Great week for the Dodgers to go on a winning streak. 5-1. Seriously Dodgers?
Dodgers finish the season 80-82, tied with Florida and the Angels. They'll have either the 12th, 13th, or 14th pick in the draft next year.
Eh. Whatever.
Honestly, I'm just glad this is all over. It's been a long, mostly painful season.
I honestly don't have much to add. Bring on the offseason already, even though I'm pretty sure this offseason is going to be just as painful as this actual season was.
I'll probably start working on the offseason awards soon, but for now I'm tired.
Sigh.
Showing posts with label week recap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label week recap. Show all posts
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Dodgers Retrospective - Week 25
We're almost there. This long, winding death-march to mediocrity ends in a week.
I'm in a weird place with the Dodgers right now. I'll be honest, I haven't really been watching many games these past few weeks, at least not actively. I'll have the game on in the background with the sound down while I do other stuff or I'll check the score every now and then, but I can't seem to just sit down and watch them.
It's probably because I don't want the Dodgers to win. I'll explain. Being a fan, thinking with my heart, I couldn't really ever say "I want the Dodgers to lose." But, thinking about it logically, the best thing for the team is for them to do badly this last week.
I'm looking at it like this: coming into today, the Dodgers were in the middle of a pack of teams with similar records. You have the Milwaukee Brewers on one end, who at 73-82 would pick 9th in the Draft next year. On the other end, you have the Oakland A's, who at 77-77 would pick 15th in the Draft. The Dodgers, coming into Sunday at 75-80, would pick 11th.
Here's where I start to have a problem. What good, at all, does it to for the team to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks in the four games, including today, that we play against them? It's not as if we receive some kind of prize for finishing the season at .500 or finishing above a handful of other teams.
In fact, it's detrimental to us.
Some people might talk about playing for pride or something similar. I reject that notion. How much pride can someone really get from winning a meaningless game against a team like the Diamondbacks? They've been dead in the water since June. Really, Andre Ethier is going to go home this offseason, think back to the disappointment of this season, but cheer up when he remembers win #76 against the hapless D-backs?
Look, I'm not saying we should tank. I don't like the idea of intentionally losing.
What I'm saying is, I haven't been able to watch games the last couple weeks because, in a way, I'm rooting against the Dodgers. I'm sitting there thinking something like: I want a well pitched game that the Dodgers lose 2-1 because Reed Johnson loses a ball in the lights. Or let George Sherrill pitch more and see what happens. Do well, but not well enough to actually win these last 7 games.
The great equalizer.
So... that's where I'm at. There's not a whole lot else to add about this week because it was really just another blah week in a lost season.
I did realize one thing, though. If you are a Pirates fan and you run a real quality blog about them, I give you all the credit in the world.
The Pirates lost their 100th game this week. They've been a losing team longer than the internet has been around (the popular version that we know today). At the very least, the Pirates being a bad team predates the idea of blogs, for sure.
So, again, credit to Pirates bloggers. It's hard to be a fan of team and watch as they continuously lose, even more so to try and write interesting things about that team on a consistent basis.
I mean, this is the first time since I've started this blog that the Dodgers have had a losing season, and look, I'm spending my week recaps saying things like: "Yeah! I'm glad we're losing!"
Anyway, one more week of this nonsense and then we hop into what will probably be a long, and most likely painfully inactive offseason.
I can't wait.
I'm in a weird place with the Dodgers right now. I'll be honest, I haven't really been watching many games these past few weeks, at least not actively. I'll have the game on in the background with the sound down while I do other stuff or I'll check the score every now and then, but I can't seem to just sit down and watch them.
It's probably because I don't want the Dodgers to win. I'll explain. Being a fan, thinking with my heart, I couldn't really ever say "I want the Dodgers to lose." But, thinking about it logically, the best thing for the team is for them to do badly this last week.
I'm looking at it like this: coming into today, the Dodgers were in the middle of a pack of teams with similar records. You have the Milwaukee Brewers on one end, who at 73-82 would pick 9th in the Draft next year. On the other end, you have the Oakland A's, who at 77-77 would pick 15th in the Draft. The Dodgers, coming into Sunday at 75-80, would pick 11th.
Here's where I start to have a problem. What good, at all, does it to for the team to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks in the four games, including today, that we play against them? It's not as if we receive some kind of prize for finishing the season at .500 or finishing above a handful of other teams.
In fact, it's detrimental to us.
Some people might talk about playing for pride or something similar. I reject that notion. How much pride can someone really get from winning a meaningless game against a team like the Diamondbacks? They've been dead in the water since June. Really, Andre Ethier is going to go home this offseason, think back to the disappointment of this season, but cheer up when he remembers win #76 against the hapless D-backs?
Look, I'm not saying we should tank. I don't like the idea of intentionally losing.
What I'm saying is, I haven't been able to watch games the last couple weeks because, in a way, I'm rooting against the Dodgers. I'm sitting there thinking something like: I want a well pitched game that the Dodgers lose 2-1 because Reed Johnson loses a ball in the lights. Or let George Sherrill pitch more and see what happens. Do well, but not well enough to actually win these last 7 games.
The great equalizer.So... that's where I'm at. There's not a whole lot else to add about this week because it was really just another blah week in a lost season.
I did realize one thing, though. If you are a Pirates fan and you run a real quality blog about them, I give you all the credit in the world.
The Pirates lost their 100th game this week. They've been a losing team longer than the internet has been around (the popular version that we know today). At the very least, the Pirates being a bad team predates the idea of blogs, for sure.
So, again, credit to Pirates bloggers. It's hard to be a fan of team and watch as they continuously lose, even more so to try and write interesting things about that team on a consistent basis.
I mean, this is the first time since I've started this blog that the Dodgers have had a losing season, and look, I'm spending my week recaps saying things like: "Yeah! I'm glad we're losing!"
Anyway, one more week of this nonsense and then we hop into what will probably be a long, and most likely painfully inactive offseason.
I can't wait.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Dodgers Retrospective - Week 24
So, apparently, A.J. Ellis, somehow, became an amazing hitter...
Yeah, I didn't see it coming either. Coming into Sunday, he was six for his last seven with a couple doubles and a walk.
That's why Joe Torre used him to pinch hit in the 11th inning of today's game with the bases loaded. And Ellis came through with his second walk-off hit of the season.
A nice way to salvage a week that was pretty bad. Even with the comeback win, the Dodgers still lost both series this week, and went 2-4 overall.
Ultimately, it doesn't matter, unless you're trying to figure out where the Dodgers will pick in next year's draft. (With the win today, they'd pick 11th, in case you were wondering...)
Anyway, there's not a whole lot else worth talking about this week, as far as on the field play goes.
Off the field, though...
Under New Management
So, obviously, the big news this week came when Joe Torre announced his retirement (from the Dodgers, at least) and named Don Mattingly his successor.
As I said on Twitter at the time, I'm wasn't surprised. Just disappointed.
Not that I don't think Mattingly could be a good major league manager. In all honesty, I have no idea. People are worried that because he learned under Joe Torre, he'll make many of the same mistakes as Joe. And while I'm sure he will make mistakes, I'm at least willing to give him a shot before I dismiss him.
The biggest issue I have is the lack of exploring other alternatives. They didn't interview any other candidates for the job, not Tim Wallach (who admittedly might not be a better manager, again, I have no idea), nor anyone else. They just handed the job straight to Mattingly. I guess, ultimately, going in another direction wasn't really an option as Dylan Hernandez reported that Mattingly signed a deal this offseason guaranteeing him the manager's job if Torre stepped down. It seems like a pretty low reward/high risk deal. Worst case: the Dodgers get stuck with a guy who can't manage a major league team or control a clubhouse. Best case: the Dodgers secure a guy who has never managed a team. I mean, what's the worst that could happen? Mattingly gets a better job offer from another team, and then what? We end up with Tim Wallach coaching? Just ... odd decisions coming from the front office.
Including those of the facial hair variety ... your soul patch is off center! Dammit!
Anyway, the key for me is who Mattingly gets to fill his staff. I get the feeling that if he keeps Bob Schaefer and Larry Bowa around, it's going to be a lot of the same old.
If he brings in some new guys, some people that take a different approach with the players and team, I have hope that he can learn and be a different kind of manager.
I guess we'll see, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit worried.
Smart Trades
I know I've been saying for a while we should've sold, so you'd think I'd be happy to see Octavio Dotel shipped off to the Rockies for a Player To Be Named Later. And, believe me, I am.
But I can't move past how horrid the original trade to bring Dotel here was in the first place.
If you want to do the math, the first trade was James McDonald and Andrew Lambo for Octavio Dotel. Dotel pitched 18.2 innings for the Dodgers (3.38 ERA) and then was swapped for cash and a PTBNL.
So, the final trade looks something like this: McDonald + Lambo = 18.2 IP of Dotel + PTBNL ... which looks absolutely terrible as it stands, until you realize that on the day Dotel was sent to the Rockies, McDonald had his streak of 20 straight scoreless innings finally snapped. Just solid work from the front office.
Totally worth it!
Yeah. If that trade was not the worst of Colletti's career, it has got to be top three, right? (Santana for Blake? Bell for Sherrill? At least both Blake and Sherrill contributed at some point to a playoff race. Dotel did nothing but cost us young players and money to pitch mediocre in a handful of meaningless games.)
Another Take On Manny
Just one last thing, apropos of nothing really.
I was listening to a podcast with comedian/character actor Larry Miller and he started talking about Manny Ramirez and baseball in general.
The whole episode is about 35 minutes and it's all about baseball memories if you have the time to listen to the whole thing, but if you want to jump to the Manny part, it's about 30 minutes in. If you have a little more time, I'd recommend starting at 24 minutes. Larry tells a pretty cool story that kind of leads into the Manny discussion.
Essentially, Larry says that despite the fact it got a little ugly at the end, Manny did something pretty great for this city in 2008.
And he's right. I will always be appreciative of Manny for what he did in those last few months in 2008 and hearing the way Larry Miller talked about it was pretty cool.
Anyway, you can find the podcast here, if you are interested.
... and, uh, I don't really have an interesting way to end this article and I'm tired so ... see you next week?
Yeah, I didn't see it coming either. Coming into Sunday, he was six for his last seven with a couple doubles and a walk.
That's why Joe Torre used him to pinch hit in the 11th inning of today's game with the bases loaded. And Ellis came through with his second walk-off hit of the season.
A nice way to salvage a week that was pretty bad. Even with the comeback win, the Dodgers still lost both series this week, and went 2-4 overall.
Ultimately, it doesn't matter, unless you're trying to figure out where the Dodgers will pick in next year's draft. (With the win today, they'd pick 11th, in case you were wondering...)
Anyway, there's not a whole lot else worth talking about this week, as far as on the field play goes.
Off the field, though...
Under New Management
So, obviously, the big news this week came when Joe Torre announced his retirement (from the Dodgers, at least) and named Don Mattingly his successor.
As I said on Twitter at the time, I'm wasn't surprised. Just disappointed.
Not that I don't think Mattingly could be a good major league manager. In all honesty, I have no idea. People are worried that because he learned under Joe Torre, he'll make many of the same mistakes as Joe. And while I'm sure he will make mistakes, I'm at least willing to give him a shot before I dismiss him.
The biggest issue I have is the lack of exploring other alternatives. They didn't interview any other candidates for the job, not Tim Wallach (who admittedly might not be a better manager, again, I have no idea), nor anyone else. They just handed the job straight to Mattingly. I guess, ultimately, going in another direction wasn't really an option as Dylan Hernandez reported that Mattingly signed a deal this offseason guaranteeing him the manager's job if Torre stepped down. It seems like a pretty low reward/high risk deal. Worst case: the Dodgers get stuck with a guy who can't manage a major league team or control a clubhouse. Best case: the Dodgers secure a guy who has never managed a team. I mean, what's the worst that could happen? Mattingly gets a better job offer from another team, and then what? We end up with Tim Wallach coaching? Just ... odd decisions coming from the front office.
Including those of the facial hair variety ... your soul patch is off center! Dammit!Anyway, the key for me is who Mattingly gets to fill his staff. I get the feeling that if he keeps Bob Schaefer and Larry Bowa around, it's going to be a lot of the same old.
If he brings in some new guys, some people that take a different approach with the players and team, I have hope that he can learn and be a different kind of manager.
I guess we'll see, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit worried.
Smart Trades
I know I've been saying for a while we should've sold, so you'd think I'd be happy to see Octavio Dotel shipped off to the Rockies for a Player To Be Named Later. And, believe me, I am.
But I can't move past how horrid the original trade to bring Dotel here was in the first place.
If you want to do the math, the first trade was James McDonald and Andrew Lambo for Octavio Dotel. Dotel pitched 18.2 innings for the Dodgers (3.38 ERA) and then was swapped for cash and a PTBNL.
So, the final trade looks something like this: McDonald + Lambo = 18.2 IP of Dotel + PTBNL ... which looks absolutely terrible as it stands, until you realize that on the day Dotel was sent to the Rockies, McDonald had his streak of 20 straight scoreless innings finally snapped. Just solid work from the front office.
Totally worth it!Yeah. If that trade was not the worst of Colletti's career, it has got to be top three, right? (Santana for Blake? Bell for Sherrill? At least both Blake and Sherrill contributed at some point to a playoff race. Dotel did nothing but cost us young players and money to pitch mediocre in a handful of meaningless games.)
Another Take On Manny
Just one last thing, apropos of nothing really.
I was listening to a podcast with comedian/character actor Larry Miller and he started talking about Manny Ramirez and baseball in general.
