I like most Dodger fans am getting a little tired of this problem with the contract but it is no longer Manny and the Dodgers and really never was. This is a battle of two men, whose ego's go well beyond what they should be. The two men are Boras and McCourt and this is something that dates back to when McCourt first bought the Dodgers. This is a grudge match between two "baseball people" who have so much animosity towards each other it could wind up costing both of them more then they think if Manny does not sign with the Dodgers.
The first blow landed by Boras was the J.D. Drew deal (who in my opinion is as big a scumbag as Boras when he opted out of his $55 million deal after one year when McCourt could of used that money we spent on him and retained Adrian Beltre and with no disrespect to Casey Blake who I believe is gonna play great for us and liked in Cleveland would of kept our infield and line up a lot more solid the last three years. Second blow by Boras was probably the offseason he drove up the price on Maddux and Gagne and they signed else where. Yes, Gagne didn't work out as good but Maddux would of had 2 1/2 years tutoring the Dodgers young pitchers instead of for only 4 months spread out over 2 years. 3rd blow by Boras was the bad contract of Andruw Jones for a ridiculous amount of money for his production. When I first saw this signing I thought it was too much money but was hoping like everyone that it was gonna work out right for our boys in blue but that was not the case as we see and gonna see for the next couple of years. Also I read a report friday night that Boras had something to do with the bad blood between the Dodgers and D-Lowe.
So McCourt can't stand Boras for all the trouble he has caused him in his short tenure as Dodger owner but that is part of the game. What both of them need to realize is that there are more people this is gonna effect then just Manny. Manny, I truely believe wants to be a Dodger and possibly finish his career here because of the many benefits of what the Dodgers as an organization can offer him with the coaching staff and players that are in the lineup and locker room with him. Also due to the cultural diversity surrounding the location of Dodger Stadium and their fans that have already in two and a half month's of playing for our team have grown to love him. He has stated in interviews that he likes it here cause when he leaves the ballpark he leaves as a man who can live his life and do normal things like go to dinner and the movies with his family without being hounded unlike in Boston where all they have are their sports stars. In So Cal and especially LA we have all the movie stars doing crazy and stupid stuff that the paparazzi and people follow, leaving our sport stars to live their life for the most part.
You may ask who is this gonna affect other then Manny. Well in my opinion it is gonna affect most importantly the Dodgernation whom have been waiting a long time for the right pieces to fall into their laps to take this organization back to the glory years of the 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's where the Dodgers were the team baseball looked up to on how to do things.
Next it is going to affect McCourt himself, who is gonna have a rude awakening when he is really gonna feel this "economic crisis" that he keeps using as his excuse for not giving Manny any kind of contract near what he wants. What I mean by this statement is that people are gonna really stop coming to the games because McCourt really has not done enough to make the Dodgernation happy and shown he is trying to build a winner with the signings he has signed off on. Granted this offseason has been his best so far but not enough. I love the talent of the young guys we have but I don't think they are up to the Rays level yet since most of their young guys have been in the game almost double that of the Dodgers young guys. Also he keeps increasing ticket prices and for what, a team that makes the playoffs one year and finishes fourth or last in the "weak" NL West the next. There is only so much you can tell your teams fanbase and lead them on with, and I am not talking about the fans who show up to games and cause all the problems and just get wasted but the ones who can actually remember and watched on tv or in person the last two times the team won a World Title and keep them believing your vision. With the way things are going the fans are just gonna get tired of it and find someone else to root for and spend their hard earned cash on who is gonna back up their vision. Mr. McCourt needs to realize that the players aren't the only ones that needs to produce but he has to also by giving us a good product to root for and support and not just a decent product.
The next group that is gonna suffer is Joe Torre, the coaching staff, and the rest of the players. They all want him back probably more then the fans themselves cause he was such a positive impact to them all. He improved everybody with what he brought to the table with his laid back attitude, the advice and work ethic he showed the young guys on how to approach the game, and the fear he struck into every opponent the Dodgers faced down the stretch last year. Out of this group it will the young guys that it will effect. Because the things Manny excels at the most is what they need the most which is working the count to their advantage, recognizing what pitches that are best for them and how to handle the ones that aren't the best for them, and how to truely terrorize the opponent.
