this point in their careers, there’s no question. Hands down, Uggla. He’s great. Power, average. RBI’s, great glove. 3rd base; Jorge Cantu vs. Blake DeWitt or La Roche or Nomar. Cantu, hands down. Not a great glove, but hitting about .288 right now with a bunch of homers and RBIs. He’s always hit. Great acquisition for Florida. Shortstop. Please. Hanley Ramirez could be the best player in baseball at this point. Almost 50 RBI from the leadoff spot. A ton of HRs and he’s hitting better than .300. Amazing glove. Why can’t we have Hanley Ramirez? Left Field: Etheir/JuanPierre vs. Josh Willingham. No contest again. Willingham and superstardom are on a fast track toward a collision. The guy hits for power, for average and he’s a converted catcher and a smarter player. Centerfield: Cody Ross/Jacques Jones/Alfredo Amezaga vs. Andruw Jones. I’ll take any one of those guys over Andruw Jones right now. I'll take their moms over Andruw Jones right now. Especially Cody Ross whom the Dodgers let go for a song. He’s been great. Right field: Jeremy Hermida vs. Matt Kemp. Two similar players. Both very highly touted and neither one performing to their estimated capabilities. I'm leaning toward Hermida. Smarter with more pop. Catcher; Matt Treanor/John Baker vs. Russell Martin. No contest Martin in a heartbeat. Starting pitching: It’s close, but I’ll take Billingsley, Lowe, Kuroda, Park, Penny & Stults over Ricky Nolasco, Andrew Miller, Scott Olsen, Josh Johnson, Mark Hendrickson and this Volstad kid who’s going tonight. It’s close, though. Nolasco’s great, as it turns out. Bullpen: It’s a draw. I know lots of Dodger fans may think the combination of Kuo, Beimel, Broxton and Saito are better than the Marlins pen, but… they’re not. Remember we also have Corey Wade, Ramone Troncoso and Brian Falkenborg. And, unfortunately, Torre uses them. Bench: Luis Gonzales, Jones, Amezaga et al are simply better role players than the Dodgers have on the bench. Injuries have certainly hurt, but the Dodgers bench stinks badly. In short, everything combined, the Marlins are a much better ball club while being about 50 to 60 million bucks cheaper. Nice. Stults vs. Volstad in half an hour.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Fire That Fox Prime Ticket Director!
I told you so… but I was wrong. The Braves scored a run and the Dodgers and Derek Lowe still won the game, 2-1. A rare homer by Matt Kemp and a rare RBI (his 9th!!!) from Andruw Jones and the Blue are back in a flat-footed tie with Arizona for first place.
Do I need to say it again? This team needs a bat. Their starting pitching has been phenomenal. Best in the league. During this last series alone, all 3 pitchers had perfect games or no hitters through the first 4 innings. Kuroda had a perfecto through 7 and Lowe had one through 6, I believe. In spite of the loss, I actually think Billingsley pitched quite well before giving up the 3 run double to Escobar. BUT…
… THEY WILL NOT WIN ANYTHING unless they acquire a bat and a leadoff hitter. (Maybe that leadoff hitter will be Juan Pierre’s return in a month – if he returns.) Their pitching is good, but not good enough to win a playoff game against a fortified Cubs, Brewers, Mets or Phillies lineup. Frankly, they’ll have a difficult time even winning the West with the team they have.
Everyone’s favorite cliché this time of year is, “sometimes the best deal is no deal at all.” I fervently disagree. Matt Kemp and Andruw Jones will have to become big home run hitters in a big hurry for me to change my mind. I really don’t see that happening. They need someone in the 4 hole who’s better than Jeff Kent, pure and simple. They need someone in the 3 hole who’s got more pop than James Loney or Russell Martin. Otherwise, they just won’t score enough runs. Ned, you have 21 days.
Let’s talk a little about one of my favorite nuances about baseball: the superstition. Chalk lines are not stepped on by most players. Filthy hats are worn day in and day out if the player has been successful when wearing it. Most players would continue wearing urine stained pants if they were wearing them when a losing streak or hitting slump was broken. When someone is throwing a no hitter, no one is supposed to mention it on the field or talk to the pitcher about it. Announcers really aren’t supposed to mention it until after the 5th inning. During a no hitter, you don’t change anything about the way the game is approached until at such time that the first hit is allowed. The other night Hiroki Kuroda was pitching a perfect game. Vin Scully was delivering on-the-fly poetry as he announced this gem. It was the top of the 8th inning. Every single pitch Kuroda had thrown had been shown to viewers from the centerfield camera. Those who have watched baseball over the years have all grown used to and extremely comfortable with that straight on, centerfield camera shot. So, it’s 2 and 2 to Mark Teixiera, Scully describes the Braves outfield defense and the idiot director decides to switch to the overhead camera for the next pitch. What happens? Teixiera promptly lines a slider down the right field line for a double, ending the perfect game, the no hitter and almost the shutout. No doubt people who are reading this might say, “Steve, do you really think that it was the director’s decision to show that pitch from a different camera that caused the perfect game to be ruined?” In a word, yes. You don’t change ANYTHING in the middle of a perfect game.
Do I need to say it again? This team needs a bat. Their starting pitching has been phenomenal. Best in the league. During this last series alone, all 3 pitchers had perfect games or no hitters through the first 4 innings. Kuroda had a perfecto through 7 and Lowe had one through 6, I believe. In spite of the loss, I actually think Billingsley pitched quite well before giving up the 3 run double to Escobar. BUT…
… THEY WILL NOT WIN ANYTHING unless they acquire a bat and a leadoff hitter. (Maybe that leadoff hitter will be Juan Pierre’s return in a month – if he returns.) Their pitching is good, but not good enough to win a playoff game against a fortified Cubs, Brewers, Mets or Phillies lineup. Frankly, they’ll have a difficult time even winning the West with the team they have.
Everyone’s favorite cliché this time of year is, “sometimes the best deal is no deal at all.” I fervently disagree. Matt Kemp and Andruw Jones will have to become big home run hitters in a big hurry for me to change my mind. I really don’t see that happening. They need someone in the 4 hole who’s better than Jeff Kent, pure and simple. They need someone in the 3 hole who’s got more pop than James Loney or Russell Martin. Otherwise, they just won’t score enough runs. Ned, you have 21 days.