The whole episode is about 35 minutes and it's all about baseball memories if you have the time to listen to the whole thing, but if you want to jump to the Manny part, it's about 30 minutes in. If you have a little more time, I'd recommend starting at 24 minutes. Larry tells a pretty cool story that kind of leads into the Manny discussion.
Essentially, Larry says that despite the fact it got a little ugly at the end, Manny did something pretty great for this city in 2008.
And he's right. I will always be appreciative of Manny for what he did in those last few months in 2008 and hearing the way Larry Miller talked about it was pretty cool.
Anyway, you can find the podcast here, if you are interested.
... and, uh, I don't really have an interesting way to end this article and I'm tired so ... see you next week?
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Dodgers Retrospective - Week 23
Last week, in the recap, which I wrote before the game that day, I made some mention of the fact that if the Dodgers were really serious about trying to make the playoffs, it was really all in their hands. (In fairness to me, I did say there was only about a 2% chance of any of this happening.)
Anyway, that blog post was written before the Dodgers decided to roll over and die this week.
First, they lost the rubber match Sunday and the series as a whole to the Giants.
Then, and this is the really fun one: they went into San Diego to face a reeling, dying Padres team. A team that had lost ten straight games. And what happened? The Dodgers got swept by the Padres. Swept. They couldn't eke out one win in three? They couldn't, I dunno, continue the Padres anti-momentum and win the first game before dropping the next two? Nope. Guess not.
Oh, and then to finish it off, the Dodgers rode their losing streak to six games by losing the first game of four in Houston.
They did win the next two games, but it was too little, too late.
Put it like this. Coming into this week, the season's heart monitor was going "Beep ... beep ... beep ..." It was faint, but it was still alive. After the Padres series, it was more like "Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep..." And any win at this point is like the doctor who won't give up trying to hit the dead patient with more volts. "Clear!" Zap. "Clear!" Zap. The nurse comes running in. "Doctor! Stop it! Stop it! He's dead!"
Dramatic, I know. But inaccurate? I think not.
The Dodgers losing the fourth game of the series with the Astros, thus splitting the set, was like rigor mortis setting in.
Anyway, couple more things.
Good Decisions
Quickly want to make this point (again): how great is it that Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda, Scott Podsednik, etc. are still on this team? Podsednik didn't even play in the last three games of the Astros series.
Pictured: A meaningful start.
Consider this, too: if Ned Colletti doesn't offer Lilly arbitration this offseason, then he'll hit the trifecta of bad decisions with him: trading for him, keeping him past August, and not offering him arbitration.
This could be fun.
Actual Good Decisions
This was something I was going to promote this week because, frankly, I didn't expect that this would actually happen.
I was going to say that, with the season dead, you have got to play the call-ups and see what you got.
And what happens this series against the Astros? John Ely gets back into the rotation to see if he can make a few quality big league starts. Russ Mitchell gets some starts. Jay Gibbons gets some starts. Trent Oeltjen and John Lindsey get some starts (and Lindsey gets his first career hit in the majors, which, by the way, is one of the few good things to happen for this team in the last several weeks).
Credit to Joe Torre for being smart and playing these guys instead of just running the regulars out there day after day. It's not like it hasn't been rewarding. Ely went 6.0 innings on Saturday giving up just three runs. Plus, it turns out Mitchell can't do much but fly out and Gibbons still has some power. Also, he's horrible defensively. See? We're learning.
Pictured: the Dodgers' 2011 4th outfielder
Anyway, I'd like to keep it up. I want to see more of these guys and start building toward next year. And if we lose, we lose. I'm not suggesting tanking for a better draft slot next year, but if we keep starting whoever and just let nature take its course, then I'm not going to complain.
Anyway, that blog post was written before the Dodgers decided to roll over and die this week.
First, they lost the rubber match Sunday and the series as a whole to the Giants.
Then, and this is the really fun one: they went into San Diego to face a reeling, dying Padres team. A team that had lost ten straight games. And what happened? The Dodgers got swept by the Padres. Swept. They couldn't eke out one win in three? They couldn't, I dunno, continue the Padres anti-momentum and win the first game before dropping the next two? Nope. Guess not.
Oh, and then to finish it off, the Dodgers rode their losing streak to six games by losing the first game of four in Houston.
They did win the next two games, but it was too little, too late.
Put it like this. Coming into this week, the season's heart monitor was going "Beep ... beep ... beep ..." It was faint, but it was still alive. After the Padres series, it was more like "Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep..." And any win at this point is like the doctor who won't give up trying to hit the dead patient with more volts. "Clear!" Zap. "Clear!" Zap. The nurse comes running in. "Doctor! Stop it! Stop it! He's dead!"
Dramatic, I know. But inaccurate? I think not.
The Dodgers losing the fourth game of the series with the Astros, thus splitting the set, was like rigor mortis setting in.
Anyway, couple more things.
Good Decisions
Quickly want to make this point (again): how great is it that Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda, Scott Podsednik, etc. are still on this team? Podsednik didn't even play in the last three games of the Astros series.
Pictured: A meaningful start.Consider this, too: if Ned Colletti doesn't offer Lilly arbitration this offseason, then he'll hit the trifecta of bad decisions with him: trading for him, keeping him past August, and not offering him arbitration.
This could be fun.
Actual Good Decisions
This was something I was going to promote this week because, frankly, I didn't expect that this would actually happen.
I was going to say that, with the season dead, you have got to play the call-ups and see what you got.
And what happens this series against the Astros? John Ely gets back into the rotation to see if he can make a few quality big league starts. Russ Mitchell gets some starts. Jay Gibbons gets some starts. Trent Oeltjen and John Lindsey get some starts (and Lindsey gets his first career hit in the majors, which, by the way, is one of the few good things to happen for this team in the last several weeks).
Credit to Joe Torre for being smart and playing these guys instead of just running the regulars out there day after day. It's not like it hasn't been rewarding. Ely went 6.0 innings on Saturday giving up just three runs. Plus, it turns out Mitchell can't do much but fly out and Gibbons still has some power. Also, he's horrible defensively. See? We're learning.
Pictured: the Dodgers' 2011 4th outfielderAnyway, I'd like to keep it up. I want to see more of these guys and start building toward next year. And if we lose, we lose. I'm not suggesting tanking for a better draft slot next year, but if we keep starting whoever and just let nature take its course, then I'm not going to complain.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Dodgers Retrospective - Week 22
I'm writing this up prior to the start of today's game, so, admittedly, it's not a full week review.
Especially because the result of today's game is really going to determine whether this has been a good week or bad week.
Obviously a loss puts the Dodgers at 2-4 on the week, and that is no good.
If the Dodgers win, then they take two out of three against the Giants and go 3-3 for the week. Now, this would normally be a really average week (maybe even bad considering how close to the end of the season we are and how many games need to be made up in the standings) except for the fact that the division leading Padres have now lost ten games in a row.
So, even though the Dodgers completely botched an opportunity (probably their last) to make up ground in the Wild Card race this week, the unbelievably bad play of the Padres has reentered them into a different playoff race: the one for the NL West. As of this moment, there are only three teams and 7.5 games in front of the Dodgers and the NL West crown, versus five teams and 8.5 games blocking the Dodgers from a Wild Card berth.
And it's not like the Dodgers can't control their own destiny in the NL West race. They'll play six more games against the Padres, six more against the Rockies, and three more with the Giants (not including today). Add to that, they'll play six games against the Diamondbacks and four against the Astros. If the Dodgers were really serious about getting to the playoffs, then it's not out of the realm of possibility. The just gotta want it enough. That, and, you know, play well and win. Well, mostly that, I guess.
In all honesty, though, I'm guessing the odds of the Dodgers playing a meaningful series in October are sitting somewhere around 2% right about now. (And yes, I know they have three games at the start of October ... they're with the D-backs, and unless we're three games out at that moment, then no, those aren't meaningful.)
But whatever. I'm going to be watching these games anyway, so we might as well be winning them.
Alright, couple more things.
Broxton
So, yeah ... Broxton.
Look, I've been a big supporter of Broxton. I still am. I still believe Broxton is more likely to revert to old Broxton, rather than to assume he'll never be a good pitcher again.
But, my God is there something wrong with him. At this point, he's as unreliable as Octavio Dotel. He's hittable. He can't seem to locate his fastball unless he throws it right down the middle of the plate. Meanwhile, his slider has been hanging, and, as Juan Uribe can attest to: hanging sliders are easily smashable.
I wouldn't be surprised if something is physically wrong with him. We've seen him try to pitch through pain before, only to have it affect him. Remember when he had an issue with the big toe on his landing foot last year?
I'm guessing (hoping) an offseason to rest and Broxton will be back to form by next Spring. Until then, he should maybe sit the next couple of plays out.
John Lindsey!
In case you didn't catch it earlier this week, Ramona Shelburne wrote a nice piece on career minor leaguer John Lindsey.
Read it. It'll make you feel good about the news that Lindsey is being called up to join the team Monday after 16 years in the minors.
And like I said on Twitter a few days ago, when Ronnie Belliard got the start at first base simply because he's a right handed batter, free John Lindsey! Get him some starts every now and then. Who knows, maybe he'll knock a few out and get himself a spot on the roster for next season.
I mean, come on, we've only got like a 2% chance of making the playoffs anyway, what's the worst that could happen?
Especially because the result of today's game is really going to determine whether this has been a good week or bad week.
Obviously a loss puts the Dodgers at 2-4 on the week, and that is no good.
If the Dodgers win, then they take two out of three against the Giants and go 3-3 for the week. Now, this would normally be a really average week (maybe even bad considering how close to the end of the season we are and how many games need to be made up in the standings) except for the fact that the division leading Padres have now lost ten games in a row.
So, even though the Dodgers completely botched an opportunity (probably their last) to make up ground in the Wild Card race this week, the unbelievably bad play of the Padres has reentered them into a different playoff race: the one for the NL West. As of this moment, there are only three teams and 7.5 games in front of the Dodgers and the NL West crown, versus five teams and 8.5 games blocking the Dodgers from a Wild Card berth.
And it's not like the Dodgers can't control their own destiny in the NL West race. They'll play six more games against the Padres, six more against the Rockies, and three more with the Giants (not including today). Add to that, they'll play six games against the Diamondbacks and four against the Astros. If the Dodgers were really serious about getting to the playoffs, then it's not out of the realm of possibility. The just gotta want it enough. That, and, you know, play well and win. Well, mostly that, I guess.
In all honesty, though, I'm guessing the odds of the Dodgers playing a meaningful series in October are sitting somewhere around 2% right about now. (And yes, I know they have three games at the start of October ... they're with the D-backs, and unless we're three games out at that moment, then no, those aren't meaningful.)
But whatever. I'm going to be watching these games anyway, so we might as well be winning them.
Alright, couple more things.
Broxton
So, yeah ... Broxton.
Look, I've been a big supporter of Broxton. I still am. I still believe Broxton is more likely to revert to old Broxton, rather than to assume he'll never be a good pitcher again.
But, my God is there something wrong with him. At this point, he's as unreliable as Octavio Dotel. He's hittable. He can't seem to locate his fastball unless he throws it right down the middle of the plate. Meanwhile, his slider has been hanging, and, as Juan Uribe can attest to: hanging sliders are easily smashable.
I wouldn't be surprised if something is physically wrong with him. We've seen him try to pitch through pain before, only to have it affect him. Remember when he had an issue with the big toe on his landing foot last year?
I'm guessing (hoping) an offseason to rest and Broxton will be back to form by next Spring. Until then, he should maybe sit the next couple of plays out.
John Lindsey!
In case you didn't catch it earlier this week, Ramona Shelburne wrote a nice piece on career minor leaguer John Lindsey.
Read it. It'll make you feel good about the news that Lindsey is being called up to join the team Monday after 16 years in the minors.
And like I said on Twitter a few days ago, when Ronnie Belliard got the start at first base simply because he's a right handed batter, free John Lindsey! Get him some starts every now and then. Who knows, maybe he'll knock a few out and get himself a spot on the roster for next season.
I mean, come on, we've only got like a 2% chance of making the playoffs anyway, what's the worst that could happen?
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Dodgers Retrospective - Week 21
Well, the week started out nice, didn't it? Sweeping the Brewers, coming back to take the first game from the Rockies. Things were looking good. And then, well, let's just jump into this...
So, in response to a Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness post about what to do with Manny as he came off the DL (play him to raise his value and trade him), I commented this:
Some called me crazy. And I can't blame them. It was pretty preposterous. But damn, after Friday night's game, I was starting to more psychic than crazy. The Dodgers had won four in a row, and found themselves 4.5 games back in the Wildcard. They looked like a different team. The hitting was back. The bullpen was back. The pitching was still good.
Then, suddenly, and without warning, suck.
Ok, so, there was warning. Like, when on Saturday, Manny was benched for the third game in a row, for reasons not entirely clear. Joe Torre mumbled something about Scott Podsednik's energy or whatever. Unsurprisingly, Podsednik's energy and the Dodger offense scored one run through eight innings (before Rod Barajas hit a two-run homerun in the 9th to make the final score not look so one-sided).
Or, Sunday, when, apparently, everyone in Dodger management gave up and offered no explanation for Manny's absence from a 4th straight game. Just: he's not starting.
And then things got weird...
Manny came in to pinch hit in the 6th inning of Sunday's game, with the bases loaded and the Dodgers down 6, and he took a called strike on the outside corner. Manny, who has been playing professional baseball since 1991 (ie. He knows that arguing balls and strikes gets you automatically kicked out) then turned and fiercely argued balls and strikes with home plate ump Gary Cederstrom. He was kicked out.