The last group of people I think this really gonna hurt is Tommy and Vin. They have been Dodgers their whole careers and for them to have to go through this dark time in the organization where an owner is making himself appear larger then the team and organization and trying to make an example or point out of a player because of he has a problem with his agent is truely unfair. Yes the team is run better then the Foxcorp days but atleast during that time they spent money on players to try to make a winner and didn't half a$$ it like what is going on now eventhough they did trade away players that should have never left. The players they did sign just didn't work out.
I also feel people need to lay off Ned (I can't believe I just typed that) and Manny. The reason I say this is because Ned is stuck in the middle of the two egomaniacs and can only do so much if McCourt isn't gonna sign off on the deal. I think the negative people need to lay off Manny because yes he wants his pay but in my opinion for where the baseball market is at he deserves that especially when A-Fraud is making $27.5 million a year and what has he done. Absolutely Nothing with the Yankees. Manny is the best right handed hitter in the game now. More so then Pujols, A-Fraud, you name it he beats them with the lumber. He may not lead the league in a single catagory but he is always in the mix and is Mr. Clutch and the best playoff hitter I have ever witnessed and maybe ever.
What irritated me most about thursday was the way we as a fanbase and the media were misled by the negotiations with this whole thing and the deferred money in the contract. This was the first time we were notified about these stipulations and I have to side with Manny on this that why should he play two years for us and not get his full salary until 3 years after he has left the team. What a slimball move McCourt and way to lower yourself to Boras' level. Right now we have Manny saying ok I will take the 2yr/$45 million if it is not deferred and with the player option so Mr. McCourt just give in and reep the benefits because I doubt the economy is gonna get any better before this contract is up which means Manny for 2 years and a good possiblity of 2 World Titles with him and the start of putting the Dodgers back to where they belong.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
The Pitching Staff
The Arms
Now that I have talked a little about the line up I am going to address the Dodgers pitching staff. I have actually liked what they Dodgers have done with the pitching staff since they didn't sign Sabathia. I would of liked to see Lowe and or Penny back but after hearing about the issues between them and the organization I am ok seeing them somewhere else. This move allows us to see what talent our farm system has really produced. Yes, there are going to be some interesting situations and bumps and bruises but with the veterans they have signed and had on the roster it shouldn't be as bad as the reports are saying it is gonna be. The Dodgers have done wonders with one year reclamation projects and I see this continuing. On the issue of the guys fighting for the #5 spot in the rotation we as fans have to realize that they don't have to put up numbers like Koufax or Drysdale they just need to have Quality outings and mentor the youngins. That may be a lot to ask for but 10-15 wins and just giving our defense and hitters a chance to win the game is all we can really ask for out of a #5 and all the guys up for this spot have been winners and or all-stars in the past in either league so it isn't too much to ask for. Of our young guys I am really intrigued to see how Kershaw, McDonald, and Broxton are gonna do. I think Troncoso and Wade are also studs and proved it last year but I would just like to see them not over used. I think the most important thing for the Dodgers is to really get more innings out of the starters even though they are young and should not be over worked. That has been the pitching staffs achilles heel for as long as I can remember. I would be awesome if all the vets vying for the 5th spot make the team and become the "Chan Ho Park" of this season, where they can start or just pitch multiple innings. It is not a reality situation though because from what I can calculate there are around 17 guys really to consider for 12 spots which is what is being said the number of pitchers the Dodgers are gonna carry this season. My list of 17 consists of:
SP: Billingsley (R)
SP: Kuroda (R)
SP: Wolf (L)
SP: Kershaw (L)
SP: Schmidt (R)
SP: Milton (L)
SP: Estes (L)
SP/RP: Stults (L)
SP/RP: Elbert (L)
SP/RP: Vargas (R)
SP/RP: Weaver (R)
SP/RP: McDonald (R)
RP: Troncoso (R)
RP: Broxton (R)
RP: Kuo (L)
RP: Wade (R)
RP: Brazoban (R)
I would only hope they would keep all of them if they have a good spring and that the players would truly except their Minor League assignment and be ready for an insurance policy. There are 8 definite spots already taken with Billingsley, Kuroda, Wolf, Kershaw, Broxton, Troncoso, Wade, and Kuo. Of the 9 guys remaining of my list of 17 with quality Major League experience I would like to see the following 4 (Schmidt, Weaver, Estes, Milton) start up with the Dodgers with Schmidt being the #5 starter and the remaining 5 down at Triple A Albuquerque. With those 4 added to the other 8 it would allow the Dodgers to kind of have a rotating #5 starter if need be but also give them either 3 lefties in the starting rotation or 3 lefties in the bullpen and the ability to have multiple guys pitch multiple innings if the starters happen to struggle without draining the 1 inning specialists. But this all based on everyone having a good spring.