Let’s talk a little about one of my favorite nuances about baseball: the superstition. Chalk lines are not stepped on by most players. Filthy hats are worn day in and day out if the player has been successful when wearing it. Most players would continue wearing urine stained pants if they were wearing them when a losing streak or hitting slump was broken. When someone is throwing a no hitter, no one is supposed to mention it on the field or talk to the pitcher about it. Announcers really aren’t supposed to mention it until after the 5th inning. During a no hitter, you don’t change anything about the way the game is approached until at such time that the first hit is allowed. The other night Hiroki Kuroda was pitching a perfect game. Vin Scully was delivering on-the-fly poetry as he announced this gem. It was the top of the 8th inning. Every single pitch Kuroda had thrown had been shown to viewers from the centerfield camera. Those who have watched baseball over the years have all grown used to and extremely comfortable with that straight on, centerfield camera shot. So, it’s 2 and 2 to Mark Teixiera, Scully describes the Braves outfield defense and the idiot director decides to switch to the overhead camera for the next pitch. What happens? Teixiera promptly lines a slider down the right field line for a double, ending the perfect game, the no hitter and almost the shutout. No doubt people who are reading this might say, “Steve, do you really think that it was the director’s decision to show that pitch from a different camera that caused the perfect game to be ruined?” In a word, yes. You don’t change ANYTHING in the middle of a perfect game.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
4's A Charm For Kemp
Well, back in 2nd place a game behind the Snakes. Twnty-two more days to determine whether or not Ned Colletti and Frank McCourt have the huevos rancheros to do anything significant in making the Dodgers a pennant contender. My guess is they don’t, but I’m hoping they surprise me. Word has it Colletti’s quest for light hitting Pittsburgh shortstop, Jack Wilson has foundered. I still say they need to try to get Christian Guzman from the Nationals, but what they need most is a power hitter as I’ve mentioned on numerous occasions. Is Matt Kemp’s trade value plummeting along with his batting average and power numbers? Of course it is. Now that these guys – Kemp, Loney, Ethier, DeWitt, Broxton, Kershaw – are getting more and more playing time with only mixed results, their trade value is taking a huge hit. So, act now or lose for another year or two or three or four. Depends on their level of commitment and their level of stupidity.
After their painful 9-3 loss to Atlanta yesterday, in which they barely made contact – a few hits including a lucky “excuse me” double by Loney, a couple of singles by the all-powerful Andruw Jones and 4 – count ‘em 4 - K’s by Matt Kemp – a light bulb finally appeared over someone’s head and they’ve decided to “reassign” optimistic but ineffective hitting coach, Mike Easler. Donny Baseball (Mattingly) has finally agreed to do the job he was hired to do and join the team. (He was having some personal issues which, believe me, I can relate with) Can Mattingly restore Kemp’s power and confidence? Can he fix Andruw Jones? Who knows? All I know is other contenders are starting to make huge moves. By acquiring Oakland A’s ace, Rich Harden yesterday, the Cubs may have made themselves all but unbeatable. Zambrano, Harden and Dempster followed by Lily and Marquis is a scary prospect for opposing clubs. It seems like the Cubs traded next to nothing for the two pitchers, Harden and Chad Gaudin. Young starter, Sean Gallagher, infielder/outfielder Eric Patterson, outfielder Matt Murton and a catching prospect. Then, of course, the day before the Brew Crew landed Sabathia. I read today that the Dodgers were trying hard to get Sabathia from Cleveland, but apparently the Tribe wanted too much in return. I wonder who they wanted? (Don’t you think the fans should be made aware of exactly what the other team wanted when a trade doesn’t go through? I do.) The only Dodgers I’d refuse to part with at this point are Kershaw, Billingsley, Martin (has anyone besides me noticed how awful he’s been defensively this year?) and maybe Loney unless they could get a power hitting first baseman who can also hit for average. I like Ethier, and he does lead the team in home runs, but I’m not sure what his talent ceiling is. It doesn’t seem as high as the others but I could be wrong. I love DeWitt, and I love his plate presence and intelligence and I think he’s going to be a truly good ballplayer, but is he not expendable? Let’s put it this way: I don’t think he’ll ever be a David Wright or a Mike Lowell. In short, in order to get something, you have to part with something. Unless, evidently, you’re the GM for the Cubbies.
I was on Dodger talk last night. I really like the two guys who host it – Josh Suchon and Ken Levine. They’re honest and they don’t toe the company line the way the old guard did. And it’s great that there’s no more A. Martinez. (The “A” stood for arrogant) He knew nothing and acted like he knew everything. I still miss Ross Porter, but these two guys are the best.
Random thought: Why are Corey Wade and Ramon Trancoso in the big leagues?
Another tough game tonight at the Ravine with Tim Hudson going against Lowe. Every game is tough when your team can't hit, but when you have to go up against an ace like Hudson, it becomes nearly impossible. Lowe better not give up a run if they're going to win. As always, hope I'm wrong.
I don’t care how close they are to first place, if the Dodgers continue to commit to THIS group of youngsters and don’t make at least one HUGE change, they will continue to run in place. Colletti gripes because there are too many armchair GM’s out there who think they can do a better job than him. Stop griping and prove you’re better, dummy. So far, you stink.
After their painful 9-3 loss to Atlanta yesterday, in which they barely made contact – a few hits including a lucky “excuse me” double by Loney, a couple of singles by the all-powerful Andruw Jones and 4 – count ‘em 4 - K’s by Matt Kemp – a light bulb finally appeared over someone’s head and they’ve decided to “reassign” optimistic but ineffective hitting coach, Mike Easler. Donny Baseball (Mattingly) has finally agreed to do the job he was hired to do and join the team. (He was having some personal issues which, believe me, I can relate with) Can Mattingly restore Kemp’s power and confidence? Can he fix Andruw Jones? Who knows? All I know is other contenders are starting to make huge moves. By acquiring Oakland A’s ace, Rich Harden yesterday, the Cubs may have made themselves all but unbeatable. Zambrano, Harden and Dempster followed by Lily and Marquis is a scary prospect for opposing clubs. It seems like the Cubs traded next to nothing for the two pitchers, Harden and Chad Gaudin. Young starter, Sean Gallagher, infielder/outfielder Eric Patterson, outfielder Matt Murton and a catching prospect. Then, of course, the day before the Brew Crew landed Sabathia. I read today that the Dodgers were trying hard to get Sabathia from Cleveland, but apparently the Tribe wanted too much in return. I wonder who they wanted? (Don’t you think the fans should be made aware of exactly what the other team wanted when a trade doesn’t go through? I do.) The only Dodgers I’d refuse to part with at this point are Kershaw, Billingsley, Martin (has anyone besides me noticed how awful he’s been defensively this year?) and maybe Loney unless they could get a power hitting first baseman who can also hit for average. I like Ethier, and he does lead the team in home runs, but I’m not sure what his talent ceiling is. It doesn’t seem as high as the others but I could be wrong. I love DeWitt, and I love his plate presence and intelligence and I think he’s going to be a truly good ballplayer, but is he not expendable? Let’s put it this way: I don’t think he’ll ever be a David Wright or a Mike Lowell. In short, in order to get something, you have to part with something. Unless, evidently, you’re the GM for the Cubbies.
I was on Dodger talk last night. I really like the two guys who host it – Josh Suchon and Ken Levine. They’re honest and they don’t toe the company line the way the old guard did. And it’s great that there’s no more A. Martinez. (The “A” stood for arrogant) He knew nothing and acted like he knew everything. I still miss Ross Porter, but these two guys are the best.
Random thought: Why are Corey Wade and Ramon Trancoso in the big leagues?
Another tough game tonight at the Ravine with Tim Hudson going against Lowe. Every game is tough when your team can't hit, but when you have to go up against an ace like Hudson, it becomes nearly impossible. Lowe better not give up a run if they're going to win. As always, hope I'm wrong.
I don’t care how close they are to first place, if the Dodgers continue to commit to THIS group of youngsters and don’t make at least one HUGE change, they will continue to run in place. Colletti gripes because there are too many armchair GM’s out there who think they can do a better job than him. Stop griping and prove you’re better, dummy. So far, you stink.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
My Dream Trade...