I still don't know what to make of this.
I said on Twitter, I don't want to try and get into another person's head, least of all, Manny Ramirez. But, come on, did Manny really feel that emotional about a questionable first pitch called strike?
Or, did Manny, feeling like the end of his LA playing career was inevitable, and upset with his recent usage, decide to deliver one final 'eff you to Dodgers management? It's not unheard of. I can tell you this, though...
It only makes me like Manny even more.
Yeah, maybe it screwed the Dodgers at an important point within the game (though, let's be honest, the season is, for almost all intents and purposes, dead anyway). And yes, if intentional, it was a childish and unprofessional move.
But, you know what? I don't care.
Manny, if he intentionally got himself kicked out of a game, did to Joe Torre and Ned Colletti what most of us fans have wanted to do all year.
Whether it be the shortsighted, overpaying, and meaningless trades that Ned Colletti made, or the terrible roster decisions, almost thoughtless starting lineups, and horrific bullpen use that Joe Torre has made a staple of this season, I (like I'm guessing many other fans) have wanted to say, for lack of better terms, 'eff you to Dodgers management almost all season.
Manny, by getting kicked out after one pitch, essentially told management, "Screw you guys, I'm going home." (in this case, home = the Chicago White Sox.)
Maybe I'm making too big of a deal about this. Maybe I'm reading too much into it. I can't be 100% sure that what I'm saying is what really went down. But, again, I don't care. I love it. Manny's a folk hero.
Either way, here's what I am sure of: this offense, it's not the same without Manny. That's not to say they can't score runs without Manny, or that with Manny, they are guaranteed to not slump, but the feel is different.
The offense with Manny is a well oiled machine. Without him, it feels like grinding gears.
So, if you want to trade Manny away, do it. It should have been done a month ago, when the returning package would have been much better. But if you are going to trade Manny, don't stop there. Trade Kuroda, Lilly, Sherrill, Dotel, Podsednik, Blake. Trade them all. There's no need for them. We aren't going anywhere, especially without a Manny in the lineup, so why keep these pieces?
I wish there was less indecisiveness. I wish there was more critical thinking. I wish there wasn't so much deceit on what goes on behind the scenes. I wish there weren't so many bad decisions.
I wish we had different people in charge.
Basically, what I'm saying is:
'Eff you, management.
So, in response to a Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness post about what to do with Manny as he came off the DL (play him to raise his value and trade him), I commented this:
"I’m with you. I’ve been saying we should’ve sold for a while now. But, just to play Devil’s advocate and throw out a crazy hypothetical here…
Manny gets activated today. He comes back on fire, circa 2008. The offense is rejuvenated. The pitching is still solid. They win 8 of their next 9 and find themselves in 3rd place, four games out of the Wildcard at the start of August 31st. (Or Dodgers split the next two, Manny is activated Tuesday, Dodgers win next 6, etc.)
I mean, I understand there’s about a .76% chance of such a thing happening but this has been my one problem with selling: (and, this is probably because I’m looking at it through the rose colored glasses of a fan) but 8.0 games out in the Wildcard (and not totally in the race) is just one good hotstreak away from suddenly being in the thick of the race.
It’s dangerous thinking, akin to not knowing when to fold in poker, but I’m just wondering how close to the Wildcard leader would we have to be before we decide we shouldn’t sell?"
Some called me crazy. And I can't blame them. It was pretty preposterous. But damn, after Friday night's game, I was starting to more psychic than crazy. The Dodgers had won four in a row, and found themselves 4.5 games back in the Wildcard. They looked like a different team. The hitting was back. The bullpen was back. The pitching was still good.
Then, suddenly, and without warning, suck.
Ok, so, there was warning. Like, when on Saturday, Manny was benched for the third game in a row, for reasons not entirely clear. Joe Torre mumbled something about Scott Podsednik's energy or whatever. Unsurprisingly, Podsednik's energy and the Dodger offense scored one run through eight innings (before Rod Barajas hit a two-run homerun in the 9th to make the final score not look so one-sided).
Or, Sunday, when, apparently, everyone in Dodger management gave up and offered no explanation for Manny's absence from a 4th straight game. Just: he's not starting.
And then things got weird...
Manny came in to pinch hit in the 6th inning of Sunday's game, with the bases loaded and the Dodgers down 6, and he took a called strike on the outside corner. Manny, who has been playing professional baseball since 1991 (ie. He knows that arguing balls and strikes gets you automatically kicked out) then turned and fiercely argued balls and strikes with home plate ump Gary Cederstrom. He was kicked out.
I still don't know what to make of this.
I said on Twitter, I don't want to try and get into another person's head, least of all, Manny Ramirez. But, come on, did Manny really feel that emotional about a questionable first pitch called strike?
Or, did Manny, feeling like the end of his LA playing career was inevitable, and upset with his recent usage, decide to deliver one final 'eff you to Dodgers management? It's not unheard of. I can tell you this, though...
It only makes me like Manny even more.
Yeah, maybe it screwed the Dodgers at an important point within the game (though, let's be honest, the season is, for almost all intents and purposes, dead anyway). And yes, if intentional, it was a childish and unprofessional move.
But, you know what? I don't care.
Manny, if he intentionally got himself kicked out of a game, did to Joe Torre and Ned Colletti what most of us fans have wanted to do all year.
Whether it be the shortsighted, overpaying, and meaningless trades that Ned Colletti made, or the terrible roster decisions, almost thoughtless starting lineups, and horrific bullpen use that Joe Torre has made a staple of this season, I (like I'm guessing many other fans) have wanted to say, for lack of better terms, 'eff you to Dodgers management almost all season.
Manny, by getting kicked out after one pitch, essentially told management, "Screw you guys, I'm going home." (in this case, home = the Chicago White Sox.)
Maybe I'm making too big of a deal about this. Maybe I'm reading too much into it. I can't be 100% sure that what I'm saying is what really went down. But, again, I don't care. I love it. Manny's a folk hero.
Either way, here's what I am sure of: this offense, it's not the same without Manny. That's not to say they can't score runs without Manny, or that with Manny, they are guaranteed to not slump, but the feel is different.
The offense with Manny is a well oiled machine. Without him, it feels like grinding gears.
So, if you want to trade Manny away, do it. It should have been done a month ago, when the returning package would have been much better. But if you are going to trade Manny, don't stop there. Trade Kuroda, Lilly, Sherrill, Dotel, Podsednik, Blake. Trade them all. There's no need for them. We aren't going anywhere, especially without a Manny in the lineup, so why keep these pieces?
I wish there was less indecisiveness. I wish there was more critical thinking. I wish there wasn't so much deceit on what goes on behind the scenes. I wish there weren't so many bad decisions.
I wish we had different people in charge.
Basically, what I'm saying is:
'Eff you, management.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Dodgers Retrospective - Week 20
So, I skipped the Week 19 Retrospective... I was busy, and the Dodgers sucked that week. They lost four of six, hitting, then not hitting, then hitting and blowing games, and not hitting again, then not hitting or pitching.
Then they started this week by blowing a game on Monday in Atlanta. Then won two of three against Colorado. Then lost two of three to Cincinnati. So, 3-4 overall. Better than 2-4, yet still slowly killing me.
The season is pretty much over, but there was a big news story this week, so let's get to it.
Vin Scully Will Return
And thank God. I was really starting to worry we were going to get a 200% increase in games called by Steve Lyons, and that is really more Steve Lyons than anyone should have to bear.
Still, when word spread that Vin would make an announcement on his future on Sunday, a lot of people started to worry that he was going to call it a career.
Again, he's not, so crisis averted, but it really got me thinking: we need some sort of contingency plan for when Vin does decide to retire.
In an ideal world, when Vin decides he doesn't want to travel anymore, we just pipe in the tv feed to his house, let him call games from home, and then broadcast it on a slight delay. I have my doubts that he would go for such a thing, but I can dream.
More realistically, I kind of hope Vin finds a young broadcaster, and takes him under his wing and mentors him, the way Red Barber did for Vin.
I want someone who has grown up and learned under Vin, not a guy like Steve Lyons, who is only here because he lost his national tv job for saying stupid things. I want someone who is going to emulate Vin, not someone who is going to crack jokes all game about his 19 career homeruns or whatever other stupid thing he did during his playing career.
I know we can't have Vin call games forever, but having him play a big part in who replaces him would, for me, go a long way.
Until then, we have to just enjoy what time we do have left with him.
Then they started this week by blowing a game on Monday in Atlanta. Then won two of three against Colorado. Then lost two of three to Cincinnati. So, 3-4 overall. Better than 2-4, yet still slowly killing me.
The season is pretty much over, but there was a big news story this week, so let's get to it.
Vin Scully Will Return
And thank God. I was really starting to worry we were going to get a 200% increase in games called by Steve Lyons, and that is really more Steve Lyons than anyone should have to bear.
Still, when word spread that Vin would make an announcement on his future on Sunday, a lot of people started to worry that he was going to call it a career.
Again, he's not, so crisis averted, but it really got me thinking: we need some sort of contingency plan for when Vin does decide to retire.
In an ideal world, when Vin decides he doesn't want to travel anymore, we just pipe in the tv feed to his house, let him call games from home, and then broadcast it on a slight delay. I have my doubts that he would go for such a thing, but I can dream.
More realistically, I kind of hope Vin finds a young broadcaster, and takes him under his wing and mentors him, the way Red Barber did for Vin.
I want someone who has grown up and learned under Vin, not a guy like Steve Lyons, who is only here because he lost his national tv job for saying stupid things. I want someone who is going to emulate Vin, not someone who is going to crack jokes all game about his 19 career homeruns or whatever other stupid thing he did during his playing career.
I know we can't have Vin call games forever, but having him play a big part in who replaces him would, for me, go a long way.
Until then, we have to just enjoy what time we do have left with him.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Dodgers Retrospective - Week 18
You know, in a vacuum, going 4-3 in a week, splitting a four game series with the best team in your league and then winning two games out of three in a weekend series might seem like a good week.
It's not a bad week, for sure. But in the scenario we find ourselves in, another week has been ticked off the season, and the Dodgers have only moved one game closer to the division leading Padres, and 1.5 games closer to the wild card leading Giants. Couple this with the fact that the Dodgers will now play seven games on the road (three against Philadelphia and four against Atlanta) and well ... you kinda wish there wasn't so much space between the Dodgers and the playoff race leaders.
Sorry to be a downer.
Alright, couple more things.
Unfortunate Timing
I had the feeling these trade deadline deals would come back to bite us in the future. I just didn't know it would be the following week.
What I'm saying is:
Don't you just hate it when you trade away your most promising catching prospect (one who is nearly ready for the majors) for a very average outfielder and then your starting catcher gets hurt and goes on the DL with a season ending injury and you now have to platoon at catcher for the rest of the year with a 41 year old coming off back surgery and a 29 year old career backup catcher with almost no power?
I know I sure do.
The End of An (Awful, Awful) Era
You know, I have to be honest, when I woke up this morning, one of the last things I expected was to learn that Garret Anderson had been Designated for Assignment.
Don't get me wrong. It's good news. In fact, I had a permanent smile on my face for a good half hour after hearing about the move. I'm really not kidding. I was explaining it to people who don't care about baseball and smiling the whole time.
But, it was just odd timing.
I mean, what exactly was it that finally forced Joe Torre's hand? Anderson didn't even play in yesterday's game. And we won that game. You'd think Anderson would have gotten the boot after another 0-4 spot start, or a pinch-hit GIDP to end the game or something. Nope, the Dodgers win and Anderson watches from the bench, then gets Designated for Assignment the next day.
And the decision was made in mid-August, no less, months longer than should have taken. Anderson had hung on this long, I thought for sure he was going to reach the safety plateau of expanded rosters in September.
But, nope. Anderson is gone and whatever the reason, I'll take it. Everyone knew he was done. Fans most of all, but the coaches had to know, too. Garret Anderson probably knew. It was no doubt tough on him to struggle so badly this year.
So, this is farewell, then. So long, Garret. Sorry for ripping on you so much this year, but in fairness, you were terrible.
When saying goodbye, it's important to remember the good times we had. Or, in Anderson's case, that one good time.
It's not a bad week, for sure. But in the scenario we find ourselves in, another week has been ticked off the season, and the Dodgers have only moved one game closer to the division leading Padres, and 1.5 games closer to the wild card leading Giants. Couple this with the fact that the Dodgers will now play seven games on the road (three against Philadelphia and four against Atlanta) and well ... you kinda wish there wasn't so much space between the Dodgers and the playoff race leaders.
Sorry to be a downer.
Alright, couple more things.
Unfortunate Timing
I had the feeling these trade deadline deals would come back to bite us in the future. I just didn't know it would be the following week.
What I'm saying is:
Don't you just hate it when you trade away your most promising catching prospect (one who is nearly ready for the majors) for a very average outfielder and then your starting catcher gets hurt and goes on the DL with a season ending injury and you now have to platoon at catcher for the rest of the year with a 41 year old coming off back surgery and a 29 year old career backup catcher with almost no power?
I know I sure do.
The End of An (Awful, Awful) Era
You know, I have to be honest, when I woke up this morning, one of the last things I expected was to learn that Garret Anderson had been Designated for Assignment.
Don't get me wrong. It's good news. In fact, I had a permanent smile on my face for a good half hour after hearing about the move. I'm really not kidding. I was explaining it to people who don't care about baseball and smiling the whole time.
But, it was just odd timing.