Now that I have talked a little about the line up I am going to address the Dodgers pitching staff. I have actually liked what they Dodgers have done with the pitching staff since they didn't sign Sabathia. I would of liked to see Lowe and or Penny back but after hearing about the issues between them and the organization I am ok seeing them somewhere else. This move allows us to see what talent our farm system has really produced. Yes, there are going to be some interesting situations and bumps and bruises but with the veterans they have signed and had on the roster it shouldn't be as bad as the reports are saying it is gonna be. The Dodgers have done wonders with one year reclamation projects and I see this continuing. On the issue of the guys fighting for the #5 spot in the rotation we as fans have to realize that they don't have to put up numbers like Koufax or Drysdale they just need to have Quality outings and mentor the youngins. That may be a lot to ask for but 10-15 wins and just giving our defense and hitters a chance to win the game is all we can really ask for out of a #5 and all the guys up for this spot have been winners and or all-stars in the past in either league so it isn't too much to ask for. Of our young guys I am really intrigued to see how Kershaw, McDonald, and Broxton are gonna do. I think Troncoso and Wade are also studs and proved it last year but I would just like to see them not over used. I think the most important thing for the Dodgers is to really get more innings out of the starters even though they are young and should not be over worked. That has been the pitching staffs achilles heel for as long as I can remember. I would be awesome if all the vets vying for the 5th spot make the team and become the "Chan Ho Park" of this season, where they can start or just pitch multiple innings. It is not a reality situation though because from what I can calculate there are around 17 guys really to consider for 12 spots which is what is being said the number of pitchers the Dodgers are gonna carry this season. My list of 17 consists of:
SP: Billingsley (R)
SP: Kuroda (R)
SP: Wolf (L)
SP: Kershaw (L)
SP: Schmidt (R)
SP: Milton (L)
SP: Estes (L)
SP/RP: Stults (L)
SP/RP: Elbert (L)
SP/RP: Vargas (R)
SP/RP: Weaver (R)
SP/RP: McDonald (R)
RP: Troncoso (R)
RP: Broxton (R)
RP: Kuo (L)
RP: Wade (R)
RP: Brazoban (R)
I would only hope they would keep all of them if they have a good spring and that the players would truly except their Minor League assignment and be ready for an insurance policy. There are 8 definite spots already taken with Billingsley, Kuroda, Wolf, Kershaw, Broxton, Troncoso, Wade, and Kuo. Of the 9 guys remaining of my list of 17 with quality Major League experience I would like to see the following 4 (Schmidt, Weaver, Estes, Milton) start up with the Dodgers with Schmidt being the #5 starter and the remaining 5 down at Triple A Albuquerque. With those 4 added to the other 8 it would allow the Dodgers to kind of have a rotating #5 starter if need be but also give them either 3 lefties in the starting rotation or 3 lefties in the bullpen and the ability to have multiple guys pitch multiple innings if the starters happen to struggle without draining the 1 inning specialists. But this all based on everyone having a good spring.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Dodgers sign O. Hudson
Dodgers sign O. Hudson
I got home last night from a weekend of camping and checked my e-mail and got one from the Dodgers website with the news they signed Hudson on Saturday. When I read this I was first excited cause it is just another piece that will make the "boys in blue" that much tougher even with or without Man-Ram in the lineup. But then the initial enjoyment wore off because it just clicked what is gonna happen with DeWitt. Don't get me wrong I love the signing of Hudson cause he will add more veteren leadership to the club house and be a great guy to mentor DeWitt. He will also fill a hole in the Dodgers lineup that in my opinion has been missing since Raffy's initial contract with the Dodgers. That hole is someone to hit #2 in the lineup, whose hitting style fits that spot. The Dodgers have tried a lot of different guys in that spot including many of the young nucleus of the team and Juan Pierre with very mixed results. I think Hudson will be perfect for this. He has some pop, hits for a nice average, knocks in a good amount of runners, can steal bases, and gets on base. In the national league he has numbers of .295/11 hr/ 57 rbi's/ 11 steals/ .370 obs. Putting this ability in front of the rest of the young Dodgers with or without Manny will help, cause the "O-Dog" has already been through this kind of setting in Arizona and all the young talent that surrounded him there. The one thing that is different between Arizona and Los Angeles is that the young Dodgers overall have hit better then the young DBacks did except for maybe in the power catagory and the DBacks had a lot of success in his time there. So, I am hoping for the same kind of success with the young guys.