Ya ever wake up nervous and even though there are a million reasons to be nervous, you’re not sure which one or ones is responsible for your nervousness? I think it’s called being in the TV and film industry. The Flintstones is on Boomerang and that, along with the solace that the Dodgers are tied for first place now, only a game under .500 soothes me… slightly. Just the sound of Fred and Barney yelling in the background gives me a sense of comfort. It’s the one where Wilma gets a job as the Happy Housewife for Rockenspiel and has to go on a TV cooking show while Fred starves at home. For Flintstones aficionados, the first 4 seasons are the best. After that, the animation got cheaper and the aesthetics took a dive.
Well, I guess we saw which Hiroki Kuroda showed up last night. What a performance! It was the best pitched game I’ve seen by a Dodger pitcher in years. Better, even, than Nomo’s no no in Colorado in ’96. Kuroda, with the exception of the fastball he got up to Texiera in the 8th, was unhittable. Now, as long as Brad Penny stays away, we may actually have a chance at this thing.
Chad Billingsley, clearly the team’s new ace (as I predicted he’d be – not a hard prediction) goes up against Jair Jurrgens tonight. Jurrgens shut the Blue down in April and, the way the Dodger bats looked last night, (they managed only 5 hits of their own) there’s no reason to believe he won’t do it again tonight. However, they do have a little momentum and the Braves, who normally own the Dodgers no matter where they play, have been awful on the road. Brandon Webb goes against a weak DC Nationals team and lefty, Odalis Perez. Remember him? One night, when he was a Dodger, I saw him standing outside a nightclub the night before he had to pitch. I said, “Odalis, what are you doing out so late? You gotta pitch tomorrow.” He looked and sounded a little inebriated when he responded, “I’ll be okay.” He wasn’t. He got knocked out before the 4th inning. Needless to say, the match up is in the DBacks’ favor and they should remain at least tied for 1st for one more day.
Gotta love what Brewers’ owner Mark Attanasio is doing. He knows they’re going to lose ace Ben Sheets to free agency after the season (not a bad guy for the Blue to sign) and their only chance of winning anything is THIS YEAR. So, he parts with some prospects and rents CC Sabathia (Sabathia has already said he's going to test the free agent market after the season, so he'll be gone too) for the second half of the season in an attempt to win NOW. Why? Because he says it’s been too long since Milwaukee has won anything and the fans deserve a winner. Wonder if Ned Colletti read that. Sure the Dodgers could’ve used Sabathia, but believe it or not, starting pitching is not their biggest problem. They need 1) a power hitter, 2) a leadoff hitter, 3) a viable shortstop. But according to Colletti, his first priority is getting a shortstop. That’s why I should be GM over him, because he’s an idiot. (Although Kuroda made him look pretty smart last night) A Jack Wilson from Pittsburgh or a David Eckstein from Toronto, both of whom I like very much, will help but will not ensure them a playoff spot. They need a freakin’ POWER HITTER. When your cleanup hitter is 40+ year-old Jeff Kent, who’s lost most of his power and bat speed, you’re in big trouble. Even if a miracle happens and Andruw Jones (who has lost a lot of weight by the way. Good for him.) returns to his old form, they still need a big bat. Now, because Nomar WILL hurt himself again and Kemp is no leadoff hitter, you still need a shortstop and table setter. But a power hitter should be their priority.
Heard an interview with hitting coach, Mike Easler on KABC on Sunday. Seems like a great, positive guy. He was saying how much better Kemp's swing looks. Is he kidding? THE MAN HAS LOST ALL HIS POWER!! My dream trade? Matt Kemp, Andy LaRoche, Delwynn Young, Brad Penny or Derek Lowe & Scott Elbert to Colorado for Matt Holliday and Garret Atkins. Then work on turning Blake DeWitt into a second baseman. THAT will give them the West and a shot at winning the pennant.
Every potential playoff contender and most teams in general have 3, 4 and 5 hitters who can hit the crap out of the ball except the Dodgers. Examples? The Mets – Wright, Beltran, Delgado. Philly – Utley, Howard, Burrell. Cubs – Fukudome, Lee, Ramirez. Cards – Pujols, Ludwick, Glaus or Ankiel. Brewers – Braun, Fielder, Hart. Marlins – Cantu, Willingham, Jacobs. (For some reason, their best hitter, Hanley Ramirez, leads off) DBacks - Byrnes, Upton, Reynolds. Rockies – Holliday, Hawpe, Atkins. Bosox – Drew, Ramirez, Big Papi. Yankees – Abreu, A Rod, Matsui. Tigers – Guillen, Ordonez, Cabrera. Rangers – Hamilton, Bradley, Murphy. Rays – Pena, Longoria, Floyd. Houston – Berkman, Lee, Tejada, and the list goes on.
Dodgers - Martin, Kent, Loney???? That’s 25 homers combined. Throw in Kemp’s 7, Ethier’s 10 and Jones’ 2, you have 44 home runs from the middle of your lineup. That’s 19 home runs more than Chase Utley has. Again, the Dodgers priority should be acquiring a power hitter. (and NOT Adam Dunn)
Well, I guess we saw which Hiroki Kuroda showed up last night. What a performance! It was the best pitched game I’ve seen by a Dodger pitcher in years. Better, even, than Nomo’s no no in Colorado in ’96. Kuroda, with the exception of the fastball he got up to Texiera in the 8th, was unhittable. Now, as long as Brad Penny stays away, we may actually have a chance at this thing.
Chad Billingsley, clearly the team’s new ace (as I predicted he’d be – not a hard prediction) goes up against Jair Jurrgens tonight. Jurrgens shut the Blue down in April and, the way the Dodger bats looked last night, (they managed only 5 hits of their own) there’s no reason to believe he won’t do it again tonight. However, they do have a little momentum and the Braves, who normally own the Dodgers no matter where they play, have been awful on the road. Brandon Webb goes against a weak DC Nationals team and lefty, Odalis Perez. Remember him? One night, when he was a Dodger, I saw him standing outside a nightclub the night before he had to pitch. I said, “Odalis, what are you doing out so late? You gotta pitch tomorrow.” He looked and sounded a little inebriated when he responded, “I’ll be okay.” He wasn’t. He got knocked out before the 4th inning. Needless to say, the match up is in the DBacks’ favor and they should remain at least tied for 1st for one more day.
Gotta love what Brewers’ owner Mark Attanasio is doing. He knows they’re going to lose ace Ben Sheets to free agency after the season (not a bad guy for the Blue to sign) and their only chance of winning anything is THIS YEAR. So, he parts with some prospects and rents CC Sabathia (Sabathia has already said he's going to test the free agent market after the season, so he'll be gone too) for the second half of the season in an attempt to win NOW. Why? Because he says it’s been too long since Milwaukee has won anything and the fans deserve a winner. Wonder if Ned Colletti read that. Sure the Dodgers could’ve used Sabathia, but believe it or not, starting pitching is not their biggest problem. They need 1) a power hitter, 2) a leadoff hitter, 3) a viable shortstop. But according to Colletti, his first priority is getting a shortstop. That’s why I should be GM over him, because he’s an idiot. (Although Kuroda made him look pretty smart last night) A Jack Wilson from Pittsburgh or a David Eckstein from Toronto, both of whom I like very much, will help but will not ensure them a playoff spot. They need a freakin’ POWER HITTER. When your cleanup hitter is 40+ year-old Jeff Kent, who’s lost most of his power and bat speed, you’re in big trouble. Even if a miracle happens and Andruw Jones (who has lost a lot of weight by the way. Good for him.) returns to his old form, they still need a big bat. Now, because Nomar WILL hurt himself again and Kemp is no leadoff hitter, you still need a shortstop and table setter. But a power hitter should be their priority.