I mean, what exactly was it that finally forced Joe Torre's hand? Anderson didn't even play in yesterday's game. And we won that game. You'd think Anderson would have gotten the boot after another 0-4 spot start, or a pinch-hit GIDP to end the game or something. Nope, the Dodgers win and Anderson watches from the bench, then gets Designated for Assignment the next day.
And the decision was made in mid-August, no less, months longer than should have taken. Anderson had hung on this long, I thought for sure he was going to reach the safety plateau of expanded rosters in September.
But, nope. Anderson is gone and whatever the reason, I'll take it. Everyone knew he was done. Fans most of all, but the coaches had to know, too. Garret Anderson probably knew. It was no doubt tough on him to struggle so badly this year.
So, this is farewell, then. So long, Garret. Sorry for ripping on you so much this year, but in fairness, you were terrible.
When saying goodbye, it's important to remember the good times we had. Or, in Anderson's case, that one good time.Sunday, August 1, 2010
Dodgers Retrospective - Week 17
So, I'm writing this week recap up now, before the game today for two reasons. One, if I wait until after the game, it tends to mess up my entire night. Two, regardless of whether the Dodgers win today's game or not, this is already a sucky week.
I said last week that the coming week would be big. Either big good, or big bad.
As of today, the Dodgers can only hope to finish this week 2-4 against the two teams in front of them in the playoff race, so I guess you know how that panned out. (Post game update: 1-5 on the week. So. Whatever.)
More importantly, the trade deadline came this week, and the Dodgers, for some reason, decided to be buyers.
Here's the realization I came to this week: if the Dodgers happen to find success this year, they will do so in spite of management and ownership.
I mean, maybe, in the back of my head, I've always known this to be true, but as long as the Dodgers were winning, I was willing to let management slide.
But this week has just been a Doctorate level course in bad management, at both the manager and GM level. So, if you'll indulge me (more than you already are just by visiting my blog), I've got a lot of complaining to do.
First, you have the manager. Much has been made about Joe Torre's managing style, especially his mismanagement of the bullpen (which is terrible*) but at this point, I almost don't even care about it so much. Yeah, really.
*Long aside: another shining example of which came on Thursday. Dodgers vs. Padres, 9th inning, tie score, and both Jonathan Broxton and George Sherrill warming in the bullpen. So, who comes in to face a righty heavy portion of the San Diego lineup? George Sherrill, of course, who, by the way, can't seem to get anybody out, but especially can't get out right handed hitters. Shocker upon all shockers, Sherrill loses the game. Broxton, meanwhile, stands in the bullpen waiting for a save opportunity that will never come. Ok, his terrible bullpen management still does make me miserable, but...
At this point, I'll take any manager, bullpen mistakes or not, who is able to make roster moves that aren't mind-numbingly stupid. I mean, for God's sake, why is Sherrill still on this team? And why the Hell is Garret Anderson still allowed to eat up a valuable roster spot? And who's bright effing idea was Jack Taschner?!
All I really want is someone who is willing to give Sherrill and Anderson their walking papers. Or someone, who, when presented with the idea of bring Jack Taschner up to the major league roster, stops for just a second and thinks: "That's a terrible idea. Absolutely not."
Seriously, why is this so damn hard? If we are so dedicated to winning this year, why are we not filling our roster with the 25 best players we can?
... which brings me to the General Manager.
Ned Colletti had one hell of a trade deadline this week.
Colletti completed three trades this week. Lucas May and Elisaul Pimentel for Scott Podsednik. Blake DeWitt and pitching prospects Brett Wallach and Kyle Smit for Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot. And finally, right before the deadline, Colletti swapped James McDonald and Andrew Lambo for Octavio Dotel. Now, before I break down these trades, I need to address whether or not the Dodgers should have even been buyers.
There's a good argument to be made that the Dodgers should have sold at the deadline. Hiroki Kuroda, Manny Ramirez, and Vicente Padilla will be free agents this offseason. Also, one or two of the handful of young players who will look for raises in the offseason could have also been on the move. Any of these players could have been shipped out for what would likely be a good return.
The counter-argument to this, though, is that the Dodgers were still within five games of the Wildcard when the deadline passed on Saturday.
Add to that the fact that most Dodger fans would have revolted, and I could see how it would be difficult justifying a fire sale.
So, you have two other options. You can do what the Dodgers did and buy ... or you can stand pat.
Personally, I would've have done nothing. I can see how this method also might have it's issues. Again, you deal with the fans who see this as waving the white flag. Also, you probably end up getting nothing for leaving veterans like Kuroda, who will most likely not receive an offer for arbitration in the offseason.
But, I'm sticking with this as having been the best choice. I see it like this, aside from the starting pitching, the Dodgers are playing far below their potential. When the Dodgers scored five runs on Friday, it was only the fourth time since the All-Star break that the Dodgers scored more than three runs in a game. (Ironically, they are 0-4 in those games, so, yes, the only time the Dodgers can score runs is when the pitching is giving up even more.)
What is it going to take for the Dodgers to reach the postseason? The regulars need to show up. Casey Blake and Russell Martin continue to fade offensively (though they might never turn it around). Matt Kemp, meanwhile, needs to pull out of his long, long slump. Rafael Furcal, who was so vital to the Dodger offense for the first half, has only been hitting .263 since the break. Worse off is Andre Ethier, who is hitting .135 (.507 OPS) since the break. If the Dodgers hope to have any success this season, these guys (plus Manny) have to return to form.
So, what did the Dodgers do? They added Scott Podsednik, who, admittedly, could be a nice complementary piece, but isn't going to be the difference maker in the race for the pennant.
They added Ted Lilly, who fills the gaping hole of #5 starter, and Ryan Theriot, an offensive downgrade at 2nd base to both Blake DeWitt (now on the Cubs) and Jamey Carroll (now warming the bench).
Then Colletti finished his tour with the addition of Octavio Dotel, who, again, could be a nice complementary piece, but isn't a game changer with his shiny 4.28 ERA (his 3.84 FIP is nicer but not more so than the man he's replacing ... Travis Schlichting has a 3.16 FIP in only 18 less innings).
In case it wasn't obvious, I'm not a fan of these trades. And I have four reasons to back this up.
1. We are buying when we shouldn't be. To rehash a previous point, we really should have sold or stood pat, just given the growing improbability that we actually make the playoffs.
2. Almost all of these trades were severe examples of overpaying.
Look at the Podsednik trade. Didn't we have the leverage? The Royals are going nowhere and Podsednik is a free agent at the end of the season. What were they going to do, keep him? Did we really need to send both our last bit of catching depth (May) and a promising young pitcher (Pimentel)? It really feels like one or the other should have been enough. If the Royals demanded more, then just say no. We really needed Podsednik that badly?
The Lilly/Theriot trade was more fair in terms of returns for each team. Don't get me wrong, it's a bad trade in it's own rights (Lilly is unnecessary and Theriot is a downgrade) but as far as one young 2nd baseman and two low level pitching prospects for a solid left handed pitcher and extremely average major league 2nd baseman, it's about even.
But all that is ruined with the Dotel trade. If Colletti had just sent James McDonald (a cheap, young pitcher who has shown a lot of promise in the past) to Pittsburg for Octavio Dotel (a 36 year old reliever), the trade would have been a win for Pittsburgh.
But. But... For some reason, Colletti threw into the trade, one time highly rated prospect Andrew Lambo. Yes, Lambo has had some issues in the minors with substance related suspensions. And, yes, he has struggled so far to adjust to high minors level pitching, but he's 22. He's got time to adjust. And he's got a high, high ceiling. So, why in the world was he sent to Pittsburgh for a 36 year old relief pitcher? I mean, if I had to guess, it'd be because the Pirates are paying the $500,000 remaining on Dotel's contract, but that's not really what I'm getting at.
What I'm saying is, when Dotel's name was brought up for trade consideration, why, when the Pirates asked for both McDonald and Lambo didn't Colletti just say no. It's so easy...
"You want Dotel. We want James McDonald."
"Eh, ok."
"And we want Lambo."
"You do realize Dotel is a 36 year old relief pitcher? And he's got an ERA over 4.00? So... no."
3. The returns the Dodgers received for all the players they gave up was overall, probably a lot less than it could've been. This is related to overpaying. This has been covered by several other blogs, but I think Jon Weisman tweeted it best:
4. Finally, these trades didn't need to be made. At least, not now. Not at this point in time.
Look at it like this: with the exception of Ted Lilly (maybe), do any of the players the Dodgers acquired become off limits past the July 31st deadline?
Was Scott Podsednik really not going to clear waivers? Or Theriot? Or Dotel?
Couldn't we have waited another two or three weeks and saw where we were in the standings before we pulled the trigger on a trade that sent away a bunch of prospects. Two weeks from now, if we were still in the race, couldn't we have then called up the Royals and asked about Podsednik? We were really that worried someone else was going to win the Octavio Dotel sweepstakes?
And, by the way, these players would most likely come cheaper the later into the season we acquire them.
What's the downside? Two less weeks of Ryan Theriot?
It's just frustrating.
It's so, so frustrating.
I said last week that the coming week would be big. Either big good, or big bad.
As of today, the Dodgers can only hope to finish this week 2-4 against the two teams in front of them in the playoff race, so I guess you know how that panned out. (Post game update: 1-5 on the week. So. Whatever.)
More importantly, the trade deadline came this week, and the Dodgers, for some reason, decided to be buyers.
Here's the realization I came to this week: if the Dodgers happen to find success this year, they will do so in spite of management and ownership.
I mean, maybe, in the back of my head, I've always known this to be true, but as long as the Dodgers were winning, I was willing to let management slide.
But this week has just been a Doctorate level course in bad management, at both the manager and GM level. So, if you'll indulge me (more than you already are just by visiting my blog), I've got a lot of complaining to do.
First, you have the manager. Much has been made about Joe Torre's managing style, especially his mismanagement of the bullpen (which is terrible*) but at this point, I almost don't even care about it so much. Yeah, really.
*Long aside: another shining example of which came on Thursday. Dodgers vs. Padres, 9th inning, tie score, and both Jonathan Broxton and George Sherrill warming in the bullpen. So, who comes in to face a righty heavy portion of the San Diego lineup? George Sherrill, of course, who, by the way, can't seem to get anybody out, but especially can't get out right handed hitters. Shocker upon all shockers, Sherrill loses the game. Broxton, meanwhile, stands in the bullpen waiting for a save opportunity that will never come. Ok, his terrible bullpen management still does make me miserable, but...
At this point, I'll take any manager, bullpen mistakes or not, who is able to make roster moves that aren't mind-numbingly stupid. I mean, for God's sake, why is Sherrill still on this team? And why the Hell is Garret Anderson still allowed to eat up a valuable roster spot? And who's bright effing idea was Jack Taschner?!
All I really want is someone who is willing to give Sherrill and Anderson their walking papers. Or someone, who, when presented with the idea of bring Jack Taschner up to the major league roster, stops for just a second and thinks: "That's a terrible idea. Absolutely not."
Seriously, why is this so damn hard? If we are so dedicated to winning this year, why are we not filling our roster with the 25 best players we can?
... which brings me to the General Manager.
Ned Colletti had one hell of a trade deadline this week.
Colletti completed three trades this week. Lucas May and Elisaul Pimentel for Scott Podsednik. Blake DeWitt and pitching prospects Brett Wallach and Kyle Smit for Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot. And finally, right before the deadline, Colletti swapped James McDonald and Andrew Lambo for Octavio Dotel. Now, before I break down these trades, I need to address whether or not the Dodgers should have even been buyers.
There's a good argument to be made that the Dodgers should have sold at the deadline. Hiroki Kuroda, Manny Ramirez, and Vicente Padilla will be free agents this offseason. Also, one or two of the handful of young players who will look for raises in the offseason could have also been on the move. Any of these players could have been shipped out for what would likely be a good return.
The counter-argument to this, though, is that the Dodgers were still within five games of the Wildcard when the deadline passed on Saturday.
Add to that the fact that most Dodger fans would have revolted, and I could see how it would be difficult justifying a fire sale.
So, you have two other options. You can do what the Dodgers did and buy ... or you can stand pat.
Personally, I would've have done nothing. I can see how this method also might have it's issues. Again, you deal with the fans who see this as waving the white flag. Also, you probably end up getting nothing for leaving veterans like Kuroda, who will most likely not receive an offer for arbitration in the offseason.
But, I'm sticking with this as having been the best choice. I see it like this, aside from the starting pitching, the Dodgers are playing far below their potential. When the Dodgers scored five runs on Friday, it was only the fourth time since the All-Star break that the Dodgers scored more than three runs in a game. (Ironically, they are 0-4 in those games, so, yes, the only time the Dodgers can score runs is when the pitching is giving up even more.)
What is it going to take for the Dodgers to reach the postseason? The regulars need to show up. Casey Blake and Russell Martin continue to fade offensively (though they might never turn it around). Matt Kemp, meanwhile, needs to pull out of his long, long slump. Rafael Furcal, who was so vital to the Dodger offense for the first half, has only been hitting .263 since the break. Worse off is Andre Ethier, who is hitting .135 (.507 OPS) since the break. If the Dodgers hope to have any success this season, these guys (plus Manny) have to return to form.
So, what did the Dodgers do? They added Scott Podsednik, who, admittedly, could be a nice complementary piece, but isn't going to be the difference maker in the race for the pennant.
They added Ted Lilly, who fills the gaping hole of #5 starter, and Ryan Theriot, an offensive downgrade at 2nd base to both Blake DeWitt (now on the Cubs) and Jamey Carroll (now warming the bench).