Now back to DeWitt. I am a lifelong Dodger fan and really liked the way this kid played last year. He is a such a professional even with the demotion back to the minors last season and then being recalled up and having to change positions with 2 months to go in the season. It never seemed to change the way he played and you never heard or read reports of him causing a ruckus. Plus, out all the of the young Dodger hitters he did a great job of working the count and seeing the most pitches from every pitcher in his at-bats and not trying to do too much and put the ball in play even before Man-Ram arrived. I honestly think he has earned his shot at being the starter this year but I know Dodgernation could not pass this deal up. I am hoping he doesn't get sent back down to Triple A or traded. I have read a couple of reports that state DeWitt might be sent down just so he can play every day and not just sit on the bench or play sparingly. Honestly in my opinion I would like to see the Dodgers keep DeWitt and Young up on the Major League roster and send down Abreu and Hu. Another report I have read said the Dodgers also plan to work DeWitt out at short which I think is another good idea. I think it is a good idea just so he can be more adept and have experience all over the diamond. Plus if DeWitt is at Triple A how is he gonna learn from Hudson so I would rather see Dewitt who in his rookie year had numbers similar to Hudson's national league career except for his average stay up and be tutored by the "O-Dog". Both DeWitt and Young have earned the right to play with the big boys and all Hu has done is struggle offensively and Abreu is still coming back from injury and see them toughen up at Triple A and really earn their right to be with the big boys.
Manny
Now onto Manny, I also have read the reports that the talks have heated up even more this last week. That is good and bad and both for the same reason, that this dilemma is gonna end soon. I also just heard a report on ESPN Sportcenter this morning from a Dodgers beat writer for the LA Times that Manny wants to sign with the Dodgers and be in spring training before their first spring training game which is wednesday. What seems to be the hold up is the years and not the money. If I was McCourt and company I would give him 3 years/70 million with possible an option for a 4th year totally 85-90 million. Especially when I went to look at what tickets are gonna cost this year at Dodger Stadium and the prices have skyrocketed. The LF Bleacher was $8 last year and they are charging $15 almost double and the Top Deck was $4 and now going for $12 for season tickets comparison. Now the McCourts need to step up and give the fans what they want after an off season of not going after much in Non-Dodger Free Agents and what we want is Manny Ramirez and bring Mannywood back to Hollywood and the New Dodgertown. When the Manny deal gets done I would like to see the Dodgers bat him 4th in the lineup with Ethier staying infront of him and batting 3rd with the hope that he has as many years as Manny is gonna be here like the last two months of the 2008 regular season. Our lineup could look something like this:
1) Furcal
2) Hudson
3) Ethier
4) Ramirez
5) Martin
6) Kemp
7) Loney
8) Blake
9) Pitcher's Spot
I think you could move around any of the guys in the 5-8 spot to get the right combination but the 1st 4 should stay put. With our lineup like this we would have 8 guys who could hit 10 hrs or more each and almost all of them near a .300 average. That would be as scary as any lineup in the Majors including the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, Mets, and the other "elite clubs". It would leave pitching as possibly the only part to worry about which would be something we haven't had to do in a really long time in LA where pitching has been our priority for almost the last decade.
So much for my 1st post of many more to come and it being short. Hope those who read enjoy it.