Heard an interview with hitting coach, Mike Easler on KABC on Sunday. Seems like a great, positive guy. He was saying how much better Kemp's swing looks. Is he kidding? THE MAN HAS LOST ALL HIS POWER!! My dream trade? Matt Kemp, Andy LaRoche, Delwynn Young, Brad Penny or Derek Lowe & Scott Elbert to Colorado for Matt Holliday and Garret Atkins. Then work on turning Blake DeWitt into a second baseman. THAT will give them the West and a shot at winning the pennant.
Every potential playoff contender and most teams in general have 3, 4 and 5 hitters who can hit the crap out of the ball except the Dodgers. Examples? The Mets – Wright, Beltran, Delgado. Philly – Utley, Howard, Burrell. Cubs – Fukudome, Lee, Ramirez. Cards – Pujols, Ludwick, Glaus or Ankiel. Brewers – Braun, Fielder, Hart. Marlins – Cantu, Willingham, Jacobs. (For some reason, their best hitter, Hanley Ramirez, leads off) DBacks - Byrnes, Upton, Reynolds. Rockies – Holliday, Hawpe, Atkins. Bosox – Drew, Ramirez, Big Papi. Yankees – Abreu, A Rod, Matsui. Tigers – Guillen, Ordonez, Cabrera. Rangers – Hamilton, Bradley, Murphy. Rays – Pena, Longoria, Floyd. Houston – Berkman, Lee, Tejada, and the list goes on.
Dodgers - Martin, Kent, Loney???? That’s 25 homers combined. Throw in Kemp’s 7, Ethier’s 10 and Jones’ 2, you have 44 home runs from the middle of your lineup. That’s 19 home runs more than Chase Utley has. Again, the Dodgers priority should be acquiring a power hitter. (and NOT Adam Dunn)
Monday, July 7, 2008
They're Into The Game! They're Into The Game!
In my business, nothing ever happens on Monday. And especially around holidays. People love to take time off. The entire industry’s mindset goes something like this: “It's the 4th of July on Friday, so let’s take off Wednesday the 2nd and come back… I dunno, how about Thursday the 17th? Half day Friday then we get right back to work on Monday the 21st.”
“What about paying people?”
“Yeah, uh… we’ll pay ‘em as soon as we have time, but we’re very busy. Very, very busy.”
That’s why I love baseball. You can count on it every freakin’ day from April 1st to October whatever. There’s always some team playing, even on Mondays and Thursdays and even if your team is off – except, of course, for the All Star break –the Monday immediately preceding and the Wednesday immediately following the All Star Game. I’m one of the few fans I know who actually still loves the All Star Game. I look forward to it every year. It represents the summer time and youthfulness and hope for me. Hope. I like hope. But what I can’t stand is the STUPID, IDIOTIC, MORONIC significance the late Bud Selig (he’s still alive, but I’m convinced he’s a zombie) has attached to the game. Yes, I mean giving the league that wins the All Star Game – a mere exhibition – home field advantage in the World Series. What a stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid thing. One has absolutely NOTHING to do with the other. They should either make it the way it used to be, where they’d switch leagues every year, or they should do it like they do it in the NBA. The winning team with the best record has home field advantage. Jeeezusss, lord have mercy. Dumbest thing ever.
So, get this, Dodger fans: In the LA Times today, Joe Torre says he’s noticed a change in the Dodgers. He was quoted as saying, “These guys are into the games. It’s a change that I sense right now. To me, it started this road trip.” He‘s happy that they finally seem to be “paying attention.” Andre Ethier added, “It’s fun when you stay involved and it breeds success like it’s doing right now.” Hmm… should we be celebrating now? The Dodger players - many of whom ARE making and most of whom WILL be making millions of dollars a year - are now starting to pay attention to what’s going on out on the field… while they’re playing. That's terrific! They’re INTO the games, now. So, are we to infer that, before this collective epiphany they were texting friends from their positions in the field or playing Game Boys and Nintendo in the dugout between innings? What the hell do you have to pay a ballplayer to get him to be “into the game?” It’s baseball. You work – counting pregame and the actual game – maybe 5 and a half hours a day playing a game that you’re supposed to love. And Joe Torre couldn’t get your undivided attention before July? I would play for free and I would be so into the game they’d have to peel me off the field afterwards. Torre has stressed that they pay attention to what’s happening on the field whether they’re playing or not and they know the situation when they go up to bat, and he’s happy BECAUSE THEY’RE DOING THAT NOW. Jesus Christ!
Can you imagine you’re having open heart surgery and your surgeon isn’t really “into the game?” I could just hear the hospital’s head surgeon: “Look, Dr. Kemp, I really need you to focus and pay attention during this operation today. Know the situation. Like, for instance, if the patient stops breathing or bleeding profusely and stuff. And here…” hands him a scalpel, “you left this in Mrs. Ryan last week. Now pay attention.” UN-BE-LIE-vable.
Well, now that the Dodgers are paying attention, what chance do they have of beating Atlanta and young replacement starter, Jose Campillo tonight? Depends on which Hiroki Kuroda shows up and whether anyone hits. You never know when they’re just going to decide to stop hitting for a few games in a row. Maybe Andruw Jones will hit a ball to the warning track and not strike out 3 times for the second game in a row. Maybe Nomore can stay not that badly hurt for 8 full innings. However, if they win, they’re in a flat-footed tie with the Snakes, both teams still under .500. Nice division. Things do have a way of changing, though.
“What about paying people?”
“Yeah, uh… we’ll pay ‘em as soon as we have time, but we’re very busy. Very, very busy.”
That’s why I love baseball. You can count on it every freakin’ day from April 1st to October whatever. There’s always some team playing, even on Mondays and Thursdays and even if your team is off – except, of course, for the All Star break –the Monday immediately preceding and the Wednesday immediately following the All Star Game. I’m one of the few fans I know who actually still loves the All Star Game. I look forward to it every year. It represents the summer time and youthfulness and hope for me. Hope. I like hope. But what I can’t stand is the STUPID, IDIOTIC, MORONIC significance the late Bud Selig (he’s still alive, but I’m convinced he’s a zombie) has attached to the game. Yes, I mean giving the league that wins the All Star Game – a mere exhibition – home field advantage in the World Series. What a stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid thing. One has absolutely NOTHING to do with the other. They should either make it the way it used to be, where they’d switch leagues every year, or they should do it like they do it in the NBA. The winning team with the best record has home field advantage. Jeeezusss, lord have mercy. Dumbest thing ever.
So, get this, Dodger fans: In the LA Times today, Joe Torre says he’s noticed a change in the Dodgers. He was quoted as saying, “These guys are into the games. It’s a change that I sense right now. To me, it started this road trip.” He‘s happy that they finally seem to be “paying attention.” Andre Ethier added, “It’s fun when you stay involved and it breeds success like it’s doing right now.” Hmm… should we be celebrating now? The Dodger players - many of whom ARE making and most of whom WILL be making millions of dollars a year - are now starting to pay attention to what’s going on out on the field… while they’re playing. That's terrific! They’re INTO the games, now. So, are we to infer that, before this collective epiphany they were texting friends from their positions in the field or playing Game Boys and Nintendo in the dugout between innings? What the hell do you have to pay a ballplayer to get him to be “into the game?” It’s baseball. You work – counting pregame and the actual game – maybe 5 and a half hours a day playing a game that you’re supposed to love. And Joe Torre couldn’t get your undivided attention before July? I would play for free and I would be so into the game they’d have to peel me off the field afterwards. Torre has stressed that they pay attention to what’s happening on the field whether they’re playing or not and they know the situation when they go up to bat, and he’s happy BECAUSE THEY’RE DOING THAT NOW. Jesus Christ!