Then Colletti finished his tour with the addition of Octavio Dotel, who, again, could be a nice complementary piece, but isn't a game changer with his shiny 4.28 ERA (his 3.84 FIP is nicer but not more so than the man he's replacing ... Travis Schlichting has a 3.16 FIP in only 18 less innings).
In case it wasn't obvious, I'm not a fan of these trades. And I have four reasons to back this up.
1. We are buying when we shouldn't be. To rehash a previous point, we really should have sold or stood pat, just given the growing improbability that we actually make the playoffs.
2. Almost all of these trades were severe examples of overpaying.
Look at the Podsednik trade. Didn't we have the leverage? The Royals are going nowhere and Podsednik is a free agent at the end of the season. What were they going to do, keep him? Did we really need to send both our last bit of catching depth (May) and a promising young pitcher (Pimentel)? It really feels like one or the other should have been enough. If the Royals demanded more, then just say no. We really needed Podsednik that badly?
The Lilly/Theriot trade was more fair in terms of returns for each team. Don't get me wrong, it's a bad trade in it's own rights (Lilly is unnecessary and Theriot is a downgrade) but as far as one young 2nd baseman and two low level pitching prospects for a solid left handed pitcher and extremely average major league 2nd baseman, it's about even.
But all that is ruined with the Dotel trade. If Colletti had just sent James McDonald (a cheap, young pitcher who has shown a lot of promise in the past) to Pittsburg for Octavio Dotel (a 36 year old reliever), the trade would have been a win for Pittsburgh.
But. But... For some reason, Colletti threw into the trade, one time highly rated prospect Andrew Lambo. Yes, Lambo has had some issues in the minors with substance related suspensions. And, yes, he has struggled so far to adjust to high minors level pitching, but he's 22. He's got time to adjust. And he's got a high, high ceiling. So, why in the world was he sent to Pittsburgh for a 36 year old relief pitcher? I mean, if I had to guess, it'd be because the Pirates are paying the $500,000 remaining on Dotel's contract, but that's not really what I'm getting at.
What I'm saying is, when Dotel's name was brought up for trade consideration, why, when the Pirates asked for both McDonald and Lambo didn't Colletti just say no. It's so easy...
"You want Dotel. We want James McDonald."
"Eh, ok."
"And we want Lambo."
"You do realize Dotel is a 36 year old relief pitcher? And he's got an ERA over 4.00? So... no."
3. The returns the Dodgers received for all the players they gave up was overall, probably a lot less than it could've been. This is related to overpaying. This has been covered by several other blogs, but I think Jon Weisman tweeted it best:
"If you package Pimentel, May, McDonald, Lambo, DeWitt, Wallach and Smit together, I think that gets you something nicer."Yeah, it probably does. If we were willing to send off all of these young players for a handful of average players, some of which we really didn't need, couldn't we have turned these young players into a really good player that we could use?
4. Finally, these trades didn't need to be made. At least, not now. Not at this point in time.
Look at it like this: with the exception of Ted Lilly (maybe), do any of the players the Dodgers acquired become off limits past the July 31st deadline?
Was Scott Podsednik really not going to clear waivers? Or Theriot? Or Dotel?
Couldn't we have waited another two or three weeks and saw where we were in the standings before we pulled the trigger on a trade that sent away a bunch of prospects. Two weeks from now, if we were still in the race, couldn't we have then called up the Royals and asked about Podsednik? We were really that worried someone else was going to win the Octavio Dotel sweepstakes?
And, by the way, these players would most likely come cheaper the later into the season we acquire them.
What's the downside? Two less weeks of Ryan Theriot?
It's just frustrating.
It's so, so frustrating.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Dodgers Retrospective - Week 16
After losing four straight out of the All-Star break, it was hard for the Dodgers to not have a better week.
Still, the Dodgers found themselves winning only four of seven this week, and in all honesty, they were probably lucky to win that many.
The offense has been seriously struggling post All-Star break. Coming off a series in St. Louis where the Dodger scored a combined 9 runs in four games, the Dodgers had run outputs of 2, 5, 2, 2, 1, 2, and 1 this week (and they didn't win the game they scored five runs in).
Luckily for the Dodgers, the starters bailed them out. Chad Billingsley went 9 scoreless innings in a win against the Giants on Wednesday, Kuroda went 8 scoreless in a win against the Mets on Thursday, and Kershaw went 8 scoreless in a win against the Mets today.
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to finish the week over .500. I'm happy the starters are pitching so well. But if the offense doesn't start to turn around, we are going to be in trouble.
Alright, enough complaining. Few more quick topics to touch on this week.
Credit Where Credit Is Due
I've ripped Vicente Padilla in the past on this blog. And truthfully, I'm still not a huge fan of his.
But I can't deny how good he's been since coming off the DL. He's had some pretty good success this season, due to things like having a career year in both K/9 (8.00) and BB/9 (1.97), and mixing that with some good luck (career low in BABIP). Is this kind of production sustainable? Eh, probably not. But as long as Padilla continues to put up numbers like a 0.98 ERA in four starts in July (22 Ks in 27.2 IP), I'm going to enjoy the ride.
Reality Check Week
This is a big week coming up. I mean, take a look at the upcoming schedule. First, the Dodgers are going to take on the division leading Padres for three games. Then, they'll follow that up by taking on the Wild Card leading Giants.
On top of all this, the trade deadline is Saturday.
I'm going to go ahead and say that by this point next week, we're going to have a pretty good idea of how the rest of the season is going to shape up.
That's not to say the Dodgers will definitively be in or out of the race by next Sunday (especially because after Sunday, the Dodgers start a four game set against the Padres again), all I'm saying is, we're probably going to have a good idea of how the season will unfold.
Frankly, I'm a little worried about this week, but at the same time, I'm excited. I want to know how this whole thing is going to work out.
Still, the Dodgers found themselves winning only four of seven this week, and in all honesty, they were probably lucky to win that many.
The offense has been seriously struggling post All-Star break. Coming off a series in St. Louis where the Dodger scored a combined 9 runs in four games, the Dodgers had run outputs of 2, 5, 2, 2, 1, 2, and 1 this week (and they didn't win the game they scored five runs in).
Luckily for the Dodgers, the starters bailed them out. Chad Billingsley went 9 scoreless innings in a win against the Giants on Wednesday, Kuroda went 8 scoreless in a win against the Mets on Thursday, and Kershaw went 8 scoreless in a win against the Mets today.
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to finish the week over .500. I'm happy the starters are pitching so well. But if the offense doesn't start to turn around, we are going to be in trouble.
Alright, enough complaining. Few more quick topics to touch on this week.
Credit Where Credit Is Due
I've ripped Vicente Padilla in the past on this blog. And truthfully, I'm still not a huge fan of his.
But I can't deny how good he's been since coming off the DL. He's had some pretty good success this season, due to things like having a career year in both K/9 (8.00) and BB/9 (1.97), and mixing that with some good luck (career low in BABIP). Is this kind of production sustainable? Eh, probably not. But as long as Padilla continues to put up numbers like a 0.98 ERA in four starts in July (22 Ks in 27.2 IP), I'm going to enjoy the ride.
Reality Check Week
This is a big week coming up. I mean, take a look at the upcoming schedule. First, the Dodgers are going to take on the division leading Padres for three games. Then, they'll follow that up by taking on the Wild Card leading Giants.
On top of all this, the trade deadline is Saturday.
I'm going to go ahead and say that by this point next week, we're going to have a pretty good idea of how the rest of the season is going to shape up.
That's not to say the Dodgers will definitively be in or out of the race by next Sunday (especially because after Sunday, the Dodgers start a four game set against the Padres again), all I'm saying is, we're probably going to have a good idea of how the season will unfold.
Frankly, I'm a little worried about this week, but at the same time, I'm excited. I want to know how this whole thing is going to work out.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Dodgers Retrospective - Week 14
I don't know about you, but this week was kinda weird for me.
It felt like a pretty good week, right? And yet, I take look back at past seven games and see the Dodgers finished just a game over .500 (4-3).
Still, the Dodgers will head into the All-Star break 10 games over .500 and two games back of the Padres in the NL West, tied for the Wildcard lead with the Rockies, which ain't a bad place to be with half a season to go.
Today, We Spell Redemption: K-U-O.
A quick note before I jump into it this week, congrats to Rafael Furcal and Hong-Chih Kuo for making it into the All-Star game as reserves, replacing Jose Reyes and Jason Heyward, respectively. Doesn't really make up for the fact that Reyes shouldn't have ever made the team in the first place or that Heyward shouldn't have been voted in by the fans as a starter, but I'm done complaining about that. Better late than never. It's a nice thing for a couple of guys who've been through a lot.
-----
The retrospective this week is actually more a retrospective for the first half. I'm not going to go crazy in-depth into it, but I just wanted to touch on who I felt were the top 3 and bottom 3 MVPs of the first half.
First Half Anti-MVPs
3. Tie - Ramon Ortiz and Russ Ortiz
Oh yes, I haven't forgotten. I've covered my extreme dislike of the Ortizes several times on this blog, but I'll just remind you of some of their numbers. Russ Ortiz: 7.0 IP, 8 ER, and a sweet, sweet 2.143 WHIP. Ramon Ortiz stuck around for 30.0 IP over 16 games and posted a nice 6.30 ERA.
2. George Sherrill
He doesn't have the worst ERA of all the pitchers the Dodgers have used this year, but of all the pitchers, Sherrill has been, by far, the biggest disappointment. He has struggled to get outs all year and as such, has affected the entire bullpen.
I mean, could you imagine if Joe Torre had Sherrill in his bullpen pitching like he did last year. Imagine if he trusted Sherrill enough to use him when he's overworked Broxton. Then he could use Hong-Chih Kuo more sparingly. Wow. The idea having more than two go-to guys in the bullpen makes me doubly sad when I'm confronted with the reality of the situation.
1. Garret Anderson
Hey, maybe it was obvious, but how I can I not give it to him?
He finished his first half batting .179. And not just in 30 something at-bats. He went 24-134. That's twenty-four hits ... in one hundred and thirty four at-bats. He's also drawn three walks. I can't help but smile as I write this because that is so ludicrously absurd. It's insane. He can't hit and he has no patience. He can't play defense. He can't run. I just... I start talking about how bad Anderson is and I begin to ramble because there's so much ground to cover. My thoughts are rapid firing from one reason to the next as to why Anderson should have been released months ago. I'm want to express myself but I can't. I feel like I need to get a canvas and just start painting my feelings. Yes, Garret Anderson is so bad, he's inspiring me to create art.
To be honest though, I can't help but enjoy watching Anderson play. At this point, I almost don't know if I want him gone because I have to know how bad he can be. Mike at MSTI broke down Anderson's numbers to show that he's having one of the worst seasons in Dodger history. He might not have the worst season ever, but at this point, I kinda want to see how close he can get.
"Only three walks? That's hilarious! Manny had three walks in one game a week ago!"
First Half MVPs
3. Andre Ethier
Ethier is second on the team in batting average, leads the team in slugging, and is second in OPS, just four points behind Manny, but in almost 100 more at-bats. He's got 14 homers on the season, and, oh yeah, a starting job in the All-Star game. I have to wonder how good Ethier's season might be if he didn't break his finger when he was his hottest (.392, 1.201 OPS when he went down). I know expecting that kind of play over a full season is unrealistic, but when you are on a crazy hot streak, you got to ride it out.
2. Clayton Kershaw
Remember when Jon Heyman said Kershaw was regressing? Ha-ha-hah-ha-ha.
Kershaw in 18 starts: 112.1 IP, 2.96 ERA, 128 Ks. For record junkies, that translates to 9-4.
He polished off his first half with an excellent 8.0 innings against the Cubs on Thursday, striking out 12.
1. Rafael Furcal
Furcal leads the team in average, and more importantly, heart. That's right. I found a way to measure it. Still working on scrappy-ness, but that's for another day.
Seriously though. Furcal returned from family tragedy and started putting it all out on the field. Since June 23th, Furcal has been hitting .397, with a 1.109 OPS. He's hit six doubles, a triple, four homeruns, and has driven in 14 runs over the 17 game span. More importantly, though, for a leadoff hitter, he's scored 21 runs in those 17 games. Oh, and he's also stolen five bases.
All this is for a guy who was already hitting .305 coming in.
Furcal is playing out of his mind, and when he plays like that, the Dodgers play like a different team.
...and so, for all that, Furcal got named to the All-Star team.
...and for all that, he's my first half MVP.
It felt like a pretty good week, right? And yet, I take look back at past seven games and see the Dodgers finished just a game over .500 (4-3).
Still, the Dodgers will head into the All-Star break 10 games over .500 and two games back of the Padres in the NL West, tied for the Wildcard lead with the Rockies, which ain't a bad place to be with half a season to go.
Today, We Spell Redemption: K-U-O.
A quick note before I jump into it this week, congrats to Rafael Furcal and Hong-Chih Kuo for making it into the All-Star game as reserves, replacing Jose Reyes and Jason Heyward, respectively. Doesn't really make up for the fact that Reyes shouldn't have ever made the team in the first place or that Heyward shouldn't have been voted in by the fans as a starter, but I'm done complaining about that. Better late than never. It's a nice thing for a couple of guys who've been through a lot.
-----
The retrospective this week is actually more a retrospective for the first half. I'm not going to go crazy in-depth into it, but I just wanted to touch on who I felt were the top 3 and bottom 3 MVPs of the first half.