I got home last night from a weekend of camping and checked my e-mail and got one from the Dodgers website with the news they signed Hudson on Saturday. When I read this I was first excited cause it is just another piece that will make the "boys in blue" that much tougher even with or without Man-Ram in the lineup. But then the initial enjoyment wore off because it just clicked what is gonna happen with DeWitt. Don't get me wrong I love the signing of Hudson cause he will add more veteren leadership to the club house and be a great guy to mentor DeWitt. He will also fill a hole in the Dodgers lineup that in my opinion has been missing since Raffy's initial contract with the Dodgers. That hole is someone to hit #2 in the lineup, whose hitting style fits that spot. The Dodgers have tried a lot of different guys in that spot including many of the young nucleus of the team and Juan Pierre with very mixed results. I think Hudson will be perfect for this. He has some pop, hits for a nice average, knocks in a good amount of runners, can steal bases, and gets on base. In the national league he has numbers of .295/11 hr/ 57 rbi's/ 11 steals/ .370 obs. Putting this ability in front of the rest of the young Dodgers with or without Manny will help, cause the "O-Dog" has already been through this kind of setting in Arizona and all the young talent that surrounded him there. The one thing that is different between Arizona and Los Angeles is that the young Dodgers overall have hit better then the young DBacks did except for maybe in the power catagory and the DBacks had a lot of success in his time there. So, I am hoping for the same kind of success with the young guys.
Now back to DeWitt. I am a lifelong Dodger fan and really liked the way this kid played last year. He is a such a professional even with the demotion back to the minors last season and then being recalled up and having to change positions with 2 months to go in the season. It never seemed to change the way he played and you never heard or read reports of him causing a ruckus. Plus, out all the of the young Dodger hitters he did a great job of working the count and seeing the most pitches from every pitcher in his at-bats and not trying to do too much and put the ball in play even before Man-Ram arrived. I honestly think he has earned his shot at being the starter this year but I know Dodgernation could not pass this deal up. I am hoping he doesn't get sent back down to Triple A or traded. I have read a couple of reports that state DeWitt might be sent down just so he can play every day and not just sit on the bench or play sparingly. Honestly in my opinion I would like to see the Dodgers keep DeWitt and Young up on the Major League roster and send down Abreu and Hu. Another report I have read said the Dodgers also plan to work DeWitt out at short which I think is another good idea. I think it is a good idea just so he can be more adept and have experience all over the diamond. Plus if DeWitt is at Triple A how is he gonna learn from Hudson so I would rather see Dewitt who in his rookie year had numbers similar to Hudson's national league career except for his average stay up and be tutored by the "O-Dog". Both DeWitt and Young have earned the right to play with the big boys and all Hu has done is struggle offensively and Abreu is still coming back from injury and see them toughen up at Triple A and really earn their right to be with the big boys.
Manny
Now onto Manny, I also have read the reports that the talks have heated up even more this last week. That is good and bad and both for the same reason, that this dilemma is gonna end soon. I also just heard a report on ESPN Sportcenter this morning from a Dodgers beat writer for the LA Times that Manny wants to sign with the Dodgers and be in spring training before their first spring training game which is wednesday. What seems to be the hold up is the years and not the money. If I was McCourt and company I would give him 3 years/70 million with possible an option for a 4th year totally 85-90 million. Especially when I went to look at what tickets are gonna cost this year at Dodger Stadium and the prices have skyrocketed. The LF Bleacher was $8 last year and they are charging $15 almost double and the Top Deck was $4 and now going for $12 for season tickets comparison. Now the McCourts need to step up and give the fans what they want after an off season of not going after much in Non-Dodger Free Agents and what we want is Manny Ramirez and bring Mannywood back to Hollywood and the New Dodgertown. When the Manny deal gets done I would like to see the Dodgers bat him 4th in the lineup with Ethier staying infront of him and batting 3rd with the hope that he has as many years as Manny is gonna be here like the last two months of the 2008 regular season. Our lineup could look something like this:
1) Furcal
2) Hudson
3) Ethier
4) Ramirez
5) Martin
6) Kemp
7) Loney
8) Blake
9) Pitcher's Spot
I think you could move around any of the guys in the 5-8 spot to get the right combination but the 1st 4 should stay put. With our lineup like this we would have 8 guys who could hit 10 hrs or more each and almost all of them near a .300 average. That would be as scary as any lineup in the Majors including the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, Mets, and the other "elite clubs". It would leave pitching as possibly the only part to worry about which would be something we haven't had to do in a really long time in LA where pitching has been our priority for almost the last decade.
So much for my 1st post of many more to come and it being short. Hope those who read enjoy it.
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