Can you imagine you’re having open heart surgery and your surgeon isn’t really “into the game?” I could just hear the hospital’s head surgeon: “Look, Dr. Kemp, I really need you to focus and pay attention during this operation today. Know the situation. Like, for instance, if the patient stops breathing or bleeding profusely and stuff. And here…” hands him a scalpel, “you left this in Mrs. Ryan last week. Now pay attention.” UN-BE-LIE-vable.
Well, now that the Dodgers are paying attention, what chance do they have of beating Atlanta and young replacement starter, Jose Campillo tonight? Depends on which Hiroki Kuroda shows up and whether anyone hits. You never know when they’re just going to decide to stop hitting for a few games in a row. Maybe Andruw Jones will hit a ball to the warning track and not strike out 3 times for the second game in a row. Maybe Nomore can stay not that badly hurt for 8 full innings. However, if they win, they’re in a flat-footed tie with the Snakes, both teams still under .500. Nice division. Things do have a way of changing, though.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Red Sox Nation Under Attack!
Ever fall asleep with the TV on and a screaming loud infomercial wakes you up at 3:38 AM and you can’t find the remote to turn it off, so you end up falling back to sleep and the infomerical penetrates your REM patterns and you end up dreaming that your new best friend is the Rug Doctor? No? Happens to me all the time.
Well, as I sit here trying to figure out how I could pay my rent for the 15th day in a row, I’m enjoying watching the Yankees come back on the Red Sox. I haven’t written much about teams other than the Dodgers, so I guess I should get this off of my chest right now. I DESPISE the Red Sox. “Why? all of you among the newly founded Red Sox Nation are no doubt demanding. I could hear you now, some of you using fake Boston accents because it’s suddenly become cool to be from Boston even if you were there for three days when you were a kid. It's like a ticket to obnoxiousness. So why do I hate the Bosox? Is it because I’m jealous because they’re winners now? Nope, not at all. Their ownership team has spent a lot of money for just that result. Is it because their true, lifelong fans are more passionate about their team and the game in general? Nope. I actually appreciate that. It’s something that’s sorely missing among Dodger fans since they flushed a lot of longtime fans down the toilet with the Fox purchase. No, the reason I hate the Red Sox isn’t the passion of their fans. It’s the bandwagon, BS, insincerity of their pseudo fans. It’s because of this whole BS Red Sox Nation thing. Too many Red Sox fans don’t know a damn thing about them or about baseball. The countless anuses who love the Red Sox have no idea why, but they like to shout about it and proudly wear the gear. If as many people were from Boston as there are that claim to be, Boston would be the most populated city in the world by millions. The Boston accent is so obnoxious and painful, but if you’re a screaming Bosox fan, I’d better hear that ridiculous speech pattern and destruction of the English language. Otherwise, you’re just a front running, bandwagon jumping, jackass.
Okay, so why take it out on the players? They didn't do anything. Well, I like Mike Lowell, but that's it. Kevin Youkilis looks like an angry pirate. I hate angry pirates. He always wants to fight. Manny being Manny has become tiresome. Can't he be somebody else? JD Drew is an ass. I hated him when he was a Dodger and when his agent, the notorious Scott Boras, also known as Beelzebub, pulled him out of his contract, I was actually glad. Dustin Pedroia is great, but he needs to be put in his place one of these days. Obnoxious ass. Maybe by another angry pirate on another team. Big Papi is just too damn big. Josh Beckett? I don't like his face. And just for those of you who are from Boston who are reading this, there’s no rule that says you HAVE to come to LA. If you've already come here, could you please go back, at least during baseball season? And for shit’s sake, if you can’t stay in Boston, can you consider San Diego or San Francisco? I hear Santa Fe is very nice. Something that starts with "San" except Santa Monica.
And the pre-trade deadline moves have begun! This just in: Cleveland sends CC Sabathia to the Milwaukee Brewers for a top hitting prospect. Why? Because Cleveland is calling 2008 a day and the Brew Crew has a chance to win and they actually are trying to do just that. They need pitching and Sabathia, though inconsistent at times, is a pitcher. Last year's AL Cy Young winner, I do believe.
So, in the Dodgers 5-3 victory over the hated Giants today to remain a half game behind the first place Arizona Choking Snakes, I finally figured out how to make Andruw Jones improve. Don’t play him. At least not until the 8th inning of a game in which you already have at least a 3 run lead. Then let him hit against the dregs of the opponent’s bullpen. His average may slowly climb to .174 that way.
Stults looked awful for his 2nd start in a row. Could be his complete game shutout against the tough Chisox may have been an aberration. Saito made it look hard, but they got the win. They need a big bat, a leadoff hitter and a shortstop to go anywhere this year, people. As much as I rail against him, I really want to see Andruw Jones improve, but I just don’t think he’ll get a lot better. (He may well get fatter, though) Anyway, I know you probably don't believe me, but I hope I’m wrong. If you think about it, he’s already played one quarter of his 2 year $36 million contract. So, for 9 mill, he’s sucked in ways I can’t even describe.
In the LA Times today, James Loney says he doesn’t think they need to make a trade. Thanks, James, for that bit of insider insight. So, are you gonna start hitting home runs now? Is Matt Kemp? Or is below .500 acceptable to you?
Three series wins in a row. Impressive. Let’s see if they can keep it going. Tomorrow Atlanta comes into town. It doesn’t matter whether the Braves are on the winning or losing side of the ledger, they own the Dodgers. They play better fundamental ball, they seem to pitch better and they almost always win the series.
I like the fact that Russell Martin is in the All Star Game again, but there’s no way Kosuke Fukudome belongs in there. Thank god for the NL Brad Penny’s having a bad year. Good thing for the Dodgers he’s had a setback in his return.
Wonder what the Rug Doctor is up to...
Well, as I sit here trying to figure out how I could pay my rent for the 15th day in a row, I’m enjoying watching the Yankees come back on the Red Sox. I haven’t written much about teams other than the Dodgers, so I guess I should get this off of my chest right now. I DESPISE the Red Sox. “Why? all of you among the newly founded Red Sox Nation are no doubt demanding. I could hear you now, some of you using fake Boston accents because it’s suddenly become cool to be from Boston even if you were there for three days when you were a kid. It's like a ticket to obnoxiousness. So why do I hate the Bosox? Is it because I’m jealous because they’re winners now? Nope, not at all. Their ownership team has spent a lot of money for just that result. Is it because their true, lifelong fans are more passionate about their team and the game in general? Nope. I actually appreciate that. It’s something that’s sorely missing among Dodger fans since they flushed a lot of longtime fans down the toilet with the Fox purchase. No, the reason I hate the Red Sox isn’t the passion of their fans. It’s the bandwagon, BS, insincerity of their pseudo fans. It’s because of this whole BS Red Sox Nation thing. Too many Red Sox fans don’t know a damn thing about them or about baseball. The countless anuses who love the Red Sox have no idea why, but they like to shout about it and proudly wear the gear. If as many people were from Boston as there are that claim to be, Boston would be the most populated city in the world by millions. The Boston accent is so obnoxious and painful, but if you’re a screaming Bosox fan, I’d better hear that ridiculous speech pattern and destruction of the English language. Otherwise, you’re just a front running, bandwagon jumping, jackass.