First Half Anti-MVPs
3. Tie - Ramon Ortiz and Russ Ortiz
Oh yes, I haven't forgotten. I've covered my extreme dislike of the Ortizes several times on this blog, but I'll just remind you of some of their numbers. Russ Ortiz: 7.0 IP, 8 ER, and a sweet, sweet 2.143 WHIP. Ramon Ortiz stuck around for 30.0 IP over 16 games and posted a nice 6.30 ERA.
2. George Sherrill
He doesn't have the worst ERA of all the pitchers the Dodgers have used this year, but of all the pitchers, Sherrill has been, by far, the biggest disappointment. He has struggled to get outs all year and as such, has affected the entire bullpen.
I mean, could you imagine if Joe Torre had Sherrill in his bullpen pitching like he did last year. Imagine if he trusted Sherrill enough to use him when he's overworked Broxton. Then he could use Hong-Chih Kuo more sparingly. Wow. The idea having more than two go-to guys in the bullpen makes me doubly sad when I'm confronted with the reality of the situation.
1. Garret Anderson
Hey, maybe it was obvious, but how I can I not give it to him?
He finished his first half batting .179. And not just in 30 something at-bats. He went 24-134. That's twenty-four hits ... in one hundred and thirty four at-bats. He's also drawn three walks. I can't help but smile as I write this because that is so ludicrously absurd. It's insane. He can't hit and he has no patience. He can't play defense. He can't run. I just... I start talking about how bad Anderson is and I begin to ramble because there's so much ground to cover. My thoughts are rapid firing from one reason to the next as to why Anderson should have been released months ago. I'm want to express myself but I can't. I feel like I need to get a canvas and just start painting my feelings. Yes, Garret Anderson is so bad, he's inspiring me to create art.
To be honest though, I can't help but enjoy watching Anderson play. At this point, I almost don't know if I want him gone because I have to know how bad he can be. Mike at MSTI broke down Anderson's numbers to show that he's having one of the worst seasons in Dodger history. He might not have the worst season ever, but at this point, I kinda want to see how close he can get.
"Only three walks? That's hilarious! Manny had three walks in one game a week ago!"First Half MVPs
3. Andre Ethier
Ethier is second on the team in batting average, leads the team in slugging, and is second in OPS, just four points behind Manny, but in almost 100 more at-bats. He's got 14 homers on the season, and, oh yeah, a starting job in the All-Star game. I have to wonder how good Ethier's season might be if he didn't break his finger when he was his hottest (.392, 1.201 OPS when he went down). I know expecting that kind of play over a full season is unrealistic, but when you are on a crazy hot streak, you got to ride it out.
2. Clayton Kershaw
Remember when Jon Heyman said Kershaw was regressing? Ha-ha-hah-ha-ha.
Kershaw in 18 starts: 112.1 IP, 2.96 ERA, 128 Ks. For record junkies, that translates to 9-4.
He polished off his first half with an excellent 8.0 innings against the Cubs on Thursday, striking out 12.
1. Rafael Furcal
Furcal leads the team in average, and more importantly, heart. That's right. I found a way to measure it. Still working on scrappy-ness, but that's for another day.
Seriously though. Furcal returned from family tragedy and started putting it all out on the field. Since June 23th, Furcal has been hitting .397, with a 1.109 OPS. He's hit six doubles, a triple, four homeruns, and has driven in 14 runs over the 17 game span. More importantly, though, for a leadoff hitter, he's scored 21 runs in those 17 games. Oh, and he's also stolen five bases.
All this is for a guy who was already hitting .305 coming in.
Furcal is playing out of his mind, and when he plays like that, the Dodgers play like a different team.
...and so, for all that, Furcal got named to the All-Star team.
...and for all that, he's my first half MVP.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Dodgers Retrospective - Week 13
Wow. A 5-1 roadtrip and the Dodgers are suddenly back to nine games over .500.
Was this the same team that lost eight of their last ten at the end of last Sunday's game?
The Dodgers just eat up the NL West, which is a very good thing. Especially because the Dodgers will spend most of September playing those teams.
Alright, just a couple more things to cover this week.
Comings And Goings
The Dodgers made a couple of roster moves this week that I can get behind.
First off, like I suggested in the Dodger Retrospective last week, Ramon Troncoso was taken off the roster in favor of Travis Schlichting. I suggested Troncoso be put on the DL because I wanted him to rest his arm and just not pitch for a little while, but a demotion to AAA isn't bad either. Management hopes he can work on his mechanics while he's down there, but honestly, I'm not sure if it's a mechanics issue with Troncoso so much as an inflated expectations issue. He was probably not ever going to be as good as he was in 2009, and those expectations might have hurt him as much as his poor performance in 2010.
Secondly, with Manny put on the DL, the Dodgers called up Xavier Paul. Sure, the news isn't as good as Paul being called up to replace a DFA'd Garret Anderson, but it's a step in the right direction. I mean, who knows, maybe this time when Manny comes back, Paul will get to stay instead of Anderson.
Here's a fun fact: Xavier Paul and Garret Anderson have the same amount of multi-hit games (1) since May 30th. The only difference is that Xavier Paul didn't play in the majors from May 31st through July 2nd.
On the other hand: Garret Anderson provided 40+ professional at-bats over the span of May 31st through July 2nd, including such gems as Wednesday's 0-5 with 4 Ks game.
Also, Paul makes this goofy face when he slides into home, so there's that as well...
Last one. I know last week I called for George Sherrill's head, but I've calmed down on that. I'm ok with keeping Sherrill under the condition that he only come in during blowouts or only to face one or two left handed batters before the 8th inning. Never a right handed batter, and never in the 8th inning or later.
Meanwhile, I'm now done with Justin Miller. He's finally pitching like ... well, Justin Miller. Carlos Monasterios should be off the DL soon, he's a good choice to replace Miller.
The All-Star Game Is A Great Showcase (For How Stupid People Are)
So, the All-Star Game selections were announced this morning, and they've already been discussed to death, but I still have to complain about this stupidity.
And no, I'm not just talking about Omar Infante. Yes, Infante is a dumb choice. And yes, leaving Joey Votto off the team was equally as dumb. But these two stupid decisions (among a few others) are laid solely at the feet of one guy: Charlie Manuel. I'm not saying Manuel is stupid, but he's an old baseball guy ... the kind who goes with his gut rather than fancy new-fan-dangled statistics like ... OPS (rhymes with cops), so I'm not expecting every decision he makes to be a great baseball one.
The two biggest issues I have with the All Star team this year are both fan selections.
One, Jason Heyward. Look, I get it. Dude's having a solid year for a rookie. .251, 11 homers, .821 OPS. Solid. But you're telling me there's not at least ten more qualified outfielders in the National League than Heyward? (Because if that's what you're telling me then...)
But, ok. Heyward is a popular guy surrounded by a ton of hype. Then explain this one to me: Yadier Molina.
I mean, check some of these numbers: .229 BA, 3 HR, .611 OPS.
Compare his numbers versus the three other guys in the National League with enough at-bats to qualify for the batting title. Molina is the worst in almost every major offensive category: BA, OBP, SLG, OPS, HR. The only leg he has to stand on is RBI, which is as much a function of his team as of Molina himself.
So I ask you, fans of baseball, what the hell were you thinking? Don't you know that this one counts?!
It's got to stop. If the league insists on making something as inane as the All-Star game count for homefield advantage in the World Series, then take the vote out of the hands of the fans who have little to no idea what they are doing. Just let all the voting be done by (and I might regret this eventually) players. Or if you insist on letting the fans vote, then take the meaning out of the game.
Because this "having it both ways" thing is not working.
Was this the same team that lost eight of their last ten at the end of last Sunday's game?
The Dodgers just eat up the NL West, which is a very good thing. Especially because the Dodgers will spend most of September playing those teams.
Alright, just a couple more things to cover this week.
Comings And Goings
The Dodgers made a couple of roster moves this week that I can get behind.
First off, like I suggested in the Dodger Retrospective last week, Ramon Troncoso was taken off the roster in favor of Travis Schlichting. I suggested Troncoso be put on the DL because I wanted him to rest his arm and just not pitch for a little while, but a demotion to AAA isn't bad either. Management hopes he can work on his mechanics while he's down there, but honestly, I'm not sure if it's a mechanics issue with Troncoso so much as an inflated expectations issue. He was probably not ever going to be as good as he was in 2009, and those expectations might have hurt him as much as his poor performance in 2010.
Secondly, with Manny put on the DL, the Dodgers called up Xavier Paul. Sure, the news isn't as good as Paul being called up to replace a DFA'd Garret Anderson, but it's a step in the right direction. I mean, who knows, maybe this time when Manny comes back, Paul will get to stay instead of Anderson.
Here's a fun fact: Xavier Paul and Garret Anderson have the same amount of multi-hit games (1) since May 30th. The only difference is that Xavier Paul didn't play in the majors from May 31st through July 2nd.
On the other hand: Garret Anderson provided 40+ professional at-bats over the span of May 31st through July 2nd, including such gems as Wednesday's 0-5 with 4 Ks game.
Also, Paul makes this goofy face when he slides into home, so there's that as well...Last one. I know last week I called for George Sherrill's head, but I've calmed down on that. I'm ok with keeping Sherrill under the condition that he only come in during blowouts or only to face one or two left handed batters before the 8th inning. Never a right handed batter, and never in the 8th inning or later.
Meanwhile, I'm now done with Justin Miller. He's finally pitching like ... well, Justin Miller. Carlos Monasterios should be off the DL soon, he's a good choice to replace Miller.
The All-Star Game Is A Great Showcase (For How Stupid People Are)
So, the All-Star Game selections were announced this morning, and they've already been discussed to death, but I still have to complain about this stupidity.
And no, I'm not just talking about Omar Infante. Yes, Infante is a dumb choice. And yes, leaving Joey Votto off the team was equally as dumb. But these two stupid decisions (among a few others) are laid solely at the feet of one guy: Charlie Manuel. I'm not saying Manuel is stupid, but he's an old baseball guy ... the kind who goes with his gut rather than fancy new-fan-dangled statistics like ... OPS (rhymes with cops), so I'm not expecting every decision he makes to be a great baseball one.
The two biggest issues I have with the All Star team this year are both fan selections.
One, Jason Heyward. Look, I get it. Dude's having a solid year for a rookie. .251, 11 homers, .821 OPS. Solid. But you're telling me there's not at least ten more qualified outfielders in the National League than Heyward? (Because if that's what you're telling me then...)
But, ok. Heyward is a popular guy surrounded by a ton of hype. Then explain this one to me: Yadier Molina.
I mean, check some of these numbers: .229 BA, 3 HR, .611 OPS.
Compare his numbers versus the three other guys in the National League with enough at-bats to qualify for the batting title. Molina is the worst in almost every major offensive category: BA, OBP, SLG, OPS, HR. The only leg he has to stand on is RBI, which is as much a function of his team as of Molina himself.
So I ask you, fans of baseball, what the hell were you thinking? Don't you know that this one counts?!
It's got to stop. If the league insists on making something as inane as the All-Star game count for homefield advantage in the World Series, then take the vote out of the hands of the fans who have little to no idea what they are doing. Just let all the voting be done by (and I might regret this eventually) players. Or if you insist on letting the fans vote, then take the meaning out of the game.
Because this "having it both ways" thing is not working.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Dodgers Retrospective - Week 12
Technically, this is supposed to be a week recap, but I really only want to talk about one game this week ... I think you know which one.
I don't know about you, but for me, there seems to be a time every year where I just want to throw out everybody. GM, coaches, players. Everyone. I want to get rid of them all and start over.
Eventually I settle down and come to my senses ... but Jesus, has this past week in a half been a punch in the gut. Or really, several punches.
Pictured: Gut punch.
Today's loss was so brutal because it was a game the Dodgers needed. I mean, I guess there really isn't such thing as a must win game in June, but taking two of three from the World Champion Yankees would be a step in the right direction for a team that's reeling.
Instead, a four run lead is blown. Then the rest of the bullpen serves up the game to the Yankees on a silver platter. And here we are, five games back of the Padres.
And I'm pissed.
And so, while I'm not going to throw out the whole Dodger organization, we do need change. Just a handful of things I want:
Move 1a. Ramon Troncoso to DL with anything. I don't care what it is, something is wrong with Troncoso and he needs to be on the DL. Honestly, it's probably a combination of overuse and Troncoso not really being as good as we once thought, but he has been horrible since April when he was used in 15 of the first 22 games of the season. Whatever the reason, since the beginning of May (and not including today because Baseball Reference hasn't been updated yet), Troncoso has a 6.86 ERA in 20 games. Opposing batters have hit .300 off him in that span and for a .889 OPS.
Move 1b: So, again, Troncoso to the DL. Bring up Travis Schlichting.
Move 2a. DFA George Sherrill. He's done. Everyone has figured him out. I mean, come on, he's giving up homeruns to lefties. If he's supposed to be able to get anyone out, it's supposed to be a left handed hitter.
Pictured: Not. Doing. Your. JOB.
Move 2b: Bring up Jon Link or wait for Carlos Monasterios to come off the DL. I realize this leaves just one lefty in the bullpen, Hong-Chih Kuo. Now, if you feel that he's too valuable to just be a left handed specialist, and you absolutely need one, then replace Sherrill with Juan Perez. Who?! Yeah, I don't know either. But scanning the Albuquerque roster, he's got a 3.19 ERA and 32 Ks in 31 innings, so he's not horrible. Admittedly, his stats against lefties aren't fantastic, but we're working with a coaching staff who insists on the lefty/lefty matchup rather than going with the most effective reliever at the time, so as long as he throws with his left arm, he should do the job for Torre and co.
Pictured: Lefty/Lefty matchup working out the right way.
