You can’t accuse me of thinking outside the box on this one.  I am so far from the box, you can’t even see a box!  First of all, let me say that gary Bennett sucks.  I noticed it in Spring Training when he was lobbing “lollipops” back to the pitcher, moonballs that came down wet!  It took forever for a throw back to the pitcher to come done, which in my opinion really disrupts the pitcher.  Well, last night he did the same thing all game and then throws a lob about 20 feet over Loney’s head on Aybar who had just been struck out by Kuroda, which cost us the run!  Why does he do that?  He can really fire the ball - he has a good arm.  Why?  Anyway, I disgress.  I don’t like Bennett.  Period!  Yes, I know he hit a 3-run HR - his 15 seconds…  I want Lucas May!

Yeah I know he’s green and this is only his 2nd full year as a catcher, but he’s an athlete, just like Martin.  He played SS 3 years in the minors, 2 years in the OF and now is a cather.   He is tearing up the Southern League - OPS’ing over 1.00 and I think he needs a shot!   It’s like when my oldest son wa about 13 and we started playing ping-pong.  I used to beat him badly and my wife used to say “Just let him win once in a while.”  But, I’d pour it on and pretty soon he could hold his own.  He rose to the level of his competition and now we are both extremely good ping-pong players.  The point is, if a young guy has the talent and character he will adjust his game to whatever level he is playing.  Case-in-point:  Blake “Rake’ DeWitt!

Here’s the thing that is WAY out of the box (well there are LOTS of things):

• Trade Jeff Kent, Juan Pierre, Derek Lowe, Nomar, and Raffy Furcal (prospects are as important as anything) for prospects and a starter;
• Move Russ Martin to 2B  (what?  Does anyone think he can’t excell at that position?);
• Call up LaRoche and May;
• Play Martin at 2B - He might steal 30 if we save his legs and he’d have a .400 OB% - Think about it!
• Run with this lineup:

1. Martin  2B
2. Ethier  LF
3. Kemp  RF
4. Loney  1B
5. Jones  CF
6. LaRoche/DeWitt (Platoon)  3B
7. May  C
8. Hu  SS

Think about it!  Play the youngsters and watch them adjust.

Andy LaRoche was 2-4 last night in AAA.

GREAT CLUTCH 2-RUN HR BY ANDRE LAST NIGHT!

I have become more and more aware of this aspect of baseball.  Without steroids, as we enter the “dog days” the players bodies will be slower to respond to rest and recovery.  We are also on track to be a 1,000 HR behind the number of HR hit in MLB last year.  I believe that teams with the youngest talent will have a “leg up” on teams full of older players, which bring me again to Jeff Kent and Nomar Garciparra.  Great players, both, but past their prime and one is tremendously injury prone.  We have a guy at AAA who is OPS’ing at about 1.100 and who also hit very well in the Spring.  I am saying that Andy LaRoche needs to be on this team, even at the expense of Kent or Nomar. Read the rest of this entry »

He really would.  He’s 40 and playing the field is taking a toll on his performance.  Also, he most certainly doesn’t have the range he once had.  If he were a DH, he might play another 2 years!  Who would want him and who would he want to play for?   Well, the N.L. is obviously eliminated and there’s no way he’d want to go to a team that didn’t have a chance to win it all.  So, lets’ consider the options:

Read the rest of this entry »

Tonights Lineup:

1. Ethier  RF
2. Young  LF
3. Kemp  CF
4. Loney  1B
5. Martin  C
6. Kent  2B
7. LaRoche  3B
8. Maza  SS
9. Lowe  P

But, actually - here’s the real lineup:

1. Pierre, LF
2. Jones, CF
3. Kemp, RF
4. Kent, 2B
5. Martin, C
6. Loney, 1B
7. DeWitt, 3B
8. Hu, SS
9. Lowe, P

P.S.  You can now access the Complete Dodgers 2008 Media Guide at the top of this page.