Okay, so why take it out on the players? They didn't do anything. Well, I like Mike Lowell, but that's it. Kevin Youkilis looks like an angry pirate. I hate angry pirates. He always wants to fight. Manny being Manny has become tiresome. Can't he be somebody else? JD Drew is an ass. I hated him when he was a Dodger and when his agent, the notorious Scott Boras, also known as Beelzebub, pulled him out of his contract, I was actually glad. Dustin Pedroia is great, but he needs to be put in his place one of these days. Obnoxious ass. Maybe by another angry pirate on another team. Big Papi is just too damn big. Josh Beckett? I don't like his face. And just for those of you who are from Boston who are reading this, there’s no rule that says you HAVE to come to LA. If you've already come here, could you please go back, at least during baseball season? And for shit’s sake, if you can’t stay in Boston, can you consider San Diego or San Francisco? I hear Santa Fe is very nice. Something that starts with "San" except Santa Monica.
And the pre-trade deadline moves have begun! This just in: Cleveland sends CC Sabathia to the Milwaukee Brewers for a top hitting prospect. Why? Because Cleveland is calling 2008 a day and the Brew Crew has a chance to win and they actually are trying to do just that. They need pitching and Sabathia, though inconsistent at times, is a pitcher. Last year's AL Cy Young winner, I do believe.
So, in the Dodgers 5-3 victory over the hated Giants today to remain a half game behind the first place Arizona Choking Snakes, I finally figured out how to make Andruw Jones improve. Don’t play him. At least not until the 8th inning of a game in which you already have at least a 3 run lead. Then let him hit against the dregs of the opponent’s bullpen. His average may slowly climb to .174 that way.
Stults looked awful for his 2nd start in a row. Could be his complete game shutout against the tough Chisox may have been an aberration. Saito made it look hard, but they got the win. They need a big bat, a leadoff hitter and a shortstop to go anywhere this year, people. As much as I rail against him, I really want to see Andruw Jones improve, but I just don’t think he’ll get a lot better. (He may well get fatter, though) Anyway, I know you probably don't believe me, but I hope I’m wrong. If you think about it, he’s already played one quarter of his 2 year $36 million contract. So, for 9 mill, he’s sucked in ways I can’t even describe.
In the LA Times today, James Loney says he doesn’t think they need to make a trade. Thanks, James, for that bit of insider insight. So, are you gonna start hitting home runs now? Is Matt Kemp? Or is below .500 acceptable to you?
Three series wins in a row. Impressive. Let’s see if they can keep it going. Tomorrow Atlanta comes into town. It doesn’t matter whether the Braves are on the winning or losing side of the ledger, they own the Dodgers. They play better fundamental ball, they seem to pitch better and they almost always win the series.
I like the fact that Russell Martin is in the All Star Game again, but there’s no way Kosuke Fukudome belongs in there. Thank god for the NL Brad Penny’s having a bad year. Good thing for the Dodgers he’s had a setback in his return.
Wonder what the Rug Doctor is up to...
A Few Comments Before Today's Fiasco...
Just a few comments before I come in later after this afternoon’s game:
So, leave it to the Dodgers to provide Barry Zito with his breakout performance of the year and his best ever since signing his $120+ million 7 year deal with San Fran. However, I think you have to put an asterisk by those 10 strikeouts because last night the Dodgers had 3 pitchers hitting in their lineup: Chan Ho Park, Danny Ardoin and Andruw Jones.
I guess that 18 million a year for Jones is beginning to pay off. He only struck out once yesterday and drove in a run on a weak groundout. I don’t know about you, but I’m excited.
You’re playing for 1st place in your division and you’re going to let the game be decided by BRIAN FALKENBORG??
Why, as Loney plays more and more, is he hitting lefthanders less and less? Shouldn’t he be improving?
Russell Martin is a great ballplayer and I do believe he will become a true impact player. He’s one of the few Dodgers out there, along with Kent, Park, (Furcal & Pierre on the DL) who really seems like they want to win.
You gotta love Chan Ho. It’s as if he’s sold his soul to the Devil. He’s back with all his stuff as effective as ever. Why would Torre even consider putting him back in the pen?
We need to get to .500. Honestly, until they get above .500, I’m not even concerned about first place.
Still waiting, Ned. DO SOMETHING!
So, leave it to the Dodgers to provide Barry Zito with his breakout performance of the year and his best ever since signing his $120+ million 7 year deal with San Fran. However, I think you have to put an asterisk by those 10 strikeouts because last night the Dodgers had 3 pitchers hitting in their lineup: Chan Ho Park, Danny Ardoin and Andruw Jones.
I guess that 18 million a year for Jones is beginning to pay off. He only struck out once yesterday and drove in a run on a weak groundout. I don’t know about you, but I’m excited.
You’re playing for 1st place in your division and you’re going to let the game be decided by BRIAN FALKENBORG??
Why, as Loney plays more and more, is he hitting lefthanders less and less? Shouldn’t he be improving?
Russell Martin is a great ballplayer and I do believe he will become a true impact player. He’s one of the few Dodgers out there, along with Kent, Park, (Furcal & Pierre on the DL) who really seems like they want to win.
You gotta love Chan Ho. It’s as if he’s sold his soul to the Devil. He’s back with all his stuff as effective as ever. Why would Torre even consider putting him back in the pen?
We need to get to .500. Honestly, until they get above .500, I’m not even concerned about first place.
Still waiting, Ned. DO SOMETHING!
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Ross Porter, Please Come Home
Last night, around 9:00 as the fireworks boomed in the not so distant distance, Molly the Collie, quaking and quivering, nuzzled her extremely long snout into my armpit as we lay on the bed watching the Twilight Zone marathon. She was a little frightened. Finally, I took her out to the front of the house where we could see the fireworks in the Southern sky and she wasn't so scared anymore as much as annoyed. Kind of how I feel every time I have to listen to Charlie Steiner do a Dodger broadcast.
Now, don't get me wrong. Charlie seems like a fine man and I know he regards this as his dream job. Problem is... he's not good at it. I want him so much to be good at it but he's just not and, unfortunately for all of us, there are 162 games in a season and Vinny is only around for home games and games in the Western US. Obviously, like every sane mind in the nation, baseball fan or not, I revere Scully. I've learned to live with Rick Monday over the years, and I even like Jerry Reuss and Psycho Steve Lyons. Steiner, on the other hand, irritates me with alarming frequency and efficacy. He just can't wait until the Dodgers play Houston so he can say, "Houston, we have a problem" twice a game during all four games in the series. Apollo 13, from which that phrase was reintroduced to the American public came out 13 years ago! Charlie, it's not clever anymore. His incessant patter and pseudo intellect make me cringe. He's like the guy at the party who wants so badly to be accepted, and you hope to god doesn't open his mouth and embarrass you in front of your friends. He simply doesn't command any authority like ESPN's Jon Miller or the much missed Ross Porter. When listening to the game on the radio, I won't really know what's happening until I can actually see it on TV because Charlie's instincts are so poor, he announces as if every fly ball is headed out of the park. Maybe if he took a page from Vinny during his famous Kirk Gibson home run call and just kept quiet. I'd have a better idea of what was going on simply listening to the fans' reactions than Steiner trying to tell me.