Move 3a: DFA Garret Anderson. He still can't hit. After a good week, he reverted back to his old self with a 1-9 week.
Move 3b: Xavier Paul.
Move 4: Use Jonathan Broxton only when he is needed. (Broxton, by the way, isn't absolved of all blame for this recent incident, even with the overuse coming in.) Here's the thing, and maybe I just don't understand because I've never been a major league reliever, but does Broxton absolutely need to get his work in? If he doesn't pitch for four games, can't he throw a light bullpen session to keep the rust off? I mean, again, maybe I don't get it, but I just don't feel like Broxton is going to forget how to throw a fastball if he doesn't do it for a handful of days.
These are just a few things that could be changed immediately and improve the team. Some of this is with the front office, some of this is with the coaching staff.
Speaking of, I'm on the fence with Joe Torre. He obviously misuses the pitching staff, and he has such an unreasonable trust of aging veterans that it becomes increasingly more difficult to defend his choices.
On the other hand, he has led the Dodgers to two straight NLCS, which is impressive considering our playoff highlight reel before Joe Torre featured only Jose Lima and then JD Drew and Jeff Kent getting thrown out at home on the same play.
On the third hand, you have to wonder how much of our recent success is his influence, and how much is just the ability of the players. How many fewer (or more?) games would the Dodgers have won if the players just coached themselves? Torre might be gone when his contract is up at the end of the year, and at this point, I don't know if I'll miss him.
Anyway, I'm probably rambling. I'm tired, it's late, and I'm frustrated. Sometimes, it's just hard to be a fan.
I don't know about you, but for me, there seems to be a time every year where I just want to throw out everybody. GM, coaches, players. Everyone. I want to get rid of them all and start over.
Eventually I settle down and come to my senses ... but Jesus, has this past week in a half been a punch in the gut. Or really, several punches.
Pictured: Gut punch.Today's loss was so brutal because it was a game the Dodgers needed. I mean, I guess there really isn't such thing as a must win game in June, but taking two of three from the World Champion Yankees would be a step in the right direction for a team that's reeling.
Instead, a four run lead is blown. Then the rest of the bullpen serves up the game to the Yankees on a silver platter. And here we are, five games back of the Padres.
And I'm pissed.
And so, while I'm not going to throw out the whole Dodger organization, we do need change. Just a handful of things I want:
Move 1a. Ramon Troncoso to DL with anything. I don't care what it is, something is wrong with Troncoso and he needs to be on the DL. Honestly, it's probably a combination of overuse and Troncoso not really being as good as we once thought, but he has been horrible since April when he was used in 15 of the first 22 games of the season. Whatever the reason, since the beginning of May (and not including today because Baseball Reference hasn't been updated yet), Troncoso has a 6.86 ERA in 20 games. Opposing batters have hit .300 off him in that span and for a .889 OPS.
Move 1b: So, again, Troncoso to the DL. Bring up Travis Schlichting.
Move 2a. DFA George Sherrill. He's done. Everyone has figured him out. I mean, come on, he's giving up homeruns to lefties. If he's supposed to be able to get anyone out, it's supposed to be a left handed hitter.
Pictured: Not. Doing. Your. JOB.Move 2b: Bring up Jon Link or wait for Carlos Monasterios to come off the DL. I realize this leaves just one lefty in the bullpen, Hong-Chih Kuo. Now, if you feel that he's too valuable to just be a left handed specialist, and you absolutely need one, then replace Sherrill with Juan Perez. Who?! Yeah, I don't know either. But scanning the Albuquerque roster, he's got a 3.19 ERA and 32 Ks in 31 innings, so he's not horrible. Admittedly, his stats against lefties aren't fantastic, but we're working with a coaching staff who insists on the lefty/lefty matchup rather than going with the most effective reliever at the time, so as long as he throws with his left arm, he should do the job for Torre and co.
Pictured: Lefty/Lefty matchup working out the right way.Move 3a: DFA Garret Anderson. He still can't hit. After a good week, he reverted back to his old self with a 1-9 week.
Move 3b: Xavier Paul.
Move 4: Use Jonathan Broxton only when he is needed. (Broxton, by the way, isn't absolved of all blame for this recent incident, even with the overuse coming in.) Here's the thing, and maybe I just don't understand because I've never been a major league reliever, but does Broxton absolutely need to get his work in? If he doesn't pitch for four games, can't he throw a light bullpen session to keep the rust off? I mean, again, maybe I don't get it, but I just don't feel like Broxton is going to forget how to throw a fastball if he doesn't do it for a handful of days.
These are just a few things that could be changed immediately and improve the team. Some of this is with the front office, some of this is with the coaching staff.
Speaking of, I'm on the fence with Joe Torre. He obviously misuses the pitching staff, and he has such an unreasonable trust of aging veterans that it becomes increasingly more difficult to defend his choices.
On the other hand, he has led the Dodgers to two straight NLCS, which is impressive considering our playoff highlight reel before Joe Torre featured only Jose Lima and then JD Drew and Jeff Kent getting thrown out at home on the same play.
On the third hand, you have to wonder how much of our recent success is his influence, and how much is just the ability of the players. How many fewer (or more?) games would the Dodgers have won if the players just coached themselves? Torre might be gone when his contract is up at the end of the year, and at this point, I don't know if I'll miss him.
Anyway, I'm probably rambling. I'm tired, it's late, and I'm frustrated. Sometimes, it's just hard to be a fan.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Dodgers Retrospective - Week 11
Alright, I'm posting this week recap as the Dodgers trail 2-0 in the bottom of the 8th versus the Red Sox. So far, at least up until this point, it's been a pretty lame week.
It started well, with the Dodgers taking the first two games from Cincinnati, winning their first road series outside the NL West this season. And then they lost the third game to the Reds, and then they came into Boston and decided they liked losing better than winning, because they proceeded to lose the next two games.
And Garret Anderson is batting 5th today (yes, I know GA has been better the last week or so. I'm not ready to anoint him undead just yet) so I'm not holding my hopes too high for a win here.
So, I don't have much to add this week. Mostly because it's getting a little late and I'm on a borrowed computer so I just want to quickly talk about this one thing.
The Dodger Schedule Is Unfair Because Of Who Is On The Payroll
Now, granted, schedules are inherently unfair based on things like what division and league you play in. The Baltimore Orioles have to play more games against the Yankees and Red Sox than any other non-divisional teams.
But, I'm just talking about interleague play.
The theme for the NL West in interleague play this year seems to be AL East.
For example, the Giants played the Orioles and Blue Jays this week. This coming week, they'll play the Red Sox.
The Padres, this week, played three game sets against the Blue Jays and Orioles, and next week they'll play the Rays.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, obviously played the Reds and Red Sox, and this coming week, they'll play the Angels and Yankees.
So, here's the thing that bothers me. It's not just that the Dodgers play a tougher schedule, it's that the Dodgers are playing this tougher schedule because of people on the payroll.
I'll explain... what's the reason the Dodgers are playing a three game set in Boston rather than against any other AL East team? It's because MLB wanted to pump up Manny's return to Boston. Obviously, it has worked because every sports program, website, or blog mentions it: SportsCenter mentioned the Dodgers in the first twenty minutes of the program for the first time this year. Don't quote me on that, I don't know for sure. It just seems that every time I've watched SportsCenter this year, the Dodgers don't come up til somewhere in the last 4th of the show. Suddenly, Manny is back in Boston and boom, Dodgers are one of the top stories.
In fairness, this only took three minutes of searching.
So then, what's the reason for the Dodgers playing the Yankees next week and not the Orioles? Obviously, Joe Torre versus his old team. The main stream media is going to be all over it.
Yeah, I'm probably making too much of a deal about this. Sure, it doesn't help anything that the Dodgers are a storied team with something of a rivalry with the Yankees.
I guess all I'm saying is, I wish George Sherrill had said some really horrible, inflammatory things about the Orioles after he left so we could've played them this weekend instead.
It started well, with the Dodgers taking the first two games from Cincinnati, winning their first road series outside the NL West this season. And then they lost the third game to the Reds, and then they came into Boston and decided they liked losing better than winning, because they proceeded to lose the next two games.
And Garret Anderson is batting 5th today (yes, I know GA has been better the last week or so. I'm not ready to anoint him undead just yet) so I'm not holding my hopes too high for a win here.
So, I don't have much to add this week. Mostly because it's getting a little late and I'm on a borrowed computer so I just want to quickly talk about this one thing.
The Dodger Schedule Is Unfair Because Of Who Is On The Payroll
Now, granted, schedules are inherently unfair based on things like what division and league you play in. The Baltimore Orioles have to play more games against the Yankees and Red Sox than any other non-divisional teams.
But, I'm just talking about interleague play.
The theme for the NL West in interleague play this year seems to be AL East.
For example, the Giants played the Orioles and Blue Jays this week. This coming week, they'll play the Red Sox.
The Padres, this week, played three game sets against the Blue Jays and Orioles, and next week they'll play the Rays.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, obviously played the Reds and Red Sox, and this coming week, they'll play the Angels and Yankees.
So, here's the thing that bothers me. It's not just that the Dodgers play a tougher schedule, it's that the Dodgers are playing this tougher schedule because of people on the payroll.
I'll explain... what's the reason the Dodgers are playing a three game set in Boston rather than against any other AL East team? It's because MLB wanted to pump up Manny's return to Boston. Obviously, it has worked because every sports program, website, or blog mentions it: SportsCenter mentioned the Dodgers in the first twenty minutes of the program for the first time this year. Don't quote me on that, I don't know for sure. It just seems that every time I've watched SportsCenter this year, the Dodgers don't come up til somewhere in the last 4th of the show. Suddenly, Manny is back in Boston and boom, Dodgers are one of the top stories.
In fairness, this only took three minutes of searching.So then, what's the reason for the Dodgers playing the Yankees next week and not the Orioles? Obviously, Joe Torre versus his old team. The main stream media is going to be all over it.
Yeah, I'm probably making too much of a deal about this. Sure, it doesn't help anything that the Dodgers are a storied team with something of a rivalry with the Yankees.
I guess all I'm saying is, I wish George Sherrill had said some really horrible, inflammatory things about the Orioles after he left so we could've played them this weekend instead.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Dodgers Retrospective - Week 10
So ... that was an odd week.
If I were to tell you at the beginning of the week that the Dodgers would go 3-3 in three games sets versus the Cardinals and Angels, would you guess a sweep of the Cardinals and then a sweep by the Angels? Would you?! I think not. The results this week were not necessarily odd, just unexpected.
No, no. The odd this week seemed to come more from off the field than on it.
Draft Dodgers (SEE WHAT I DID THERE?!)
The annual amateur draft was held this week, and the Dodgers made a couple picks that might be considered odd.
First, they drafted an 18 year old pitcher who almost everyone feels is "unsignable." You can read my thoughts here ... as if you didn't already.
But, here's just a couple other things I noticed.
Logan White seems to have something against the coaches at LSU because he's trying to steal all their players.
First he drafts Zach Lee in the 1st round, who has a strong commitment to LSU.
Later, in the sixth round, White drafted Kevin Gausman, another high schooler with who seems committed to LSU.
But White didn't stop there. Before he drafted Gausman, he drafted LSU's center fielder Leon Landry in the 3rd round, and after, in the 8th round, he drafted LSU's 1st baseman Blake Dean.
In an ideal world, the Dodgers would take both of LSU's top pitching recruits, their center fielder, and their first baseman.
Lucky for LSU, the Dodgers will probably sign neither Lee nor Gausman, so at least their rotation will be ok next year.
The second thing I noticed was the Dodgers drafted (and signed) someone who already has my support because of his facial hair.
"What?" you ask. I'll tell you.
In the 28th round, the Dodgers drafted Mike Drowne out of Sacred Heart University. Now, I like to look up a little bit of info on the players the Dodgers draft so I went to Sacred Heart U's website and navigated my way to the athletics page and then to Drowne's page, where I found this amazing profile pic.
They look like vertical parenthesis for his mouth!
Immediately, I was intrigued. I mean, it's fantastic! He looks like a villain from the 1800s. A train magnate who wants to demolish a small town to build his railroad empire ... and yes, he's wearing a tophat in this scenario.
However ... I was disappointed when I visited the website a few days later to see an article talking about Drowne being drafted. Accompanying said story was this picture of Drowne.
Suddenly, heart-breakingly mustache-less.
Admittedly, this soured me on Drowne just a bit.
I later realized, though, it does take a certain kind of bravado (or stupidity) to take a profile picture of yourself with a crazy set of fake facial hair and allow it to go up on a website that's going to be visited by a good amount of people.
So, Mike Drowne, if you are reading this, and I'm sure you are, I'm not mad at you for the fake facial hair, and I'm telling you this: if you grow back that facial hair and keep it through your trip in the minors, and you have my full support.
The McCourts Did Something Crazy, Though Really, Not Totally Surprising
Ok, seriously, at this point, is there anyone left in the McCourt camp?
I mean, is there any Dodger fan who's been following the events of the past year or so who still fully supports either of the McCourts as owner of this team?
If so, this one is for you...
The McCourts hired and paid a six figure salary to an old Russian to send positive vibes, or "V Energy" to the Dodgers.
This has already been sufficiently discussed/made fun of on various blogs (like MSTI, MoKM, and SoSG) so I'll just add one thing, the thing that makes me most sad about all this.
Yes, this whole thing is impossibly stupid/incredibly insane/a tremendous waste of money ... pick your choice.
The real sad thing about all this is this question: were you really shocked? To be honest, I wasn't.
Sure, I was surprised. It's hard to see something like this coming. But at this point, did anyone read this article and react with disbelief. "Noooo ... the McCourts couldn't have done something so irrational ... they wouldn't have paid all this money to some crazy Russian guy who knows nothing about baseball! Impossible!"
I think, at least for Dodgers fans, the McCourts have entered the Tyson Zone. For those who don't know, the Tyson Zone (described here) was created by Bill Simmons as a way to describe an athlete (or in this case, team owner) whose behavior is so odd that any story you ready about them, no matter how bizarre, is believable.
For example, if you were to read tomorrow that the McCourts spent a million dollars two seasons ago to uproot the grass in the outfield and replant it with special Australian fertilizer that would bring good fortunes to the team, would you blink an eye? Oh, and by the way, to pay off the dirt, parking is being raised to $25 a car.
Or, say you read tomorrow that the McCourts were fighting for custody of Reed Johnson. Would you faint from surprise?
It's really unfortunate that it has come to this. The Dodgers are one of the most historic franchises in baseball, and right now the McCourts are making them a laughing stock. I mean, how many pre-season predictions did you read this Spring Training that had the Dodgers not finishing in first in the NL West because of distractions with ownership?
Luckily, at least so far, the Dodgers have been able to avoid front office issues. I mean, hey, they were in first place at one point this week before finishing the week a game behind the Padres.
But that's not to say the Dodgers haven't been affected. Just this week, the Dodgers most likely forfeited a first round pick on a player that was always going to be too expensive to sign. And this comes after they forfeited two other early picks when they didn't offer arbitration to Randy Wolf and Orlando Hudson this offseason.
... What do you believe an owner's role should be with a team? I see it as this: First, the Owner should pony up the money. The Owner should never be afraid to put money into their team. If they don't want to spend, then they shouldn't be an Owner. Two, the Owner shouldn't embarrass the team. That doesn't mean they necessarily need to be the face of the team (see Arte Moreno), but if you aren't going to put on a good front, then just disappear into your Owner's box. Be a silent owner. Show up to hold up the Championship Trophy and then go away. The last thing you should be doing is filling newspaper headlines with your divorce hearings or doing things like hiring Rasputin for a six figure sum to send brain waves and advise you on team decisions.
Mike Drowne: this facial hair is also acceptable...
Look, McCourts, if you guys are fans of the game like you've always purported to be, then you should understand that you are making a mockery of one of the storied franchises.
If you were really fans of baseball, you'd sell the Dodgers or step down as owners.
Because at this point, you are not just embarrassing yourselves, you are embarrassing all of us.
If I were to tell you at the beginning of the week that the Dodgers would go 3-3 in three games sets versus the Cardinals and Angels, would you guess a sweep of the Cardinals and then a sweep by the Angels? Would you?! I think not. The results this week were not necessarily odd, just unexpected.
No, no. The odd this week seemed to come more from off the field than on it.
Draft Dodgers (SEE WHAT I DID THERE?!)
The annual amateur draft was held this week, and the Dodgers made a couple picks that might be considered odd.
First, they drafted an 18 year old pitcher who almost everyone feels is "unsignable." You can read my thoughts here ... as if you didn't already.
But, here's just a couple other things I noticed.
Logan White seems to have something against the coaches at LSU because he's trying to steal all their players.
First he drafts Zach Lee in the 1st round, who has a strong commitment to LSU.
Later, in the sixth round, White drafted Kevin Gausman, another high schooler with who seems committed to LSU.
But White didn't stop there. Before he drafted Gausman, he drafted LSU's center fielder Leon Landry in the 3rd round, and after, in the 8th round, he drafted LSU's 1st baseman Blake Dean.
In an ideal world, the Dodgers would take both of LSU's top pitching recruits, their center fielder, and their first baseman.
Lucky for LSU, the Dodgers will probably sign neither Lee nor Gausman, so at least their rotation will be ok next year.
The second thing I noticed was the Dodgers drafted (and signed) someone who already has my support because of his facial hair.
"What?" you ask. I'll tell you.
In the 28th round, the Dodgers drafted Mike Drowne out of Sacred Heart University. Now, I like to look up a little bit of info on the players the Dodgers draft so I went to Sacred Heart U's website and navigated my way to the athletics page and then to Drowne's page, where I found this amazing profile pic.
They look like vertical parenthesis for his mouth!Immediately, I was intrigued. I mean, it's fantastic! He looks like a villain from the 1800s. A train magnate who wants to demolish a small town to build his railroad empire ... and yes, he's wearing a tophat in this scenario.
However ... I was disappointed when I visited the website a few days later to see an article talking about Drowne being drafted. Accompanying said story was this picture of Drowne.
Suddenly, heart-breakingly mustache-less.Admittedly, this soured me on Drowne just a bit.
I later realized, though, it does take a certain kind of bravado (or stupidity) to take a profile picture of yourself with a crazy set of fake facial hair and allow it to go up on a website that's going to be visited by a good amount of people.
So, Mike Drowne, if you are reading this, and I'm sure you are, I'm not mad at you for the fake facial hair, and I'm telling you this: if you grow back that facial hair and keep it through your trip in the minors, and you have my full support.
The McCourts Did Something Crazy, Though Really, Not Totally Surprising
Ok, seriously, at this point, is there anyone left in the McCourt camp?
I mean, is there any Dodger fan who's been following the events of the past year or so who still fully supports either of the McCourts as owner of this team?
If so, this one is for you...
The McCourts hired and paid a six figure salary to an old Russian to send positive vibes, or "V Energy" to the Dodgers.
This has already been sufficiently discussed/made fun of on various blogs (like MSTI, MoKM, and SoSG) so I'll just add one thing, the thing that makes me most sad about all this.
Yes, this whole thing is impossibly stupid/incredibly insane/a tremendous waste of money ... pick your choice.
The real sad thing about all this is this question: were you really shocked? To be honest, I wasn't.
Sure, I was surprised. It's hard to see something like this coming. But at this point, did anyone read this article and react with disbelief. "Noooo ... the McCourts couldn't have done something so irrational ... they wouldn't have paid all this money to some crazy Russian guy who knows nothing about baseball! Impossible!"
I think, at least for Dodgers fans, the McCourts have entered the Tyson Zone. For those who don't know, the Tyson Zone (described here) was created by Bill Simmons as a way to describe an athlete (or in this case, team owner) whose behavior is so odd that any story you ready about them, no matter how bizarre, is believable.
For example, if you were to read tomorrow that the McCourts spent a million dollars two seasons ago to uproot the grass in the outfield and replant it with special Australian fertilizer that would bring good fortunes to the team, would you blink an eye? Oh, and by the way, to pay off the dirt, parking is being raised to $25 a car.
Or, say you read tomorrow that the McCourts were fighting for custody of Reed Johnson. Would you faint from surprise?
It's really unfortunate that it has come to this. The Dodgers are one of the most historic franchises in baseball, and right now the McCourts are making them a laughing stock. I mean, how many pre-season predictions did you read this Spring Training that had the Dodgers not finishing in first in the NL West because of distractions with ownership?
Luckily, at least so far, the Dodgers have been able to avoid front office issues. I mean, hey, they were in first place at one point this week before finishing the week a game behind the Padres.
But that's not to say the Dodgers haven't been affected. Just this week, the Dodgers most likely forfeited a first round pick on a player that was always going to be too expensive to sign. And this comes after they forfeited two other early picks when they didn't offer arbitration to Randy Wolf and Orlando Hudson this offseason.
... What do you believe an owner's role should be with a team? I see it as this: First, the Owner should pony up the money. The Owner should never be afraid to put money into their team. If they don't want to spend, then they shouldn't be an Owner. Two, the Owner shouldn't embarrass the team. That doesn't mean they necessarily need to be the face of the team (see Arte Moreno), but if you aren't going to put on a good front, then just disappear into your Owner's box. Be a silent owner. Show up to hold up the Championship Trophy and then go away. The last thing you should be doing is filling newspaper headlines with your divorce hearings or doing things like hiring Rasputin for a six figure sum to send brain waves and advise you on team decisions.
Mike Drowne: this facial hair is also acceptable...Look, McCourts, if you guys are fans of the game like you've always purported to be, then you should understand that you are making a mockery of one of the storied franchises.
If you were really fans of baseball, you'd sell the Dodgers or step down as owners.
Because at this point, you are not just embarrassing yourselves, you are embarrassing all of us.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Dodgers Retrospective - Week 9
The more I think about it, the more it seems like this week was a bad week disguised as a good week.
Don't get me wrong. Anytime you can go 5-2, you are doing fine. It's just that some of these wins really could have ended up losses.
Monday, for example, when the Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks 5-4. The Dodgers were trailing 4-2 into the 8th before scoring two runs on an error and winning the game on a balk. That's not really winning a game so much as having it handed to you on a platter.
Then you have Tuesday and Wednesday. There's two sides to these two games. You can appreciate how Dodger pitching completely shutdown the Arizona offense, but at the same time, you have to realize that the Dodger offense looked pretty weak against Arizona's starters. In fact, Arizona's starters, Dan Haren and Edwin Jackson, pitched a combined 17.0 shutout innings over the two days and it wasn't until the Dodgers cracked into the terrible Arizona bullpen that they were able to finally score some runs.
All I'm saying is: yes, the Dodgers swept the D-backs but frankly, the D-backs could have almost just as easily swept the Dodgers right back.
The Atlanta split was a little more straight forward, with neither team scoring a whole bunch of runs ... except, for, you know, when the Braves scored 9 in two innings against the Dodger bullpen.
Anyway, I only have two more things.
I'm A Little Worried About Next Few Weeks
You know this last four game series with the Braves? It was tough and close ... and the Dodgers fought for a split.
Guess what. It ain't gettin' easier.
And not just the next series. The rest of this month. Every team the Dodgers play for the rest of the month, at this moment in time, has 30 or more wins.
Here's the schedule until the end of June with the team's current records:
3 vs. Cardinals (33-23)
3 vs. Angels (31-28)
3 at Reds (33-24)
3 at Red Sox (33-25)
3 at Angels (30-28)
3 vs. Yankees (35-22)
3 at Giants (30-25)
Yeah, maybe some things change by the time we play those teams, but I'm guessing whatever the record, this next month is going to be a challenge.
Garret Anderson Hit A Walk-Off This Week And I Still Want Him Gone
Because he still went 1-13 this week.
Look, I get that Joe Torre and gang love busted down veterans better than young players, and as such, it's going to take a lot for Xavier Paul to replace Anderson on the roster.
But Joe Torre, for God's sake, stop starting Anderson. Take a look down that bench. You see Reed Johnson? He's a veteran, too. Better yet, he's a gamer. Hard-nosed and stuff.
And the best thing? He can still kinda hit. And run. And, for the most part, play defense. What's the worst that could happen? Johnson can go 0-3 like anyone else.
You seem hellbent on only starting Manny four games a week, but Anderson doesn't have to be his replacement.
I mean, neither does Johnson, but Paul isn't 30 yet, so he's out of the running.
Anderson, seen here celebrating getting a base hit.
Don't get me wrong. Anytime you can go 5-2, you are doing fine. It's just that some of these wins really could have ended up losses.
Monday, for example, when the Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks 5-4. The Dodgers were trailing 4-2 into the 8th before scoring two runs on an error and winning the game on a balk. That's not really winning a game so much as having it handed to you on a platter.
Then you have Tuesday and Wednesday. There's two sides to these two games. You can appreciate how Dodger pitching completely shutdown the Arizona offense, but at the same time, you have to realize that the Dodger offense looked pretty weak against Arizona's starters. In fact, Arizona's starters, Dan Haren and Edwin Jackson, pitched a combined 17.0 shutout innings over the two days and it wasn't until the Dodgers cracked into the terrible Arizona bullpen that they were able to finally score some runs.
All I'm saying is: yes, the Dodgers swept the D-backs but frankly, the D-backs could have almost just as easily swept the Dodgers right back.
The Atlanta split was a little more straight forward, with neither team scoring a whole bunch of runs ... except, for, you know, when the Braves scored 9 in two innings against the Dodger bullpen.
Anyway, I only have two more things.
I'm A Little Worried About Next Few Weeks
You know this last four game series with the Braves? It was tough and close ... and the Dodgers fought for a split.
Guess what. It ain't gettin' easier.
And not just the next series. The rest of this month. Every team the Dodgers play for the rest of the month, at this moment in time, has 30 or more wins.
Here's the schedule until the end of June with the team's current records:
3 vs. Cardinals (33-23)
3 vs. Angels (31-28)
3 at Reds (33-24)
3 at Red Sox (33-25)
3 at Angels (30-28)
3 vs. Yankees (35-22)
3 at Giants (30-25)
Yeah, maybe some things change by the time we play those teams, but I'm guessing whatever the record, this next month is going to be a challenge.
Garret Anderson Hit A Walk-Off This Week And I Still Want Him Gone
Because he still went 1-13 this week.
Look, I get that Joe Torre and gang love busted down veterans better than young players, and as such, it's going to take a lot for Xavier Paul to replace Anderson on the roster.
But Joe Torre, for God's sake, stop starting Anderson. Take a look down that bench. You see Reed Johnson? He's a veteran, too. Better yet, he's a gamer. Hard-nosed and stuff.
And the best thing? He can still kinda hit. And run. And, for the most part, play defense. What's the worst that could happen? Johnson can go 0-3 like anyone else.
You seem hellbent on only starting Manny four games a week, but Anderson doesn't have to be his replacement.
I mean, neither does Johnson, but Paul isn't 30 yet, so he's out of the running.
Anderson, seen here celebrating getting a base hit.
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