Who's the ass that let Ross Porter go, anyway? I loved that guy. Sure he was full of minutiae, but it was interesting minutiae. And he knew the game and he had great instincts. In fact, as far as baseball play by play is concerned, in this blogger's opinion, only Scully, Dick Enberg and Jack Buck were better. Maybe you can toss in the late great Curt Gowdy. How I miss Ross: "Dodgers up now three to two on the home run by Guerrero. We're in the 6th, one out, no one on and here's Herrera's first pitch to Sax... high for a ball. Sax is 5 for 14 in his career against the Venezuelan lefthander, Diego Hererra. Hererra only has one testicle - the next pitch is fouled off behind the Dodger dugout, one and two - the Dodgers' record against Hererra is three and one, and their record against Venezuelan lefthanders is 8 and 5 over the last 5 years... High fastball knocks Saxie off his feet for ball two, two and one the count. - However, the Dodgers record over the last five years against Venezuelan lefthanders with one testicle is 1 and 4... curveball and there's a line drive into left field for Sax's second hit of the night..."
We miss you, Ross.
Now, don't get me wrong. Charlie seems like a fine man and I know he regards this as his dream job. Problem is... he's not good at it. I want him so much to be good at it but he's just not and, unfortunately for all of us, there are 162 games in a season and Vinny is only around for home games and games in the Western US. Obviously, like every sane mind in the nation, baseball fan or not, I revere Scully. I've learned to live with Rick Monday over the years, and I even like Jerry Reuss and Psycho Steve Lyons. Steiner, on the other hand, irritates me with alarming frequency and efficacy. He just can't wait until the Dodgers play Houston so he can say, "Houston, we have a problem" twice a game during all four games in the series. Apollo 13, from which that phrase was reintroduced to the American public came out 13 years ago! Charlie, it's not clever anymore. His incessant patter and pseudo intellect make me cringe. He's like the guy at the party who wants so badly to be accepted, and you hope to god doesn't open his mouth and embarrass you in front of your friends. He simply doesn't command any authority like ESPN's Jon Miller or the much missed Ross Porter. When listening to the game on the radio, I won't really know what's happening until I can actually see it on TV because Charlie's instincts are so poor, he announces as if every fly ball is headed out of the park. Maybe if he took a page from Vinny during his famous Kirk Gibson home run call and just kept quiet. I'd have a better idea of what was going on simply listening to the fans' reactions than Steiner trying to tell me.
Who's the ass that let Ross Porter go, anyway? I loved that guy. Sure he was full of minutiae, but it was interesting minutiae. And he knew the game and he had great instincts. In fact, as far as baseball play by play is concerned, in this blogger's opinion, only Scully, Dick Enberg and Jack Buck were better. Maybe you can toss in the late great Curt Gowdy. How I miss Ross: "Dodgers up now three to two on the home run by Guerrero. We're in the 6th, one out, no one on and here's Herrera's first pitch to Sax... high for a ball. Sax is 5 for 14 in his career against the Venezuelan lefthander, Diego Hererra. Hererra only has one testicle - the next pitch is fouled off behind the Dodger dugout, one and two - the Dodgers' record against Hererra is three and one, and their record against Venezuelan lefthanders is 8 and 5 over the last 5 years... High fastball knocks Saxie off his feet for ball two, two and one the count. - However, the Dodgers record over the last five years against Venezuelan lefthanders with one testicle is 1 and 4... curveball and there's a line drive into left field for Sax's second hit of the night..."
We miss you, Ross.
Friday, July 4, 2008
The Best Thing To Do Here Is Stay Negative
It’s the 4th of July, I have no plans, no barbecue invites, parties, no feeling of early summer anticipation, no desire to see any damn fireworks, let alone hear them in the distance. They scare the crap out of neighborhood dogs and a couple 4ths ago, I drove up Bundy Dr and I watched a scared-out-of-his-mind lab mix racing down the street, get side swiped by a Toyota crossing the 10 freeway on ramp, and then keep running. When I finally corralled him onto a side street the poor thing was so freaked out he jumped on top of my car and cowered. He had no ID on him so I took him to the pound, where his injuries were tended to and he was picked up by his irresponsible owners the next day. My dog doesn’t get too upset about the fireworks, but she sure doesn’t like them. She… wait a minute, let me start over...
It’s the 4th of July and I have no idea how I’m going to pay my rent that was due on the 1st. I sold a pilot, contracts are signed, but who knows when I’ll get paid? I have no income outside of that which I earn as a writer. Sucks for me. Soon, I could be starving to death and out on the street, still coughing my fool head off, but who cares? Let’s talk about the Dodgers. It’s tough being a Dodger fan these last 20 years. Since their last campionship in 1988, they had a shot in ’91 with Strawberry and blew it, allowing the Braves to begin their dynasty before the division changes took place in ’94. They stunk until ’94, but the season was cut short by the strike. In ’95 and ’96 they made the playoffs, but you just knew they were going to lose in the first round of the playoffs. Same as in ’04 and ’06. The once great organization has fallen into the hands of copmplacent PR-minded lunkheads who espouse this eerie acceptance of mediocrity, and, as Plaschke writes in his column on the LA Times today, the Angels and Mike Scioscia have clearly picked up where the Dodgers left off. The Angels ARE the Dodgers of the mid 80’s. Always playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played. But not the Blue. Not anymore. However, they have WON 4 GAMES IN A ROW!!!! Look, everyone, I’m happy too, but it’s best for your mental health, if you’re a Dodger fan, to stay negative. Don’t get your hopes up and the inevitable disappointment will inflict a softer blow.
Let’s start on that tack with the fact that they have just beaten two of the lousiest teams in baseball in Houston and San Fran. (Houston does, however, have a pretty tough lineup and they’re a notorious 2nd half team. Remember they came out of nowhere to go to the Series in ’05. They have awful pitching, though.) Let’s also point out the fact that the Dodgers’ lone projected “impact player,” returned today along with veteran Nomore Garciaparra. Nomore had a decent day in his Dodger debut at short with a couple of nice doubles (one should’ve been caught) but he moved around the infield like a stroke victim. Andruw Jones? He looked like his old self today. Consistent, fat, and slow. He struck out each of his first 4 at bats and if Matt Kemp didn’t stink so much right now, I’d say Jones may have a chance to pass him as the strikeout leader before August. But Matt Shemp struck out 3 times. Meantime, in the middle of a pennant race, Derek Lowe forgets he’s got a man on first and simply lets him steal. He later comes around to score. Ethier, Kent, Martin and Loney continue with their hot hitting. Ethier hits his 10th homer and his 3rd in the last 3 games, I believe. (Can you believe not one Dodger has more than 10 homers and it's already July 4th?) With the game in hand with a 9-5 lead in the 8th Jonathan Broxton and company do their ever best to try to give it back to the Giants. Broxton, to me, has amazing stuff, but, like most of his highly touted teammates, he simply doesn’t seem to improve. He was supposed to be lights out this year. Jeez, I mean he throws 99 miles per hour! But he has NO POISE! So, unless he gets some soon, he’s trade bait as far as I’m concerned. He comes in, walks the leadoff hitter, Randy Winn. Winn steals. Neither Angel Berroa nor Luis Maza, (who had both come in as defensive replacements for Nomore and Kent – it was Maza’s play with a right handed hitter up) bothered to cover 2nd base for the throw! These are Major Leaguers, folks. The throw rolls into centerfield and Winn scampers to 3rd. THEN, Benji Molina hits an easy foul pop up behind first base and Loney loses focus and simply drops it. New life for Molina. Next pitch, the emotionally distraught Broxton delivers a cock high fastball which Molina promptly deposits into centerfield, scoring Winn. Then two more hits. If it wasn’t for a hard hit double play by Aurilia on a pitch right down the middle, I honestly believe the Giants win this game.
Depending on what happens with Arizona today, the Dodgers could be just a half game out. But I still contend that unless they get a shortstop, leadoff hitter (Guzman would provide both) and a power hitter (Jones looked somewhat unconvincing today) they have little chance of going anywhere. Thank god Penny’s start tomorrow has been pushed back. I think Chan Ho Park may actually have a chance to win. But the question is this: Why don’t these 2nd and 3rd year guys IMPROVE??? Broxton, Kemp, Martin, Ethier, Loney, all good players, but none of them are any better today than they were the first day they set foot on the field in their debuts. If you’re going to compare Kemp, for instance, to the Ryan Howards, Justin Morneaus, Joe Mauers, Grady Sizemores, Chase Utleys, BJ Uptons, he should be a stud by now. Kemp is getting worse. In fact, I’ll say it right here – he just stinks. He has NO POWER ANYMORE! Where the hell did it go? Did Mike Easler’s adjustments to his approach eliminate it? It simply disappeared. He stands straight up and down and swings with just his arms. Package him in a trade for Holliday. Broxton should be lights out – their closer. Ethier should be smarter and more consistent against lefties by now. Loney should be tougher and drive the ball more and Maryin should take smarter at bats. Yes, he and Loney are batting .300, but not productively. Does this mean they'll never play up to their potential? No, but who wants to sit around and wait anther 5 years for that possibility?
Anyway, forget everything I just said. After all, what the hell do I know? LaRoche homers today. Nomore looks good at the plate. We’re in a pennant race. Anyone have a barbecue for me to go to?
It’s the 4th of July and I have no idea how I’m going to pay my rent that was due on the 1st. I sold a pilot, contracts are signed, but who knows when I’ll get paid? I have no income outside of that which I earn as a writer. Sucks for me. Soon, I could be starving to death and out on the street, still coughing my fool head off, but who cares? Let’s talk about the Dodgers. It’s tough being a Dodger fan these last 20 years. Since their last campionship in 1988, they had a shot in ’91 with Strawberry and blew it, allowing the Braves to begin their dynasty before the division changes took place in ’94. They stunk until ’94, but the season was cut short by the strike. In ’95 and ’96 they made the playoffs, but you just knew they were going to lose in the first round of the playoffs. Same as in ’04 and ’06. The once great organization has fallen into the hands of copmplacent PR-minded lunkheads who espouse this eerie acceptance of mediocrity, and, as Plaschke writes in his column on the LA Times today, the Angels and Mike Scioscia have clearly picked up where the Dodgers left off. The Angels ARE the Dodgers of the mid 80’s. Always playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played. But not the Blue. Not anymore. However, they have WON 4 GAMES IN A ROW!!!! Look, everyone, I’m happy too, but it’s best for your mental health, if you’re a Dodger fan, to stay negative. Don’t get your hopes up and the inevitable disappointment will inflict a softer blow.
Let’s start on that tack with the fact that they have just beaten two of the lousiest teams in baseball in Houston and San Fran. (Houston does, however, have a pretty tough lineup and they’re a notorious 2nd half team. Remember they came out of nowhere to go to the Series in ’05. They have awful pitching, though.) Let’s also point out the fact that the Dodgers’ lone projected “impact player,” returned today along with veteran Nomore Garciaparra. Nomore had a decent day in his Dodger debut at short with a couple of nice doubles (one should’ve been caught) but he moved around the infield like a stroke victim. Andruw Jones? He looked like his old self today. Consistent, fat, and slow. He struck out each of his first 4 at bats and if Matt Kemp didn’t stink so much right now, I’d say Jones may have a chance to pass him as the strikeout leader before August. But Matt Shemp struck out 3 times. Meantime, in the middle of a pennant race, Derek Lowe forgets he’s got a man on first and simply lets him steal. He later comes around to score. Ethier, Kent, Martin and Loney continue with their hot hitting. Ethier hits his 10th homer and his 3rd in the last 3 games, I believe. (Can you believe not one Dodger has more than 10 homers and it's already July 4th?) With the game in hand with a 9-5 lead in the 8th Jonathan Broxton and company do their ever best to try to give it back to the Giants. Broxton, to me, has amazing stuff, but, like most of his highly touted teammates, he simply doesn’t seem to improve. He was supposed to be lights out this year. Jeez, I mean he throws 99 miles per hour! But he has NO POISE! So, unless he gets some soon, he’s trade bait as far as I’m concerned. He comes in, walks the leadoff hitter, Randy Winn. Winn steals. Neither Angel Berroa nor Luis Maza, (who had both come in as defensive replacements for Nomore and Kent – it was Maza’s play with a right handed hitter up) bothered to cover 2nd base for the throw! These are Major Leaguers, folks. The throw rolls into centerfield and Winn scampers to 3rd. THEN, Benji Molina hits an easy foul pop up behind first base and Loney loses focus and simply drops it. New life for Molina. Next pitch, the emotionally distraught Broxton delivers a cock high fastball which Molina promptly deposits into centerfield, scoring Winn. Then two more hits. If it wasn’t for a hard hit double play by Aurilia on a pitch right down the middle, I honestly believe the Giants win this game.
Depending on what happens with Arizona today, the Dodgers could be just a half game out. But I still contend that unless they get a shortstop, leadoff hitter (Guzman would provide both) and a power hitter (Jones looked somewhat unconvincing today) they have little chance of going anywhere. Thank god Penny’s start tomorrow has been pushed back. I think Chan Ho Park may actually have a chance to win. But the question is this: Why don’t these 2nd and 3rd year guys IMPROVE??? Broxton, Kemp, Martin, Ethier, Loney, all good players, but none of them are any better today than they were the first day they set foot on the field in their debuts. If you’re going to compare Kemp, for instance, to the Ryan Howards, Justin Morneaus, Joe Mauers, Grady Sizemores, Chase Utleys, BJ Uptons, he should be a stud by now. Kemp is getting worse. In fact, I’ll say it right here – he just stinks. He has NO POWER ANYMORE! Where the hell did it go? Did Mike Easler’s adjustments to his approach eliminate it? It simply disappeared. He stands straight up and down and swings with just his arms. Package him in a trade for Holliday. Broxton should be lights out – their closer. Ethier should be smarter and more consistent against lefties by now. Loney should be tougher and drive the ball more and Maryin should take smarter at bats. Yes, he and Loney are batting .300, but not productively. Does this mean they'll never play up to their potential? No, but who wants to sit around and wait anther 5 years for that possibility?
Anyway, forget everything I just said. After all, what the hell do I know? LaRoche homers today. Nomore looks good at the plate. We’re in a pennant race. Anyone have a barbecue for me to go to?
Thursday, July 3, 2008
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.
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.
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